December Giveaway Winner

well we have come to the end of our monthly Juju giveaways. i can hardly believe that this year is coming to a close. in some ways i'm excited, even hopeful that 2012 will bring brighter days. but i know that there is no way to escape the bad days. they come with the territory of being a bereaved parent. your heart never forgets that it's missing someone dearly. not for one second have i forgotten that my son passed away. so to think that 2012 will be free and clear of heartache and pain is not realistic. but i do hope with all of my might that next year showers us, and all of my hurting friends, with some much needed sunshine in the midst of the pain.

anyway, i'm sorry that i am posting the winner a day late, but i have been a bit under the weather.  when i picked the winner {using random.org} i had a good chuckle. it doesn't make sense why i would laugh when picking the winner of a donation to the charity of their choice until you know the backstory. last week, the person who won, had a similar giveaway, and i won. so when i saw that she won mine, it made me laugh to think that somehow maybe our babies had arranged this. and i also thought i should definitely take a pic of the result on my phone so that no one thinks i fudged the results. ;) so anyway, the winner of this month's giveaway was comment #2....Brooke, Eliza's mom!

so i will be making a $25 donation to the National Share organization {in memory of both Eliza and Julius}, whose mission is to "is to serve those whose lives are touched by the tragic death of a baby through early pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or in the first few months of life." it's actually an honor for me to end my giveaways with this donation. though i have never received support personally from Share, i know many have, and i'm glad to do anything to help such a worthy cause. thank you to everyone who entered. i truly wish i could donate to all of the charities that were posted.

now begins my quest for what to do in honor of Julius next year...

disassemble!

today is one of those days. 1 thing sets me off, and i spiral.
i miss my son. i wish he was here.
i hate grief. i feel defeated.
no matter what i do, he is still gone.
no matter how many times i get out of bed in the morning despite the urge not to, he is still gone.
grief wins over and over.
and i'm left here with this overwhelming urge to run around screaming "disassemble, disassemble!" at the top of my lungs like "number 5" from the movie "short circuit."
i wish i were a robot that could just be disassembled so that i didn't have to deal with this pain. but i can't become one.
grief wins yet again.

*******

don't forget to enter my last giveaway here. there are only a few more days left before a winner is chosen.

and finally, i was asked by someone for the link to my guest post and memorial candle tutorial over at Small Bird Studio's 12 days of christmas with you in heaven series. i'm not sure why i didn't post it before. silly me! if you missed it that day, you can find the actual post here.

i know this post is all over the place, and i'm sorry. it's how i feel today - all over the place.. :(

12 Days of Christmas with You in Heaven Guest Poster

so today is my turn to be a guest poster over at Small Bird Studios. fran created the "12 days of christmas with you in heaven" as a way to help grieving families honor their loved ones and cope with this difficult holiday season. i posted my tutorial on how to make the personalized memorial candle that i made for Julius. so go check it out! i hope that it was relatively easy to follow, but if not, just send me an email and i'll try to clarify.

i also revealed my last monthly Juju giveaway...

this month is all about giving, so in honor of that, i have chosen this month's giveaway to be a $25 donation to the charity of the winner's choice {but a real charity please, no one put in for the george costanza human fund ;) }. i have a few organizations that are very meaningful to us {CJ Foundation for SIDS, and First Candle just to name a few}, and i give to them every chance i get hoping that one day no one will have to lose a child this tragic way. but i know that there are other wonderful organizations out there that do so much for others, so i'd like to do a small part to help in honor of my son and the winner's loved one.

all you have to do is leave a comment with the name of the charity you would like me to donate to if you won. i will leave the giveaway open until the 17th and then announce the winner on the 18th {the week before christmas}. good luck!

