Outlet Needed, Desperately

My mind has been a total mess lately. I constantly feel filled to the brim with words and emotions that are desperate to get out. Instead they are trapped inside making me feel crazy and overwhelmed and oftentimes very alone. I've been mulling over the idea of getting back into blogging for about a month now. It seemed an easy decision to make, but I couldn't get around the logistics. The Everyday Crumbs was a big part of my creative process in years past, but with such a big gap since my last post perhaps it made more sense to start anew? In the end, urgency won over the mild desire to start with a fresh page. I need to write. And it seems like such a waste to just let go of all my previous posts on here. It's a lot of my history, a lot of my struggles and joys as a young mom. I want to hold on to that, and leave it up here in case anybody else can learn something from the battles I've fought. Or maybe just look at all the pictures of my adorable kids. ☺

A Reintroduction

With that being said, I feel like I should reintroduce myself. Who I am now versus who I was a few years ago. So, my name is Amy. ☺I turned 32 last month, a birthday that didn't really phase me the way 30 and 31 did. I'm good with getting slightly older. I'm married to Greg. We celebrated our 10th anniversary this past May with a cross country trip to Charleston. We'll be celebrating 17 years as a couple this January! We have two kids that keep us constantly, shall we say...challenged. Caden turned 8 in September and is in second grade. He's a very active kid, a good big brother, a total homebody, and he loves video games and reading. It's been a joy watching him grow in recent years, but we still have many, many struggles. More on that another day! Shepard is 5 and in kindergarten. He continues to light up our lives and give our rather serious little family a lot of much needed laughter. But he can also be the absolute most stubborn little person in the world. Shepard loves to do just about everything, especially when he can jump in and help with projects the people around him are working on. We also have two kitties, Jack and Rory, who have been part of our family for 11 years now.

This fall has begun a weird and hard to define chapter in my life. I'm still a "stay at home mom," though both of my kids are in school full time. I have a business sewing primitive dolls, bears, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I've been doing this for over three years and have been anxiously waiting to start working on it full time once the boys were in school. The past few months have showed me that working at home full time is a lot more challenging than I ever expected! I'm easily distracted and can never stop thinking about everything else that needs to be done around the house. But I'm working on it! I love what I do and that I found this creative passion that allows me to continue to stay home for when my kids need me, but still bring in a little extra money.

My other hobbies and interests include reading, baking, walking, listening to podcasts, and setting up our house. We bought our first house in six years this past May and it's been amazing living in a permanent location that I can decorate and rearrange to perfection. I love, love, LOVE to read. I read in all my spare time and whenever I allow myself a break from cleaning and sewing. Baking has always been a source of immense joy, though I try to keep it to a minimum because while everybody enjoys a good treat, their waistlines don't and they're not afraid to tell me that! And finally my newest obsessions - walking and podcasts, always simultaneously. Since moving into town I've been taking 2-5 mile walks almost every day and I absolutely love it. And podcasts have opened up this whole new world of information and entertainment that I seriously cannot get enough of. I listen to them all day long and it's awesome. 

I'm hoping this blog will turn into the creative outlet I really need to clear my mind, get my head on a page, and move forward with my life in a positive direction. I want to continue to share pictures from my family life and celebrations throughout the year. I also want to write in greater depth the things I struggle with on a regular basis. I'd like to occasionally post about awesome recipes I find. And I'd love to share more about my sewing, the books I've been reading, and the best podcasts I've been listening to. I have a lot to say and not a lot of opportunity to say things out loud. Even if nobody reads this, at least it's out of my head and that's all that matters. Enjoy!