Cleaning Out the Closet

No...literally...I cleaned out my closet! :) What an AMAZING feeling!

I have SO many clothes to take to Goodwill and to Platos Closet, it's actually A LOT ridiculous! Every time I have gone through my clothing, I always hold on to a few "hopefulls..." hoping some day I will get back into them! This time, I told myself NO! I thought I would be way more depressed by getting rid of all of those skinnier jeans, when in fact, it has had the complete opposite effect. I now feel happier getting into my closet because I know EVERYTHING in there will FIT me NOW!! Instead of looking at the clothes that I wished I could fit into and getting down on myself for not being able to, I just threw them out. Now, it's a party every time I open up my closet door. I know, seems silly right? There was just something SO freeing about getting rid of all the old. I no longer have skinny jeans and fat jeans...I just have jeans that fit. I no longer have skinny shirts and fat shirts...I just have shirts that fit. My confidence has gone up so much since I did this. Who would have thought? Definitely not me. It's just so refreshing, and so much less "pressure" to open that closet door now. Do I wish I would have fit into more of those clothes, yep. Had I worn them in the last year, nope. If I do lose weight, will I want new clothes, yep. That pretty much sums it up. Why hang on to our "old selves"...we just miss out on our "present selves." I may not love my body...there are plenty of days I barely like it...LOL...but I am who I am...and NO, I will NOT be doing a cleanse or some crazy "all-shakes-no-food-starve-yourself-to-death" diet. I am starting to love me...just for me. I have found myself dressing up WAY more because my closet no longer wins the fat battle every time I open the door! I challenge you guys to look through your clothes. It may be really hard to let some of those dreams of skinnier days go, but man was it SO worth it to me! As long as you are not "coming out of the closet" I have no problems with this transformation. Just a little side note...not even my skinny jeans were that skinny anyway!

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Romans 12:2

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Krystole

21

Natalee is 21 months...going on 21! LOL I love this little girl, more than I could have ever imagined. I have always wanted to be a mom, and she has surpassed everything I thought it would be. 21 months...how can it be going by this fast? Such a mix of happy and sad feelings! She is the smartest 21 month old on the face of the planet...I am sure of it. She can speak...VERY well! No more babbling...not even close! Here is 21 fun facts about her!
1. She knows almost all of her shapes.
2. She can sing the entire song, "twinkle twinkle little star"
3. She can say this prayer, "dear God, I love you, amen"
4. She still LOVES owls.
5. She is getting really good at recognizing the letters, "A B and C"
6. She can count to 10!
7. She loves the Backyardigans.
8. She is afraid of spiders and crickets.
9. She loves her Uncle "Dew", Grammie, and Dumpie.
10. She knows we are at Grammie's house as soon as we pull into the drive.
11. She associates everything football...with Uncle Drew, and will tell you the entire story.
12. She is still strong willed.
13. She LOVES to color.
14. She is such a copy-cat.
15. She soaks things in SO quickly.
16. She like to say, "hurple" (purple)
17. She knows every animal...and all of their sounds.
18. She is really into babies.
19. She is a perfectionist....already.
20. She still loves her blanket...and thumb.
21. She is our gift from God.


What a blessing she is to us. I am so thankful.

Krystole

Finally Finished

I'm just going to say that I am SO glad to be done with all of the NFL/College stuff that I am doing for the shop. The last few weeks have been nothing but stressful and crazy, but I managed to pull threw, and get finished. At one point I was behind 20+ orders from the online...and still hadn't finished the stuff for Bloomers either. I think my list is now sitting somewhere around 8ish from the online orders. I am excited about this line of stuff. I think it turned out great! I hope it all sells, because, well...who wouldn't? LOL Now...on to the next task...HALLOWEEN! I'm not really a fan of the actual holiday itself, but MAN...I love to buy Natalee Halloween outfits! I love all things pumpkin and candy corn! This will be my first month of not working at the daycare, so we shall see how different I feel by the end of this month (October). I am so thankful to be quitting my job. I don't think I can blog about that enough right now!

