More stitches! And a Little Bit of Nostalgia ...

So I've returned to work in an office full time and it's doing exactly what I've geared all my goals toward since I was 11 years old. I'm back in a newspaper newsroom, doing exactly what I'm comfortable with and what I feel I know like the back of my hand.

After so long working from home and raising my babies myself, I was worried I would be so "out of it" that I wouldn't remember what to do once I sat in that desk. But that's not the case at all. In fact, the job is very similar to the very first job I got as a cadet journalist, only now I have a lot more wisdom that only comes with age and the experience of raising three kids! So I'm feeling like I'm caught in a time-warp where the last 15 years haven't happened - before kids and experience on a metro daily newspaper.  It's not a bad thing, it's just weird. The juggling of the kids' extracurricular activities and work hours has been complex, notwithstanding the fact that dear hubby has been working in Sydney of late. But honestly, he is going so far out on a limb to help me adjust to this big life change. He even packs the kids lunches at night! Well, ok, he's packed mine too on occasion!

This is the first time I've ever pictured this scenario, as I had always planned my career up to the point of having children, then after that I was happy to be a completely devoted work-from-home mum. I never envisioned going beyond that point, yet, here I am. Working in an office again, as a mum. And a journo. And I'm so much more relaxed about it all. 

So, what does that mean for my designs? I'm not sure at this point. I plan to continue but at a more relaxed pace. I still have hundreds of projects on my hard drive that are itching to be put into the shop. I am still overflowing with creative ideas for kits and templates, and I still enjoy making these to sell. But I am wondering if I haven't sacrificed my own scrapbook albums along the way. My kids milestones' are piling up and I have no layouts to showcase and commemorate them. This keeps me up at night. Much more so than worrying about whether something I published today will get me and my company sued tomorrow. And now my design time is even more finite, it's going to be hard to fit everything into my day.

Add to the mix my newfound enthusiasm for community volunteering as a Scouts leader (because I'm soooooo into canoeing and camping! No, really, I am. Seriously.)  and becoming a soccer coach (even though I know not the rules of ANY sport!) and I find life is all happening around me whether I am ready for it or not!

Do any of you out there ever feel this way too?

Anyhoo, here's something that's overdue to come out and will be popping up in my store this week.

Included in the download are 25 separate stitches, all measuring almost 12-inches long, and a stitch hole if you prefer to add those to your background. They are available in Personal Use and Commercial Use versions. AND if you are one of those scrappers who prefer to work all off the one png sheet, I've catered to you too, by adding in the uncut version as well as individual png files.

So I hope to see you hanging out at Zig Zag Scrap, the girls are so wonderful there and I feel so lucky to be a part of the team!

Catch'ya on the upside.