Fall Traditions

For day 3 of the November Blogathon, I am talking about my family's Fall traditions. I hope you enjoy this throwback photo of my older sister and I...(I am the devil...) *smiles*

Let's talk about September...technically it's kind of a summer month, but I consider it Fall...

One thing we try to do each Fall is go apple picking at our local apple orchard, Eckert's. This is something I have done for as long as I can remember. Usually our whole family tries to go together; parents, grandparents, kids, aunts, cousins, the whole group. We usually eat some apples while we are in the orchard and the cooks of our family make apple flavored treats with the apples we picked. 

My oldest sister's birthday is in September, so that is always a part of Fall for us. We usually go out to dinner, but this year was her big 30th birthday! My younger sister, my mom, and I all put together a surprise party for her, it was really fun and she was surprised!

My husband and I were married on September 1st. So, although this tradition is only two years old, my husband and I celebrate our anniversary each Fall!

Let's talk about October...

We have all kinds of Halloween traditions! The kids always dress up and go trick or treating. Each year we have a Halloween party at my parents' home. One thing that I have learned is "St. Louis specific" is the tradition of telling jokes. At each house, the child has to tell a joke in order to get candy. Weeks before Halloween kids (and adults) start sharing their jokes. Here's the joke my husband and I told this year:

What's a baby ghost's favorite food?

Booooooobies! 

Haha! It's more funny if you know that I am currently breastfeeding our 11 week old daughter. 

My "little" brother's birthday is October 1st, so we celebrate his birthday as well during Fall. Although he is not really my "little" brother anymore, he is 17 years old and 6 foot 1in. 

Let's finish off this post with November...

Ahh November! This is a very special month for be because this is the month that my son was born and the month when I first met my husband. My son's birthday is on the 23rd, so sometimes his birthday falls on Thanksgiving, (he was actually born on Thanksgiving!). Every year my son has 2 birthday parties, one for his friends and one with our family. Last year his friend party was playing paintball, they all had a blast! Some other places he has had his birthday are: Skyzone, YMCA, Roller Skating Rink, and the Bowling Alley. One year my husband and I lost our minds and took about 10 eleven year old boys to the Holiday Inn for an overnight swim party. They had sooo much fun, but it was a lot of work! 

My nephew Dominic's birthday is also in November, on the 28th. I was so happy that I got to be there for his birth! My sister lived in North Carolina at the time, and he was born while we were there for a visit. They have moved back to St. Louis now, so each Fall he has a big birthday party as well. 

Thanksgiving! All I have to say is "yum". Our Thanksgiving includes a ton of food. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, dinner rolls, green bean casserole, corn casserole, cranberries, and I'm sure there is more that I am forgetting! We all go over to my mom and dad's house for dinner. My mom gets out the good china (the only other time this happens is  Easter) and usually my little sister helps her set the table. Sometimes we get festive and go around saying what we all are thankful for, but it's more about having a big dinner with family and people that we love. 

I feel like Christmas traditions is a whole post within itself, so I will save that for another day! 

I'd love to hear about your Fall Traditions! Feel free to include a link to your Fall Traditions post in the comments. 

30 Days in November, 30 Facts about Michelle

I am trying to blog more, and what better way to do that then to participate in the November Blogathon sponsored by the Mrs. & the Momma! She has developed writing prompts for each day in November, how fun!

You can find the link to her November Blogathon post HERE.

The first blogging prompt is for Monday, November 3rd, and the prompt is:
There are 30 days in November, so share 30 facts about yourself.

