A not-so-quick update

The quick MBT update - no new designs to release, no new accessories to list.. :-)


The not-so-quick everything update - Here we are in the middle of January! We are settling in to a transitional stage in the move. Our house sold at the end of October, and we moved to northern Idaho. Every door we tried for a new home of our own, both purchase and rental, was shut. We are grateful that my grandparents had a cabin, which is still in the family, about 1.5 hours from hubby's new job, and we were able to move in. It isn't a fun commute for him, but it is where God has us. What I had planned on being a month or two, of living out of boxes, has turned into almost three months and there seems to be at least a few more months with most everything in storage.


For MBT, I brought most of my beads, the bare minimum I need to keep up chart inventory, two lines of thread and my linen and evenweave totes, and one work in progress. Until today, I haven't designed since last July or August. So much of life at the cabin has been focused on the daily part of living - splitting wood, hauling wood, stacking wood, keeping the fire going for heat, shoveling snow, trying to unpack a few things to make this more of a home for us, teaching the doodlebug and keeping things tidy after a dog who finds a mud puddle almost every time she goes out. Laundry is in the basement, we live two floors up, and there are days when I sprint up and down the stairs more times than I can count! The hens are in the dog kennel, and we only have five, now. I have grown to appreciate how spoiled I have been with modern conveniences, and I will never again take for granted things like trash pick up, a dishwasher, garbage disposal, running water, electricity, pavement, central air and heat, not needing four wheel drive to get up the driveway, internet...


But there are things I treasure that have come from being completely uprooted. We unplugged. We have spent hours and hours listening to sermon messages from our old church. My daughter craves the time listening to them, while we craft and look out at the nature around us. We have sat and watched deer, elk, turkeys, and all sorts of birds go right through the property and on the roads around the house. We have made a commitment to join the community where we are, and doing the things I always put off because "there wasn't enough time." Our relationships with one another have grown, matured, and are great blessings. It is a big hike to get to the town, so we eat at home all but once or twice a month. Our health has improved. We found a new church, with great people from the neighborhood.


Now, back to the not designing thing... I designed today :-)  I have honestly been dragging my feet on new designs. The stress of not having a close framer, not being able to focus on the computer, not knowing if it would really matter if I took off six months or a year, not knowing where we would be in a month or two, not having a house with my 'stuff' and walls filled with stitching inspiration. This weekend, I got a letter from a lady in PA. It was like God spoke through her and then gave me a little hand pop on the back of the head! I shared the letter with hubby, cried a bit, and then felt peaceful. We went to Moscow this weekend, found a Michaels, and I bought frames. I took away the excuse of not having frames easily accessible. Today, I sat down and designed for those frames, and I am so excited to have something to stitch! Tomorrow, I will await the sunshine and then pull out the fabric and threads, with great joy.


Life has continued on a grand journey.  I cannot whine for the struggles, because it is truly all God. It is all in His hands. Every house that we have wanted, and tried for, it was revealed (in God's time!) that there would have been significant problems with us being there. With each failure to find a place of our own, I keep in mind that His vision is much greater than my own, and He is abundantly providing for all of our needs and most of our wants. If He gave me everything I wanted, I would have missed out on what I needed.


 Thank you to those who have prayed for our family, my company, and His will over our lives. Thank you for the encouragement and love. Thank you for the patience in new designs coming. Thank you for the support. Thank you.