Happy Birthday Sean!!

Today is my little brother's birthday. Sean is 22 today and still crazy as ever. (That's him on the ground)

He likes to pretend that he doesn't like me when his friends are around...but we get along really well and I love our brother - sister relationship. I know I can always bounce ideas off of him and ask for his advice in all kinds of different situations. He sticks up for me and defends me when I need it; he's had my back through lots of tough stuff and I love him for it.

(He knows he loves us too!!! :D)

So, here's to Sean James Hogan. Another year older. I am so lucky to have such a fun, kooky, crazy, loving brother...I couldn't ask for a better brother. Love you bunches!!!



P.S. The pictures are from a family photo session we had with our friend and photographer, Julie Dirkse. You can check out her blog to see some examples of her fabulous work. We love Moments of Grace photography and we love Julie!!!

HI Everybody!!

I'm still around...just been neglecting my blog.

Life has been a little crazy in the last few months. To make it quick, we went to Arizona for Thanksgiving and got to spend time with Grandma and cousins, I had my tonsils removed, went on a weekend trip to San Diego, and I've been crocheting up a storm...a BIG STORM!!! And...I'm getting a new tattoo on New Year's Day (SUPER EXCITED about that). I don't have my pictures on the computer yet 'cause I've been slacking, but I'll come back and get some pictures up soon...I promise.

I hope this finds you all doing well. A belated Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all!!

LOVELOVELOVE

Mystery Hostess Party

Hi Everyone...

So, I am really excited to be doing a Mystery Hostess Party this month!!!! Here's the basic concept...Everyone who places an order under my October Online Party event will be entered into a raffle to win the hostess rewards. AND...if you invite your friends to order, you get an extra entry for every 10 friends you invite (cc me in the email so I know who you invited...thogan4110@gmail.com) The more the merrier...and the better the hostess rewards will be :D AND...if you book a party, you get 5 extra entries.

I almost forgot...the customer special for this month is awesome!!! When you spend $31, you can get the Organizing Utility Tote for just $5!!!!! Normal retail price is $22...that's a $17 savings!!! This bag is AMAZING!!! One great big center with SEVEN pockets on the outside. I've had customers use them for a diaper bag, swim bag, teacher tote...the possibilities are endless. Here's the flyer...it is available in 8 super cute prints.

So...send out those invites, check out the catalogs (Our new Holiday Gift Guide is available with some adorable new products and prints), place an order, ask me about hosting a party, and get excited...you could be the party hostess without having to do any work.

Dad's Surgery

Hi Everyone...sorry it's been awhile. I'll have to fill you in in another post.

But this one is an update on my dad. He had his first knee replacement surgery yesterday morning. The doctor said it went very well and everything fit together perfectly. Dad spent a very very long time in recovery (from 11 to about 6:30)...he had a very hard time coming out of the anesthesia. Had a couple bouts of nausea from the pain and the pain meds.

He finally got moved into his room around 6:30 :) We are happy about where he is as we know a few of the nurses who work on the floor he's on (my Aunt Shivawn and Sheila, a friend from church).

So...he'll be in the hospital for a few days and then off to a rehab place for a week or two where he'll get lots of physical therapy.

You can all be praying for perseverance for him to make it through the pain, and be praying that he gets into a good rehab facility (After his toe amputation they put him in a facility that was more like a convalescent home with terrible care...we don't want to go through that again), and just for a speedy recovery (he's determined to get out there for track season).

Thanks for your love and prayers.

LOVELOVELOVE

Hello???

Is anyone out there???

Here's a picture of me and Anthony.
We tried to go to the Griffith Observatory for our one year anniversary...but due to a full parking lot we settled for a nice picnic in the shade across the canyon from the observatory.

Thirty-One

Hi Everyone~

It's been a busy couple weeks getting my feet wet with my new Thirty-One business...and it's been a blast. I was so excited to be able to get a full party's worth amount of orders before even receiving my enrollment kit!!! Did I say I was excited about that...yeh...super excited!

I held my debut party this past Thursday and I think it went pretty well. I was excited and nervous going into it, but we had a great time just hanging out as a group of women and looking at great products.

I'm having another party this week Thursday night at 6:30 at my house. If you're reading this and would like to come, just leave a comment and I'll give you all the info :) I would love to have you!!!

I realized I didn't include my website address in the last post...so here it is: www.mythirtyone.com/29846

Stop by and check it out. You can see this month's specials and look through the catalog. And if you can't make it to the party Thursday night, you can place an order online. Just go to my events and click on the "shop now" option.

Let me know if you have any questions about Thirty-One, if you'd like to host a party, or if you're interested in the business oportunity. I'd love to answer any questions you may have.

