Let me start by saying that "normal' is relative. What's normal for me (requiring a decent amount of coffee to function as a human) may not be normal for you (how do some of you human on just regular beverages?). So when I use the term "normal" in this post (yes, going forward I will ditch the quotation marks) I'm referring to a routine that was standard for me & mine.
As those of you (I'm hoping three by now) who've been reading my recent blog posts know, 2018 did a number on my family. We had many changes, both good & bad, many adjustments & the loss of any semblance of "normal".
Let me start by saying that "normal' is relative. What's normal for me (requiring a decent amount of coffee to function as a human) may not be normal for you (how do some of you human on just regular beverages?). So when I use the term "normal" in this post (yes, going forward I will ditch the quotation marks) I'm referring to a routine that was standard for me & mine.
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Apologies to the handful of you that still try to follow this blog. 2018 was undisputedly (so far) the worst year for me & mine. (It doesn't sound grammatically correct, but I'm declaring that it is so deal with it.)
I'm still recovering from last year & so far this year has been better, but not by a ton. So, this post will be short, ish. Not prepared to go into details, but let me just say that there were WAY TOO MANY deaths in my family & as we're approaching (or have passed) the one year anniversaries of those losses I'm struggling. I've been trying to find my way back to myself, back to the people I care about, but it's not easy. Not by a long shot. As always money (or lack thereof) weighs heavy on my mind. Anxiety pounces on everything, even the sadness of a Hallmark movie (because they don't show the commercials like they used to). Stress, depression & fatigue take over; worries fill in the nooks & crannies. I've not been able to create much; the inner critic monsters have stepped up with megaphones & protest posters, echoing the unknowingly/unintentionally insensitive comments of strangers, family & friends. They've no permits, but because there is no inner positive police force to deal with them, they persist. But I'm on a tiny ledge of "you can tryness" right now, so I've taken the first step. This post. Which I will not share on Facebook or Twitter. Which I will publish before I change my mind. Which will hopefully be the start to more. I hope you've been well.... Aloha hugs, -Clare Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook know that I get bored easily & am randomly prone to challenging/asking my friends to entertain me.
Whether it's answering questions about themselves, me or life in general, coming up with short stories on topics I pick because or just commenting on random things that pop into our (collective) heads, I look to others to entertain me, because I'm bored/lazy/squirrel-brained?whatever. I'm now going to attempt the same thing here. Yes, this does require audience participation, so if you are not inclined to be silly because I want you to, go ahead, click one of the links on my 'Friends' page & experience some of the awesomeness that is the people I love. If you've got nothing better to do, click 'Read More'.... ***Warning: The following post is not all bubbles & cawfee, so if you're one of the two people that read these & are feeling depressed or just not in the mood for less than bouncy kitty happiness proceed with caution.***
Because my babiest baby, the Chicken, is turning SIXTEEN! (Insert every sad face emoji imaginable here)
Yes gang, my sweet boy is sixteen & I'm bawling. Dearest you,
Before 2016 ends I want to remind you that despite everything that has happened, you were, are & always will be loved. No matter what the future has in store for us, you will always be important & there will always be someone (besides me) who thinks you are amazing, because you are. In the new year, be good to yourself. Be good to others. Make a difference. Remember even if you only change one person's life for the better, that's one more person changed than yesterday. Have a beautiful life, share your light & love with the world, make time to play with bubbles & dance in the rain whenever possible. 💖 -Me It's been about a week since my last post. I've not arted. I've not created. I've not done anything (really) to refresh my soul. I suck right now.
and I'm still here. It's been a rough few months here & it's been all I can do to not go crazy. I haven't created anything in I don't know how long & truthfully the last two months have been so overwhelmingly challenging that I've basically just been doing what I had to do to get things done.
So here it is the end of March 2016 & I haven't posted anything in ages. That's because sometimes life people suck, life sucks & things happen. Or they don't happen, which can be just as bad. I won't make excuses, I just haven't posted. I've been doing the responsible adulting, the involved parenting, the dutiful spouse & offspringing, the loyal friending & all of the other things that people do when they either don't have the time or desire or motivation to do the themselfing. (I fall into the realm of the last two there, just so you know.) Of significant import is that the advanced aging of the Chicken, who is now fifteen. He is currently studying the driver's manual in preparation for driver's ed, which may or may not happen here soon. He is now five foot six inches tall, growing a nice mustache that I have named 'Ricardo' (always pronounced with my best & most sultry Ricardo Montalbán accent) & turning into a man whether I like it or not. *Insert mournful, nostalgic sigh* Anyway, my banana bread timer is going off which means it's also time to start dinner. So I'll stop here & post this for now.
Hoping to get back into posting more often. Hoping even more that you'll still be interested in reading these. Sorry there's no new art; I ran out of me & have been lackadaisically attempting to want to get some of me back. Until later my darlings, much aloha & giant hugs, -Clare Well, we survived yet another year. I have to admit, I have no idea what I'm going to end up writing about. I had thought I'd just make this a Quoteful Cop out, but that seemed like too much work. “Quotes are nothing but inspiration for the uninspired.”- Richard Kemph So I decided to share some pictures of the CoW. Because I can. Because I may or may not have promised pics back in November or so, when we started rearranging rooms here. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any of the pre-rearranging pics; I think the sock monster crawled out of the laundry room & deleted them from my phone. He's a brat that way. Anyway, these are just a few pics of what the CoW looks like now. It is still a work in progress as I still have rearranging & more downsizing/purging of unused things to do. I'm pleased though, because you can see the floor & I think the energy flows better. Well, there you have it. The only pics of the CoW that I deem not blurry enough to share. I hope you enjoyed them. By the way...
Yes, I do have various pieces of art from both my boys & my friends on the walls, as well as some of my creations (there is a lot of my stuff on the walls of our guest room). Yes, I do name my stuffed animals. Doesn't everybody? Aloha hugs until later gang, -Clare Yes, my sock monkeys have clothes on. The tutu that Carlee is wearing & the overalls that Carl are wearing were handmade by yours truly. I did not make the leather bomber jacket that Carlee is wearing (she mugged an elf on the shelf for it, because I couldn't find anything small enough to make her a coconut bra).
Aloha my lovelies! Sorry for being AWOL for so long. I hope that while I was gone you all used that time to hone your evil powers & use them solely for the greater good. I know I tried. Once or twice anyway.
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More about "ME"Aloha my name is Clare! My main job title is Mom, but I'm also an artist, crafter, avid experimental cook & occasional rabid baker. I live in Idaho with my husband & two sons (the "we" or "us" part of this website), but was raised in Hawaii. Feel free to explore our pages as we grow & change. Mahalo! (Thank you) Categories
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