"What the Craft"

So in another life I had more of a crafty blog:
Former Life Blog
Much Simpler times for sure.  I was going to go back and change it- You know like take out all posts with the ex and all but then I decided NO!  All of that history makes me who I am now.
Feel free to explore it, read about the happy times in an unhappy time.  I know if I was the reader I would read it from start to finish and try to look for clues of a marriage crumbling (I am kind of weird like that... I start to feel like me and the blog writer are friends and I can somehow FIX things).
ANYWAY... back on track.  I fear if I do not give myself "daily blogging assignments" I will not keep up with this blog either.
I have decided that Fridays will be my day to write about CRAFTING!  You know things like: pinterest attempts, my own tutorials, just FUN stuff!  I have decided these posts will be titled "What the Craft Fridays"
Do you like it?
I am excited to get fully settled in this space!  I have missed my past blogging friends....

Everyone has a Story

-Yep we sure do!

     Mine started as dreamy as the next person's story.  I picked a man I thought I would be happy with-  A man I met, innocently enough, 19 years ago ONLINE!

     Ahhhhh the great days of internet dial-up!  I can still hear the static and dings as I waited to hear the words that made my heart flutter, "YOU'VE GOT MAIL"!  It was 1996- WHAT???  1996 I am ancient!  Well we are going to FAST FORWARD because this really isn't about my love affair 19 years ago!  It is about Life AFTER it!  After I was gut-wrenchingly booted to the curb!  Wow that seems a little intense!  Really he decided to leave me, us- my kids and ME!  GOODNESS did that ever HURT!  He and I were not happy. :(

We did however share nearly 15 years before the split!  I am sure I will share lots about that over time, it made ME and MY kids who we are today.

But this new baby blog will focus more on life now - Rebuilding from a mostly Happy Place!

My Bliss started again 4 years ago after I had just been hit with those terrible words,

"It's not working... I am not Happy..."

Guess what SAVED me?  Glorious Facebook!  A wonderful man, a man I had dated when we were just babies (pre 1996 LOL), reached out to me in my time of deepest pain-  Just a simple "why so sad?" and "I am praying it will work out for you" LIFTED my spirits!  *mind you I had therapy and time before dating... well not much of really truthfully!

This man and I had always had a sort of unexplainable DEEP connection.  LONG story short we MARRIED, YAY!!!  So now what, you ask?   Well my new friend he had 4 kids from his previous marriage and I had 2!!!   Crazy?  Yes I do believe we are!  Together we have 3 boys and 3 girls:

"It's a story of a lovely lady..."

Oh yeah we are the freaking Brady Bunch, no lie!

So here I am fresh in the role of "step mom" or "BONUS MOM" as my "BONUS KIDS" like to call me.  It is a GREAT place to be and a SHITTY place to be!  I LOVE my husband  and our family with all my heart!   But there is this not so great side... You know what is not so great?  not having the ability to plan and run your family like you would choose and you know why that is?  EXES, the kids biological parents!   It is easy to say "get along for the kids" it is harder when it is one-sided.  Can't we all be adults? 

As hard as life can sometimes be it can also be pretty amazing too!

In this new blog adventure I hope to help others with tales of our BONUS FAMILY!  It won't all be pretty, Life never is.   I will share real pains as well as real joys!  I will protect the innocent and try not to exploit the not so innocent :)

So grab your coffee and sit and chat with me a while!