Inspiration.

It was only a couple of years ago when I used to spend hours alone in coffee shops, reading, or taking long strolls around the city.. going nowhere in particular.
Just me and my thoughts.

And it was honestly one of the best periods of my life. I had a lot of time to grow, to try to understand who I was, to reflect on situations I'd been in, to breathe.. I guess I could say.

As you can probably guess, I don't get to do that anymore. I don't get much of a chance to read unless it's done at 2 am, and by then I'm much too tired. And I definitely don't get to spend time alone. It's a much more different pace and life than what I had then.

Even thought I do miss it, I wouldn't trade the life I have now for anything in the world.
Still, every once in a while, late at night when I do get a little chance to just sit back and relax with a cup of tea, there are three sites that I love to visit as a way to return to my little haven- even if only for a few minutes.


I Wrote This For You-

I Wrote This For You is a treasure trove of touching and inspiring messages. Words of love and loneliness, pain and suffering, hope and wonder. Words so intimate, that it almost feels as if each message is a letter written to you. Each post is accompanied by a photo, which is just as beautiful as the writing itself.




Tyler Knott-

Tyler Knott is a tumblr which also features writing and photography, all done by of course, Tyler Knott. Love seems to be a very reoccurring subject in his writing, but it's done in a way that the words convey very powerful imagery. You can almost see yourself becoming immersed in his poetry and feeling the innocence, the passion, and the longing that he writes about. Overall the site focuses on being happy and enjoying the little things in life, with beautiful photos on showcasing exactly that. It just leaves you with a good feeling. :)





Dad-isms: Things I've Learned So Far-

Dad-isms is another tumblr site that offers (and I quote) "A daily glimpse at what marriage, parenthood, and life looks like through the eye's of a loving Dad". It's filled with quotes and lots of fatherly advice that is pretty much useful in everyone's life.

pause.

cutie pie ♥

..carry on!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Happy 2012! Wishing everyone lots of good things in this new year. (It is our last year after all ;P I kid.. I kid..)

Well, hello! I must admit, I'm glad that the holiday festivities are over. ..I know, I'm such a party pooper. This past year was pretty tough though.. and it's hard when in our society, you're supposed to want to get together with family and be jolly, and I guess I wasn't really feeling it this time.

Maybe this year will be different and things will get better. :)

In November we went to Williams, Az to ride on The Polar Express! It's so awesome to be able to experience the book in real life! We arrived at the train station and as we boarded a train, the conductor punched our tickets. We got to enjoy delicious hot chocolate and cookies, and then there was a reading of the book for everyone to listen and follow along. The Polar Express eventually reaches the "North Pole", where Santa comes aboard and presents every child with their own bell!




(I would advise bringing some good, sturdy ribbon to hang the bell on!)

Here's a link to the Grand Canyon Railway's Polar Express site where you can see prices and ticket availability. There's a nice hotel and cafe right in the same area so it's all very convenient and it's a great place to take the family!

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The next morning, we got back on the road and drove to The Grand Canyon, which was about an hour away. We were all super excited with our cameras ready, only to arrive to this-

.....

Yeahh, we didn't plan that very well. The Grand Canyon was covered in fog and snow. In November. Meanwhile back home in Tucson, Az, the sun was out and the skies were blue.

Oh well! I guess that's just an excuse for us to have to go back and visit some other time. :)

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In other matters, SS in particular- I've been working on some projects but I think there's going to be a little delay in the production of anything new. I hate the thought of it, but there's a lot of uncertainty with a lot of personal things right now and I think it's best to see how they settle before moving ahead with anything else. Of course, my shops are staying open, items will still be stocked! So it's just a matter of seeing what happens. :)

Review of The Past Few Months

So I failed miserably at trying to blog. Ah well. I'm back at it again!
Honestly, it's been tough to keep up with a lot of things this year. I've got a little tornado at home that I spend all day cleaning and chasing after (not to mention she has something against naps).
*Almost* a year and a half later, and I'm still trying to get the hang of motherhood.. but it's been fun. :)


In June, my daughter Olivia turned ONE!
We had a simple birthday party at the park. The heat was unbearable.. but we ended up having a lot more guests show up than we thought we would, and it turned out to be a pretty big success! Anthony and I spent most of our time running around trying to tend to everyone, so I didn't really have the chance to take pictures.. but I did get a few shots.



We dressed Olivia up as Little Red Riding Hood (but it was hot out so the hood didn't last long). I made all of the decorations, including a piñata in the form of an owl.


In July, we took a family roadtrip to Ohio! With 3 little ones in tow, the 30-some hour trip seemed endless at times. It was really worth it though.
On our way to Ohio, we stopped in Memphis to visit Graceland.




Ohio was beautiful! Being from Arizona, we couldn't believe how green everything was! And we got to see fireflies for the first time! I can't wait to go back.






This past weekend, we visited the San Xavier Mission near Tucson, on the Tohono O'odham reservation. The mission is a spanish catholic mission that was founded by Jesuit missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino, and built in the early 1700's by local Indians. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.



Both the inside and outside of the church are beautiful. It's always a favorite place to visit.

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NEW!

SweetSurprises



Available at Etsy
or Artfire (No need to create an account to shop)!

New Buttons!

SweetSurprises

That's right! SS now has the cutest buttons in stock!
There are lots of designs to choose from, with new ones being listed everyday!

..And the best thing is, they're only $1 each!

Available at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetsurprises
and
http://www.artfire.com/users/sweetsurprises (no need to log-in to buy!)

40% off sale!!

There's a huge sale going on at our Artfire shop-

SweetSurprises - HUGE SALE!



Lots of items already on sale! Take an extra 40% off your order when you use coupon code "40OFF" during checkout.

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No need to create an account to shop!

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+Use coupon code SSOCT10 to save an extra 10% on orders of $10 or more in my shop!

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and don't forget to check us out at Zazzle.com!

Look for a personalized gift at Zazzle.