LOVELOVELOVE

A New and Exciting Journey

Hi Everyone..It's been awhile again, but I have something exciting to share with you all. As of yesterday I have my own business as a Thirty-One Gifts consultant and I am so so so excited about it. Thirty-One is a faith-based company (based on the scripture of Proverbs 31, the virtuous woman) whose goal is to "Celebrate, Encourage, and Reward" women. We sell purses, organizational totes, backpacks, thermal lunch boxes, wallets, and so much more. Check out the catalog to see all the adorable and functional goodies. Most items can be personalized, and this month only, it only costs $1!!! We also have great hostess rewards, so let me know if you would like to host your own party.

I already got my first couple orders in the first day of being a consultant, and I am so so excited to tell you all about our products. Please don't hesitate if you have any questions about our products or hosting a party.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Busy, Busy, Busy

I've been busy, busy, busy crocheting up a storm. I've got a bag full of awesome goodies.

I made this adorable green and brown baby blanket for my cousin who is just about ready to pop. She and her husband didn't find out the gender of their little "skittle", so I thought green and brown would be safe. Turns out it was perfect, because those are the colors of the nursery. I love when things work out that way. (Picture to come. I'm waiting to have it emailed to me as I forgot to take a picture before giving it to my cousin.)

And I wish I could talk about and post pictures of the things I've made in the last month...but they are meant to be a gift...so I'll have to wait awhile to show you those. I'm super excited to give them to the inteded recipient and see her face!!! So you will all have to wait for pictures of those.

I have come to love checking Teresa's Learn to Crochet - Free Instructions and Patterns blog. She has all kinds of great patterns...with instructional videos to follow along. Crochet is so relaxing for me...and a great way to keep my hands busy when I have nothing to do at work ;)

Anyways...just wanted to share that with you all.

LOVELOVELOVE

I am Terrible

Soooo...I said several months ago that I was going to be posting something everyday...a sentence, a picture, something. Since I put that up, I haven't posted a single blog. This was brought to my attention Sunday afternoon by my dear cousin. Thanks for the nudge ;) It's good to know that people do actually check in on me.

I'm going to be a little more realistic and shoot for one post a week for awhile. Maybe eventually I'll get to that post a day place...but not any time soon.

Here's a pretty rose Anthony gave me :D

LOVELOVELOVE

Diaper Cakes

So....My mom, grandma, aunt and I ventured to Northern California a couple weeks ago to go to my cousin's baby shower. When we got there, my other aunt asked if any of us had ever made a diaper cake. She wanted to make one as a surprise for Cheryse and she had gotten all the "ingredients" and printed directions from the internet. So the three of us dived in head first.
Here it is before decoration:

Then came the decoration. Since they don't know the sex of the baby, they chose green and brown for their colors. Aunt Grace had everything we needed. Here is the finished project as the centerpiece at the shower.

Now...two weeks later, I have another shower...which I won't be able to attend because I have to work. So I decided to try my hand at my own diaper cake. It was a lot of fun to plan what I wanted to go into the cake. Included in my cake are baby powder, bottle, bottle brush, fingernail clippers, washcloths, comb & brush, pacifiers, and travel-size lotion, shampoo, body wash, and desitin. I went the the color scheme of brown and blue for this cake...and here are a few pictures of how it turned out.I can't wait to see the look on mom-to-be's face. :)

If you have a baby shower coming up...a diaper cake is a creative and practical gift that any mom will love. The ingredients aren't set in stone, so you can include whatever you like. Let me know if you want me to make one for you, or want help making one...it's lots of fun.

We Meet Again

I am terrible. I haven't posted for 6 months...and I really don't have much of an excuse. So, let me fill you in on a couple things for now.

I currently work 3 steady jobs for two different places. I put together the weekly newsletter and publish it online for Valley Christian Schools. And then I work with Dash Transit and at the Weingart Senior Center for the City of Lakewood, Recreation and Community Services Department. I do have an interview for a full-time job on Wednesday morning, so I'll let you all know how that goes.

I do have a man in my life...and I am embarrassed that I am only now writing about him, since we've been together 8 months already. He is amazing and he makes me so happy. I wouldn't trade the last 8 months for anything in the world.

The end of last year and beginning of this year were incredibly hard, but I'll touch on that in a later post.

I no longer attend Sunday morning services at ERC. I am part of a church planting team who has started a house church in the city of Compton. What an amazing adventure as we are learning and growing together. I'm am blessed to be a part of that family.

That's just a bit to start. I am making it a resolution, starting today, to try to post a little something, whether it be just a photo, a sentence, or a full-blown post, every day. (Someone keep me accountable)

Thanks for visiting.

LOVELOVELOVE

P.S. Here's a picture