The weekend that I was girl bossing it from home....(& its my daddy's birthday!!!!)

Before we even get started on the weekend, we have to take a hot minute to wish my daddy a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! YAHOOO!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the best dad in the whole world....
May your day be filled with cowboy dreams ... & heart healthy food ;)

OK... back to your regular scheduled programming ;)

Did anyone else feel like they were melting this weekend?

OH MY GOSH... how awful.  I dont think I've ever been more thankful for AC my whole life than this weekend.

Friday, Ricky & I met after work to head to the pet store because it was a special day - Our Harvey Dent's birthday. Our baby boy is 4 years old now. How is that possible? I feel like we just got him.  But when we got him, we still had Sydney with us & it feels like forever since she's left us. Funny how time works.

But Ricky & I splurged on our boy... $70 worth of toys & treats for him.  & then the battle was on to see which one Harvey liked the best - my choices, or Ricky's choices.  Well, its easy to say that Harvey Dent is a equal opportunist kind of dog because he loved it all & at one point, he gathered up all his new stuff & just laid down next to it. One happy Boy.

Or he just knows not to make either side mad so he can keep reaping the benefits of 2 different kinds of toys & treats.

I spent the rest of Friday night working on those folder covers that my MSM girl requested for her binders to have at school...

The "Honey" one was at her request because she said that during dinners, they always had memory verses & that was one of hers that she always remembers learning & it sticking with her. I love that... & she let me pick the other cover to do whatever I wanted.

I wanted to stick in Proverbs for her & I loved this verse for a teenager in this rough world.  Keep that heart on track... it's going to lead to better decisions if its full of the right things.   Excited to give these to her to share some of God's wisdom to her classmates.

Saturday, I woke up so glad I had NO WHERE to be ... 2 weekends in a row. (THANK YOU LORD) & especially because I didnt want to have to get out in this heat.  I think if I had to get in my car with black leather seats when the heat index is 104, I'm pretty sure I would have left a layer of skin on those seats.

But I just wanted to get started on working on my Etsy store.  Since I've changed my name & ready to add some hand lettering products to the store, I have a HUGE PILE of finished pieces I needed to take photos of.  & man, it was a legit job. I had to take pictures, edit them & then ended up just putting up a few of the items for now - I'm going to slowly add some in a little at a time....

... except I went to bed thinking of another pile of pieces I forgot I had - so I have another days work of doing the same process of taking pictures & editing.

More work goes in this Etsy store than some people realize.... I literally spent 6 hours working on pictures & editing & posting some things.... but I love it gives me something productive to do.

I mean, cleaning a house is productive work too but its not FUN productive work ;)

I spent the rest of my Saturday playing some Rummy with Ricky, loving on the dogs, drinking multiple cups of iced coffee & getting a run in... only to find my toe nail came off after that little treadmill trip.

I'm forever loosing toenails. I know people say its because you need bigger shoes. I have done that & dont like the feel of it, plus, still loose toenails. I know its because I run with my toes pulled up. Not sure why I do that, but I'm forever lifting my toes.  Pulling them back is more like it. I always have a hole in my shoes from where my big toes rubs through.  Its just a habit I cant break.... & I'm used to not having toenails every few months so it's not a big deal to me.

I spent my exciting Saturday night watching Descendants 2 ... y'all - no shame. I was so excited about this movie coming out.  I loved the first one & the whole idea of the Disney characters having kids & what those kids are doing.  Add in that there's musical numbers & I'm all about it.

& I really did enjoy the movie.  Yes, I'm 45 years old & am now singing new Disney songs all day long.

& how do I NOT love that this movie is about King Ben being Belle & the Beast's son & how honorable he is?

Sunday, whew... not my typical Sunday.

I was up so many times with Bruno... & it was SO STUPID MISERABLY HUMID still. Like, usually when I have to take Bruno out at these 1am / 2 am/ 3 am bathroom breaks, I even keep a blanket on the chair because the night air has dampness & gives a chill.  I literally walked out this time & it was like my skin just clammed up. It just felt DANGEROUS to be out in - even at 1:30am... & poor Bruno's belly was upset so he went out a few times & sleep has just been something I dont know anything about anymore....

... so after we got in bed after 3:30am, I ended up sleeping.... I got up at 7:15 & said, I'm going back to sleep.  & then woke up at 8 & said, I'm saying here... & then next thing I know - it was 9:30am.

