Taking Orders

I stopped taking orders for my jewelry for a while, but since things have calmed down I have decided to start back. If you have dried flower petals and would like for me to make keepsake jewelry from them, just send em' to me!
I just take some dried petals (it doesn't take many) crush them up and combine them with a beading clay. I then hand sculpt the beads and glaze them. When they are dry, I string them with glass pearls and silver beads or spacers. The flower beads keep mostly keep the color of the petals and you can see the speckles of flowers in the bead.
Bracelets are $15 and necklaces are $20. The best way to reach me is email, and my address is sabarnes21@tntech.edu. Thank you!

The Big 3-Oh No!

I hate to admit it, but I will be turning 30 on April 16th. I honestly haven't been thinking about it very much but some of my dear family members (you know who you are!) keep reminding me! Like every other woman, I don't like the idea of getting older but when I think about where I am in my life right now I just don't think I can be upset.
I feel happier and more at peace than I ever have and I have been blessed with such a wonderful family and support group that I am not sad. Plus, we can't change it, so we might as well go with it! Every day that God grants me on His beautiful earth is a blessing, so I will just be happy and say "Thank you!" whenever someone tells me happy birthday!

The Terrible, No Good, Post-Partum Blues

A few months after I gave birth to Elliot I started experiencing symptoms of post partum depression. I had read about it but did not know anyone that had it and had not had any problems with it after I had Ian, so I kept thinking that it would go away. My main problem was feelings of anxiety. I felt like I had the world on my shoulders and cried a lot. Eventually it got so bad that I scheduled an appointment with my doctor. I told her how I was feeling and she immediately said it was very common (especially with having a 2nd child, which I did not know) and prescribed medication for me.
The medication helped immediately and I eventually started feeling great again. I am now happy most of the time and feel like I can handle all of my responsibilities. I have my awesome family to thank for helping me through it. I felt really guilty about putting my family through it but Adam said that he knows I couldn't help it and I guess that is what family is for.
I decided to blog about it because no one really talks about PPD or admits that they had a problem with it, and I definitely understand that. It is hard to admit that there is something that we cannot handle on our own. But if you or someone you love have experienced it, please know that you are not alone!

Scenes from Easter

Elliot trying to steal an egg from Ian's basket.

Adam help Elliot find his first egg!

Emily giving Ian instructions about the egg hunt.

Elliot taking a nap in the swing.

Adam, Me, and Ian getting our picture taken while Elliot was napping.

Ian with his cousins Gracie & Garrison about to hunt some eggs!

Finally!!!!

I am finally posting again after a long absence! I have obviously been a busy girl taking care of my two lil boys but I'm finally getting a little time for myself here and there now. Elliot is almost 7 months old now and Ian turned 3 the day after Christmas. They are growing up way to fast but life is easier now!
Elliot is doing great and weighs about 21 lbs! He is such a fatty lol. He is a happy baby though and laughs most of the time (as long as he is fed). He eats around 3 jars of baby food and still gets his bottle regularly. He has 1 tooth that came in and is working on another one. He likes to say "da da" and squeals when he is happy.
Ian is doing great too. He loves this warm weather and we go outside to play every chance we get. He loves playing t ball with his daddy and hits the ball really well. He is really looking forward to Easter this year and says the easter bunny is going to bring him lots of candy and goodies.
I think that pretty much updates whats going on with us. We are still trying to sell our house (if anyone is interested, we have reduced the price!) and are planning a beach vacation this summer. I hope to post again soon!