Krystole

One of the finished dresses and bows!



Dream Job

   My dream job starts in just 2 weeks! I am SO proud to announce that I will become a stay at home mommy!
   Some people grow up thinking, "I can't wait to be a vet, a doctor, a lawyer, a chef...". I have ALWAYS wanted to just be a mom. Even when thinking about my "career" I decided to go with child development/early childhood education as my degree. I have just always loved kiddos, especially the babies!
   Since the birth of my sweet Natalee Grace, my heart has no longer been with other children, it has been with her! I left the 5 year old classroom when I did return back to work to move into the baby room to be with her. I am so thankful that this got to happen, otherwise, I am not sure how I would have coped. It may sound silly to some, but I just can't picture not being the one there for her: to teach her things, to help her with things, to sing to her, to rock her...that IS my job. After her 1st birthday, I wanted to move into the one year old room with her, but I just knew that was not going to happen. After many (tearful) days, I had decided I just needed to get used to the idea of her moving up without me. God, however, was there for me once again. One of the one year old teachers moved away, and a spot became open in that classroom. YAY! God helped solve the situation again! I moved into the one year old classroom, and all was well! :) For about the last 8 months, I have really struggled with not wanting to work. I became very negative with my job and with the people in authority. 
   All the meanwhile, I was contacted about putting my girly stuff in the new floral shop in Dalhart. I have been doing this since August, and I LOVE it! Right up my alley, and SO much fun! I decided to expand my business even more and get a facebook business page. Overnight, it seemed, there were orders coming in left, right, up and down! I was way overbooked...which is a good problem to have! This then lead me to my current situation. I decided to work from home on my BOWtique stuff and stay home with Natalee.
   Is this a big leap of faith? YES. Do we "have the money" to cover things that need to be covered? BARELY. Is it in my nature to be this unplanned? NO. Has my God ever failed us? NO.
   We may not have everything we need and definitely not everything we want, but great sacrifices sometimes have to be made to achieve the things in life you want. I can not be more happy with my decision, and I am so glad that I have an AMAZing husband, family and friends there to support me through this time. I am so at peace with all of this. I am so thankful for all of this. THIS is my dream...and I am glad I am living it. Now...to add some more babies to my list...that's a whole other blog! 

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Krystole

Natalee and I at the BR Rodeo!

Natalee and I last New Year's Eve!

Natalee and I making snow ice cream!

Natalee and I at Jump-N-Jive

Natalee and I on my birthday this year!

Do the Hustle

"Do the hustle" describes my life perfectly right now! Sorry I haven't updated (for the whole 2 people who read this) but I have been SO busy! Busy is good....right?

I can NOT wait to quit my job at the daycare. I feel like this will help clear my head of SOME of the crazy anyway! :) I am pretty much doing a part time job (the daycare) and two full time jobs (wife/mom & Krystole's BOWtique). I feel like there is no rest! I go from one job to another. I am so glad that the BOWtique is doing so well though. I will remember to be thankful for the list of orders...and will continue to work on dwindling it down.

The Dalhart Wolves line that is currently in Bloomers is going VERY well. I got my first check from Bloomers last week, and that was SO exciting. It really made me feel like all that hard work really paid off. I almost made as much as I do in a month at the daycare, so that was also VERY exciting. We really need to build up our savings (which is nothing!) before I quit my job. That's what I am using this money for. I am praying that it continues to go well, and that God's will be done in the business.

My next line of stuff is college and NFL teams! I can't wait to see the finished products! I love making all the Dallas Cowboy and Longhorn stuff...but I sure am having trouble sewing red and black stuff! BOO Tech! LOL

I pray that God will continue to bless our family and that I can keep my sanity until December, when I quit my job. I really feel like I have found my "calling"....first to be a MOM...and then to craft! What more could I ask for? Thank you Lord for my daily blessings, and help me to do my best each day.

"Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might..." Ecclesiastes 9:10

Krystole

One of the Dallas Cowboy Dresses!