I dream of journals.  I dream of a really beautiful, expensive, perfect pen and a blank page.  I think my problem lately has been that it’s just about the blank page though.  I have struggled to actually put things down – where do I start?  I finally started my scripture journal thanks to the ridiculously amazing Red Headed Hostess.  Seriously – she is downright INSPIRING.

I’ve decided to just pick topics that I really want to learn about and dive into every scripture on those topics.  My first topic is patience, because Lord knows I need patience more than anything.  Parenting might come so easy to others, but it doesn’t to me.  I know I’m not a bad mom, but I know I’m not the best.  I struggle with patience and am grateful to know that there are many books, scripture verses and Ensign talks that will help me become what my children deserve….. an extremely patient mother.  Don’t get me wrong – I’m not so impatient my kids are unhappy… it’s just I’m not as patient as I would like to be.  AND the #1 google search that brings people to this blog is “Being a mom is hard.”  People, being a mom isn’t all rosy flower petals…. sorry!  If you happen to think that it is then you are living in denial.  It’s okay to admit that it’s hard.  It’s okay to admit that you need to better yourself ALWAYS when it comes to parenting.

I went on a little trip and chose to listen to inspiring things instead of music on my trip.  I got so much out of everything I heard, but one thing has stuck in my head so strongly – our journals, library and pictures are some of the most precious treasures that we can leave behind.  How true is this?  If we spend our life trying to learn and grow and find all sorts of quotes, scriptures and philosophical things that help us in our journey, then sharing it with the generations to come is the best thing ever.  SO – I have a new goal… I’m determined to complete a set of marked scriptures and a completed set of journals for each child of mine.  I feel like I will know in the end which scripture and which journal belongs to which child.

Something keeps coming up in a lot of my readings: who you surround yourself with is who you will become.  I keep finding quotes like this in almost everything I’ve been reading.  My favorite one is from Oprah {who I have never watched on TV except when the Twilight cast was on… weird huh?}

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”

I almost felt like God was trying to say something to me.  I sat back and thought…. I’m pretty happy with the people I surround myself around…. but then I started thinking about people I don’t hang around.  People I should be reaching out too, but instead found myself JUDGING.  YES, I found myself judging people I really don’t even know.  Even more interestingly enough is that I was judging these people right along with people I was surrounding myself around.  So, here’s a big AHA moment – if your friends are judging other people and you find yourself doing the same thing right along with them then are these friends that are more than likely going to lift you higher?  HECK NO!  These types of friends are going to be judging you on everything in your life and probably talking about it with another one of their friends {that they are judging}.  It’s sortof a vicious cycle.

I am REALLY focusing on who I am surrounding myself around.  My absolutely most favorite book EVER {The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews} says this:

“I will choose my friends with care. I am who my friends are. I speak their language, and I wear their clothes. I share their opinions and their habits. From this moment forward, I will choose to associate with people whose lives and lifestyles I admire.”

Can you get any more deep than that?!  These are the little golden nuggets I want my kids to read about and apply to their life.  I’ve always been highly selective on the people I allow in my life – and people sometimes think I’m stuck up, but that’s not the case.  Unfortunately, sometimes my friends choose to be friends with people that I see as a person I would never admire nor want to be like so I choose not allow those people in my life.  I hope that my children will choose the people that they surround themselves with, because I want them to only be around people who will lift them higher.

It’s official!  The {etsy store} is up and running and I couldn’t be more excited!  There will be  a lot more added over the next couple of days, and things I’m so excited to be offering!!  If you missed the prior posts on what I’m doing –

It’s no secret that I’m love photography, and pictures – and I don’t think that it’s too big of a secret here that I LOVE LOVE LOVE QUOTES!  I’ve decided to team the two up together and start an etsy store offering things like this

and this

Basically, I’m offering custom work to take your pictures and turn them into a piece of art with words that are dear to your heart to last a lifetime.  I envision these art pieces being past down generations and truly cherished.

I will also be doing custom work with just words and no pictures like this:

and custom cards and announcements kindof like this one

These are just things I’m so passionate about and I truly enjoy digital art and designing.  So now I offer my work to others through my new etsy store{Quotastic Beauty}.  The products that I’m offering are so sentimental and personal and make the best gifts if not for your own home and soul.  I created Quotastic Beauty to take memories to a completely different level for my clients. I want their pictures to tell a story to keep alive for generations to come.

I will be offering one of my readers a $50.00 gift certificate to my etsy store!!  Here’s what you need to do –

Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would like to have from the store for your entry.

Additional Entries:

• Become a follower of my blog {Enchanting Havoc}
• Follow me on twitter
• LIKE Amanda Garibay Photography’s {Facebook Page} {This will be the same Facebook Page for Quotastic Beauty}
• Tweet about the giveaway!  You can do this once a day through the duration of the giveaway.  Copy & Paste this tweet: Come win a $50 gift certificate to the new Etsy Shop Quotastic Beauty by @EnchantingHavoc http://j.mp/rmG82l

Make sure for each additional entry that you leave a separate comment.  GOOD LUCK!!!!

I really wasn’t in the mood to blog about yesterday.  Not because I didn’t have 110 million emotions flowing through me, but because I just didn’t have the words.

