this is happening

Believe it or not, Blake turned 2 months old on Thursday. Whaaa? I know- where in the world did the time go! This is my first go around with this "growing up fast" thing, so for all you pros out there, you understand. But I'm still like.. whaaa...?

He basically rocks at being a baby. I'm convinced #2 will be a devil child. Isn't that how the cards usually deal out? But seriously... he's already great at holding his head up and we rarely do tummy-time (whoops!) and look at this:

Totally into that book. Matt read him The Little Engine That Could. He did a hilarious job reading it and Blake was into it.

Sweet memories, my friends, sweet.

love and quit growing Blake! (but actually don't stop- that could cause problems),
e.

Quiet Moments

At this time three weeks ago I was pregnant. Eternally pregnant, I thought. Did you feel that way? I think every woman gets to that point where you're thinking "Um... I think I'm going to be this way forever".

I was finished with nursery projects. I had washed baby clothes. I was already reading books to Baby. The hardest part was- I was looking at all this stuff... and it was empty. An empty swing, crib, car seat. We had been anticipating our first born for what felt like forever already, and we could hardly wait another day.

We waited 6 more days to be exact. Actually, it was more like 8 days. But contractions started the party on Friday at 2am. 46 hours later, our beloved Blake Matthew graced us with his presence.The best Mother's Day present ever.

It seems like there should be more to be said. But that's what I'm figuring out in this parenting thing. There are so many words in the unspoken moments. I could hold Blake all day, not say a thing, and feel like I've expressed anything and everything I'd ever wanted to tell him. I know at some point, I'll actually have to do that. Teach him, and bring him up in the ways of the Lord. But for now, I love the quiet moments. In the middle of the day, late at night... and really early morning. I am breathing in the quiet moments as if each one will be my last. (From what I hear, they grow up fast)

Blake- you take my breath away. You make me cry for no reason. You are perfect to me. I love you.

a warehouse + museum

I am the oldest of four. And I was beyond thrilled to learn that my brother (next in line) was shopping for rings for one sweet girl that we all loved! This past weekend they tied the knot- and it was perfect and so fitting of their styles and personalities. That's how weddings should be, don't you think?

I had tons of fun spending Thursday evenings with Kayla planning, creating, sewing and brainstorming. I LOVE weddings, and pretty much all that they entail.

We made lots of banners and chalkboards.

The reception was held in an art museum- so unique and cool.

And of course, an awesome photo booth.

 I was in the Bridal Party- making it a little harder to get lots of pictures. But these are my favorites.

Aren't they to-die-for-sweet?! Who couldn't love love after this?!

 And we got some fun photo booth pictures :)

It was SO fun to have some cousins {that we love and adore} there to celebrate with!

I love you, Ross + Kayla, and am praying God's blessing over your union! 

 

 love & happily ever after,
e.

and this Christmas...

...will be, a very-merry Christmas.

And that it was. I love Christmas. A lot. And didn't mind one bit that we had four of them this year. We spend Christmas Eve making memories with my husband's wonderful family. Christmas Day it was my family's turn, and we hosted! Matt and I both really love hosting, and realized after the day was over that we are going to need a larger dwelling place in order to continue doing so comfortably. Especially with Baby on the way :)

We all know that with Christmas, comes gifts. Giving and receiving. And I know everyone loves to do both. But I really LOVE giving. The spending time searching for just the right thing, or making just the right thing, is so fun for me every year. I also LOVE wrapping gifts... but that's a whole other blog post.

 
This year my mom wanted to do something special with her gift giving. My parents divorced this past year, and she wanted to make sure we got a few of the things that made our house a home for the many years we were all under the same roof. The gifts brought back memories for all of us, and some tears as we realized this meant the house would never be the same. But it really made for a good Christmas.

 My hubby also got me some really awesome things... Seriously. The pictures probably don't do justice, but know this. I was so blessed this year by his thoughtfulness. And hope everyone had those feelings while precious time was spent with loved ones.

Here's to a million more!

love & fur,
e.

ponders and presents

It's quiet around here right now. Granted, I don't have kids or a noisy dog, and the hubster is out. But I feel like it's not only quiet in my house- the physical. It's quiet in my heart. In the heavens. I have been so heavily burdened by the news of such small lives being taken today. And feel those "motherly" tugs every time something more comes on the news.

Let us not forget these and their families in our thoughts and prayers.

