In the spirit of keeping things real, I'll just be honest and say- a good bit of our life has been really tough for the last month or so. These snapshots of shiny moments truly were happy bits, but Hope has been going through some anxiety issues lately and it has been very hard on everyone. I don't want to go in to too much because it isn't really my story to tell, but it's nice to just say, "Hey, life is good AND life is hard, blog friends." BUT, if life didn't have the hard stuff, we'd never grow as people. I try to constantly remind myself of that whenever I'm feeling more than spent. Here are some of the happy things from the past few weeks:
*I made these cats for a sweet couple a month or two ago. Wedding cake toppers are some of my favorite things to make.
*Since it's gotten really cold here Google has kinda sorta become an indoor cat. You can't leave a sweet cat outside to freeze, right???
*Poesy is 100% personality. Have you heard the term "threenager"? I'm pretty sure someone saw into the future and coined that after experiencing all that is Poe.
*Okay, this may sound like the most boring thing ever, but in times where I feel overwhelmed by life, I take a breath, fill my water can, and just enjoy the moment. I mean, of course I water my plants when I don't feel overwhelmed as well, but it's seriously calming for me.
*I helped a sweet friend paint her outdoor furniture THE DAY before Missouri decided it loved winterish weather more than fallish weather. We scored at the buzzer or some sort of sporty analogy I have no business using. ;)
*Our house is always overrun with music gear in inappropriate places right now, but I swiped the rug from the dining room and put it in the living room. I'm loving the color it brings to the space.
Anyway, I hope you all have a super duper weekend! Many of you have emailed me asking about ornaments this year, and I AM going to be selling them. There won't be as many as last year, but I would be too sad to skip making them this year. It's something I always look forward to!
Happy Friday, friends. xo.
Cats are to be respected. otherwise they will kill you.
ReplyDelete/Avy
http://mymotherfuckedmickjagger.blogspot.com
♥
I like the "My daddy is a trucker" T-shirt! My daddy is also a trucker. ;) Glad you've had some happy moments! Anxiety sucks... I know from experience.
ReplyDeleteI love the IDEA of cats...truly. I just wish I wasn't so allergic!!! Nice snapshots though, I especially like the first one! So cute!
ReplyDelete~ Samantha
Awesome pics! I just love your style!
ReplyDeleteeveofwomanhood.blogspot.com
I find watering plants calming as well. Doing something that doesn't require a lot of hard work has this relaxing feel to it. :)
ReplyDeleteLife With Antlers
Good luck! You are pretty awesome and such an inspiration. Yeah, you already heard that.
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays from Spain :)
Oh I love the wee bride and groom : )
ReplyDeleteBeen reading your blog for awhile via abeautifulmess and always love your honesty and creativity. I have two girls too, 15 & 16 and my oldest has a long history of anxiety that has made life tough at times. We are still learning what helps and what triggers her panic attacks. Tell Hope she isn't alone and that there is a sweet girl named Lily sending her some good vibes. One of the things we do when she is having a bad day is go to the Humane Society and pet cats (even though we have 6 of our own). It gets us out of the house, distracts her, and it feels good. xoxo
ReplyDeleteAMAZING PHOTOS :)
ReplyDeletewww.agoprime.it
poor girl, I know how she feels. I struggled with anxiety when I was around Hopes age, it's not a fun thing. and I also remember it not being very fun for my parents. hang in there, it takes some time to work through. have her remember deep breaths through your nose and out your mouth, sounds like a silly thing but it helps.
ReplyDeletexo, samantha
barefootinthewood.com
sending you the insurmountable amounts of patience needed oftentimes to parent a child with anxiety. i'm rowing in the same unpredictably murky waters of parenthood and the more people talk about childhood anxiety, the louder the discussion becomes. thank you for your honesty.
ReplyDeletewarm hugs,
meg
cocoonofchaos.typepad.com
Very beautiful and lovely rug but the price...aie aie aie!
ReplyDeleteSunday morning is my plant watering day. I love these moments, first thing when I wake up, before my husband or animals come crawling out of the bedroom, to just be quiet and bring new life and water to my succulents. It just be so good for our souls to do this.
ReplyDelete<3
Emory
helloscarlettblog.com
I´m sending good vibes to Hope all the way from Brazil. She seems to be so sweet!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya on the rough patches in life! My entire summer was really quite rough but I learned some good lessons and am now appreciating the sweetness that is now even more! If I visit Springfield again in the near future I say a cocktail happy hour is in order! <3
ReplyDeletexoxo
Allison
www.livelaughwonder.com
Your realness is what keeps me coming back. Sending Hope a truckload of positive vibes from Pittsburgh!
ReplyDeleteI found patience and meditation are the only things that work with me for anxiety. Mindfulness is very accessible. I hope everything goes back to normal soon.
ReplyDeleteItzi @ www.organisingchaosblog.com
Those wedding cake toppers are so cute! -Hanna Lei
ReplyDeleteI've been struggling with anxiety recently, and mindfulness has definitely been the most effective thing in helping with it. A couple of things that you can try with Hope:
ReplyDeleteThe main reason panic spirals out of control is that we fight it - I've found one of the best ways of dissolving panic after the initial adrenalin rush is to greet it like an old friend. You could talk with Hope about anxiety being a familiar thing, almost like an old friend, and then when she's feeling anxious she can literally greet it out loud - "Oh hi, anxiety, you again! Come in, I know you, you're an old friend". It sounds silly, but if she can really accept what's happening and feel warmth towards it instead of fear, it dissolves pretty quickly.
Another one that I used a lot when I was in hospital this year was to visualise breathing in two glowing golden hands made of light, imagine them going down your throat into your belly, or wherever the anxiety is felt strongest, then visualise them gently massaging the anxiety and pulling it up your windpipe and out of your body with the out breath.
Really hope that Hope gets some relief from this - it's a tough one, and all too common! The worst is that it can completely blindside you. Sending you strength and positive vibes!
Olli @bonjourlalune