Best of 2011

Photo by Melissa Rodriguez Photography

Her.

Ellie Vivian.

She was the best thing that happened to her big brother Cole this year. The best thing that happened to us all.

Then Comes Paper Will Have a new Look Soon!

I have been putting off designing the new website for First Comes Love, Then Comes Paper. I was actually having trouble with the branding side of things. I have a few new projects up my sleeve, including collaborations with an event planner, a collaboration with a fellow Momma, and a few of my own projects. Mix that in with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and the birthdays of 2 of the. most. special. people in my life, and well, that just doesn't leave a whole lot of time for the website.

So this past week I got to do just that. And since not a lot of people read my personal blog, I thought it was just the place to show off what I have come up with so far. I am still looking for a web designer who is able to code it. My favorite one hasn't responded with a quote, and another one responded and wanted to take half of the credit for my branding (which is a problem since this conflicts with one of my new projects) and he/she also wanted to have the freedom/liberty to "design a new template based on the concept". Uh, how about not? And just to show fairness, I may have not completely understood his email but I my instincts told me to run. Run far, far away. So I'm still on the hunt. Stalling until I hear from Michelle.

But alas, the unveiling:

Curious to know your thoughts. Ideas. Suggestions.

Texas Girl Through and Through

I'm fixin' to tell you something about being Texan. Texan doesn't mean that I'm not educated. I may say "ain't" and "y'all" and call you "Sweetie" or 'Honey" and I might "bless a lot of hearts" and I might even "piddle around". I'll greet you with a big "Howdy" or "Hey Y'all". All soda pop is "Coke" and if I ask for "sugar" it means I want a KISS. I'm polite and say "Ma'am..." and "Sir". And if you hear a Texan say, "Oh, hell no!!" you'd better run. If you're proud to be a Texan then click 'LIKE' tab on my status. Then go up yonder and copy & paste to your status. :-). And P.S. if you don't know where yonder is then you ain't from Texas :)

Got this from a friend's Facebook status. Had to steal it!

2011 Chaotic Bliss

Wow! What a year! So many blessing bestowed upon us this year. So very much to be thankful for. Ellie-Bear is growing up so quickly. I am loving this chaos. It is my bliss. After a few tries, she's finally accepting grass as a part of her life. This photo was taken Nov. 5.

Ellie is standing on her own for short periods of time. Mostly when she's playing with something and preoccupied. Today, she took a single step. Then she fell. Gosh, where has my squishy, cuddly baby girl gone!?

Today was a special day in so many ways. I was presented with an unbelievable opportunity today over what was only supposed to be lunch with a new friend. Funny how things all just fall into place beautifully when we walk in His graces and quit trying to plan and control things.

My mom also came over today and left Ellie a very special gift. This little outfit belonged to my sister when she was a little girl. I cannot wait for Ellie to wear it proudly.

Cole is also growing so fast. He doesn't need me anymore to help him shower, or dress, or comb his hair, or brush his teeth or put his socks and shoes on, or put his seat-belt on and off. He doesn't even need me anymore for basic math. My sweet sweet boy can count to over 100, he can add numbers up until 20 (although that #15 is a tricky sneaky little number). He even insists he does "school work" every night.

Well, Little Man is insisting we watch some Christmas movies together right now. We love to watch Hallmark movies. He LOVES this time of year. What a special treat that it is such a special time for him already.

Dear Cole,

You used to get so mad when I would call you "Silly Goose". I have caught myself calling you that and then immediately have defaulted to "Goose" in hopes it just slips right past you and I don't get the whole "Mom, I am not silly!"

You haven't noticed and it's kinda become habit. So now you're just Goose. I rather like it.

Love,

Mom

Lighning McQueen, Sandwiches, and Tears - That's a Mouthful!

Dear Cole,

I am about to confirm something you thought all along about your Mama,...I am cru-azy!
Granted, it's very late. I am very tired and I am trying to tidy up for another day filled with love, and giggles, and cuddles from you and your sister. I looked inside your lunchbox to clear out the leftovers from school and marveled at how this silly little Tupperware box featuring Lighning McQueen made you smile.

I chuckled at how excited you were to take a sandwich to school today because you got to use it. Then I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised to see how much you had eaten. I was proud of you Little Man. You ate well today. And I got teary-eyed seeing your little bite marks in it.

I thought back at this afternoon and how I just might have seen some evidence of that sandwich on your face all afternoon. I couldn't account for what the smudge on your face was but I was ok with it because it meant you were having such a good time you didn't even bother to wipe it away. I imagined you eating that sandwich with both hands, and the sides of it touching your precious little cheeks as you bit straight into the middle of it.
Silly. Crazy. Weird. Emotional. I know. But I don't care. I take pleasure in these moments where I get to be so utterly and unabasheldy thankful for the life that is in you.
I love you all the way to Jesus. And the only love that is greater than that is His. That's a whole lotta love Goose.

Love,
Mom
(Mother as you have recently started calling me-this has to stop soon-but not too soon because I secretly like love it)

A Passion-Filled Life

When I met Will, we were in high school. I remember sitting on a picnic table with him outside my house. We had only been dating a month or so. I don't quite remember my thought process at the time but I remember just blurting out: "I think you should know that I plan to go to college and I plan to be a stay at home mom. So I need to know now if that is going to be a problem?" There was silence and  I was afraid I might have just scared that boy away.

Seven years later, I married that boy. Five years after that, I had my son. I was living my dream. I was the college educated stay at home mom I always dreamed of being. But still, I felt my life was lacking something. So we decided to have more kids. Infertility became a struggle for us again and I needed something to occupy my mind. So one Mother's Day, my husband bought me the Adobe Creative Suites. And so during the day I played mom, and at night until the wee hours of the morning, I played designer. Little by little I started designing for others.  Little by little I started making money.

Four years after my son was born and by the grace of God, we had our daughter. She wasn't even a week old when I felt pulled to go back to work {from home, and while she napped}. I had gotten a taste of entrepreneurship and passion-filled work. I had stepped into my potential and it felt great. But I was seeing a transformation I wasn't sure I was ready to make. Who had I become? I was abandoning the ideals I had had as a young girl sitting on that picnic table with her sweetheart. And what was worse was that it was by choice. Dirty truth be told, I felt that by making that choice willingly, I was abandoning my children.

It took me a long time and a lot of praying to to be okay with growing me. This quote kept going 'round and 'round in my head for months and everyday I wondered where I would be today if a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, I had taken a leap of faith.  

I wondered what would happen if I committed myself to a life of passion-filled work. I wondered what impact that would have on how I raise  my children. Would I be happier for it? Would they be happier for it?  So this past month, I took a huge leap of faith. I decided to put all my pennies into Making Things Happen for my business. For my family. I packed my bags, said goodbye to my Littles and my Big, and I headed to Pensacola, Florida to meet some ladies who were doing some extraordinary things in their life.

I have been hard at work planting the seeds to make some BIG things happen in my life. Some of it has already happened. Some of it is a work in progress.  I can't wait to share some more about my experience at the Making Things Happen intensive. I can't wait to share some of the things I am working on. But most of all, I can't wait to show my children how to live a passion-filled life.