While reading over my about page I saw my “To-do in life” list that I have long forgotten about. I felt guilty that the list was both short and abandoned. At some point, some of the items on the list were very passionate dreams/ideas of mine and apparently I felt strongly enough to pursue a handful of them and check them off. And who has fifteen items on a to-do in life list? It made me realize how simple of person I am. I’m not entirely sure yet if that’s a good or bad thing but it certainly didn’t make me feel ok. Well, until it came to my attention that in the next three months, I will get to check off at least four big items on the list. First one being to plan my wedding.

Planning a wedding means there is the possibility of a wedding actually happening. That alone made my stomach do back flips. I mean, it’s really going to happen! I’m getting married! Which happens to be another thing I can check off my list come June. I’m scared and overjoyed that the same time. I’m going to get married, ya’ll!

I will also be lucky enough to go on a honeymoon to another country. I won’t say where were are going just yet but we thought it would be cool/romantic if our first vacation of any kind as a couple would be to visit outside of the country. I’m probably a bit more excited about having a passport than most people are because I’m late to the passport bandwagon (Which probably doesn’t exist but humor me).

The one that I didn’t think would ever happen in my life was buying a house and I guess you can say that I am really looking forward to it.

This summer is going to be so busy. This is going to sound a little weird but Josh and I wanted to purchase an old home. We were fully aware that there would be some work that would be needed but what we are blessed with is beyond amazing. There is so much exposed, orignal wood/woodwork, it’s incredible for a home over 125 years old. I’m not entirely sure what we’ll do with a four bedrooms and two baths but we’ll figure it out, I’m sure.  I’m looking forward to all of the projects we’re going to take on. My first big project I’m doing on my own is updating the kitchen. I can’t believe we’re going to buy a house!

I’m glad that I came across the list again. I look forward to adding to it and checking more of the off as I live through this journey called life.

It’s relieving that I finally have some time to sit down and relax. I’m counting down the days until my world can slow down and I can take a breather and start my new life and  new adventures. Until then, I’ll have to continue to endure what is my life at the moment. Here’s a quick recap of the past few weeks.

We did our home inspection - It was a little overwhelming to hear the inspector point out all of the things he thought was wrong with the home but after some talking down and getting in touch with family members who are contractors, we were assured that everything we needed done would be taken care of. The best part it that it will be done as wedding gifts and that takes a huge load off of my shoulders.

My on going battle with insecurities - When Joshua first proposed, It was the best I ever felt about myself. He chose ME. Out of all of his past relationships, he chose me to be his wife and that made me feel good. I didn’t fret about my appearance or weight but for some reason these things are bothering me again. I think it has something to do with trying on wedding dresses and figuring out what looks fit me. I can only pray that I began to appreciate myself again because it’s making the wedding planning a nightmare.

I sold my first children’s book overseas - As I type, a copy of my book is on it’s way to Australia. I can die happy now.

I’ve decided to start my own business - Joshua and I are really old-fashioned so, when it comes to discussing children, we both agreed that I should stay home. Now, having children is not in the plan anytime soon but I constantly think about having to give up a job that I love so that I can raise my children. Especially, since I worked so hard for a chance in my profession. So, after a long talk, we concluded that I should strive to start a business of my own. That way, I can work from home and still be as involved as I want to be in our home life. I really have a lot of respect for the working mom. I don’t have children but I couldn’t see myself raising them and working full-time away from home. It’s amazing.

I chose my florist - I honestly didn’t think we would be able to afford all of our flowers but Josh’s mom got in touch with a woman she used to teach and found out that she was a florist. So, we set up a meeting and she was able to quote us for all of our wedding flowers for a HUGE discount. And she’s does amazing work.

We took a day trip to our wedding locations - We chose  Milford Park Camp to hold our reception and the little church on the top of it’s hill for our ceremony. It was Josh’s dream to get married there because he’s been attending the camp twice a year since he was a newborn and we were lucky enough to rent the venue for dirt cheap. The campgrounds are incredibly scenic and green. When went this past weekend, it was enchanting and covered and snow. I can’t believe this is actually going to happen.

We’ll I have wedding things to attend to but I sincerely miss my blog and reading up on others. Hopefully, I can get back to it soon and thank you to everyone who continues to read. I truly adore you.

