Oh Deer!

Did you know that it was my birthday a month ago?  I know, I should have told you, its just that 31 isn't quite as fun to celebrate, ok?!  Anyways, I saved up some cash and with all my birthday money {thanks guys!} I was able to get a Silhouette.  Woot!  I love this thing!  I have been pretty busy so I haven't used it a ton, but I'm sure it will get broken in this month.  I've been dying to try the heat transfer, so I picked up some cute pink polka dot stuff from Hobby Lobby.

See?  Cute right?  Its even fuzzy which I love.  I  used a shape that Silhouette has in their library to cut the sweetest deer for Ivy's shirt.  

Ivy has a lot of white shirts.  Um, just like her mama.  My trick is to embellish them right there, down at the bottom.  That way she can still wear them under things and not have things like a pink deer head poking out of her dress.

Add in the cheesiest 3 year old around and,  

OH DEER! 

  I have one stinking cute shirt. 

{ BTW  I highly recommend the Cherokee ones from Target.  They don't stretch out like other ones and always have sweet little gathered sleeves. } 

SO yeah, I heart my birthday present.  Anyone want to come play with my new toy with me?!  

ADD

Ummm, so I got a little spoiled with all of those guest posters!  I've been staying away from the computer and today I sat down and realized I should probably say Hi!  

 So, I think that I am ADD about my header.  With the all of the holidays it has been so fun to change it up. I hope you don't mind.  I also added a photo from our family shots we got a couple of weeks ago.  I was looking through them and couldn't believe that it was fall like 2 weeks ago.  And now Tri Cities is a winter wonderland!

I had a fabulous Thanksgiving with my family here and all of the snow.  We were able to go sledding, shopping, and I even got some fun crafts done.  Of course I didn't take any pictures, so thats on my list of things to do tomorrow, so I can show you guys.  While I work on that, I thought I would show you my booth from the My Favorite Things Bazaar I did on the 20th.  

{sorry for the so so pictures, I was only able to snap a few before they sent in the huge line of people!}

Here's almost the whole thing.  I had a little bit of everything, because I'm also ADD when it comes to crafting.  I can handle only so much of making the same thing over and over.  That burlap wreath was the hit of the show!  I had 7 orders for them, plus the 2 that I had there! 

My other hot ticket were these winter bloom pins.  They are felt flowers and I love how they add pops of color in the winter.  I have a yellow one on my purse and you can see a red one in that picture up there on the right.  And how rad is that suitcase?!  I got it in Portland this summer when I got that one trunk.  You can also see my fave, the bookpage snowflake garland. 

Here is my table of stuff that I made for my house, and took to the bazaar to fill it up a bit. Eh, now I have to make new stuff for my house. ;)  Thats ok,  I'm ADD about decorating my house too!  All in all it went really well.  I just need to remember next year to wear my fur boots and bring a heater.  There are definite perks to being the first booth when you walk in, but the cold air is not on that list.  

I hope you all are getting back in to the swing of things after the long holiday weekend!  Talk to you soon! 

Drumroll Please {giveaway winners}

I bet you were thinking I forgot about you all!  I really haven't, this is just the first time I've sat down today.  I've been taking down fall and putting up Christmas.  I can't believe I actually made it all the way until the day after Thanksgiving to do it, especially with the wintry week that we have had.  My garland has been calling to me from the garage!  Well I'm kind of sad that I'm Thankful Week(s) has come to an end.  I've cherished every post and every comment.  Thank you for joining me!

First the Mindy Gledhill Anchor CD goes to....

#46  Sandy!

Congrats Sandy!  If you want to send me your info I'll get you in touch with Mindy to get your CD!  

And  now for the TOMS Shoes!

Out of 208 comments { I know right?!} random number generator picks...

#25 Sarah!

Woot! Woot!  Sarah if you want to get in touch with me I'll get you in touch with the owners of Greenies! ;)

Thanks again everyone, so much.  Have a fabulous weekend!  Are you putting your decorations up too?!

I'm Thankful with Mindy Gledhill

Ahh shucks guys.   Thanks so much for all of your comments.  I'm so grateful to have such nice friends!  And just so you know, I wasn't kidding about the heartburn thing.  One of the side effects of all the fertility drugs plus actually being pregnant was my gallbladder went bad and I had it out when Ivy was 3 months old.  It was awful!  Well, we ended up having a mini blizzard here in Tri Cities which was kind of a nice holiday surprise.  Ivy and I had quite the time playing in the snow and I'm excited to get out there again today!   

Remember when I went to this concert a couple of weeks ago?  I had such a fabulous time and I was truly impressed with Mindy's story telling. Her lyrics are so uplifting and I knew she would fit in just right for I'm Thankful week so I got brave enough to ask her to join us.  She answered yes right away {which is so awesome!} and I'm over the moon to have Mindy Gledhill here today! 

I made an attempt to write this post two nights ago . . . right after I had stepped in a pile of dog poo in my front yard and didn’t realize it until I had tracked it all over kingdom come; right after I wrestled my boys to bed; right after they got out of the beds I had just duct taped them to only to start a fist fight; right after I threatened them with their lives and took away their most prized possessions in order to get them to GO. TO. SLEEP; right after I uttered an agitated “Good night.  I love you guys.”

