Forever Treasures and more...

So, finally got some of my stuff done, and I'm ready to share! I am hoping that this business will get off the ground and that eventually it will bring in enough money for me to be a stay at home mom. I would love nothing more than to be with my awesome kiddo all day every day. Let me know what you think of them.


The first Forever Treasure I made. This one sits on my desk at work.







The first Forever Treasure I made at a customer's request :)



This one is ready to be personalized!



This one could be yours!





The first picture frame I covered. Picture frames will start at $8.

I am so excited about my little creations here. I've already gotten some more orders, so I am getting busy! I'm also going to try to get some "generic" ones completed to sell at Market Days. If you would like to order one, you can let me know here by leaving a comment, or you can email me at theforevertreasures@gmail.com and let me know what you might want.

Anywho... I appreciate any and all feedback.

*On a side note, SUPER excited to go watch the last Harry Potter movie tomorrow night!

How does that saying go? (Food for Thought)

Ya know... the one about people only being in your life for a season?

I thought for the longest time that that was just hype. I KNEW that my family and friends would always stay close. Our relationships would only grow stronger.

Well, that whole "You live and you learn" saying is true--as is the one about people only being in your life for a season. I've learned a lot since graduating high school -- as you "grow up" -- your friends can grow distant. Life takes you to different places, and people go their separate ways. You get told to "roll with the punches."

Why roll with the punches? Why not just avoid them altogether? I mean, who wants bruises?

Unfortunately, those "bruises" build character. They make YOU who YOU are. When your "friends" choose to find new friends when you get married and have kids, it probably isn't because of who you are... they are just in different lanes of this road we call life. When your family fights and argues, or doesn't talk at all... ya just gotta try to remember that "they'll come around" (or maybe they won't, in which case, you gotta remember you weren't given a choice in who your family is - but ya gotta love them anyway).

I have "lost" more friends than I can count throughout my life, just due to circumstance. But you know what, I'm still happy. I don't NEED those people in my life who don't want to be there. And if they wanted to be there, they would call. My number hasn't changed. In the past few years, I have learned that I can be content just where I am. With who I am.

Don't get me wrong, I miss those friendships and the "good ol' days" from my past just as much as the next person, but that's what they are -- "from my past." It's okay to look in the rearview mirror every now and then, but my focus is now on my future--what lies ahead. If you don't focus on that, you're likely to crash and burn.

This "season" of my life may not contain as many "friends" as I thought it would way back when, but that's okay. I have an amazing husband, the greatest kiddo ever, and my family -- which is even better than all the friends in the world. I didn't get to pick my family, but God did. :) Thank goodness!

All this to say... ummm.... "Don't Worry, Be Happy" -- I know, kind of random today... but...love me anyway!

Inquiring minds want to know

Okay, so no one really asked, but I'm sharing anyway :)

Landon had his 9 month check-up, and according to the doctor, he's great! He weighed in at 17lbs 9oz, and was 28.6" tall. That puts him in the 19th percentile for weight, and the 57th for height. Maybe we'll get our pro basketball player someday? Hehehe... Hey, a parent can dream! If we have to, we'll settle for pro baseball player.

But seriously, Dr. "A" did commend us on how great Landon was at behaving in all of his office visits. He never cries while we are there (well except when he gets his shots, but understandably so!), but just looks curiously at his doctor during the "exam." What can I say, I'm proud of my sweet boy! Oh, and he always gives Dr. A a smile before we leave. He'll go back again for his 12 months checkup in September.

Yikes. Did I just say 12 months? Where has the time gone?!

Speaking of time... it has been getting away from me with regards to starting my little "business." BUT! I finally went out and bought the wood for it, and Dad cut me a piece last week. Last night I FINALLY picked out the paper I wanted to use, and just went for it - got it covered before I went to bed. I don't want to share it prematurely, but be on the lookout soon! I'm hoping to finish it this weekend. Then I'll post pictures, and (hopefully) get some orders off of the first one. :) I have so many ideas swimming around in this noggin of mine, that it is hard to sit still! I want to be out shopping and getting stuff for it, and doing it. --but there's that whole "patience is a virtue" thing I forget about. Must. Put. Into. Practice.

Anywho, once I finally get it posted I want honest opinions...and hopefully they won't be too brutal!

9 Months

I can't believe Landon is 9 months old today! Oh, and remember how I said he was almost crawling? Well, he has been doing the whole army crawl (dragging himself with his arms) for a few weeks now, and then just last night, he got up on his hands and knees and just went for it!

