The Knotty Boutique Co.

Things I {{Love}} Thursday!

2012-05-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

Hey Y'all!

I hope you enjoyed my little Love Story last week!
James even read it and gave me the biggest hug I've had in a while.
I love that man!

So NOW I'm trying to get a new little weekly schedule going on here.
And I apologize for it being so late. Today was a little crazy!

Things I love Thursday is based on products I find on Storenvy, Etsy, Facebook, other blogs, or other Internet sites that I have completely fallen for
.
Let's get this party started shall we?!?!

Oh, I'll be working on some 'Featured On' buttons tonight so if you see your product here, you can grab it and put it on your blog if you wish!

1. Cherry Blossoms Rosette and Ruffles Headband by Agape Love Boutique

Not only do I LOVE Maria as a person, but she makes the most gorgeous accessories!!! I love everything in her shop and will someday go broke because of her, haha!

2. The Alice by Heavensent Hellbent

If you know anything about me at all, you'd know I'm a huge Wonderland fan! I love the books, the movies (Especially Tim Burton's) and just everything! I love anything whimsical!

3. Vintage Butterfly Ring by Bitz 2 Glitz

Anything that's vintage automatically steals my heart! This ring was an actual clip on earring from the 20-30's era!!! Looooooooooove it!

And there you have it!
These are the 3 pieces that totally caught my eye this week! I'm always on the lookout for the cute things so watch out! You may be featured ;)

Our {Love} Story: Wedding Day

2012-05-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

Holy Guacamole.

Today's the day.

I get up, bathe, throw on some sweats and head to get my hair done.

Butterflies invade my tummy.

My bridesmaid and I drive to the venue.

There was a tornado the night before and the wedding is outside.

I pray the whole way that everything is going to be okay...

It rained earlier that morning, but I've always heard rain on your wedding day is good luck.

When we got there I couldn't believe how beautiful everything was.

Not only were the decorations absolutely gorgeous...

But so were the trees.

The grass.

The river.

James had to hide while I made my way up the stairs to change into my dress.

My entire body started shaking.

I kept having to tell myself, "Hey! At least he's here! That's a good sign, right?!"

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Momma - "It's time to go!"

Me - "Holy Cheese..."

Here.

We.

Go.

Making my way down the stairs is when I realized that Wow... I'm about to be married.

MARRIED!!

I can do this. I got this.

Deeeeeeeep breaths.

As I was making my way down the stairs the boys were making their way down to where we would say our vows...

Such a handsome group =)

I know I don't look the MOST enthused in this photo lol I was trying to concentrate on not falling and busting up my face down the stairs, haha!

I am the clumsiest person I know... It was a high possibility.

My AMAZING Daddy giving me away =)

I know this was REALLY hard for him... I'm his only daughter. As a matter of fact I'm both of my parents' only child. This was not only a huge step for me, but for them as well.

They had to learn to let me go. Let me spread my wings. I know it wasn't easy for either of them at the time, but now they support us in everything that we do.

I truly couldn't ask for better parents than those two. God truly blessed me with such amazing parents.

Saying our vows! =)

I kept giggling... It's what happens when I get nervous. If I could change that about me, I would in a heart beat. But my nervousness made James smile. And that made me giggle even more!

We chose to say traditional vows (it's just the way we are).

"To have and to hold, from this day forward.

For better, for worse, (been there)

For richer, for poorer, (def. done that)

In sickness and in health, (this too)

Until death do us part. (Amen.)

Our very first kiss as husband and wife!

I couldn't have been more excited about anything in my life!

I was OFFICIALLY

Mrs. Harris

Now enjoy a few of my favorite photos taken by the AMAZING photographers!

<--- We made wishes on butterflies and they carried them up to the Heavens on their wings!

It was a complete surprise to me and I had NO idea it was coming!

Our butterfly needed a little motivation to carry our wish.. He wanted to hang out with us, lol!

Now here we are.

3 years

2 babies

1 love later.

We've definitely hit some BUMPY spots...

