Why have I stopped blogging? That is the question, that I have asked myself a lot lately. Many of you maybe wandering as well. I have popped in here and there, but it has been a bit of a struggle for me, which is both good and bad.
So, grab a cup of coffee, cup of tea or glass of wine and I will fill you in - we'll chat.
Last that I filled you all in it was the middle of summer and I was busy at the Elkhart Lake Farmer's Market. The season is now over (because it has been freezing her in Wisconsin), but it was a wonderful summer, and for Pretty Pear Designs quite successful. I introduced a variety of new products such as my gift tags, bookmarks and fabric boxes. Varying price-point has been very important to me. I also accepted credit cards this year, which made a tremendous difference in my sales.
I always feel so fortunate for all the wonderful people that I get to meet every week at the market. As strange as it may sound I really do remember you. I have been touched by many, and have been honored by peoples support and appreciation for what I do.
I also had a great summer with my girls, husband, and family visits. Elkhart Lake is just a beautiful place to be in the summertime. Afternoon's spent at the lake, grilling out in our backyard. A nice cool summer, not too hot and not so humid! I enjoyed my gardening, although my vegetable garden could of used some more tlc - there is only so much time in the day. Lots of indulgence in ice cream and great meals. Nothing to complain about.
However, as we all know this is a rough economy, and times are different. The confidence in job security is fleeting these days. For the past year we have seen at my husband's company many rounds of layoffs. They became so common place that it almost seemed surreal, and since we had survived each round we began to feel almost immune to them. I stress the word almost, because the fear is always back there in your head. So, as rumors swirled again of layoffs on one particular day, I took it with a grain of salt as my husband left for work that day. However, when I saw his car pull into our driveway at 10:30 am I knew that was it, he was done. As he walked through the gate, I Iooked at him and he just shook his head and gave a faint smile.
From that moment I have been in a lets deal with it mode, lets do what we have to do mode, and life is going to change mode. I have been BUSY. We decided to put our house on the market - if you have time, visit some of my older posts where I share our unique property with you. I have been in awe of our place and have loved all of it since we bought it. It is a living history set in beautiful surroundings. My husband and I have put a lot into this place. We are hands on people - DIYer's. However, it is a lot of work, and it takes a tremendous amount of time.
This has been a difficult decision, we are headed into the unknown. The headlines do not lie, it is hard to find employment. My husband is a Mechanical Engineer and his specialty is in engines, so needless to say there are lots of engineers looking for jobs right now, it is very competitive. We are well aware that there is a good chance that he may find a job that requires relocation, so we took the offensive at put the house on the market, to get a head start encase we have to sell it.
My life has changed and it has not. I am a much more efficient grocery shopper and have shocked myself by how much I have saved on my food bills by just cutting coupons and getting more organized. We have sold lots of stuff. Two weekends of garage sales and lots of time on ebay. It is cathartic actually, we all have way too much stuff.
The thing in life is this...Love is free and we have made sure that in our house the "bumps" in the road do not get in the way of what we are most grateful for. Laughter is free, and with two young daughters we make time to all sit down and laugh with each other. Just because money is tight does not mean you stop creating memories - you just get more creative. We have our health, which I count my blessings for everyday. So sometimes having "less" makes you realize you have so much more.
I tell my girls we are on a journey, because that is really what life is, why fear it. I continue to keep working on my line of stationery. Pretty Pear Designs is in full swing and will not stop. I have a huge event coming up....(I will save that for another post), and my production capabilities have greatly increased.
So, there you have it a bit long winded, but oh well. I have been engrossed in the ongoings of my life and blogging has taken a back seat - however, I feel it is making its way back up again!
