How I do it ALL

Summary of what may (or may not) be a lengthy post...that may or may not be read by many people...who may or may not find it interesting...

I DON'T do it all...OR NOT "ALL OF IT" is getting done.
I can't tell you how many times I have heard recently, "How do you have time to do everything?"  
There is no quick answer to that question, so here is the not so quick version.  I am certainly not doing it all.  Here is a picture of my life right now.
Yesterday- 

• I woke up and took a shower while my amazing rockstar of a husband (insert this superlative anytime I refer to Brian) woke up Shea (my two-year-old son), took him potty, got him in his high chair, started Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to keep him company while he ate his pop tarts, fed our two dogs, woke up Patten (our six-month-old) and changed his diaper, laid him in his swing, and made him a bottle for me to feed him while Brian took a shower.  Summary: Brian got most of it done.
• After getting himself ready, as I finished feeding Patten his bottle, Brian gathered up all of the stuff we needed to take with us for the day.  This included: all of Patten's bottles he needed for the day, both of the boys' winter jackets, Shea's backpack, and everyone's lunches (that he had packed for us the night before).  Patten finished his bottle. Then I helped Shea put both of the dogs in their crates, give them their treats, and turn on the radio to ESPN for some sports-centered background noise.
• Side note: on more than one occasion, I have forgotten to secure the doors to their crates on the times that Shea shuts them before I get there.  Because of course, everyone knows a two-year-old knows how to latch a dog's crate without assistance. NOT!  The most recent time we came home to both dogs in our bed with no damage, but other times we were not so lucky.  One of the other times, our dogs decided to snack on our comforter. Not everything got done.
  
• My suitcase still lies open on my floor halfway unpacked from our Christmas vacation we got back from right after Christmas...something that didn't get done.
• First day back with my students since Winter Break-surprisingly no catastrophes.  I realized I actually missed those little stinkers of mine so it was nice to see them again.  I am getting to co-teach, or whatever the new term for what I am doing is, with a teacher I love who I haven't gotten to teach with yet, and I am pretty excited about it.  I had to confess to the students that I will be learning along with them.  I had to beg two different professors for Cs in both of my history classes in college because it is my weakest subject.  I almost got a D in 2 classes, and I am an A student!!! Bring on the high school history!  I think I will be learning along with them.  I had to share with my students that I am not perfect.
•  We got home and Brian and I split the "when we get home" chores pretty evenly I think.  Brian got the laundry started. I unloaded the dishwasher and re-loaded the dirty bottles and sippy cups.  Shea went back to his high chair for his afternoon snack and Mickey, which Patten has already developed a liking for.
• I got started on some of my sewing projects while Brian played with the boys.  I had to clear off enough of the table to make room for my project.  The organizing of the table and cleaning of the kitchen will have to wait.
• Brian made a yummy chicken and rice dinner for us.  I don't do it all. 
• I did an online video chat session with some other folks from the National Seizure Disorder Foundation.  It lasted a little over an hour.  During this time, Brian tucked Shea into bed. Sidenote: Shea is finally going to sleep in his own bed and sleeping there all night long until we wake him up in the morning!  What a long way we have come from the sleepless nights not too long ago.  By the time I was done it was time for Patten to have his pre-bedtime bottle.  Have I said how amazing he was, yet?
• Brian and I watched a Netflix documentary and went to bed to get ready for another day of the craziness.

Today-

• Morning looked much the same as yesterday and many days before.  :)
• School 
• Met Brian at Outback for dinner because we had gift cards.  Our boys were little angels, which they often are when we go out.  Patten stayed in his car seat in the sling and quietly looked around the restaurant.  Shea had fairly sophisticated conversations with us about how he pooped in the potty two times at daycare today.  I hope the older people behind us were not mid-bite when he decided to exclaim it proudly.  Then he shared with us his desires to be an umpire like his daddy.  Now he is at home practicing just that.
• As soon as I walked in the door and got settled I changed into my penguin PJs and Frozen sweatshirt.
  
• Remember how I told you he pooped in the potty twice while he was at school?  Well he did not gift us the same opportunity at home.  He decided the living room was the perfect place this time.  

Here is the moral of the story.  I have done some thinking.  I think judging from my posts about teaching, one might imagine I am one of those teachers that starts every day smiling and welcoming her students in with hugs, the one that stands at the front of the class and without a word draws all focused eyes and quiet mouths, the one who has her lessons neatly written in a lesson plan book, the one that has everything in organized little folders, the one that loves every minute of her job.  Sometimes I am some of those things...scratch that, I am only occasionally some of those things.  But I love my students, so there's that.

