Category Archives: Life & Family
Introducing our NEW Night Notes
I believe this is one of the most useful products we have created! Last year, we were brainstorming ideas for 2013 and Jen suggested a notepad for a nightstand. Rather than thoughts racing through your head of all the things you need to do tomorrow while you are trying to go to sleep (I know you do it, too), you could quickly jot down your thoughts on a small notepad.
Introducing our Night Notes! Notepads to keep your thoughts on paper and off your mind! They include a great verse as a reminder to not worry…
I have been using my notepad (shown in the image above) for a couple weeks to test it out and I love it! In the morning, I tear off the sheet and I have a handy little “to do” list that I can carry with me or strategically organize them on my Daily Schedule Notepad.
Save $5
Save $5 on these new Night Notes and any other notepad (great time to pick up a Daily Schedule Notepad!) on our website. Just use code NOWORRIES at checkout through this Thursday 3/21/13 for $5 off! Each notepad has 100 70lb pages. They are great quality and have vibrant colors. The Night Notes coordinate with our Daily Schedule Notepads.
Happy Today!
A Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes
A couple months ago I saw it, a picture of a happy, smiling girl. {Well lady, I have a hard time calling myself and people my age “ladies” – “ladies” have always been older than me and after all, I still feel like a “girl”. That’s ok, right?!} So, back to the scene: I was scrolling through my Instagram or Facebook or something of that nature and I saw the picture of a happy, smiling girl and she had on these shoes, sparkly shoes, glittery sparkly shiny shoes. I didn’t think much about those shoes until I saw them somewhere else, on someone else and then I really noticed those shoes. You see, these shoes were worn by not one, but two “girls” I admire. All of a sudden, I wanted those glittery, sparkly shoes. In fact, these shoes were on sale when I finally went to go get them. Actually, the first time they were on sale when I went to this particular store shopping for a totally unrelated item and there they were: the sparkly shoes. Oh how the sequins just glittered as I walked up to them. They didn’t cost much, but it wasn’t on my shopping list, so I picked them up, slipped them on my feet: great fit, sparkly, shiny. I took them off, hesitated and set them back on the shelf. My husband was with me, “Go ahead, get them if you want them, but I don’t know what you would wear them with”. Ha, my little voice of reason – the one who always supports me, confidently questioning my need for these sparkly shoes. We left the store with what was on our list that day.
Yes, I had thought about those shoes: How long would they be there until they were all gone, did someone buy all of the size I needed, what would I wear them with? About a week later I had to go back to that store and of course, I made my way over just to check on the shoes. You know, I was obligated. $5 less. Wow, these shoes were practically begging me to buy them and what do I see – one pair left in my size.
I caved. I bought the shoes. I was really happy: excited about having them for myself and excited about my bargain glittery, sparkly shoes. Those shoes sat in my closet for about 2 weeks. Yes, I slipped them on to see how they felt: sparkly. I think I tried them on with almost all my outfits for those weeks. “Does this look good with these shoes?” I’d ask my husband. “Sure”, he’d say. Not the answer I was looking for. I know when he says “sure” or “that looks fine.” it really means it’s acceptable in man-talk. Translation “Not pretty”, “Not super duper cute” in girl-talk or at least in my little mommy of a 3-year-old girl world. I’d slip off the shoes and put on my trusty brown ballerina flats. Perfect. I’d be on my way.
Finally after those couple weeks, I started thinking: you know, these shoes may not be for me. Do I actually like them or did I like them because I saw that someone else liked them? They are pretty, don’t get me wrong, I like pink, I like girly, but deep down, I’m not the sequiny sparkly type (gasp!) I’m more of a southern coastal girl. Lately, I’ve really started thinking about what matters to me most: What will my legacy be? Whose lives will I change? Who will I see in Heaven because of the work God did through me? That’s where I really want to sparkle.
You see, there is a story of a girl, Dorothy, we all know her… the girl who wanted to get out of Kansas, who wanted to be somewhere else/something else. Well, she had her chance “over the rainbow” and got a pretty pair of red glittery, sparkly shoes. She had quite an adventure, but in the end she realized “There’s no place like home”. You know, I think most of us may say the same thing, at least, I hope you can.
The funny part about my story is that one day I made up my mind that I was wearing the shoes. I was really excited. I slipped them on and proceeded to walk out of my bedroom. Wait. They are slipping on my feet. What? Are they not the right size? The size I tried on and walked in at the store? I took them off, looked at the size, yep, 1/2 a size too big. That doesn’t make sense! I looked at the shoe box. There was the problem: I bought them in the box that was my size, but the shoes were switched and they were actually 1/2 a size larger than the size that was printed on the box. Really funny. The shoes went back to the store that day and I haven’t looked back.