Even some potholes we weren't sure we were going to make it out of.

We were a hair close to getting divorced in these 3 short years...

But we grew closer to God, and closer to each other.

God pulled us out of our rut.

I couldn't be happier with this handsome man of mine.

Everyday I wake up and thank GOD he blessed me with such a wonderful husband who is the most hard working man I have EVER met.

I thank GOD for blessing me with a man who is a WONDERFUL father.

I thank GOD for blessing us with 2 beautiful babies whom I love more than anything in this world.

GOD IS SO GOOD!

James,

It has been a difficult road. But how will we learn if we don't make our mistakes? God has pulled us through our darkest times, and he will continue to pull us through whatever evil throws at us. Thank you for doing all that you do. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for loving me even in the worst times. Thank you for giving me two babies who are not only gorgeous, but smart, funny, and amazing. Thank you for being the best husband I could ever ask for! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you! I love you more than you will ever be able to comprehend. SMILE! ;)

Our {Love} Story: Part 3

2012-05-14T21:54:00.004-05:00

Hey guys! Sorry for such the long wait!

This weekend was 12 kinds of crazy!

Being Mother's Day and all ;)

OH! And the Auction is up!! Check it out here!

Okay so here we go!

-Fast Forward to October 13th, 2008, the day before he'd go back to Iraq-

James picked me up and we drove to Berryhill park.

It's just a small little park, but I love it :)

He parked the car and sat there for what seemed to be a hundred years.

He stared at me and said, "Let's take a walk."

My gut wrenched. My heart dropped to my stomach.

I knew exactly where this was going.

He was breaking up with me.

My eyes began to well up, and I tried to hold it in.

He grabbed my hand and we began walking.

Very slowly.

"How do you know when two people are supposed to be together forever?" He asked.

"Well, I guess you just know..." I didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah. I'm leaving to go back tomorrow. I had a lot of fun and loved our time together. But..."

Oh God, here it comes. Don't cry. Don't cry.

I shut my eyes as tight as I could.

How could he look me in the face and...

"Lauren, will you marry me?"

Oh. My. Gosh.

There he was... Down on one knee. With the ring in his hand.

"YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!"

I lost it. All those tears I was holding back came flooding our of my very puffy eyes!

I'm pretty sure you could hear my excitement in China!

My momma took this photo that very night!

I'm not crazy about myself in it, but I love the way he's looking at me =)

And I didn't mean to cover up the ring, lol!

We set the date: May 16, 2009

-The Next Day-

3am

I couldn't sleep a wink.

He was packing his big green duffle bag to go back.

Ugh.

I didn't want to let him go...

Watching him walking away from me was the hardest thing I've done.

I sat on the steps by my apartment and watched him drive off.

I sat there and cried. And cried. And cried.

After what seemed like forever I trudged back inside.

I put my contacts in solution cause I'd been crying in them all day.

I put my glasses on and looked up to see how pitiful I looked in the mirror.

My reflection was not the first thing I saw.

"I love you. Don't ever forget it. I'll be back home to you soon. I promise. SMILE!"

I was surprised I had any tears LEFT!

If you remember, he said 'SMILE' in the card of flowers he'd sent me months before.

He left me a note this morning when he left for work and here it is!

"I left a Dr Pepper in the fridge for ya. I'll pick up some on the way in from work. Love you and try not to get stressed. Tell the kiddos I love 'em and miss them. *SMILEY FACE* Smile"

He also left that little smiley face on my mirror lol it's his 'signature' he calls it ;)

EVERY note, EVER card, EVERY letter he's ever given me has a smiley face and 'smile'

And I wouldn't change it for the world!

-Fast Forward 2 months-

It's 2 weeks before Christmas and my soldier is FINALLY coming home!

His brother, Travis, has agreed to go pick him up from Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

But I was secretly going, too ;)

A long drive and countless hours later we arrived at James' hotel room.

His roommate opened the door, and James was asleep.

I tiptoed over and tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned over, saw it was me, jumped up and grabbed me!

