Bella Luna

Gina of Weezees Whimzees is such a talented artist. Her paintings truly draw out emotions from deep within me.

It has been my dream for awhile now to create some sort of collaboration with her. It all seemed to come together after I had Tracey of Cute2Carry sew a custom messenger bag for me using one of Gina's paintings. We then decided to make a beautiful set including a knitting bag and yarn.

This painting of Gina's titled "Bella Luna" touches me so. It reminds me of the many nights I spent awake with my daughter as a newborn. Surprisingly enough, they were some of my very favorite moments...just she and I, alone, in the quiet of the night, snuggling and enjoying one another. It was nice to have this reminder to enjoy my daughter, at all times of the day, not just when it's convenient for me to. She is a wonderful little girl and I plan to take advantage of the time we have together more often.

Thank you Gina and Tracey for allowing me to be part of such a beautiful project.

This collaboration will be available on November 9, 2007 at 9 pm at Lily Pad Landing where I will be stocking as a guest artisan.

Banana Boy

My son loves bananas. He asks for them all day, everyday. We can never keep enough in the house. I was just in a fun mood and wanted to create a colorway that reminded me of him. He is such a wonderful, exciting little boy!

Lily of Leah

Leah is a wonderful mama that I met on a message board. She is an amazingly sweet person, always has a kind and helpful word for someone in need, and is so upbeat and optimistic that you just can't help but smile at her words. I strive to be more like her daily.

Marina

This colorway is one I've wanted to create for awhile.

Marina is one of the people who first influenced me to start this business. Her amazing eye for color really touched and inspired me. I was stunned by her ability to create so freely and with such heart. It was obvious to me she loved what she was doing and that I could do it too. I should mention that she is the owner of Stitches Under the Sun , a hand dyed yarn boutique.

I see Marina as a warm, caring person, full of creativity and positivity. I am so thankful that I've had the opportunity to be a customer of hers and experience her beautiful work.

Priscilla

This colorway was created after a special woman that has touched my life more than she probably knows.

She is a wonderful woman who has blessed me through her creativity and generosity many, many times. I've read her stories about parenting and different aspects of life and admire the way she handles herself.

I wanted this colorway to honor her as I see her...a gentle, soft spoken, loving mother; a devoted, strong wife and an adventurous and exciting friend.

I truly strive to be more like Priscilla. She is a beautiful example to all she has contact with. I hope to one day be as free as she is.

Release

This entry is one that I have been avoiding for months. It's one that calls for me to open a part of my soul that I have been trying to shut for so very long. But I think this will help close some areas in my life for good.

Recently I had the opportunity for healing to occur. Healing that was desperately needed and forever life changing. I cannot begin to express how truly appreciative I am that this event happened.

About a year ago I talked to someone that I was once very close with. I had some heavy guilt about the way our relationship ended and the way I handled myself shortly after. I always wondered how this person felt about me and if they were still affected by our interactions. I found that they were happy, content and still saw me as the person I strive to be. The sentiments that were expressed brought me such peace and hope... Hope that I could finally let go of the guilt that had tortured me daily, for 5 long years.

This person also gave me wonderful words of advice and some compliments that have stuck with me in times of self doubt.

I will never forget this individual and all that they did in my life. I would not be who I am today if it was not for this final conversation. Thank you dear friend. You still manage to amaze me.

Thank you for giving me the ability to release the past pain from my life and continue this journey of healing.

Soggy Sentiments

I am truly honored to be part of a wonderful, loving, accepting group of women from a message board known as SG (Soggy Granola). I learn something new from each and every visit and always walk away knowing that I am loved and appreciated for who I am. This colorway represents all that SG means to me.

Recently a terrific mama posted her emotions about SG more eloquently than I ever could have. With her permission I am including her words. They were the inspiration behind my colorway.

" I like reading about what is going on with you, even if it things are not going well for you.
Or even if your post is long
Or even if you vent
Or even if you vent about the same thing many times.

I like seeing pictures of your kids
I don't care if your floor is messy or something isn't "just so" about your pictures
If you're having a rough time, even though I may not post, I think about & pray for you
If you're having a happy time, i smile for you and your family.

For I have grown to know so many of you since coming here, and i just wanted to get this all out. I like how we share the good, the bad, and the ugly, for that is what friends do!

MY POINT - Please, DO NOT be sorry for being long winded, or venting, or any of those things! There are many of us readers out there who care.

Sometimes, i do not get to post in every message I read, but not because I don't care, the baby may need me, or I do not know exactly what to say. But i still care about every one here!" ~Alys_mama, Laurie

Simple Wishes


About two years ago my friend gave me a journal for my birthday; it was one that you enter your prayers and than write about when they are answered. I only wrote in it one time. I simply said I wanted to be happy, for my family to be happy. About two months ago, I ran across the journal and realized that my prayer had been answered. I am truly happy on a day to day basis. Sure, I run into bad spots along the way, but overall I feel content with my life and I belive my family does as well.

I find this is rare for someone to say and am beyond thankful that I can. I pray these days will continue to bring comfort and security to my family. I wish us a simple, yet fulfilling life.

Sea of Desire

Recently I have found myself truly desiring to spend every single moment with my husband. I find him more interesting and appealing as each day passes. This colorway is a reminder to me to keep the fire alive in our marriage.

Our 6 year wedding anniversary is only weeks away, and I honestly love him more now than ever before. I have learned so much about his character and about our relationship. He has taught me more than I ever knew a person could.

I pray we always desire one another as much as we do today.

