This is NOT me... bringing it back!

I know Mckmama hasn't really been doing the Not Me Mondays lately... but I miss it, so today... I'm bringing it back :)

Cause when you have three silly boys, there are plenty of things that certainly do NOT happen.

For example, my sweet babes Ty and Reese did NOT almost make me cry when they came in one morning with this play cake and said, 

"Mom, I made you breakfast in bed."

Nolan, of course, would NEVER proceed to come in after this with his own adorable surprise... 

a water-gun squirt right in the face. 

awww, how refreshing.

At breakfast, I NEVER allow Nolan to make a mountain of milk bubbles in his cereal...

and Ty certainly does NOT show of his quirkiness by only eating dry cereal with milk on the side, never mixed.

 

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Sometimes we go on super fun camping trips:

Where I definitely would NOT let my kids eat smores with filthy hands and faces... 

Nope, I am much too germaphobic for all that. 

And I would certainly NOT let my Aunt Gina 

braid Nolan's hair like a girl:

and I would NEVER take a picture of him giving 

me the dirtiest look a 5 yr old could muster.

But let's not forget the other goofy members of my family...

My Uncle Tim for example, does NOT get the "most thrifty" award this week, 

 

for making his own camping flip flops out of rope and foam.

But, he is in pretty tough competition with my mother... 

Who, 

 

after Reese took off his wet swim shorts and didn't have anything else to put on...

did NOT decide to make a temporary

pair of overalls out of a plastic Wal-mart bag.

(y'all know my mama, she thought this was hi.lar.i.ous.)

We celebrated my uncle Trav and my cousin Christy's birthdays:

.

We only had one cake, so we did NOT just pop a candle into a watermelon and...

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Happy Monday Y'all!  :)

FF: Do what you love...

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is 

having another link up for people to show off what they make!

My mom, my SIL, and I have a art 

studio and store in the Village of Stone Mountain called SAILOR STUDIO. We create enamel on copper decorative art, jewelry, and stained glass.

**Our ETSY store is here if you want to check it out. 

 We update Etsy as much as we can... but our brick-and-mortar store is our main mode of business :)

**Also LIKE us on Facebook! 

We are almost at 400 fans!  

(Which means it is almost time for another Giveaway! )

Many of the people that buy our jewelry are artists themselves... painters, potters, writers, musicians, crafters, and all other types of Creatives :) Our biggest compliment is when someone comes through the store, and says, "Wow, I love this stuff! It's so different!"  

 Simple wrap bracelets with our enameled charms.

That's what we strive for... creating things that you aren't going to see anywhere else. It isn't easy; there is a lot of really cool stuff out there :) 

(Fashion show peice- Anchored: Sailor Studio)

  

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Of course, dealing with the ups and downs of running a business while trying to stay in a creative mindset is sometimes difficult. I spend a lot of time working on the computer, trying to keep up with the book-keeping.... not my favorite thing to do, but at least we are staying somewhat organized around here :)

My SIL and partner in crime...

I try to get a full "art" day at least once a week. I am working on my first enamel wall hanging now- I researched all types of lily flowers and made my stencils. I am only on my second firing, but I am really loving it so far:

 

Our kiln has been on the fritz because the heating elements are old and we really need to re-coil the entire thing, but haven't been able to take the down time at the shop yet. So we have had to quick-fix it every other day- which is always fun :)

They say if you do what you love, you'll never work another day in your life... I am really starting to believe that is true :)

Happy Friday Everyone!!!

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Question for the Day (link up here):  

If you got a free pass (money, building, everything) to start your own business, what kind of business would you have?

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Some Lil Thoughts... about Babies.

Linking up for the first time with "pour your heart out" with Shell :)

Just to elaborate a little more on my last post.. 

If you have been around this blog or me over the last few months, you know that I have had some serious baby fever happening.

Now normally, when I start feeling ready to have a baby again, I barely get the words out and I am pregnant. I am sincerely thankful that we haven't had issues conceiving, but I do not look forward to the 9 months that follow blessed event.

Physically, they are a.w.f.u.l.

I get every. single. horrible. pregnancy symptom you can imagine (plus some you can't); from ALL-DAY nauseau, throwing up, tiredness, skin-issues, swelling, cramps (crazy leg cramps- the worst!), you know... all those super fun things. 

I have never felt like the joyful, jubilant mama-to-be. I usually just feel like a sweaty, sick rolly polly who almost immediately becomes as wide as she is tall. 

I can't church it up... it is just not a great experience for me.

But, I can get past all that... a beautiful addition to the family is worth it.

Still, there is something keeping me from jumping on board the baby bandwagon again.... there are financial things to think about, not to mention we are quickly running out of room at casa de bilsland.

But that is not really what is stopping me.

Honestly, I am nervous.

My pregnancies have been rough physically, but they have also been incredibly emotional and stressful as well. Each one came with ups and downs that I am not so sure if I ready for again.

My first pregnancy came with the shock of twins! I mean, serious shock. We were trying to get used to the idea that we pregnant after only a few months of marriage, but then you add the whole, "oh btw, you are having twins" aspect to it... took a little getting used to. 

After being on bed rest and being hospitalized for high blood pressure, we had the twins the week of Christmas... so, SO thankful that they were healthy and strong. While we were still in the hospital, we found out that my great grandmother had passed ... we weren't able to go to the funeral in Michigan with the rest of the family... and it made the experience somewhat bittersweet.

My pregnancy with Reese was uneventful in itself, but it ran almost completely alongside my granny's battle with cancer. At 67, she passed 2 weeks before Reese was born, and I just remember sobbing and being so mad that she wouldn't be there to meet Reese and love him and be part of his life like she was with the me and the twins.... that was something I remember the most about being in the hospital after we had him. It felt so strange not having Granny there... she was always one of the first visitors and always so excited for a new addition to our (very large) family.

Then, of course there was sweet Evie... I would never, ever take back a moment of my time with Evie, but I can not pretend it wasn't the hardest time of my life. I can't pretend that thinking about the possibility of something like that happening again doesn't make me feel very tired and a little anxious.

 

I pray about these feelings of uncertainty, and I know with all my heart that God is in control, and that He will take care of us no matter what happens.  

 I know this, and I would love to have another baby someday...

But today, 

I'm not sure if I am ready to start down that beautiful, amazing, completely unpredictable, sometimes rocky, road.

Today,

I'm not quite ready for this:

But... 

there is always tomorrow :)