Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Wed. Words of Wisdom


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Ok seriously - this needs to be my mantra .

In starting this blog I'm honestly not quite sure what direction I want to take it in yet .
Will it be strictly about my family life and motherhood ?
Design ?
Home projects - ya know, if I never get to them ?
A little of each - and will that allow me to find a niche ?

I wonder the same thing about my shop.
What is my long term goal ?
What am I doing right ?
What am I doing wrong ?
What should I do next ?

And when you look at the best of the best - the people who have been doing this for years with their beautifully streamlined blog layouts and topics , their orders on Etsy in the thousands - you wonder ... how the heck will I ever get there ?

I guess the answer is , you just have to keep on truckin' .
Where you are is just where you need to be and whatever it is your chasing , you'll catch it eventually .
Wow - cheesy much ?

But seriously - love this quote and will be keeping it in mind as much as I can during this process .

- e


Sunday, January 27, 2013

Etsy Round Up : Be My Valentine

I am so grateful to have a venue like Etsy to share my products on .
It allows so many creative and talented people to share their passion and craft with the world .

So , I thought I would show some of the other amazing shops on Etsy a little bit of love!

Take a little look at some of my favorite Valentine's Day products !

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.


xoxo ,
e

Monday, January 21, 2013

My Weekend via Instagram

While I had great intentions for this weekend in terms of productivity , our days ended up being blissfully lazy instead .
Here are a few Instagram photos from the last few days :

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While a part of me has to admit that I feel frustrated about the fact that I didn't get my " To Do " list fully marked off , a bigger part of me frankly . . . doesn't care .


It was the first full weekend just the three of us in over four months .
I'm actually grateful that it wasn't filled with errands and projects around the house .

Sometimes you just have to let it go and enjoy the moments that feel as though nothing is really happening - they are always full of little somethings that are fleeting .

Someday , I'll have an empty house and nothing but chores to keep me busy .
In those moments , I'll be grateful that I took the time to read Brown Bear Brown Bear for the 100th time and listened to Annie beam as she shows off her animal sounds , that I sat and watched Blake and Annie cook in her little kitchen , or that we danced the Hokey Pokey over and over .

I'll miss Annie's hand grasping for mine as she lays across our bed between the two of us , her head in Blake's back and her feet against my chest .  I'll ache to be woken up from an afternoon nap by a toddler knocking a boot against my head and shrieking " Mama! Mama! " I'll stand in front of my mirror brushing my teeth and I'll smile remembering how Annie had her very own collection of them, scattered all around the house .

There will always be lists and projects to be done .
But this weekend , they can wait .

I hope you take a moment to do the same with your family !

- e





  



Sunday, January 20, 2013

Family Photos : Dec. 2012

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Over the winter holiday , we had a little photo session done with Blake, Annie, and I - our first since she was only a newborn!

We had the privilege of working with an immensely talented photographer , Jessica Schaak of RAE Portraits  !

It was so very important to me that we have these images to document this time in our lives while it is still the three of us . We could not have been more thrilled with the outcome of our little family photo shoot. Seriously y'all - if you live in the Dallas area ( or she sometimes comes to Utah ! ) you MUST check her out !
We will be clients of hers for life !

This is only a portion of the photos from that day - I'll be adding all of them to Facebook soon !


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 - e

Just FYI:


My first outfit
Lace Top : Anthropologie
Jeans : H&M
Cowboy Boots : Gypsy Wagon (old)
Watch : Michael Kors
Diamond by the Yard Necklace : The Impeccable Pig

Annie's Yellow Dress : Boutique buy in San Fransisco
Solid Tights: H&M
Shoes : Zara

My second outfit
Dress & Sweater : The Impeccable Pig
Belt : Forever 21 (old)
Boots : Steve Madden

Annie's Dress w/ Lace Trim: Zara
Striped Tights : H&M
Shoes : Zara

Blake's Shirt & Sweater: Old Navy
Jeans & Khakis : The Gap


Saturday, January 19, 2013

My Word for 2013



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During these first few weeks of the new year , as we have settled back into old routines , I've also dedicated a fair amount of time focusing on how I can set new goals to keep me moving forward and continuing to grow as an individual , as well as how we can continue to evolve as a family .


I'm not much of a resolution maker - I sometimes get discouraged when I make incredibly specific goals and don't meet them. So this  year I decided to dedicate myself to one word - a word that will sum up my hopes , desires , and dreams for the year ahead .


For the year of 2013 , my word is together .


When I think of the word " together " , so many other words come to mind : time , relationships , goals , educate , integrity , growth , self assurance , routines , habits , lists , accomplishments  , creativity . 


This year will be a year where the time we spend - both at home and in travel - is spent together .
This year will be a year when our house will come together and finally become a home .
This year we will come together as a family and grow in the gospel .
This year , I will be a more together individual .

There is so , so much more that I could say about this topic , but I've decided to try and keep my thoughts on here short and concise , just to see how that feels for a while .


What will your word be for 2013 ?
- e

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Happy New Year


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Happy New Year y'all , from our family to yours .

I have quite a bit of updating to do , and I promise that is coming soon , but for now we've just arrived back to our home in Utah after four incredible months in Dallas .

Blake and I have so much gratitude and humility in our hearts as we look back on the opportunities that have come our way this past fall , and are so grateful for every single person who has helped us along the way .

We're looking forward to an incredible year ahead ! 

Let the unpacking begin . . .

- e