I was a bit burnt out from blogging two weeks ago and I was trying to discover a new reason to write. During my time “off” I did some soul searching, a lot of exploration, and a little bit of Taking Care of Me.

Make A Choice

Just last night late, I found the first step to gaining a new perspective on this blog in my book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen F. Covey. He wrote, “[you have the power to choose your reaction to the situations and circumstances that happen around you.]” I usually believe I do things because I “have to,” “must do,” or “should do” them. But I do choose to love my husband each day. And I do choose to set aside my hunger to feed my children first. And I can choose my personal value to perpetually seek new knowledge over my feelings of being burnt out by writing and choose to seek new inspiration.

In and Amongst Nature

Over the weekend my family went to hike in the Shanendoah Blue Ridge Mountains here in Virginia. Spending a little time amongst the birds, the deer, ferns, moss, fallen leaves, and rocks reminded me of the fantastic natural spaces I took for granted as a child. It was a wonderfully joyful experience to play in the stream along side my son dangling sticks into the water, watching the water bugs float by, and smelling the wet moss on the rock. My daughter found squishing the black dirt and feeling rough tree bark under her tiny pink finger tips most appealing.

I was very much inspired by reading Amanda Soule’s book The Creative Family. (Check out her blog here.) Her descriptions of her family’s nature inspired life in Maine and how they listen to the voice of their surroundings daily spoke to me. I decided I needed to do something everyday in my life to celebrated the nature I remember as a child; fragrant copper-colored soft pine needles under your toes, excitement for newly discovered wild blueberries, and the amazement that tiny found acorns can make a wonderfully rich brown textile dye.

Personal Creative Inspiration

I also spent a bit of time on me. I have been pondering for a while now, “what kind of job would I enjoy?” I had always planned to return to a career position after my children started school.  I had thought about cake decorating, making freezer meals for moms with new babies, gift baskets, sewing eco-friendly produce bags, and many more ideas. My son starts preschool in just a week and I think I have finally found the right spot to land.

I happened upon a book Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed and Organic Materialsby Betz White.  (Check out her blog here.) With her instructions I learned to felt sweaters and then I moved on to needle felting. I feel like I opened the cabin door for a breath of clean air to look west at the pink sun setting softly over the panoramic blue ridge mountains. I felt at home, I felt grounded, and I felt inspired. (To get a quick introduction to needle felting visit here.) Finding a craft that speaks to me, and one that I can share with my children, (well the design part, needles are too sharp for toddler fingers) topped off my two-week blog vacation.

I am excited, eager, and inspired to continue writing here in this space about the new passions and interesting experiences that come our way. I plan to journal here about three times a week. And I hope you will come a long as we continue to find out what means the most to us in this life and as we organize our lives together. Happy Organizing.