we're alive!

dear blog,

i'm sorry i have neglected you so long.  i probably don't miss our frequent visits as much as you do, but i do apologize just the same.  things have been busy with working at 7 a.m. (25 minutes away) and Luke being out of town every other week.  i'm not going to promise that i'll do better or try to catch up on what has been missed... that just seems a little too daunting.  however, i'm checking in now, so hello and take care.

cordially,
heidi



dear everyone else,

i don't know if anyone even checks my blog anymore seeing as i haven't updated it in over a month!  just the same, we are well.  i start my higher paying job on monday, which is going to be such a help.  luke is still enjoying his work and may have an opportunity for advancement (and possible relocation, but more on that at a later date) this summer.  it's hard for me to be too excited yet, since it's still a way's away and we don't know anything concrete yet.  adelle is as cute as ever.  she's starting to put more and more syllables together and has a handful of words she says regularly (the most frequent is "hi," which she says to everyone, including strangers at the grocery store, etc).  i'm looking forward to having a card published in the March 2010 issue of Cards magazine, which comes out on the 1st.  I didn't realize it was a $20 (each month) magazine, so I'm glad they'll be sending me a couple of copies.  someday i'll be on the computer with the pictures when i think to update my blog.  i have some cute pics/videos of adelle being cute and growing up way too fast!  she looooooves mandarin oranges and peanut butter (not together) and is more interested in people than any toy we could  ever get her.  she dances whenever music comes on the tv/radio/etc and has started turning in circles as part of her dance moves.  she loves to tickle my feet and watch my reaction.  she thinks it's funny to sit on things, including me when i'm playing with her on the ground.  she still calls me "heidi" most of the time, but "mama" is showing up in her vocabulary more frequently.  she loves to drink out of a straw.  she loves trying to put clothes on herself.  today i gave her a cut up peanut butter sandwich on a plate and she successfully carried the plate from the table to the couch without spilling any of it (any parent will understand how exciting that is).  some mornings, we don't even know what time she woke up because she's playing so quietly in her crib.  she has started crossing her arms when she stands still (so cute).  the way she talks and babbles, she must think she's already grown.  she observes and seems to really understand so much.  she's wearing 18 month clothes and her 12 month PJs don't fit anymore :(  i can't believe how big she is!  i was looking through some of her newborn pictures yesterday and just can't believe how quickly the time has passed.  i feel like every day is slipping through my fingers before i even think to grasp it.  she is the happiest, most pleasant baby i've ever known and she truly is a blessing to our lives.  i may miss holding her in my arms as a newborn, but i am so excited to see who she will become.

i better stop before i get carried away (hah.. too late).  i hope everyone reading is doing well!!!  comment and let me know how you are!!

stuff and stuff

Last night Luke and I went to see Avatar.  I have heard a lot of different reviews about the movie, but I honestly loved it!  Yes, it is slightly Pocahontas-esque, but it didn't bother me!  I thought the story was extremely interesting, the graphics were BEAUTIFUL and the acting was good.  Some people have even said it is anti-American, but I do not agree.  I just think it is more about how it's easy to just take what you want when you have the bigger guns, so to speak... but everyone has a story and no one should be dismissed.  Maybe that's a stretch, but that's what I got from it.  Anyway, I can't imagine seeing it for the first time at home.  Definitely worth seeing it in the theater...

That's all for now!

i {heart} this face!

i{heart}faces is celebrating their first birthday with a special theme of "Best Face Photo."

 

I {heart} this face!  Only 2 days old and already so expressive.  It's hard to believe that she's already almost 14 months old!!!

Happy Birthday i{heart}faces!

p.s. i'm working on a normal post... soon!

pressing down on me...

i don't know where it comes from, but i feel this everpresent pressure that when i do a new post, it needs to be in-depth, insightful and of course loaded with pictures.  part of it is that i RARELY keep a real journal, so this is the main place i document all of the new things adelle does... i have a saved post that i'm still working on about all that.  maybe i'll finish it someday... with or without pictures.

today i just want to say that i'm tired.  there are some things in my life that have caused so much stress and heartache in the past 6 months and honestly, i'm just tired.  i'm so over not being able to afford the things we need.  i'm so tired of having a messy kitchen...even after i've seemingly JUST cleaned it.  luke recently got a great job and right now all i can think about is how tired i am of him being out of town this week (he should be home within the hour).

just a little (much needed) venting.  i'm done for now.  as far as positives:

(a yay list)

• My sister Kelly took me to see Wicked a couple of weekends ago and I LOVED it!!  We had a lot of fun!  It's been a long time since I did something fun with Kelly.  We used to hang out a lot.
• Adelle is a walker (runner practically).  More on that in the unfinished post, whenever I get around to it...
• I actually made friends at work!  We even hang out sometimes.  And we've had a couple of days off the phones the past couple of weeks, which is basically awesome.
• Luke found a great job with advancement potential in the very near future!
• We got library cards!  Yay!  I got this book for Adelle called "Everywhere the Cow Says Moo!" where it does the animal sounds in a few different languages... Adelle was just laughing hysterically the first time we read it together!!!  So fun.