I think  judging from my posts about parenting, you may think I am mother of the year, that I read books to my boys all day long, that my house is clean and Shea's knows where each of his toys are to go at the end of the day, that they are both in bed by 8:30 and sleep through the night.  None of those things are true.  But I love those boys like crazy.

I think judging by my posts about sewing and crocheting, you may think,  "how does she have time for that?"  You may think I don't sleep, that I have a cozy little craft room with cute little cabinets to show off all of my quilts and fabric and yarn.  The truth is I don't have a craft room so all of my half-finished or only-dreamed-up-but-not-started projects are kind of taking over the house.  I have only made 2 blankets for our family.  I am too busy making fun things for other people.  I have the kitchen table half covered with my quilt-in-progress.  But I feel that what my yarn and fabric turn into are kind of worth the clutter.  They make me happy and make other people happy, too.

So here is the real truth.  Yes, recently I have been very busy.  I have made quite a few mermaid tails.  I have crocheted some hats and blankets.  My sewing machine has been busy making quilts.  And I have blogged on a semi-regular basis (but it doesn't take long because I don't take time to edit it, what you see is what you get).

I have done a lot.  But I have certainly not done it all.

PS-This post was inspired by a post I read by Olivia Muenter called What I Instagramed Vs. What Was Really Happening, or my Entire Life Is a Lie...worth reading for sure.

16 NOT RESOLUTIONS for 2016

I don't like the whole concept of New Year's resolutions.  I mean, I get it.  I know that people see it as as a fresh start, a chance to be a different you.  To many people, they see the end of the calendar as a chance to be a new person.  It is as if everything that happened before now is gone.  What happened before January 1st, 2016, never happened.  It is the year 2016.  Blank slate.  New me.

It may be a fresh start but it isn't a start over.  This year I will not be making New Year's resolutions.
If I was, here is what they would be:

1. Have a clean house every night before I go to bed.
2. Read through my Bible in a year.
3. Run at least 20 miles a week so I can run a half marathon in under an hour in the half Ironman relay this May.
4. Drink only 2 Cokes a week.
5. Have both of my boys tucked in for the night by 8:30.

None of these resolutions individually are outside of the realm of possibility.  However, I am pretty sure that, to accomplish all of these, I would need to be 3 people, I think.  I may be able to do these for a couple months if I worked really hard at it.  But somewhere in the midst of resolving to make these happen, I will lose myself.  Something would have to give.  For all of these things to happen, I would have to let go of other things that I love-time with my boys, sleep, caffeine, confidence, reality, and sanity.

Instead, I resolve to see the new year in a different way.  For me, it will just be a turned page.  All that I have written before with my life is still there.  The mistakes I have made, the milestones I have reached, the people I have hurt, the people I have reached, the times I have been lazy, the times I have overcome, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  None of it went away.  It is not a new chapter either.  It is just the turn of a page.  Another new day.  So from my heart to yours, HAPPY NEW DAY, my friends!

Instead of resolutions, I have created goals.  My goals are within the realm of  possibility.  None of them say "every day no matter what."  They are not destinations to reach, but things to reach for.  There is no opportunity to be hard on myself, lose confidence in my abilities, or feel like a failure.  They are just things I would like to focus on as I move into the new year.  So here  goes!  This year I plan to...

1. Be more positive and content with the here and now.  Those of you who know me well, or have read my blog recently, know that I have desires to move my life in a different direction.  Instead of focusing on where I want to go, I want to focus on where I am.  I love my life, right here and now.  Truly, I do.  I have my family and that is all I need.  Sometimes I am so focused on the fact that I am not where I am going, that I forget how good I have it NOW.  I would like to be content with the place God has me, now, while I look forward to where I hope I can be down the road.
2. Read and reflect on AT LEAST one Bible verse a day.  I think that almost every year since I first accepted Christ into my life, I have made my "New Year's resolution" either to read the whole Bible in a year, or to have a "Quiet Time" every day.  It didn't take too long to fall short of that resolution, which led me to feel like a "bad Christian."  That  whole "bad Christian" stuff is a lie from the devil, but creating and failing in my "resolution" played a part in me believing it.  I plan on spending much more time in the Word than I did last year, but reflecting on one verse a  day at the  will do wonders for my spiritual walk.
3. Make prayer a priority.
4. Perform at least one intentional act of service per day for my family.
5. Spend quality time with each of my boys individually so they each feel wholly loved.
   
