Froggy Girl Designs

A glimpse into my daily life of crafting, frugal living, and being a mom!

Monday, December 31, 2007

Putting one year to rest

It's time to put 2007 to rest. We're four hours from 2008 in my neck of the woods and as I'm tidying up waiting for guests to arrive I've been reflecting on the year gone by. It's been a big one.
  • My husband got activated with the Army-a HUGE blessing because he had been layed off from his job a couple of months prior.
  • We celebrated our first wedding anniversary.
  • We had a baby, Wyatt who is now almost 7 months old.
  • We lost our house due to the financial misfortune of the woman we were buying it from.
  • I started my own business and am learning and growing in that respect every day.
  • We faced the beginnings of a long deployment for my husband, which gave us a taste of what other families go through for much longer every single day.
  • I lost my aunt, the woman I was closest to in my life-I still miss her so much every day.
Doesn't seem like much huh? When written out like that it really doesn't but it feels like so much more. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2008. I also want to thank each and every one of you who comes by and reads my ramblings, and takes time out of your busy day to leave me comments-it really means so much to me. And with that, company has arrived, Happy New Year!

Friday, December 28, 2007

And a Happy New Year


I've been absent, AGAIN, and I'm sorry. Bobby got home from Georgia just in time to do a last ditch effort at Christmas shopping and the whirlwind started. It's been an absolutely crazy two weeks, but it's calming down now. The reflection on the past year has started, and lists are being made for the year ahead.
First, if you're of the praying sort, will you please shoot a prayer up for us? Bobby got notice that he may NOT have to go back to Georgia for 3 months. There will be two of them left here for maintenance and the like, and as it stands now, Bobby is one of them. This would be a huge blessing for us! We're not counting our chickens before they hatch though, because things can change up until the last second. So thank you in advance for adding us to your prayer list!
The picture above is the older 3 boys Christmas morning at my parents house. As you can see, Nana and Papa went a bit overboard again this year. Overall I was pretty happy with the things they received, I put everyone on a strict "no made in China" toys rule and I think only a couple snuck through. We came in well under budget on our own gift giving which is a good thing.
Christmas Eve for our family has always included the church Christmas program, which is all of the children putting on a show about the birth of Jesus. There are recitations and songs, and it's a wonderful chance to worship and enjoy some of my favorite hymns. The older two boys have been participating the last couple of years, and they're just starting to hit the point where they have lines and I was so proud of how well they did. Next year Mattie will be joining in as well. Afterwards, we go to my parents house and my grandfather and step-grandmother come over to eat and exchange gifts. I don't get to see them very often so I love to spend that time with them. Also, this year, I feel really blessed that my cousin and her boyfriend are with our family.
She and I are only 9 months apart in age, and growing up we were the closest of all the cousins. When we were about 11, my aunt and uncle moved to Florida and we had no contact for quite a few years. Her mother moved back here a few years ago after their divorce, while she stayed in Florida. My aunt and I got really close, and she passed away earlier this year, the same day Wyatt was born. I've really been feeling the loss this season, I miss her so much but I know she's no longer in pain (she had been severely ill for many years), and is in a better place.
Heather (my cousin), moved back up here about 2 months ago. Life in Florida was very very hard for them, and they had made some bad choices, and were homeless, jobless, and hopeless. Right now they are staying with my parents, and turning their life around. They have made significant progress towards their goals, and I am so proud of everything her and her boyfriend are accomplishing. It was wonderful to have them here this Christmas, and we've been spending quite a bit of time with them lately which has been really nice.
I'm so thankful for all of my family, there was only one thing missing. My sister lives in Arizona, she's an attorney there and has been buried with work so she wasn't able to come home for Christmas. Instead, her and her long-time boyfriend took of to Vegas for a quick trip and got married!!!!!!! I'm so happy for her. She called right after the ceremony and you could just hear the joy in her voice. I wish her and Marco a long blessed marriage, with many years of love and laughter.
I know I'm rambling here this morning, and I'm sorry if it's boring. What are you reflecting on as 2007 comes to a close? I'll be posting my 2008 goals (no resolutions here, nosireebob) in a day or so, I would love to know what yours are!

Monday, December 10, 2007

While Daddy's Away...

Lest you all think I'm super mom (or some silly thing like that). Things are going fine, but well, I thought I'd amuse ya'll with some photos of how things are this week. Above is our lovely Christmas tree, decorated before Bobby left for Georgia. It's nothing amazing, but it's ours, and this is only the second year that I've had my OWN Christmas tree as an adult.


Now, this shot is what it looks like now, after the cats had a heyday in it the other night. They slept in it, they played in it, they chewed on it. And this is AFTER we "fixed" it. There was not one ornament left on the poor tree, we're still trying to find the missing ornament hangers for about a dozen ornaments. The cats have now been relegated outside for the duration of the Christmas season-they are NOT happy with me.


And then things like this happen. I STILL have not figured out how Wyatt managed to get stuck under the coffee table like this. But it was pretty funny! (I know, horrible mother laughing at my poor child and grabbing the camera before I relieved him of his prison) The good news is, Bobby will be back in 8 days. I may regain a little sanity by then.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

I'm still alive!


Hubby has been gone for 4 days now, and we're making it. Does anyone else feel totally lost when their other half is away? I'm very lucky that I'm being kept busy with the kids, Christmas preparations, and orders. I have done NONE of my Christmas shopping yet, except for one small thing for my sister's package which I got through a trade on Etsy. I am LOVING trading over there! I've just recently started perusing the forums and there are some really great people on them. I still have so much to learn about running a business, and the forums are a wealth of information. So if anyone has questions, pop over there and ask away-someone will answer!

That picture up there is our gorgeous boy of course. He is getting SOOO big. He is working on mastering the crawling thing completely and is just so adorable (not that I'm biased or anything lol). He is still nursing like a champ, and I am just blown away that he's almost 6 months old and still being nourished completely from me. I know for alot of people breastfeeding is easier than it has been for me, and for alot of people it's harder. After 3 failed attempts, I just feel so amazingly lucky that we're succeeding this time.

And this is my newest design. It's a CD wallet. This one holds 6 CD's, and has a foldover flap that closes with Velcro on the back. This turned out exactly like I had it in my head. I LOVE that! Getting the right interfacing and measurements right was the biggest challenge. I'm so happy with how it turned out though. Note to self: learn how to take pictures that AREN'T crap! I think that would help immensely, but well, I'll work on it.

I hope everyone is having a great pre-Christmas time. Do you have all your gifts bought yet? Or are you a "slacker" like me? (Said totally tongue in cheek of course!)