November 11, 2013

Are You My Mojo?



You know that children's book Are You My Mother? In the book mother bird leaves to go find food for her soon-to-be-hatched baby, but while she is gone is when he hatches. What follows is a long journey of him searching for his mother, going up to cats, dogs, chickens, even a back hoe, asking each one "Are you my mother?"

That's what I've felt like this year, searching for my mojo.



Somewhere along the line early this year I think I gave up on life. I stopped meal planning (which meant barely cooking and what I did cook was trash), I just about stopped cleaning, I pretty much stopped knitting, I stopped blogging (and interacting), I stopped doing the normal things I did. You know all those things I used to talk about that had you all fooled I had it together? Yeah. I didn't have it together this time.



I spent most of the summer battling some bouts of depression and trying to figure out why I wasn't "normal" anymore. It's been a long summer, filled with changes, working through pain and problems, looking at myself,  dealing with a lot of shit (sorry, best word I have for it), and still trying to make sure our home is a home and trying to pull together what little bit of myself I could to not let everything go to hell.



On top of all that, I've been working so hard to get Bumblewood launched and going, all by myself, late at night, which I think was actually good because it gave me a ... purpose. Something to keep me going and not let myself slip so far off the edge. (I hate to make this sound like my kids and my husband aren't a good enough "purpose", they are! and I love them all deeply, but I don't think I could really describe it to you unless you've been there...)



I think, I hope, I've finally figured out my problems and settled into the new me. I feel like I'm finally coming alive again. I feel like I'm finally walking out of the fog I've been in for months, like I finally care again.

Iron Man, Batman, Hulk, Black Widow, and Spider Man

Anyways, enough of my pity party.

It's been a busy summer, busy last couple of weeks since I posted.



Bumblewood did another show at the beginning of the month, this time at the American Heroes Car Show which raised funds for the Wounded Warriors foundation, Young Marines, and Soldier's Angels. I had a great time, launched a new line of all natural Deodorants, and was nestled next to a sweet friend who sells her amazing candles. It was a wonderful day!

We very sadly had to get rid of the puppy, Annie. She was just too rough with our little guys, nipping and jumping and plowing them over. They didn't know how to handle it, and they had just about stopped going outside because she was too rough. That on top of destroying absolutely everything in the backyard (including the rope bridge of their new fort).... It was too much. So we are pet-less again, and it will probably stay that way for awhile.

The soaps have gotten so popular in just a month that I had to order two more molds. I started this all with two little 3 lb molds, and I can barely keep up with demand. So I've ordered two 6 lb molds and that should hopefully be good for awhile. I just need more shelf space to hold all the soap. :)

There have been some very frustrating aspects of the business, but it's not really worth getting into and I'm trying to let it roll off my back. It's just surprising, and interesting, in a way. 

The boys are doing excellent in school! Jack is trying to read things on his own, sounding out words and making good guesses on the ones that are really big. Ty can read the words I give him, but isn't interested enough to do it on his own, so we won't push it too much and will wait until he shows more interest. I believe the best way to make a kid hate something and cause fights is to force them to do it, so we go with the flow around here.

They are all growing like weeds! And eating like dinosaurs. They have consumed so much food lately.

We have been sick twice in the last month. This is mostly my fault, and mostly to do with my issues and not cooking like normal. I stopped cooking all our meals from scratch, and we supplemented a lot with either fast food, or boxed food. And our immune systems paid for. So I'm determined to get back on track because being sick is not fun and I really don't have time for it.

I have a few Christmas orders for knitted items that I am working on. One is a set of head band ear warmers with flowers on them. They are really simple and really cute, and I am almost done with them. After that I have a set of stockings for a friend.

I'm sort of in limbo right now as I wait for supplies (totally not happy with the slow service of my suppliers right now) and printer ink. I can't make things, or label what I do have ready right now. I told that to Ben and he said "You mean you actually have to SIT DOWN and RELAX tonight?!?" Heehee. I said "Nope, I have to knit". ;)

Today, for the first time in months, I deep cleaned my entire house. Everything is absolutely spotless. I'm hoping it stays that way for at least the night. But I think I'm going to sleep good tonight, haha.

The wonderful Molly over at Molly Makes Do has sweetly offered me some free ad space on her side bar for a bit. If you don't read her blog already, you really need to. It is filled with family and faith and she has the best, most positive outlook on life, despite some hard times. Very strong woman, and I admire her greatly.

Well, I'm sure I've bored you enough and have definitely talked your ear/eyes off. So I'm off.

Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to all who have and continue to serve!

Meg






October 15, 2013

Downtime..? Ha! So Here's a Quicky Update

I've been trying to write this for two days, but my time at the computer is few and far between these days. And when I do have it it's usually filled with business activities. But I'm scratching out these few minutes (I should be soaping! ) because I miss you guys!

My beautiful sister behind our display!

The Bumblewood launch at the CBC Craft Show this past Saturday was a great success!! I got to share the booth with my beautiful sister, who displayed her photography and booked shoots. I sold about a quarter of my inventory, which is so much greater than I could have expected!! I met so many new and lovely people, and I had so much fun I'm still coming down off the high. :D It was excellent!

The Bumblewood Etsy shop also went live this weekend! There you will find all of our current offerings (minus a few soaps I haven't gotten listed yet). So if you can't make it to a show be sure to find what you're looking for there!

I will be doing another show at the beginning of November called the American Heroes Car Show. It benefits the Wounded Heroes Fund and Soldier's Angels, and last year they raised over $4,000! I'm really excited to do this one! And thankfully I have the details worked out now as far as packing and prepping so hopefully it won't be quite as hectic. Be sure to follow Bumblewood on Facebook to get all the updates of what's going on and where I'll be!