It’s funny how a shoe 1/2 a size too big can be such a big deal. They weren’t for me, sequins, size and all. Even though they were off just a little bit, they weren’t my perfect fit, just like things we think we want. It doesn’t have to be a pair of shoes, it can be anything: a car, a house, even a so called “perfect life” of a “happy smiling girl”. It might not be so perfect if you were to walk a mile in her shoes, sparkly or not. Enjoy today. Enjoy your life. We only have one and it’s a perfect fit.
Introducing our new Journals
I am so excited about our newest product! We’ve had these ready for quite a while and I’ve been anxiously awaiting this day when I could share them with you! Introducing our new hard cover Journals! These amazing journals have 120 pages, so they last a long time and are perfect for writing down your thoughts and notes. They are available in many color options.
Each of the pages are lined on the front side so you can continue with notes on the back side or sketching.
They are on sale today through Friday for $19.50 {SHOP JOURNALS HERE}
I hope you enjoy it as much as I am enjoying using mine!
Free Printable February 2013 Calendar
Our February Calendar is available for you to download and print for free! We’re changing it up a bit this month. We added a little pattern and whimsy to it. Hope you like it!
Download HERE
HollyDays Free Download
My Mom and Dad gave me a cute card for my birthday and it had this quote on it. I loved it and it is perfect for HollyDays, as it is my goal behind our business: celebrating the” every day”, not just Holidays! Click the image or link below to download this image – it works for iPhone wallpapers and iPads. Enjoy & celebrate TODAY!
Click this link to open larger image to download
Happy Today!
Planning Your Day | Introducing the Daily Schedule Notepad
Oooh! I am so excited about this new product! I am a planner and one thing I can’t live without is my daily list of to-do’s. You may remember this printable daily schedule I made in 2010, well, it was due for little makeover, so that’s what I did! Here’s a look at a few of our daily schedule notepads. All you do is pull off a sheet each day (or leave them on the pad if you like that) and plan and organize your day!
Each pad has 50 thick text paper pages. There is a section for your top 3 goals for the day, other things to do, things to do around the house, an hour-by-hour schedule section and a section for notes. Oh, and don’t forget, your monogram at the top!
At the bottom of the notepad, one of my favorite verses:
Commit your way to the LORD;
Trust in Him and He will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:4-6
What I love about my notepad is that it allows me to get everything down on paper that I need/want to accomplish for the day, that way, I won’t get overwhelmed and feel like I have to do WAY more than I really need to do. It just simplifies everything when you have it on paper and not all jumbled in your head! (Yes, I did just have to spell-check that word… seems like I say it often, but apparently I don’t write it because it just looked really funny when I typed it!) Well, I’m getting off on a tangent and that is why I personally need this and love this notepad. Now I’m off to see what else is on my list today!
*Just a little disclaimer: I do not always get everything done on my list. Believe me, this notepad is forgiving, just as you should be to yourself. Didn’t finish that project you really wanted to today? Put it down for tomorrow… and go hug your kids! Focus on what matters and don’t let a little list get you down but let it help you organize your day so you can focus and make time for the important things in your life!
These notepads will be $20… for today & tomorrow only,
you can get them for $14. (50 pages)
Joy | Claiming it for 2013 part 2
Wow, I am just blown away by the response from you on yesterday’s blog post. I heard from several of you in the blog comments, but so many more through texts, emails and Facebook. Thank you sweet friends. I just replied to many of them last night because every time I sat down to read them throughout the day, I would tear up and could hardly read. Your stories have really touched me and confirmed the fact that I did the right think to share my story even when the moment it was published I had a sinking, scared feeling in my stomach. Did I do the right thing? What will people think? I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing women in the past few years and I am so grateful. As I even heard from so many of you yesterday, you have gone through the same or similar situations. You are in my prayers, really, you are. I do have a little bit more to share today on my recap of 2012 and my plans for 2013. I promise my upcoming posts are not going to be as serious as yesterday and today, in fact, we have some fun new things coming, but all of these things we have been talking about contribute to what HollyDays is all about and what inspires my designs.
