Crafts From Inside My Broom Closet

 In an effort to distance myself from the stress of my mother-in-law and her constant barrage of "I think you should *insert your choice of things that I don't do her way)" and the ever-present "this is my house and you're going to do things my way", I have been spending a lot of time in the garage crafting. I would like to share one of the projects I have done in the past few weeks.

I made a Chest to use as a portable/travel altar box.

I started with this metal gum box that one of my girls gave me and some brown paper

I ripped the paper into strips

Then I mod-podged the paper to the gum box 

I then painted, distressed, and started decorating it.
Yes I add skulls to almost everything 

This is a look at it from the top fully decorated

I lined the inside top and bottom with this pretty material I had.

I hope you like the finished project, I know I do. I really enjoyed this project and have a few more projects I'll be sharing with you soon.

What do you do to distract yourself from people or things that bring stress and/or chaos into your life?

Would love some new ideas.

Blessings

Ashley 

Know Your Worth... Then Add Tax

This Phrase has been around for quite a while, but what does it mean? Let's dig deep and see.

Growing up the way I did I have always had a hard time knowing my self-worth, and tend to do things "on the house", to not have drama, to keep something or someone. My amazing hubby has taught me how to value myself and my work over the past 22 years; I really thought I was doing good with this until recently when I "did the math" and boy it did not add up.

Doing graphics work is something I have always loved because I love doing anything where I get to tap into my creativity and create something magical. A while back a colleague told me I should start charging for my work, I thought about it and decided since I have had to put my doula work on hold for the foreseeable future I'd give it a shot.  I started doing research to figure out how I should price myself and realized that I had been cheating myself for a while and that had to change.

So I had to make some major changes in how I value myself and my work, in doing this I had to step away from something I love and truly miss every day; unfortunately, or fortunately, after some time away I can see now how much I undervalued myself, and it is a painful lesson learned.

My takeaway from this lesson is people can pile on the praise all day long and that is really great, everyone likes to hear how good they are doing, but praise doesn't keep the lights on.

All that being said, I love what I do, I'm proud of my work, both past and present and I hope to one day not be sad about the choices I made in putting value on myself and my skills.

Never under value yourself...

You are not just enough, you are more than enough, you just have to realize it.

Blessings

Ashley

The Path I'm on is Very Twisted and Ever Changing

 And while walking this path I think I took a wrong turn around March of 2023...

Let me start in the summer of 2022, we are no longer living in constant fear of the dreaded Covid, things have somewhat gone back to normal and I am following a dream that I have had for a while now; going to school to become an End of Life Doula or Death Doula.

I found an amazing school "International Doula Life Movement" and much to my surprise I was awarded a scholarship for the EOLD Course, which was everything I had been looking for and more.

While doing my classes I had the opportunity to become the founder of the school's virtual assistant and graphics designer, which allowed me to choose my own hours and take an extra class here and there; I was on top of the world.

I graduated and began working as an EOLD in December of 2022, I was living the dream, I was taking on clients, and networking, I was even a guest speaker a few times, my life felt like it was heading in the right direction.

Then on March 13, 2023, my life to quote Will Smith "got flipped, turned upside down" My mother-in-law fell and fractured her back and ended up in a brace for what we were told would be six weeks; I moved in with her and my father-in-law for the duration, I continued doing my assistant/graphics work via my mother-in-law's computer and my trusty jump drive; I also managed to complete my second doula course and became a Pediatric End of Life Doula (something very close to my heart).

Well, six weeks turned into twelve and then sixteen, and as I have stated in a previous post taking care of my mother-in-law is trying during the best of times. That's not to say it was all bad, I so enjoyed getting to know my father-in-law (a marine & Korean war veteran whose life was slowly being stolen by Parkinson's) on a whole new level, it was also amazing to see how much my in-laws loved each other. Taking care of them was an honor, but I was missing my home, husband, my own space, etc. Finally the final doctor's appointment for my MIL to get her brace off was fast approaching, I was so excited to get back to my "normal" life and routine, but that was not to be.

On June 22, 2023, we had to call an ambulance to take my FIL to the hospital his blood pressure had dropped seriously low. he spent nine days in the hospital, He had a bladder that was not emptying, and his iron was so low he had to endure 3 iron infusions. All of this had left him very weak so after he was able to be discharged from the hospital he went straight to rehab to help gain his strength back and as much mobility as possible, his stay there was scheduled for thirty days.