One question that I know gets asked a lot in people’s lives is “Where do you see yourself in five years from now?”  Had you asked me this question 5 years and 2 days ago I would tell you that I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now.  I had dreams, I had plans and 5 years and 1 day ago on September 5, 2011 my baby died.  She left me and went to heaven.  The plans that I had changed, and changed real quick.

Yesterday we sent our annual balloons to heaven and I held Ella in my arms as we watched them float up into the sky.  She asked me, “Where is Mya, Mommy?”  How do you explain to a 4 year old little girl that her sister died so that she can live her life with us?  As we watched the balloons float into the sky I told her the story of Mya.  I told her the story of how not only do I now have a baby girl waiting for me in heaven, but I have a beautiful, perfect, amazing little girl living with me right here on earth…. thanks to Mya.

I’ve gone through my healing process and I’m okay.  But I love her, and I miss her, and this is something that will never change.

I wish I had a picture of my face right after I passed my accounting final with flying colors and realized that I was DONE.  No, not forever, but for the term!  I have three weeks of fresh air ahead of me.  LOTS and LOTS of projects are being planned with the littles and a REALLY big project that I am so ridiculously excited about that I can hardly contain myself.

My little Miss Aliyah is already 9 months. I think it’s painfully hard for me to process this.  I’ve been drooling over the few pictures I edited from her 9 month pictures.  I have a few more to do – story of my life when it comes to editing!

She’s addicted to food this one and her little rolls on her thighs tell the entire story without me having to go into detail.  And her face? I can’t kiss it enough.  Her cheeks are squishy and her double chin is delicious!
I’ve been going through one of those inner growth spurts that I love to go through so much. I’m really weeding out a lot of negativity and working REALLY hard on not only what I’m thinking, but what I’m saying.  I’ve been searching for this Ensign talk about having the voice of an angel or something along those lines.  It talks about not talking bad about anybody and speaking how you would speak in front of God.  I may be a tad off on this, but this is basically the jist of it and if you know what talk I’m talking about PLEASE leave a comment and let me know.

When you read these words how can you not just realize that our judgments on our friends and acquaintances is uncalled for?

“You know my name, not my story. You know what I’ve done, not what I’ve been through.”

My story will never be your story, and you will never have to walk my journey.  That is the beauty of LIFE!  God has put us all here to journey through our own trials and grow in our own ways.  Sadly, we’re all too busy down here worrying about each other’s journeys.  I think we as humans fail to realize that our salvation isn’t dependent on each other’s.

I recently was having a conversation with an acquaintance of mine and cringed through our entire conversation.  She goes to church and thinks very highly of her little family, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a positive thing come out of her mouth.  She put all of her energy into talking bad about all of the people in her life including her husband.  I sat there thinking to myself how constructive is this?????  Then I thought… hmmm…. I probably in a way do the same.  I’ll talk about the choices that other girls make with their children, judge them on how they treat their children, but how is any of this MY business?  It’s not.

I’ve been reveling in my head why this is the way it is.  Why we feel as women to gossip behind each other’s back and form judgments on somebody when we aren’t on their journey….. they are.

We will NEVER be able to truly understand the thoughts and actions of others.  They are always thoughts and actions that are helping that individual along their journey.  The mistakes they make are mistakes that they will hopefully learn and grow from.  So, lately, I’ve been focusing on worrying about me and mine and not so much about her and hers.

I’ve been putting a lot of energy into launching my new etsy store.  There’s a lot of work that goes into launching this thing, but I seriously am busting out of my seams with excitement!!!!  I never thought I’d ever be able to dabble in the world of arts, but I’ve found my nitch in it by combing two thing that I fancy quite much.  I have this passion for words.  It’s how we communicate for the most part, it’s a love language, it’s what not only I but so many people yearn for.  I could spend hours engulfed with positive quotes, positive reading, reading about love and hearing one’s song.  Words represent and entirely different art to me.  Combine that with photography and I swoon.

I’m going to start doing custom art pieces combining people’s pictures with their words, their vows, their songs, their favorite quotes – or they can use my examples.  I want to create an art piece that they will hang in their homes and treasure throughout their lives.  This piece right here is our first dance on our wedding day, our song incorporated into it and now this picture has a completely different feel to it.  

My little Diva turned 4. She’s been giving me glimpses into what my life is going to entail when she reaches the teenage years. She already is just wanting to hang out with “older” girls and has attitude that I can’t grasp. Listening is right out the door, but her beauty…. oh my goodness. This girl gets more and more beautiful every day. Ella and her cousin are refreshing to me.  They remind me of summer nights, running through the pastures with my cousin {her mom} and family.  That’s how it’s been this summer – we’ve soaked up the peacefulness of our surroundings. 
Lately I’ve wanted more of a family feel in my life. I’ve wanted my kids to experience the bliss that has been embedded into my soul that I felt when I’d spend summers up at my grandparent’s. They live in pure beauty, and when I pull up to their home I have a sense of home. The smell comforts me and I end up feeling instantly creative inside, because that’s how it is there. This quote says it all…. how can I have my kids experience that if I don’t take them up there? They live not even 5 minutes up the road from me – and that’s now what I do. I go up there and soak up the beauty, and sit back as my children get a nice dose of what childhood should be like. And every once in a while I get to see a moment like this and I can inhale a breath of love and infatuate over my children.

It’s rejuvenating up there. It’s been exactly what my soul has needed.