Monday, January 24, 2011

Moving continued

We've been in our new town for a little over a week now and we've found a house to rent. Not just any house. It is possibly the most perfect house for our current situation - can we say, "God's hands all over this!" Pictures to follow. Let's just briefly discuss my straight from the Anthropologie catalog kitchen. Well, you'll have to wait for the pictures.

On another note - Undercover Month is coming up in March.




I've started gathering items to review. I needed to replace many of my diapers anyway because I really didn't like them and they leaked most of the time. So the timing was perfect to buy some new fitteds. prefolds, and covers. So stay tuned - I have 2 fitteds, a flat, a prefold, and some new wool covers that I'm going to tell you all about.

And at least one giveaway! Exciting. It will be my first one. I hope you can join me for this exciting project.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Moving

Well, things are far from being settled, but we're in our new hometown. Now, I've moved all over the country. The Hubs and I have moved 5 times in the four years we've been married. I've moved with one dog. I've moved with two dogs. I've moved with two dogs, 3 bikes, a kayak, while pregnant. But I've never moved with an infant before. Wow - does that change things up a little. The poor thing had no idea what happened. She fell asleep in the car and the next thing she knew, all of her toys, her crib, her high chair were in this strange place. Well, not that strange. We're staying with friends until we can find a place of our own. But still. There was no grammie. No grandpa. Her room was different. Last night, she had her first bath in her new temporary digs and that was strange too. Needless to say, her sleeping at night has been poor. But babies are resilient. I'm betting she'll be all adjusted, just in time to move again.

Please do stay tuned in. I've got some good blogging stuff coming up. Right now I'm just trying to squeeze in tons of moving related tasks + business building while the bug naps.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Please bear with me

I have so many blog posts swimming in my head that I want to share with you, but I'm whipping this one out just so you (both old and new followers) know what's going on with my blog silence. Some of you know that my husband was laid off and has been unemployed for 25 months. Yes, you read that right - 25 months. That's over 2 years. He's had freelance on and off and God has been amazing during this time. We've really not wanted for anything and we've managed to pay our bills and even pay off a credit card!

Last Monday all of his hard work and perseverance paid off when he got the phone call with a JOB OFFER!
It's with an ad agency in Memphis that he really likes. He accepted immediately without hesitation and we are whisking off to Memphis this coming Friday. That means the dreaded packing/organizing challenge as well as tying up loose ends in Nashville. So I will try to stay current with blogging, but realistically I may be silent for a few days. In my silence, your prayers and encouragement would be appreciated. I hate moving. I hate leaving friends. I hate the chaos. But I really like that the Hubs is getting to work again. Unemployment sucks and takes such a toll on its victims.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Cloth Diaper Blog Hop

Really excited about this blog hop. Hoping to meet some other cloth diapering mamas and get geared up for Undercover Month.

cloth diapering blog hop

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Diaper Giveaways

I am trying really hard to replace some of the Bug's diapers that I don't really like because they leak and other various reasons. I'd rather not have to re-buy diapers, so I'm trying to win a few more to round out my stash. I found this giveaway today for a really nice looking diaper.

Enter HERE

Monday, January 3, 2011

Monday Blog Hop

 Are you a Mommy blogger? Do you blog about your kids? Do you blog about great things for Mommies? Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers? Click on the button to do some Hoppin'.


The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom

My Etsy Christmas

I absolutely love Etsy. I love perusing shops looking at the magnificent talent displayed, not to  mention finding unique and darling gifts for people. I love it even more when I can support incredibly talented friends who showcase their work on Etsy. My friend Jenna, who I've had the pleasure of watching grow from a high school kid into a talented, amazing, graceful, and spiritual young lady, is one such person.

I'm going to share her Etsy bio with you because she describes herself and her work better than I ever could. (Hope you don't mind, Jenna!)

My artwork is influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite movement in that many of my subjects are inspired by myth and legend as well as classical literary works. I also draw inspiration from modern fantasy and illustration in traditional art forms and photo manipulation. Several of my pieces and titles directly come from listening to New Age and Celtic music, such as Enya. My art combines elements of Fantasy art, Surrealism, and Magic Realism to form illustrative fantasy with elements of photorealism. I want the viewer to believe each piece, though imagined and fantastical, the recital of true events.

The creation of all of my artwork flows from the desire to tell a story. Just like an author uses prose and verse to weave an intricate tale, color and composition compel me to create and convey the spirit of a heroine.When painting these feminine figures, I am reminded that all women have an inherent beauty. Each female figure lingers as the subtle source of energy within her environment. The variety of female models in my pieces embrace femininity in all its forms; a woman can be graceful, powerful, unassuming, adventurous, nurturing, legendary, beautiful, or anything that defines femininity for her when she is true to who she is created to be.

 
My very tasteful and thoughtful husband purchased this headband for me for Christmas.





I've worn it every day since Christmas and I love it. It actually stays on my not-at-all-headband-shaped head. It's so feminine and simple.

I suspected that I was getting a headband because I actually hinted to the Hubs that I wanted one - it was up to him to pick which of Jenna's creations he wanted to see in my hair. What I didn't suspect was that my sister had gotten me one of Jenna's original wearable art necklaces. Jenna is a painter - an utterly amazing and inspired painter. She paints whimsy and elegance and soul. Now, I don't know whether or not she sells these intimate pieces, but you can purchase jewelry made from tiny little art prints of her painting. I received this one from the painting Where Truth Dwells.





I really encourage you to check out Jenna's work. You can find her accessories and jewelry like my garden headband HERE.

She sells her exquisite art HERE.

She also keeps an interesting blog in which you can sometimes catch glimpses of her inspiration and the process behind her art.