Etsy shop update

Hello lovelies~

This evening I have added some pretties to my etsy shop.  I am really excited about them as the prints are ones that I {really} love, and the bags are a wider variety of colors that are available in my fabulous organic cotton canvas reusable bags!

I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do~

xo

A new week, with new aspirations...

I love Mondays~  Don't get me wrong, I don't love seeing the weekend end, but I do love the possibilities that Monday brings.  It is like a fresh start every week.  Each Monday I take stock of what I still have sitting on my "to do" list and that goes at the top of my new list for the week.  I then look at what has inspired me over the weekend and try and add a few things that I can do to give me a sense of growth, or accomplishment, or improvement.  Sometimes they are indoor things (especially when the weather refuses to behave in a spring-like manner). Sometimes, there are things in the gardens that need work.  Sometimes there are run-around errands.  And sometimes, I need to encourage myself to simply slow down, enjoy the here and now, and, perhaps, just sit with one of my boys, enjoying their company.  Once in a great while, my handsome husband and I book a "date night", which I always look forward to.  After we do take the time to spend an evening focusing on just us, we always wonder why we don't do it more often.  

So, I am off to start my day, and will be back later, in search of more inspiration from each of you!

Have a lovely week my friends,

xo

Mother's Day

Today is one of my very favorite holidays of the year.  Waking up this morning to glorious sunshine outside, the chorus of song birds singing, and all of my young loves still asleep, I have the feeling of being so incredibly blessed.  There are days when I wonder how I could be so fortunate to live this life, have all of this love around me.  As I get older, I learn to hold this blessing even more gently, cherish it each and every day, and more and more I understand the gift I have been given.  As a mother, I often wonder if I am making the wrong decisions, if I am being too hard, too soft, too ga-ga over them, not loving enough.  I question my decisions, hope and pray that I am giving these boys the very best of me so that they in turn will grow to be incredible, loving, giving, generous adults.  But then, every once in a while, they blow me away. They are over-the-top wonderful.  They are so generous and loving in makes my eyes sting to hold back the tears.  My heart swells and for a moment it catches my breath as I look at them - these marvelous young men are MY sons.  The sorts of children I dreamed about having, and raising.  Here they are.  And I am filled with wonder as to how it all came to be.  I truly do have the most amazing children - they are quick with their love, they hug often, say I love you all of the time, and are there whenever, where ever I need them.  They are the children I dreamed of. And I know I am a very blessed mother.

I also would like to post this photo of my mom and I, as it is one of my favorites.  My mom and my Grandma are the two most important women in my life.  They have shaped who I was to become.  I am the woman I am because of the two of them.  I feel blessed to have had both of them in my life~

friends~

{one of my very favorite shots of hers that I stole from her site...}

Sometimes, you meet someone who is so special, and who touches you in such a personal way.  I find that is how I feel about the very sweet Ciara from Milkmoon.  She truly is such a generous heart, and her post this morning brought tears to my eyes.  (thankfully my very late "friend" arrived this morning, otherwise I might be worried that these tears were caused by elevated hormones - Yikes!)  As it is, I think that I was just really touched that someone would take the time to post such kind words.

Thank you, miss Ciara~

xo

Mother's Day planning

Seeing as this Sunday is Mother's Day, and being as my handsome husband is in Europe this week, I have begun planning my day.  You see, I am not a girl who just sits back and hopes that my people understand what Mother's Day means to me.  I mean, this is MOTHER'S DAY  ladies - and seeing as my career path took me down the "mothering" path, this is my holiday.  One of the two days when this girl, surrounded by all this *maleness* wants to be treated like a queen (although really, princess sounds so much nicer, and younger for that matter...) - the other being my birthday.    

Thankfully, I have been blessed with *the* best boys.  Ever.  I have one who might as well be an adult - he is incredibly mature, sweet, helpful, and capable.   I have one who is fabulous in the kitchen and can produce the most incredible baking!  I have one who LOVES to pick flowers for me and will fill vase after vase if given the chance.  And I have one who offers the best snuggles, kisses, and more laughs than you can imagine.  Thus, if everyone does what they do best, this could turn out to be one magnificent Mother's Day~

My bags

Seeing as it is quite the wet, cold spring afternoon, I thought I would focus on things I could do indoors, rather than sit at the window, longing to be in the gardens.  I guess that the good news is, everything I have planted lately is getting watered, right?  Saves on the water bill, I suppose...  :)

So I have been working on my bags for my Etsy shop.  I love these bags, mostly because the canvas is organic cotton, and they are the most durable bags that I have ever used.  They are fabulous for carrying all sorts of things (I use one with the Eiffel Tower for my French class books) and I am so excited about finding ways to reduce the waste that comes out of this house. Thus, anything reusable is very popular around here.  They also make great "gift wrap" as the wrap can then be used after the gift is unveiled...  Perfect!

The great thing is that I can put anything on the bags - one of my photographs, one of your photographs, any number or letter.  Such fun and great for the environment as well~

xo