A little at a time

I have begun refreshing my website and starting to give my site a makeover. I am still not very happy with the lack of flexibility with the weebly site builder but it gives me something quick and temporary to work with until I am able to create my own from scratch that I really like. I made a temporary one in my web development class this past fall at Virginia Western and I really liked the way it turned out. Unfortunately, I did not make it completely able to transfer onto the web so it is still being developed. Until that point that I am able to get it uploaded and live, I will have to be happy using a pre-made site. It could be worse! I could have no idea whatsoever about designing a website. The next few weeks will be spent designing, creating, refreshing, re-vamping and re-configuring. Little by little it should be done sometime in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled!

On a separate note, our family went to the Down Syndrome support group get together tonight. It was so nice to be able to spend time with mothers and fathers of other children with Down Syndrome who can offer support and understanding. It always leaves me feeling good. Tonight we discussed ways we can help raise money for our support group so we are able to do other things and perhaps be able to help with costs. An idea for next year is to work this year to create a calendar to sell in order to raise some money. I think the idea would be wonderful and I know that I would love for Benjamin to be included on the calendar pages, representing children with Down Syndrome. He is super adorable and just looking at him makes me smile.

I got the bug...

I have not felt like creating anything in a long time. At the resolution of my 8th pregnancy and birth of my 6th child, I was in need of a break. I became so busy in the life of a parent to a special needs child that I neglected my crafty side, and it began to wither. After a year of non-crafting, I even debated about tossing out all my yarn, fabric and accoutrements. Fortunately, I did not and so I was able to pick things back up during the Christmas break from school. I began to work on making things again and although I still do not have a lot of time to just craft, I am making progress. I even set up a sewing table in my room today! I have not had a dedicated sewing area since we first moved to Caldwell, Idaho in 2008! That is a long time! Now that I have that set up, I am definitely anxious to get crafting even more! I have a bunch of things picked out to make, including finishing a test-knit project for a designer on Ravelry. I would also like to re-vamp my website and perhaps begin building my business again in hopes that one day, I might be able to make a bit of money each month by myself. I do not have delusions of grandeur or of making loads of money. I am fine simply making at least 1 sale per month! I sold 2 hats last month, so I am on my way again so to speak.

On a separate note, we have decided for me to withdraw from school while we deal with our little Ben's health issues. Of course, there are other reasons but we feel very strongly that this is the best course for our family at this time. It is not an easy decision, as I was anxious to get my degree. It is hard to focus on that and getting school work done when precious moments with family are slipping away and time is of the essence. I simply could not afford to forfeit those moments. No one knows how many moments a parent gets with their child, especially one with special needs, and so I will cherish each one.