6. Read one new book and one old book to my boys every day.  We do a lot of reading in this house.  Shea loves to read books.  However, he memorizes books VERY QUICKLY and has favorites that he wants to read over  and over again.  After trying to make room for new toys after Christmas, I realized we have a TON of books that we have never read to the boys.  So I plan on reading a new book every day to the boys before reading a book they have heard hundreds of times.
7. Work on my areas of weakness-forgetfullness, lack of focus, distractability, and absent-mindedness.
8. Be more accepting of my shortcomings.  I have a bad habit of beating myself up when I make a mistake.  I am even critical of myself when I do things out of my control.  Sometimes my medications or epilepsy cause me to say the wrong words, or forget what I am doing or talking about.  When I feel my mistakes are affecting other people, I let it get to me much more than I should.  I need to learn to shake things off and move on.
9. Complete at least one custom creative project, and one personal creative project per month.  Recently, I have been doing so many custom projects that I have not been able to complete any of the ideas floating around in my head for either my family, my online store (that I have closed temporarily due to the abundance of custom orders), or myself.
10. Train to run the WHOLE half marathon running portion of my leg of the Half Ironman.  At one point of my life, running WAS my life.  But that feels like a whole lifetime ago.  I ran competitively all the way up through college.  However, running hasn't really been much a part of my life anymore since Shea was born.  At the beginning of this school year, I was asked to complete the running portion of a relay half marathon race.  It is taking place in May and  I am just now getting back into running.  I don't have any time goal, but I do want to aim for running the whole race.
11. Drink less Coke than last year.  I have never even TRIED to stop drinking Cokes.  I know there is no way I could do that.  I love me a good glass or  bottle of Coke...mmmmm.  But I know they are not good for me.  So this year, I plan to drink less Coke than I did last year.  
12. Be more  organized.  I just wrote a whole blog post about this.  Go read it if you feel like it.  I thought it was pretty exciting.
13. Document my accomplishments. I think writing down my accomplishments will make me feel more positive and confident and proud.  I am going to do so in Milo...don't know who Milo is?  Go see.
14. Take better pictures of my work.  Believe it or not, those who don't know me or haven't known me for long, I once had a photography business.  I was pretty good at it.  I loved it.  But now I love a lot of things much more than I love taking pictures.  But I know from experience that taking good pictures of the things that I make will make a huge difference in the amount of sales that I make.  I have been skipping this step and taking pictures with my phone because I am too excited to take the extra step of taking good pictures to show off what I make.  I just take a quick snap with my phone and post it.  And oftentimes I have to write below it that it is even cooler in person than in the picture, or the colors are different in person.  I know I could sell much more if I had high-quality pictures to show the products just as my clients will see them.  Like these pictures that Lorie took of some of my blankets that are still
15. Have one month where my profit from my creative endeavors equals at least half of my teaching salary.  This is quite a lofty goal.  But my last goal is how I am going to get there.
16. Increase social media presence.  Some of you may not like this idea.  Some of my friends and my family may be a little tired of seeing my blog posts and pictures and crocheted blankets and quilts.  I get it.  However, if you are, now would be a good time to unfriend me.  My feelings won't be hurt.  But count on more of it in the coming year.  I am not doing all of these posts to make myself look better or to show off.   If that is the way it is coming across, I am  sorry.  But this is all just what it will take to get me from where I am to where I want to be.  My dream is to be able to make my side job into my job-job.  To get there, I have to put myself out there as much as possible.  So please be patient with me.  If, on the other hand, you like what you see, share it with all of your Facebook friends.  Pin my pictures on Pinterest.  Re-tweet my tweets.  Tag people on my Instagram pictures.  Make me busy.   Here is what last year looked like and what I want this year to look like.  And as I said before, these aren't resolutions, just goals to aim for. 

