hello 44.

it's official. i'm 44. last friday was like any other day. busy with work. busy being a mom. busy with daily chores. oh, and did i mention i turned 44? even though it was an ordinary day i was blessed with sweet bday phone calls, cards, emails and some awesome homemade gifts. gotta love the homemade gifts. first up, the darling owl {i heart owls} felted wool purse from lisa lou that now holds my camera. lisa is amazing at knitting and felting. not to mention freehand stitching. yes, i said freehand stitching. so jealous.

next up, homemade strawberry freezer jam from my brother from another mother, timmy. oh my goodness. yummy doesn't even describe it. bliss maybe? i don't know. must make some more soon!!!

the next gift is not homemade, but makes me very very happy indeed. {please excuse the number of photos. e wanted to see what it all looked like.} i've been wanting to redo the bedding in my bedroom forevah! i found this awesome comforter, shams and turquoise pillow at target. i called brett and he said go for it. he bought me the comforter and shams and my sweet abbey bought me the turquoise pillow that i've been eyeing for about a year and half. i heart it all so much.

as if the turquoise pillow wasn't enough from my sweet child, she decided to make me 2 more adorable pillows to complete the look. she made me a round brown felt pillow with a red flower on top made up of freehand petals sewed on individually. absolutely amazing beyond belief!!! and then she made a pillow that looks like a log. yes, i said a log. we're big fans of woodgrain and trees around here. it is sooooooo cool!!! the pictures do not do these pillows justice. i can't believe how creative she is. she just blows my mind away. oh, and did i mention all of it was done freehand???? no patterns. she's icky cool that way. fearless. i admire her so much.

okay, and last but not least. remember my 43 list???

well, i certainly didn't complete everything on my list by my 44th birthday, but that wasn't really the point for me. it wasn't just a checklist, but rather a way to get me to grow and expand and really {do} some of the things that i've always wanted to do. i'll continue to work on the list until i feel like i've accomplished what i want and then i'll start a new list. it's been a great experience and one i want to do again for sure.

okay, there you go folks. the beginnings of a new year. who knows what it will bring. all i know is i'm ready. bring it on.