On a bit of a brighter note, promised.joy is still partnering with E & co. for the remainder of this Holiday Season! And we (both Emily and myself) have been loving all the traffic in my shop and hers! It is so refreshing to see people going beyond themselves this Christmas :)

I've got some joyous goodies like this in the shop:

(link)

(link)

(link)

and here are a few beauties you can find on the E & co. website:

My personal fav- Sunny Day Rudraksha (link)

Cinnamon Spice (link)

Christmas Eve (link)

Stop by {both} and check out what we've got! Remember- 10% of each sale from my shop is going straight to E & co. And I know you want to see them receive a large sum. You can't even lie about it...

love & I believe in Santa,
e.

go beyond yourself.

I've been working on promised.joy's Christmas Line for what seems like forever. I started it in the early weeks of Baby, and then Baby had me sick for weeks. Therefore, I've just recently gotten back in to the swing of things.

I love Christmas. I mean. Really. Love. I'm one of those that people hate because I'm counting down from the day after last year's, and starting Christmas music as early as October. I just can't get enough of it.

Well this Christmas, I'm super excited to share with you something that is dear to my heart. A way we can all give back this Holiday season, and hopefully continue to pay it forward. promised.joy will be partnering with E & co., an accessory line dedicated to helping women in Chennai, India get off the street and back on their feet!

My beautiful, sweet friend Emily (above) is the founder and has such an amazing heart. I wish we lived closer so I could glean from her. This is what she says about E & co. :

Well, we would be lying if we said we had it all figured out but nothing has been more exciting than watching the company unfold into what it is today.

It all started with an idea to help street vendors in India, handcrafting their own items, grow their business off the street in order to help support themselves along with their families.

So, we booked a flight to India and we came across a group of women and their families living on the side of the road in the outskirts of Chennai handcrafting these beautiful necklaces!

Thus, the start of E & co.

With the purchase of every necklace, part of the proceeds will be going back to these women who have already been paid fairly for their craft by us, "E & co.". The proceeds coming from you is just an added bonus!

We plan on seeing these women through being able to sufficiently feed their families as well as put a roof over their heads.

We have BIG dreams for E & co. and plan on offering a wider variety of accessories as well as dabbling in the world of textiles but we feel that helping these women is a great place to start.

It only takes small steps to make a BIG difference.

So beautifully said, right? So here's the fun part! promised.joy will be partnering with E & co. through this Holiday Season. From every sale in the shop, 10% will be given to E & co. I foresee raising a lot for them and I'm SO excited I can hardly stand it!

So tell all your friends, and even the family dog! And remember to visit the E & co. website for more information on who they are, what they love doing, and how you can help all year 'round!

love & let's make a difference,
e.

Here's to knowing things...

A while back I had a friend email me with some questions regarding opening an Etsy shop. She asked me because I have one. But I haven't had it that long, and it's really just a hobby for me, so I felt like I couldn't really answer her questions well.

Then I had an idea. Why not ask some fellow shop owners {all of whom I love dearly} to help with the questions.

My dear friend wanted to know just a few things. Like what my top amazing moments and experiences on Etsy were. Along with some of the ugh moments and experiences. And some tips for those thinking of opening an Etsy shop.

I asked these questions to the amazing and thrifty sisters of Maydae {Stephanie May & Stormie Dae}. Seriously- these sisters could out thrift anyone and have an amazing eye for finding the things we all wish we could find! Stephanie May of Maydae also has a shop called Fibbie that she runs separately where she sells darling vintage kids clothes and wares. I also asked the beautiful and talented Kayla from Anchored by Love. Kayla sews just about anything, but her shop is adorned mostly with purses and bags. Serious talent going on between these three shops, you guys! I feel so lucky to call them friends and family :) (Maydae and Anchored by Love write blogs as well- check them out here: MD & here: AbL)

Maydae

Kayla from Anchored by Love

Here is what Stormie Dae had to say {that rhyme was unintentional- I love when that happens!}:
 ~ Let's see...ugh moments. I think we've had a few:) My biggest one was the first time I mailed something breakable - and it broke. Now, bubble wrap is my BEST friend. Anytime we mail something fragile, I spend a lot of time and care wrapping it and testing the box (which sometimes means dropping it from a height) to make sure it won't break. When someone buys something from your shop, you have to keep in mind that they are really excited about it - just like you would be - and generally (especially if you are selling vintage or anything one-of-a-kind) - if it breaks, there is no replacing it. Luckily we have had some awesome buyers who understand and have given us a lot of grace when something has, unfortunately, not made it intact - and also luckily, we haven't had that issue in a long time.

Tips - I don't have a lot, but I would say to make sure you think through your policies and put them on your profile. Things like how you will handle returns, your shipping methods, etc. Give your buyer as much information as they will need to make a purchase from you - and cover your butt in the process.
Stephanie and I have spent a lot of time learning as we go. We put off opening our Etsy shop for a long time because we felt like we didn't know how to do it and where to begin. One day, we decided the best option was just to start and go from there. You won't and can't know everything right off the bat without experiencing some of it first-hand. So my advice is to just jump in, change things as necessary and have fun!

