dear February,

You've been a good month.

Some of my favorite moments?

Celebrating our first Valentine's Day married.

Going on a real date together.

{true story, we were never allowed to go on dates

by ourselves before we got married.}

Spending weekends together.

Finishing the Couch-to-5k program.

Stitching up pretty projects.

Opening my shop on Storenvy.

Celebrating a birthday & a baby shower.

Starting a quilting class.

Drinking lots of coffee, of course. ;)

Hoping February was a great month for you, too!

What were some of your favorite things about this month?

a blog break, simplifying, and being sick.

source

{aren't these flowers cheerful & gorgeous?}

Not posting anything last week wasn't my plan, but it was a needed break.

Sometimes you have to take a step back to be inspired, you know? 

*****

I've been working on new lovelies for the shop, and I'm excited to share!

I just need to finish up a few things, take some photos, etc.

I'm hoping to get it all done in the next week or so...

*****

My go-to breakfast is coffee & peanut butter toast. Yum!

*****

I've been reading Hayley's The No Brainer Wardrobe,

and I started cleaning out my closet last week.

I have SO many clothes that I never wear,

and I need to simplify my wardrobe.

We'll see how it goes!

*****

I spent most of Saturday with my mom & sisters-in-law,

taking a mini road trip to another sister-in-law's baby shower.

We had a fun time, and I even won one of the shower games...

I get pretty competitive when it comes to games. ;)

I love my husband's family, and I feel very lucky

that they all like me so much, too.

*****

Yesterday I started coming down with some kind of head cold,

and it's making me feel yucky. Hoping it won't last long...being sick is no fun!

I hope your Monday is a great one!

truth.

{source}

I read these great Truths this week, and they really spoke to my heart.

Just wanted to share with you this morning...

The Truth is, apart from "abiding in Him" - living in constant, conscious union with

& dependence on Him - I cannot do anything of spiritual or eternal value.

The Truth is, it is impossible for me to be the woman He wants me to be

apart from my spending consistent time cultivating a relationship with Him,

in the Word & prayer.

((from Lies Women Believe, Nancy Leigh DeMoss))

be mine, valentine! {valentine's swap}

happy valentine's day, everyone! 

I got to take part in Caroline & Alissa's Valentine Swap this year,

and I'm so glad I did!

I was paired with Ashley from Sugar Mama Bakeshop.

She sent me a fun little box of goodies...

I got a sweet valentine card, a DIY cupcake for 2 kit (similar to this),

adorable cupcake flags & even a Starbucks giftcard!

{she's good, obviously.}

It was so fun to bake up my own little cupcake yesterday!

And to eat it, of course... ;)

Ashley, thank you SO much for the goodies.

So glad I got to "meet" you through this swap!

Be sure to check out her blog & shop while you're at it...

hope you all have a lovely valentine's day! xoxo! 

couch to 5k {finished!}

It is such a good feeling to finish something.

Yes, I'm still a pretty slow runner,

but I feel good because I made it through,

I pushed hard, and I jogged for 30 full minutes.

I'm happy with what I've accomplished. :)

Thank you so much for all the encouragement

over the past 9 weeks! It means a lot to me.

organizing my threads.

I love having a bunch of pretty embroidery floss around to stitch with,

but it can turn into such a tangled mess!

I saw this idea on Pinterest & knew I had to give it a try. ;)

So I spent a couple of hours on a Saturday doing this...

{all of my floss + miniature clothespins}

{I labeled each clothespin with the floss number

in case I need more of the same color.}

{and, done!}

My threads don't get tangled,

and they look so pretty in a mason jar!

a birthday gift.

It's no secret that I really love giving handmade gifts.

I feel like it just makes it extra special & personal!

One of my nieces is turning 2 this month, 

and I wanted to make her something special.

Alison suggested this cute plush alphabet,

but I think I'm going to save that idea

for another niece. ;)

I did manage to find the perfect gift in my One Yard Wonders book,

a quirky & cute little stuffed bear...

Adorable, right?!

I hope she loves it. :)

What are your favorite things to make

for the littles in your life?

*****

a little shop update :: there are now some pretty new bloom brooches available!

what's in my bag.

a little peek into my purse...

purse from Thirty One

wallet from Target

coupons + such

pens + pencils

chapstick, softlips

red velvet cupcake lip gloss

gum

ponytail holders + bobby pins

hand sanitizer

Tylenol

Gussy pouch

Do you carry a large bag or a small one?

I'm currently carrying a smaller one than usual,

which is good...because otherwise I fill it

full of stuff & it gets heavy. ;)

an exciting announcement!

Hello lovelies!

I have a fun little announcement for you today...

Petunia Blooms is now open on Storenvy!

I've been working on this behind-the-scenes for a while now,

and I'm excited about the new possibilities.

I'll be adding even more pretties as soon as I can get them finished,

so I hope you'll take a minute to stop by & check it out!