... and to all, a merry Christmas!

Folks, it's been a hellava year.

2011 for me was the year I threw myself out there. A year of discovery. A year of realising for the first time in my life what it is I really want to do. A year of juggling work with motherhood. Sometimes failing miserably. A year of  acceptance. You really can't do it all, have it all. Something's gotta give. Letting stuff go. Being ok with letting stuff go.

I'm no super mum. I get stressed; I yell, I can't cook; I get bored playing on the floor with my kids... but I love the hell out of them. That much is for damn-sure. And I show them, TELL them. Every day. Love is all they need. Oh, and new shoes. You know, when they (as Fern was today) are down to one shoe and are off to Angelina Ballerina at the Opera House that afternoon. But you just drive them over to the shops, wheel them in in a trolley and buy the first pair they try on. Love and shoes.

In 2011 I experienced time-management challenges like never before. Balancing a growing and rapidly expanding business AND two kids under three aint easy, folks. No matter how easy one might make it seem from the outside. Don't be fooled. My blog took a beating for starters. It's a shadow of its former self but Ive learned to be ok with that. Ive learned to work early. And late. To rationalise every minute of every day. Not take time for granted. I haven't yet learned to relax. Its one of my resolutions for 2012. I have a few others....

Be a better mother to my kids. Be less angry. Spend more quality time with reach of them. Exude inner calm. Rediscover God. Relax. Eat less junk. Put my business out there in person instead of hiding away online...

I have big plans for 2012. Some of them include this space, my space. A space I want to use to showcase the creative talents of others. To inspire. To unleash the inner crafty-goddess in YOU, folks! Stay tuned...

I gave Bubby Makes Three the business twelve months of my time to see if I could make it work. And I'll be damned if I haven't made it work! My 12 months is up at the end of January but I already know it's here to stay. There are so many places I want to take it, so many opportunities to explore. And I love it, pure and simple.

Folks, thankyou for being here for me this year. For sticking around, supporting me, offering words of advice and encouragement where needed. Lifting my spirits. Bolstering my confidence. I adore each and every one of you who visit and leave me little notes. One of my resolutions for 2012 will be to improve my responding to you in a more timely and consistent manner, I'm kinda crap at that!

I wish you all a safe, happy and joyous Christmas. See you in the New Year

All my love.

xx

I leave you with this image - this is the sort of stuff that justifies the working til midnight for weeks on end tearing strips of fabric and tying knots in wreath after wreath after wreath... image by Pure Photography. Wreath by Bubby Makes Three!!
Wish I'd done something similar with MY kids! Maybe next year....