So, you’ll notice that the monthly list for March is long and the only reason why it’s not any longer is because I rationed my tasks so that I wouldn’t overload and die. We don’t really have a choice but to get this months list done. It’s not even an option. It doesn’t help at all that we JUST got a solid number for our budget. A budget that has turned my plans upside down. I have had to revamp, cut and compromise on everything I wanted. I will admit that it started to feel as if I was planning a wedding just to get it over with but this past Saturday I tried on my wedding dress and melted. I never in my life thought I would look so pretty. I just hope Joshua will agree.

This post is rather short but I’m really busy with all the wedding stuff. I hope you all will understand! I can’t wait until it’s all over and I can share it all with you!

Thanks for reading!

I started blog hopping to catch up and for some reason, the first thing that caught my eye were the love of animals some of my favorite bloggers have and that instantly sparked ideas in my head. So, I grabbed a pencil and sketch pad and drew while I had the will. Here are a few drawings based of some of my favorite blogs to visit.

The Awkward Turtle
Inspired by Cat @ Silent White

The Adventurous Panda
Inspired by Tiff @ Tiff’s Bloggy

;

The Barn Owl
Inspired by Liza @ 6 Birds

;

I hope these drawings are appreciated and they will probably show up in my shop sometime soon so look out!

Some comfort food in these stressful times. To sum it up, we won the bid on a house. House = Down Payment. Down Payment = No Wedding Budget. No Wedding Budget = No Honeymoon and Small Wedding which = Stressed out like nothing else. Stress = French Macaroons.

I’m not one to fish but I need some positive words people. I will love you forever!

Last month I started publicly showing my monthly list. It was a way to keep me motivated and active so that I don’t fall into a slump which has been incredibly tempting lately with all of the stress I’m going through. Before I go into this next month’s list, I want to go into what I got accomplished for January.

January

Finish our wedding registry (75%) – After 7+ hours at Bed Bath and Beyond and we still aren’t finished. Why?!
Finish a project with my Cricut Machine – I successfully made a paper flower with it! Yay!
Finish a project with my sewing machine – I’m just completely unsure of what to make. Any suggestions for a beginner?
Bake something new – I made peanut butter whoopee pies with a marshmallow fluff filling.
Cook something new – I made Fiesta Lime rice with corn and cilantro .
Finish Joe and Ana – I tried writing but I’m going through a major writer’s block.
Keep my hair down (17/31 Days) – I tried but the ponytail conquered.
Blog 5 or more times this month (6/5) - I had a lot to share this month =)

I actually got a lot more done this month as well. I got new copy of my birth certificate, renewed my ID, planned and reserved our honeymoon, bought our first round of wedding decorations, located a florist, paid off our venues, saw a couple more houses, did a ton of drawing and opened my Etsy shop for my art. I wonder what else I’ll get done next month.

Feburary

Finish our wedding registry
Finish a project with my sewing machine
Finish Joe and Ana
Start crocheting a throw blanket
Post a new recipe
Sell a print

I’m sure there will be more added to it later but I’m kind of giving myself a little bit of a break. If you have the time, please check out my Etsy shop. Thank you!

I drew this little squirrel while relieving stress. Lately, I’ve been passing my time with passport applications and house viewings. I’m needing lots of prayer. Thanks guys!

I write this post exhausted and discouraged. When I first planned to write this post, I was hopeful and I was pretty sure we finally found the perfect home. When I first began to write this post, I planned to write about how the journey to finding our home was an emotional roller coaster. Well, the roller coaster part hasn’t changed but I’ve grown increasingly less hopeful. Our perfect home does not belong to us. It now belongs to someone who saw the listing first. We were just one day too late to put in our bid. All I can bring myself to do is sit back into my seat and sigh. The search continues. 

It’s funny how things play out. I hold onto my faith that we’ll find a place someday, I do. When we first started looking, the experience was new and the first house we looked at, we were sure it was the right one. It was huge! And it needed work but that was ok because we were going to make it our own but then we got intimidated by the price tag of it all. So, we left our first love behind and looked for others. There were beautiful houses that were just too small and there were houses with just enough room but not in the best shape. Slowly, our search slowed down and we started to contemplate settling. We even revisited our first option but that sold the day after we decided to give it a go. It’ll only be temporary, we thought but then we found it.

It had green shutters. Hedges in the huge front yard. A working fireplace and a finished room in the attic that I quickly designated for my craft room. It had a huge yard for our spring gardening and a shed for Josh’s tools. It was even at the edge of the city so, we were in a nicer neighborhood but could still take advantage of public transportation. From experience we knew that houses sell fast. We called up our realtor and begged him to take a look at the listing so we could act fast. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to contact us back about it that night (I’m still not sure why) and the very next day we were informed that someone had put a bid on the house an hour before we got the phone call. Needless to say, we are crushed.

