Almost vacation...

Allison in her new bow from Marie D's bows on etsy.

Odin "helping" me bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Ally in a lovely outfit from her Grandma G.

Wow, I have been busy! I don't actually have anything new for the shop, but I have been making some dresses and pants for customers. It's really wonderful that I've already made several sales, with a few others here and there expressing interest and/or asking for future custom orders. I am very excited about this, and hoping/praying God will continue to show me if this is what I should be doing. If it's not, I am perfectly content! On Saturday we leave for Hawaii, and I am really excited for a break. I am going to miss the kids a lot, though, especially since we have never left them for more than just a night. But they will be in good hands with my parents! Now, I'll attach a few recent photos as well as my new business card design.

Christmas dress

I made a Christmas dress for Ally, which is also in the shop. It turned out exactly as I envisioned and I got to use some cute Michael Miller Christmas fabric. I also made my first dress sale on etsy, so that was exciting! Another new item is the peasant top, which is also available as a dress. I am wanting to keep everything for Ally, but I need to make some sales, too!

Dresses for sale...

Well, I decided to do it. A lot of people have asked if I sell the clothes I make...at first I was just doing it for fun, but I enjoy it so much I thought I would try to sell some. "Try" being the operative word here. Sometimes I feel I am taking too much on- MOPS, playgroup, writing, my cards, and now sewing. Not to mention raising two kids, being a wife, spending time with God...you get the picture. So is it too much? Not sure. In fact, I might eventually stop doing the cards (except for friends and family who ask) and just focus on other things. To be honest, designing cards is not going well. I suppose I could put more effort into advertising- but who has time for that? This clothing venture might turn out the same way, and I'm ok with that. If God puts the breaks on it, I'll continue sewing just for fun. And all those clothes in my shop? Stuff for Ally and gifts for friends :). I'll stick to my writing though...that is something I feel I really SHOULD be doing, and maybe the other stuff is just for me. As far as playgroup and MOPS, those are important for my sanity and for my kids to make some friends until they begin school. They always have their cousins, of course, but it's good to make other friends too.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my honesty. This is where I am right now. Life is good, and I have learned recently that I don't need to do everything- not supposed to! I should be focusing on whatever God wants me to do. Now, here are some pics of clothes I am planning to sell- the skirt is a personal favorite and will probably remain in Ally's closet :D.

Fire Station Fun

A couple weeks ago we toured a local fire station with our playgroup. Odin LOVED it. Being the wimp he is, I thought he'd be scared of the big trucks, but he wanted turn after turn "riding" them. He even got to spray the fire hose! It was a lot of fun, and we didn't have to bring Ally because Adam worked from home that day. Even though she is a delight, it wouldn't have been a fun place to bring her!

Cute bows!

My friend Natalie pointed me to her friend who makes bows, Marie D. And you know how I love bows on Ally! These are by Marie D, her shop is: http://maried.etsy.com . Her blog is: http://marieds.blogspot.com/ . Happy bow shopping :)