{My family at Easter, 2012}
My heart is full, I feel like it has grown two sizes in 2012! I have learned so much, laughed so much and hurt so much. My family started this year in a home we lived in for 8 years, had our best friends who lived close and were healthy and happy. By the end of the year, we had a job change, house listed & sold, moved to a new town, the loss of a pregnancy, my Dad with severe back pain, one friend with cancer and another who lost her father in a tragic plane crash. (I don’t mean to be negative, that is not at all what I am trying to do. In fact, my friends who have gone through these trials are some of the most joyful people I know and still continue to be. They are perfect examples of choosing joy– I’m so proud to call them friends!) If you read yesterday’s post, you read that I was reminded by the verse “Be still and know that I am God”. The great thing about that verse is that isn’t it! There is more: “Be still and know that I am God I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” It is about knowing that when we are still and trust His timing, He will work and He will be exalted because of what He is doing. Let Him do the work folks, He always knows what is best for us and what will glorify Him!
It’s a strange thing how quickly a year passes, yet how many things can change during one short year. I just had my 31st birthday two weeks ago and although I was really dreading my 30′s a couple years ago, I am loving them. I look forward to growing in my faith more, learning more and hopefully, growing my family. Now that we are settled in our rental house in our new town, I have to say, I have never been happier. I can’t wait to tell you about this amazing little town and our plans for building our new home! I’ll save it for later, but now that we are here, now that 2012 is over, I have had some time to think. I heard this song the other day that I haven’t heard in quite a while and it really got me…
“I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things?…”
I’ve been thinking a lot about how we raise our daughter to how I make decisions for family and business. You know, we only have once chance at this life, one opportunity to leave our mark on things. Last year, I had a long list of Goals for the year, not New Years Resolutions, but goals to work toward. I actually looked back at them today and realized I did pretty good. No, I didn’t teach my 3-year-old to read (I know she will learn in her time) and I didn’t have dinner parties once a month, but I did do pretty good on a good majority of them. Have you thought about what your plans are for the year? You don’t have to have a long list, in fact, the shorter, the better so you can focus on the few things that really matter this year.
Here are my goals for the year…
1. Choose Joy
2. Focus on things that matter | what I want to be my legacy
3. Family Time greater than other things | Be unplugged on the weekends
4. Get outside more | be healthier | walk | run | excercize
5. Work on changing/growing HollyDays into what I want to to become
Are you choosing JOY this year, too? I have designed a few art prints that can be framed and are amazing reminders of how the Joy of the Lord is your strength. I’ve got mine framed and in my office and you can have one, too. They are digitally printed on beautiful watercolor paper and are perfect for framing. There are three options available in our shop for $15, but for today and tomorrow only, I’m offering them for $7.50. You can go HERE to buy one for yourself.
JOY, Claiming it for 2013 and Getting a Little Personal
JOY – It’s my official theme this year. About two months ago I started having a constant reminder of the word. It was a funny thing then. On a little piece of paper at my Christmas show the first few days of November, I doodled the word for no reason at all. Sometimes God sends us small reminders of his constant presence. Another thing I wrote a few days later: “Choose Joy” and on another line, “Be still and know that I am God.” It was only until recently that I knew why He was whispering those words to my heart. About a week after I wrote those words, I found out I was pregnant. We were surprised and overjoyed at the same time. You see, we’ve been trying for over a year and a half to get pregnant again. No luck until now. My three-and-a-half-year-old was thrilled and she even had the monogrammed Big Sister T-Shirt to show it. Three weeks later on a Friday, I started showing signs of problems and in my heart I knew something was wrong. I was to have my first ultrasound the following Tuesday and at that ultrasound, my fears were confirmed, I had a miscarriage.
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
The days following were difficult, one of the hardest parts was telling my daughter she wasn’t going to be a big sister and the baby went to Heaven. We all cried on the couch and hugged each other. I know many of you reading this have gone through this same thing once or numerous times as well as infertility. My heart is broken for you. The past month has shown me to trust God more and to love bigger & louder. The words “Choose Joy” ring loud and my heart and I encourage you to take them to heart as well.
Join me and let’s all Choose Joy in 2013.
It’s not about happiness, it’s about the true JOY only the Lord gives
and the legacy I want to leave. More to come tomorrow.
Printable December 2012 Calendar
December will be here tomorrow! I really can’t believe how quickly November has passed by! I am getting this up later than I had planned, but we are in the Christmas rush season and we’ve been getting out orders like crazy this week! There’s still time to order in time for Christmas, but we’ll be posting the deadlines soon! In the meantime, I’m sure your December calendar is already filling up, so here’s a printable one if you need one!
Click here to download a Red/Green Calendar
Click here to download the calendar in HollyDays colors
Happy HollyDays!
