Our new future-Thinking outside the box

I recently spent a couple of days in a near panic about our finances.  It’s as if I suddenly woke up and realized that the expenses we were incurring couldn’t always be offset by Chase’s income.  Hunh.  I have loved being a stay at home mom, loved that I have the opportunity to do what I so desired, and I have acknowledged my gratitude for this on a near daily basis.  I finally had to admit that something about our situation would need to change, and the knowledge had me both sad and scared.  

I have felt guilty over time because I’ve not contributed financially in about 5 years.  I began to brainstorm, trying to come up with a way to do both things that I felt a need to do: stay at home to take care of my children and find some way to bring in some income.  I won’t fill you in on all the ideas that floated through my mind but will admit some were less feasible than others.  In the midst of all of this I came across a few quotes that seemed to shift my thinking a bit, ones that pushed me to explore my creativity and do things that scared me as well as ones that reminded me to have faith that with effort and time it would all work out.  So I gathered my courage and admitted what I’d like to try.

I have enjoyed the process of creating though I’ve not done much of it for awhile.  I used to cross stitch some and enjoyed the continuously changing landscape of a piece, the way there was a clearly visible beginning, middle and end.  There’s something about starting with a few items and investing your time and effort into them to culminate in a completely different product at the end.  Knitting has been the same way for me, and I was thrilled when I finally finished a baby blanket a few months back.  Even the process of creating my kids was awesome (though not always enjoyable).  At the end of the day I love looking at soemthing and being able to say, “Wow, that’s beautiful.  And I made that.  Holy cow.” 

You can probably guess where this is going...this new money making plan of mine involves making something.  Well, you’d be correct.  Sorry for the terribly predictable revelation.  I’m not quite sure which train of thought sparked the current plan, but I think it was actaully several trains that collided.  When I told Chase what I was thinking of he was immediately supportive and wanted to be a part of things.  Thank goodness!  It’s somehow less scary to broach the unknown when you’re not alone.  

Here’s the plan:  create new treasures from abandoned ones.  Sell said treasures.  Enjoy the process.  Enjoy the creation.  Make money.  Learn about all sorts of fun stuff in the rehabbing process, broach the scary unknown like the big girl I am, and stay home with my children in the process.  So far things have gone well, and we’ve had fun.  Everyone we’ve talked to about what we are doing has been very enthusiastic and supportive which gives me the warm fuzzies.  Our biggest issue thus far has been an inability to decide what we’d like our Etsy shop name to be.  

In the midst of all this frantic brainstorming and wood gathering I managed to find a bit of peace.  I reached that place again where I found that I had confidence in our ability to manage our current circumstances with a bit of ingenuity and flexibility.  Naturally, this is when another opportunity sort of fell into my lap.  It’s just that this opportunity came with a guaranteed paycheck, something that has decreased my worries significantly.  And, like often happens when one quits pushing for a certain result, this opportunity seemed tailor made for me.  I am now doing some paperwork for my husband’s company.  It is the sort of time consuming and often tedious work that no one there has the time to do.  Back before the economy changed they had plenty of staff to handle all of this, but they now have fewer employees and none that aren’t already pulling double duty.  They also can’t afford to hire another full time employee but can’t afford to continue setting aside this paperwork.  So, it being a family owned business, and me being family, there’s a bit of compromise and flexibility.  I go into the store when I need to pick up or drop off papers or run off copies and such, and the majority of the work is done at home when I can get it done.  They manage to get the work done without having to pay too much, and I get to make some money and stay home with my kids.  Win-Win. 

My days look a little different than they did a month ago.  As much as I loathe change I am actually okay with that.  Getting a paycheck helps with that.  Actually, it’s nice to use a different part of my brain and interact with others in a different manner.  I’ve also discovered that when I have a couple of hours a day that I know need to be dedicated to something specific I am more careful with the other hours in my day.  My house is a little messier, my garage is currently a woodworking facility that doubles as painting facility and outdoor toy storage (should that be triples?) and  my dining room table now houses thick sheafs of paper and an adding machine.  Yes, some things have changed.  

I’m hoping that having a little more routine will allow me to slip in to blog with more regularity.  I need this outlet and I feel connected to you.  I miss you when I don’t come visit.  So there’s the update on us...

Do you have any name suggestions for a shop selling wood products (shelves, boxes, tables, crates, planting boxes, etc.) made from reclaimed wood as well as the occasional vintage piece that’s been refinished?  If you do, pleeeeaase share!  We can’t seem to agree on anything other than that we don’t really care for one another’s ideas:)