Up for grabs… several bags, some dresden clutches, other clutches, lots of pleated pouches, garlands garlands garlands, some beachy necklaces, and a couple other goodies.

I’m also having a giveaway for a garland!

It starts at 8pm CST and goes until Instgram either crashes on me for good or until my goods are gone! Hope to see you there!

Life just seems to be passing all to quickly lately.

Like last week with the kiddo being gone all week, I totally thought that I was going to be Wonder Woman and get a list of a gazillion things done. So wrong. I don’t think I accomplished anything.

I was completely lost without her.

I’m use to having my schedule broken up in short time segments and so I plan the things I can do accordingly. But give me a full free day with no interruptions and my brain doesn’t know how to respond.

Picking her up from Grandma’s was hard. I cried. She came running out screaming my name and jumped into my arms. How could I hold the tears back?! She ran and chased the dogs all night and then we snuggled and sang together and it felt like we were attached at the hip. Overnight was much worse. Coughing all night long. I didn’t sleep. She didn’t sleep. B didn’t sleep. But I didn’t mind really. Whenever she woke up coughing, she’d look at me, smile, and tell me she loved me. Or she’d blow me a kiss. Or she’d rub my head. Um, I cried again. I’m sure part of it was from lack of sleep but this girl! She totally melts my heart in every way and has me so wrapped around her finger it’s insane.

But it’s back to normal life around here now. Well, kinda. There’s more snuggling and cuddling and kissing and hugging and loving going on. It seems as though the kiddo and I just can’t seem to stop telling each other how much we love each other and missed each other and are best friends forever and ever. And of course, the emotional nerd that I am, I totally cry over all the things. Shocker right?! ;) I’m just glad to have her back in my life interrupting me and making my heart smile.

It’s quiet.

2 days have passed already without the kiddo here. She’s off having fun with Grandma for her spring break. So far the two days have been pretty nice. I was allowed to be lazy and totally soaked up every second of it.

But now…

it’s quiet.

The mornings are our time. I wake her and feed her her favorite breakfast foods. I pick out a cute school outfit and do her hair cute to match. We cuddle on the couch for a few moments before school. She always gives the puppies hugs and kisses before she leaves and tells them she’ll miss them. It’s adorable. Only two days have passed and I miss her.

And although I know she’s safe with Grandma… I worry. I worry that something bad might happen. God forbid, but what if. What if while they’re coming back from the aquarium, someone runs a red light. Or what if she gets strep and a double ear infection like last time she was there. What if she wakes in the middle of the night terrified and confused and feels alone and just wants her mom who always is there for her.

I’ve taught her to pray when she’s scared. My heart rejoiced the first time she told me that when she had a bad dream she prayed to God and she fell back asleep with no more bad dreams. While even now I think to myself, “Victory!”, I pray that she feels His presence with her the entire time she’s gone away from me. That He takes my place. Isn’t that what my prayer should be for her life anyway? To have her fully rely on Him and not on the people of this world?

But as a mother, you always want to be there for your child. You want to be the one they run to. The one they rely on. The one they feel safe and protected with.

I guess in the quiet is where I’ll need to call out to the one who protects and keeps us safe. Who is always there for me. I just never thought that I’d feel this way about her being gone. Especially at age 4. I thought I’d enjoy every second of it. But it turns out that being a mom to the quietness is hard.

Something NEW has just been added to the shop! Some super fun and cute shipping/hang tags. They’re great for using when packaging orders, scrapbooking, and organizing.

Another new addition is some circle and plus sign garlands. Keep in mind, these are not made from vintage fabrics, just normal awesome ones.

I’ve restocked the fabric scrap packs as well. Again, these are not vintage fabrics, just normal awesome ones.

I’ve also updated the SALE section in my shop. There are some garlands, wristlets, and pouches.

Head on over to the shop to see all the new goodies!

I can still remember holding my niece back in December 2007 several weeks after she was born. So tiny and precious just like all babies are. Loving every gentle touch of my fingers against her incredibly soft skin. Smelling that intoxicating baby fresh smell. In the back of my mind I was thinking about how incredible it would be to have my own gift from God. It would be just that though, a complete gift from God.

Brandon and I were just happy living our lives and felt complete with it being me, him, and our two dogs. We’re not “kid people”. Kids are loud, messy, they don’t seem to ever sleep, they’re annoying, and they require all your attention all the time.

So while I was completely happy holding this precious angel in my arms, I was even happier knowing that I could pass her back to her momma and I could go about my business child free. No changing diapers, no feeding every 3-4 hours, no holding on to that 8 lb baby for 20 hours a day. I could eat, drink, and be merry.

Little did I know…

While I was holding that little, there was a little growing inside of me! Clearly, God thought someone needed me. Needed my attention all the time. Needed me to provide food, shelter, and safety for them.

I couldn’t imagine my life without her. This little kiddo of mine. She is my life and without her, so many things would be different. We’d most likely be living in a smaller house. We’d still have Marlee and Chakka (our previous dogs) with us instead of the two we have now. I wouldn’t be a stay at home mom and I might not have even started a blog. I’d be skinnier.

All the things… and while we may have had more, my heart wouldn’t be anywhere near as full as it is now. In fact, my heart quite often overflows with the amount of love it can contain and I find myself crying when listening to her make up stories in the bath tub or throwing together silly songs while twirling around like she’s a gymnast. I beam when I watch her learn to tackle something new she thought she couldn’t. And her skin will always be super soft and baby like to me.

Life changes. We may not want it too and we may hate the fact that it is and that we don’t know why or what the outcome is, it changes. “Awareness of My Presence fills your mind with Light and Peace, leaving no room for fear. This awareness lifts you up above your circumstances, enabling you to see problems from My perspective.” (taken from Jesus Calling)