30 Facts about Michelle

1, I have an incredible husband, Nathan

2. I have an amazing 13 year old son, Jasen

3. I have a precious 11 week old daughter, Marlene

4. I am 28 years old

5. I was born on St. Patrick's Day

6. I live in St. Louis, Missouri

7. I have 2 dogs, chiweenies, Mustang and Stella

8. I have 1 cat, Walter

9. I have a water frog, Bonnie (she ate all of the food and her mate Clyde died)

10. I have one older sister, Melissa

11. I have one younger sister, Megan

12. I have one younger brother, Mark

13. My parents are still married

14. I have been married for 2 years

15. I earned a bachelor's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from UMSL in 2008

16. I minored in psychology

17. I originally went to school to be a doctor and was enrolled in the pre-med program

18. I changed my career path after my son's father passed away

19. I earned a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling in Spring of 2014

20. I am a stay at home mom now, and I love it!

21. I preformed at the Muny in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" when I was 11

22. I love to watch QVC (it's on right now)

23. My favorite color is green

24. I used to do singing and dancing competitions when I was younger

25. I was a teenage mom (It has been challenging and awesome at the same time)

26. I met my husband online (on Okcupid.com)

27. I have one nephew, Dominic

28. I have one niece, Aubrie

29. I love my them like they are my own kids

30. I really love my life, it's not glamorous, but I feel so lucky each day! 

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about me! If you are doing the November Blogathon, feel free to provide a link to your 30 Facts in the comments of this post. I would love to read about you! 

Life with a Two Month Old (It couldn't be sweeter)

Life is great! I mean, just look at that little face! Marlene Mae turned two months old on October 15th and she is growing by leaps and bounds. Here is a little glimpse of what she is up to...

Marlene's favorite activities:

Having daddy bounce her on the yoga ball

Laying on the floor playing in her baby gym (she works out)

Swinging in her cradle swing

Snuggles with mommy, daddy, and her big brother

Going on walks

Being worn in her Moby Wrap or Mei Tai

Taking a bath

Marlene's Stats:

Weight: 12 pounds, 3 ounces (her birth weight was 8 pounds, 7 ounces)

Height: 24 inches (her birth height was 20 3/4 inches)

Weight: 60th percentile

Height: 96th percentile

Marlene's Sleep:

This little lady is not a daytime napper! She cat naps for about 20 min a few times per day.

At night, she usually goes to bed around 11pm, wakes up at 4:30am to eat, goes back to sleep and wakes up again at 7am to eat. If I'm lucky, she will go back to sleep for another 2 hours. 

Marlene's Eating:

She is exclusively breastfeeding (go Marlie!) and she is doing so great! 

She eats every 2 hours during the day, for about 30 minutes total. 

She loves eating!

Marlene's Favorite Toys:

Pink elephant stuffed animal/rattle/book/squeaker/crinkle (yes, it does it all!)

Crinkle flower/rattle

Black and white zebra stuffed animal

Little Miss Marlie loves being talked to, we spend all day chit chatting. She loves to be held and kissed and loved on. I am one happy mama! I take like a million pictures of her everyday, if you don't follow me on Instagram, you totally should because you will get to see this adorable face!

Thanks for reading! I love comments and questions, so feel free to connect with me!

27 Week Bump Date!

Woo hoo! I just finished my 27th week of pregnancy! Here is what has been going on during the past few weeks...


Pregnancy Symptoms:

• Baby Movement: Holy kicks and punches! During the past few weeks I can really feel Marlie kicking, punching and dancing. I still love it :) She's kicking my laptop as I write this. 

• Braxton Hicks Contractions: I never had these with my son, but I started feeling them during this pregnancy about 2 weeks ago. They mostly happen when I am walking around (baseball games, grocery stores, and at work). They feel like a stitch in my side and then my whole belly tightens up. They aren't really painful, just uncomfortable. My doctor told me if I have more than 5 in one hour to put my feet up and drink water. 

• More Potty Breaks: I can definitely tell that Miss Marlie is squishing my bladder! I wake up about twice per night to go to the bathroom, if I'm lucky, it's just once. The other night at my son's baseball game I had to go to the bathroom about 4 times during his 2 hour game. 

• Standing For Too Long Hurts! I have noticed lately that I can stand for about 45 minutes before my back and feet really hurt. I finally asked for an accommodation at work. I bought myself a $10 camping stool from Dick's Sporting Goods to take with me on work site assessments. I had to provide a doctor's note saying that I was allowed to sit for 10 minutes out of every hour. I was embarrassed to ask for an accommodation at work. I honestly felt like a "wimp" and felt ashamed that I was asking to sit, when I know that there are pregnant women who stand all day as cashiers, nurses and hundreds of other occupations. But then I counseled myself and I told myself that I don't need to compare myself to other women and just because others handle discomfort differently, doesn't make my discomfort not valid. 

Baby Planning

• We are going to register for our baby shower today! We have been wanting to do this for weeks, but haven't had the time or energy. I am determined to get this started today!

