Lisa Leonard

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so completely thrilled to be part of the newest artful blogging.

i absolutely love this magazine.

so inspiring, and filled with amazing images and creative women.

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i’m so excited because the article doesn’t just talk about jewelry,

it talks about david’s birth and why i started the business.

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it’s kind of a brief account of our story.

and there are so many other wonderful blogs featured.

go pick up a copy!

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about three years ago, i shared david’s birth story in 5 chapters.

these are the original posts, and there are a few spelling errors,

it doesn’t flow perfectly (i should really re-write it!)

but if you have a few minutes and want to hear more details,

you can click through the links to share our journey.

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

chapter five

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I {heart} my blog friends! thank you for being part of our journey.

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today i’m going to get some really lovely coffee. {the camp coffee wasn’t my favorite, but it did the job.}

i’m going to notice all the blossoms popping up and get excited for spring.

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i’m going to be thankful that we are starting out the week in our normal routine.

that david doesn’t have any doctor appointments this week.  yay!

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i’m going to set a date for a haircut.  my hair has gotten so long.

i’ve been pulling it back a lot-which is fun.

but i am ready for a freshen up!

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i’m going to wear my ‘key to my heart‘ necklace

and touch it all day long

and think about how abundantly blessed i am.

{that necklace is on sale today and tomorrow}

find it here.

feelin lucky? giveaway here.

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what’s making your monday lovely?

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we went to lake lopez with our church college group this weekend.

since there is no internet at the camp, we had to unplug.

although i did bring along a portable dvd player so i could watch movies after the boys were in bed.

this friend recommended bright star.

the cinematography was seriously beautiful. sweet story, very slow paced.

i liked it.

and i also watched paper heart.

funny, thoughtful.  i want to see it again with steve.

highlights from the weekend include

*matthias playing football and frisbee with the college students

*lots of snuggles with david

*way too much candy

(tootsie rolls, sour gummy worms and popcorn)

*getting my butt kicked in chutes and ladders

*time to clear my mind and a good nap

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what are your weekend highlights??

My friend Kimba over at A soft Place to Land

sent me this photo yesterday.

I was at a mexican restuarant and literally spit out my coke I laughed so hard.

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Her three year old helped her accessorize.

which begs the question is, can you love lisa leonard designs too much?!

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yesterday while the boys were in school, i almost didn’t know what to do with myself!

i worked for a while, ran a couple errands and then felt a little lost.

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so i took my new 55-200 lens (a valentine’s surprise!)

to the park and took my time walking around and taking pics.

it was a quiet time.  and much needed.

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and the sun was so warm on my shoulders.

i definitely need alone time-that’s how i recharge.

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but i was sooo ready to pick the boys up from school!

and we went straight over to snofari for frozen yogurt.

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they always have a dairy free option-which is perfect for david.

and matthias wanted to help feed his brother.

which completely warmed my heart.

and obviously, david loved it, too!

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what’s warming YOUR heart today??

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it’s so dang good to be getting back into our routine.

i think i calculated 16 doctor visits over the last 6 weeks.

and that is just too many!

i don’t even want to think about how much school the boys have missed.  eek!

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and now…deep thoughts.  tell us please…

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or be able to sew the most fabulous dress?

oh, that would be wonderful!

so what would you like to be able to do??

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we are loving the brand new vintage frames necklace!

a little funky and a lot of fun.

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wear a single charm or layer them on.

square, oval, and round.

and starting at $38!!

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my sweet sisters let me take some pics of them.

oh i love this new necklace!

you can see more details here.

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feeling energized and ready to get back into our routine!

david is doing great-breathing much better.

and mommy is breathing easier, too

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loving this pic i shot just outside the hospital in LA.

i love that they are all squished together.

togetherness is a good thing, i think.

last night we enjoyed some good family time and yummy mexican food.

feeling anxious to move beyond david’s little surgery and back into our regular routine.

i’ll keep you updated!

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{updated} we are home from the hospital and david did great.

i was so exhausted i feel asleep for almost two hours!

they were able to remove the whole lump (they think)

it was 1.5 inches l0ng-extending way back into the sinus on the left side.  insane!

and the surgeon told us he feel confident it is benign, but they will biopsy it to be sure.

yay!  so glad we are past this hurdle.

david was such a sweetheart-so patient and easygoing.

david and daddy are crashed out on the couch.

i’m thinking about ordering pizza for dinner?!

thank you so much for your prayers!!

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two of my sisters (i have 6 siblings) drove home with me yesterday from LA.

having them with me makes the drive 10x, no 100x better!

so good to hold hands with my sweet husband today.

we’ve apart too much lately.

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we’re getting a new chipotle in san luis obispo.  yay!

can’t wait to make it our new fave.

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just to keep it interesting…

i have a twin sister and my two younger sisters are also twins

the four of us look a lot alike.

i {heart} my sisters.

