trying to treasure the moment.

So, speaking of the treasures we pour our hearts into --

(notice the skeptical raised eyebrow -- already her mama's girl in so many ways)

I've decided to take a very small step back from this blog. Since I changed URLs back in September and decided to start blogging to cure myself of desperate loneliness and stagnation as a new mother, I've been pretty faithful about posting every weekday and even some weekends. And it has done amazing, wonderful things for my soul -- truly. Especially the part about "meeting" and connecting with all of you. But I'm starting to feel myself being pulled a bit too thin, what with trying to start my shop, work towards my personal goals, and keep up with my very mobile, very curious, very adorable almost-9-month-old: the near-and-dear-to-my-hearts that my treasure trove of time and mental energy and love should be directed towards. So the every-single-day posting requirement is going by the wayside, at least for now. I'll still be here very often, maybe even posting daily if I feel like it, and reading your own blogs just as often as usual -- but having a daily writing assignment no longer seems like a necessity for my sanity (and, in fact, is starting to feel quite the opposite).

Anyway, you probably won't even notice and certainly won't mind -- this public service announcement is really more for my sake and my own issues with guilt. :)

And while we're on the topic of goals, here's a quick update on those pesky little birthday resolutions, in case you're wondering:

1. Learn how to embrace the beauty and wonder of today rather than wishing it would hurry up and be tomorrow or somehow get back to what it was like yesterday. (okay, I can't really cross this off yet, but that felt soooo good.) -- totally still a work in progress, but I feel like I'm getting there!
2. Start my Etsy shop. For reals this time. This means making a list of all of the minutiae that have been holding me back and then working my way through them -- and writing about it here to keep myself honest. -- I've been working hard on this one, but I still have quite a ways to go before my target date of March 20th.
3. Figure out what in the world to do about whether I am going back to work next fall. (This might be a little bit of an unfair resolution, as I'm required to do this by February whether I like it or not -- but, again, crossing things off a list is so cathartic!) -- yep, I've decided. Check back next week for more.
4. Write a letter to my grandmother every week. She doesn't have a lot to look forward to each day due to her struggles with Lewy Body Dementia and she used to send me the most wonderful letters and packages so I want to return the favor while I still can. -- I've been faithfully writing, and writing a letter every day this month to keep up with this challenge, too.
5. Learn how to use my brand new DSLR so my blog looks the way I want it to. (Have I mentioned that my husband is super dreamy? Thanks for the best present ever, J!) -- Can you tell I'm getting a tiny, tiny bit better? I never allow myself to use the automatic setting, if that means anything...
6. Purge our house of all of the things we don't need. Just like with #2, this is going to require a lot of smaller steps first, but I am determined to get it done. -- Sloooooooowly.
7. Go on a trip with L that isn't just to our parents' houses. And go on a trip without L. (gulp!) -- Not even close.
8. Make some meaningful connections in my small town and in the blogosphere. -- I like to think so!
9. Have a lot more moments like these. -- I've only gotten really, truly frustrated with L twice since this post. I think that's progress, don't you?


Happy weekend, all, and thanks for being along for the ride!