Now we’re back at square one. This time a little more broken and tired. A little less willing to get excited again. Yet we still want a home of our own. Well, the search continues.

When it came to the first subject of my challenge, Love, I knew I wouldn’t waste any time getting started. Love has quickly become one of my favorite things. I guess it’s really no secret. I based an entire children’s book on it and I can’t stop doodling hearts on everything that will hold the ink of a pen but naturally, this illustration was inspired by the recent events in my own life.

My wedding is fast approaching and mostly the only thing that fills my mind these days. Even when I tried taking a break from planning, my thoughts spilled into my other projects. That’s where the nuzzling birds come into play. For some reason, my wedding colors has inspired somewhat of a bird theme. I’ve looks at birdcage centerpieces and thought of maybe doing feathers instead of flowers for the flower girls. I can’t honestly say it was a concrete idea of mine until I sketched out my love birds. That’s when I knew the theme was here to stay. I wanted to start off grand with the first page but I’m happy with this sloppy and simple beginning. I think it’s more honest and less thought out. Even if it was the product of my love struck thoughts.

Well, one page down, sixty-three to go.

Before, I start this post, I would like to announce the winner of the Moleskine notebook. Unfortunately, I can only give one away because my future brother-in-law(who has down-syndrome) kindly asked if he could have one and I buckled to his sweet tone. The winner was picked by Random.org and the winner is:

Liza from 6birds.net 

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and encouragement! I will definitely share what I accomplish with you! 

Thomas the dragon was a very short Children’s Book story I wrote for my very first Children’s Book class. It was my first attempt writing a story for a young audience and I was very afraid to share it with my classmates when It was completed. While looking through my files I came across the manuscript and smiled as I read it to myself. It’s certainly not a perfect little story but it was the beginning of my journey in writing and illustrating for children. So, now, i’ll share it with you. Enjoy!

Thomas the Dragon

Copyright © Joy Mitchell 2011

It was 2 o’clock in the morning and Ana was still awake playing!

She jumped on her bed.

Then caught bubbles instead.

One minute she was a princess…

and another a dinosaur.

she ripped and she tore and let off a great big roar.

But then, her mother opened the door…

“Ana, what are you doing?” her mother said.

“It’s 2 in the morning! You should be in bed!”

“and what is this mess that you have made?”

Knob whispered to Ana “We shouldn’t have played.”

But mom it wasn’t me. I swear, I promise!”

Ana looked around the room.

“It wasn’t me, it was Thomas!”

“Thomas?” mom asked very softly.

“Yes,” Ana said.  “He thought it was funny.”

Mom sat and listened as Ana went on.

“He’s tall and green with a tail that is long.”

“He flew through the window but his wings! He couldn’t fit them!”

“So he stuffed his way through and the curtains he took with him.”

“He said he was a dragon, you see? And that he was a little sleepy”

“So he climbed into bed but it was too tiny.”

“He was very sleepy, cranky and whiny.”

“keep quiet!” I said “You’ll get me in trouble.”

“But he opened his mouth and out he blew bubbles.”

“A bubble blowing dragon?” Mom asked Ana.

“Yes, mom, bubbles. And They were blown in such a great manner.”

“Poor dragon, I said as I helped him lay down.”

“And off he went to dreamland and away went his frown.”

“That’s when I realized, dragons don’t snore.”

“They don’t?” mom asked.

“No, mom, they ROAR!”

Mom rolled her eyes “Well, at least Thomas sleeps. Now off to bed, Ana! Not a word! Not a peep!”

Ana climbed into bed and laid down her head. Fast to sleep she went, like a baby well fed.

Moments after mom closed the door, there was a noise. It came from the floor.

“Stop that, Knob,” Ana said. “Don’t you see what the time is?”

“Ana, it’s not me! It’s the dragon named Thomas!”

Ana hopped out of bed and couldn’t believe her eyes.

It was him! It was Thomas! She was so scared she could cry.

“Mom! Mom!”  she screamed as she ran down the hallway.

” I wont lie anymore! I will tell the truth, always!”

At the door her mom gave her a really big hug.

“Come on, come to bed. My little snuggle bug.”

So, that night, Ana learned her lesson.
In no situation does a lie fit.

Sooner or later, you’ll get caught in it.