Duckly and Juicy were born from a wee little girl's vivid imagination about 30 years ago. Shortly after my sister was born when I was 2, I created some imaginary friends for myself called Duckly and Juicy. Please don't ask me what we did together, or what they looked like (although you could ask my mom, as she loves to remind me of stories like this), as I don't remember. I also created an 'alter ego' for myself that would usually make an appearance as my sister got her bath. Her name was 'Deely.' This I do remember. I would dress up (usually accessorizing with a hat, purse and some of my mom's costume jewelery), and have a lovely, civilized visit with my mom - gossiping and having pretend tea - while she bathed my sister. Poor Deely suffered the trauma of having a wooden bangle bracelet stuck on her arm up past her elbow (and having to have it removed forcibly with the help of some vaseline) and funnily enough, she can out to play less and less after that.
I have been interested in crafts for as long as I can remember. I adored coloring as a child, and I could spend hours coloring in the pictures of make-up my mom drew for me. I was certainly lucky to be born first so I couldt have a little sister and brother to boss around. I remember playing the role of dictator often, announcing when we would play barbies or 'pretty girls, NOW', which, if I remember correctly, involved dressing up, playing with make-up, and doing EVERYTHING I SAID. Sorry Cath...
I have many a crafty lady in my family. My Nana is a killer knitter, my other Nana put together the most beautiful picture albums and scrapbooks, my Auntie M made her living running a craft store, and my Mom is an amazing cook, and all around craft diva. I first picked up a pair of knitting needles as age 8. My Nana taught me to knit some simple projects, and soon I was knitting clothes for my barbie dolls. Lessons from my Mom in crochet, cross-stitch, embroidery, and simply sewing followed. I was the kid who wore homemade smocked dresses in family portraits and Mom-fashioned costumes at Halloween (I think I had to wear that damn clown outfit at LEAST 3 years in a row).
I was a fairly quiet, somewhat artsy kid. I loved to read, and also loved to sing (I also get that from Mom). I did choir, and learned to play the piano and read music. Other interests have come and gone over the years, but these are the ones that even as an adult, I always come back to - crafts, music and reading.
I wanted to be several different things growing up, most notably a lawyer and then an accountant. After 1 year of pre-commerce, I knew being a number cruncher wasn't for me. I ended up, based on one undergrad elective course, getting a degree in psychology. This didn't leave me many practical career options - so I faced the decision about what to do heading back to school - get a Masters in Psyc, pursue law, or do a teaching degree. I had taken a job working as a teacher's aide in the school system, and I enjoyed the classroom atmosphere. After signing up to take the LSATs, I balked, and signed up to do the PDP teaching program instead. Boy, am I glad I did. Teaching is a great career fit for me, and I have found my niche as a primary teacher. There are days I want to pull my hair out after answering the same question 38 times, and the noise and bustle of 24 kids can get to me, but at the end of the day, I love being around children, and take huge pride in being one of the people who helps these kiddos learn to read and write, and add and subtract.
I met my wonderful husband eight years ago this summer, and we got engaged 8 months later. We were married in 2005, and our beautiful daughter was born in 2008. Being a mother has changed my life in every cliched way I could say. I consider it my most important job. I will know, at the end of my life - whenever that moment will come - that my life was well-lived if my children can say that the person they look up to the most is their parents. I know that this is certainly true for me. My mom is the most caring, gentle, and strong woman I know, and my dad has always been the concerned protector, encouraging me to be the best I can be.
I am blessed to be expecting our second babe in the next few weeks - a little boy. Everyone says 'oh, how lucky, one of each.' I am just content to have healthy kids. Hubby and I bought our first home together (and we hope, our last, as we LOVE it here) a year and a half ago, and while it has had many updates to it, there is still a lot to be done. Going on maternity leave again, I'm hoping, will afford me some time to revisit my love of crafting and work on some of these home improvement projects.
So - ducklyandjuicy - what's it about? my love of all things crafty, where I draw my inspiration from, home improvement, cooking, reading, fashion and style, and day-to-day life as a mommy and wife. It's my place to just be 'me.' I hope you'll enjoy :)
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