just one of those things about my life.

i slept horribly last night due to some major anxiety.  i know that dave's job promotion is a great thing overall for us, but i can't help but be stressed and nervous about the changes in his work schedule and the amount of hours he will be away from me.  i might sound like a crazy, over-reliant person, but i don't really have any friends where we live and it gets lonely for me a lot.  i love staying home with my kids and wouldn't trade the time i have with them for anything, but that doesn't mean it's easy for me.  the friends that i do have all live so far away and i basically survive socially through the phone and facebook.  i've been told (more like lectured) numerous amounts of times (by way too many people) that i need to join a mommy group.  i can't really explain why i haven't, but something holds me back.  i don't particularly like where we live and do not see myself here for the rest of my life.  maybe that's it.  maybe i don't want any attachments here because i want to get out so bad?  hm.

sorry to start this post off in such a depressing fashion, especially after not blogging for the past 2 days.  i'm sure you all feel like hearing about my issues.

a couple things.

first off, i just wanted to brag a little bit on my husband.  he just received a big promotion today and we're both so excited!  i am so proud of him for working so hard for me and the kids.  i feel so much of the time that there's no way i deserve everything that he does for us, but i love him so much for it.  he's been promoted 3 times in a 3 year span.  it's really unbelievable that he's come so far!

secondly, i want to let you guys know that cat from anthrosdottir is having a fun giveaway! 

So go check out her blog to find out how you can enter to win.  in the past few weeks, reading her blog has become part of my everyday online activities.  her reviews are amazing and she puts a lot of time into each post.  so... check her out, okay?  okay.  :)

ruffly things. shiny things.

good evening everybody!  i've been trying to sit down and write this post all day, but my kids weren't allowing me to do so.  first, my daughter (averie) got out of her bed like 6594  times (slight exaggeration) while she was supposed to be taking a nap this afternoon.  then she was trying to be really smart and comes running out of her room yelling, "pee pee on bed!  pee pee on bed!"  So I'm like, "forget it kid... you're not tricking me into letting you out of your room.  get back in there and take your nap".  that's when a tantrum began, so i had to pick her up off the floor and carry her back (of course she did that thing where she  makes her whole body go limp, so she felt like she weighed like 50 pounds).  well guess what?  i get her in her room (flailing and screaming of course) and she starts yelling at me, "pee pee on bed!  see!"  I look down, and what do i see?  yes, a big wet spot right in the middle of her pillow!

so i dealt with that and then of course, my boy (finn) was sleeping, but the second averie falls asleep, he woke up and didn't go back to sleep until about 9pm.  in between all that, i was doing laundry, making lunches, spending time with my husband and making dinner.  i just got done watching The Bachelorette, and everyone is FINALLY sleeping so here i am :)

i also wanted to show some of my favorite pieces of jewelry.   each piece is very special to me.

it's a little banged up now because i've worn it a lot.  but this is one of the last pieces i made while i was doing my apprenticeship.  this ring was SO hard to make, just in the fact that there was no room for error as far as keeping every aspect of it perfectly symetrical.

my impala bracelet.  i made this too!  i love wearing this piece - it's so art deco, and i always get compliments.  this one, too, could use a really good polish.  haha!

and this is my favorite of them all.  my gold/silversmith master made this one.  it's my engagement ring.  the stone in the center is a true mandarin garnet.  it's a VERY rare stone and can only be found in 2 mines in the entire world.  i wear it everyday and love it more and more as the years go by :)

OH!  one more thing.  dave has a job interview at 9am tomorrow morning and we're hoping this will be the promotion we've been waiting for.  he's been on 2 interviews in the past 2 months, only to come in 2nd place both times, so we're hoping the 3rd interview is a charm!  i'll let you all know what happens.  this promotion would be HUGE for us.  we've been struggling a bit lately and could use a bit of a financial boost.

well, that's all for the day.  i hope you all are getting off to a good start this week.  goodnight!