OMG!

Ok, so maybe it's just me, but I LOVE handbags, purses, totes, whatever you want to call them! So it's fitting that I should have a Thirty One Gifts business! Well let me just tell you. I LOVE THE MINI ORGANIZER!!!! This is the most Darling little organizing bag! If you have a catalog or can view it online, it's on a few pages, but the one I purchased for myself is on page 9 of the catalog, shown here with scrapbooking supplies. This view is of the small pockets, but the other side has a larger pocket on the outside that you can put monogramming on. I got my initials in red and it is adorable. So now I need some suggestions as to how I can use this. I first thought Pampering Kit!! My nail polishes, files, manicure stuff would be great in here, but then it's just going to be tucked under a cabinet and lead a lonely, miserable life, especially since my nails hardly EVER actually get painted! So my next idea was a little knitting bag! So cute for putting your yarn in the bigger middle pocket and all your tools around the outside. Except I still have a baby blanket I started when my sister was pregnant, and now my nephew is almost 3 and I still haven't finished it. Scratch the knitting bag idea. Ooh! Mini diaper essentials!! I could keep baby products around the outside and dipes/wipes in the big pocket! But my baby is almost 2 and potty training already! hm...what to do. It's too cute not to carry around with me and show off!! I could use it for kid crafty items to take in restaurants and entertain them with, but then it becomes my children's bag and I want it for ME! My little Sarah Murray saw it yesterday and said she wants one for her birthday. She actually wanted mine, and I love her enough I might have given it to her, but it has my initials so that saved me from being guilted. Cheri, I'm buying you this with Addisons initials for her nursery. LOOK at it in the back of the catalog and tell me which fabric you like (organic flower, organic flower, organic flower...) and tell me her middle name so I can monogram it for you. You can keep in it the living room to hold extra diapers, wipes, creams so you have something small and handy around the house. Trust me, you'll get real sick of running her into the nursery and using that changing table every single time you need to change her. Right now I have a little basket in my living room with dipes and wipes for Dylan and I never ran upstairs to use the changing table! So this would be perfect for you! My treat! Just tell me what you like. We also have coordinating diaper bags and accessories (see page 28, 29 online catalog!) I would love to set you up! I don't have a baby girl to buy for!
So give me suggestions people! I don't want to dirty it up with gardening gear!
Love it!!

Thinking of you!

The day was long today. At one point I felt like a cat, soaking in the sun's warmth and stretching out on the deck. I sat, eyes closed, listening to all the kids playing out back, laughing and enjoying each other's quirkiness-a rarity around here lately! I smiled at Dylan, my not-quite-yet-2 year old as he attempted to squirt the big kids with his toy water gun, and remembered my own childhood. Much of what I remember of my childhood will never make it into this blog, but that's okay, the best parts are much more appropriate anyway. Lately I have been finding myself marveling at how quickly we grow up. As a child, the days are long, summers never-ending, friendships easy to make, and sometimes just as easy to leave behind. But now I realize just how slippery and wily this adulthood thing is, sneaking up on me while I was busy riding ponies and laying on beaches, unashamed of my bikini-clad self.
I think the memories that I am most fond of are both heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. I remember endless days of summer, running through corn fields at my grandparent's house with what seemed like a clan of cousins and siblings. I remember playing cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, and creating theatrical masterpieces in which I would force my family to endure both as actors and audience. My Grandmother would give us each a quarter or two and walk us, like Julie Andrews through the mountains in The Sound of Music, up to the General Store where we'd buy candy for ourselves, Miller Lite for her. Don't judge, she was babysitting 6 kids all summer long and keeping up a farmhouse! I'm surprised we didn't make that trip twice a day! But I think of my cousins, Cheri, Kenny, Jason, JR, and my sister Mandy and myself and how close we all were then. The lot of us all squished in with my grandmother on hot summer nights in her queen sized bed watching Bewitched and making up ghost stories about the 100 year old farmhouse we were sleeping in. I remember being scared to death when my cousin JR would trick me into going down into the basement where the furnace grumbled and then run back up the stairs, locking the door and laughing like a hyeena at my screams until Cheri would come like a firecracker and free me. Girls against boys, right? It still feels that way sometimes, doesn't it?
And now I have to ponder, how did we evolve this far? How is it that I am a mother of 3? When did this happen?! Next month I will be celebrating my 9th wedding anniversary. My little sister now has 2 children, and my baby cousin Cheri is getting ready to have a baby herself! I am warmed by this, yet saddened with the knowledge that we have all lost so much. I haven't seen my cousins JR and Jason since Cheri's wedding, like 2 years ago, and even then - so much awkwardness! Little Kenny is a grown (young) man right now, and I can't even remember when I last saw him. Probably at the same wedding! Growing up, moving away, getting married, having babies. Gaining so very much and being so very blessed, yet feeling so very heavy-hearted.
I'm thinking of you all tonight. More importantly, I'm praying for all of you tonight. Cheri, I love you and know that you will be a wonderful mother.

