So Many Things to Be Grateful For!

So, we recently went on a little family vacation to visit my grandparents, and my brother inlaw and his wife. An excellent trip. We visited Liberty jail, where Joseph Smith and others were wrongfully imprisoned during a bitter winter, and Adam-ondi-aman (it is the site where Adam and Eve lived after being expelled from the Garden of Eden and will be a gathering spot for a meeting of the priesthood leadership, including prophets of all ages and other righteous men, prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.)

I can tell you that the spirit is so strong in these places, and it truly is humbling to hear the stories of the early church and the hardships and persecution they went through and yet they still strengthened their testimonies of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, and the restored gospel. We watched the Joseph Smith movie, and wow, what a powerful movie that was, had me in hidden tears a number of times.

We truly loved visiting family. My grandfather is in his 70's and has more energy than I do! He saws down trees, pulls stumps, clears land, builds on his property, gardens and does so many other wonderful things I wish I could do. We ate the most amazing tomotoes that his 72 year old cousin grows. Oh my gosh, the tomatos truly define the fact that they are a fruit after all!

When we got home, we immediately went to the Breaking Dawn release party, waited in line until midnight, and then 20 minutes later, I was the proud owner of the novel. I read it, loved it (some disappointments, of course, but overall loved it) and am now re-reading it with my dear hubby!

My jewelry business has really taken off these past 2 weeks. I owe MOST of that to my Twilight inspired jewelry, so I will be sad when that fades, but I am still super excited and sooo blessed to have the sales that I do. I truly have the greatest customers and I owe so much to them!

Once I finish this novel, I will finish reading The Host, and then I plan on reading a friend's novel (in which the sequel is currently being edited now) called Upon Eagle's Light. I will post about that when I am done.

The burst of sales has only inspired me to streamline my business, become more creative and energy effecient, and take what I do more seriously, hoping to actually help donate some of my profits towards groceries or even rent. Like I said, so many blessings we have recieved this month. As we shift to a new phase in our lives, I am humbled, stressed, and excited to to expand in so many different ways. Look forward for new fun and exciting posts, new featured artists and tutorials, and new and yummy goodies in my shops! All in all, we have had an excellent summer filled with family and new friends, and I am trying to figure out if I should enroll in a class for fall... I better decide quickly, since the semester starts too soon (a kick in the pants after attending my gorgeous sister in law's college graduation on Saturday)!

Also, since I am in a lazy/busy mood today, I will post this most wonderous tutorial ever by this excellent seller, ByToni, who makes lovely and colorful quilts! The tutorial is found HERE on how to make handstamped cloth tags! Be sure you visit the rest of her blog, it is excellent and she is also currently doing a giveaway!