Easter 2015

 Happy Easter!  Hope your Easter was filled with JOY as ours was!  Our sweet Hank had a wonderful second Easter with all of his family and even got to try some new activities!  Unfortunately, I was not on the ball with an Easter basket or anything like that this year (#workingmom), but I think he still had fun!  My favorite part of the weekend was how excited he was to go to church (even if it was to see the fish and the bunny).

 Dying Easter eggs (along with his hands and feet) with his cousin Brin. 

 Got to go on an egg hunt in Bowie at his grandparents' lake house.

 ALWAYS runs back to Pop Pop to make sure he sees what's going on here!

 Easter pics at Granny's after church.  Love our little family!

Spring Stella and Dot Sample Sale!!

This weekend, Mallory and I hosted a sample sale at Times Ten Cellars, and sold a ton of our retired pieces.  We didn't sell all of it though, so here is the rest.  Everything is 50-70% off and in great condition, unless otherwise stated.  Here are the basics of the sample sale:

• I take cash or paypal for all purchases.  
• If you would like to purchase something, just email me (beckystevens1126 at gmail dot com), text me, or comment below and I will hold that piece for you.  That is also when I will send you the Paypal address.
• Jewelry is first come, first serve and I will update the pictures frequently to let you know what has sold out already.
• If you spend over $50, shipping is free!  (or if I know you and can just deliver your piece)
• If you do not spend $50 and live out of town, shipping is $5 added to the total.
• Most pieces have been worn, but all are in great shape.  Prices are significantly lower than what they are currently sold for because they have been used as samples.  If you would like any of these pieces new, just let me know and if they are not sold out on the Stella and Dot website, I can order that for you too.
• If you have any questions about these pieces, please let me know!  I have linked each item to the website so you can see more details about it.  If it is sold out online, there is no link. 
• Keep in mind that these pieces are retired, so this might be your last chance to get some of these!

Here we go!  Happy Shopping!

Necklaces:

 Campari Necklace $50; originally $128.  Excellent used condition.18.5" with a 1" removable extender.  As seen on Olivia Munn, and she is fabulous!

Jolie Necklace $35; originally $79; excellent used condition. 19" with a 3" extender.

Wear short or long.  Beautiful kelly green for spring/summer!

 Dakota Necklace $35; originally $79. 36.5" length.

LOVE this necklace because it has silver, rose gold, gold, and white beads, so it goes with everything and has that great Aztec look that is in style right now.

 Ginger Layering Necklace $35; originally $89; 20" with 2-ring extender.

Brass with rose gold and copper plating and steel chains, brass cupchain, and Czech glass. Really pretty for layering.

 Signature Clover Necklace $30; originally $69; 38" length.

Perfect for layering or by itself.
SOLD!

 Millie Necklace $30; originally $69. 39" length.  SOLD!

One of my all time favorites - so sad it retired!  Dyed jade semi-precious stones with glass beads on a brass chain.  Can be worn long or doubled.

Pair with the Emerson bangle for $50/set (see below).

Pippa Necklaces (purple or green) $30 each; originally $69. 37" with 2" extender.

Demi Layering Necklace $25; originally $59. 36 3/4" long.

Cute, dainty, light-weight.  Silver plating.

 Andrea Pendant $30; originally $79; 16" with 2" extender.

This is a really pretty pendant on a delicate silver chain.

 La Folie Necklace $18; originally $49. 16 3/4" with 2" extender.

Purple beads (all different shades) with a pretty petal drop.

 Odette Infinity Necklace $15; originally $39. 20" chain.

Sterling silver chain with a petite infinity charm.
SOLD!

Sidewinder Necklace $15; originally $44.

Beautiful, dainty, rose gold with little sparkly serpant.

Bracelets:

 Julep Bangles $9; originally $19. Green, pink, navy, ivory with gold accents.

Perfect for stacking. Fits medium wrists.

 Spirit Bracelet $12; originally $29.

Sliding knot closure, colorful and happy!
SOLD!

 Hawlowe Bracelet $14; originally $32. Hematite with stones set in gold.

