Notes from the Middle of the Mess: My Mid-Year Check-In

This year, I have been learning to give myself grace.

I’ve slept in late, missed deadlines, and let parts of the house “go.” I’ve journaled about my own mental health, I’ve talked with friends until we laughed ourselves to tears, and I’ve sat in silence and made peace with some of my inner demons. I’ve embraced the voices in my head, read way too many books, and learned that my creative chaos is a perfectly normal part of who I am.

I’m still a long way away from where I want to be, but I actually like the version of myself that stares back at me in the mirror. She’s perfectly imperfect, a complete hot mess, but she makes me smile in ways I never thought I could again.

I was built for chaos, but I have realized that I get to decide which chaos I want to hold onto—and let go of the rest. The universe will find a new home for the chaos that does not serve me. And the chaos I embrace? I thrive in it. It’s a beautiful web of the Heidiverse that I choose to share through my creativity. Too many irons in the fire doesn’t scare me; I love watching the fire burn.

So, here’s the recap on 2026 and where the rest of the year is heading.

I started the year recovering from pneumonia. Of all the things on my bingo card, I really never imagined that one! But whatever, we rolled with it. After feeling completely overwhelmed with daily life, I decided to take a month off of school. I pushed myself through the end of May and got June all to myself. Well… maybe not completely to myself.

The beginning of the year had me working hard on a lot of different fronts. At the end of 2025, I had begun creating a sewing class. The goal was to start teaching after the holidays, but I ended up pushing that start date to March. It was a small group—mostly my friends’ kids and my own—but it was so much fun. Teenagers have a brilliant sort of broken filter, so the feedback I got was hilariously awesome.

My youngest spawn graduated from 8th grade at the end of May, and my oldest nephew turned 21 at the beginning of June. Perfect timing to take a road trip to Arizona and spend a few days with family.

Our original plan for June, after we got home, was to hang out with friends and get things done around the house. But honestly? I just needed the world’s longest nap. So that’s what I did! I did the basics, but June was filled with late mornings, reading in bed, brain-dumping all of my random ideas into the computer, and reworking those sewing classes. It felt wrong at first, but I let myself do it anyway.

As we entered July, I started back up with my college courses. FYI, I’m more than halfway through my Bachelor’s program and once again made the Dean’s List. I wasn’t proud of that the first time around, but you know what? I’m a smart cookie, and it’s okay if I admit that out loud.

Still sleeping in far too much, but July brought some new clarity about my ambitions, what I want to do, and what I am passionate about creating. So, I dusted off the cobwebs of my retired Wicked Widow brand and started creating again. I’m not abandoning Heidi Mein—it’s just that “irons in the fire” thing. Working on multiple projects at once keeps my fire burning.

So, what’s next?

I’m recording videos for my Heidi Mein – Academy courses so classes can begin on time (August 10th is coming up fast!). Halloween orders have already started coming in through Heidi Mein, so that is keeping my embroidery machines humming. Wicked Widow will be a family affair, and we’ve already begun spinning our creative webs there.

And finally, I’ve taken my passion for food, books, and pop culture and baked them into What the Heidi—a tiny corner of the Heidiverse where you can find my (mostly) unedited thoughts on the things that keep me moving through my day like a real person.

The mess is still here, the irons are in the fire, and the Heidiverse is humming along. Exactly as it should be.