i’ve been taking a break. that’s a huge deal for me to say, seeing as i seem to get my hands into a lot of things. but at the end of 2019, i determined after burning the candle at both ends and in the middle (is that even such a thing? it feels like it!), i needed to step back and reacquaint myself with not having to do all the things for all the people all the time. (shoutout moment here: for those in my life – you know who you are – who don’t let me take on something else, or who tell me flat out, “you don’t need to do that,” thank you. these ladies literally have been known to take a pen out of my hand when i’m writing down something else i’m offering to do.)

kind of my mantra since this year started

in the spirit of total honesty (and hoping this helps even one person out there who might read this), the holidays were kind of a s*itshow. and, remember for me, “the holidays” basically start oct. 1 and don’t end until jan. 1. that’s three solid months of never stopping between my boys, work, keeping re-nest going, and just doing life. oh, and add in there that we were in a new house, so when it came to getting ready for the holidays, we were still very much in that “we just moved the stuff in to the house, but we’re not quite sure where it’s at” mode. (see: my lost forever, beautiful ivory velvet and fur pottery barn Christmas tree skirt that we’re certain was in the Christmas tree bag with the tree that we donated to goodwill before the move.)

so, between not knowing where the Christmas decorations were, trying to make sure my kids were fed, laundry was done, gifts were bought, stressing about how much money was spent on said gifts, getting the house in a state that was ready for family guests, finishing orders, doing shows, keeping the kids healthy, and so much more i’m not even mentioning here, my body told me “enough” in the form of a panic attack on Christmas night.

our family had left, and we were set to leave for indiana the next morning to go celebrate Christmas with mr. re-nest’s family. i was on day 10 of a headache that felt like someone had tied one of those horrid exercise bands around my forehead and eyes, i was t-i-r-e-d, i was stressed out, and my body was very clearly over it all. i won’t go into the specifics, but getting through the attack took a lot of deep breathing, a lot of patience from my dear husband, and a successful attempt at redirecting my panic towards watching “bridget jones’ baby” at 12am. (have i mentioned that my husband is a saint? because he is. he just is.) we went to indiana, and i rested which was just what my body needed. i read books, and watched my boys play with their new toys, and was able to get away and reset a bit and reevaluate.

at that point, i decided a break was needed. i’ve put the shop on vacation, and am just focusing on me right now. it will open back up, most likely in early to mid-march, but for now, the only project i’m working on is making sure that me and my family are loved, taken care of, healthy, and in a good space. (and, we’re adding in a couple of new house projects too. little things that are so helping me feel like this new house is becoming ours.)

for anyone out there who might have felt the holidays or the start to this new year was similar, know that i am here, and you have a partner in this. life hands us ups + downs, and it’s super easy when everything seems up to be hit with the tough times. know i’m right here with you, working through it too, everyday.

{some fun stuff: i do have lots of ideas for new designs flying through my head, and i can’t wait to get them made to share! things to welcome the new seasons, and some ideas that might even incorporate a collab with my amazingly talented husband + some new tools!}

{and, here’s some peeks into what we’ve been up to! cooking, running, swim meets, playing dress up, and celebrating birthdays!}