-
15 minute posts, Beach Bits, Bug, Family Matters, half assed posts, Life Lessons, Moody Blues, Niece-com-poops, spilling my guts
The Monthly Check In
Yes, I admit it. I’m only blogging because I illustrated a new banner for March and I desperately want to roll off that last old moldy post from February. One post in the whole month of February? What’s up B!! I don’t know.
I honestly don’t know how to answer what’s been going on with one neatly tied-up blog post. Work has been busy and exciting. Nothing I can share right now but you should see my work popping up elsewhere on the internet soon. The girls have been good.
Bug is struggling in school, particularly with math and that is taking up a lot of real estate in my mind right now. Does anybody know a good tutor? I’m hopeless at helping her. I hired a woman to come by once a week but we won’t meet with her until the week after next and I already feel like it’s too late because fourth grade is three quarters of the way over already. I know Bug is smart and she’ll pull through but life has just been really challenging for her lately.
A few weeks ago my parents rented a campsite in Doheny Beach and we met them for dinner two nights in a row. There really is nothing like dinner right on the beach on a school night. The weather didn’t cooperate but it was still magical. I really loved being with my family, doing the things I remember doing when I was little. Camping is deep in my blood.
Joon loves being a part of my family and my parents have taken her in as their own. I think they were always disappointed in me that I only provided one grandchild so an extra kid is a welcome addition.
Joon fits right in like she does everywhere. She is naturally outgoing and gregarious and everyone loves her. Naturally, Bug is jealous of someone cute stealing her limelight. I’m trying to be careful with Bug’s feelings while at the same time gently pushing her embrace having a little sister. It’s been a push and pull. Most of the time they are thick as thieves and they get along great but then Bug will lash out with rudeness and it’s lesson after lesson after lesson in exercising kindness, which is exhausting. If you’re the praying type, maybe you could pray for Bug and her growing pains.
Payam has been busy woodworking. I can’t give you the link to his Etsy shop yet but it is in the works and promises to be very exciting!
Lucy the cat is helping with missing my cats. I do see them every week when I drop Bug off at Toby’s but it’s not the same. I’m so happy they have a loving home. Toby has fallen for them hard which is really really great. But I can’t say I am not jealous that he gets to have my cats. It’s a good thing that Lucy is adorable to help me not miss them so much.
Wow. What a downer post. But please don’t think things are bad. They are really really good. Good enough that I have been able to take myself out of survival mode and notice the little things.
-
What’s New, February?
What’s new, pussycat?
It’s been verrry, verrry (Payam has taught me a Middle-Eastern accent) cold lately, relatively speaking. Thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit is VERY cold for us!! I can’t even remember what summer felt like and I know it was really hot. So I illustrated a February banner with the feeling of a being blown away with an arctic wind and some little love-blown valentines thrown in. I know a lot of people are finding my site from all the old valentine printables I used to make. I have some brewing but they will probably show up on Alphamom and not here. Gotta pay the bills and all. But if I get some extra time maybe I’ll pop out some pineapple valentines or minecraft valentines for certain little people in my house and I’ll share them here.
I’ve been antiquing a little lately. A new job has popped up where I’ll be repurposing antiques and shooting tablescapes. It’s a little scary for me and I’m feeling intimidated but I think once I get used to it, it could be really fun. So if anyone wants to hit up Orange Circle with me for some shopping and a coffee date, I should be open to that. Payam went with me last week and we had all kinds of fun.
Payam bought these really old wooden boxes and he’s thinking of repurposing them into either some wall art or maybe even furniture. I am very excited to see what he does with them. But in the meantime, they’ve been great props for shooting on. I felt like I had a little Knotts Berry Farm family portrait studio wall or something.
Lubna has popped up as a model here and there. I can only show the outtakes on this site so if you see something old that you might like, shoot me an email and I can probably sell whatever item it is. These double-handled soup bowls are great latte mugs. They didn’t make the cut for my new job so they’re hanging out in my kitchen but I know I can’t keep everything I find so eventually I’ll have to pass these on. If you like them, let me know!
Isn’t Lubna adorable?!! Did you know she might be engaged soon? I know, it’s crazy. I’m having some trouble wrapping my head around it myself. She’s only seventeen but in her culture pre-arranged marriages are very normal and expected, especially when your teenage daughters are drop-dead gorgeous like she is and prone to mischief. I’m just hoping the guy her family has picked out for her is as wonderful as she is. Of course she can always break off the engagement if she doesn’t like him and she might but she’s pretty excited about the whole prospect. Teenage love and all that. And yes, I have been preaching to the moon and back about how young she is and how she should finish school and have a career etc etc…I’ll keep you posted.