Fits small to medium wrists. Goes with everything!

 Wanderlust Single Wrap $12; originally $29. Leather with thread wrapped detail,

gold and silver beads. Sliding knot closure.
SOLD!

 Radiance Coil Bracelet $12; originally $29.

Sparkle coil bracelet with clear stones and silver plating.

 Autism Awareness bracelet $5. I can't remember how much it was originally!  It is really cute and dainty!

 Hudson Leather Wrap $16; originally $39.

Double-wrapped leather with gold accents. Adjustable length.

 Clover Double Wrap Leather Bracelet $25; originally $59.

Black leather with gold clover accents.  Edgy but feminine. So cute!
SOLD!

 Bello Bangle $35; originally $89.

 Gold trim with grey/white snakeskin. Great statement bracelet!

Emerson Bangle $25. Originally $59.

Blue leather inlay and gold plating. Spring hinge closure.

Would be perfect with the Millie Necklace above! Set for $50.

Carrie Bangles $25. Originally $59.

Trio of enamel bracelets...LOVE these for spring/summer!!  They are turquoise, white, and coral.  White is silver, Turquoise/coral are gold-rimmed. Coral branch design. These are some of my favorites - very sad to see them go!

Earrings:

 Serenity Small Stone Drops $16. Originally $34. 3/4" length, featherweight.

Sterling silver earwire, aqua glass beads. Beautiful color!
SOLD!

 Swallow Studs $5; originally I have no idea, but I think $19.

 Demi Earrings $12; originally $24.

5/8" drop, sterling silver earwire, featherweight.

Pair with Demi Necklace for $30/set.
SOLD!

 Delphie Stone Studs $10; originally $24.

Labradorite stones set in silver, featherweight.
SOLD!

 Bardot Hoop Earrings $16. Originally $34.

Shiny silver nuggets with silver plating. 2 1/4" drop length. featherweight.
SOLD!

 Fringe Hoop Earrings $16. Originally $49.

Really light-weight, brass. Perfect statement earrings!
SOLD!

 Raina Earrings $16; originally $39. 1 5/8" drop length.

Featherweight.  Love these because they have gold, silver, and rose gold beads and go with everything!
SOLD!

Odette Hoops $16; originally $39. featherweight.

Highly polished silver plating.  Great everyday earrings.
SOLD!

Rings, Charms, Scarves:

 Secret Garden Ring $10; originally $39. Slight tarnishing on the inside only.

Adjustable for size, Italian bronze.

 Midnight Bloom Ring $5; originally $39.

Scratches on band, beaded part in good condition. Silver band.

 

Suzanne Cocktail Ring $18; originally $39. Size 8!

Beautiful cocktail ring with green glass stone set in brass.

SOLD!

 

Bryant Park Scarf $18; originally $59.

Turquoise and green with polka dots and birds design. Very large in size.

SOLD!

Assorted Charms $5 each. Originally $18-39 each.

silver b, bronze queen bee (crown), bronze horseshoe, bronze cross, silver ruby.

Thanks yall!  Happy shopping!

New.

 Friends,

It has been entirely too long since I have last blogged!  Hank was a mere three months old, and now we are pushing six (and my goodness hopefully teeth)!  Time sure flies these days, and I am soaking in every moment with my precious half-year old little boy.  I am beginning to realize how truly I now feel the words that "babies don't keep."

There have been several reasons for this, and for awhile, I actually thought I was going to shut the blog down.  Something in me felt weird all of a sudden posting so much information on my little boy...and in a way, I felt like I was bragging about him.  Like I was saying, "Come on over and see how amazing my life is!"  I truly don't think that when I read other people's blogs, but if I was being completely honest about it when I searched my own heart, I know that is at least partly true.  I admittedly sometimes want to paint a picture for anyone reading that we have some kind of perfect life.  I want people to tell me how cute my baby is.  Duh. Who doesn't want that?  But I also needed to have self-check to make sure that my heart was in the right place.

Christmas 2013. Those cheeks.

