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1 October 2012

Imperfect day!

The girls have been working hard all day doing nothing at all that looks like school and yet the learning is plain to see. It has been an awesome peace filled busy day. Late last night I got around to something Jenna has been asking me to do for a while - post up some of her artwork for sale online.
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This morning she had orders, and commissions, and was totally thrilled. So she has been painting to order, and designing stationary, not to mention the maths she has been doing to work out her profit and pricing and so on.
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Then the two biggest ones set up a cafe upstairs, made some dishes in the kitchen (a foraged wild salad, biscuits with chocolate spread, a dish of marinated olives, some very pretty drinks with umbrellas in) and wrote a menu... and invitations to their grand opening. I have been kept busy facilitating like mad! On call for help reaching things, finding things, suggesting ideas, helping them to evaluate their "work" and decide how to improve, doing the online stuff, checking prices.

The house started off tidier than average today. We were expecting a visitor, who was then busy and is coming next Monday instead. I was up very early with Talia and Morgan awake with the sun, and had one load of laundry done and away before the others even woke up. I feel like I have barely stopped. I've had moments to check in and chat with friends, time to do one whole row of knitting ;) and a long cuddle with Talia when she fell asleep on my arm and I elected not to try to put her down.

And yet, and yet... The house looks like a bomb hit it in spite of the cleaning this morning. The gymnastics the girls have been doing for weeks resulted in two injuries in the last hour alone. I haven't had enough water today and my head is starting to ache. Rowan has cut her hair (again) and is really upset, saying she wants it to come back. The children fought.  I didn't feel like getting up to fetch more cordial, and I didn't like having a conversation interrupted by the baby's urgent need to pour her sister's drink out and paddle in it.  The tendency to panic when things doing go how I want them to is still looming. I am cheery and contented one moment, and miserable the next.

I find myself usually telling half a story, when I sit down to write about our lives. Either I need to vent and can only see the hard work and heartache, or I want to dwell on the positives and find myself looking back at a record I can barely recognise as our actual real messy life. It's both. I had a great day today - and a terrible one - all at the same time.

(But yes, biased mama has to say, the kid can paint beautifully.)

18 comments:

  1. I think that an adult can try and a computer program can try, but there is nothing which can properly replicate a drawing from a child. There is a point at about 12 or 13 when we seem to get hung up on realism and become less concerned about enjoying the process. Its a phase and we can move out of it but its never quite the same. I got chatting to a stranger in the museum who was at the same art school as me and she laughed and said that after you graduate you have to kick the art school mentality out of yourself. How true it is. I hope Jenna sells her work well without becoming too commercial ;)
    Val
    xxx

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    1. I am an avid collector of their drawings while they are still small. I love children's art. :)

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  2. Loving Jennas art work! Kids artwork makes me so happy! Its so natural and free!

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    1. She's really into drawing tiny tiny details at the moment, and she has always loves watercolour. I love the colours she mixes.

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  3. Love love that little town watercolor!!

    I think all our lives are perfect and imperfect depending on the exact second you ask :)

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    1. And I always seem to write fed up posts when I sit down to write too late in the evening and am tired!

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  4. Where can we peruse Jenna's online shop? :)
    Beautiful artwork!
    Our days feel the same - chaotic and stressful and beautiful and brilliant! ;) xx

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  5. My dd and I LOVE the cards! Really do. It has made my dd say she wants to make cards today :)

    I think we can only ever write half the story, half of what anything is like. Mostly in blog-land at least I think it's more inspiring to share the positives and the joy, which I think you do too. Not to say the other half isn't as important or as interesting. It is, but I think we *all* experience the other half. But so many people fail to see the joy! To see it is a gift. Despite the mess. And fights and being interupted. Right now I am still in pain, struggling to do anything at all other than feed myself and newborn and get the others to feed themselves. That is it. Some days I long to go for a walk, but physically cannot! It's frustrating. I am choosing to see the benefits in having healing time. Like rest and rest and rest and baby worshiping, uninterupted. It's all we can do sometimes for everyone's good - to see the positive. Other wise like may end up horrendous! Although the lucky thing about being a mother I often think is that you can never really believe anything to be truly horrendous when you can turn and look your children! I suspect it's the same for you xoxoxoxox

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    1. Yes, yes, that's just it! To see the beauty IS a gift - and for me, is as necessary to having a joyful life with children as having a sense of humour! :)

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  6. Yin and Yang ... when we accept joy from the Father, we also experience sorrow/difficulties too as they're both sides of the same coin. Still I understand and HEAR your frustrations!

    You do an amazing job and yes, Jenna's art work is totally fab.

    San xx

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    1. As hubby and I keep saying to each other, it isn't the challenges that are hard, it's our bad attitudes to them that make difficulty into a trial. I wish it was easier to remember this in the moment! ;)

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  7. You always seem to write the words my own brain is trying to formulate, totally agree with what you have written xx

    And yes, where can we see Jenna's artwork, it is stunning x x

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    1. Aw thank you! Jenna's things are in a folder on my facebook business page for Arwen Makes.

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  8. Replies
    1. :) She is so thrilled by how many people have told her they love her work!

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  9. Replies
    1. She's a born creative. (I am kicking myself for not helping her to follow this passion sooner, with that silly adult voice in my head telling me that art is "just a hobby"! That stupid voice stopped me from following my own passions sooner, and now it's telling me not to encourage my daughter! It's so good to ignore it.) :)

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Penny for your thoughts? :)