10
Aug, 124 years down
Yesterday when I opened up my purse to find my keys, I found the sweetest “i love you” card paired with some cute bracelets! Yesterday was our 4 year wedding anni, but I didn’t expect that surprise. When I opened the card and began reading the first line of Ron’ note to me, tears just started to well up and it was over from there. It took me a lot longer than it should have to read the card all the way through, because I couldn’t see through the blur of happy tears. Ron is such a sweet man and I’m thankful to have found him. My new favorite quote of the year is from Ron: “It’s been a fantastic 4 years of marriage and nearly a decade of friendship.” That’s what he messaged me on FB. So great with words.
We finished the day off with a romantic dinner and a movie. It was a great day overall. ♥R
09
Aug, 12Busting At The Seams
When the Mr. and I bought our first home back in 2006, it was a huge 3 bedroom and 3 bath home with a cute little yard. It was perfect! We moved from our 450 sq ft college apartment into our home with plenty of room to grow, and grow we did! Now we feel like we’ve already outgrown it and we don’t even have littles yet! How did this happen? How did we acquire so much stuff? To be honest, I’m very sentimental and I know that I like to hold onto things for the memories, but this isn’t the only reason why our space is filling up. If I buy something that I need at the time and I don’t have room for it long-term, I have a hard time getting rid of it, because I think that I may need it again one day. Then I’ll have to buy it all over again. I can’t help it, it’s just the way that I think. I don’t like to be wasteful if I can help it.
The fact that I like to dabble in all things crafty really puts a strain on my tiny studio space. My studio is busting at the seams, so I had to move my sewing table to our reading nook in our bedroom! Bad, I know. Now we definitly don’t have room for future littles, in this house. There’s just no way.
I’ve been doing really well though (that’s a relative statement haha) at going through my supplies and donating what I don’t use to a local art foundation that works with at risk youth. It feels good to share and to clear a bit of breathing room. One day I hope to spread out my creative space a bit more, but until then, I’ll keep making room as I go. ♥R
**Oh and today is our 4 year wedding anni, so I’ll share a sweet little story later…
07
Aug, 12So Many Things + Not Enough Time
This past week I’ve been busy filling orders, writing down all of my creative ideas and attending lots of family and friend events. It’s been crazy! August has always been a busy month for us over here, so I knew this was coming, but sheesh. It’s extremely important to me that I keep a happy and healthy balance between Chickiedee and my personal life. I don’t ever want to be that girl who pushes all of her family and friends to the side so that I can focus on work and work alone. So to keep that balance, I have to work hard at managing my time, because there just isn’t enough of it in a day.
I’m a huge multitasker, and although I’m not always the best at it, it’s a very important part of my time management. I like to know that I can get two things done at once and not have to let anything fall through the cracks. For example, I love putting in a load of laundry while I sew or talking on the phone while I clean. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something B I G. With that said, I know when not to multitask, as well. Certain things need my undivided attention, like a birthday party for a loved one, or a rush order that needs to get out ASAP. Managing my time and doing it well is something that I’m always going to have to think about, and that’s okay, because I’m doing what I love and it’s worth it. Even if I have to pull a few all nighters to get it all done, I will.
On that note, I’ve been filling up my idea books like crazy!!! I have so many fun projects to share for the Fall. I’m motivated to work on a few of them this week as I prepare for the best season of the year. Ahhh… I just love Fall. ♥R
05
Aug, 12{sunday best} rainbow brite
Tee from Urban Outfitters | Shorts from Boom Boom Jeans| Shoes from Teva | Bow from Chickiedee
As you know, my High School Reunion was this weekend and it was a blast! Sometimes a brightly colored tee and some simple jean shorts are just what I need. This is what I wore for the second day of our reunion. I thought that it was appropriate since we were at a park playing volleyball and riding paddle boats.
I grew up with some amazing people and have been fortunate enough to keep in touch with many of them. I visited with my close friends and then with friends that I hadn’t chatted with since high school so it was really great to hear what everyone was up to. I was thinking about how lucky I am to have grown up in the Thornton/Northglenn area (just North of Denver) it’s a beautiful and quiet suburb. I moved to South Denver while I was in College, which was great, but right before the Mr. and I graduated, we bought our first home back in Northglenn! It felt good to be in our hometown again. Part of our reunion was in the next town over, but the second half was at a park in Northglenn and then it finished off with a baseball game at our old high school. It brought back some pretty great memories.