November Giveaway and Remembering

i seriously can't believe another year is coming to a close. i'm absolutely speechless that so much time has passed since my baby boy took his last breath. time is such a crazy thing when you are in the midst of grief.

there are only 2 more giveaways left in my monthly Juju giveaway project. it really has brought me much comfort to be able to do something nice for someone else in honor of my son. :) this month's giveaway was inspired by another special little boy, Aiden. i have become close friends with Aiden's mom. she has been there for me through quite a bit, and i had the privilege of meeting her in person in july when i went to MN.

today is Aiden's angelversary. on this day last year, my dear friend was just beginning her grief journey - a journey i wish no one had to make. it seems like a lot of us BLMs have an animal{s} that is meaningful to us and that we feel connects us with our babies. for me, it's butterflies, and frogs. for natasha, one of her favorite animals is the dragonfly.

so when i was thinking about what i could give away this month, i immediately thought about the dragonfly earrings that i purchased a few months ago. it just seems fitting.

in order to enter this BLM giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment with Aiden's name. yep that's it. this day and this giveaway is dedicated to him.

i will leave the giveaway open until the 11th and then announce the winner on the 12th!

Natasha, i pray that little Aiden is surrounding you in his love and giving you the strength to make it through the day. ♥ Aiden ♥

winner and *another* giveaway!

the winner of this month's Juju giveaway {the t-shirt and pin from Remembering Our Babies}, chosen at random by random.org, is BECKY!!

congrats girl! please send me an email with your info and what size shirt you would like, and i will get your order placed today. and hopefully, you will get it by the 15th.

*****

and i just wanted to let you all know that there is another giveaway going on right now in honor of Julius {and you don't have to be a BLM to enter this one}. the girl who has been at pretty much all of our life events since 2009, and was the 1st person to meet Juju, our dear friend and photographer, Whitney of Caught You on Camera, asked me a few days ago if it would be alright to do a giveaway in remembrance of Juju in order to help us raise money for his memorial fund at The CJ Foundation for SIDS. and of course we agreeed.

to enter this giveaway, all you have to do is make a donation to Julius' memorial fund {in ANY amount}, and then email the donation receipt to caughtyouoncamera@yahoo.com. the winner will be chosen at random using random.org. and will win an 11x14 canvas wrap of the photo of your choice! anyone can enter this one, even if you aren't local or a former client of hers. please check out her post for more details on how to enter. she will announce the winner on Julius' angelversary {the 12th}. thank you Whitney for helping us remember the life of our amazing son!!! ♥

October Giveaway

i'm a wreck today. i knew i would be. i feel the giant lump in my throat because tomorrow is the start of the worst month of the year for me. it's coming, i know it, and there's nothing i can do about it. so i decided that while i had just a little bit of energy, i would go ahead and post the october giveaway now.

i really struggled with what to do for this giveaway. i mean really. i had absolutely no clue. but then a couple of days ago, it just came to me.

october is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. of course i didn't learn about it until after we had lost our precious baby boy. october 15th, 3 days after Juju's angelversary, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. i know there are many virtual and local events going on in honor of that day. there is even a "Remembering Our Babies" ceremony that i will be going to in my local area that day. i really do think it's great that babyloss parents have this chance to celebrate the lives of their babies, but i really hate that a day/month like this even has to exist. all i really want is Julius back, and i know pretty much every babyloss parent feels the same way.

the giveaway:
so in honor of this special day/month, i will be giving away a "too beautiful for earth" t-shirt from remembering our babies

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and an awareness pin

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how to enter:
this giveaway is for BLMs only. all you have to do is leave a comment. i'd like to try and get the shirt and pin to the winner so they can have it by oct. 15th, so i will keep the giveaway open until oct 6th, and then announce the winner on the 7th. thanks in advance for playing along. good luck!

Giveaway winner

I promise I will post a proper blog post soon with what's been going on with us, but I just quickly wanted to post the winner of this month's giveaway. And the winner {chosen by random.org} is Ashley!!! O Ashley, you are really going to love this pebble painted by Casey of Treasure Beans. I've seen it, it's gorgeous! Anyway, just send me an email {canesgirl115 at yahoo dot com} with your info and I will get your pebble out to you.

Thank you so much to all those who entered! It really brings me some joy to do these giveaways in honor of my son.

