Engagements are a Treasure

"Most of our life is a series of images. They pass us by like towns on the highway. But sometimes, a moment stuns us as it happens. And we know that this instant is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment, every part of it, will live on forever." -I can't remember where I got this quote.

A year ago today, I got engaged! 

Michael and I right after I said "Yes!"

So much can change in such a small period of time; a year, two years, a month, a day, even an hour. A life can be forced to change in the blink of an eye. And a person can change, in so many ways, during the space of a heartbeat. 

I have definitely changed since meeting Michael, I have become more of the person I was meant to be, and I am so blessed to have him. 

"As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment. And then, the moment was gone" -John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men."

The moment we got engaged was wonderful. It was perfect for us. 

Sadly, it wasn't perfect for everyone else. 

The day I got engaged was not an altogether happy one; once the moment was gone, the world came in. It came in harshly, and it came in fast.

I wish I could remember the day I got engaged as being filled with love, and happiness. I wish it could have been an untainted memory that I could cling to when things got hard.
But I have Michael, and believe it or not, that makes everything better.

Our engagement was filled with the most stress I have ever felt in my life (not due to wedding plans, those were easy) and even though I had to find out who my real friends were, who really trusted me to know what I wanted, and who respected my decisions -even with all of that, I would not change anything. It was all worth it. He is worth it all.

I know where my Heavenly Father wants me to be, and that is right here, with Michael. 

I love being married to my best friend, it is so fun! 

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for.
Our engagement story!

He took me on a picnic, we ate on the hill by the Provo Temple (It was a special place for us). Michael read me a story, "The Frog Prince" and talked about how our love was like a fairytale 

He had his guitar with him, and he sang me a song he had written for me 

Then, he talked about the symbolism of rings, having no beginning and no end, he compared that to us, and our relationship. He distracted me as he got out a ring from his pocket, it was a promise ring his father had given his mother.

He then asked me to be his wife, for time and all eternity

Of course I said yes :-D

Later during our engagement we looked at rings and he got a feel for the ones I liked. I didn't see my ring until he put it on me when we got married, so during our engagement I wore the promise ring, and another ring he got online to "look more official"

He is so cute!

This post is really long, so another time I'll have to tell you the story of when I proposed to him ;-)

Memorial Day is a Treasure

I was reading a post on one of the many blogs I follow, and I think you all should check it out. It is a beautiful post about Memorial Day over at Make Mine Beautiful 

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After I read that I just wanted to share it with you all.





And here is a wonderful message from President Thomas S. Monson


I hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. What are your plans?

Long Weekends are a Treasure

It's Friday again! Who's ready for a long weekend? I know I am :-)

If you're new here, feel free to look around. This blog is a place for me to store my thoughts and the treasures I find, as well as the jewelry I make.

If you follow me, I will follow you back, just leave a comment to let me know. :-)

Does anyone have any fun plans for Memorial Day? 

I want to go on a picnic. I think that would be great fun.

I got some patriotic things from the dollar store, I didn't see anything that was about the fallen soldiers, but they'll still be in my thoughts, and their families in my prayers.

Pretty good for a dollar store, huh? The one across the street from where I live is pretty much amazing.

I'm linking to these parties in the hopes of finding cool new blogs and making new blog friends.

Have a fun and safe weekend everyone!

Making Jewelry is an Unorganized Treasure

As I'm sure most of you know, I've been making jewelry. 

I plan on opening an Etsy shop, probably after I finish the jewelry for my friend's wedding. 

And, you're all going to be customers, right? :-)

I'm sure anyone who has ever made jewelry can tell you that it gets messy. There are so many little parts, and sometimes it's hard to keep everything contained. 

I use one of those plastic shoe boxes to keep everything in, and I try to keep the original packaging so that my small pieces won't get lost in the mix. But it gets hard.

This is what it looked like last night as I was finishing the bride's earrings.

Scary, right?

So, today Michael and I went to Lowes where we got these little drawers that hold screws and small tools, and from Roberts we got a thick Styrofoam board to hold all my finished projects. 

My own little work station! I love it!
And it's even complete with a sombrero ;-) which will probably be moved soon

Now I can keep everything organized! My jewelry supplies will now be easy to get to, and easy to clean up.

This is going to make life so much easier.

Some of my Thoughts

Who here likes Glee? I know I do!

I watched an episode last night on Hulu. In this episode Neil Patrick Harris guest stars and talks to the Glee club. In a nutshell he tells them to write on paper a dream they have, a dream they want so badly that they may even be afraid to it admit to themselves... 

have you thought of one? 

After the students all had something in mind, he basically told them to crumple it up, because it would never come true. No matter how hard they work or prepare he said to forget about it, because they will fail.

I know that it is human nature (or at least my nature) to doubt ourselves, to think we can't do certain things. Sometimes I believe so completely that I can't do what I want, that I don't even try.

This.Is.Not.True.
It can be a hard journey, getting to the point where you honestly believe you can do whatever you put your mind to, but in the end, it is worth it.

