Back to Work

We had a great vacation in Savannah and Tybee Island! Ian and Elliot had lots of fun playing in the ocean, but we eventually had to come home. Here is a bracelet that I made for Gena in Smithville for a gift... it's a surprise gift so I won't tell any more yet! I found some cute flower silver spacer beads that I used on each side of the flower beads.


Here is a pic of us at the Tybee Island Lighthouse. It was so beautiful and we climbed the 178 steps to make it to the top! Whew... We were rewarded with a gorgeous view though.

My Handsome Boys

We are so happy that spring is here! We go outside and play every day that we can and the boys love it. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with them. It is definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made. Don't get me wrong.... being stuck inside with them this winter was tough but it was worth it. (Can't you tell that I love dressing them in matching outfits. I have to have a little fun with boy clothes!)

We love going to the park and visiting people too. We are getting our pool ready so that will be lots of fun. Vacation is almost here too! At the end of this month we are going on a much needed trip to Savannah and Tybee Island. Ian is so excited about playing on the beach!

I feel so happy and at peace with my life right now and I thank God for that. He has blessed me with family and love that I never could have imagined for myself. I have learned (with old age lol) that true happiness does not come from riches and fame and I pray that all of my loved ones will have this happiness also. God is great!

Growing Like Weeds!

I thought I had better snap some pictures of the boys this morning while I was thinking of it, even though they were still in their jammies! Elliot is 8 months old now and is still our lil piggy! When I was pregnant, Adam hoped that he would be his lil eater since Ian eats like a bird, and he got his wish. He likes all baby food but his favorite seems to be bananas because he makes "hmmm..." noises while he is eating! He also loves flying around the house in his walker and getting into stuff already... I am in trouble! He still has 2 teeth that you can kind of see in this picture.



Ian loves playing in the sunroom with his GeoTrax (we borrowed from cousin Carter) and driving his hot wheels! He is really loving Elliot and is protective of his little brother. :)

Never Ending Love

This bracelet is headed to Gina in Alabama. The bracelet is to a family member and the flower beads are made from flowers from her husband's funeral. I added a Love charm near the clasp. Thank you Gina!

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!