September Giveaway

first i want to say a big heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who has sent their support to me the past couple of weeks. it's most definitely been rough, and i truly have appreciated all the kind words. D's surgery did go well. the first day of recovery was kind of rough for both of us {considering as i mentioned before i wasn't used to seeing him in such a state}. but really by the next day he was back to his normal {read: grumpy old man} self. and i was able to breathe again. he has been doing really well with recovery. so thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

i know i'm completely behind with the giveaway for this month. the last couple of weeks just really drained me of my energy. but better late than never, right?! i'm really excited about this giveaway too considering that this woman gave me a huge pick-me-up in the midst of all my anxiety. several weeks ago i was checking out the FB page for Treasure Beans and i ran across her "Little Critter Sets." she had the cutest froggy pebbles and i just had to get it. last week, my pebbles arrived...

me & Juju

Mommy & Julius

i just really love the way Julius' froggy looks. it reminds me of him so much. i put the pebbles right next to him on his special spot on our dresser. love them!

the giveaway:

so i contacted Casey from TB again, and ordered another pebble for this month's giveaway. here is the pebble the winner will receive, hand-painted by Casey. it's called "Mother with baby angel in a shawl by the sunset."

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'Pure & Tender, hand-painted scene of a precious, sunset moment. A mother keeps her baby angel warm in a colourful, glittery shawl while sitting in a rocky terrain. Measures 2"'

how to enter:
to enter the giveaway {BLMs only, please}, just leave a comment listing some of the sites that have helped you memorialize your precious baby{ies}. i'm always searching for new ways to memorialize my baby boy, so i could use some more ideas, especially as Oct approaches. i always seem to get a bit of peace and comfort each time i do something for Juju. i will keep the giveaway open until fri, sept 16th. and i will announce the winner on sat the 17th.

10 Months & Giveaway Winner

today is Julius' 10 month angelversary, and my heart is extra heavy. i just miss that little guy so much that it hurts. sometimes i really feel like a broken record. seriously, how many times can 1 person say "i miss him so much. i love him so much." that much never changes. that much is constant. but i did want to share some words that a dear blogger friend, and fellow SIDS mom to the most adorable little girl, Talya, wrote about my son. i get many wonderful comments about him, and i'm always so touched. but this one came yesterday when i was feeling really down, and it warmed my heart so much. she said:

"...And it's been said, but it's worth repeating: you may be biased as his mama, but Julius? Abnormally cute is an understatement. I look at your photos of him here and he RADIATES sweetness and beauty and light--so much joy in such a little person, which he got from the love of his mommy and daddy. His beauty really just shines through in the photos. I never had the honor of meeting him, Tiffany, and I am so sad and sorry and angry that he's not physically here with you now, but when I look at those photos, and see those sweet cheeks and in that gorgeous smile, I smile with him. What a love, and what a life."

what a love, what a life, indeed. and that little boy taught me so much about both.

********

now to get to the winner of my august giveaway! i can't thank you ladies enough for participating. it is such an honor for me to be able to do this. i know it's not much at all, but i hope it does bring someone a little happiness. so the winner of the custom made butterfly baby mother's necklace {chosen randomly by random.org} is comment #26 - Kayce Pearson!

so kayce, please send me an email, confirming your selections for body/wing/gem color, and info, and i will forward it on to ms. D. Antonia so she can get started on making your necklace!

9+ Months and Giveaway

Dear Julius,

I miss you so much, Baby. I can't believe it's been over 9 months since I last held you, or gave you a kiss. You've been gone about as long as I carried you in my tummy. How is that possible? In some ways it still feels like it was just yesterday that we left the hospital without you. We miss you more and more each day. Daddy and I really haven't been doing much these days. We continue to struggle without you, but we continue the fight to survive. This weekend we went to watch the last Harry Potter movie. There was a scene in the movie that really saddened both of us. Needless to say, I ended up having a serious breakdown after the movie was over. I hate that it's so hard for me to do simple things like watch a movie with Daddy. I hate the fact that grief affects every single aspect of my life. I hate living without you. But I know that it's because of your love and support that I do.

Loving you forever and always,
Mommy

*****

today is august 1st which means the start of a new giveaway. this is perfect timing because ever since my breakdown this weekend after the HP movie, i've been in a funk. so doing this will help brighten my day, and help me focus on the good.

i'm really excited about this giveaway. the past few months i've been almost stalking this amazing artist and her work on FB. she sculpts such amazing pieces - it's hard for me to believe that a single human can be that talented! anyway, after months of eyeing her stuff, i decided it would be really great to have one of her pieces for a giveaway. the artist i'm referring to is Ms. D. Antonia Truesdale from The Midnight Orange.

the giveaway:
so this month's giveaway {for BLMs} is for a custom made butterfly baby mother's necklace.