Fairy Footprints

Fairy Footprints reminds me of a book I had when I was a small child. It was a beautiful story about fairies attending a special ball. I remember wanting to be one and dreaming of getting dressed up and dancing along with them.

Girl of Exuberance

My senior year we had to choose one word to descibe our personalities for the yearbook..I simply could not choose ;) My friends decided for me and went with "exuberant". The word fit well; I truly fit this definition: lively, energetic, cheerful, high spirited.

I am finally, after many years finding this girl once again. I want to find a way to be this "free bird" yet still fulfill my roles as a mother and wife. I know it can be done, and I am searching for answers daily on how to meet this desire. I refuse to allow the past to steal my future any longer.

Here's to a newfound happiness....

Strength

This colorway was inspired by my appreciation for my husband. He is a very unique person in my life. I have never met anyone quite like him, and I don't know if I ever will. He is truly a strong person, emotionally and spiritually,

My darling husband had a very hard life. He was physically and verbally abused for most of his childhood. He was never shown true unconditional love until we married. It took years for him to heal his soul, but he has finally done so. After many, many years of struggles he has reached a point of forgiveness and peace that most do not reach. I could not be more proud of him. He has never given up his fight for freedom...and has often pulled me alongside of him, helping me to stay determined with each step.

He is an amazing man, father, husband...I only pray that my son will end up just like him. He represents all that the word "strength" means to me.

Giraffes and Tigers

My children were the inspiration behind these colorways..or more specifically, they're interest in jungle animals. They absolutely adore them!

I recently decorated their bathroom in a jungle theme and every. single. time we leave the bathroom we have to wave goodbye to the giraffe, the lion, the elephant, and all three monkeys, LOL! My son is so silly. I actually made him a quilt for his birthday in the same theme. Here's a pic (don't laugh too hard though, it was only my second quilt. ;)



Giraffes are their favorite animal, but recently my son has formed a strong bond with Tigger ;) He bounces through the house screaming "I bounce, like Tigger, mama!". He is so proud of himself. :-)

These colorways remind me of my little ones every time I look at them.

True Emotions

For so very long, I have oppressed and suffocated all emotions. It was my attempt at protecting myself from pain, sadness, anger...from having to face the truth that parts of my life were nothing like I truly wanted.

It was definitely a mistake, but it helped me to survive, so I can't really say that I regret it completely. I do, however, miss all the happiness and joy that I could not enjoy. So many moments of my childrens' lives have seemed dull and really kind of fake. Those moments I miss so very, very much.

Recently, as I have begun to heal, I have found myself experiencing real emotions once again. It is a strange and interesting time for me and my family ;) I find myself crying once more after being hurt emotionally....I find myself yelling and wanting to scream at things that upset me....And I find myself hurting from the pain of events I refused to face.

I feel as if I'm on a roller coaster every single day. One moment I am giggling uncontrollably at my silly toddlers and the next I am cursing my husband for moving my bra, LOL. (of course it has nothing to do with my bra, but everything to do with past events that I chose to ignore).

I am truly thankful for this renewed energy. I feel human once again. No longer am I an emotionless robot going through the daily duties of life. I hope to never return to that place of loneliness.

Carnival Craze

Last weekend while driving around with the kids we past a carnival. We decided to stop and watch the rides while we ate our lunch. It was so fun seeing the bright colored machines whirl around. I was reminded of the many, many carnivals my sisters and I attended when we were young; they were so fun!

I remember being a young teen getting all dressed up in my cutest outfits to attend the local carnival. Looking back I see how silly I was, but at the time it was so necessary ;) The three of us would laugh and joke and run around like crazy little girls, LOL!

I look forward to taking the kids to similar things as they get older. I love doing things with my own family...makes me realize I really AM an adult ;)

Fangorn Forest

This colorway reminds me of so many fun times...

Before we had kids, my husband and I used to stay up late watching the Lord of the Rings DVDS and drinking coffee. It was the first thing we did in our new apartment ,while sitting on the floor since we didn't have any furniture, LOL! I think we watched the first one for about 3 weeks in a row, every Friday night. I loved snuggling up in his arms and watching a great movie.

I remember one Valentine's Day we had planned on going to dinner and then to the theater to watch one of the movies. Well, I started feeling like a "softy" and invited our 13 yo nephew to go with us. He has stayed with us many summers during our marriage and is so close to us. I just felt horrible knowing he was sitting at home while we were on a date. We had a blast and the night was even more special with him tagging along. :-)

I absolutely love this yarn and think I'll dye some for myself. I want to make something pretty to remind me of the fun times we had together.

An Apology and Store Updates

Hello Dear Customers and Faithful Readers,

It is with a humble heart that I offer an apology. As many of you know I started this adventure to find myself, to become a better and more free version of my current self. Somewhere along the way I lost sight of this vision, and it became about running a "successful" business. My focus shifted from healing past life experiences and my journal entries to dyeing custom orders and fulfilling requests. This definitely represents much of what my life has been like all along. I find I often forget about my own goals to meet another's needs and/or wants. It is my hearts desire to make people happy and yet, by emptying myself I lose the ability to serve.

I believe I have failed many of you...the ones who emailed me on several occassions thanking me for my honest journal entries, which helped bring healing to your soul. I am so very sorry! I am brought to tears when I realize I have not updated my blog since March 17th.

To solve this situation I have decided to close to custom orders for the time being, possibly indefinitely. I am going back to the basics and will create new colorways representing the new stage of my life.

I will also be updating my blog, and will not stock the store again until my entries are fully up to date.

Thank you to all who have joined me on this journey; for your support, encouragement and understanding.

Here's to finding outselves once again...