• Pinterest was my biggest area of growth.  Without focusing on gaining Pinterest followers, I somehow have 4,000 Pinterest followers.  Let me get this straight.  This does not mean that many people like my work, just that they like what I am pinning (it probably helps that I have 7300 pins, oops, don't judge).  For that reason, please pin and re-pin the pictures that you like from my blog.  The more you pin, the more people see what I make.  
• My goal is to increase my followers from 4000 to 10,000 by the end of the year.
• Facebook is where I get the most blog traffic from.  Most of my posts are read because one of you clicked on the link on my Facebook page.  If you know someone who would like my post or something I made, share the link with them or tag them in the post.  The more the merrier.  My Scrap Stash Studio Facebook page is something I have neglected.  I will update it more frequently this year.  When I do, I hope to go from 82 page  likes to at least 500 this year.
• I really hope to focus a lot on my blog this year.  I love to write and share my life with family, friends, and strangers.  My goal (not my resolution) is to write at least 3 posts per week.  I hope somewhere along the way I learn how to monetize my blog, but that isn't a must.  
• Here is an overview of my blog this year.  This year I had 5,685 views of my blog.  I averaged 470 views a month.  
• Here are the numbers for my top 5 most read posts:
• Work-in-Progress Wednesday (285 views)- This post focused on my Mermaid Tails that have been very popular.  This was the post that was on my blog when I received the most traffic.  This happened after Ginger Wesson (who has a very popular You-Tube Channel), shared the Mermaid Tail that I made for her.  
• Fed Up Friday (278 views)-This post was about my thoughts and feelings regarding the United States supreme court decision to allow same-sex marriage.  It was written while I was pregnant with Patten and therefore very emotionally raw and unapologetic.
• Sometimes Life is a Pill (210 views)-This post was about my journey with epilepsy and my quest for medicine that worked for me.  It was a story of ups and downs and real life.  It also drew extra views because it was featured on National Seizure Disorder Foundation's website.
• To teachers, moms, and  my high school crazies (209 views)-This was a post about the realities of being a teacher and the realities of being a mom who is a teacher.  I wrote this in response to a post from a mom writing to her children's teachers.
• Life in the Strauss House (133 views)-This is just a post about life in the Strauss house.
• There are two common themes in the top five posts on my blog.  I connected with people.  And I was real.  I think that is what people are interested in reading.  So this year I plan to make connections and be real.

HAPPY NEW DAY, my friends!

What are your GOALS or RESOLUTIONS for 2016?

We're still in LOVE

This wonderful man doesn't have a facebook so I can't tag him. But I have to share just how much I love him. I don't say this to brag but to tell you that this kind of love exists and not to settle for anything less. It has been exactly 5 years since this moment when he looked at me in this picture as I walked down the aisle. And he still looks at me like that. Five years after our wedding day we are even more in love than we were then. We first met in January of 2008 and look at us now. Back then we were just college students all wrapped up in giddy feelings and butterflies and "young love." Full of "I love yous" and "I love you more." And now we are parents full of the same things.
No, those moments are not as often as before. Now we have grown up jobs.  We have many more bills and I'm not talking dollars. We have a nonstop 2-year-old bundle of energy and a cuddly bundle of cuteness that still cries a lot. We have lots of dirty diapers and wet or dry pull ups. Bed time doesn't start when we are ready to go to sleep. We have two hyper dogs, lots of laundry, a load of dishes every night. We have lots of doctors appointments. Getting ready for work isn't a 20 minute process but now about an hour long ordeal. And there isn't anyone I would rather spend the madness with.
Because in the midst of all of the craziness, when our eyes meet it looks just like that picture. We laugh at the mess and roll our eyes and blow each other a kiss.
On a roadtrip like the one we are on now with a crying 5 month old in the back and a 2 year old trying to drown out the cries with his singing and having to turn off the music because it is just too much, he reaches over to hold my hand.
Life is still crappy sometimes. It gets hard and messy and downright sad sometimes. We get homesick. We get mad then we get over it. We stress out then realize it's not a big deal in the big scheme of things. Life isn't easy. It's not perfect. I'm not perfect. He's not perfect. But together we are perfect.

Monday Memories

How come we forget to say hi
Until we have to say goodbye
We always remember to snap selfies
But forget to capture true moments
I used to wonder if I was missed the moments
In pursuit of a picture
Until I searched for a picture of a moment
And didn't find one
And with those other pictures I scrolled through
The moments came flooding back

Like being almost perfect...make that good enough

 

Like our last Christmas at "home"

What running in a college meet felt like...a blur

The moment I knew he was the man I would marry

Yep, that was the one
HE was the one
Right there on a miserably cold hike
On a trail we were not supposed to be on

Walking down a bridge toward a future unknown

Learning what real teaching looks like

And wishing I could relive it again

Tasting victory for the first time in a while

Becoming a part of a new family

The family photo that wasn't complete without him

And will never be quite as complete again

Memories of front porch sitting

That time when he got down on his knee

And I said yes

And THIS FEELING

And TRUE DEEP stand-the-test-of-time-and-distance kind of friendship

And that first dance with THAT boy that won't be the last

Baby makes three

And one more makes four

But what about those moments not captured?
The ones that you can't quite grasp?
There is just a little taste
But you want more
Guess I need to take more pictures

My heart on your screen...

