Once upon a time, I held down a rather corporate, 9-5 kinda job. I was really good at it but I wasn't happy. I would fantasize about getting pregnant so I could realize my dream of being a stay at home mom. I was determined to keep popping them out to secure my place at home forever.
And then it happened. The work vacay I had been dreaming of! I was pregnant! I worked until two weeks before my due date / Christmas. (Yes, I was due on Christmas. Lamest due date ever.) Boom, kid born, let's get to vacation time. And I loved it. It was everything I had hoped it would be.
I have always been a thrift store / estate sale / garage sale / vintage shopper. Adelaide would accompany me on my many trips to the local thrift stores. I would often find amazing things and would limit myself for fear of becoming a hoarder. One day there was a desk for sale. It was beautiful. Finished on both sides with little shelves for display on the back side. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It wouldn't work for my office, but I didn't care. It was coming home with me. I cleaned it up and sold it on Craigslist the next day. I made a little bit of pocket money on my find and the girl who bought it from me was ecstatic about her new desk. Haus Proud was born. My sister turned me on to Etsy and I knew it was a fit. I started listing stuff and sold a tea set in the first half hour as a shop.
Things have come a long way from that first desk. I even popped out another kid! I was thinking about how hectic my life is and wishing I had more time to devote to Haus Proud (and my poor, neglected blog), and it dawned on me. I now have a job that I love. I love it so much that I try to fit in time to work in my already overstuffed days. I photograph during nap time and try to list new items after the kids go to sleep. As always, I drag the kids on shopping excursions. It's been tough to balance it all, but so worth it. Go figure.