I've never seen someone so happy to see me :)

He just laid there and held me for an hour straight before he got up and hugged his brother, lol

New Years Kiss 2009

Christmas had passed, New Years, Valentine's Day, Easter, Bridal Shower done -- we were getting closer to the date.

This is my favorite Engagement photo to this very day :)

It shows US. How real we are. How we always make each other laugh.

I had bought my dress when he was in Iraq.

The Bridesmaids had their dresses.

The groom and groomsmen had their tuxes.

The flowers had been ordered.

The cake/cupcakes were ordered.

The venue was set.

The guests had been invited.

I was ready to be his bride.

Wedding photos and the story on WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012!

Our {Love} Story: Part 2

2012-05-10T15:10:00.000-05:00

Welcome back! I've decided to make this a 5 part series, with the last part being our Wedding day next Wednesday!

So are you ready for the next part???

First Date & R&R

James had sent me my FAVORITE lily flowers.

He remembered in the hours and hours of conversations we had.

How awesome is he?!

5 miserable days later James had returned from his mission!

And I think on his 5 days of thinking and driving [he drove a truck in Iraq]

He was getting down to business.

I had my phone set up to where my Yahoo! Messenger would send me texts if someone messaged me. So I could text vs sitting on the computer and typing. It was handy!

So I got a text from him while I was in class.

J- "I want to ask you something."

Me- "Umm.. okay."

J- "I'd like to take you to dinner when I get home."

Me- "Oooh! Like a date?!" [I was EXCITED because I'd never been asked on a REAL date before. This was absolutely amazing.]

J- "No, not a date. People gotta eat don't they?"

Me- "......................." [If I had a camera I would've taken a picture of my stunned face.]

J- "Okay, yes a date."

Me- "Well I'd love to!"

Little did I know the word "date" to James meant WAY more than dinner.

When I got home from school I went to check my mail box at my apartment.

There was an envelope. With my name. From a Ticket agency.

My first reaction: OMG SOMEONE IS BUYING TICKETS IN MY NAME!.... But why would they come here...?

So I opened the envelope and out came 2 Arkansas Razorback football tickets.

ARKANSAS RAZORBACK FOOTBALL TICKETS!!!!

In James' name. =)

HE WAS TAKING TO ME TO A RAZORBACK FOOTBALL GAME!!!!

As I stated before, I'm a small town country girl... Football is a big deal to me and my family lol

Not to mention they were pretty awesome seats!

-Fast forward a couple weeks-

James was FINALLY coming home on R&R!

And he didn't tell me until they had landed in Texas.

And proceeded to tell me they were driving home because their flight wouldn't leave for another 4 or 5 hours and they could be home before that.

So I literally jumped up, showered, and got ready faster than I ever thought possible!

He called me when they got to Little Rock and I made my way up to see him!

Our first stop: The mall.

He wanted some new clothes after wearing ACU's constantly for forever!

I got to pick out his clothes! (something I still do to this day, lol!)

-Fast forward to our first date-

It's 4am. James brought me a pink razorback hat, pink hoodie, and tons of snacks and drinks to make our trip to Fayetteville less.... long haha.

It was suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch a long drive.

And it rained.

Haha I don't remember why he got out... But he was soaked, hahaha!

These are only a few of the photos I took, I didn't want them to dominate the post lol!

It was the MOST fun date I had ever been on!

But on the way home he said it wasn't over.

I think we went to eat at Colton's... nothing extravagant but one of my FAVORITE places =)

But little did I know he had a lot more planned.

We drove around town for a little while

(one of the only things to do in our hometown)

and he decided he wanted to see his brother, Travis in Jonesboro

I, of course, was excited! I'd never been to Jonesboro before!

So we got there and we visited for a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG time.

I ended up falling asleep.

James woke me up and asked me to get in the back of his car so I could lay down and because Travis was coming with us.

I was like, whatever. Just want to sleep.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When I woke up were we in

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE!!

They had kidnapped me.