After listening to a few stories, I feel very lucky to have had a very healthy and happy high school experience. I mean, we’ve all had our moments, but overall I have so many great memories. It was fun to laugh and say “remember when” over food with 90’s music playing in the background hahahaha. I can’t wait until our next reunion… well, you know what I mean! haha ♥r
03
Aug, 12It’s A Reunion
This weekend is my High School Reunion and I can’t believe how quickly it came. I’m pretty excited to see all of the people who I still talk to and hang with as well as some people who I haven’t seen in years. I think class reunions are a bit different these days than what our parents and grandparents experienced due to technology, specifically Facebook. Facebook makes it so much easier to keep in touch even when you’re worlds apart. You can peek at what your friends are doing and read their updates anytime, so maybe that’s why it doesn’t seem like it’s been so long.
One thing that makes me a bit sad it that one of my best friends isn’t going to be able to make it to the reunion. She just had surgery, so she’s at home with her hubby and two kitties as she heals. I promised to take photos though to share with her, this way she won’t miss it all. Feel better lady!
Have you had your class reunion or do you have one coming up? If so, tell me about it! ♥r
30
Jul, 12Thinking About Fall
Fall is my absolute favorite season (and not just because it’s my Birthday Season – but it helps!) and lately it seems like that’s all I can think about. I love Summer too, but since our boat has been in the shop for so long, I think that’s why I’m thinking so much about what to make and do this Fall. It’s been sad that we haven’t spent almost every weekend at the lake like we used to, but the shop can’t seem to figure out the issue. So we are left to find other ways to occupy our time, hahaha.
Fall is beautiful here in Colorado, and if you’ve never seen the trees change here, add it to your bucket list, because it’s breathtaking. People come from all over to the mountains to see the spectacle, and I think it’s just as beautiful in our own neighborhood. I love the cool chill in the air paired with gloomy days where I can bundle up in one of my many pea coats and a cup of hot coco. Bliss. Another favorite part of Fall is Halloween! One of my absolute favorite holidays! This is where my sketchbook is bursting at the seams, because I have filled it with many fun DIY projects to share. I can’t wait! Since I won’t be doing any craft shows this August and September, I’ll be working on those and I’m pretty excited!
This past Saturday night, Meghan, from Pleasantly Plump Knits, and I had a craft night together. We had such a great time each making a tote out of scrap fabric. We ended up chatting more than sewing, and we are finding out that we have a lot in common. I “met” Meghan back in December of last year on Instagram and found out that she was moving to Colorado with her hubby and two puggies. Once she moved and got settled we met up for coffee + tea (at Starbucks of course) and immediately hit it off! It was like I had known her for a long time and we just chatted about everything. Since then, we’ve found out that our husbands have a lot in common, too, which makes it even better! In fact, the fellas had a game night together while we crafted on Saturday. So cute.
Meghan and I chatted about Fall and some projects that we’d like to work on, which inspired me even more. I can’t wait for her to see the trees change, it’s truly beautiful. But until then, I’ll soak up as much sun as I can and hope that our boat is fixed in time to go out at least once on the lake before Fall. ♥rl
26
Jul, 12back in the swing of things
I just got back from Mexico, so I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things. Our 6 day vacation consisted of zip-lining, cave snorkeling, cave propelling, 4-wheeling, ruin seeing, and eating as well as swimming with dolphins, wild sea turtles and wild sting ray. We also saw lots of wild iguana, Coati, bats and catfish! We stayed in Play Del Carmen, but we traveled around to Akumal Bay, Chichen Itza, Tulum, Xel-Ha and The Jungle Maya. It was so fun to participate in so many activities which even included a Mayan Ceremony! Lucky us! We met so many fantastic people along the way and can’t wait to do it again! Here are a few photos of what we did and what we saw…
Day One consisted of traveling to Mexico, enjoying a fabulous Mayan dinner and finding this place (above). I came here three separate times for some chocolate goodies. The Spicy Maya Chocolate Ice Cream was my favorite! If anyone knows of a place in the US to get some, please let me know. Also, does anyone know if I can get Mexican Sweet Coffee in the States?!
Day Two started off with a tour of the Tulum Mayan Ruins just off the Gulf Coast. There were so many Iguana crawling around and the history was quite fascinating. We also had a chance to swim at the beach there just before we headed to The Jungle Maya.