After all that, my husband and I had done during Covid to ensure that neither of my in-laws caught it and two weeks in rehab and they both caught it, my FIL had a mild case, but never the less it set back his rehab, however, the rehab place did not see it that way and two weeks later they were discharging him and sending him home.

My husband went to get his things and meet the ambulance to bring him home, instead that ambulance took him to the hospital, after being in the waiting room they called us back to his room and what we saw shook us to our core, he was a shell of the man we just saw 2 days before. The doctors told us he had a 10mm kidney stone that to large for him to pass and had caused an infection that had turned septic, and he was too weak for surgery; we as a family had to make some tough decisions. We brought him home on hospice 3 days later and 4 days later we lost him.

During all of this, I continued to work for IDLM, but I did not have the time to take on doula clients, I coworker thought I should do graphics for others as a side hustle; now I have been doing graphics for a long time, I have always made my own graphics for this blog, a forum I used to run and such, but up until IDLM I had never thought about my work being good enough for others to use. I toyed with the idea for a bit, talked to my husband about it, and decided to give it a shot, and "Bewitchingly Beautiful Graphics Design" was born.

Just a sampling of my work 

In August just before the funeral, we made the decision to move into my MIL's house to take care of her and sell our house. Between moving, caring for my MIL full time, work, school, and being a doula I was completely overwhelmed, and some things would have to be put on the back burner for a while. The first to go was my dream, no more doula work; if I can't support my clients 100% then I can't do it.

I continued on with my IDLM work( it should be noted that I loved this job, but other than classes I took this job was completely voluntary), which had become more than graphics, and I was keeping up doing my graphics work for other clients, as well as taking care of my MIL (who has made it her life mission to drive me insane), and trying to be a good partner to my husband.

By the end of November, I decided that I could not stay on at IDLM and that has broken my heart, I made a ton of friends a few of whom have become good friends. I explained to my boss that I was just too overwhelmed, that it was killing me watching so many people living my dream on a daily basis, and that I would be stepping down at the end of the year. She said she understood and it felt like we parted on good terms.

It's been a month since I stepped down and it has been weird, I'll admit I miss it, but I know I did what was best for myself and my family. I am continuing to do graphics of all kinds for whomever hires me and our house is almost ready for market, this past year has been a hell of an emotional roller-coaster ride, here is hoping 2024 is much improved (and that my MIL does not succeed in driving me insane)

Sorry for such a long post, but thanks for listening.

Blessings 

Ashley 

Something "Crafty" to Sooth My Wicked Soul...

 If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know that when it comes to my witchy tools, I very much like to craft my own as much as possible. 

Unfortunately, I have been shoved to the back of the broom closet because of my uber-Catholic mother-in-law, so any tools I make, use, etc. have to be inconspicuous. At the moment, I need a way to burn candles my way without too much fuss.

I got to work trying to figure out exactly what I wanted, and how it should look. I wanted it to be witchy without being witchy if you know what I mean.

I gathered and painted all the parts and then started putting them together and making my vision come to life.

I used the following,

2 scrap pieces of wood from my husband's project in the background, that looked like little books.

1 wood flat from Dollar Tree

6 wood squares also from Dollar Tree

various paints, stickers, hot glue, and E6000 adhesive  

1 2 glass bowls from Dollar Tree (I'll explain below)

when I finished I had come up with this 

I absolutely love how it turned out, but deep down I guess part of me didn't like all the components, because right after I snapped this picture I picked it up to move it and slung it across the room (still don't know why it happened) strangely the only thing that broke was the bowl.

  

So I grabbed the second bowl and started to paint it and something stopped me and told me to leave it clear. so I did. I heated up the glue on the board, removed it, and then attached the new bowl, and the hearts on the front; it was perfect, the way it should have been to begin with I suppose.

 After the glues had set I cleansed it and added sand from my outside cauldron (which I have used without changing it in almost 20 years) and some pink Himalayan salt, then I said a blessing for it's use.

 Tonight I used it for the first time and I must say it made my witchy heart very happy, I might have even cackled. (ok so I cackled because my mother-in-law thinks it so cute, she hasn't a clue)

 Projects like this always soothe my soul and calm my brain a little. Hopefully, this has inspired you to get crafty and make some of your tools too, if you do I would love to see them. 

Blessings

Ashley

I Just Wanted a Cheeseburger.....

 After a long day of packing, then moving boxes into storage and my daughter's apartment all I wanted was to go home (my mother-in-law) cook, and eat some cheeseburgers; the cooking and eating did happen, but not without drama yet again.