But not in the creeper I'm gonna kill you way.

It was in the I'm gonna take you to the Memphis Zoo because you've gone on and on about how you're dying to go kind of way. :)

So off to the zoo we went!

It was the BEST time.

Although James had to buy me some makeup...

IN MY DEFENSE:

They kidnapped me ONLY with a change of clothes.

No makeup.

No money.

It wasn't my fault! lol

He still loves me =)

The Proposal story on Saturday ;)

Our {Love} Story: Part 1

2012-05-08T22:05:00.002-05:00

Hello again!

Sorry for the long wait...

My mommy has been in the hospital for almost a week so I've been dealing with that fiasco.

Luckily her doctors cleared her to go home tonight! HOORAY!

I'm excited.

I just realized YESTERDAY that my anniversary is NEXT WEEK!

Holy cow where the hay does time go... Seriously???

I'm going to steal some more... It goes by too quickly.

So in honor of our anniversary.....

Here's our Story

So the hubs and I went to High School together. He was in every English class I ever had and always sat behind me.

I thought he was REALLY cute...

But he was a jerk. HUGE jerk.

He says I'm a snob but deep down he was in love with me (haha!).

I used to turn around and play with his ~~gorgeous~~ curly hair.

Then he graduated and joined the Army. (2006)

Jump forward to 2008.

I was sitting at home watching one of my FAVORITE movies

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

A movie we watched in Junior English.

My mind went straight to thinking of him.

Why? I don't know...

So I did what any 19 year old girl would do.

I looked him up on Facebook

I thought, "Holy cow he's in Iraq..."

And sent a friend request....

He accepted a few days later and sent me a message.
Asked how I was doing.
What I'd been up to.
Normal catching up stuff.

So I told him I was in school (at the time wanting to be an English teacher)
Told him how big of a jerk my ex-boyfriend was that I dated all through High School.
And I was praying for him and his safe return.

We talked for a WHILE, I mean months of constant talking when he wasn't on a mission or in the motor pool.
I couldn't believe this was the same kid who was so mean to me!
He asked me for my address.
What?! What could he POSSIBLY want with my address... Really??

I gave it to him.
I don't remember why lol

A few days later he told me he had to go on one of his 5 day missions
Peachy.
He got off the phone with me and I was so upset and just started praying.
Hard.
Literally 5 minutes later there was a knock on the door.
I opened it and it was the Pro Flowers delivery guy.
I laid it on the counter and told my roommate she had a present.
She was ALWAYS getting flowers from her boyfriend.

She came to my room and said, "Ummm... these are for you."
Puzzled, I grabbed the box from her and saw the GORGEOUS pink and yellow flowers.
The card read,
"Thought these would cheer you up while I'm gone. Remember to SMILE! -James"

Stay tuned for more this week! ;)

Family time is awesome time.

2012-05-03T22:02:00.004-05:00

So yesterday, me, the hubs, Sweet Pea & Mr. Bug, my mom, and my step dad went to Playtime Pizza! If you've never been to Playtime Pizza (or don't live in the natural state) It's like Chuck E Cheese... but bigger! And pretty dang awesome!

Quite obvi everyone had a great time, yes? Well they did =)

1. The hubs and step dad racing!

2. Mr. Bug wanted to race, too!

3. Sweet Pea's favorite game!

4. She shoots! She misses, but still has fun!

5. Step dad and Mr. Bug playing on the cheese wedges!
(at least that's what we called them in cheerleading lol)

6. Mr. Bug making his car sound lol Sweet Pea's there too!

7. Hubs gettin' serious in this motorcycle game lol

8. Weeeeee!!!! Mini merry-go-round!

9. Hi, mommyyyyyyyy!!!

Yeah seriously we had the best time. I talked Sweet Pea into riding the go carts with mommy since she was tall enough! She refused to buckle in at first but I sweet talked her =) As soon as we got to going (those things are crazy fast!) she was having a blast!!! ..:Turn 1: "Weeeeeeeee Mommy!" Turn 2: "Woooohooooo!" Straightaway: "Hi Mimi!":..

