One down, ??? to go!! (Simply-Adorable)

As you can see, we have opened our new booth at Homestead Handcrafts in San Antonio! This was a really exciting time for us, because it takes a ton of preparation to have two full lines in several places at once. We had a July 1st deadline, and got in and set up on the 29th.


I think we did quite well for our first time... it's extremely hard to plan the set-up when your booth is 30 miles away! We did it in two trips, and I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we are glad to have it finished and open.


I had this realization when as I drove home... what if I have committed my self to paying this rent for the next 6 months, and nobody buys or likes our stuff? Then I took a deep breath, and prayed that God would provide for me and gave it all to him. I know that He will take of all the worries, if I trust in Him.


Later on, around 3:00 that day, the phone rang. This lady says, "Hi, I 'm in your store and I LOVE all this stuff! Are you new? I haven't seen you here before."

YAY, us!!!




Meagn working hard on our displa

3 months!!!

Only three months until we leave for Akumal! I am so excited... the pictures of the beaches and the town are absolutely gorgeous. White sand and blue water... what more could I ask for?

Words to Live By

Father's Day has been a little tough since my Dad passed away in 2003. His birthday is the 22nd of June, so it is usually a double whammy. I always end up buying Kevin one of those fun & playful cards from the kids, because it only takes a few of the sentimental ones to make me teary-eyed. I can't help but think of how much I miss my own Dad when I read them, and it's just too much to open those wounds again... a least for now.

Going through some of GG's things, I found his Bible. This was his rock, especially later in his life. As I examined the book, I found that familiar handwriting on a back page. My eyes welled as I read the things he said to me often...

• Put God first.
• Face sin and failure in your life.
• Keep your heart clean and pure.
• Guard your heart. Prov 4:23
• Git rid of all the bitterness and unforgiveness.
• Maintain your tongue.
• Renew spiritual strength daily.
• Live one day at a time.
• Act on God's promises.
• Let Him have your worries. IPeter 5:7
• Let go of your past- Your sins are not only forgiven, they are forgotten.

As I flipped through the pages of his worn, leather Bible, I found a small photo album carrying the pictures of his baptism. I know that he was a Christian and loved God with all his heart- he was a faithful servant and when the Lord called him home I know he was ready.

I told him I loved him, hugged him goodbye, and got into the car. The next morning he was gone...
Dance recital, 1984
Field Day, 1st grade
Before Disneyland when I was four

HOT, HOT, HOT! (Simply-Adorable)

This past weekend, Megan & I participated in Boerne Market Days. Overall we had a great weekend, but it was so incredibly HOT! With temperatures soaring up to 100 degrees we did our best to stay cool. Kevin installed two 'ceiling' fans in the top of our tent and it was truly a life-saver! By Sunday though, we were heat-delirious :)

Boerne is a really neat place... the merchant association there has done a tremendous job restoring the downtown area to its original beauty. There are so many neat shops & places to eat, it is a tourist haven. The market itself is a little different than what we are used to. Not everything there is handmade, so some of things lack the quality & originality of some of the vendors in Gruene. (Though we do see some familiar faces there)

As you can tell from the pictures, we do have a grassy floor & a level area in which to set-up... a HUGE plus. Our booth is also a 12x24 and is considerably larger than in Gruene. The downfall? No shade! Without our beloved tree, our booth sits in the middle of market with no natural shade to help keep us cool. Needless to say, should we decide to return to Boerne this summer, a different booth with a shade tree is going to be a must!!!

Look What I Can Do!

Well, this week finished off the girls' swim lessons at Schlitterbahn...

At first Maya was terrified, but as they days went by she slowly warmed up to the idea. We ended up buying her a "warm belly" wetsuit because she froze in the pool. She doesn't have much fat on her bones to keep her warm, so the wetsuit did wonders in keeping her body temperature warm. After that, she did great! By the last day she was jumping in the pool and going under water. Not bad for a first-timer... and for being 3 after all!

Rain made much progress as well... She swam laps with the kickboard and really got the idea of what she needs to do to swim. Though she is still hesitant about deep water, I don't think it will take much time at all for her to figure out that swimming is swimming reagardless of the pool depth. I plan on practicing with her this summer so that she can really enjoy herself in Akumal. She loves to swim under water (just like I did when I was her age) and I think that with a little confindence she will swim like a fish in no time!

Parker enjoyed haning out in the pool while the girls were in classes. Julie was really nice and let him swim with the group even though he wasn't officially signed up. (He graduated from the program 2 years ago). All in all, it was an enjoyable and (almost) painless two weeks of learning to swim. I do have to say that I'm looking forward to sleeping in a little longer next week (LOL)!

The Land of the Lost

This week has taken much out of me... Since I have added a new Market and two new stores to the business, I have been very busy sewing. My seamstresses now come two days a week and we can still barely keep up! I feel very blessed for the success, but sometimes it just totally wears me out!

To keep me on my toes, we finished off the week with a garage sale. It was definately bitter-sweet... much of the furniture and personal items belonging to my grandmother have been in our garage for over a month now. It was a terrible reminder of her sudden death on April 19th. She was like a mother to me, and was the keeper of my childhood memories and family history. Since my father passed in 2003, all of this now falls to me as I am the only one left. A strong realization that hit me as I unpacked and priced her things. I take comfort in knowing that she is happy again, reunited with my Dad and Grandpa and of coarse her Lord and Savior. But I do still feel a deep, lingering sadness within. I know that this will ease as time passes, but for now I aim to keep busy and enjoy a fun summer with the kids...

So, after the sale on Saturday, we took the kids to see "Land of the Lost" and it was such a treat! We don't go to the movies that often, and since it was Maya's first time to be in a movie theater it was really fun to watch her watching the film. Rain also had her moments of surprise with dinosaurs jumping out and chasing the characters. Though it has some adult humor, we think the girls are too young to really get any of it, and it was just enough to make Parker almost fall out of his seat with laughter.

As for me, I thought it was pretty entertaining, but I am easy to please in that regard. I was just happy to see ol' Kenny Powers (Danny McBride in Eastbound & Down) back in full effect. Overall, it was $22.50 well spent and a fitting end to an exhausting week.