my photography

I love taking pictures....I used to work as a typesetter for my local newspaper office, when I was in high school. They quickly realized that I was a perfectionist with a dash of OCD...and was perfect for the job. One of the sports photographers started training me in the dark room and I was instantly in love...not with him, you sicko....but with photography :) My junior year, my school needed to send a high school student to a college course in journalism...mind you I was never in journalism....and they sent me...I have no idea why. My 1st week there was miserable...I had never been away from my parents, was EXTREMELY shy...and I was surrounded by total strangers....in a class that I never had interest in. I sat and cried in the Mac Lab...because I couldn't figure out how to turn on the darn thing....much less understand any of the programs (I had a PC)....and none of those journalism snobs helped me. They were too busy making out. By the third week I was ready to go home...until they handed each of us a camera. Our assignment was to take a whole roll of film, develop it and come up with a quirky tagline...needless-to-say...I won the contest....and I've never stopped.

I mostly enjoy taking pictures of pregos, babies, children and families....I've shot some weddings...but they are so stressful....but they pay well!

sewing up a storm...well kinda

So last Friday I dislocated two ribs...how? I'd like to know! So that put a major damper on my sewing...what usually takes me hours, took me days...but I'm incredible happy to have listed these today. They are beautiful! I have a friend coming tomorrow to model them for me...so the pics are a little blah...but under the circumstances...I'm just happy to have them up!

ohhh how I love Fall

Fall...my favorite time of year (besides Christmas)...yes it offically arrived weeks ago, however our trees just turned a beautiful bright yellow. This is the time of year I come alive...baking pumpkin everything, making popcorn balls, sipping hot tea (just bought some from teaman and it's fabulous)...and the smell of roasting chile fills the air. I love every bit of it.

here is my all time favorite popcorn ball recipe:

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup margarine
2 teaspoons cold water
2 5/8 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup marshmallows
5 quarts plain popped popcorn (3 bags of mircrowave popcorn...)

(I add 2 teaspoons of ameretto, vanilla OR even peppermint flavoring...oh an a couple of drops of food coloring depending on the holiday)

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, margarine, cold water, confectioners' sugar and marshmallows. Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Carefully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn, coating each kernel.
Grease hands with vegetable shortening and quickly shape the coated popcorn into balls before it cools. Wrap with cellophane or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

I love to wrap in saran wrap and tie with raffia or yarn....ahhh I love Fall!!

I love to custom make...my magnet sets

I am a gift giver...and I do it well. I love the whole packaging process and imagine my friends, my family and my customers opening up the gift I've wrapped and always tied with raffia. I also like tucking snips of greenery or flowers from outside under the bow...my heart goes into that lol.

I also love to custom make. I love that the customer had their hand in the process and hopefully get exactly what they wanted. I love it when I get exactly what I want :) I custom made these for Enyaeire (by the way you should check out her shop for amazing crochet items)

I listed these pretties today...all my magnet sets make great gifts...whether its stocking stuffers, office parties, hostess, teachers, best friends...or just a thinking about you gift! Plus I can custom make to have almost any picture you want!

my etsy store...a little about what I make

I've been creating things my whole life...as a child I was ALWAYS doodling, drawing or gluing something....it runs in the family. I basically make things I would want to receive.

I love sewing now...however for years we had a love-hate relationship. In 7th grade I was in a home education class that taught how to sew. We had to make pillows out of our initials...mine were MRS...as I started the 1st one and SEWED my finger...needless to say...that was the last time I sewed until weeks before my son was due. My mom is an amazing seamstress...she'll tell you she'd not...but she really is. I asked her to teach me to read patterns so I could make a baby kimono for my son's dedication. I shortly began making purses for friends and myself....and haven't stopped since. I love picking fabrics and seeing the end product.

I've been making baby sets for years...I used to make the no-sew fleece blankets until I started sewing and just recently added sweet kimono-style booties. I love love love snuggle flannel because the more you wash it...the softer it gets. I've made my son pajamas out of it...and he loves it! I still use the burp cloths too....they are perfect for runny noses and won't rub them raw.

I also love choosing fabrics that are non-traditional...

I can sit for hours looking at different papers to create my magnet sets. These are the perfect little gift for anyone....teachers, office, just thinking of you, wedding and baby shower hostesses...and they are inexpensive! Every set I make....I question whether to keep them for myself!

my sunshine boy

Jude: full of energy, leader, strong, hard-headed, stubborn, super smart, uncompromising, mechanically inclined, sweet, caring, helper, strong-willed, loving, sensitive, teaser, loves to learn and to be read to... 2 years old...and counting.

He is our sunshine boy. He keeps me busy 24-7... but I love it. I can't believe God would entrust us to be his parents and to nurture this precious gift...he brings so much life to our lives!

We had a blast taking him to the Corn Maze this year...it was my first year that my hubby could go. Jude spent the majority of the night dancing....he's just like his mama!

our Adoption Journey

well since this is my very first blog...I thought I might explain a little why I started my Etsy store, a little about myself and our journey to parenthood....

I've been married for over 8 years to a wonderful man. We got married young...right out of Bible School...and wanted to start a family (well I did lol) after a couple years. After losing two pregnancies I was diagnosed with PCOS which I'm not really sure I have. (I don't have any symptoms...but have all the symptoms of low progesterone...I'm no doctor...but I know my body)

After a "failed adoption" (birthmother changed mind at last minute) and fertility treatments for 5 months with no success....I decided to just give up on the dream of being a mama.

About 6 months later, we got a phone call from a coworker of my husbands...that knew someone who wanted to choose adoption for her unborn baby...without going into too much detail....she chose us!

We saw our beautiful son Jude being born and went home with us the next day. Our lives, including my family, have not been the same since...I'll blog more about him later.

So now it's been almost 3 years and we are ready to begin the adoption process again. We don't know if it will again be an independent, private adoption, or through a facilitator or an agency. We are hoping for another independent...but those are rare...but we are hopeful...either way adoption is very expensive....and so enters my Etsy Store! (Oh I forgot to say that we are hoping to adopt twins...)

I opened it 3 months ago and I absolutely enjoy making stuff and selling it! I make messenger bags, magnet sets, baby blanket sets and sweet booties. I also take pictures locally and enjoy that as well. All of our proceeds go to our adoption fund!

so with that...I will continue to blog about our adoption journey, mishaps in parenthood, my crazy two year old, God, family, rants, rages and whatever else comes to this meloncoly/choleric mind.