Deep sigh....Life has been crazy lately...and beautiful...and exciting...and sad...and fun...and entertaining...and inspiring...and long...and hard.

But life has also been beautiful.  

I have been blessed with the pleasure of making some pretty awesome quilts that I pray will bring warmth and joy for years to come. They have been fun for me and have given me confidence in my creativity while also lightening the strain on the wallet at the same time.  Making money doing what you enjoy is pretty cool if you ask me.

I have made some Halloween hats too. For those of you who have lived in a closet for the last several months the first one is Anna from Frozen. And for those of you who haven't read the world's greatest children's book of all time the second one is Max from Where the Wild Things Are.

I have taken my 17 month old son to the neurologist.  He is having seizures just like his mommy. His are pretty frequent, especially for such a little guy.

Turns out his seizures may be more far-reaching than we thought. So tonight we started our little one on seizure medicine and we are praying that the first medicine is the right one. I just hope that he doesn't have a year-long journey to normalcy like I did to find the right seizure medicine.  And we will wait until December for an MRI to see if this is just a bump in the road or a long uphill climb.  Either way there is no other people I would want to share the journey with.

That being said I am trying to find the right balance in being a wife first, a mother second, a teacher third, and chasing my dream with whatever I have left.

And what I have left has left me with this...2 Pumpkin Painting Parties...

Super fun no doubt.

Every time I show up at the studio, walk to the back of that diamond in the rough to pull the drawstring that turns on the old fluorescent light bulbs and welcome people in it warms my heart, no matter how many people walk in.  I love being creative with other creatives in a place that inspires creativity.  But every time I post a new event to the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/scrapstashstudio and add 120 or so people to the guest list and send out emails I dream of what it COULD BE.  I dream of the picture I have in my head.  I dream of trying to pack as many people in as can fit.  I dream of needing more than the 22 chairs I have in there. I dream of needing a waiting list and having the same event on multiple days because there wasn't enough room for everyone. I dream of having beautiful art from local artists exploding off the shelf one night then flying off the shelves not too long after when someone treasures their art enough to buy it and take it home.  I dream of a place that brings people together, that is an escape or a treat or a blank slate or a bright spot or a rest in the madness or just a little dose of happiness.  Let's make it happen.  I need your help.  Who's in?

1. Go like the page.  https://www.facebook.com/scrapstashstudio

2. EVERY TIME I post an event, click on invite at the top of the page and invite ANYONE AND EVERYONE THAT MIGHT COME and tell them to do the same.

3. Invite your friends...your family...your coworkers.  Heck, drag them if you need to.  They will be back.  Send emails, post a flyer, tell your team or church or neighbor or all of the above.

4. Come sell your art....and make money.

5. Come teach your craft or skill or talent...and make money.

6. Share your ideas and your preferences. I can't read your mind. I want to know what YOU dream it could be. What would you want to make or learn or do? What days and times work best (besides weekdays before 4:30 and Wednesdays...those are off limits) for you?

7. Let me host your party or event. I promise to make it everything you dream it to be and more!

So what do you say? Who is with me?

Seriously. WHAT DO YOU SAY? I can't hear you! Respond below or hit me up on Facebook.  See you or hear from you soon....or else!

To Do List Tuesday

Hello friends,

So my to do list includes getting things ready for the studio. I have been going crazy with the studio Pinterest page....go to http://www.pinterest.com/Scrappystudio/ and see for yourself. 

I am seeing all kinds of nifty stuff. I can't wait to get my hands on some of the furniture that has been donated to the studio and DIY it up. I want to paint, Modge podge, spray paint, sand, and go to town on some fixer uppers. I want to decorate the place with randomness. I will probably get started on that kind of stuff as soon as the keys to the joint are mine. If you would like to play a part in jazzing the place up before the grand opening, please let me know. I would love the company. And if you want to contribute old furniture or art supplies, by all means, be my guest. 

