A Jester's Motley: The Solution to Juggling Hats

I am wearing quite a number of hats these days. There are the usual ones; wife, mom. Then the work one, that which pays the bills. And the writer hat which I put on sometimes more than others. And I have recently added the jewelry designer and small business owner hat(s) to the mix. Yikes!

That's a lot of hats. A lot of different things demanding my attention in this world. What would be great is if I could combine them all seamlessly. A jester's motley cap would be ideal.

How does all this work, I wonder? There are only so many hours in the day and sleep and eating should be figured in there somewhere. I feel like I am not doing any of these jobs very well. I generally have this constant feeling of flying by the seat of my motley pants.

This past November I participated in NaNoWriMo but didn't make nearly the 50K by the end of the month. Jewelry making pretty much didn't happen since I was focused on writing. Enter the paying job.

Am I being overambitious wanting to write to one day be published and have a business making jewelry? Should I pick one and leave the other one to the wayside? That doesn't feel exactly right. How can I be just Jewelry Designer or just Writer? Surely I can do both. Or am I just being greedy?

Well, if nothing else, the sight of me in a fool's cap might just make me laugh. That's something.

"A Time to Give Birth, A Time to Die"

I was planning to write about week one of the O movement at Chez Blume, but other events have put that particular post on hold.

Monday, I learned that someone with whom I went to high school died suddenly.

Here's the strange part. I was not particularly close with this person in school. I knew people that he knew. I wasn't a part of his crowd, but our crowds kind of overlapped. I remember him being a nice guy though. I recall he was always smiling, having fun. I reconnected with a lot of high school folks through Facebook, including this person.

His death came as a shock. Not having known him all that well, I've been trying to figure out exactly why it affected me as it has. It is sad, of course, to know someone who has died. And he apparently touched a lot of people in his life. Those who were his close friends are reeling. I realized though that not only am I mourning the death of someone I knew, I am also mourning the death of youth. He was my age. I think this is the first real reminder that our younger days, our care-free high school years are well, and truly over.

But as with anything, life must go on. The same day, a friend from work became a first-time grandmother. Her daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The symmetry of both events made me pause. One of my favorite verses from the Bible is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. (despite me being a total heathen).

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven ~
² A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
³ A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
⁴ A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
⁵ A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
⁶ A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
⁷ A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.

Indeed a time to mourn; for a lost friend, lost years and lost chances. But also a time to dance for a new life coming into this world.

And a time to celebrate both lives that have touched those around them with love.

Dahling, You're Looking Spelt Today

but your NaNo project.. not so much.

So it's been three days since the Going O movement in the Blume household. Monday I took a little field trip to Good Foods Grocery and discovered a hidden treasure trove of organic goodies. I did manage to not go crazy. I bought some organic apples which are quite yummy as well as some swiss chard and celery. It is easy to become overwhelmed in a place like that, but the folks who work there are friendly and I had an idea of what I wanted. I also got some organic, free-range eggs. Not sure if this is just a psychological thing, but I think they taste better. They don't seem to be as "stringy" as regular eggs. Also got some raw cashews which is a very different flavor to the roasted ones, but again, they are quite good.

I saw an awful lot of spelt products. Spelt breads, pastas, cookies, etc. I opted for the spelt english muffins and those are rather tasty as well. I was worried they would be more like cardboard. So far so good on the organic thing. Next trip will be for nitrate free bacon and organic meat.

On the writing front, the NaNo book is looking rather sparse. Only a little over 10K words, but I am not all that concerned with the word count. I like the story and am just going to take it as it goes.

Going "O"

Organic! Minds out of the gutter, folks. ;)

Why? Because skinny jeans cease to be skinny in a size 14.

I was nattering around online a few days ago and came across this diet thing that talked about eating more organic foods; fruits and veggies and also staying away from wheat as much as possible. There were other things as well, but for the most part, the information seemed to line up with something that I've been considering for a long time. Cutting out processed, boxed, packaged foods.

Don't get me wrong. This is not some all or nothing, whole smash, shut-down-the-fuel-cells-Houston-cause-we're-not-landing-on-the-moon kind of thing. I am not, nor have I ever been a health food nut. However, clearly my current eating habits are not good. While not obese by any means, I am the largest I have been since I was pregnant. I would like more energy. I would like to be in better health over all.

So, I and hubby and the kids to a certain extent are going to try the organic thing. First step is cutting out refined sugar. That's a trick because I love a good cake as much as the next person. We're also working on weaning ourselves from the whole wheat. By making small changes and not going cold turkey with everything, I do feel like we'll have more of a chance of success and transforming these new habits into a lasting lifestyle.

That's not to say I won't indulge for special events or occasions. Man cannot live by spelt bread alone.

So, here's to a new day and venturing forth into a new and healthy mindset. If anyone has any tips, suggestions or even success stories of your own, feel free to share.