He is also pulling up and standing at the coffee table, in his crib, at his jumperoo, and pretty much anywhere else that he is able to grab onto something and pull up. We go to the doctor next Tuesday (the 14th) and I am so excited to get his "stats." He has the best laugh, and is now "talking" all the time. He says "dadadaddadadadadada" and "mamamamamamamamamama" and other silly little things too. I don't think he recognizes that he is saying "Daddy" or "Momma" --rather just repeating what Aaron and I say all the time. :)

This kid can sleep in the weirdest positions! And he moves constantly in his sleep. He is never in the same position I put him down in when I go to get him up in the mornings. This past weekend we were visiting Aunt Mary's (on Aaron's side) ranch house, and he fell asleep in his pack-n-play:



How in the world he was the least bit comfortable is beyond me!! I did move him to a more comfortable position after we got the picture, but the next day when I put him in the pack-n-play for a nap once we got home, this is how I found him:


Umm, maybe he's just stretching? hehe

Crazy boy! He is loving eating off of our plates these days, and even if he has just eaten his baby food, he will get frustrated if we are eating and not giving him something. He will eat just about anything so far. In fact, I only remember him spitting out broccoli rice casserole, but after that first bite, he ate it like his life depended on it. :) He had his first ear infection a couple weeks ago *a double ear infection!*, and after that went away, he was great for a few days, but now we seem to be dealing with some allergies. His eyes are goopy in the mornings, and his nose is always going between running and being stopped up. FUN. (not!) Hoping it clears up soon. Still no teeth, but maybe soon. He has been doing quite a bit of drooling, and gnawing on toys, so maybe one will pop out in the next week or so.

Moving on... did I mention that we got a new car?! Traded Aaron's little KIA in and got a Dodge Journey. I'm LOVING it! We have already taken it on two "trips" -- once to Palacios, and then to Cameron this past weekend.


The color is "Blackberry Pearl"

 I know the bigger car payment will take a chunk of change that we were just getting to "enjoy" since my car had been paid off, but we will still get to enjoy the money--only everytime we drive :). On our first trip in our new car, we went to Palacios, and took Landon to the beach there. He LOVED the water!


Isn't he handsome!?!



We didn't have our swimsuits or anything though, so we just "waded" for about 10-15 mintues. He was kicking and having a good time. I think he is going to love swimming. Can't wait to get him in the pool... maybe one day this weekend.

So, I need some prayers. I am thinking of starting a business, making "things" and although I am pretty sure I will be able to make nice things, I am scared of the whole "marketing" and "pricing" aspects of it. I want this venture to take off, so I can stay at home with my kid(s) someday, but still contribute to our income. I am really going to try to start working on it this weekend, and hopefully have some things to share within the next couple of weeks, so prayers are appreciated! Please feel free to leave your own prayer requests as comments below :)

Oh, one more thing --it is time to quit stalling and lose this baby weight (not to mention all the rest of the extra weight I have put on in the past 10 years or so!) So-- be praying for me in that endeavor as well! Exercise is a must-- and I despise it most of the time! :)

Ummm.... yeah.

UPDATE TIME!

Landon is going to be crawling soon. He turned 8 months old on the 8th of May, and just this last week, he started getting up on his knees and "rocking" back and forth. Eeek! Not sure we are ready for him to be crawling... He is growing up so fast! Here's a few pictures for you to enjoy:

We had a great Easter, and I had a great Mother's Day. Oh, and "Administrative Professionals Day fell in there as well :). Landon looked so cute on Easter Sunday!



The Easter Bunny came!



Daddy had to work... :(

We got some pictures of him and his cousins...although I didn't get a group picture of his other cousins on Saturday...:( I guess we'll have to make sure of that next year! I'll have to upload all of those later though, cause when I tried to "steal" them from my sister's FB page, it wouldn't let me. Darn privacy setting! Hehehe...Anywho... I got flowers at work for being an "administrative professional" -- Gerber Daisies--pretty pretty!

You know you are jealous :). They died about 5 days later... I must have over watered them or something... The leaves still look kind of pretty though... maybe some new buds will pop out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! For Mother's Day, Aaron (and Landon!) surprised me with a Nook!

Woohoo! Right now, I am reading Pride and Prejudice (again). The going is slow. Landon likes to take up what used to be my reading time with playing and laughing, and eating, and diaper changes. Ahh.... the sweet life of being a mom! Good thing I read a lot of books when I was younger... cause I might get 3 or 4 in a year at the rate I'm going now. But I wouldn't trade Landon in for a million books!

Other than all of that, there is not a whole lot going on right now that I can think of. Aaron and I are planning a trip to New York in October...I can't wait until we buy our tickets! It will be nice to get away and to visit a place neither of us has ever been.

