of babies and blogging and friendships ...

Once up on a time there was a woman.  A woman who excelled at her job.  A woman whose career trajectory was on the fast track …


… and then she met a man.  She fell hopelessly and deeply and truly in love.  Soul mate stuff in love …


She moved.  She married.  They bought a home.


And that very same fast-track-career-trajectory-newly-married-to-her-soul-mate-and-new-homeowner woman made a tough decision …


After the birth of her first bundle of joy she decided to stay at home and raise that bundle.  Belts would need tightening.  Sacrifices would need to be made.

… and three years later there was a second bundle …

And those bundles needed that woman.  To feed them and change them and kiss their boo boos …




And that woman celebrated those bundle’s milestones … first steps and feeding themselves and dressing themselves and bathing themselves.

… all those little milestones that make up their march towards independence; self-sufficiency …

And then one day that woman woke up and realized her bundles were bundles no more.


And that woman realized --  for all intents and purposes -- her stay-at-home mom job had transitioned into a part-time position.


And that woman decided to look for a part-time job …

… to fill the part of the time when her now-grown bundles were at school …

 

She wanted something local.  Something administrative.  Something that wouldn’t infringe on her stay-at-home mom job.  But the economy took a turn for the terrible.  And that woman was turned away … even disregarded … because, on paper, she looked overqualified for those administrative positions.


And then she looked for part-time PR freelance work that would undoubtedly infringe up on her mom job … but PR freelance was on a hiring freeze.  The economy again.


And that woman with too much time on her hands felt like a drain on the household.  She felt like her contributions no longer equaled her withdrawals …


And that woman with too much time on her hands felt lonely.  She moved when she married and her friends and family were thousands of miles away …


And that woman with too much time on her hands finally stopped and took a good, long, hard look at her home.  A home that was an outpost for sleeping and showering when she was a newly married super busy career woman.  A home that was a blur of kids and plastic swings and plastic chairs and plastic toys and plastic plates and sippy cups when the bundles were still non-bundles-in-the-making …

… and that woman wasn’t all that happy with what she saw …

All those “some day” and “when we save enough money” and “I need to hire someone to do this” projects had multiplied over the years …


So that woman with too much time on her hands decided it was high time to take those projects into her own hands.  And it all would start with what she knew she could do: Paint.


But the paint led to more.  The paint led to Google search.  The paint led to the discovery of all these home DIY blogs complete with detailed instructions … and pictures of how to do this and that … and products used …


And that woman with too much time on her hands was intrigued.  And inspired.  And after much lurking and stalking … and even daring to leave a comment here and there … that woman finally stepped up and started her own blog.


And at first it was a lonely and solitary endeavor.  She worked on her home.  She took pictures.  She blogged about it.  She linked it up.  Some people left some really nice comments.  There were features on other blogs.  It was exciting … and thrilling … and enthralling …


And yet, still lonely.


And then she happened upon a blog that grabbed her.  Sure it looked good.  That woman admits she does (at times) judge a book by its cover.   And while this cover captured her attention …





… it was the words that kept her coming back for more.


And it was at this is point in time when blogging became a much less lonely and solitary endeavor for that woman …


She reached out to that blogger beyond the comments thread to ask for advice about the elephant in the room – advertising.  Her finger lingered long and hard over the “send” key …


But she’s so glad she clicked it.  Because she forged a friendship with not one but two fabulous bloggers.  A husband and wife team.  A team who, unlike this woman, are at the beginnings of their bundles … and their careers.


And a team who are taking a much-needed break this summer to get their existing and expectant bundles and careers in order …


And then that woman --- this blogger --  gets this in the mail …





The most amazing linen and lace kitchen dish towels that will never, ever be the recipient of a bbq sauce hand wipe …


... a gift from  The Rooster and The Hen ...


I mean, really?  They are just too pretty …



And I’m reminded why blogging is the perfect activity for this too much time on my hands stay at home mom …



Thank you Whitney and Dustin -- from the deepest depths of my heart -- for keeping it real …


… and being real and true friends.


I can't wait to see you again in September …



Linking up:

* At the Picket Fence *  Chic on a Shoestring *  Funky Junk Interiors *  Too Much Time on My Hands *