Good Grief! I suck at blogging.

I just remembered that I had started a blog last year. 3 kids, preschool, kindergarten, trying to run a small and slow online business has kept me busy. Too busy, it seems.

I will start with a short update. Most of you that follow me on Facebook now most of this. I am afraid, that even though I have been busy, I don't really have much new to report. Sad, I know. Well, sad for me anyway.

So I said my business was slow, and it is. But it could be worse. I started selling my lotion bars at the Stevensville, MT farmers market this summer. Unfortunately, the Stevensville market never had any farmers and people came looking for produce, not lotion. Most weekends I set up, there were only 4-5 vendors. It was quite discouraging. I did make some sales though, to my surprise. Now that school has started I can't commit to every weekend. I am EXHAUSTED by the time Saturday comes around. I just revamped my website to display new pictures and to add my new products. www.dakotasagegifts.com Check it out!

My transition from Portland to Missoula has become much easier. I have met more people. Had a couple of girls night out. Joined a book club (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE).

Despite being busy with the kids and everything else, I have found time to read, crochet and continue making my bars. I am happy. Tired, stressed and very happy :)

Website is up and running!

It has been for a while. I have been so dang busy with life and family, that I think I forgot to mention it here on my blog :)

www.dakotasagegifts.com

If you are in the Missoula and/or Bitterroot Valley, just email me with your order and I can deliver!!

My Etsy Shop is OPEN!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dakotasagegifts

If you are interested in purchasing some of my lovely homemade Lotion Bars and do not want to open an Etsy account, just email me and I can make your order that way. dakotasagegifts@gmail.com

I make Christmas gifts because I am poor.

Homemade gifts are awesome. Right? Well, if they are cool gifts and not lame crocheted tissue box covers or really bad fruit cake. Who am I kidding? Fruit cake is always bad. I have started on a few projects in the last week. I am hoping the recipients of these gifts enjoy using them as much as I enjoyed making them. Here are a few examples:

Crocheted hats




Here are some lotion bars. Well, lotion "rounds". They are made of Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Beeswax and essential oils. These are Grapefruit scented.






I think that both are great gift ideas. I will say, even though I do enjoy making gifts, my hands hurt from crocheting :) And, I am usually up way after the kids are sleeping so I can keep up with it all. I am having fun though.

Any of you making your gifts this year? If so, please share! I would love to see your ideas.

My adventures in crochet

My mom loves star quilts. I can't sew worth a damn. So, I decided to crochet her a star quilt. I will NEVER do another one. I think it is beautiful though and I know she loves it, so it was worth the work. If you want one, you gotta pay me :)

I don't have to talk about my kids 24/7...

to prove that I love them. I love them more than ANYTHING in this world. But I don't need to tell you that, right? I sometimes feel guilty when I tell my husband that I need to get out of the house because I have been home ALL DAY with my children.

I sometimes feel guilty when another mother asks to get together, but it has to be during the day so all of the kids can be together, and I reply with "Maybe some other time". I don't say no every time I am asked. I actually say yes most of the time. I LOVE to see my kids play with others and I really do enjoy company, even if we don't get to speak to each other much during play time.

I REALLY feel guilty when I ask another mother to get together for dinner and drinks and I get the "blank stare" from them. Like, they look at me with this "how dare you want to be away from your children for more than 5 mins" look. I will note that this look has not come from any of my established friends. Most of the "looks" have come from moms that I haven't spoke to since receiving said "looks". Yes, I want to talk about other things than my kids. I want to talk about politics, health, a good book and maybe a little gossip. That is not a bad thing!

A part of me gets what others may think. But, I also believe that there are A LOT of mama's out there that feel the same way I do. I need a break sometimes. All good parents deserve a break. Yes, I believe I am a good parent. Just because I want to get out and have some fun does not, by any means, mean that I don't love or want to be around my kids. It just means that I would like to keep my sanity. Being a stay at home mom is a lot of work. I have 3 kids under the age of 5 years. It is a full time job. I am not saying moms that work outside of the home don't work just as hard, because they do. And they deserve a break too.

Now, with that being said, I certainly hope my mama friends can understand where I am coming from. I hope :) And, if you need a break, let me know! I need one too.

Back in Montana

We made it! It has been a while since my last post. A lot has happened since then. Hubs got a new job in Missoula, MT and as of the 14th of June, we are Montanans again. I am happy about this move. Now that some of the dust has settled, I am truly starting to become excited. New area, new friends (hopefully), and new adventures as a family. Missoula, from what I have been hearing, has a lot to offer families and I am just starting to do some research on it.

The kids have adjusted well. We have only had a few melt downs but those were mostly due to being off schedule and not sleeping in our own beds. We spent a week in a hotel, and I must say, I don't want to do that again. But, I am thankful that we were able to have a mostly smooth transition to the Big Sky.

The only problem we have run into is with the house we rent. The property management and the landlord are horrible, but this is only temporary. I must remind myself of this daily. We have a roof over our heads, even though we pay out the ass to live here :)

I am lonely though. I will admit that. I miss my friends a lot. I miss Dakota's friends too. I understand that it will take time to get to know people, but it is a intimidating task sometimes. Especially since I am older and a mom. I just keep the faith that it will all come around.