9:30!!!

I cant tell you the last time I stayed in bed till 9:30am.

Sadly, that's the time church starts... so I totally missed out on it... but I so needed that extra sleep. My body needed it.

& some rain had come through to give a little relief of that miserable humidity - so I made some toast, got some iced coffee & went outside in the enclosed room to listen to the rain & enjoy some peaceful morning (abet, LATE morning) time....

It was heavenly....

Wet dog

I think there were some fur babies happy about me being home sitting outside too

& I even got to finish my boot I was reading.

... it was such a wonderful day!

Ricky & I ran out for dinner & then made a quick stop for some groceries ...

& then it was time to head home to finish out the weekend with some more knitting (finished my hat!!!! YAHOO) & some Big Brother....

I'm telling you, I could really REALLLLLY get used to these kinds of weekends of staying home more often. They have just been so good for my soul.

How was your weekend?

Horribly hot where you are at?

Go ahead & wish my daddy a Happy Birthday!

Friday Favorites 07/21/17

Favorite Food

I want to try this... how cool!& simple!!!!

Favorite Beauty & the Beast

If I had this phone case, I'd constantly be pulling it out & yelling,
SHOW ME THE BEAST!


Favorite Postal Item
(I have the strangest favorites sometimes!)



I have all the other Disney stamps that have come out -
totally have to get this one too.
Gaston represent!

Favorite Bag



I feel like I have said this way too many times one should say it in their life time


Favorite Faith Reminder

Favorite Peencha



How cute is this couple doing an engagement session despite getting engaged later in life?
Who says love has an age limit?
Click the picture above to see more of their engagement session.

Favorite Funnies

... every time I can now prove myself right with the thanks of having Alexa in our home

... my advice when all my middle school kids talk about dating at their age

... when I walk into Target & see everything I dont need in the dollar bins

... me at 4:00pm today

Happy weekend y'all!!!!

Lots of knitting, lots of dogs, & lots of texts {Thankful Thursday #134}

This week I am Thankful For:

{Numbers go with my One Thousand Gifts Journal / just ignore}

470 / AC in my car.
I cant even imagine sitting in a car, in this heat, in traffic. I think I have thanked God multiple times this awful heat infested week for my AC on my drive home from work.

471 / Knitting lessons.
One of the MSM leaders that teaches in first service came up to me last week & said, 'I heard you knit....." that's all it took for me to get really interested in the conversation.  She said her daughter had learned how to knit & hadnt done it in awhile & needed a refresher lesson, would I mind?  WOULD I MIND?  Love to share the love of knitting. & do you know her daughter is like 7 years old?.... & did AMAZINGLY well at knitting.  I was really impressed. Start 'em young!

Perfect yarn for a 7 year old knitter

472 / Doctor giving time.
I know most doctors are in & out at appointments but I love getting the first appointment of the day before they are rushed.  My last appointment, do you know she spent over 30 minutes with me.  Isn't that incredible?  I'm sure she was off schedule the rest of the day. haha. (Always get that first appointment of the day or the first one after lunch time or the last one of the day!!!)

Also thankful for knitting while waiting anxiously in a doctor's office

473 / This as my view when I woke up on Saturday.

475 / Bruno so good at us taking care of him.
He is just the most patient little guy when it comes to all the baths he has to have for his skin allergies & I try to keep his hair trimmed up - he'll sit there & let me do anything to him.  His grumpy ways have eased up on him since he's lost his vision. Poor baby.

476 / Sitting outside reading on a lazy day.
Does it get any better than that?  Seriously... no. it doesnt.

481 / Joyster meet up.
I really enjoyed having it in this coffee shop since there were just a few of us & daddy's kept the babies so all the mommas could get some free time.  We had a corner of the shop & it was just great to hang out, drink some fantastic drinks & really share what's going on in each others lives lately.

482 / MSM Text (#1)
I got a text from one of the girls in my group that rarely speaks up or talks in our small group.  I actually didnt even know she had my number.  & she text me asking for some advice & help in a situation. I was so thankful she asked me... & she really did hear what I suggested to her too.   She looked up some bible verses with me & we just had the best "God-text" going on... love that.

484 / MSM Text (#2 & #3)
These girls have just been touching my heart lately.  I got a text earlier in the week from this precious girl telling me how much she's missed me & our small group! love that... & then she sent me this message the other day.  How do I refuse this? ... she's sent me the 2 scriptures that she wants on her binders for school. I cant wait to work on them this weekend for her.