Time to get ready for work so I can actually spend a few minutes with Luke when he gets home before I leave.  Happy holidays and all that :)

the past few months for us...

This is why I never know what to say when people ask me how my new job is going:

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-john-lim-scammers-ps-111709,0,4421927.story

This was on the news tonight (Monday) on Fox 4.

And wow, I need to open my mouth more when I talk.

Some Exciting News!

It's finally time for the launch of Heidi Stock Design!

Check out my website for many more design options - holiday cards, baby announcements, etc!

:) 

All designs are original and customizable.

Get your orders in early and save 10%!

family visit!

This week, Adelle had a great time bonding with grandparents on the Stock side!  They came bearing gifts for Adelle AND mommy and daddy (some of the best hot cocoa I've ever had in my life) and we all had a great time!  Adelle warmed up pretty quickly.

You'll notice her silly little doggy hat... this is from a Halloween costume (from her Aunt Gina) we were going to have her wear, but it's too small :(  So she's been sporting the doggy ears for the past couple of weeks off and on.  hehehe  She has even slept in them a couple of times and loves them!  Thanks, Gina!  Luckily, Adelle's grandpa got her a great Jayhawk dress that has now become her cheerleader costume for Halloween as well :)  It even has a little white turtleneck with "Kansas" written on the collar.  Very  cute.

Luke's dad has encouraged me to market the cards that I make.  I do enjoy entering them in challenges and what not, but that night I went through what I had and realized how many great cards I have that would sell great, even if they wouldn't necessarily be chosen for a publication or something like that.  So now I'm motivated!  I've been at my sister Lori's watching her girls/helping her out some yesterday and more this afternoon because she had to have an unexpected surgery (she's doing well... just not enjoying the recovery process).  Then I start a new job on Monday!  And Luke is going to be enrolling for classes at JCCC this weekend.

This week we're heading to my parents' house.  My brother Craig and his family will be visiting from Missouri and the church there is having a trunk-or-treat.  It'll be fun to have all the grandkids together in their costumes.  Now I just need to find the SD card for my camera!

Happy Halloween.  Be safe!

the importance of creativity/creation

Luke and I are home from church today -- he has food poisoning and I have a fever and chills.  Awesome.  Adelle's the only healthy one around here.  Since we're missing church, I've been reading talks from previous General Conferences and was reminded of this quote from an awesome talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the 2nd counselor in the General Presidency.  This was during the General Relief Society Meeting in October (end of September probably) of 2008.  Enjoy:

"You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before – colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter. What you create doesn’t have to be perfect… Don’t let the voices of critics paralyze you – whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside. If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it."

And here's a link to the entire talk: HERE.

thoughts and Cards Trends Blog

As far as the last post, I've decided to just be proactive. If I really want to have a relationship with the people I've been friends with in the past, then I need to be the one to make the effort to actually HAVE a relationship with those people.

Tomorrow I'm singing at a funeral for a 24 year-old man, who is the younger brother of a good friend from high school. His passing was very unexpected, so I ask that you all keep the family in your prayers tomorrow (Saturday) especially.

On a lighter note, I have a card featured on the Card Trends Blog today!  This blog is done by CARDS Magazine, so it gets a lot of traffic.  It's exciting that my work is starting to be recognized and showcased.  This challenge was to make a collage-like card, so I literally used scraps from another card to make it (with a few added things).  I was recognized for my overall design, but especially for my unique color combination.  Anyway, that was fun!

I hope everyone has a fun weekend!  Halloween is only 8 days away!

some days are just hard...

I'm not going to go into detail, but you may not know that my new exciting and glamorous job fell through. It's a long stupid story that results in me looking for jobs again. I got a temporary 2 month position that starts in 2 weeks, but beyond that, I'm looking. This of course has caused some economical challenges for us, but we're doing the best we can and are grateful for help from family.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine from 7th grade through high school got married. I found out about it from someone else's blog. Today I found out that another friend from elementary school through high school got married and apparently nearly everyone from our little high school group of friends knew about it. I'm not sure what to do with all of this information, but I am having a hard time with it. I'm not sure if it means that I was a bad friend after high school to not keep in touch as well as I could have or if it means that we were never really that close. This is aside from like 3 other marriages of friends in the past year that I either found out about after the fact or on Facebook. I know that my religious values sometimes left me on the outside of things, but it is just really upsetting. These are people I sought out when I got married to make sure they at least got an announcement. These days I don't really have any close friends who I HAVE to call when I get news, aside from my sisters anyway. Maybe that's the trade-off for having a close-knit family and a husband, but I guess I'm just not the type of person who can completely let go of a friendship, even if it's been a long time. I know I could've made many more efforts to see these old friends though, so maybe I shouldn't be so worked up about it.

Anyway, I just needed to vent a little. This evening Luke and I are going to take Adelle and just get out of the house for a little Family Home Evening. Location is TBD, but I'm excited to just get out and do something as a family, even if it's just window shopping or going for a walk!