End of the Year Round Up

Hi guys! Before Christmas arrives,  I wanted to catch up this blog with some fun photos and events that have passed from the last time I posted. Of course we celebrated Thanksgiving, but also my dad and step mom came for a visit just a few days before to celebrate my dad's birthday. We had his favorite meal of prime rib and coconut cream tart for dessert. It was a special visit because it was the first time Ruby got to meet her great granddad! She had a little bit of stranger danger with him, but we did manage to capture a few pictures of them together.
During the time they were here, we were going through he worst wildfires in California's history, and with that we were socked in with smoke that looked pretty scary. The day before Thanksgiving we had rain.....glorious rain....it cleared the sky and made for a beautiful Thanksgiving day!  Ruby's first Thanksgiving was a relaxed event with a first taste of carrots. Not quite ready for the full on feast, but it was super cute to see her eat her first solids. She was a very good dinner companion once we all sat down to dinner.
Why does this magical time of year seem to speed on by? I just want everything to slow down. This year I set two small goals for myself as far as making things for the holidays. One was Ruby's stocking and the other was her first Christmas dress. The next post I do I may include pictures of the dress, but if you follow me on Instagram, you probably already have seen the dress and stocking. Caitlin had Christmas pictures taken with Ruby wearing it. Soon I can post those pictures. I just wanted to make sure all her Christmas cards were sent out with the pictures before I shared them. Spoiler...she looks beautiful in them, big surprise right?!
This past Saturday my two nieces came with their significant others, along with my sister, for a quick little visit. They brought Ruby some toys, and as you can see by the pictures, she enjoyed the paper as most kids do hahah. She loved visiting and being the center of attention.  I love this little girl more than words can express. She is my little ray of sunshine.

I put my Etsy shop on vacation mode through the end of January, to force myself to revamp items and rethink what I want to put in it. To be honest, I've just been having fun sewing for Ruby and the Etsy has taken a bit of a back seat. I'm not ready to give up on it totally, but I think I need to make sure the items I put in the shop are not as time consuming as some of the pieces I have in there now. For sure the cape will stay in there. I will be adding a dress to go with it in the fall I think. I'm hoping my sweet Ruby will start to model for me by then. I know I keep talking about refreshing my shop, but I promise this time it will come to pass. This year has been consumed with Ruby :) Hard to not just chuck everything aside just to spend the day with that little darling. I want to start 2019 with a fresh Etsy and try and balance my time with outside work and play. We shall see how that plays out. I will try to do a Christmas post though before the new year. Catch you later, and happy holidays!