We finished off day two at The Jungle Maya where we zip-lined through trees and into caves, snorkeled in caves with bats (the above photos is full of bats, but they’re difficult to see. The bottom arrow points to the albino bat), propelled into a cave, and 4-wheeled through the jungle. We also were invited to a Mayan Ceremony and meal. We purchased photos of this part of the day, so I hope to have those soon to share.
Day Three was spent at the Xel-Ha Natural Water Park (pronounced shel-ha). There we swam with dolphins, snorkeled, zip-lined, rope walked, hiked, saw manatee, and saw wild Iguana and Coati all over! Two full days would have been perfect to see and experience everything, but we managed to squeeze in a lot. Oh, and it was all you can eat all day!!! Needless to say, I need to hit the salad bar now that I’m back home… I’ll share the dolphin photos as soon as soon as I get them off of the disc.
Day four we traveled up to Akumal Bay where we swam with wild sea turtles and sting ray. It was so amazing and magical. The sea turtles have to be the sweetest creatures. We got stuck in a couple of small rain storms, but they passed so quickly that by the time you swam to shore, it was over. It was such a beautiful day.
Day five we were sweating up a storm at the Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins. It was seriously the hottest day of my entire life! The humidity is nothing like Colorado, so I had a hard time breathing at times. The temples were worth it though! So large and breathtaking. Oh, side note… the Mayan calendar was misinterpreted, so the world is not ending on December 21st. Mayans believe in a cycle and with that, reincarnation. December 21st is just the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. Yay! You can sleep easy again. After visiting the Ruins, we were taken to eat another Mayan meal and then we got to swim in a huge Cenote, called Ik Kil! It was about 82 feet below ground and another 82 feet deep! Inside Ron got to cliff jump and we swam with mini catfish! Such a cool experience!
Then day six we had breakfast, packed and headed home. We took about 2,000+ photos between our 2 cameras and each of our cell phones. We would be here all day if I shared them all, so you’re welcome for summing it up, hahahaha! If you ever plan to travel to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and its surrounding areas and have questions, feel free to ask! Thanks for taking a peek at our little adventure, and I can’t wait to share the next one! ♥r
16
Jul, 12{a list of…} to do
It’s Monday and that means that I have a lot of things to do before vacation. I’m not sure if I’ll have good internet access or not while on vacation, but if I do, I’ll post some updates. Here is just a little peek at what needs to get done… eek!
1. laundry
2. pack: swimsuits, sundresses, sunglasses, sandals
3. situate pets
4. buy travel snacks
5. charge cameras: Nikon, Kodak, and water cameras
6. charge iPad + iPhone
7. pack all chargers!
8. pack snorkels
9. print list of activities
10. pack magazines
11. take out trash
12. etc…
The list will grow, but that’s all I can think of right now… ♥r
15
Jul, 12{sunday best} sweet little bows
Dress + sweater by F21 | Faux Bois Glasses by Target
Sundays are simple days around here. The Mr. and I will usually watch a movie… or two and then take the Heeler pups out to play with their Dogzilla. Nothing fancy, just floating by and having fun. The Summer Horseshoe Market was yesterday and it was so nice to see some of you there. This was our first outdoor market together and it was just wonderful! I feel like we had a lot of space and we met a lot of really nice people. It was super hot, but still a great turnout. I think I’ll be back next year!
Next on the list is a much-needed vacation and then back to work getting ready for Fall/Holiday markets and shows. It’s pretty crazy to be thinking of Fall right now, but it’s a must in order to be ready. How about you, what’s on your agenda these days?
Sheesh, I’ve been so busy these days that I just realized that I need to paint my nails!! I’m thinking coral with one finger silver and sparkly… what do you think? I think it’s pretty beachy for a vacation. Anyhoo, the pups are hungry so I’m off for now, but I’ll see you tomorrow! ♥r
14
Jul, 12I’m Here!
The day has finally come for the Summer Horseshoe Market! I’m so excited and the weather is said to be great. I’ll be in Booth #29 from 9am-4pm, so stop on by and say hello. There will be over 100 vendors selling handmade, vintage, and more! Oh, and don’t forget the awesome food trucks!!! It will be at 4345 W. 46th Ave. Denver, CO 80212, in the parking lot behind Olinger Moore Chapel. For more information go to http://www.horseshoemarket.com ♥r
