12 Years in the Blink of an Eye

Knitter's Bon Bon's at Purlsmith on Etsy

It recently occurred to me that I have not earned a cent in 12 years. Wow! Had you known me when I was younger you'd be really surprised.

I was so career driven. Quite the idealist, I was ready to change the world and loved my job at the non-profit working enormous hours for little pay but the satisfaction of making a difference. Oh - I was on fire to say the least.

And then I had two miscarriages before having my first child. Without family around, that meant that when I did get pregnant I would have had to put her in daycare at 8 weeks old. Good thing my sweet husband had already figured this out way in advance of me and was supportive of me staying home with the kids.

In the end, it worked out perfectly. When the school system didn't work for our oldest and we decided to transition to homeschool, that was one less element to worry about.

I love my life as a stay at home mom and I really do love homeschooling but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I find myself daydreaming about a career or returning to college.

Being an avid knitter and someone who needs to have her mind and hands entertained at all times, I started working with silver wire wrapped jewelry. One thing led to another and before you know it I had made the sweetest, simply beautiful stitch markers from freshwater pearls and sterling silver filled wire.

My oldest daughter has an Etsy shop and so I thought I'd open one too. Maybe having that in common would help keep us friends as we get ready for the teenage years.

I've had a lot of fun with the project! I went into it telling my husband my goal was to pay the trash bill ($33). Well, I'm happy to report that I paid the electricity bill ($180) after the first few weeks. I think you have to have been a stay at home mom for 12 years to understand the excitement (did I just say excitement about paying a bill?) of doing that.

Now I have the goal of paying for my daughter's travelling soccer team, $800. We'll see.

It's nice after giving every moment of every day to my sweet girls to be able to focus it on something creative and just for me.

The girls love helping. We've been laughing all morning thinking of corny yarn-related Valentine's day puns for "Knitter's Bon Bons" - a sweet little remembrance perfect for your knitting group or friends.

You can see them at my shop, here.

Some of the Freshwater Pearl & Silver Stitch Markers