The hardest part for me, was seeing something come so naturally to (what seemed like) everyone. Everyone, but me. I had to accept that I have my own talents, my own things that come to me naturally. They could be as easy as being able to speak in public, reading out loud, listening, holding a conversation and making someone feel loved. Even if your talents don't seem as apparent as those that belong to other people, they are yours. And that makes them special.

Another thing I had to realize, is that we aren't limited in what we can do. The limits we have, are the ones we place on ourselves. We can develop more talents. It just takes time, time and practice. Time is the key element that I didn't want to consider. Sometimes, I can be very impatient.

Not being discouraged when things take longer for me, is something that I am still dealing with.
But I'll keep at it, and I hope you do too.

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in the lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is real. It is possible. It is yours." -Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged"

Exciting News is a Treasure

You guys have been so supportive of my jewelry making endeavors that I had to let you know about something awesome:

Last night I got my first customer! 

A friend of mine from Michigan is getting married and has asked me to make her jewelry, as well as the jewelry for her 5 bridesmaids and 2 flower-girls! I am very excited.

She sent me a few pictures so I could get an idea of what she'd like, and now I'm going to go for it

I'll post pictures of the jewelry once it is finished :-)

You guys I am very excited!

If anyone wants to purchase any of my pieces let me know, I plan on opening a shop or something once I get a little more refined. Also, I can custom make things as well 

Here are a few more earrings I've made:

Well, that's my news :-) Is anything fun and exciting going on with you? 

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Fridays Are A Treasure

Happy Friday Everyone!

I love weekends. I love being able to relax and not worry about work -even though sometimes work will invade my dreams... Speaking of dreams I had a weird one with Alec Baldwin, Jim and Pam from The Office and my sister-in-law. But, that's for another post.

I'm linking to a few Friday Follow Parties, so if you're new to my blog, just let me know -I always follow back. 

This blog is a place for me to stash my thoughts and the treasures I find. Also, I've just started to make jewelry, and you can check out some of my work here and here

I promised my followers that I would inform them of the fun plans I had a few weeks ago, but I forgot decided to wait and tell you now instead :-) 

We had a Murder Mystery Party! I know! Awesome. Everyone dressed up like their characters and had a blast! Michael and I played the same character together (I won't tell you who in case you play it) and we turned out to be the killers, which I think means we were awesome.

 The party was a 1930's theme, I think I did pretty good for getting my costume from Savers an hour before the party :) The hat reminds me of this 1930's hat

Michael, getting ready. Isn't he cute?

The suspects...

This weekend Michael and I are going to a baseball game, and his 5 year High School reunion. It will be fun! It would be more fun if it was a Cubs baseball game, but you do what you can.

What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever you do, I hope you have fun!

I'm linking to:

and 

Developing Talents is a Treasure

As I mentioned before I have started to make jewelry. 

The picture quality isn't the greatest, but I do what I can :) here are my latest pieces:

I tried lots of ways to tie the ribbon... but I didn't like any of them as much as...

This. I am really proud of all my jewelry, especially this necklace.

I am really pleased with how much I've learned! And, my earrings are all even now ;-D

Whenever I see a piece of jewelry I like I've been challenging myself to figure out how I would make it. By doing that I've learned a lot, and added quite a few things to my list of things I want to make :-)

So, what do you think of my designs? Do you have any suggestions for me, or challenging designs I could try and figure out? 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day if you have a mother.

Happy Mother's Day if you are a mother.

Happy Mother's Day if you have lost your mother.

Happy Mother's Day if you have lost your child.

Happy Mother's Day if you will someday be a mother.

No matter what your situation is, I hope we can all have a wonderful day filled with great memories :-)

"Because I feel that in the heavens above, The angels, whispering one to the other, Can find among their burning terms of love None so devotional as that of 'Mother.'" --E. A. Poe

I'm the baby facing the other way

Etsy is Filled with Treasures

I love to window shop at Etsy! 

I find so many wonderful things, I wish I had all the money in the world so I could buy some of these treasures. 

So, I thought I'd share some of these treasures with you all. We can all wish we could buy them together.

These Rosa earrings are adorable, as is a bunch of the jewelry sold at Forevermore Creations

This Blue Lace necklace is from one of my all-time favorite sellers, JoyMadeJewelry, I think just about all of her stuff is on my wishlist. She is super helpful and friendly, she sells kits, and she even shows you how to make her designs on her blog. 

These Glamour Earrings are one of the great original designs from JoyMadeJewelry

This Arden necklace is all sold out, but I like to pretend I'm wearing it sometimes. Sold by RachelleD

This Vintage Napkin Holder would be perfect for my apartment. I love it. Sold by Colerz4 she has a fun little etsy shop filled with vintage things

I saw this Anatomical Heart Locket on my sisters blog, I had to share it with you all because even though it's kind of gross, it's also kind of cool. Sold by Heronadornment

Probably my favorite etsy store is my sisters, Made in the Pitts. She has wall art and handmade checkerboards, like this Red Peacock Checkerboard 

These Set of Three Frames are just some of the treasures that are Made in the Pitts

Hope you liked these items! are you craving some of them like me? I have many more treasures that perhaps I will link up another time. 

Which etsy item was your favorite? Do you have any you want to show me that isn't on my list? Feel free to leave a link in the comments :-)