Busyness

If you are wondering why I have been sparse with my blogging lately, it's because Much Ado About You is currently experiencing our busiest. season. ever.

Last December, our highest sales month of all time, we sold 120 calendars.

This month, as of today, with only half of the month behind us, we have sold 135 calendars!

That is why I have not had time to blog.

It is also why I have not had time to do laundry, clean up the house, put away dishes,  unpack from The Queen Bee Market {more on that later}, or finishing putting up the Christmas decorations that Nathan and Beau started while I was gone.

I've been busy.

We released the new line one month ago, and we are now sold out of 5 out of the 24 designs:

If one of these is the one you had your heart set on... you should have bought it already!  Just kidding.  What I was really going to say was that we may end up with a few more... we just went through all of our pending orders yesterday, and based on our highly sophisticated counting system... we believe we are sold out.

Now I am going back to bed because Nathan is home sick and kept me up most of the night with his moaning.  {Fever of 103... no good.}  So, goodnight.  Zzzzzzzzz.

Once Upon a Cupcake Giveaway!!!

My friend Kelly from Once Upon a Cupcake is having her first ever giveaway!  She is making these darling cupcake toppers, that can be shipped anywhere in the US.  

One dozen of these bad boys could be yours!

Check out Kelly's blog to enter.  Also, become a follower because you will definitely want to be updated on all the amazing things she does with fondant and icing.  Amazing.

And in case you were wondering... her cupcakes are to die for.  I am not a sweets person.  I am a chips and salsa kind of girl.  But I crave Kelly's cupcakes.  Crave.  They are yummilicious.  If you have any excuse for ordering cupcakes, you should order them from her.  You won't regret it.

Queen Bee

The Queen Bee Market is finally here!!! WOO HOOOOO!

After the week I have had... I am SO looking forward to getting away with three of my favorite gals, and having a fantastic weekend in San Diego!

If you are in the area, come visit us.  This is going to be an amazing handmade market, and a great place to check off most of  your Christmas list.

Tell me you follow my blog and I will give you

$5 off your order of $40 or more 

{good for purchases at the Queen Bee Market only}.

Silence

Sorry for the silence this week.  It has been a very trying week.

One with high highs and low lows.

It has made me keenly aware of the fact that knee jerk reactions are usually not Emmy at her best, that I have amazingly loyal friends and customers, that perception does not always match reality, and that expectations can disappoint.

It has made me grateful for loyal and loving friends, family that picks me up and backs me up, and a church that I adore and appreciate.

It has renewed my passion for my business, prepared me for the future, and reminded me that growing a business will be full of painful lessons.

But mostly it has made me grateful for God's abundant provision and amazing blessings over my family.

Football

Today I am thankful for football.

Can you believe that???

Beau has played golf, soccer, and t-ball, and been on the swim team, and I have enjoyed cheering him on at all those sports.

But today I almost passed out screaming for the Ladera 49ers... and we're going to the playoffs!!!

Today I got really excited for high school football.

A Time for Thanksgiving

I have to admit... Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday.

Don't get me wrong... I love the food.

I am a big fan of food.

Especially any meal that includes gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.  But to me, Thanksgiving is just the speed bump you have to go over on the way from Halloween to Christmas.

Now, don't get me wrong again... I do not love all things Halloween either.  I am not a fan of witches and spider webs and scary movies.  I am however a fan of the Annual Blakely Chili Dinner and Trick or Treating Night.  We have all the neighbors over, we eat yummy chili {without beans, of course}, and we head out into the thing of beauty that is Ladera Ranch on Halloween night.

Christmas... that is my favorite.  For many reasons, but starting with the birth of our Savior.

The day after Halloween I start listening to Christmas music.  {I am listening to Silent Night sung by Martina McBride as we speak.}  I go from Halloween to Christmas.

Thanksgiving often gets brushed under the rug for me.  I am not a fan of fall colors, and I do not own any Thanksgiving decorations {except one very cute "Thankful" sign that I purchased years ago from Joy's Hope}.

I was just on Facebook and saw that a friend of mine had on her status: "is beginning a month of daily thankfulness" and I thought that sounded like a great idea!  This Thanksgiving I have much to be thankful for.

So starting today I am beginning a Month of Thankfulness on my blog.

Today I am thankful for sisters-in-law that I love.

One of my sisters-in-law came down today to be Beau's Beary Special Guest for his Beary Special Person week in his classroom.

Aunt Jackie came and read Beau's class a story, and made the year of a certain 7 year old who thinks she hung the moon.

Is it legal to marry an Aunt of no blood relation?  Even if she is already married to your Uncle?

Sorry for the out of focus picture.  Dang iPhone.

A Letter

It has been a while since I have updated you all on our adoption process.  It's not because I didn't want to share, but just because I have been stuck in a Birthmother Letter Rut.

The last step of the process on our part was to write a letter to the birth mother, and make a scrapbook bio of our family.

I have sat down to write this letter many, many times.

I have stared at the keyboard many, many times.

I have typed and erased sentences many, many times.

And I have decided that this is the most difficult part of the adoption process.

How do you summarize in one short letter six years of yearning?

How do you explain what great opportunities you can offer a child, without sounding elitist and entitled?

How do you ask someone to give you their baby?

This was hard for me.

But today... it is finished.

Somewhere out there right now there is a young woman pregnant with my baby, and soon she will read my letter and choose me to be her baby's mama.

Today is a good day.

Tomorrow I will start the scrapbook.