• I have been researching natural child birth and all of the benefits. I am trying to decide if my husband and I should pay to take a class, or if there is enough free information online to prepare us. I would love to hear suggestions! We are also looking for information on infant care. I am sure a lot has changed since 13 years ago when my son was born. I want to make sure I am up to date on the latest! 

Life

• I am officially done with school! I graduated with my Master's Degree 2 weeks ago! 

• I am in full blown nesting mode. Every time I walk into a room, I think about a new paint color and decor. I wake up in the middle of the night and can't stop thinking about how to arrange the nursery furniture. This is happening! 

Thanks for following along on my pregnancy journey! I would love to hear any suggestions or advice! :)

One Of The Best Things Anyone Has Ever Said To Me

Sometimes, things come out of our children's mouths that astound us and stop us in our tracks. Often these things are inappropriate, funny or just out of this world. And sometimes, what your child says to you can be one of the best things anyone has ever said to you. I had one of these moments recently.


"Mom, how did you get to be so accomplished?" My 13 year old asks me.

"What do you mean?" I responded, a little surprised by his question. I don't often think of myself as "accomplished".

"I mean that you are 28 years old, married, have a kid, are pregnant, have a job and are getting your master's degree. You have already done so much."

I sat quietly, a little speechless.

"I don't know if I will have done everything you have when I am your age. How did you do it?"


I smiled and explained to him that I made a decision about what was important to me, and I set goals. I told him that he can accomplish anything he wants to by any age if he sets his mind to it. I have no doubt my son will be extremely successful. He is smart and charismatic. He is wise beyond his years in so many ways.

I was taken back by the thought that I am "accomplished". I spend so much of my time focused on the things that I don't have, what I haven't done and what I might not be able to do in the future. This conversation made me realize that I really need to take some time to reflect on my accomplishments, and give myself a little more credit now and then.

I try to stay humble, but maybe there is a fine line between being humble and not recognizing value in yourself on a regular basis. 

More than anything, it means the world to me that my son views me as accomplished. For me, it means that it has all been worth it. Every class, every test, every 20 page paper. Every date, every bad relationship, every time my heart was broken. Every time I struggled and I wondered if it would make a difference to anyone. It did. And that is why when my son told me I was accomplished, it was one of the best things anyone has ever said to me.

How Can I Be A Stay At Home Mom?

I am in need of some help and advice. I spent my lunch break at work googling "how to be a stay at home mom".

I have hit the point in my pregnancy where I am completely preoccupied with my baby. All I want to do is get her nursery ready, knit her a blanket and organize her cute little clothes. There's only one problem I keep running into: I'm too exhausted.

Right now I work full time at a job that can be both physically and emotionally demanding. Sometimes I am standing for 2-3 hours with a client at a work site assessment, or counseling an emotionally distressed mother, or getting cussed out by an angry client. By the time my day is over, there is no part of me that can muster up the energy to prepare for the arrival of my baby. I also take classes two nights per week, so there are some nights that I don't get home until near 10pm. I know school will be over in a few weeks, so at least I won't be quite so drained those two nights per week. I have reached the point where I spend my days dreaming (and researching) how I can stay at home with my baby.

When my son was born, I was a single teenage mom. There was no option to stay home. I knew that I had to work, finish school and he needed to go to daycare. I was in survival mode for the both of us and my mind was focused on how the two of us were going to make it in this world.

My life is different now. I don't have to be in constant "survival mode". I have a loving husband who will be my partner in caring for the baby, and my incredible teenager who will be here to help as much as we need him. This isn't a one woman show anymore. Ever since the thought has crossed my mind that I could be a stay at home mom, it is all I can think about.

I want to be with my baby all day. I want to be the one to care for her. I want to take her on walks and trips to the park. I want to have time to prepare her meals and make her healthy baby food. I want to be the one to help her learn her colors and letters and numbers. I was never afforded the chance to do these things with my son. I got to spend a few hours with him in the evening before bed. All while juggling school and work and being completely exhausted all of the time. I had to let family and daycare providers do all of the things I wanted to be doing. My son has turned out wonderful, he has always had the love, support, and everything he needed. It's me who has missed out.