Stephanie May shared this:
~ Top Amazing! moments/experiences on Etsy:
The customers! We have met SO many wonderful people through Etsy - and we love getting to hear their story behind why they are buying a particular item. It makes it so personal and I think that is what Etsy is all about! We have had customers from so many amazing places - everywhere from France to Sweden to Turkey. It's always exciting to ship packages to far away places:)

Top Ugh. moments/experiences on Etsy:
Soon after we opened our shop, I was packing up a set of 6 drinking glasses that we had sold, and accidentally dropped one on the floor. It shattered, and I had a mini-heart attack. I contacted the customer right away, and she was so wonderful! She said that she believes that broken dishes mean good luck, and was excited to receive the others. She pretty much made my whole week with her response!
Anytime an item has to be returned, it's never fun, but luckily, as Stormie said, we have been very blessed with fantastic customers that are always forgiving and understanding!

Top Tips for those thinking of opening an Etsy site:
Photos, photos, photos! Good lighting, crisp, clear images, and different angles are SO important. Your shop will get so much attention with high quality photos, but if you have low quality photos (blurry, dark lighting, etc...) it can really hurt your sales, even if you have a great product. It doesn't mean that you have to have a super-snazzy camera either - if you can only make one change to your photos I think it should be to take them in natural lighting. SO important.
I also agree with Stormie - just jump in and do it! You could wait years (literally) trying to "be ready" to open your shop. You never will feel 100% ready, so start today!

And Kayla had this to say:
~ I would say to anyone opening an etsy shop, don't get discouraged! It's probably going to take a little while before people (besides your friends/family) discover you! I opened my etsy shop early this past year, and didn't have any sales for a while. Until one day I got on Etsy and had over 200 notifications. I later found out that one of my pieces was featured in the Etsy Finds newsletter that they send out everyday! I was so pumped. I ended up selling just about everything that I had in my store within a couple of days. It was awesome. So don't get frustrated or upset if nothing happens for a little while because you never know who could be watching!

See? Can't you just feel the overwhelming sense of talent and wisdom? These woman know what they're talking about- just check out their shops and blogs and you'll know!

Thank you, Maydae and Anchored by Love to taking the time to answer these questions. I know someone out there will gain from what you've shared!

love & advise,
e.

Counting down

This summer is coming to an end. And for the first time {ever} in my life, I'm really looking forward to Fall. It's always been my favorite season- because of the colors, holidays, and smells... But I LOVE sunshine- which there's usually more of in the summertime!

I'm counting down to a couple things...

In just a few hours I'll be headed to the Brown County Fair with my honey for a fun, end-of-summer tradition here in good ol' Aberdabber. The tradition is the fair- not us going. So maybe that will become a tradition :)

In five days the school year starts back up again. Meaning my job as a lunch lady resumes. Excited to see the kiddos and have more of a routine again for sure!

And lastly, I leave for Sweden in 15 days! AH! My dear friend Julia, who was in my wedding, is having a wedding of her own and I have the honor to be a part of her big day. I can hardly control my excitement :)

What are you counting down to as this summer's doors are closing?

love,
e.

girl just wanna have fu-un.

I'm that person who calls every friend a "bestfriend". I always have, and probably always will. But all of my besties are from different seasons in my life.

I've had three "high school bestie's" since, well, high school. One of whom I actually met in like 6th grade- but we formed out closest bond during our high school years. We have all been close since freshmen year, which puts us on year eleven of our crazy-hilarious-deep-fun friendship! Wow... I guess time flies when you're having fun!

All three of them were, of course, part of my 8-maid wedding party- Love that this is one of a million memories for us :)

     {katelynn}                    {stephanie}                     {blaire}

 Last weekend we took a trip. A girls weekend if you will. And it was a blast! This is the first time ever (!) in eleven years that we've all been on a trip together- just the four of us. Can you believe that?! Yeah, we couldn't either!

 Katelynn's sweet gramma lives in Alexandria, Minnesota on a lake {appropriately} named Little Darling.

We stayed in her cool upstairs "apartment", bought/made food, laughed A LOT, and caught up on life. Katelynn and I live in Aberdeen still, but Blaire is in Sioux Falls, SD and Stephanie is in Madison, WI... So there was a lot to catch up on!

My favorite part about these women is how different we all are. We all come from walks of life unlike the other, yet our friendship has outlasted any differences we may face.

I will forever cherish the memories made in Alex, lades, and every other one too :) Thanks for being great friends!

love,
e.