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here's the description from her etsy store:
"These baby butterfly necklaces are designed to lay heart to heart with momma. Their wings are translucent and when the light hits them the right way, their color glows against the chest.

***Please specify body color and wing color, and gem color in the notes to seller. For the body color, I need to know whether you want a light color or deep color (aka, light blue or deep blue). I will need to choose the wing species from what I have in stock, so it will be a tender surprise for you. I will match the gem to your color preferences but will need to choose the shape of the gem from what I have in stock.***

These are very tiny hand sculpted pendants that are just about an inch in length and will come with a starter chain that is 18 inches long and silver plated. You can upgrade your chain whenever you are ready."
 
how to enter:
to enter, just leave a comment with your preferences for body, wing, and gem color if you should be the winner. and for an extra entry, leave an additional comment telling me which piece{s} is your fav Midnight Orange piece{s}. personally, i have been fixated on this one. i will keep the giveaway open until midnight aug 11th, and then announce the winner on aug 12th {Juju's 10 month angelversary}. good luck! ♥

Quick Trip Recap & Giveaway Winner

i know i'm a little behind, so i will start off by announcing the winner of Juju's July giveaway. and the winner {using random.org's random number generator} of the Willow Tree angel of hope is comment #2. NATASHA!!!! congrats girl! i'm so glad that this angel gets to go to such a great home and such a deserving momma. thank you so much to everyone who entered! it really makes me so happy that i can do something small for someone else in honor of my baby boy. it means so much. ♥

this past week i was in MN for my much needed "escape" from my daily life. it was such an amazing trip. i finally met some women who i had initially "met" through my blog, and who have been such a wonderful support system to me. i got to do quite a few things to honor my baby boy. i got to help honor/remember other precious little ones. and i got to take a break. it was like a little mini-retreat. and i'm so glad that i got a chance to do it.

i had the pleasure of meeting jenna {Noah's momma}, natasha {Aiden's momma}, deanna {River's momma}, kristin {Stevie's momma}, and tiffany {Ellie's momma}. they are even more amazing in person. and even though we had never met in person, i felt completely comfortable with each one of them. there was absolutely no awkwardness between us.

sunday we met and attended a lovely brunch hosted by a football player {chad greenway} for mothers of critically ill children, and those that had lost their children. though a bit emotional, it was so nice to be able to be recognized for being a mother. he was also generous enough to provide everyone there with gifts. one being a beautiful vera bradley bag. i have always eyed those bags, but never bought one, so it was a real treat.

us with our vera bradley bags

 after lunch we went out to this adorable place and painted pottery. it was such a great experience to be able to sit around and talk, and feel a bit normal. i painted a couple of things that reminded me of Julius - a froggy, and a heart.

me posing with my Juju pieces

and then we went out to eat and spent some more time talking about our babies. it was just a wonderful time!

me enjoying my delicious dinner

some of Faces of Loss team with Kristin {the founder}

the rest of my time there was just as great as that day. i was able to help tiffany with her event in honor of her daughter Ellie. i helped jenna with a couple of things for her event that is coming up for her baby boy, Noah. i was also able to visit both Noah and Ellie at their special spots. it was such an honor. on top of that, i did A LOT of gushing about my pride and joy, Juju. so overall, it was an absolutely amazing trip. i'm so so glad that i decided to take the time out to do this. and i'm so blessed that i got to meet just a few of the wonderful people that have been there for me these past 9 months of sheer hell, and give them a big hug in person. i don't think they will ever fully understand how much their friendship means to me!!

