for the past year+, i have been blogging almost every day.
i have spent hours & hours [and hours!] in front of my computer making connections, writing posts, researching recipes, projects & vegan information.
along with blogging, i have also been knitting, sewing and creating tons of products for my shop.
like everything in life, things ebb & flow.
for the past few weeks, i havent been blogging much. i deleted twitter & facebook from my phone. i havent been blog reading, tweeting & interacting much online.
i created 50+ new items for a craft fair i had the beginning of june. i didnt work on my etsy shop AT ALL in the month of may. no new items. didnt renew any items. just let it sit there.
so, what have i been doing?
i have been baking a lot. reading before bed. walking around the lakes around sunset. sleeping in until 7:30am. biking 120+ miles a week. listening to mpr. talking to my grandma on the phone. enjoying everything.
another thing i have been doing?
lots of 'long-term' planning with blake. its no secret we want to adopt in the next couple of years. we want to buy a house. we want to pay off all our debts & student loans [side note : i made a HUGE dent in my loans in may ; super exciting!]
all of those things take money. lots of money.
and right now, my energy & heart just isnt in :dianapantz: the way it was. both financially & emotionally, i am looking for a bit more 'ommmmph' right now.
i love that i can wake up each morning and do what i love. and i am making ends meet & i am super proud of myself for following my dream.
and while making ends meet is great ; i want to get ahead right now. i owe it to myself & to blake to knock out debt, start the adoption process & create a more stable future.
what does all of this mean?
i am NOT closing down my shop. and i am NOT leaving my blog.
it means that i have been applying for a 'real' job & plan on creating a career for myself. i have 12 years experience in planning, childcare & program development. i am looking forward to working with people [and not just listening to my crappy neighbors all day!] & actually getting dressed in the morning!
i will still be posting 4-5 days a week & will start accepting paid sponsorships later this summer // fall.
new items will still be added to the shop ; but not as often.
i really appreciate each & every one of you that visit the blog & have supported my business.
we all go through ups & downs and our goals & dreams shift.
thanks for reading ; i really do think you are cool.
[even those of you that lurk & never comment ;)]