She's such a little hoot.

Mr. Bug had a lot of fun too for just being 18 months! The kids stayed in the little kid room (of course) and my mom and step dad actually let the hubs and I act like kids for about 20 minutes and play games upstairs =D It was nice to let loose for a change and not have to chase toddlers around.

Where's your favorite place to go?

How do you balance life?

2012-04-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

First I want to show you my headband!

As if the fans on Facebook haven't seen it enough, lol!

I'm pretty proud of it =)

NOW! I'm just curious.

How do YOU balance your life.

How do you balance work, kids, husbands {wives}, housework, LIFE?

I'll be the first to admit I do get VERY flustered when I can't seem to get everything finished in one day. It makes me feel like I've failed at being a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur.

Thank God above I have my awesome husband and my amazing family and friends to keep me from going absolutely bonkers. They're the first to let me know HEY you can't be Super Woman and have EVERYTHING done in 24 hours time. But I'd like to!

I'm terrible with time management. So that's definitely something that needs to be worked on.

Do you have your own set schedule?

Forgiveness and Being Myself

2012-04-24T10:21:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to write a post about this for a while.
And Dana at Wonder Forest inspired me to do it.

Ever have someone hurt you so bad that (even though its been years) you still hold a grudge to that person?

Well, I've decided I'm letting go of all the hurt and anger I have.
All the people who hearing their very name makes my heart clench,

You're forgiven.

I've decided to forgive you for all you've done to hurt me.

I'm working on myself to be a better person.

That also includes stop trying to be what I think others expect of me.
I've noticed on my Facebook page the more I'm MYSELF the bigger response I get.
I have tried to fit into a mold that I thought everyone would want me to be
But what fun is that?

I'm just going to be myself from now on.
Blog about what I want.
Post about what I want.
Crochet/sew/make what I want.
And not try to fit in so badly.

I keep trying to tell myself that if people want to read my blog, buy my creations, become a 'fan' then I shouldn't give them anything less than what and who I am.
And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

xxoo

Benefit Auction

2012-04-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

Okay I sent out a TON of emails last night for possible vendors for our Benefit Auction for The American Cancer Society.

My mom had to have a biopsy on Monday because the Dr's said they "saw something". She got her results back yesterday and they were all clear! So I'd REALLY like to make this year's auction as big as we possibly can!

You can email me at:

theknottyboutiqueco{at}gmail{dot}com for more details!

Let's put an end to this cancer business!

SBS Details (& some prayers, please)

2012-04-14T14:17:00.000-05:00

Okay. I want to pick up Small Business Saturday again.
Things have gotten all kerbobbled lately (diggin my 'The Grinch' reference!)

We got some news that I don't want to share just yet...
I have a habit of psyching myself out and we won't find out until Monday.
So until then I just ask for some prayers for my mom... if you have some to spare.

Okay back to SBS:
Small Business Saturday is a day where I highlight a small business.
Whether it's an online store or a shop down the road! (Or anywhere in the world for that matter!)
I think it'll happen every other Saturday, though.
Or just until we get the gist of things.

So here's how it works:
You must be a SMALL online business, have 1 shop if you have a storefront, or work from home.
Small Business definition here
And for now small Franchises will not be included. But maybe in the future ;)

*Example 1: Walmart and McDonalds are NOT small businesses.
*Example 2: Sassy Sweets, The Shifty Fox, and Agape Love Designs ARE small businesses!

If interested, I will send you a questionnaire you fill out and send back to me. You may also send photos, but if not I will ask permission to use ones from your site. If I have personally experienced your product, I will post my own personal review. You will also be asked if you would like to add a special discount or giveaway for the week your shop is featured! You are not obligated to do a discount or giveaway, though so don't worry!

So with all that awesomeness being said email me at:

theknottyboutiqueco(at)gmail(dot)com

Let's get this party started!

Easter Fun!

