Upcycling and Matrescence

Hi,

Some crazy things have happened since you last heard from me.

I am (finally) a Jew and to make it count I had to get married again. Growing up, tradition meant nonsense - especially when it came to religion. Now, whew, what a plot twist. Here I am, grateful I joined an ancient, historically persecuted, tribe with an inclination to eat way too much cabbage, prunes, and pickled fish.

Tradition has a way of connecting to the soul. I used to think that what made certain things special was the fact that so many people who came before me regarded them as sacred. Now, I realize that anything that has been adopted for so long is memorable and remarkable in one way or another. It's up to us to find out how.

So here’s the story behind my wedding dress, and how I connected my personal traditions to my newly adopted ones:

A Broken Necklace Makes a Wedding Dress

Click to see more pics of the wedding.

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Peo Vee Upcycling Community

I recently started contributing as a writer to an awesome, loving, upcycling community called Peo Vee. Check out my latest posts to their blog:

Upcycling with Love: A guide to making your crafts more sustainable

Photo Credits: Peo Vee

Quote Hangers: Upcycled Tea Tabs

Photo Credits: Peo Vee

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Book Rec: Matrescence by Lucy Jones

And the last, most widely unexpected thing happened last week. I came across a book that finally explains what it feels like to be a mother. After reading 9 pregnancy and postpartum books that focused way too much on pain management and baby sleep habits, I finally found an author that adequately portrays what I’ve been experiencing.

Motherhood made me an entirely different person. And it’s extremely exhaustive how this transition is downplayed by society. Lucy Jones compares having a baby with the immense bodily transitions of coming of age and adolescence - hence the name matrescence.

If you are pregnant, thinking about it, or, if you just pushed out a mini, cuter version of yourself, you can thank me later.

PS. If you say you have no time, that you are too sleep-deprived to read a book, I call your BS. I know you are scrolling through your registry or Amazon shopping while breastfeeding.

PSS. There’s an audiobook version

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I hope you enjoyed the updates and the new content on Peo Vee.

X

Gabi