Humbled Domestic Artist

Started reading my new book The Gentle Art of Domesticity: Stitching, Baking, Nature, Art & The Comforts of Home. Very good read, I feel inspired and would recommend this book to all my creative friends and family. The author writes in such a way to where I totally relate. I understand how she feels about being a modern women with domestic aspirations. She's a wife and mother and I feel grateful to read her thoughts about being creative while being a parent, especially because I'm in a stage where all of my creativity is going into my family, not into myself, and she writes about this happenening to her. Thank you to my mother in law who asked me before Christmas what I wanted. This is a book I've been eyeing for awhile but not something I could justify buying just for fun.

Ok, I can't believe I'm writing this but when I voiced this to friends last week and rehashed it with Michael (to reiterate that I was so sorry), now I want to share it here not only for a good laugh but so I can learn from my mistakes. Learning from my mistakes - added to my short list of 2011 New Year's resolutions.

Hubby and I decided to do only stockings as gifts to eachother this year. Throughout December, I would be shopping and pick up something fun and small for myself and tell Michael it was for my stocking (thinking this would help him along). Stockings have always been a big deal to me as my mom made them special each year for my sister and I growing up and she stuffed ours full with fun personalized gifts. I expected Michael to pick up where she left off once we started spending the holidays together but it's taken a few years to get there :-)

On Christmas Eve I stuffed Maggie and Michael's stockings and laid them near the fireplace. I went to bed and Michael stayed up. The next morning I made my way to the fireplace with tunnel vision. I was shocked to see only the two stockings I'd laid out the night before and no other. I also saw the three gifts I'd bought for myself still sitting on the table untouched. I felt heartbroken in the moment. I made up that Michael hadn't filled my stocking yet and that he missed the point after I had stressed how important this was to me. In a quick fit of anger, I picked up my gifts and threw them on the floor, the candy cane shattering. I said some words in anger, all the while Michael is standing behind me witnessing this. It's quiet for a moment and then he calmly tells me "Marin, your stocking is under the Christmas tree." I haven't felt like such a fool in a long time. I composed myself and went to the Christmas tree where Maggie and Michael were. Michael was the best husband I could have asked for in that moment. Turns out, my stocking was full of the best goodies - so heartfelt and personalized, it made me want to cry.

Michael is so patient with me. Lord only knows what he was thinking when I threw the fit (actually, he did mention later that his thought was to go on a bike ride when it happened :-) I am very thankful that he doesn't take me too seriously and that he is supportive and thoughtful throughout our marriage. It has been everything I have needed to counterbalance my personality and traits. I couldn't have asked for a better match in this lifetime.