So tonight, I am sitting in my bed, wiping away tears as I write this post. I am pregnant and emotional and sad. I am sad because I don't think I will be in a position to stay at home with my baby. I don't think I will be able to deprive my family of my income or the health insurance I carry. Financially, I just don't see how I can stay at home with my baby when she arrives.

This is where I reach out to my readers for advice. Have any of you made the transition to a stay at home mom? How did you do it? Maybe there are things I have not thought of. I need all of the help and advice I can get. How can I be a stay at home mom?

22 Week Bump Date: The Good, The Bad and The Really Bad

Last week was week 22 of Pregnancy: Marlene! I still love being pregnant...although this week did not include all of the sunshine and rainbows of last week. I may have "jinxed" myself by writing about how much I loved pregnancy last week. Go figure! Thanks for following, I love to share my pregnancy stories with you all, including the good, the bad and the really bad.

The Good...

Marlie has been rocking and rolling this week! She has been having little dance parties every night. This week I felt her move in more than one place at a time. My best guess is that she's shaking arms and legs at the same time. Let's just say this chick can really rock a womb (hahaha, get it?)!

Both Nathan and Jasen got to feel her move this week. Nathan has felt her once before, but this was the first time my son has felt her. It is such a great experience to share as a family! She was moving towards Nathan's hand on my belly, it was amazing!

The Bad...

Hello random second trimester nausea. I have not thrown up this entire pregnancy. During my first trimester, I felt sick to my stomach all of the time. It was a special kind of nausea that never goes away. This past week I started feeling intense feelings that I was going to throw up. It was so bad one morning that I ran to the bathroom three times at work. I still haven't thrown up though!

The Really Bad...

Warning: I am about to give you all way too much information. But it really wouldn't be fair if I only shared the good things about my pregnancy, right? I promise, I will spare you all the gross details. On Friday, my doctor had to do minor surgery... on my ass. Yep, that's right, it's the ugly side of pregnancy. For a few days I was stuck in bed, laying on my side.

My sweet husband held my hand through the entire ordeal and waited on me hand and foot when we got home. I told my son "when you are thinking about getting married, you have to think to yourself, 'would I hold her hand through butt surgery?' and if the answer is yes, then she might be the one". Of course he looked at me like I was crazy and he thinks I am a weirdo for posting this story on my blog. But it's real and life is real and I like to keep my blog real. So that was the really bad event of pregnancy week 22.

More Good...

I like to end things on a positive note, so I have a few more good things to tell you all!

My mother in law and father in law gave me a huge box of fresh fruits and veggies from a local farmer's market. Yum! If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen the pic. If not, come on over and follow me!

My son played two great baseball games in a tournament this weekend.

My husband played in his first kickball games of the season and won them both!

I finally upgraded my cell phone to the iPhone 5s! I love it!

While we were at the doctor's office for the umm...pain in my ass...we got to hear Marlie's heartbeat! It was in the 150's, which the doctor said was great! I love hearing her heartbeat. :)

Well, here was week 22 in a nutshell, thanks for following my adventures!

2014 Ultimate Blog Party! #UBP14

This is my party post for for the 2014 Ultimate Blog Party! I am excited to be involved and make some new blogging friends!

A little about Michelle's Pixie Dust...

I started Michelle's Pixie Dust in 2012. I can't believe it's been two years already! I started this blog as a way to display my DIY projects. For my one year blogiversary, I wrote a more detailed post about my first year of blogging. You can read that HERE.

Ultimately, this blog has grown to be a reflection of me. I post about whatever is going on in my life at that time. Sometimes I am really into Cooking and finding new recipes, other times I am into Craft Projects and upcycling. My career is counseling, so I have posted different Creative Therapy Projects. Sometimes I post about parenting and my family life. Right now I am pregnant, so readers will find a lot of Pregnancy Posts!

At present, I am 28 years old. I have been married since 2012 to a wonderful, wonderful man. I have a son who is 13 years old (which if you are quickly doing the math, makes me a very young mama) and I am expecting my daughter to arrive in August of this year. I have two little dogs, Mustang and Stella, they are chiweenies and are completely our babies. We recently adopted a stray cat, Walter, who is sweet and sneaky and possesses all of those other cat-like qualities. I will graduate in less than a month with a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. I have a Bachelor's of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. And I still have yet to figure our exactly what a want to do for a career.