We've had germs all over the house in the past week. The kids came down with head colds on Tuesday, and I of course got it hard Friday night. Thankfully a good night's sleep had me going strong on Saturday, only to be bombarded with the scratchy throat and snuffles again on Sunday and I am still fighting it now. Oh well. At least it skipped Saturday, which is all I prayed for!



I have been working on Christmas ornaments slowly as my down time allows, and a pair of fingerless gloves in my ever-favorite "Foliage" colorway which is a perfectly autumnal mix of oranges and yellows and browns. I'm hoping to have a few custom orders coming up pretty soon, just need to finalize details with the recipient.

I have a very large box full of some just ever-so-scrumptious processed fiber from Tombstone Livestock. It's just beautiful. I pull it out and pet it every now and then and my fingers itch to get it on on the wheel. Just a few more batches of soap to ready for the Car Show and then I'm spending quite a few nights with those lovely fleeces.

School has been going well, the boys are picking up in both reading and math. They had been struggling with numbers, and I had to all but throw out the way we were doing math because... Well I have boys. Boys don't do "sitting" work very well. So one day, in a moment of frustration and desperation, I just picked up a little white board we have and started drawing out long and loud and raucous scenarios involving dinosaurs, aliens, asteroids, birds, police cars, helicopters, cannons and all kinds of boyish things. There were explosions. There were people getting arrested. There were asteroids taking out alien space ships. And all the while I would ask them "ok how many X do we have now" after we added or subtracted from the story line. Ben had walked in as I was doing it and he said he's never heard them yell and giggle so much, especially not during school. And you know what? They've been picking up numbers and counting like crazy. Who says school has to be done from a book? :D

The weather has been amazing. We haven't had an honest October in years and years, but this year is cool and crisp and clear. I've been making soups and baking bread and my itch for autumn is slowly being scratched as the leaves start to turn and the temperature keeps dropping ever so slightly. We even had a very tiny patch of rain last week. Supposedly going to be a wet winter, which would be fantastic! My soul and the valley are both in need of it.

Alright, I really need to go soap. Tonight I'm making up a batch of my Lemongrass Scrub, which was a best seller at the show! It's great for getting the grunge off dirty, hard worked hands. Perfect for a show about cars! ;)

Happy Wednesday!
Meg

October 10, 2013

The Big Giveaway Winner!

Yesterday was a beautifully stormy and cloudy day. We even had a few little cloud bursts. Nothing to really wet the ground, but I'll take whatever I can get right now. I am in desperate need of a wet winter and we might *supposedly* get one. We'll see what happens. Today is bright and sunny, but it is quite crisp outside. I love it!

Once things (hopefully) settle down after this weekend I hope to get back to blogging at least slightly normally, and getting back to commenting on all of your blogs! 

And now it's time to announce the winner of the Big Giveaway - a large set of soaps, skin care, and more! Thank you to everyone who participated! If you haven't won recently be sure to check back - I will have at least one more closer to the holidays. :)


The winner is....


Congratulations Diane!! Yay!

dbaker4jc said...

I shared your giveaway on Facebook.

I just need you to shoot me an email at meg.bumblewood(@)gmail.com, or a Facebook message with how to get these to you, and whether you'd like the fingerless mittens or a pattern. :)


Happy Thursday y'all!! Be sure to bookmark www.bumblewoodhandmade.com - the shop is launching this weekend, where you'll be able to find everything from my giveaways, and more!

~Meg

October 4, 2013

Bumblewood Giveaway #4 - The Big One!

Here it is! The big giveaway you've been waiting for! Or at least the one I've been waiting for. :)

This is the last and biggest giveaway I'm doing for the Bumblewood launch, happening NEXT WEEKEND! (I'm a little nervous, are you nervous?)

Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in the last giveaways and for all your comments of support and best wishes. You are the best readers anyone could ever hope for! 

So here it is:



A big gift set of Bumblewood goodies including (basket not included):

4 - 4 oz bars of handmade soap, in the scents of your choice
3 - 1 oz lotion bars in the scents of your choice
2 - .15 oz lip balms, in the scents of your choice
2 - hand knit wash cloths made from 100% cotton (one large, one small)
PLUS
Your choice of either a finished pair of dark grey cabled fingerless gloves


OR if you're a knitter you have the choice of one my patterns (you can find those here).

Here's how to enter:

- Get one entry for leaving a comment here saying you'd like to enter.
- Get a SECOND entry for liking the Bumblewood Facebook page and letting me know you've done so (new likes or old!).
- Get a THIRD entry for sharing this giveaway on Facebook or your blog and letting me know you've done that as well. 


And the rules:
- I will only count the entries that follow the rules! If you like or share, but don't leave a comment here I can't count it. Make sure you leave a comment if you do either!!
- Not open to immediate family members. (Sorry y'all, but you know where to find me to get some. :) )
- In an effort to be fair, anyone who has won something from me in the past 6 months is not eligible.

This contest will be ending on Wednesday, October 9th at 11:59pm. The winner will be announced Thursday, October 10th!

Good luck everyone!
Meg

September 27, 2013

Winner Winner Number 3!


We have a winner! The Random Number generator spit out






Number two!


Tombstone Livestock said...
Count me in, and added my like to FB. Guess all this is not leaving time for spinning .... good luck on the endeavor.

Congratulations!! I just need you to email me your address and the scents you want to meg.bumblewood(@)gmail.com (without the parenthesis of course).

And no, not much spinning going on. ;) Hoping to be able to sit down at my wheel when things settle down a bit... Not that they ever do, heh!

We'll have one final giveaway next week before the launch, and it will be a big one! A whole big set of goodies! So make sure you're back here next week to enter. :)

Happy Friday!
Meg
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...