I announced yesterday that I am closing my BigCartel store at the end of December.

I had always wanted to sell handmade things online.  It was a dream of mine for years and years.  Once I got started, It was quickly revealed to me how much time had to go into it.  It worked for about a year, but as my daughter kept growing (they do that...ugh) she required more and more hands on time, which she will always come first.

I am grateful for the process though.  Since I gave it a good year, realized it wasn't quite for me in this time of my life, and a whole other world was presented to me.  I started researching and reading about normalizing breastfeeding, normalizing birth, and ways to bond with the baby and child while I was pregnant with Alabama, and fell in love with Doulas.  I fell in love with natural and gently parenting.  I also fell in love with being an emotional support to other moms and dads out there.  I did not have a Doula when I gave birth.  I do not regret it, however, I am excited to have a different experience next time (fingers crossed).

After tons of reading and contemplating, and meeting with Doulas through the babywearing community,  I decided to take the training course to start my journey into becoming a Doula. Now I am working on become certified through DONA, which will be a timely process, however, I am excited.

This isn't the end of my sewing projects, though.  I am a crafter at heart, and I am working on tutorials and gathering information for moms out there that are DYI-ers and money savers like myself.

Evolution is good.  Bring it on.

and for all you picture people:
Its the eve of my birthday.  I am going to be somewhere in my thirties.  I have to admit, its a lot more exciting being in my thirties than I had ever imagined.  When I was a teenager, turning 30 seemed forever away.  It seemed like an existence for someone who was super mature living a well established life somewhere.  I couldn't even fathom the thought of being this "old" back then.  Now that I am standing here, living it, for reals, I can tell you that my ideas were fiercely incorrect.  While my maturity level is questionable, I don't feel super "old".  I mean, I may or may not want to start getting botox (HEY- don't you dare judge me), but emotionally, I feel so much better today than I did in my 20s.  My 20s were spent so inward, so self focused, and so dramatic and crazy.  My perception of people was screwed up, and my perception of myself was just all kinds of wrong.  It took me YEARS, to break out of some of the habits I had.  Now, I feel like my tool bag for life is more filled with a working set, and I am able to use them accordingly....well, to the best of my ability.  ;)

Thank God.

^^^I wrote that yesterday...Now that it is November 13th, my actual birthday, I want to tell you that I had a great day.  I spent it with a friend and her 2 kids, all of whom I adore.  It was just another day, and it was
so sweet.

When I think of how my life was "supposed to turn out", its so far from it.  HAHA!  I was supposed to be an actress, or a famous pianist, or a hairstylist to the stars, or a bus driver (that last one was a dream I had when I was in kindergarten).  All of those things I really didn't want to work toward.  None of those things, I don't think, would have brought me to this moment.

This moment is pretty damn cool.

xoxo.Bree
this is me grabbing Minnie's ass by accident.