August 9 is getting closer and closer.  It makes me slightly nervous because it means my daughter will be a year old.  AN ENTIRE YEAR.  How does this happen?  Where does the time go?  When I sit and reflect back on the year, SO MUCH has happened.  My husband's job moved us to Northern California when I was newly pregnant.  Away from everyone and everything we knew.  It took us months and months to feel somewhat settled in (and even then I wouldn't have called it "settled in").  We drove, hiked, walked, and schlepped around trying to find our "place" there and never really found it.  So I started crafting.  And I crafted.  And I crafted.  And I continued to craft.  I crafted like it was my job.  Which, I really think preserved my sanity, at least, what was left of it.  I started an Etsy store, and I made bibs.  I did fairly well.  Then it slowed down and I got discouraged, and put the store on hold.  Then I started making tons and tons of soap.  Not to sell, but just for the hell of it.  THEN...I gave birth to my beautiful baby.  I made a decision then that I didn't want to return back to work outside of the home.  I had a vision of exactly what I wanted: to own a sweet, cute little online store and sell handmade things.  Not to be a millionaire, but to do it because I enjoy it and it makes me happy.  The problem that I ran into was that I didn't exactly know what I wanted to make.  I did bibs, that was fun, but not fulfilling.  I tried some other things, but couldn't really get into them.  The thing that I think saved me during that time was that I didn't stop sewing.  I kept at it.  Kept plugging away trying to come up with something awesome.  Then one day I started looking for a pair of soft soled shoes for my daughter that were cute, and couldn't find anything.  We are pretty brightly colored in this house, and I wanted something suuuuuper cool.  Nothing.  And that was it.  That's how I started making shoes.  All it took was 1 pair and I was hooked.  So here I sit, reflecting back fondly of this past year....So many years have come and gone in my life where I had thought back and though, "mehh...glad thats over".  Not this year.  It was so good in so many ways that I truly don't want it to end.  Its the year that made me into a woman.  For reals.

All good things do come to an end.....I'll be ok...*sniff sniff*

:)

xo