Sometimes I am a "bad blogger". Sometimes I don't post frequently or update my social media. One time I let my URL expire...As much as I love blogging, it usually falls at the bottom of my priority list. I get caught up with family and work and life (as many of you can relate)!

So thank you for stopping by my little piece of the internet and I hope you enjoy some of the things you read here. I love to connect with my readers, so please comment me and follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Blog Partying!

21 Week Bump Date: Pregnancy Love

I am already 21 weeks pregnant...We are half way there, how exciting! I have to say, I really love being pregnant.



I love that my husband and I created this beautiful little person.


I love that I get to have her with me all day right now. I can feel her move a little bit now and then, and it makes me happy every time. She is moving while I write this :)


I love thinking about our daughter who will be in our arms in just 19 more weeks.


I love the baby girl clothes that people keep giving me. Everything is so tiny! My son passed me up in height about a year ago, so I am amazed at the thought of having a tiny baby again.


I actually enjoy watching my belly grow and filling out my growing stash of maternity clothes.


Sometimes I just stop and think, "How amazing is it that there is an actual human growing inside of me?"



Of course there are a few pregnancy symptoms that I am not a huge fan of, such as:

• Waking up to pee in the middle of the night
• Lots of tossing and turning
• Crying about ridiculous things
• The wonderful mood swings (happy-angry-sad-angry-sad-happy-happy)

I have realized that the good outweighs the not-so-good and most importantly, every second is completely worth it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

An Owl Themed Gender Reveal Party!

As I mentioned in my last post, my sister is a craft genius! She made all of the decorations and snacks for our gender reveal party. I have a love for owls, so everything is owl themed!

Guess WHOO will be joining the family?

Old Wives Tales

Owl Banner

Question Mark Cupcakes

Pink Gender Reveal Cake (I made this one!)

Gender Reveal Snacks

Family Belly Photo

I hope you enjoyed some of the photos, we had a great time! 

Gender Reveal...It's A....

This past weekend, my family and I went for a 3D ultrasound and we got to find out the gender of our newest family member...

That's right, we are having a little girl! We will welcome Miss Marlene (aka Marlie) to our family this August. She is named after my Nana who passed away last March. If my Nana were still with us, she would be beyond excited to welcome another little girl into our family. 

Here is one of my favorite photos of Miss Marlene. She is crossing her legs and looking oh so lady-like!

It's amazing how much we can see of her at only 17 weeks. My family threw me a wonderful gender reveal party. I have a very crafty and talented older sister. She made adorable decorations for the party! I am going to post the pictures of her creativity in my next blog post.

We can't wait for our sweet baby to arrive!

Our Fun Pregnancy Announcement!

After 13 years...I am pregnant again! Our family will be expecting a new baby around August 10th of this year. We are so excited! 

We totally copied off of some other fun pregnancy announcements I checked out on Pinterest. I am so happy with how this turned out and even more happy that I finally got to share the news with everyone on Facebook this evening! 

I am 12 weeks pregnant and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat today. I almost had a mini heart attack as it took my doctor a long time to find the heartbeat. But not to worry, all is well! After about a minute of searching, we heard that wonderful little noise. My husband says the heartbeat sounds like a helicopter :) The doctor informed us not to worry, we just have a very wiggly baby! 

I hope to keep updates and pregnancy posts coming...

Thanks for reading! 

A Long Day In My Pink Patterned Shoes

Some days are longer than others...

Just because a day is long, doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. I actually enjoy long days at times, they make me feel more productive and accomplished. In addition to blogging, I work full time, go to school and attempt to tend to every need of my family. I posted last year about a typical day in my life, you can read that here. Now that I have a brand new job and a slightly different schedule, I thought it might be fun to revisit a day in my life.

So here we go...A Day in my Pink Patterned Shoes...

Thursday, October 3rd, 2013

6:30am: Time to wake up! Take the Chiweenies outside, wake up the pre-teen and start up the Keurig. I have got to have my morning coffee! I pick out a Starbucks blend this morning. I have been drinking my coffee black for months now. I actually enjoy it this way. The only think I add is a few ice cubes. Then it's time for a shower and getting ready for work. I feel like it's a vintage kind of day, so I pick out this denim polka dot dress and this awesome coin necklace I bought from a vintage shop. The pre-teen is out the door just before me.