2012-04-11T14:35:00.002-05:00

Okay. I know I've said I was going to upkeep this blog a little better.
I lied. And I'm sorry. =(
I keep getting discouraged about it, and now I'm just going to post whatever my heart desires and if someone reads it, great! If not then oh well.

So how was your Easter? Ours was pretty fantastic. =)
We went to a local park here and fed the ducks!
And played on the playground! (Yes in our Easter best lol)

Mr. Bug wanted to eat the bread for himself lol

Feeding the duckies!

Then we went home and enjoyed some yumminess from The Mixing Bowl. Yummm.
If you've never had their banana pudding... you're seriously missing out!

My mommy made these little cuties!

Then the babies napped and they hunted Easter eggs afterwords!
Sweet Pea was finding them left and right, but Chase hasn't really grasped the concept yet.

It was just a great time and I truly enjoyed it!

Things have been a little rough but as the hubs always tells me,
"Have faith"
I just have to keep praying, and if any of you have any to spare it would be appreciated.

So on a happier note...
I've been drawing out some summer designs and I can't wait to work on them and get them photographed! I've partnered up with Heart Photography by Courtney Jones because lets face it, I'm nowhere near a professional photographer lol. I just like to think I am. =)

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week!

XXOO

Ramble Ramble

2012-04-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

Okay! So I've been working on a few designs for photographers =)
Spring/Summer are our slower times so gives me lots of design time!

I need to draw them out first (habit lol) before I can begin on them, does anyone else do that?
Or is it just me...
I'm a visual person so I need to see how it looks!

We're having a house warming party for my Grandma tonight! Girls only =) So I'm excited!
The hubs is gonna keep the babies while I'm gone so I can have a peaceful night out, lol!

I'm so anxious to get my store up, too!!!! But I have to save my money to pay someone to design it for me, since I'm a lost cause! I've tried tons and tons of times to do it myself but when it comes to all that HTML and CSS mess it's like reading Chinese!

Okay now I'm just rambling... so I'm gonna stop!!! Happy Wednesday everybody! Maybe I'll get everything back on track this week! I love my little blog and I wanna keep it active!!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! -And a funk I can't shake-

2012-04-02T12:19:00.004-05:00

And the winner is..............

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have 24 hours to contact me to claim your prize =)

I've been kind of out of it lately and I can't shake it.

I think it might be all the pollen, I'm just not feelin' too much like myself.

I don't know.

I've got some pretty awesome ideas comin' up for the shop that I'm pretty excited about though, so maybe they'll be up soon! I've kind of teamed up with an amazing photographer so that'll take a little of the pressure off of me =)

Giveaway? Oh yeah!

2012-03-24T22:42:00.002-06:00

It's giveaway time!!!!

You can win your very own:

'Tweet Little Birdie' Applique Bird with Knotted Ribbon Legs

Courtesy of The Shifty Fox

and

'Chickee Baby' Earflap Beanie with Tassels

Courtesy of The Knotty Boutique Company

Modeled by my beautiful sweet pea Olivia :)

*RULES*
1.) Complete the Mandatory entries.
2.) The optional entries must be completed if you put in your entry for them.
3.) You entry will be disqualified if you do not complete it.
4.) Be fair!

I do check the entries guys ;) So the entry you didn't complete will be disqualified. Not all of them!
Example: If you click the 'Share on Facebok' for 1 entry, and I find you didn't that entry will be disqualified. All you have to do is tag us in your status or share the pic collage of the items on your facebook! It's super easy and trust me, you don't want ANY of your entries disqualified!!!

Giveaway begins at 12:01am EST Sunday March 25, 2012
and ends at 12:01am EST Monday April 2, 2012

We're using Rafflecopter so it'll be super easy for us and for you!
So get those entries in and win you some cuteness!

a Rafflecopter giveawayGOOD LUCK!!!!

Ever had a blank mind?

2012-03-20T10:12:00.002-06:00

Oh geez I have.....
Especially lately.
I just kind of feel..... blah.
Maybe it's the weather.
Maybe things will change soon.

