Need Your Advice Again Please.

Hello my friends! I hope you are all doing well.

This week has been a bit of challenge for me in more ways than one.

First it is the painting, which I am over halfway done and it will get done so that isn't too much of an issue. The second one is however. I told you a while back that my daughter has some sleeping issues but never really went into detail about it. She has been diagnosed with severe separation anxiety that presents itself mainly at night. This has been going on for over 5 years now and I am pretty certain it stemmed from my heart attacks and surgery. It is emotionally and physically draining at times. I know we all have our struggles but I feel like I can share this with you and you will understand.

Anyway, we have been doing everything that we can think of for the last five years and this week has just been bad for us. I know that some of you know about this and I thank you so much for your help and support (Mother Warrior).

Why am I telling you this?

I am telling you this because I have been a bit scattered brained and absent and not able to do what I love to do, which is visit you. So if I am here and there that is why. I know that we will get through this but there are just some weeks that are better than others and this is a bad one. Honestly I think that I paint and re-re-do just to get my mind off of things and I seriously think I have creative ADHD and can't sit still. :)

I didn't tell you this for any pity or anything like that, I just wanted to let my friends know where I am coming from. I know that you all know that there is a life behind our blogs and we live and deal with everyday things whether good or bad.

Thank you for letting me get that off my chest, I truly love you all!

Now, why do I need your help?

This is why...

When I finish painting we are putting in a new floor and here are some samples that I picked up.

I tried to get them in the light and the above picture is pretty close to what they actually look like.

I really like the darker one, not only for the color but I love the grain and rustic appeal it has to it.

However, this is what they look like up against the floor that is in our kitchen.

My question to you is do you think that I need to match the floor in the kitchen (they don't make what we have anymore) or do you think that a bit of a difference is ok?

The rooms flow into each other but they are definitely separated by a wall, I don't have an open concept home.

Anyway, thoughts, concerns, questions about having different colored flooring throughout the house would be wonderful!

Thank you again for everything!

On a side note I want to thank my friend Marie from Sally Lee by the Sea for featuring my beach bedroom on Monday. Her and her family share so many wonderful beach, ocean, and coastal inspirations and will take you on a vacation without having to go anywhere! If you have not met them, please do! :)

Also, my friend Anne from Bird/Like is have a mood board party Monday. Click here for the details as well as a wonderful website that you can make your own mood boards! I checked it out for a minute last night and I can see that this is going to be fun to play around with!!

AND, you won't want to miss Sarah at Modern Country Styles Inspiration Journey party this Friday! Click here for those details!

Thank you again for sticking around listening to me and for all your wonderful advice and friendship!

I will leave you with an image of my little Baja, she looks like I feel this week! :)

Finally got all the paint out of her too!! :)

Hugs!

On To The Next Chapter

Lately I have been feeling the stresses of life. My children are growing and have become involved in their own interests, which I love, I work part time, I keep up the house (sort of) and I own a little business called Lil Britches Handmade Frames. I have of course also started blogging, which has been such an incredible experience that I enjoy so much, but something has to give!

Growing up I never REALLY knew what I wanted to be. I knew that I enjoyed playing sports, I was the only girl in a neighborhood of about 10 boys and made myself right at home with all their sports and antics! I was a full fledged tom-boy! People asked me what I went to college for and I would tell them to play volleyball! I concentrated on that for so long I never really gave anything else a thought. I loved art and loved being creative but never pursued that aspect much, until two years ago when my best friend started her own business.

She really inspired me to start a business of my own so I ventured out and created Lil Britches. I make custom children's frames and everyday frames that I sell at craft shows during the year as well as two locations in Michigan. I really enjoyed making the frames and never really thought about the 'business' side of it. After two years I am still in the (deep) red and now I am finding it hard to put aside time to make them. I don't like the feeling of "having" to do something. I started the business because I loved just making frames but now that time is precious and that feeling is there, I have become less interested in making them and to me that is not fair to the people that I am making them for. If my all my heart isn't into it, I don't want to do it.

So after reading different posts about friends and fellow bloggers who are feeling the same way about similar points in their life and reaching into my heart, I have decided to cut my losses and close my little business. I feel bad but at the same time I feel good. I have opened up my self to spend more time with the kids, that feeling of being rushed into making the frames is gone and I have a little more time to pursue other interests that I have been wanting to do.

I know that this isn't a life changing decision but a decision that has been weighing on my mind and heart for a while. I am so glad that I started the business because it gave me an awareness of myself that I didn't know I had, a source of self confidence that needed to come out, and another way to discover what is inside of me.

I look forward to whatever chapter opens up for me next and time to just spend doing things that I love without that little nagging feeling that I 'have' to go do something. I still have two more craft shows this year and will hopefully sell most of my inventory along with a couple of other projects that I have been working on. So, with the new year, hopefully a new chapter will open up and I will discover other things about myself.

Sorry this was long but I wanted to share with you, my friends, what has been on my mind and it feels good to just put it out there. So thank you if you stuck with this post to the end and thank you to my family and friends for all your support during this chapter in my life.