7:35am: I am out the door and on my way to work. My new job is super close to my home, which makes me a very happy lady! Even with a little morning traffic, I am at the office in 15 minutes.

7:50am: I'm at the office bright and early (I don't need to be there until 8am), but I am still fairly new and I like to keep up my good impression. I check my email and make sure all of my documents are in order for my morning meeting.

A co-worker suggests bagels for breakfast...yum! We all chip in for some Bread Company. I love sesame seed bagels. I also love blueberry. And pumpkin pie.

Just so you know what I do...

At my new job, I work with people with physical and developmental disabilities to assist them in discovering what kind of job/career they might be interested in. I do hands-on assessments at places they might want to work and I administer paper and pencil assessments to help them discover interests. After I finish the assessments, I either recommend job development or other services.

10:00am: Morning meeting! I get to recommend job development for a client, which makes me happy because I know she is excited about getting to work!

11:30am: Lunch time! Everyone at my new office eats a bit early and I have happily adapted to the new schedule. Everyone tries to eat together if at all possible. I love that my co-workers do this. I think it brings a sense of togetherness to the office. I was a good girl this day and brought my leftovers. Before my break is over I text the hubby and check on his day. We never go a day without texting each other. I am more in love with him everyday :)

I spend the rest of my afternoon finalizing paperwork and organizing client files. I make sure all of my appointments are scheduled for the following week and reminders have been sent.

4:00pm: I leave the office and head out to school! I am scheduled to graduate in May with a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. I'm more than ready for graduation!

4:30pm: Career Development class...we learn about career interest inventories and Holland Codes.

6:15pm: A school mixer with the Rehabilitation Counseling and Music Therapy students. This is an out of the ordinary event. We mix, mingle and are served cheese, crackers, fruit, beer and wine. I can't shake the uneasy feeling that I should not drink alcohol in between classes. It's weird. But I have a glass of wine and a beer while I mix and mingle.

7:30pm: Internship Class...Tonight we are video taping mock counseling sessions. I meet up with my partner and we take turns playing counselor and client. Each session is only 12 minutes, but I am nervous about being taped. There are four students in my internship class. We watch all four 12 minute sessions. I take note that I need to learn to have better posture and that I really should begin working out again.

9:49pm: I pull up in front of my house. It feels good to be home! I picked up a banana for dinner. Watching the video of myself totally killed my appetite. I foresee this won't last long and my regular appetite will be back tomorrow. I get to spend about 10 minutes with my son before he's off to bed. That's probably what I dislike most about late school nights. Even if we aren't doing anything productive, I like just being at home with my family.

11:00pm: My husband is actually ready for bed before I am (which never happens). He is a night owl and loves to stay up late. I drift off to sleep after vegging out to QVC. I just love that channel. It's on right now as I right this post. Rick is selling computers.

Well, that's my day! I'm so happy everyday isn't this long. I know putting in the hours and effort will be worth it, so I'll keep on keeping on until I own my evenings again!

Thanks for reading!

Life, Lily Pads and Bad Blogging

What makes a "bad" blogger? 

A blogger who doesn't post for three months? Or a blogger who lets their domain expire?

I think I have been a "bad" blogger.

The truth of it is, my life has been a bit of a whirlwind during the past few months. I went through a job transition, which has been turning out to be fabulous. I have learned the meaning of "drained" and "overwhelmed". I spent my summer balancing graduate school, old job, new job and always: my family. The truth of it is, many nights I come home and can barely muster up the energy to turn on QVC before bed.

I love blogging. I love creating things. I love writing. I love the blogging world. I love link parties. I love meeting new bloggers. I love comments. I love social media. I love photographs.


I hope to be a better blogger over the next few months. As always, thanks for reading: blogs are happier when they have readers :)

Have you ever been a "bad" blogger?

Imagine Your Perfect Day

This post was inspired by an exercise I found at Silly Grrl Design and Circus. Her website is truly amazing! Check out the post that inspired the one you are about to read, The Escape: Imagine Your Perfect Day.


My Perfect Day...

I wake up with the sunshine, no alarm clocks.
I make coffee and go to morning yoga or Pilates.
I come home, shower, get dressed for the day.