On a good note we'll be having a giveaway soon =)
Maybe that'll cheer me up.
Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day...
To those that actually read these things.

xoxoxo
Lauren

No SBS... A DOG instead ;)

2012-03-10T16:47:00.000-06:00

So today there won't be a Small Business Sunday

This week's feature (my mommy) is REALLY sick =(

So I decided to introduce the newest member of the Harris family!

This is Mo!

Gorgeous right?!?!

He's been determined as a Husky/Chesapeake Bay Mix

with maybe a little lab in there somewhere ;)

That sexy beast is my hubs, James. Can you tell who is more in love with MoMo than me???

You can tell how much he loves James. Precious.

We had been talking about getting a large dog for a while, but James REALLY wanted a German Shepherd. So I started searching around for German Shepherd Rescue groups since we did NOT want to buy from a puppy mill, backyard breeder, none of that.

So I emailed Threasha at Bald Knob Animal Shelter to see if she knew of any rescues I could get in contact with. And that's when I saw this beautiful chocolate dog with eyes that just pierce right through you. I. Want. Him. So I told James and showed him the picture. He's not one to get all giddy over... well anything really but when he saw MoMo he said, "I need this dog."

The next morning he went to take a look at him and was horrified at the conditions these beautiful babies were living in. They didn't even have a roof over their heads... Poor Threasha had to go in the freezing rain by herself to put tarps over them. FINALLY, the city got to business and they're building a new shelter for them with 21 kennels! A safe, warm place for those poor darlings waiting on someone to take them home!

Mo was pushed out of a moving vehicle... Someone called him in and that's how he came to be at the BK Animal Shelter. Can you imagine?! Ugh.

Did I mention they had him for 9 months?! I'm lovin' their policy when it comes to the life of the animals ;)

So I loaded the kids and we headed to the shelter to adopt Mo!

My tire blew on the way... but that's another story.

You could tell in his eyes he was happy to be leaving and to his new home. He's James' little (well big) truck buddy now. He's taken Mo with him everywhere he goes. He even slept all night on his doggy bed. Probably the first good night's sleep he's had in a while.

Then I had an idea.

Auction Time!

I will be holding an auction soon and I REALLY want to get involved and helped this shelter. Before long it'll be Threasha running it BY HERSELF. She needs tons of help guys. Let's give it to them.

100% of the proceeds for this auction will go to Bald Knob Animal Shelter and the fur-babies they have there. The money will go to buying them food, beds, shampoo, towels, whatever they need at their new shelter!

So please, won't you help them? If you'd like to donate an item from your shop PLEASE email me at

theknottyboutiqueco@yahoo.com

I'll be emailing some of you the next few weeks to see if you would be interested.

This really means a lot to me... If you knew anything about me it would be I LOVE animals!

(I wanted to be a Vet when I was in high school)

Thank you so much if you made it through ALL of that!

Until next time!

xoxo

Chickee Baby Earflap!

2012-03-08T12:32:00.002-06:00

Okay so this week has been craaaaaaaaaaazy!
But I managed to finish my little girl's hat shes been asking for.
AND got pics =) Wanna see?

What do you think??

Oh, and we will be having quite an awesome little giveaway and we teamed up with one Foxy lady ;)
So stay tuned!

Small Business Saturday - Me!

2012-03-03T13:11:00.002-06:00

To get things started off I will be featured in today's very first Small Business Saturday! I hope you enjoy this little interview and check us out! ;)

1. Owner Name(s)/Business name?

Lauren Harris/The Knotty Boutique Company

2. How long have you owned your business?

Almost a year and a half now!

This is my baby boy at 8 months old :)

3. What made you want to start your own business?

My son was born premature and the preemie hats we had were either too big or too small so I began making them myself. I taught myself how to crochet and figured out how to make hats without patterns. I got all kinds of requests so I decided to open up my own little shop!