So there is my studio to do list.

My personal to do list includes...

Playing ball with my hubby and my little one

Sleeping in since tomorrow is a snow day

Playing outside with the two guys in my life when the sun comes out enough that the temperature isn't unbearable

Finishing the random stripe afghan I am working on so I can get started on the next one. I am super excited about it.

Inspire Me Monday

As I begin the adventure of starting this community art studio, I have made plans on how I can stay connected to all of my little Scrappers (see FAQ if you tilted your head to the side and made a funny face). I have created a tentative schedule to keep all of you posted on this little blog that I home to spruce up in the near future. Sorry it's not too easy on the eyes yet. The new schedule is as follows:

Sunday Showcase-introduce artists selling their work in the studio and make you wanna buy their stuff

Monday-see above

To-Do List Tuesday-the project I've pined to my Pinterest Page that I can't wait to do in the studio

WIPs on Wednesday-for all of us crafters this is works in progress

Thanks for the Scraps Thursday-a shoutout to devoted Stashers who donate to the studio and help this vision 

Finished Product Friday-art and handmade goods created in the studio whether for sale or for keeps

Meet a Scrapper Saturday-an artist who uses the studio, who they are, what they're about, and some of their art

This Monday Jordana Jaffe at www.embarkability.com inspired me...

I stumbled upon her blog when I found this image on Pinterest

This quote is very encouraging to me. It is exactly what I am planning to do.

What inspired me most was her honesty. She reflected over her year and laid it all out there...the good, the bad, and the ugly and shared what she wished next year to look like. So I will lead by example to show you just who you will be making friends with should you chose to make use of the studio. So here are the milestones that happened in my life between last December 30th and today...

1. January 5th-began volunteering at McKamey Animal Center where I helped shelter dogs find their forever homes like my terrier Roscoe and my pit bull CindyLu did. It has been a pleasure of mine and I made many friends in the process. With the new business and the new baby my volunteer days have been few and far between but that shelter, those dogs, and those people have a special place in my heart.

2. January 29th-painted my first pair of converse shoes and began to see the diversity I could use in my art. 

3. March 17th-finished preparing the nursery for my baby boy.

4. April 4th-I was a bridesmaid at my best friend's wedding

5. April 15th- went into preterm labor at 34 weeks but was able to stop it with bedrest

6. May 4th-decided if our little boy was born on the day of Kentucky Derby we would make his middle name the name of the winning horse...but only if Frackdaddy or Itsyourluckyday won...I was pulling for Shea Frackdaddy Strauss...Shea didn't come that day.

7. May 6th- Shea Elijah Strauss was born at 5:12pm three weeks early but healthy as could be

8. May 30th- got semipermanent blue ombré highlights in my hair...not a big deal...but seemed significant to me

9. June 27th- took a 14 hour drive to Texas to see my family...with an 8 week old...it was easy...he slept almost the whole way

10. End of July- beach trip with the fam

11. August 8th- my first day back at work and Shea's first day of daycare

12. End of October-flew to see my husband's family in California

13. December 6th-Shea's first visit with Santa

14. Shea's first Christmas!!!

Looking back it all seems like flowers and rainbows and for the most part it was. I have been so blessed this past year by the joys of motherhood and falling even more in love with my husband. But there were many tears too. Most of them were shed over the realization that I only have so much impact on my high school students as their teacher. I can teach them and love them and discipline them and encourage them all day long at school. But when they go home they go to an environment that is opposite of the one I try to instill at school. This led me to the vision of the community art studio. I want to create a positive environment for students and families to create things that build their confidence and develop their sense of creativity. I feel I can touch people so much more out of the confines of public education. I see it's value and have no complaints about the way things are done I just want to change the culture the students have after they leave the school.

I have also struggled with doubts about the studio and whether I can make it happen and still be a good mother and wife. But this is a calling from God. Of that I have no doubt. And over and over again God has reminded me that what he has started within me he will see through to completion. For every door that has been closed that brought with it doubt, he has opened one I wasn't even searching for. I have to continue to pray for confidence in my dream and the ability to be the wife and mother I was called to be first. Not to be cliche but I know that with God all things are possible, and I know he will provide.

New Years Resolutions-

1. God first, family second, studio third

2. Be more productive with my time.

3. Touch at least one life in a major way.

4. Broaden my creativity.

5. Help others find value in their individuality.

Happy Almost New Years, friends! 

What are your resolutions for 2014?