When I Grow Up

It used to be I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was a teenager, you could ask and I didn't need to hesitate. Hands down I knew I wanted to be a wife and a mother. And, until that dream came to fruition I worked with children in any capacity that I could. I got my degree in elementary/ early childhood education and worked in the education field from that point on. (I must note that I did dabble with the idea of studying journalism or literature. Reading & writing were also my passions.)

Fast forward to the present. I am living out my dream of being a wife and mother. And, it consumes my time and energy almost completely. And, I'm glad for it. Tough as it can be some days, this is exactly where I was always meant to be.

I've had some people ask me recently what I'll do when my children are all in school. With a one year old, that's still a number of years away. But, it's a valid question. Some have asked if I'll get back into education. Will I renew my teaching certificate?

Probably not. I think my time for working in that particular field has passed. So, then what?

Well, I know that I want to do something that will still give me the flexibility and ability to be home when my children are home - when they have vacation days, snow days, sick days - I want to be there. Even when my children are teenagers, I want to be there to send them off on the bus and to be there to greet them when they get home. Maybe I'm old-fashioned in that way, but it's important to me and it's what I hope to be able to do.

Something requiring that kind of flexibility would almost have to be a home-based business.

So, I've had a few ideas brewing in my head. I've always had an itch to do something creative. I'm not necessarily a crafty person. But, I do like the idea of creating things - seeing what I can make. I tried drawing and painting for a little bit. But, that's probably not my forte.

Do you know what really gets me excited? Furniture. Whenever I see a piece of furniture I notice right away if it has good bones. And, often I can see it for what it could be.

Like this piece I noticed today on Craigslist.

It's listed as needing some TLC and it does need that. But, can you see how awesome this would be either painted white and distressed or even sanded down and given a beautiful new stain?

Part of me wanted so badly to go get this piece of furniture. My hands were itching to get a hold of it. But, the fact is that right now I don't have the time or energy to put into projects of this nature.

But, someday, I might. And, so the thoughts of having my own trash to treasure type business (I've been inspired too by the ladies at My Dear Trash) are starting to formulate in my mind. It seems like a really appealing idea. Who knows. Maybe I'd get into it and find it too tedious. Maybe I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I think I would.

But, remember when I redid this bench?

It was a $15 yard sale find. It took me well over a year, but when I finally got around to the project and painted it, it now looks like this...

And, I loved seeing that transformation. It gave me such a sense of accomplishment.

So, who knows? Maybe when I grow up, I can do this type of a thing for a 'living'. We'll see.

If you could do any job or start any kind of business, what would be your passion? What do you dream of trying?