My Meltdown/New Business Opportunity (sorry to combine the two)

Bear with me here, it's been a rough day and I need to get this out! Most of the time, I feel like I'm a pretty strong person. I fully understand the reality of my struggles with infertility, and most days I can confidently say that while each day provides struggles of its own, I can usually face them head on knowing that I can surrender it to God and not have to endure too many moments of weakness on my own. But lately, it's been harder and harder for me to get through the day without some sort of mental or emotional breakdown. Literally, every single day for the last week I have received news of more people I know finding out that they're pregnant. It's almost laughable now because it's so ridiculous! I am literally unable to feel any sort of joy for these people because it seems that all my joy is robbed by their news. When does it stop? When will it be possible for me to wake up each morning and not have to face this nonsense anymore? And what is even more laughable is that I'm not even in a position to apply for adoption anymore since it is SO expensive and I have no job. Great! I'm just so tired of it all! If God has given me this dream to have children and raise a family, then why is He also making it impossible for me to fulfill it? How do you pick up and move on after what feels like the death of a dream?

On a more positive note (and thank you for letting me vent my frustrations up there!!!), I received an email today from my old boss saying that he has a friend in the education system in Concord who is looking for an Admin, and he thinks I'd be perfect for the job. YAY! Even if it's just an interview, at least it's something! It's also nice to know that my fellow CJS'ers are still thinking about me in my time of need! The work schedule and vacation schedule is wonderful within the education system! I've primarily been looking for a job that is either part-time, or just enough hours to not overwhelm me yet still provide a decent income. Over the last several weeks, since I've had the time off, I've been doing a lot of sewing and designing and finally agreed to build my own small business on the side. Chris has been a huge help in doing this and we are really excited, yet intimidated, by the opportunity. The business is called "Simply Divine" and it's a small boutique of homemade baby items (blankets, burp cloths, bibs, paci clips, onesies, etc.). I've been working on the website and hope to have it completed and published by the end of the week. I have to sew several more items to post on the website before I can release it, hence a full week dedicated to sewing! But I love it, it's fun, it's challenging, and I feel like I'm doing something important and still contributing in a small way to our home.

My cousin is expecting her first baby at the beginning of the year. I spent some time today making some homemade gifts for her daughter-to-be (Zoe) and I will give them to her on Christmas.

Burp Cloths

Quilted Blanket

Paci Clips (w/ pacifiers)

Bibs

Complete Package!

My New Favorite Website

Recently I've discovered the awesomeness of sugar scrubs! For any woman, this is the ultimate pampering item and can quickly become an essential! I typically purchase them through retailers such as Bath & Body Works (they have GREAT aromatherapy scents), but I decided (in an effort to save a little money) to try making this at home myself. How hard can it be, right? A little sugar, some fragrant oil, etc. Not too many ingredients involved :) So in my research today I stumbled upon this great website that lists the recipes for almost any kind of homemade goodie imagineable! I am convinvced that once I master these recipes, they will make wonderful gifts for my girlfriends (when the need arises). Just another thing to add to my list of items to auction off! Being creative (and thrifty) can be SO much fun! YAY!!!

http://www.mybeautyrecipes.com/Site_Map.html

Lindsay's Baby Shower

Tummy Time!!!

I attempted my first baby blankt project today. It was fun! It actually took much longer than expected, but again, it was my first time and I was learning as I went along. I did note some things to do differently next time, though - like, add several more rows (to make the blanket bigger) and add more batting (to make the blanket fluffier). But, all in all, not bad for the first try. It will do just fine for any baby wishing to enjoy some tummy time :) Oh . . . to be a baby again!!!

Craftiness!

My friend, Sarah Tucker, has this wonderful new blog ("Create") where she features all sorts of wonderful homemade crafts (click on the link on the right side of the page). Well, needless to say, she has inspired me to bring back my creative side! I don't have too much time to allow to being creative, but I do love to be crafty, so I give it whatever time I have available. I find that mostly I enjoy creating baby items - pace clips, burpie cloths, onesies, bibs, etc. Perhaps because there's always someone having a baby and these make for such great gifts! My friend, Jaime, is having a shower this morning and here are some things I made for her.

Baby Shower Invitations

I'm throwing a baby shower for a friend in our Sunday School class in December. I decided to make the invitations myself, for 2 reasons: 1. it's cheaper :), and 2. it's got a more personal touch. I finally finished them today. Here are some pictures.

Fall Break

Chris and I had the opportunity to steal away for a couple of days to our favorite B&B in West Jefferson, NC. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Highs in the 40's, lows in the 30's - very cool! It was actually a little colder than anticipated, so we didn't pack the warmest of clothes. Next time we'll just be overly prepared, then maybe we won't freeze :) We spent Friday in Blowing Rock (in the rain) and Saturday at the Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis. It was so nice to be able to step out of our daily routine and just enjoy being together.

On Sunday, we had tickets to the Carolina Panthers/New Orleans Saints game. This was our first NFL game! It was so fun! We had a blast! Especially because our beloved Panthers came to play on Sunday and completely annihilated those Saints!!! Whoohoo! Go Panthers!!!

I've been working on some gifts for some expecting friends of ours. Here's a shot of what I was able to get done today. There are 2 pacifier clips (NC State) and one tie-back baby bib - extra wide for those bigger messes! :)

Welcome Baby Gracie!!!

So my sister had her baby girl last Sunday, on Mother's Day, and seing as this one is a girl, I thought it only appropriate to do something extra special to celebrate her. My first thought was to go to this "create your own gift" store in Charlotte to custom make a gift and have it embroidered. Then I got there and saw how much it was going to cost and decided against that idea. However, while I was purusing the $21 baby onesies and $12 burpie cloths, I took a closer look and realized . . . I could make these myself! So I went to the store, bought the needed materials, and spent this weekend making 4 baby onesies and 5 burpie cloths - all for $30! I've attached the results below. We're going to Alabama this weekend to visit with Harm and her family and throw her a baby shower. I'm hoping, because these gifts were homemade and made with love, she'll absolutely love them! What do you think?!?!?!?