An Open Letter to My Daughter. January 22, 2012

Dear Monkey,

I wanted to let you know that I am enjoying these tiny glimpses into the person you will become.  There are so many wonderful qualities in your personality that I adore.  Your father and I adore you.

First, let’s talk about your stubbornness.  At times, it can be super frustrating.  The nights it takes hours to get you to fall asleep because you are too busy exploring.  The days you just go and go and go like an Energizer bunny with no off switch.  What I love, though, is that I know in your future, this stubbornness and dogged determination will serve you well.  You will never give up until you accomplish your goals and that makes my heart glad.  I glory in your spirit and it inspires me to do the same.  Who knew an eight month old baby could hold such a huge personality and inspire such great things in her parents?

Secondly, your laugh…and smile.  These two things alone could bring about world peace.  I love the way you have your devious laugh…the one you get when you are about to do something I’ve told you not to do a million times.  The way your eyes get all squinty when you smile really big because you succeeded at something.  The squeal you give me when you are so tickled by something you can barely contain yourself….or the way seeing one of your dogs makes you kick your legs and slap your knees in delight. This joy will bring you great happiness in this life.  Never lose the delight you have in the small things.  If you can remember this, you will always be happy.

The way you crawl is so sweet.  Daddy calls you our little Comodo dragon.  You can be so sneaky when you are out to get your little fat doggie.  Slowly, you creep up on the corner of the sofa…then, as you round the corner by his pen, you pick up speed because you think I can’t see you.  When I find you with that huge grin on your face, I can’t help but laugh.  Mommy can tell it’s going to be hard to get on to you when you are being naughty when you look at me like that.  You are always in a hurry.  Sometimes, I worry you are in too much of a hurry to grow up and explore.  Always remember, you can take your time.  We’ll be here and we don’t want you to rush!  Although, you do take time to stop and smell…er…taste the roses.

I love you so much.  You are so strong, clever, resilient, stubborn, smart, and beautiful.  You are my daughter and my life.

Always remember, you can do anything you want.

Love,

Mommy

Better late than never… January 8, 2012

So, it’s a new year again and time for the year in review.

1. In February, I was 27 weeks pregnant and we got invited to travel to North Reddington Beach, FL (just outside Tampa) to play in the sand at a condo hubby’s grandparent’s rented.  It was so nice…kind of like a mini-babymoon before our beautiful daughter was to be born.

2.  In March, hubby and I celebrated six years of marriage and eight years together.  I have to say that after last year, this year’s anniversary was so lovely.  We stayed home and watched a movie and cuddled.

3.  April saw us turn 26 years old.  We celebrated with a trip to the Braves vs. Phillies.  I was hugely pregnant at this point, but it was way fun.

4. We finally welcomed our baby girl in May.   She arrived just one day shy of her due date and we are so thrilled she’s here and made it safe and sound!!

5. June and July were sort of a blur.  Baby girl went to her first parade and it was all just sort of jumbled together in the newness of parenthood.

6. My brother and his fiance took a trip to Destin, FL with us in August.  Baby girl was 3 months old exactly.  She seemed to enjoy the beach and did super well in the car on the drive down and back.  She’s always been such a little trooper about new adventures.  She got all worn out from lounging on the beach with her momma and dada.

7. My beautiful girl got to experience her first trick or treat.  She slept through most of it, but she was so adorable in her two costumes. I made the owl costume, but Great Gramma got her the adorable lady bug.

7. Sweet Monkey got to eat turkey and dressing on Thanksgiving.  She was so adorable and really seemed to enjoy everything.

8.  Christmas time with a little one is an entirely new experience.  By the time everything was said and done, little girl had 4 Christmas celebrations.  Her first was in OH with hubby’s extended family.  The drive was so long, but my darling little girl was a trooper!  She got so many wonderful gifts and got to meet her uncle, aunt, cousins, and see her great grandparents again.  When we got back, we celebrated our first Christmas with just the three of us and it was nice.  We got her some really awesome things that will grow with her.  That evening, we went to my in-laws where we had a great dinner and some lovely fellowship with our family.   Finally, the day after Christmas, was my family’s celebration.  Grandma spoiled. her. rotten.   Grandma spoils EVERYONE rotten.

Finally, we were wiped out.  2011 was a whirl wind and I’m sure I forgot a ton, but these are the highlights.

I cannot WAIT to see what 2012 has in store!

It’s been such a long time… September 18, 2011

Kudos to you if you can tell me what song that’s from.

It’s been a few months since I posted anything, but I do have loads of crafty goodness to share. However, before I can share that (need to dig out some pictures), I will share the biggest project of all. It took just one day shy of 40 weeks to complete and was finished back in May. The thing about this project is, it’s sort of been a time suck even after it was finished. I knew that going in, but was excited anyway.

World….meet my daughter: Sarah Elizabeth. She’s four months old now and we love her so much it hurts. She is such a total blessing from God and we are very thankful for her everyday. She has the sweetest laugh and loves to play and giggle. She has my heart forever and I adore her.

