Coffee

I used to be a morning person.   My internal clock woke me up seconds before my alarm.  Every morning, without fail.  And it wasn't just a, "Oh, I think I'll mosey on into the shower" kind of waking up.  It was more of a BOYING, "I'm AWAKE!"  I'd sit straight up in bed (a habit I had to painfully break in college being on the bottom bunk), hop right out of bed, and I was showered and dressed, ready to go, lickety-split, just like that!

Then, along came marriage and soon after, children.  The luxury of sleeping without interruption, trying on multiple outfits, wearing sexy underwear (even if uncomfortable), doing what ever I wanted with my time (when ever I wanted), all of it, gone. But!  It's been replaced with new adventure, boundless loves, cuteness heaven, frustration hell, teething, dirty diapers, messy house, baking, gourmet cooking, gardening escapes, gut wrenching laughter, tear soaked pillows, inadequacies realized, dreams come true, challenges I could never have imagined, living life to the fullest, strength that can only come from my Maker ... and coffee!  

 Oh, that gloriously, smooth flavor of coffee with a good creamer! It is my daily indulgence, my grocery budget extravagance.  Give me a good cup-o-joe first thing in the morning and my foggy mind, lazy limbs, and grumbling about having to get out of bed, vanishes like water vapor.  

I get many compliments on this bracelet.  Three strands of coffee hued goodness, a smooth feel like cream on the tongue, a beautiful flowered clasp.  It looks fabulous on a wrist wrapped around a steaming mug.

If interested in purchasing this bracelet, feel free to check out my shop at:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SecondChanceBeads?ref=ss_profile

Pretty in Pink

Seeing as it is so close to Valentine's Day I thought it appropriate to share this lovely piece with you.  I have to say that this is one of my favorite bracelets I have made.  I love to wear it and often times get lots of compliments.  Even though the clasp has tarnished a bit from wear it only serves to add to the character of this bracelet.  I never would have thought to put hues of gold with my brown, pink, and shades of gray.  Somehow, while playing around with my glass beads, this combination just popped out at me.  The pale gold in the beads caught my eye and I played around with it, finding just the right combination of golds and yellows to accent the browns and pinks.

I love that the bead on the very end, the one with the black in the center, is slightly chipped, bringing out it's inner beauty.  It adds such detail and flare to this piece.  This one seems to bring out that feminine feeling while singing, "I feel pretty!"  

Happy New Year!

After a little over two months of a sabbatical I am back!  Boy, has it been quite the journey recently!  It was wise of me to take time off.

On October 24th I gave birth to this adorable creature.

It amazes me how my heart can be taken with, not only one, but FIVE children!  That number still astounds me.  Many think that the more kids you have the less love you have to give.  I'll admit it.  I feared that would be the case.  Boy is that SO wrong!  I have found that the more children we have, the more our love multiplies!  Not adds ... multiplies!  Anyway ...  Unfortunately, today has been filled this:

Crying, lots of crying.  I got to the point of turning him away from me just so I can hear the other kids.  Poor thing is having serious tummy troubles today.  After getting used to all that rich, holiday foods, the transition to eating our "normal" foods must be taking a toll on him :(  He is now passed out, sleeping HARD on my lap while I type away.  Thank God for a few silent moments.  I've been wanting some silence so I could think a few things through.  I've had a few moments here and there throughout the holidays, to mull, to stew, to simmer my thoughts and feelings.

I've been thinking a lot about the last year.  Just last night I took down our old calendar and transferred birthdays and special occasions over to our new calendar.  Looking at all the plans, dates, vacations, gathering, and activities brought back so many memories!

My daughter finished out her gymnastics season last spring.  It had taken a ton of time, blood, sweat, and tears to allow her to finish out the season.  We truly didn't know what we were getting in to when she tried out for the competitive team and made it.The expense!!  I shake my head on wonder that people can really afford a sport that costly.  Then again, maybe they really can't.

We found out we were pregnant again, causing our other children to be incredibly overjoyed.  I was thrilled but also apprehensive about loosing another baby.  I had just miscarried the previous autumn.  I remember being so sick that we needed help from our community.  We had to ask for meals and needed help cleaning.  Hyperemesis takes such a toll on the family!  We were well taken care of though.  I love our friends for being here to do what they can.  What a blessing!  I really missed my Mom during that time.

We did tons of fresh fruit picking, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, apples!  We gardened as usual.  Some things failed and others went crazy.  I started an herb garden and I gathered ideas on what else I want to grow.  I was in heaven!

My best friend got married in the summer, on the hottest day of the year, in a church with no air conditioning.  Haha!  The pictures were so fun.  We had such a blast celebrating their special day.

I so wasn't ready to start school when we did, even though we started a week later than the rest of the school.

Then the birth of our son, what an absolutely amazing experience.  We had him at home (my first time doing a home birth) and I'll tell you what, it was truly the most peaceful, intimate time I've ever had giving birth.  I wish all my experiences were like that!  His birth was, by far, the highlight of our year!

My husband and I worked together in the kitchen to make a feast for Thanksgiving.  Boy was it a feast!  Turkey, baked mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry-walnut stuffing, baked corn, steamed carrots and green beans from the garden, honey-butter pumpkin crescent rolls, pecan and pumpkin pies, and, the ultimate delectable treat, Guinness chocolate pudding!  See, I told you!  A real, honest to goodness feast!!  It was so much fun, to make AND eat!

We then kicked off the year spent in the presence of our families, well, most of them at least.  My sister from Seattle and my brother from Chicago weren't able to back east and we missed them so much!  Many we haven't seen except through video chats and FaceBook in over a year.  What a special time of catching up and watching our kids grow so big and tall and shining life all over everything.

All these memories came flooding back as I transferred dates to our new calendar.  I finished the details for January on the new one and just about tossed the old when I saw ... this!

How in the world could I throw such glorious colors away!?  My thoughts were at war with those bright pictures.  "I have enough paper to roll as it is!"  "Just toss it, you don't need to clutter up another nook in this house."     My hand steadied over the trash can, those vibrant colors screaming out to me.  I couldn't, just couldn't throw them away!  So, right now they are sitting in my dining room, begging for my attention.  Unfortunately, they're gonna be left screaming as I tend to my littlest so HE doesn't scream at me, as I tend to the older boys, struggling with their homework because they just want the holidays to continue on, as I tend to the toddler who is now bored and getting into everything he knows he's not allowed to be into, as I tend to my almost teenager daughter as she craves Mom time to talk through things that are changing and working their way into her life.  BUT, don't worry!  Keep an eye out for these beauties!  I am super excited to get my hands on them.