Our Buddy Walk team, "Lauren's Love Patrol" is in the middle of our second fundraiser right now... raising money for the awareness of Down Syndrome-- our team goal for the year is $5000! And we need your help. Right now we are doing a "Scentsy" Fundraiser. Here is the link if you would like to make a purchase: https://whitewolfspirits.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=32754465. All of the profits from this "show" will go to Lauren's Love Patrol. Help us out y'all!

Well, I must be going now. Got things to do (and lunch to eat!) Have a blessed day (all 6 of you! hehe) 

It's a "good" Good Friday.

It's a beautiful day outside! I hope it is just as beautiful tomorrow and Sunday!

Anywho, just a few pictures to update you:



Landon, my sleepy boy on the way to daycare



The flowers Aaron bought for me "just because."



Happy cause he just ate REAL mashed potatoes and green beans :)

Hmm... I'm also going to try to "jot down" a few things you might not know about me every so often. Here are a few to get started:

1. Sitting at home reading all day is one of my favorite ways to relax. I will read a book over and over and over again. I promise, you learn something new everytime!

2. I love camping and hiking. I prefer to do it in the actual mountains though...rather than the "hill country." Often when I go with my family, we remember the phrase "I be getting wet"--especially when it is raining while hiking. ;o)

3. I don't like the different kinds of food on my plate to mix together. For example. I don't want mashed potatoes to get on my macaroni and cheese, or corn to be mixed in with my green beans. Unless they are supposed to be mixed--as in a casserole. ;o)

4. One of my "guilty pleasures" is watching the show "Teen Mom" (1 or 2). For the most part, it is like when you are passing by a wreck -- you really don't want to see it but you just can't help but stare.

5. If I had to only eat one food for the rest of my life, I would choose a nice big plate of macaroni and cheese.

6. I have quit drinking Dr. Pepper for like the 6th or 7th or 20th time now. It has been since Feb 12, 2011 (this time. -- i had not had one for a whole year until this past November, when I "fell off the wagon" again)

7. I don't like it when people swear (use curse words, cuss, however you want to say it) around me. I feel the urge to offer them a bar of soap to clean out their mouth.

8. One of my pet peeves is when people don't use the words there/their/they're in the right context. If FaceBook was on paper, I'd have a red pen out :).

9. I love the smell of new books. They should make a cologne that smells like that, hehe.

10. I detest roaches. Small, medium, large, dead or alive-- I hate them all. I'd rather be stuck in a cage full of tigers than in a room with a live roach. Not exxagerating.


It's a Monday

It's not one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day kind of Mondays, but just a regular ol' Monday.

It's one of those days when I just wish I could have slept a couple more minutes (although, Aaron fed Landon this morning, so I did get a few more minutes than normal--Thanks babe!). One of those days where I have "nothing to wear," and "nothing good to eat." But I've decided to have a positive attitude about today. I am thankful I woke up this morning. I am thankful for the many clothes in my closet (or in the dirty clothes hamper :) hehe), and thankful for the food in my pantry and refrigerator. It is one of those days where I miss my sweet boy like crazy, and wish Aaron didn't have to work shift work. But instead of complaining, I will be thankful that we are both employed and can put food on our table and not "want" for much (Oh sure, everyone "wants" a vacation home on some grand beach somewhere -- or on a mountain somewhere... but I'm talking regular "wants" here). I will be thankful that Landon has ladies that love him at his daycare, and that 95% of the time, he is happily playing when I pick him up-- and even more happy that I am there to get him.

Speaking of Landon, he is growing so fast! Started giving him "Puffs" this weekend, and at first, I was kind of giving them to him in smaller pieces...but he prefers them whole. He is perfecting the art of his "pincher" grasp, and even gets the puffs in his mouth occasionally! I am so ready for him to crawl, but terrified at the same time. Once he is "mobile"--that's it! I gotta make sure there is nothing on the floor that I don't want him to get to, gotta get some baby gates for the stairs, and for the kitchen. eeek! He's close, but not too close. He has also recently become aware of the fact that crying is a good way to get Mommy and Daddy (and whomever else!) to pay attention to him. Once I figure out how to post videos, I'll have to post the one of him and his new face he does. It is impossible to catch in a photo.

I have made it my new goal to get at least one picture of him a day. Yep, I'm gonna be one of "those" mommies :). Here is one of him from a while ago, just b/c I don't have any recent ones uploaded:


By the way, our team for the Down Syndrome League of Victoria has started our first fundraiser! Lauren's Love Patrol is raising money through Pampered Chef. Here is the link if you would like to purchase something: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/cookmatula?page=host-search-results&showId=3100362
Thanks in advance!