Let me explain, I was in the kitchen grilling burgers on my smokeless grill and slicing tomatoes, in walks my mother-in-law wanted to know why I was slicing tomatoes on the cutting board, my response was "Because it's a cutting board"  Then she tells me she has a smaller one in a bottom cabinet I should have used. I just went about finishing the tomato and then cleaned and dried the cutting board. Dinner finished we sat down to a yummy dinner of cheeseburgers and a side of pork rinds.

Dinner is over and it's time to clean up the kitchen, I ask my husband to go dump the grease from the grill, well hell that started World War Three, or ten or a million at this point.

First, she wants us to pour the grease and water mixture into a glass jar and then throw that away, then she starts in on the grill itself. "how are you going to clean the grill?" "I think you should wipe it down before washing it," I told her "After it cleans completely I'll wash it in hot water" Nope not good enough, so I left the kitchen and had planned on not going back in there until she was out of there because I am trying to not argue with her or stress myself out over her craziness.  

My hubby goes to take the grease out (his way) and she starts in on him telling him that he has to do things the way she wants them and that we need to start doing things the way she wants them done in this house. 

Look I'm not stupid I know this is her house and she does things a certain way, but that should not mean that everyone else should have to do everything the way she does, people have their own way of doing things; I don't go telling her how to do things, even when I know a better way.

She has even gone as far as telling me when I'm not doing something in the kitchen her way "I don't care what your mom, aunt, or granny taught you in the kitchen, they didn't teach you correctly" Excuse Me! The hell you say. 

I'm tired and don't know how much more of this craziness I can take, but I do know one thing...

Next time I want a cheeseburger I'll get one from a restaurant.

This has got to get better, it has to right?

Ashley

Comfort Food, Cold Weather, & an Explanation

 So let's start with a long time no see; I know it has been quite a while since my last blog post, let me explain.

In April 2020 I made a post about getting back to blogging and how I missed it, I told all of you about my health issues (definitely more on that coming), and we had just started the long nightmare that is COVID.

Since then my life has really changed, my baby witchlett graduated and flew the coop, she moved three and a half hours away and she is about to make another move to be with the young man she loves and I couldn't be happier for her.

My oldest 2 witchletts have also flown the coop, but luckily they still live in the same city as we do, it's exciting to see the three of them spread their wings and fly.

The hubby and I never got the chance to be "empty nesters" due to COVID and the fact that his dad has Parkinson's, we made the decision to put his parents on house arrest, and we did all their shopping and such so they could stay safe in their bubble, then we took the bold step and deciding to build on to my in-laws house and us move in with them full time to care for both of them.

On March 13th Before any of that could happen my mother-in-law had a bad fall that ended with her having five staples in the back of her head and a fracture to her mid spine; that one small fracture changed all of our lives forever.

I went back to school in 2022 to become an End of Life Doula or Death Doula, I not only graduated with flying colors, I was passionate about my work, I also landed a job as a virtual assistant/graphics designer, life was great and I was high on life, everything was perfect, then my mother-in-law had her fall and BAM throat punch.

Due to her fall, she had to wear a hard brace for what we were told would be six weeks, during that time I moved in to take care of her, and my father-in-law; I was like 6 weeks no sweat I can do that, six weeks turned to twelve, turned into 4 months, I was in Hell.

During the best of times, my mother-in-law is not an easy person to deal with, I love her but man is she a handful, my father-in-law was an amazing man. Yes, I said he was the exact day my mil got her brace off he was admitted to the hospital for low blood pressure and bladder problems; after the hospital was rehab after rehab was back to the hospital, then hospice, and in August he was gone; and we were all devastated.

We immediately decided to sell our home of 30+ years and move in with my mil full-time, it is now January 2024 and we still haven't been able to completely move all of our stuff, sell our house, or barely take time to breathe, and the cause of this slow move... you guessed it, my mother-in-law. 

I'm going to be blogging regularly to have an outlet for my stress, but don't worry it won't be all drama, I promise lots of fun posts as well, hopefully, no one will get bored lol. 

Now for the comfort food...

It is finally getting cold down here on the Gulf Coast, to help is stay warm I made a delicious pot of chicken and dumplings, the recipe that I use is from The Magnolia Table cookbook by Joanna Gaines, it's super easy and the flavor is to die for; see pic below.

I'll be posting soon, I have so much more to tell you about, I forgot how much a loved this.

Blessings 

Ashley