Some Thoughts...Scary, I know!

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."Proverbs 14:1 (NIV)

I read this and wonder which of these women I have been today. Was I the wise woman, building a strong foundation for my family, my children, myself? Or was I the foolish woman, tearing down the bricks of that foundation that I've worked tirelessly to build?
Truthfully, I believe I was both. I found myself reaching beyond my comfort zone this morning and gathering with other women I don't know very well to provide Logan and Dylan with some great playtime with children their own age. This was greatly enjoyed all around!
And yet, I fought with my oldest son today over frivelous things, missing an opportunity to show and teach patience and instead taught impulsivity and anger. I made a lovely dinner at which we all sat around the dining room table with candles lit and marvelled at how much our "baby" Dylan has grown this last year into quite the "little boy", sharing laughs with my husband and children. And yet, I neglected to pray with my family before eating. Neglected to show them my own desire to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed, and sat pridefully, as if anything I have, I have earned without His grace.
I come to the conclusion that I was BOTH women today, was both women yesterday, and will probably be BOTH women tomorrow as well, though I will try a little harder each day to build more than I tear down.
And now, since I still have a few minutes left in this day to enjoy with my children, I will cuddle with them, read with them, laugh with them, and most importantly, Pray with them.
Good night...

Family Fun this summer

So if you're like me, you are loving these last few days of warmer weather. A hint of what's to come! So now's the time to start thinking about all the fun family activities you can enjoy! Picnics, afternoons at the lake, evenings watching the sky for constellations. There are so many ways you can enjoy this upcoming season without breaking the bank to do it! Kids don't need you to spend anything but time to make their day special. Grab a soccer ball, football, or bat and ball and head to the local park for an afternoon of fun. Little ones can kick around a ball or hang out on a picnic blanket with some toys and you can get some active play time in with your older children. Consider a hike at the local park (Reedy Creek has some great trails) and hit the nature center for an in-depth look at some of the animals you could run into out in the woods! Got a weekend? Plan a camping trip! Pitch a tent in the backyard if you have to and build yourself a little campfire with smore's and snacks! Add some good friends and it's a camping party! Get creative this season and before you know it, it'll be time for school shopping again! Then you can call me for your new lunch totes! Enjoy your upcoming weekend!

Be a Hostess In March and Earn Extra Rewards!!

Hey Everyone! I'm looking to fill up my calendar for March and earn my company incentives so I am offering an extra reward in addition to the already great Hostess rewards to anyone able to host a party this month!! This is a great way to get extra savings! An ADDITIONAL $10 off any item on your order when you book and hold your party this month!! Get the girls out and get your Mother's Day shopping done!!

Spring is Blooming here at Thirty One Gifts!

I'm so EXCITED about this new Spring catalog and all the great new fabric styles Thirty One has to offer this season! In fact, this catalog was the deciding factor for me in choosing a career with Thirty One to begin with! This is a fabulous company to work for, and our motto "celebrate, encourage, reward" is so very true! I encourage you to take a moment out of your busy day to encourage, celebrate, or reward someone you love. Today for me, it was spending an afternoon with my boys after a busy week. Cuddles and hugs all around, and lots of "I love you best" to each of them! I hope that this blog will act not only as an update on our latest products and sales, but also as an uplifting moment out of your day. I hope to be able to post daily with Family Fun tips, Recipes, notes of encouragement to you, and also a peek into my crazy life! I hope you enjoy this site and check back in often for a daily dose of Sunshine! Now get off the computer, go kiss your husband (or wife), hug your children, or make a phone call to an old friend!