485 / Ricky stopping for dog food.... & momma food
Now that Bruno's food has to be monitored & I'm reading dog food labels like I'm reading my own in a health food store, we have to be really particular what we feed him. So it wasn't smart when we got down to the empty bag & needed to rush out after work to get him some more.  Only, the dog food store closest to us (still 15 minutes away one direction) didn't have it. UGHHHHH - NOOOO... but God love Ricky & his fur baby loving heart. After being so exhausted after work, he still drove to the place we originally got the dog food (30 minutes away one direction) to make sure Bruno had the food he needed so his skin wouldn't get bad again. How sweet of a fur-daddy is he?... & to top it off, he picked up dinner so I didnt have to worry about cooking.

What's something good in your world this week?

Questions on all things Etsy, Instagram, promotion, blah blah blah... Girl Boss I am not

I'm needing some opinions & thoughts...

So this big old world of the interwebs has the neatest & coolest ways to connect to people, share your creativity & enables you to just tap into areas you never knew you had inside of you.

I'm not even sure where to start here.

OK, about a year & a half ago, I opened up my Etsy store...

I was really happy with the the sales I did. I mean, I am the person who is going to knit regardless anyways.  I have a ton of stuff sitting in totes for my own sake of wearing... at least this lessens the chances of me making my husband wear knitted things that he'd rather not wear.

But I've also recently tapped into another skill that I've been really trying to perfect & work hard at... plus, its just relaxing to me.

Hand lettering.

I know I've mentioned it on here before, showing some of my things I've made, some of the things I've doodled with.  

It's become something that I just love to do as another outlet.

Here's my issue/question.

I've been making all my latest designs on some nice quality paper, in difference sizes & really wanted to put them in my Etsy store... for a decent price... Like $3.50 for 5x7 ...& $5.00 for 8x10 sizes. 

Unique pieces of art that can be framed & put in your home...

Fun, right?

But Rebecca Jo Knits.... that name was created with the idea that I'm a knitter.

So do you think its OK to put my hand lettering things in this same store... or do I need to change my name?

& if so, to what?

It's funny because when I created all my social media pages, I created Rebecca Jo Knits as everything because of this blog - a little tie into "Knit by God's Hand"... My main thinking, God created me (hence the name of the blog - & hello, Biblical reference) & then I figured I knit & created things so I just always stuck with that name for my twitter & Instagram.

Would the name Rebecca Jo Creations or something like Belle Crafts work for an Etsy store?

It would be fun to make something with Belle in it - even though nothing I have is Beauty & the Beast created... 

ugh... see.. this is hard.

& then would I need to change all my social media handles?

& that's a whole OTHER issue...

I see these beautiful Instagram accounts that are created solely for their one nitch.

A knitting Instagram account

A hand lettering instagram account

I almost created a Etsy store account so I could highlight all the things I'm creating... but then I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with 2 account - or 3 ... or 4?

Do I keep the knitting stuff separate... the hand lettering separate?  ... dont even get me started on wondering if I should keep my photography stuff separate.... mercy - ALL THE THINGS.

& then its like, do I keep running & vegetarian & fitness & church stuff separate.

I didn't know where the line was to draw so I've just left everything on my same account. 

No wonder I'm nearing 6,000 pictures on there.

But I know when people go to look for things on Etsy, they look at the account's main page & if its not all pleasing to the eye, does it turn people away from visiting my Etsy page.

Geez.... Girl Boss I am not.

 I just dont get all the promotion of social media & how to use it.

I just feel like I'm me.

.. I do knit... I do hand letter... I do create things .....I do run... I do eat vegetarian... I do love my dogs... I do love church..  it's all my life.  

So tell me - seriously - give me honest thoughts & opinions....

when you see someone's IG account, do you see or care if things are all booked together on one page - or are you drawn to the pretty staged artsy ones for products?

& what do you think I should do about my Etsy name?

Or do you even think my hand lettering art work is worth even trying to sale?

Help a girl out... 

I'll just be in the corner knitting until someone gives me some answers.

Fitness & Hormones are not a match made in heaven....

So this past week was a blow to my mental state in fitness...

Let me say first, I feel like I have been doing really well lately at getting my work outs back in - 

working out 5 or 6 days a week, watching what I'm eating & making better choices. Even making dinners healthier for both the hubs & I...