Giveaway & Some Happiness...

time is a concept that i know little about these days. i just can not understand how it's been almost 9 months since i held Julius in my arms. my goodness, how have i made it this far? this time last year my parents were in town visiting and meeting Juju for the 1st time. we were proudly showing off our little boy. it seems like just yesterday. it sickens me to think of how happy i was just 1 year ago - i'd say the happiest i'd ever been. and then to think of the devastation just a few months later. october 12, 2010 - a day you couldn't pay me a million dollars to repeat. i'm still in my grief slump, but i think i'm on my way out. i just miss him so so much these days. i'm sure i pretty much say that in every post, but that's a fact that remains. my longing for him and my love for him will always be present.

but while i was in the midst of my grief slump, i decided to do a little something for myself. it's amazing to me how much of an affect grief has on your physical being. i thought i was doing really well (physically) at the beginning. but now after 9 months, i know that i'm at a breaking point. i went back to work almost 2 weeks after Julius passed away. and aside from a couple of small trips {and 1 in which i had the flu}, i have not had a break since he passed away. so i booked a trip to the great state of Minnesota for a week. it seems kind of random, especially since i have no personal ties to that state. but i will be meeting with some amazing women who have become some of my dearest friends on this journey, in part because they are BLMs and on the grief journey themselves.

i have not been excited about anything in the almost 9 months since i lost my son, but i am so very excited about this. i need this. i need time away. i need to get away from the day to day routine. i need a break from work. i need a break from my reality for a while. and it's great that i will be amongst women who get it, who get me, who, unfortunately, get this pain. if i start sobbing, they will know what to do/say. no one will be scared of me. i won't have to worry about someone asking me if i have children. they all know my story. and i can be "normal." i need this trip. seriously.

and getting back to my original discussion about time. on july 2nd i realized that we were in july, and that i hadn't posted my giveaway for the month!! time really is escaping me. anyway, since Juju passed away i started collected willow tree figurines. i don't know why they bring me so much comfort, but they do. i'm actually running out of space to put them in my house. but one of my favorite figurines is the angel of hope. and hope is something that i struggle with the most these days.

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the giveaway:
so this month's giveaway is for a WT angel of hope.

how to enter:
to enter, just leave a comment and tell me if you have started collecting anything to feel close to your angel{s}. and for an extra entry, leave a separate comment with something that you hope for. since i will be on my trip on Julius' 9 month angelversary {when i usually announce the winner}, i will keep the giveaway open until the 15th, and then announce the winner on july 16th. good luck!

The Winners are....

The winners of giveaway #6, chosen by random.org, are Nikki {necklace} and Monica {book}! Congrats ladies! Please send me an email with your info so I can get your items out to you! Thank you so much to everyone who entered!!

Doing Good In Juju's Name Giveaway #6

i almost completely forgot to post this. not because i forgot about our monthly giveaways, but because i've been so focused on getting through May (the month of Julius' birth) in one piece that i forgot about the month after. i can't believe it's over. in all honesty, it feels like it should be august right now. i feel like i've lived several months in that one. so many milestone days, so many emotions. it was so tough, but i'm still here.

and since i'm emotionally drained, this giveaway is just the thing i need. i really do need something to bring me a bit of joy and happiness. and i hope that these giveaways do the same for someone else. this month i'm going to give away 2 things - doubling the happiness, i guess. so here they are:

the giveaways:

this month's giveaways {for BLMs only} are for this adorable butterfly necklace, and for the book "i will carry you" by angie smith. we read the book for the FoLFoH May Book Club. it is an absolutely inspiring book, and so relevant to the lives of us BLMs. usually after i finish with a book, i put it in PBS and just swap it for credit to use toward another book. but i decided that i would pass this book along to a BLM who had never read it, and who might get some comfort from it.

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how to enter:

entering is simple. just leave a comment for each item that you would like. i'll leave the giveaway open until the 11th, and then select the winners on the 12th {Juju's 8 month angelversary}. good luck!

Giveaway Winner

and the winner of this month's giveaway {a $25 Uppercase Living gift certificate} is....

comment #6 - Becky!! i hope you are able to find the perfect expression to put in your nursery to honor your angel, Liam, and your future rainbows. i really love that idea! ♥ please send me an email and i will put you in touch with kylee, who will take care of everything for you.

it really does bring me some joy and comfort to be able to bring a little happiness to someone else. and today on Julius' 7 month angelversary, i need all the joy i can get. i'm still completely dumbfounded that it's been 7 months since i last held my baby boy in my arms. 7 months since i kissed his chubby little cheeks. 7 months...

it feels like an eternity and a blink of an eye all at the same time...

