Hen Pecked

I love chickens.  We have had them time and again on our farm.  I think next spring I will get some more. They are fairly stupid animals, creatures of habit, but I love to watch them peck and scratch and come running when you bring them grain. And, once one comes running, or does anything for that matter, they all seem to join in without knowing why.  Mob mentality, I suppose - if one does it, they all do.

I was with my sister-in-law and friend the other day and they talked about how most blogs seem to be women promoting their "perfect" lives.  Well, this post isn't one of those.  

You see, with six kids, I relish my quiet time when they are all at school, it's true.  That doesn't make me a bad mom, just one who is trying to regain her sanity after afternoons and evenings spent in servitude to every need.  I love my kids, adore them really.  I just need time to refuel.

  I also cherish the time when we are all together.  With Emilee gone to college, it's rare that we are all home at the same time.  She is now home for the holidays and the children are home for the weekend.  So, without basketball games yesterday (shocking, I know), we were all home all day long.

There is this crazy thing chickens do.  If one chicken is weaker or slightly different, the others will peck at it.  Hence the term "hen pecked" when someone is getting bullied or picked on.  The hens will casually continue to do this until they draw blood.  Once this happens, it's all over for the poor hen who's getting pecked.  At this point, they go crazy until the poor thing is dead.  It is so sad and so unnecessary. 

This is how I felt yesterday.  I was so looking forward to a day without an agenda and time to get some Christmas projects done.  I did get to sleep in until eight (a big feat for me), but it was all down hill from there.  None of my kids treated me cruelly or unkind, but the constant "Mom?", "Mom, can I make muffins?", "Mom, help me buy these presents online", "Mom, I need to go to town and buy treats", "Mom, I am hungry, when is lunch?" (@ 11:00 a.m., and "Mom, I am bored".  It was all a little too much to take.  I finally sat down at 3:30 to watch the Potato Bowl  and instantly fell asleep for an hour.  What a waste of time.  Sad that the only quiet time I get, I have to be asleep for. 

By the end of the day, I was ornery and just wanted to run away.  I hadn't accomplished anything that I had wanted.  I did find a greek recipe online for Herman's presentation on Monday.  I also got the laundry done.  Although I felt like I'd been "pecked" at all day, I really didn't do much of anything or get much accomplished.  I told David while we were laying in bed, "I guess that's what I signed up for when I had six kids".  It's true.  I love them all and want to help them all, but yesterday was just unnerving for me.  Maybe my expectations where too high, maybe my kids need better imaginations, maybe they need more confidence so that they can do more on their own, maybe it's my own fault....

Anyway, truth be told, I am scared for the holidays.  I have looked forward to them all fall - the few weeks when we will all be together and celebrate.  Maybe yesterday was a good wake-up call for me.  I can't expect to relax too much because there are too many of them....and that's okay because I wouldn't trade them for the world.  After a night's sleep, I can easily see that the small amount of frustration is truly worth all the joy they bring me.  Just glad no one tried to point that out to me yesterday.

Obsessions

I have some very strange obsessions, I admit.  My kids remind me all of the time about my issues.  You hear it said that the start of solving any problem is admitting we have one, so here is my confession of obsessions.  I have an obsession for:

Aprons

This obsessions started awhile ago.  I can't help but buy any kind of apron I can lay my hands on.  I believe I have over 30 aprons.  Most are vintage or used.   A few I have made.  I have a hard time using one that is brand new, crisp, and stiff.  It's much easier to dry your wet/soiled hands on one that has "been there, done that".  I also find it romantic to think of all of the great meals that my aprons have seen.  Strange, but somehow I believe that experience will aid me in my endeavor to create a good meal.  I think in the future, I would like to share my aprons on my blog - show and tell style.  I recently made one out of a man's old dress shirt.  It was super simple to make and fun to transform an old shirt into something useful.  You can check it out under the Repurpose tab.

Fabric

I also am addicted to fabric.  I just can't help myself.  Since the basis for most of my creative endeavors is fabric, I see potential for many projects in just one print.  Because of this, it's hard NOT to buy cute fabric, especially when it is on a great sale.  This is the stack that I've acquired since Black Friday.  Pretty excited about the possibilities.

Kitchen Gadgets

Another thing that I can't resist is vintage kitchen gadgets and canisters.  I love the bright cheery colors and that it seems to make the everyday chore of cooking a little more fun.

Vintage Dresses

Vintage Dress Patterns

I am in LOVE with vintage dresses and dress patterns (which is used as justification for my fabric addiction).  I love the ultra feminine lines of vintage dresses.  This will seem like an odd addiction to some, seeing that I have never been a huge fan of wearing dresses.....I see a change in my future.

The very last addiction that I will share, is my love of thrifting.  All of my addictions above, aside from maybe my fabric, are all fueled by my love of thrift store shopping.  I have found so many treasures for so little.  Some of my very favorite things, I have bought for merely a couple of dollars.  The funny thing is, that these items are the ones that I get the most compliments on.  Also, I love the idea that what I am wearing or decorating with just can't be bought by anyone, it is a one of a kind find.

As you can see, I am pretty much addicted to anything vintage.  So there you go.  I have confessed.  I would like to think that revealing my quirky addictions might be a healthy start to curbing them.......or maybe not!

Time Out for TED

"What is the work you can't not do?"

This is the big question for so many people...and a really tricky one at that.  It's a question that most young people grapple with when trying to make life choices, but I really think it's one that everyone should be asking themselves daily - no matter what stage of life they are in.  Whether it's career work, service work, or just personal development, what is it that you are passionate about?

If you have never watched TED talks before, you really should give this one a look.  We've enjoyed many TED talks over the past couple of years.  David and I have watched them together and we've even shared them with our children and much to our surprise, they even enjoy them.

Like a lot of stay at home moms, I have felt like I have lost myself in the service to my children.  Not that it's a bad thing, but I feel like there is more to me than laundry, cleaning, and chasing kids.  I have felt a little anxious lately to find the parts of me that are passionate.  This talk makes some very good points about how to do that.

He also talks about what kind of people to surround yourself with and how crucial our environment is in finding our passion.  I find that to be so true.  When I surround myself with inspiring people, I believe more in the possibilities that I possess.

I couldn't help but share this.  Thank you, Paulette, for sharing and for being one of the most inspirational people in my life.  Also, for seeing and believing in my dreams and reminding me to do the same.  You are a gifted lady, for sure!!