I am so addicted to watermelon on salads right now

& then I had an appointment with my doctor this past week.

Well, actually, this was a follow up.  I had to go back after a few weeks to get some blood drawn to check how some basic levels were doing.  Vitamin D (AWFUL... shouldnt be below 50 & mine is 13)... Vitamin B12 (not supposed to be below 300 or 400?... mine was like 250)... but my thyroid & blood sugar levels were all good.  So there's that.

But I've been having some weird things happening to my body lately.  

Brain fog

Dizziness

Weird burning/tingling on my skin

Neuropathy coming back

& while a lot of that can be attributed to the low vitamin levels, the doctor told me that one big part was probably due to my progesterone & estrodiol levels were basically at zero.  ZERO.  

& another factor that she said with levels being at zero, could also cause my other issue....

I had gained 11 lbs in the past 6 weeks.... 11 POUNDS..... in 6 WEEKS!!!!!!

When the doctor told me my weight, I may have said a bad word.  

& then thought another 20 in my head.

I know how hard it is to get off 11 lbs - how in the world did I gain it back in 6 weeks when I'm working out & eating a good healthy diet?

I mean, one of those weeks, I spent at camp eating virtually nothing & walking 8-10 miles a day....

& I'm putting this out there totally sick about it. Embarrassed even.  But I know this is something not of my own doing. It's not like I'm sitting at home, stuffing my face full of chocolate & not moving or working out....

As what would it seem like - this is NOT me

I guess hormones are more of a witch than I thought they ever could be.

So my doctor gave me the low down on taking hormones... & honestly, I love my doctor, but I think she thought she was giving a lecture to an audience of future doctors because about 5 minutes in, I had no clue what she was talking about....

... but I did pick up parts where she recommended making a cream that would have to be specially made to balance the progesterone & estrogen to work for me & because its not a full estrogen based pill, it shouldnt cause the chances of all the scary cancers that estrogen can raise the odds of getting.

... I think... 

I'm not doctor.. & again, I was too busy cursing in my head about 11 lbs to hear what she was saying.

But... my prescription has been sent to the compound pharmacy & now I have to figure out if I want to take it.

Do I want to get energy back?  Yes

Do I want my skin to stop itching?  Yes

Do I want to make this insane, ridiculous, weight gain stop? DO YOU HAVE TO ASK?

But I dont know about this stuff.

The fact I'm using a Maxine meme is proof that I'm dealing in another age bracket here

... & I hate that its not something a lot of people talk about.

I mean, I know there are commercials about periods & videos about all the latest period products... but I dont hear anyone talking about menopause... except for maybe a commercial with someone who looks like she's 80 & having a heat stroke (Oh God help me - I dont have the hot flashes yet)

Someone... give me the low down...

I need one of those "What to expect when you are expecting" books but one that is like "What to expect when you are NOT expecting ever again"

I look online for info, but you know you can find both sides to everything on the internet.  

I dont know what's safe & what's not when it comes to hormones.

& I have a friend that does the bio-identical hormone replacement & she loves it & it has helped her so much. Is that the same thing?  Different from a prescription cream from the doctor?

I have no clue what I'm dealing with.

I actually just bought some natural pills that are for adrenals & I've been reading where adrenals work with progesterone...I think...I'm trying to look at more of this information about that.  Wonder if it will help in a more natural way?  I HAVE NO CLUE... 

Lord knows I need all the help I can get with energy & stress-levels

I just hate feeling so out of control of my body right now.

It's like Bizarro World. 

Anyone else ever watch Seinfeld & when they each met someone who was the opposite of them?

Did I just date myself talking about Seinfield? ... maybe its why I'm perimenopausal & heading into menopause - I really may be that old.

still the funniest tv show ever

But its like I eat healthy & work out & its bizarro world so I'm going to have less energy & gain weight.  Only explanation.

... its tough being a girl...

I'm going to keep at it. I'm even starting a new half marathon training program today.

I know... I know... another running program?  I dont even know if I'm going to run the one I'm training for. It's over $90.00 to register.   That's CRAZYYYYYYY.

Unless there's a groupon, I wont be doing it - but I figure the training aint gonna hurt, right?

Let's just hope that my next Training Tuesday post, I'm not up another 11 lbs.

If so... I'm moving to Alaska so I can just cover up in layers & keep my own blubber as protection.