Courtesy of: Theresa Ramsey Photography

4. What makes you stand out from others in your line of business?

I use high quality yarn that is perfect for kids and adults with eczema or extremely sensitive skin. My son has a severe case of eczema and I wouldn’t want to put something on your child I wouldn’t put on my own. I also take time and put a lot of love into my creations. They’re all unique.

5. What’s the best part of being a business owner?

I’m my own boss! I don’t have to report to anyone or check in with someone and let them know my progress. I can take the time I need without stressing to have it all done in an exact time.

Courtesy of: Agape Love Designs

6. What’s the hardest part?

Trying to create or design when the kids are awake. I work from home which also means I’m a WAHM (Work At Home Mommy). I have a window when I can get things done, and I have a problem prioritizing between orders, keeping the house clean, giving the babies my attention (which results in nothing getting done, lol!)

7. Do you have a staff?

Nope, it’s just me. Well I have my momma too. She counts!

8. Why or why not?

I’m the only one I know who crochets. I can’t just whip up a pattern and give it to someone to help me because I can’t read patterns. They all come from my head and sometimes I just make them up as I go with a new design. I have my mom who is my decorator (She owns DesignWorks, Check her out when I get her Facebook page set up lol!) and she helps me set up my shows, decorates my booth for me, that kind of thing which is a HUGE help since she's amazing at it.

Courtesy of: LeQuieu Photography

9. What are your goals/hopes/dreams for the business?

One day I hope to have my very own store front. To keep up a good inventory we may get some wholesale stuff to and I’ll make things to match. I don’t know I haven’t quite gotten that far yet. We’re still in the planning stage! But that is my ultimate goal!

10. What inspires you to keep it going every day?

God. My husband. My children. My family. I have the best support system in the entire world. When I’m feeling a little down about a design or if I begin feeling everything I’m doing is completely pointless I have people to pick me up, knock some sense into me and send me on my way! Without all of them I wouldn’t be able to do it. God has shown me that this is what I love and what I am most happy doing. And who wants to argue with Him? ;)

For today ONLY you can receive 20% off your entire order! Just mention that you saw this post and order away!

Also check out The Knotty Boutique Company on Facebook!

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Thank you for checking out the very first installment of the Small Business Saturday series and I really hope you enjoyed it!!! If you'd like to be apart of it, please email me at theknottyboutiqueco@yahoo.com so that I can send you all the details!

Just because...

2012-03-02T13:20:00.001-06:00

I'm back! Shocking right? I needed to take a little time to decide what the purpose of my blog really was. I was getting disappointed I wasn't getting anywhere and no one was reading what I had to say. So I'm taking a whole new approach. I'm going to stop trying to be like other blogs and just stay true to myself.

Click here to read about me and my family and introduce yourself! Even reintroduce yourself!

I've been hearing a lot of stereotypes lately, and I'd like to confront them. Just in case you were wondering how things really work in my world. So here we go!

Just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I shove my beliefs down people's throats.

Just because my kids are 12 1/2 months apart doesn't mean I'm a sex addict.
That one gets on my nerves most of all.

Just because I'm Turkish doesn't mean I enjoy blistering weather.

Just because I'm Native American doesn't mean my family owns a bunch of casinos.
Or that I do dances to make it rain.

Just because I'm Italian doesn't mean I live like the cast of Jersey Shore.
Or say things like DTF or GTL or "Wasteypants".

Just because I'm from Arkansas doesn't mean I'm missing most of my teeth and play the banjo.
I do love to call the hogs though. :)

Just because I crochet doesn't mean I live like an old lady.

Just because I listen to Country music doesn't mean I'm a redneck.

That's all that have REALLY been bothering me lately. So if you thought any of these about me, I hope its changed your mind! I know how it feels when one person with a similarity to you screws things up and messes it all up for you. But just keep doing what you're doing! Thanks for reading my rant and I'm SO glad to be back!

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday! And since it was such short notice it'll feature yours truly :)

If you'd like to be apart of this new little series of mine, shoot me an email at:

theknottyboutiqueco@yahoo.com