May your weekend be full of "keep napping" naps.

I have many friends who have requested that I share my tips & tricks for starting/running an Etsy shop.  That is in the works for the coming weeks! I have been writing down what I know and trying to organize it all so its not overwhelming. Hahaha. It's a lot of information to take all at once.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share one of the biggest behind the scenes supporters of our Etsy shop-- my friend Beth. 

Beth is our super talented graphic designer.

She created Bethica Desk & Design. 

Anytime you see a Pioneer Artisanworks banner, logo, business card, etc... it was because of Beth and the incredible magic design dust she sprinkles on everything she touches. She is currently in the early stages of creating a website for us. We need a "home base" on the internet and I'm excited to see what she puts together. If you're thinking about starting an Etsy shop, definitely get in touch with her for creating a banner or logo for your new business.

You can visit her website, subscribe to her blog, or like her facebook page!

P.s. If you want to read all about how Joe took some trash and made it into something beautiful that we turned into a business...then go check out our blog feature on The Dubious Hausfrau! 

He can't believe its only Wednesday.

He's had a rough week being tossed around by Kai and Khloe.

We've sold two of these big metal Oklahoma art pieces. It's really one of Joe's favorite types of work, he never tires of it. He gets to beat on the metal with a rounded hammer and make lots of noise. In addition to that, he told me that he loves this type of art because it gives him lots of feedback as he goes. Each hit of the hammer causes something to change a little bit. If he doesn't like it, he keeps hitting it (not a recommended method for solving daily problems though, haha)

I don't really help much on these types of pieces. I typically cut out the basic shape from his hand drawn template, and then he brings it to life. Sometimes he'll put an hour of work into it and show it to me and I can't tell any major differences, but it just looks...better. I guess its kind of like how I'm constantly tweaking thing in our home.  A stack of books pushed over just a smidge. A picture hung just an inch or two higher. A chair set on the perfect angle. I like to arrange items and then step back and take a look and then nudge this or that over a little until it all looks and feels just right. Joe used to go a little crazy at the OCD-ness of this, until I related it to his metal chasework. All those little tweaks make for a better bigger picture. 

The morning that I first listed these pictures in our Etsy shop, I opened up the folder of pictures that Joe had taken the night before and was greeted with this:

You can all go change your pants now. 

Happy Tuesday! 

Three Sundays ago, I had hot tears brimming because I was feeling the weight of a few friendships/things that have been left feeling unresolved for a long time. Joe was a great listener and gave his feedback as we walked around outside. He snapped pictures the whole time we were talking and that's when all of the pictures in this post were taken. Every time I look through them I remember the relief and hope I felt just be able to let those feelings out into the air for a while. I remember how the sun was beating down and the crazy Oklahoma wind dried my tears almost as soon as they fell. 

It's one of the hardest things for me to figure out how to deal with. Once I reach the point where there is seemingly nothing else I can do to fix an issue myself, I don't know how to just let it go. For me, the urge that "the ball is in MY court" never seems to go away. Even when I've passed the ball several times, watched the ball drop and roll a mile off court, and ran after it again and again.  I think sometimes though, I need to remember that it isn't always about me. The emotional distance, the misunderstanding, the problem, the anger, though directed at me at times, isn't necessarily because of me. Maybe I just happened to be standing in the way at the time.

I truly believe that in order to LOVE someone, you sometimes have to stand in the middle of the swirling chaos of their pain and anger and accept that you'll get hit and that it will hurt. I live my life this way, sometimes against the advice of others. I can't help it. I will always give the benefit of the doubt. I will always choose to love someone. But I admit, there is a counterpart I lack, and that is the ability to guard my heart against the jabs that those in pain often inflict on those around them. But I fear that if I become guarded then I will also become hard-hearted and uncompassionate. 

Two Sundays ago, rather than the regular pastor preaching a message, he instead interviewed a young woman in our church about her spiritual journey as she has dealt with a lot of pain and trauma in her life. I cried then too. She gives off such a joyful vibe (we got the opportunity to talk with her for a few minutes later that night at the bowling alley). You wouldn't know what she has been through based on the way she carries herself. She was a completely open book as she shared her story. The part that really hit me though was when she mentioned how she has always been one to see the positive light in a situation, but she realized that sometimes that can be to her detriment. Right after her mom died, she immediately started telling herself "At least I got this much time with her, some people have less time than that." and she realized that she wasn't allowing herself to fully grieve.

I definitely relate with this. It was only within the last 5 years or so that I realized I had stuffed a lot of my pain from damaged relationships with some of my siblings simply because I felt like I'd had it easier than they had growing up. How am I allowed to complain when I haven't experienced half of what any of them have in their lifetime? When I was finally able to write honest letters to a couple of my siblings, expressing "What you did hurt me deeply." my honesty was well received and repaired so many years of wounds between us. I still work on being able to realize when I am hurting in the midst of a situation. I want to cling to that silver lining and bright disposition. One of my favorite quotes on this subject comes from this blog post.

"It feels spiritual to minimize our troubles: “It’s not really that bad,” when confronted with financial turbulence; “Cheer up,” when awash in grief; “Keep on the sunny side,” when standing in the rain.

It’s true that there’s plenty in life to mope about, plenty to feed an Eeyore complex. And we know that discouragement is a weight that will sink any ship. But unfounded optimism is as damaging as unfounded pessimism because both are forms of dishonesty."

Today is Tatiana's birthday. She's like..."conqueror pose on roller skates wearing a birthday hat and rockstar shades while carrying a tasty cake you baked from scratch without a recipe" cool. You should check out her blog. The Dubious Hausfrau. 

Also, I'm kind of kicking myself for not creating more birthday comics so far this year. It's really fun.