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david was in a silly mood today

and matthias was excited about his new lego book.

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tomorrow we drive back to LA for david’s surgery on monday.

i’m pretty sure the car can drive itself by now!

we’ve made the drive 5x in the last few weeks.  seriously insane.

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winners!!

our three winners for the pewter heart {wall hanging}

Kelly Langner Sauer

Brooklyn V Photography

Cathy B

congrats ladies!  contact us at customerservice@lisaleonardonline.com for details.

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you can follow me on twitter for updates with david’s surgery.

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so thankful for friends + family, both around us and online.

so thankful to find love is all around us

and has a strong hold on us.

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i took the above pics outside this morning.

below i found this billboard in santa barbara.  i think it’s a new ballet.

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sending you love and hugs today!

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it was a really long day today.

david and i drove south for cardiology testing to make sure he is stable for surgery.

i had a major meltdown in the doctor office-it wasn’t pretty.

but, i’ve been getting the run around and i’m tired of driving all over california

and david not getting the care and attention he needs.

and it’s no one person’s fault-it’s just tyring to coordinate lots of care providers

and today i hit my breaking point.

the good news is, as long as anesthesiology agrees, we have cardiac clearance

and can move forward with a CT scan under anesthesia tomorrow

and surgery on monday.

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now time for happy thoughts!

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things i’m loving…

1. pink blossoms popping up here and there

2. reminders of valentines

3. my new pink flats (target)

4. new pewter hearts and a giveaway

5. new, vintage painting of pink flowers

6. pink marshmallow hearts (and cocoa)

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7…what’s making you happy today?

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our 3″ solid pewter heart is hand-cast and hand-stamped with three lines of custom text.

absolutely filled with meaning and personalized for a forever keepsake.

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and we’re giving THREE heart wall hangings away!

so leave a comment and tell us where you would hang your pewter heart

you can tweet it, blog it and facebook it for extra extries

leave one comment for each entry!

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regularly priced at $34, they’re on SALE now thru friday for $28!!

so hop on over to the shop.

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i am falling in love with this book…

stillmeadow and sugarbridge.

i bought it because the cover was lovely

and it was filled with vintage illustrations.

in this case, it was a good idea to judge the book by the cover!

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but the words.  the words are even lovlier than the illustrations.

captivating and inspiring.

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i feel as if i am with her, she describes the moment so perfectly.

and i love the last line…

i held the moment in my hand.

beautiful.

moments i’ve held lately-

cuddling with matthias on my lap for a good hour. he’s sick, so he wants to be held.

teasing david and tickling him to the point where he belly laughed this morning.

giving steve a really good kiss upon returning home yesterday.

watching david’s whole face light up when he saw auntie chrissie-then wrap his arms around her neck.

a few hilarious moments at blissdom where we laughed so hard i had to spit out my drink.

a nap on the couch in a quiet house with the sun streaming in.

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what moments have you held lately?

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and i’m loving the fly free necklace lately! use code flyfree10 for $10 off until wednesday at midnight!

iphone pics {with shakeitphoto app} taken today

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i’m finally back home. and it’s sooo good to be here.

last week, steve and the boys left me in LA and headed back to San Luis Obispo (four hours north).

so yesterday, i flew into LA but didn’t have a ride home.

luckily, my friend Jim flies a private plane back and forth between San Luis and LA once in a while,

so i hopped on board.  how fun is that??

now i’m finally home and all my boys are sick.

david is on amoxicillin to try and get him healthy (he has a bad cold)

he is scheduled for an echocardiogram on thursday and surgery to remove the nose bump next monday.

i’m 95% sure matthias has strep throat again.

so i’ll be taking him to the doctor tomorrow.

steve has strep or tonsillitis or something.

and in the meantime,

i’ve got some email to catch up on and some super fun new things to share!

and of course, a blissdom recap!  {it was wonderful!}

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and i love your comments on managing stress.

it’s something i’m really working on. i tend to distract myself with busyness

and then end up in a pile of tears.

life is stressful, it’s a real unavoidable part of life,

but i’m learning to manage the stress and find joy.

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i think i can honestly say i’ve been stressed lately.

stressed in the middle of real life, and fun with friends and making family memories.

and in the middle of all our regular stuff, we’ve squeezed in

8 doctor visits in the last couple weeks

driven over 25 hours over to see those doctors

waited and waited for answers

while trying to take care of a sick kiddo and entertain his patient brother.

and meanwhile, i’ve had a small apetite,

i can’t fall asleep at night and my head is so full i have trouble remembering details

(like where i parked my car or what day it is.)

and so i’ve had to think more deliberately–how do i manage stress?

here’s my list…

warmth.  i love a feather blanket, a warm cup of cocoa, and a glowing fireplace.

touch. hand holding, snuggling, a back rub.

organizing my thoughts. blogging, list making, time alone. coffee with a friend.

these things soothe me.

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how do you manage stress?