Giveaway ending tomorrow

just a reminder, giveaway #5 is ending tomorrow night. the winner will be announced on may 12th, Juju's 7 month angelversary.

if you have not yet entered, please do so here. it is for a $25 Uppercase Living gift certificate. they have so many amazing inspirational unique expressions that you can get to add something special to your home. you can also get a custom expression made. ♥

also, this whole month long, we will be holding an Uppercase Living fundraiser. 15% of the total sales will be donated to Juju's memorial fund at CJ Foundation. Just logon to http://kyleer.uppercaseliving.net/, register for free, and check out all of their products. make sure to mention Juju when placing your order so it will count toward our fundraiser. and you will also get free shipping on all orders!

Small Update

and we're back! we finally got power restored earlier this week at our house. and we are slowly getting back to our routine. i've been a bit overwhelmed at work trying to catch up from everything that i missed being out part of last week due to the storms, but i think i'm almost caught up {i actually appreciate the distraction that work provides these days}.

since i had limited access to the internet, i haven't been able to promote this month's giveaway like i have wanted to. so, i will do that now. if you haven't gotten a chance to check out my last post, please do. this month's giveaway is for a $25 gift certificate to Uppercase Living. check out the post for details on how to enter. in addition to the giveaway, we are running an Uppercase Living fundraiser. 15% of the total sales will be sent to Juju's memorial fund at CJ Foundation. and that's not all, shipping is free on all orders! eek, i can't wait to order my custom expression {i will be getting my fav quote "i carry your heart in my heart" to display in my dining area}. thank you Kylee and Uppercase Living for doing this!

since we had no power, i spent a lot of time reading my new book, Saving Graces by Elizabeth Edwards. i'm not done yet, and i'm trying hard to finish it so that i can start my book for the FOLFOH may book club. i already thought EE was so eloquent, but this book is so powerful, especially when she begins talking about the affect the loss of her son had on her life. i found myself sobbing while reading it because it hit home so much. also i learned that though her son went by Wade, that was actually his middle name. His first name....Lucius. i got chills when i read that. that was actually the name i started off with for his middle name {after a character in the movie The Gladiator}, and somehow worked my way around to Luciano. and Lucius actually seems like a perfect combination of Julius and Luciano, doesn't it? i know sometimes i read a little too much into something, but it's little things like this that bring me comfort these days.

and i've been working on a couple more projects that i will keep under my hat for now. but i'll definitely reveal them when the time is right. :)

Doing Good In Juju's Name May Giveaway

well today is the start of may. the start of the month that last year i was so anxious for. the month that after Julius was born, i was so excited to have come back around because it meant that i would be celebrating my son's 1st birthday. but since he passed away, it's been 1 of the months that i've been dreading because it means that i have to experience a birthday without the birthday boy. i have 29 more days until that day. i have several milestone days to pass before that day. i'm already exhausted from thinking about it. my heart is very heavy. and so this giveaway is exactly what i need to help lift my spirits just a bit.

this giveaway is sponsored by a woman who has become such a sweet friend, kylee, and Uppercase Living. i "met" kylee when she sent me an email a few months ago to tell me that she had stumbled upon my blog, and wanted to send her love and offer her help with my giveaways. i was {and still am} so moved by her reaching out to me, and her generosity. i have met the most compassionate, loving, generous people on my journey. it touches my heart so much.

so for those of you who are not familiar with Uppercase Living, here's a little about them:

Uppercase Living believes in the power of words, in the beauty of elegant design, and in the transforming quality that both can have in any environment. And when you experience our product firsthand, you’ll believe it too!
 

Uppercase Living offers hundreds of pre-designed expressions to be placed easily and seamlessly on any flat surface!. You can also design a custom expression using a wide variety of colors and fonts to express any sentiment that you'd like!