The post did not come.

I look at the blogs of other mothers longingly at times, what with all their clever ideas on centerpieces, recipes, sewing projects and children with polka dot rain boots, striped stockings and cordoroy pinafores. 

That is not my life. 

Don’t misunderstand me here.  I often wish I were the type of mother who could provide all these comforts to her children.  I’m sure I could if  I felt passionately about it.  But if I’ve learned one thing this last year it’s that when we focus on all the things that we are not, we embark on a perilous journey that can only further estrange us from who we really are.  And who we really are is always, without fail, an amazing child of God, with endless light and power—which power comes in many different forms.  This knowledge is what I feel the most gratitude for each day of my life.  This knowledge allows me to see all the gifts that God has given me.  I may not be able to craft a crème brûlée in a heart-shaped ramekin, but with God’s help, I can craft a song that might help a weary soul take heart.  I am grateful for a God who doesn’t judge me by my centerpieces, but who loves the piece of work that I am, just the way that I am.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks so much Mindy for taking some precious time to join us for I'm Thankful Week.  I appreciate what you've written.  I couldn't agree with you more about being yourself.  Spot on my dear!

All right folks.  Mindy has a fabulous surprise for us today!  She offered last night to give away her new album Anchor. 

And I know that you want it, cuz I want to win it.  Except that would look kind of suspicious if I did end up winning. ;) So here's what you have to do.  

 {leave seperate comments for each entry}

+Entry one: Leave Mindy some comment love!

+Entry two: Tell us your favorite Mindy Gledhill song

+Entry three:  Become a fan of Mindy Gledhill on facebook and tell us or let us know you already are

+Entry four:  You know the drill, use your fave social media to spread the word, but you have to tell us what you did.  

+and Entry five:  Become a follower of Making it My Own and/or leave another comment letting me know.

Woot!  FIVE chances to win!  And if you already own it you know it would be an awesome Christmas present for someone!  Thanks again Mindy.  I heart you!  And your boots.

I'm Thankful with Making It My Own {part 2}

Oh my.  I am writing this a day early and I don't know if I'm quite ready.  Actually I've just been putting it off, knowing I'm going to shed a tear or two {million} and hope I can put all of the thoughts swirling around in my head in to a meaningful {and cohesive} post.  And while it is still easier to just say Hey Look what I made, I'm starting to agree with Kathleen Kelly {and Heather}, that, "Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal."  So folks its about to get personal up in here.  Bear with me while I explain how I even got to the point where I can have an I'm Thankful week(s) and mean it...

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In May there is a holiday that I could do without.  It rocks me every year and I wonder why I don't just pretend to be sick that day so I'm not sitting in church hearing about how great Mothers are.  Before I go any further here is my disclaimer that this has nothing to do with my Mom.  My mom is fabulous.  And I'm not saying I'm a bad mom or Ivy isn't a miracle in my life.   But being reminded every year in a much bigger way than an every day tiny ache in my heart that I can't have kids is just not how I want to spend the day.  This past May was no different and maybe even worse because I was finally facing the fact, that really, I would never have another tiny person in my stomach kicking me in the ribs and giving me crazy heartburn.  I was focusing so much on that fact that I was forgetting to be thankful for my sweet little girl, outside of my stomach, kicking me in the ribs and giving me heartburn. Do you know what forgetting to be thankful does?  It makes you not very happy.  Everything starts to be wrong, and hard.  

"If we were all to hang our troubles out on the line, you'd pick yours and I'd pick mine." 

My grandma said that to me this summer.  It was more in passing than anything but I know it is what shifted my thinking.  Just the tiniest bit, but enough to start changing my heart.  To not be so selfish, and to think outside my own small world  Not too much later  I stumbled on to Heather's sweet blog.   I can't even say what an impact it has had on my life.  I was inspired by her ability to move forward from really hard things and her desire to find positive ways to do that.  And I finally grasped what I knew, but didn't get.

"It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop"

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

So I started trusting God and my own ability to move forward.  Because He won't give me something I can't handle.  I started choosing to be happy.   I started remembering to be thankful . And do you know what remembering to be thankful does? It makes it so everything isn't so wrong, or so hard. Making those small, but very big choices has made me a better mom, friend, wife and more the person that I want to be.  And while I can't say I would be in a hurry to pick my troubles from the line, I can say that having a grateful heart makes it a little bit easier to take them down and accept them as my own.  

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And that my friends is a little bit of how and why I'm so happy to share I'm Thankful Week you.  It only took about 4 hours and 20 tissues to get my thoughts just right in writing, so don't go thinking its going to be a regular thing!  Its hard! 

P.S.

 I  need to say that forgetting to be thankful for Ivy in no way means that I wasn't thankful for her.   She is my greatest gift I've ever gotten, and I'm forever grateful for every second.    Except maybe the getting kicked in the ribs and heartburn. ;)