We’re finally settling into a routine with her, so I’m able to find time to complete sewing projects and various other crafts – for her of course! Also, if you haven’t heard of Pinterest…go….join…follow me. I will follow you, too. We can share all of the wonderful craft project pins we find there. They also have an iPhone app you can download for free (sorry, my Android brethren, but we are left in the cold).

I will leave you with an adorable photo of my baby girl until I can get some pics of my myriad of projects together.

Copyright… January 14, 2011

After reading about many people on the web who have had their intellectual property stolen (even with a clear copyright in place), I would like to place a reminder on THIS site.

All of the content on this site is the copyright of me, Christina Myers. Any reproduction of my content must be approved by ME in WRITING. Any use outside of those expressly granted by myself is a violation of copyright and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. I am happy to give permission to use my content; however, you must ask permission FIRST – do not seek forgiveness after the fact because it will NOT be granted.

I full respect the rights to other peoples’ property and expect the same consideration in return.

2010: A reflection. January 5, 2011

2010 was one hell of a year for me and my family. We experienced some major ups and downs, but overall I feel like it was a huge success. As is the tradition with these yearly wrap up posts, I will do it in my list fashion.

2009 ended on one of the saddest notes I could possibly ever imagine.

1. March of 2010 saw the loss of another little one to miscarriage. It was very sad and I didn’t recover for a while. It’s those kinds of things that make you wonder if your heart can ever be whole again.

2. In May, we found out that our “rotten luck” was not rotten luck at all – but something totally treatable. We were thrilled and couldn’t wait to try again.

3. In July, my newest little brother was born. Thomas Bob came into this world on July 19th – one day after his big brother’s birthday. He is the sweetest little boy and we all love him so much. He’s so chill, but loves to be in the middle of everything.

4. I started school back that same summer and it was so fun and refreshing to be in a formal learning environment again. I have done really well and feel like I’m back to my old self.

5. August was very exciting as well. My best friend in the entire world gave birth to her second child. Madeline Anne was born in the afternoon and was certainly in a hurry to get here! She is so adorable and beautiful and a little dark haired angel.

6. The end of August and early September were a time of both great sadness and happiness. We lost my husband’s mother unexpectedly which was really rough. On the flip side, he got to reconnect with a part of his family he hadn’t seen in over ten years. I also got to meet this part of his family and let’s just say I fit in like a round peg. It’s wonderful.

7. September also brought some wonderful and scary news – we were expecting again. After waiting a while to try again, we got the first try and it was so exciting. At the same time, we knew what could happen and we were terrified.

8. October saw Shaun and Christian turn 4 and 3 respectively. When people say kids grow up too fast, they aren’t kidding. I just can’t believe how big they are and it amazes me what sweet and caring little boys they have become. Those two are really good friends and love Gabba. For their birthday, Holly gave them the opportunity to see Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE! at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. She is incredibly generous and has a huge heart. The boys both went as Gabbas for Halloween and were adorable.

9. November was a real treat for us. It marked the end of the scary first trimester and getting to tell Russell’s re-discovered family the good news. They were so thrilled – and we were thrilled to be able to share that with them.

10. December was really exciting. We got to travel to Ohio to visit Russell’s relatives and we also found out what our beautiful baby’s gender was! It’s a GIRL! To say we were a little surprised is an understatement. We didn’t care either way, but we fully expected a son.

While we were in Ohio, I managed to knit our daughter a really cute sweater. I forget the name of the pattern and I don’t have it in front of me, but here it is!

I think 2011 is going to rock. We get to meet our baby girl and there are so many other wonderful things in store.

Gorgeous girl. August 23, 2010

Today Holly and Nick welcomed their wonderful second child into the world – a daughter. Madeline Anne was born at 1:28 PM weighing in at 7lbs. 6oz. She. Is. Amazing. I adore her so much I can’t even put it into words. Her big brother was RIDICULOUSLY excited about meeting his “bebee”. They are such a joy to this world. Holly and Nick are so utterly blessed with the both of them. I love them all dearly and very much appreciate that they let me be part of such a special and wonderful day.

A new and exciting hobby! March 10, 2010

So, I collect 18″ dolls.  I especially love historical dolls (a la American Girl).  Currently, Felicity, Elsie Dinsmore, and Alyssa have pretty full wardrobes and adorn my craft room.  Elsie is A Life of Faith doll and is my new favorite….probably because I think she looks like me! In any case, this leads me to my new hobby.

On the hunt for a new doll, I came across a genre of doll called Waldorf Dolls.  There is a small, WAHM owned company that makes beautiful Waldorf dolls called Bamboletta Dolls.  She is simply sweet and wonderful and follow her on Facebook!  In any case, I love her dolls, but I also love to sew and create (as you know) so I decided to try my hand at doll making.  I didn’t do any research prior to embarking on this endeavor as I like to find my own way most times and it usually works out better.