There are four amazing things about Uppercase Living products:

1. When on your wall, the lettering absolutely looks hand-painted!
2. It can be easily applied (and removed, if you choose)
3. While hundreds of pre-designed expressions are available in any of 30 colors and 3 sizes each, the best part is the ability to custom-order any expression that you would like, in any size and in any of the 30 colors!
4. Saved the best for last: the cost of our expressions is far below that of many standard lettering and sign companies!

the giveaway:
so this month's giveaway is for a $25 gift certificate to be put toward an Uppercase living product {for BLMs only}. to enter, just leave me a comment telling me what kind of expression you would get if you won. i will keep the giveaway open until may 11th, and then announce the winner on may 12th, Juju's 7 month angelversary.

for those of you that are interested in getting an expression from Uppercase Living regardless if you win the giveaway or not, kylee has agreed to donate 15% of the total sales to Juju's memorial fund at CJ Foundation! i already know that i will be getting a custom expression of my favorite quote "i carry your heart in my heart." but there is just so much you can do. here are just a few ideas:

You may view the entire catalog online - and also play with "My Design Suite" to customize an expression for your home. Just logon to http://kyleer.uppercaseliving.net/, register for free, and check out all of their products. and make sure to mention Juju when placing your order so it will count toward our fundraiser. good luck and a big thank you again to kylee for being so generous and offering this! ♥♥

Winner of Giveaway #4 & 6 Month Angelversary

wow, i can't believe that giveaway #4 has come to an end. can you believe that i actually forgot?? i forgot about the giveaway. i forgot today was his 6 month angelversary. i've been so consumed with figuring out how i'm going to get through his 1st birthday that i'm completely forgetting everything else. but i'm back on track, and ready to announce the winner.

and the winner of the keepsake remembrance necklace from LillyEllen Designs is comment #27

Our Journey {momma to precious Eden}!!!!



i'm so excited that you have won this necklace and now have an extra piece of jewelry to add to your armor. please send me an email with your selections and your address, and i'll get that submitted for you. just in case you have forgotten, here are the things you have to decide on:

"This solid sterling silver bar comes hand stamped with the names, dates, or words or your choosing. I can fit about 7 or 8 letters on each side. This bar necklace also includes a 3/4" sterling silver disc stamped as you wish and a freshwater pearl. A Sterling Silver Ball or rolo chain is included!"

i want to thank everyone that entered my giveaway. it really does bring me some comfort to be able to do a little something special for you ladies. i appreciate all of your love and support so much that i want to give back in any way i can. i just wish i could give a necklace away to everyone who entered.
 

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Dear Juju,
 
Today is your 6 month angelversary. It's been 6 whole months since I last held you in my arms. It's been 6 whole months since I was complete. I miss you so much. I miss you with my entire being, with my soul. I've been trying hard to keep myself busy so I don't think about how much pain I'm in, but it never really works. I would give my very life to be with you again. Next month will be your 1st birthday. I'm already having a hard time dealing with it, so please stay extra close to me and help me get through this. Your love and your light are all I live for now.
 
Loving you forever,
Mommy

Doing Good In Juju's Name Giveaway #4

a few months ago, brooke {see i mentioned you again, brooke!} blogged about the fact that she doesn't do the daunting task of leaving her house without dressing herself in her armor of jewelry. many of the pieces of her armor are things that remind her of her baby girl, Eliza. i loved the fact that she called her jewelry her "armor." these days i feel like i'm headed for battle. i suppose in a way i am...navigating my way through grief is a constant battle. i always feel better when i put on the pieces of jewelry that remind me of my Juju - my "Juju armor." in january, my first giveaway, i gave away a bracelet similar to my Juju butterfly bracelet. today, i will giveaway another piece similar to one of my pieces of armor - my necklace. check out this post to read how it came about.

the giveaway:

this giveaway {for BLMs} is for a keepsake remembrance necklace from Lilly Ellen Designs. Here's the description...

credit

"This solid sterling silver bar comes hand stamped with the names, dates, or words or your choosing. I can fit about 7 or 8 letters on each side. This bar necklace also includes a 3/4" sterling silver disc stamped as you wish and a freshwater pearl. A Sterling Silver Ball or rolo chain is included!"

So whoever wins has a lot of decisions to make! you get to customize the disc, the 4 sides of the bar, and decide what kind of chain you would like.

how to enter:
to enter just leave me a comment telling me what pieces of jewelry are in your armor. and for a chance to enter the giveaway twice, become a follower of my blog/site In His Name, which provides support to families that have experienced a SIDS/SUID loss. and then leave a comment telling me that you are a follower. i will keep the giveaway open until midnight on Apr 11th. and announce the winner on Apr 12th, Juju's 6 month angelversary. good luck!