I go to my shop (Columbia Upcycle), where I am surrounded by creativity. I spend my day looking at the treasures customers bring in for exchanges. I get to make unique things, write tutorials and blog about it. I get to meet people who share a love for things that are vintage and a love for crafting. I am always on my own time. There is no boss to correct my work. There is no one to report to. I feel a sense of calm and excitement. There is no stress. There are no deadlines. I play music all day and sing along in my store. I make enough money to pay all of my bills on time. I have enough money for my family to take vacations. I don't have to borrow money from others just to make it to my next paycheck. My family is happy.

I come home to my husband, our son and our crazy Chiweenies (Ok, sometimes the puppies spend the day at the shop with me). We have healthy meals and a clean house. We all talk about how great our days were. We are all happy.

In the future there are more children, who spend the day at the shop with me until they go off to pre-school. I always make my own schedule, so I never miss a field trip or class party. I will never again drive an hour or more to work. My shop is close to the kids' schools and to our home.

Ahh, what a perfect day!

I have to be honest, when I first starting writing this post, I had every minute of the day planned out. For example: "8am: wake up, 9am-10am: yoga, 10am-10:30am: breakfast". I wrote out my whole day and then I said "NO". This is exactly the kind of life I am trying to escape. I do not want every moment of my day scheduled. I do like some structure, but the anxiety of trying to meet a deadline every half hour has taken its toll on me.

So, this is my perfect day. What's yours?

Three Personal Qualities Needed to Thrive During the Start Up of a Small Business

Starting a small business is hard work! 

Starting a small business 120 miles from where you live is even harder work!

Spending everyday doing something you love...worth all of the hard work!

I have identified three personal qualities needed to thrive during the start up of a small business:

• Patience: Extraordinary things take time and hard work, it won't happen over night. I try to be patient and enjoy the little things about starting a business (like designing business cards and organizing inventory). It is important to enjoy every step in the process, sit back, and take a deep breath. 

• Faith in Yourself: You are awesome. You are smart. You have an amazing plan. You can do this. No one is a harsher critic on my work than I am, but this time, the most important person on my team is myself. This is my dream, this is my goal. If I am not believing in myself 100%, it will be hard for others to do the same. 

• Determination: Keep on keeping on. Marketing, social networking, event planning...every little step is one step closer to your goal. It all matters. Just because something did not go as well as you planned doesn't mean it was not a success. Every person who knows about your business matters. Every business card you hand out matters. Every "like" on Facebook matters. Smile. You will be a success. 

I am always looking for small business tips. Do you have any helpful tips or links? I would love to hear from you! 

My Business Adventure: Columbia Upcycle

Sometimes we feel stuck. We have all of these dreams and ideas and never do anything about them. I made a decision to stop complaining and to start doing something about it. For a while I have thought about opening a shop of some sorts. I love thrift stores and craft stores. We have a place in St. Louis called The Upcycle Exchange, which is a crafting materials exchange shop. Ever since my first visit there (over a year ago) I have thought how wonderful it would be to own a shop like that.

I wrote a piece for Missouri.com about eco-friendly shops and featured The Upcycle Exchange (you can read the article here). The more I learned about the business, the more I loved the idea of opening a store. So I took some time and thought about my obstacles and how I could overcome them. Then I contacted the business owner and got started.

Here's how the store works: It is an arts and crafts materials exchange and drop off shop. Customers get store credit for unwanted crafting items, can drop off things that are taking up space and can come in just to purchase items. The store has pay-as-you-wish pricing, with an average amount consumers usually pay per amount of items purchased.

I am starting out small, running the business as a pop-up shop at events. I don't have the money to open up a storefront, yet, but that is the hope within the next year or so. I have learned a lot about the logistics of opening a small business and I have a lot of faith in myself that I can do this. Only time will tell how successful I will be, but I know I am taking a step in the right direction!

Come visit the business website at: www.columbiaupcycle.com, and follow the shop on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Science Class Rap: I Like Big Rocks

I have to take a moment to share the creativity of my son, Jasen (or as we like to call him, "Rhyme Master J"). This is the rap he wrote for science class this week. It's a remix of "Baby Got Back".