Off to Joanns I went in search of the things I wanted to use to make my doll.  I got some polar fleeve, fiber fill, yarn, and other accoutrements to create my doll.  I had fabric for clothing at home, so off I went on my adventure.  Here are the results…

I’m calling my new dolls Sarah Dolls after a friend from high school who just kicked cancer’s butt! Throughout her journey fighting cancer, she had the most uplifting, positive attitude. All of the stories she shared throughout her journey brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart – and that’s what I hope these dolls will do for others.

Where did the time go? January 3, 2010

As I’m sitting here on the second day of 2010, I wonder where the last year has gone.  Hubby and I have gone through some amazing changes – some good and some bad – and I feel it’s always good to record these things for recollection and reverie in the future.

Let’s see….where to begin (in my usual yearly wrap up format)….

1. January began a fervent quest to become a family of three.  It had been an off and on affair, but this is when things got serious.

2. In the process of learning everything possible about fertility, I discovered a way to accomplish a wonderful goal: becoming debt-free.  It’s been a long, slow road with speed bumps along the way; but it has brought my husband and I closer that we have ever been.

3. Celebrated 4 lovely years of marriage and 6 years together.  I am thankful that I look at him today and still see the stars I remember from the moment I met him.  He is an amazing man and has grown so much over this year – and helped me grow too – and I am so grateful that the Lord brought my angel to me.

4. Hubby and I turned 24.  It was a weird birthday – feeling like I’ve come so far, yet like there are still many miles left to travel.  I think of myself when I was 18 and the me I am now.  I am  more confident, full of far less self doubt, and greatly committed to making my life all I can think of.  Sadly, I am far less idealistic than I was back then – and far more cynical – but I think that has allowed me to take the rose-colored glasses off and see some of the true injustices in the world for what they are.

5. We were robbed.  That shook me to my core.  All of my most unfounded irrational fears suddenly became very real and very rational.  My privacy that I hold so dear was violated.  My trust and faith in mankind was shattered.  I was galled by the audacity of someone to think they could take what my husband and I had worked so hard to earn.  They put my dogs in great danger and that is what angered me the most.

6. We adopted Stanley.  Stanley is now a 6 month old German Shepherd who is so sweet and loving.  He is also a big ole mess!  He has done everything no other dog I have ever owned has done.  He’s torn through trash, drank from the toilet, eaten off the counter, eaten his own poop.  Hopefully he’ll outgrow that soon.

7. Hubby and I met one of my lifetime goals: buy a house by the time I was 25.  I love our little ranch house.  It’s got hardwood floors and a cute kitchen.   We absolutely adore this little house.

8. Thanksgiving was truly something to be thankful for this year.  Like a gift from God, we found out we were expecting.  We were so utterly thrilled with the long-awaited news.  Everyone was rediculously happy for us.

9. Lastly, we said goodbye to our little bean.  December 21, 2009 will forever be a day I remember with great sadness and disappointment.  What started out as a routine follow-up crushed our world forever.  We will never forget him and know he is truly home now.  Our only regret is that we never really met our little one.

I’m quite happy to say goodbye to 2009 with a lot of relief and some apprehension.  My only hope is that 2010 brings some better things our way.  Either way, our souls are humbled and our minds have new perspective.

So, a lot has been going on… November 16, 2009

I’ve been a bit MIA recently, and I feel like I owe an explanation for that.

Over the past five months, we have gone through the ringer trying to qualify for a mortgage.  Our previous apartment complex tried to screw us for a good sum of money we didn’t feel we owed and in the end succeeded.  At the end of this long battle we were lighter in the pockets, but finally qualified for the mortgage we wanted.

After about three weeks of searching, we found a house!  We made some sacrifices (only one bathroom, not two), but in the end we got the best of all the worlds we could have asked for.  I would post pictures, but we don’t close for six days (so close!).

I also knit up a cute top for a friend’s baby girl, but I haven’t had much time to photograph it – lots of packing going on.

Stanley, the five month old German Shepard we adopted, is growing like a weed!  He is the sweetest boy and we love him dearly.

Hopefully, I will have some pictures to share after we move in and get settled – not to mention more knitting!

Catch y’all on the flip side!

 

 

 

 

An exciting find… September 28, 2009

When I’m not knitting, I run a full service design business and work full-time in Association Management.  At my management job, we do a lot of printing for the different events that we organize.  This includes signage, rack card, pamphlets, booklets….you name it.  We do much of this in house, but when it came down to our October event, we had a special need we could not meet for ourselves in-house.  We set out to find a printer that could accomodate our needs for a good price and with a fast turn around.  Google saved us.  We stumbled upon this great site called www.48hourprint.com.

This company is fantastic for the person who does not have much experience in the publishing world.  They are kind enough to provide you with a Microsoft Publisher template that you can use to build your publication.  In our case, we needed a small booklet printed.  This template was invaluable for providing dimensions, “safe zones” for text and explaining “bleed”  – a concept I knew nothing about.

When it came time to upload the file to get published, they give you step-by-step instructions for formatting the file and uploading it to their site.  You can view and approve your proofs online with their easy system.  Once they are approved, the time to print is literally 2 days!

The quality of the finished product is excellent – we could not have been happier.  We will definitely be using them again at work and I will be using them to get my business cards printed as well!  What an excellent find!