Woolnimals

My birthday week was wonderful - and while I wish I could say I'm returning to work and crafting revived, refreshed, rested, and a lot of other "r" words, the truth is I'm still burnt out. I had a lot of little revelations (another lovely "R" word) over the last week or so, and one of the major ones is that I have some revamping to do to align my life with my ideals and values. While I'm working this stuff out, I offer a photograph of my favorite creatures on earth: Harbor Seals. My husband and I went to the New England Aquarium in Boston for my birthday and spent many hours hanging out with the harbor seals. They make me brilliantly happy. I found this lovely picture on the aquarium's website . Some of the seals had a birthday and got a "cake." The cake was really just a block of ice with fish and squid in it. I just love this picture so much. I always wind down a little when fall hits. I think it's a natural thing - to suddenly feel

(image courtesy of www.alifethroughthelens.etsy.com - you can buy a print of this here! ) Commence drooling! I finally have a week off from my day job all next week. I am going to completely disconnect from the internet, computers, phones, and any sign of technology. I will be doing the following: * needle felting * drooling a little * needle felting * eating cake with my lovely friends because September 18th is my 31st BIRTHDAY! (my kind friend Erin is hosting the party at her house - so I don't even have to clean for it!) * going to the New England Aquarium to visit my friends the harbor seals (favorite animal, by the way) * doing outside things like canoeing, bird watching, nature tours, tubing on a river (can you say cold tush?) * doing inside things like BRUNCH at my favorite brunch place (Sneakers in Winooski) and baking pies and learning how to roast a turkey (not kidding - I'm clueless!) * RELAXING (hugely important) * eating more cake I hope everyone has a marvelous

I just added an owl, a skunk, and a bunny to my Etsy Shop! Check them out!

I have been very, very slow these past weeks. I haven't been able to create a single creature, and my art room looks like a tornado ripped through it. Summer is dwindling and I'll be seeing some relief from busy-ness soon. My husband had some very rough stomach issues - and we had a late night in the E.R. followed by lots of doctor's appointments and lots of worrying. My break ended up extending far beyond what I imagined it would be...and now I find myself in a sort of limbo. I'm not feeling inspired to create, and in fact, the opposite has happened. I've been away from my art and shop for so long that I'm feeling ashamed and nervous to pick it all back up again. Does this happen to anyone else? I know I need to settle down with some felting needles and just begin again. Slowly. I need to remember that my Etsy shop isn't my source of sustenance, and thus, it can be fun, nourishing, and fulfilling to my soul. I think I've focused too much on the business