And So The Adventure Begins...

Hello there!

It's so good to see you all.

I have been MIA now for quite a long time and I think it's time to change that.

I really have missed my Tootsie Time, and when it came time to decide to renew my domain name, or to let it go...I spent a few days deciding what I wanted to do, and here we are! I am excited to resume sharing what living our best life looks like!

I have been getting emails and messages from lots of my followers asking where I am and if I am okay, or if I will ever be back...

Well that's a very loaded question.

One that I will simply answer with...I was surviving. I was healing and I was growing. Over the last 3 years a lot of things happened. Some good, some not so good and some just bad.

The last three years has brought a whole lot of challenges and much heartache to our family. In total we have lost 15 loved ones in this short span of time. We have lost several very close friends and family, in this time, and we are acutely aware of how fragile life really is. In the blink of an eye, anyone of us can be taken and there is nothing we can do about it. This made us appreciate everything and everyone who matters just a little more, and to walk away from people, things and situations that are not healthy for us.

It hasn't been ALL bad - There's also been a few very wonderful changes to our lives in the last 3 years.

We are empty nesters!

Our "little Busy" has graduated high school, finished her first year ( of 4 years) of college and has flown the coop! Busy is our youngest baby. She has been dating the sweetest young man for several years now and this summer they moved into their first home! They are all grown up now and doing adult things like mortgages and car payments, pet ownership...and they are knocking it out of the park! The cowboy and I could not be prouder of them.

My 'Georgie Girl' has graduated hairdressing school and is a very good little hairdresser, but she decided that it just wasn't filling her heart with joy or challenging her enough so she moved on to a new and fun career that she is really enjoying. She also has a really nice young man in her life...we are so proud.

Becoming an empty nester is one of those things every mom dreads but at the same time looks forward to. It is a bittersweet thing! It was either feel sorry for ourselves for raising strong independent and ambitious kids...or grab on and have some fun with it...so...we got our butts in gear and got to work.

The cowboy and I have been super busy with a full purge of anything we no longer need, want or have time for...and it has been incredibly satisfying. We donated, sold, tossed out and burned a LOT.

After the grand purge, I started deep cleaning, and catching up on things around the house that had not been done in a while. (because we just did not have the time) It was such a good feeling to get my house in order again, and somehow it helped my imagination to return. WHEW!

You see, my last three years have been filled with trauma. That trauma has affected my ability to imagine, or visualize projects the way I used to so easily do. It literally paralyzed my imagination. I was afraid it would never return, and was SO excited when ideas started to flow in my mind again. I can't even tell you how relieved I was. If I was able to cry, I probably would have. Yes...I lost my ability to shed any tears at all since mom and dads funeral. It will come. I just need to be patient.

We have begun to reclaim our lives. Find our joy and move forward. IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE GETTING BACK TO OURSELVES AGAIN.

We have walked away from so much drama and have focused ourselves on the beautiful things our lives have to offer. We are appreciating every single day.

I've started doing a lot of writing, designing, doing makeovers on rooms, refurbishing/ re-purposing furniture, and creating all kinds of things.

I am excited to eventually share some of these fun projects with you very soon.

Now, you guys need to be just a little bit more patient...I have been away from this for so long that a lot of things have changed and I need to relearn how to make posts!

I also need to update the look and feel of Tootsie Time, so there may be some test posts on the horizon lol

So stay tuned...there are some fun things coming!