The woman behind the apron

Hi!
It's me.
The "Apron Lady".

If you can believe it, I have been called that to my face and honestly, it's makes me smile.  I'm known for my craft and what's better than that?  But I thought a good way to start my blogging journey is to introduce myself.

Photo by Bella Photography

      I am Jenn.

Well, Jennifer to be more accurate but most people just call me Jenn (but with two n's - that's important)

     I am a wife.

I have been married to my best friend and pretty much the best man I have ever met for over 11 years and he is truly the love of my life.

     I am a mother.

I have two wonderful boys - Judah, who is 6 and Israel (better known as Izzy) who is 3.  They are a joy to my life and have challenged and stretched me more than I ever thought possible.

     I am a foster mom.

We have been a foster family for nearly 2 years and it has been a great experience.  We specialize in infant care and so far we have had 7 children in our home anywhere from 24 hours to 6 months.

    I am an introvert, Type A personality.

Though you'd never believe it if you saw my work space at the moment, there is very little I love more than an organized space.  I tend to organize and clean when I'm dealing with stress. I tend also to be a bit of a loner - which is where the introvert part comes in.  I don't particularly love big crowds and I'd much rather be having coffee with my one friend than be out in a big group.

    I hate bugs.

This is has to be stated, mostly because there is a housefly buzzing around my head as I type.  It's driving me crazy.

     I am a bookworm.

Seriously.  I love to read.  When I turned 30 (which was simply devastating to me) I made a list of 10 goals for the next 10 years (a list - do you see the type A coming out?).  One of my goals is to read 200 books.  That's about a book every 2.5 weeks.  Though I thought it was a lofty goal at the time.  I'm currently on book 59 and I am only 2.4 years into the goal.

     I'm claustrophobic.

Just an odd fact I'd throw out there.  Small spaces are not my friend.

     I am Canadian.

It really explains a lot once you get to know me.

     I am a lover of Jesus.

My faith plays a HUGE role in my life, how I raise my children, how I spend my time, energy, money and generally how I live my life.  I believe in the power of LOVE and it's ability to change people and situations.  For me, it's that simple.

    I am a night owl!

I am hardly ever in bed before one.  It's a curse really, since the morning routine starts early but I simply can't  shut my brain off at night.  My best ideas come then and most of my work is completed then.

   I am not perfect.

So often, in this world of blogging, Facebook, and instagrams, it's very easy to choose to only reveal parts of who we are.  I am guilty of that.  But here is the truth.  I am not super mom.  I have dirty dishes in my sink about 100% of the time.  I can't keep a clean house to save my life.  I curse like a Canadian, and drink like one too (in a very responsible, social but frequent manner).  More often I have greasy hair than clean and I'm in sweat pants about 75% of the time.  I drink too much coffee, eat too much junk food (too late at night) and I HATE to work out.  (yup, I said it.  I HATE it!)  Granted I won't be revealing every ugly detail but I also don't want to give the illusion that life is easy, clean and neat.  Life is messy but that's what makes it interesting.

   I love/hate to cook.

What I mean is I love to cook but only when I have time to do it.  So when I'm busy and running behind during my day, I'm much more likely to throw a frozen casserole in the oven than make a nice fresh meal.  Or better yet, order in.  But I love to cook for people, try new recipes and best of all enjoy a meal with family and friends.  I'm hoping to share some of this with you in the blog, which will also encourage me to start making time for the art of cooking and the joy I get from it.

     I LOVE to create.

I have been creating things my entire life.  I grew up in a home where sewing, knitting, and crocheting were common practice.  My grandmother taught me about fabrics and sewing when I was very young and it has been a part of my culture for as long as I can remember.  Granted, sewing back then was generally a necessity - with an odd body shape and a small clothing allowance in the budget, we relied on our skills to "make it work".

       I am an artist.

This is very tough for me to say.  Since sewing was a skill I grew up with, it's been a hard road to get me to a place where I can own my craft and start believing that there is artistry behind what I do.  "Craft" is often a negative term in the artistic world.  But CRAFT is defined as "an art, trade or occupation that requires special skill."  So I believe the term is fitting and appropriate to what I do, which doesn't make me less of an artist and which is why I am perfectly happy being known for my craft.

So, here I am, the "Apron Lady".  I hope that this blog will become a way that we can connect on a different level.  Our lives are more that what we do for a living.  I hope that by sharing how I am inspired throughout the entire scope of my life, that you too can be inspired and inspire others.
 
I will do my best to be consistent in posting and not jump around too much.  Please feel free to join the conversation and comment, or not.  Blog stalking is okay too. I hope you enjoyed my not-so-quick introduction.  I hope to meet more of you as this journey continues.