Instead of shutting down, I feel like God is calling me to take this blog in a new direction this year.  After I had Hank, so many of my friends also had babies.  And one of my biggest joys was when a friend would text or call me with a question or just to vent about something related to pregnancy or motherhood.  I feel like one of the greatest ways that I can serve other moms is just to be an encouragement to them.  I don't have all (or really any) great answers, but I love helping other mamas feel encouraged and confident and hopeful in their new roles.  I always felt like a million dollars after talking through things with my other mama friends (thank you to the amazing friends who saw me through those first few months and quitting breastfeeding and going back to work).  That is something that I would love to give back.  Life is not perfect - motherhood is messy over here.  I am learning that as I encourage others, I am realizing the need to offer myself a lot of grace as well.

Loves of my life.

So, I won't be doing as many updates on Hank's progress and growth (I am trying to remember to email him my special letters and things I want him to know), I am going to be writing this blog mainly about motherhood - funny stories, lessons I've learned, and personal stories that might be an encouragement to others.  I am also currently trying to lose weight and have been following the Weight Watchers plan (for the millionth time), so I will be posting recipes and little progress updates on that along the way.  There will still be family pictures and life updates occasionally, but what I really feel that God is leading me to is a spot where I can simply be myself and hopefully encourage others who might be walking through the same journey.  Oh, and I will also still be doing some Stella and Dot sample sales because this is really the best way for me to get that out!

Thanks so much for listening, and my next post will be very soon.  It will most likely be about quitting breastfeeding, which is the area where I still personally need the most encouragement and grace, despite it being three months since we stopped.  Love you all!

Becky

PS - Duh, there are Hank pics in here because I just can't help it. :)  Don't feel obligated to tell me he's cute just because I said that!

Life Updates

Life has been busy lately - so wonderfully busy!  I have loved (almost) every second of staying home with my little boy, and I can't believe I am only two weeks away from heading back to work!  We have such a happy, healthy, and sweet little man, and I am beyond thankful for our current stage of life.

 I love this little face that he makes.  He is going to be a sneaky little guy!

I have lots of things to update the blog on...here are some a few life updates, most of which I will post about with more details soon!

• I just started Weight Watchers again, and I am LOVING the new Points Plus system.  Veggies have always been zero points, but now fruits are too!  This was amazing news to me - and a guarantee that I will not go hungry while on this diet (which is always a certain way to fail on a diet).  I have been trying lots of new recipes and will post some ideas soon.  I am also going to try to post my weekly meal plans to a certain extent, just in case anyone else wants to follow along!  I also started Couch to 5K, and my goal is to run the Rock and Roll half marathon again in March.  That should be plenty of time to train, but we'll see!

A before shot - I have a long way to go, but I am trying!

•  I officially stopped breastfeeding this weekend.  This has been one of the hardest struggles I have ever had (seriously, I am so thankful for my life since this is one of the hardest things I have gone through).  I am going to write about my experiences in hopes of encouraging others who might be going through something similar.  I have never known this kind of guilt, shame, and despair before - and I have had to rely so much on the Lord through this struggle. 

• I have been busy with a great season in my Stella and Dot business.  I love this little part time job!  I will be posting a huge sample sale soon to make room for my new inventory.   Here is an official Stella and Dot update, for those that may not get my newsletter (please let me know if you'd like to be added to the monthly email list): http://mad.ly/b64024

  

  What would I do without these two?

• Hank is seriously growing up - he has changed so much this month - not just in the way he looks, but how interactive he is becoming.  He's also a bit moodier than we're used to, but still such a sweet boy.  I can't wait to get him all dressed up for his first Halloween, and I can't believe we are going to be taking his three month pics next week!

• We got to take our first little trip with Hank to San Antonio and Austin - he did so great on the road and even got to make his first trip to Buc-ee's!  His second trip is coming up this weekend - we can't wait to meet our friends in Houston! 

•  I am going back to work in two weeks - I hope to post about my transition after I get the hang of it.  I am nervous as all get out, but I am determined that this is what God is calling our family to do right now.

Our first time back at church - the nursery wore him out!

 

OK - I really hope to get to post much more soon!  Thanks for reading!