I like Big Rocks

by Jasen Melville

I like big rocks and I cannot lie

No others can deny

There’s metamorphosis, sedimentary and igneous

Metamorphic rocks form from underground, so give me a pound

Sedimentary rocks form from layers, but they aint no football playas

Igneous rock forms from magma, but it aint my mama

That’s how the rocks form, so stay in your dorm

And get ready for the brain storm

I like big rocks and I cannot lie

No others can deny

There’s metamorphosis, sedimentary and igneous

Metamorphic rock forms in high pressure and a really high temperature

Sedimentary rock forms from sediment and it could use a new apartment

Igneous rock forms from cooling lava, but it’s hotter than a cup of java

And that’s my song; it’s cooler than the emperor’s gong

This song is better than honey, plus it’s a little funny

Holy Blogging! It's been one year!

I have to admit, the creation of Pinterest led to my blogging. It was about one year ago when my sister introduced me to the site, and I spent hours looking at projects and recipes. I looked at all of the cool and creative blogs these pins came from and I thought, "I want one of those too!". 

I promise you that there are much better blogs out there than mine. Blogs with better photos, higher quality posts, better page organization and more frequent posting, but I didn't start this blog to be the best. I started this blog to share ideas with people and because honestly, I love when people tell me that the stuff I create looks awesome or that I have good ideas. The attention does feel amazing! 

I can't even begin to tell you how much I have learned about blogging in the past year! I have learned to network with other bloggers, I have learned blog promotion, HTML coding and much more about photo editing than I ever expected to. I have used programs that I had never heard of before (Rafflecopter, InLinkz) or for that matter, I never knew they existed. I am proud that I taught myself these skills that are sure to be beneficial in other aspects of my life as well. 

I have made some great blogger friends and received incredibly valuable advice from other bloggers. I have also seen the nasty and mean side of blogging, where people have made fun of my projects or tried to virtually bully some of my blogger friends. It is a learning experience on how to ignore hurtful comments and grow thicker skin. 

I am amazed everyday to look at my blog and how far it has come. My heart is happy when I see 100 page views per day on my stats (when I first started I would be so psyched about 10 per week). I can't believe sometimes that people are actually out there, reading what I write. I have gotten opportunities to do things that are so cool and fun (like product reviews or help host giveaways). This little blog has opened up a whole new passion for me. 

So, thank you. YOU. Whoever is reading this. Without people reading this little blog of mine, it just wouldn't be the amazing thing it has become. I am very grateful! 

Cheers to 1 year and many more!

Grief and Loss: This is not a group.

I have posted before about the grief and loss groups I facilitate at work. I run four groups on Mondays and 1 group on Thursdays. I have done this every week since November. So you would think I have become an expert on this, right?

Not exactly.

It is a whole new ball game when it's personal. I have been through loss before. One of the hardest times in my life was when my son's father passed away in 2006. It was sad and tragic. I had a very hard time coping. My son was only five at the time, so I dealt with my own loss more than his. I grieved over the future he would never have with his dad.

Now, my Nana is going to pass away soon. She is older (in her 70's) and has lived a wonderful life. My son is now twelve and having a very hard time dealing with this. I knew he would be sad, but I didn't think this would impact him as much as it has. No amount of knowledge or preparation can ready someone to see their child truly in such a state of sadness.

This must be one of the hardest parts of being a mother. I think I am saying all of the "right" things. I have officially gone "counselor" on him. I am spending more time with him, telling him about death, telling him it is ok to be sad, and trying to make him laugh. But there is nothing I can do to make him feel better.

I know this is a part of being a mother, but that doesn't make it any easier. I know with time he will be ok. The pain lessens and sadness will not be there everyday. It's just waiting for this time to be over that is the hardest. Seeing him sad multiplies my sadness by a million.

I think sometimes the stars align just right to fill us with sadness before moving on to a better time.

One of my co-workers recently passed away (last week). He was only 61. When I was younger, that was ancient to me, but now, it seems way too young. He was a wonderful man and helped so many people. The sadness I feel for his family is overwhelming.

I am trying to reach into my mind for all of the words of "wisdom" I had to offer my students during their time of grief. I think what helped them most was not the art, not the games and not the activities. I think it was just being with each other and knowing they weren't alone.

Everyone dies. We teach our children to tie their shoes, do their chores and study hard. As well we must teach them about death and how to lose someone we love.