...sure ain't where I began.

Jewel came to Wichita! And my friend, Linds, and I got our hands on two of the 100 tickets that were available! How cool is that? We decided that it was definetely on our top 10 list of very cool things we've done. The concert was at a little club in downtown Wichita and was a very intimate setting - which was the best part. My friend and I have been big fans since we were like 11 years old. Crazy that that is almost 15 years ago!! As we waited for the concert to begin, we reflected on our memories of those years. I can still remember sitting on the bus on a youth trip, getting my hair french-braided by Joellen Muyskens, when Lindsay brought me her Discman (which I thought was SO cool), and told me I had to listen to this new CD. And there she was, singing about things I hadn't heard women sing about and doing it so purely. It was love at first listen.

Jewel is a very inspiring person, having come from poverty and worked her way to success, all while maintaing humility and a respect for life. All the proceeds from the concert went to a local homeless shelter - which was pretty cool.


While I've listened to all her music many times, hearing it live made me listen to the lyrics closer than I had in a while. And I fell in love with this song, Stevenville, all over again. This lyric really hit home for me: "I'm 31 years old - that ain't the end, sure ain't where I began."



As Linds and joked about how we're "getting old" and I wonder all the time where my life is headed, this lyric just resonated with me. Life is such a journey - and everything we do is part of that. I don't have to have all the answers right now - and that's ok.

I love this!

This place, Relish, basically takes your preferences, budget and needs into consideration and generates a menu each week for you, complete with a shopping list and recipes/instructions.

What an AWESOME concept. What more can I say??? Who has time to plan, shop for groceries and cook every night after work??? This is an awesome service, with a low price tag. And I always get in a rut and get frustrated when I get home and have to think of something to make. Plus, I enjoy cooking so much more when I am trying a new recipe. I guess I just feel like making the same thing over and over again doesn't do much for my mind. And I love the planned shopping list thing - I am SUCH an impulse buyer at the the grocery store, which doesn't do much for our budget.

I think I'll try the one-week free trial next week and see how it goes...

Tricky, tricky.

Lilah is learning new things every day and I caught some of her latest ones on video.


If you want to fast forward to the best parts: 0:50, 2:20

Took care of a little craving for some hands-on creativity this weekend and made a patchwork cover for my very ugly, old address book.

I was able to use up some of the scraps I had kept from Lilah's baby quilt, which always feels good. What also feels good? Making something and keeping it for MYSELF! Seems I'm always satisfying somebody else's need - a handmade birthday gift, a client's rush job, my boss' direction, and on and on.

One of my online crushes, Karen Russell, is offering an online class for photography, which I am SO wanting to take. Her stuff is beautiful. I love that it's so real and the colors are always beautiful. She really knows how to capture the moment. I'm so tired of trying to get everybody to look at the camera (and failing at it), guessing at which settings are right for the lighting I have, and ending up with crap for pictures. Seems like I only get one good one for every 30 or 40 I snap! And that's not an exaggeration!

The perfect example: Easter weekend. There we were with an ADORABLE little girl with an ADORABLE little Easter dress on and I end up with some half-baked photos. Even after I played with them in Photoshop, they still aren't anything to get excited about. They just don't do the day justice.





So, maybe I'll save up my $250 and get in line with the other 400 people that are dying to take her class (which only has room for 50). I had better luck getting the Jewel tickets than I will have at that!

A new life.

I have a new neice! Baby Eva Mae was born last week on March 9th. She is beatiful and wonderful and everything a baby is supposed to be. I am so excited for Lilah's new BFF.




And for a special baby, there must be some special burp clothes. In other burp cloth news, I sold my first set on Etsy! Within the first day of listing, a woman ordered a set with the letter 'D' for her twin nephews that were on the way.



Lilah has just been busting at the seems with energy lately. Brady and I think that her cheeks must just ache from all the grins and smiles she shares.

Etsy-fied!!

It's official! I have an Etsy store! I'm not quite sure why I'm so excited about this, since it was pretty simple to set up, but I am.

If you don't know much about Etsy, well, YOU SHOULD! It's an awesome place to find great handmade art from across the world and also, a great place to market your own handmade things. I must confess - I'm an Etsy-addict. It's like my morning coffee - I check it each day to get a little hand-on inspiration.



This has been a busy week with several projects going on, including a fun new craft that I haven't done in quite a while - beadwork. Nothing is complete yet, but when it is, I'll share.


Also, I am pretty excited because today I met with a friend with whom I am going to be doing some design work for: Jackie Clark. She is a very talented and interesting woman who designs textiles and sewing patterns, among many things it seems. I've mentioned her before and I am really looking forward to what is to come. Her current pieces are composed of beautiful colors and photography, which sets the stage nicely for me. She even gave me a little package of some of her patterns and fabrics!