Friday, December 28, 2012

Adventures of 2012!

2012 was quite the year! Here is a highlight of my favorite adventures of the past year.


~ Chattanooga trips ~

We took two climbing trips to Chattanooga this year. We stayed at the Crash Pad and did our climbing at LRC (or Little Rock City). The LRC boulder field is actually located on a golf course property. You pay the clubhouse for entrance to LRC and right to climb on their property. It was our first experience climbing outside and we are truly hooked! Also, we ate some amazing food in Chattanooga, including a feast at the Meeting Place and mounds of inch-tall pancakes at Aretha Frankenstein's







~ Corey's high school reunion ~

Our age finally caught up to us! It was time for Corey's 10 year high school reunion. It was a great night catching up with over 100 River Ridge alums.



~ Starting my Etsy shop ~

Even though I technically started my Etsy shop adventure in 2011, this year was definitely the year it began to thrive. I'm ending this year with over 400 sales.




~ Six year wedding anniversary ~

We explored St. Pete this year for our wedding anniversary, the weekend before tropical storm Debbie hit. This made for a rainy, windy weekend getaway that we made the most of.



~ My first visit to Fenway ~

We were lucky enough to have been gifted tickets to a Red Sox game by some wonderful friends and I attended my first game at Fenway!



~ Sailing ~

An impulse purchase on Living Social became a wonderful evening adventure.




~ Welcoming Reagan! ~

Our biggest adventure came at the end of the year. Our family of two became a family of three in 2012!


Monday, December 24, 2012

Reagan Love is Here!

After 2 1/2 years of prayer, 9 months of pregnancy, and about 4 hours of labor, Reagan Love is here!

Here are a few shots from her week one photo shoot. Photos were taken by my father-in-law and styling and assistance from my mother-in-law, husband, and me. Enjoy!








Thursday, November 29, 2012

Baby Wolloff Nursery is Completed!

After months of brainstorming, collecting, and shopping, our newest addition's room is finally completed. With my due date only four days away, we are ready to bring this little lady home!











Nursery purchases: Graco Lauren Convertible Crib from Target; Mamas and Papas mobile from Babies 'R' US; Hopen dresser from Ikea; pink metal frames from Michaels (with original Shel Silverstein poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends); glider discontinued from Babies 'R' Us; small pillow on glider from Etsy, artist unknown; Eivor bird curtains from Ikea.

Homemade and family finds: Tom Thumb and Snow Drop EPs (passed down from my husband's family; 3 cardboard animals and lighting bolt (handmade props from our interns at our previous youth ministry); Baby Girl banner (handmade from my mom from my baby shower); blanket on glider (handmade from friend).

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

We are Helping the A21 Campaign this November!


I’m thrilled to announce for the month of November, 30% of my sales will be donated to an organization called the A21 Campaign. Pioneered by Christine Caine, who hails from Hillsong Australia, the A21 Campaign provides tangible ways for human trafficking victims in Greece, Ukranine, and Bulgaria to be loved and comforted through shelter and transition homes.

Their first shelter was opened in Greece in 2008 and now provides medical care, psychological care, vocational training, education assistance, counseling, and legal assistance. Encouraged by the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” the A21 Campaign continues to expand their offices (now in three continents, including North America) and work with justice systems to see new victims rescued each month.

With the words of Margaret Mead in mind, Today is a SunnyDay will be doing its part to help this cause. The A21 Campaign has a list of ways to help here. Here is how Today is a Sunny Day will be helping and I welcome you to join me:

  • Donate. 30% of Today is a Sunny Day’s profits will be collected to donate items and gift cards for the Greece transition home. If you are already planning to shop with Today is a Sunny Day this month, you are already doing your part! If you would like to donate any additional funds, donate through this listing.


  • Write a letter. I’m writing at least 4 letters this month to the victims who will be rescued in Greece as an act of encouragement to let them know that someone was praying for them. If you would like to write a letter, feel free to send your words of encouragement to me and I will print them out (and make them look pretty). I must receive them digitally before Nov. 19.


  • Pray. This month I’m dedicating a portion of my daily prayer time to specifically praying for safety, comfort, and hope for the future rescuees in Greece.


  • Get social. I’m doing my part, through my Etsyshop, blog, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to promote for this cause. If nothing else, feel free to repost or use your social media platforms to partner with me.


  • Send stuff. Today is a Sunny Day will be donating a few boxes of supplies to the Greece transition home. The excess of funds will be used to purchase gift cards for the transition home to use (since there are weight restrictions for mail). If you would like to make your own donation box, learn more about it here

If you would like to learn more about the A21 Campaign, visit www.thea21campaign.org.



Tuesday, October 23, 2012


How Rock Climbing Helped My Pregnancy


As I’m nearing the end of my third trimester, I’m truly realizing how blessed I have been to have such a smooth pregnancy. First, I can’t continue without thanking God for this amazing miracle that we have been praying for and the blessing to have such a worry-free 9 months!

After escaping the first trimester yuckies of complete exhaustion and all-day nausea, I’ve really had a wonderful experience. I keep joking that currently my “worst” symptom is this little girl moving so much!

I’ve read a lot online about remaining active during your pregnancy. The general consensus is to continue with the physical activities you were doing on a regular basis before you became pregnant, with the exception of combative sports or anything with a risk of falling. For instance, if you went to a weekly yoga class, you should continue to do so while listening to your body and learning about what positions to avoid, such as twisting, especially as your belly grows.

Working out at 5 months pregnant. 


If you have never been indoor rock climbing, it probably seems impossible to continue this during pregnancy. However, I’ve made many adjustments to keep it safe and healthy, including:

·        Remaining low to the ground during bouldering
·        Switching from small, difficult holds to larger jug holds (similar to handles) while completing routes
·        Avoiding moves that stretch my torso
·        Not top-roping, which requires a harness (This is only safe if a pregnant climber invests in a full body harness, which distributes the weight.)
·        Focusing on traverse routes (side to side, rather than vertical)

Me climbing in Chattanooga. Around 2-3 months pregnant.  

Since Corey and I had been climbing weekly for almost a year and a half before I became pregnant, we felt comfortable for me to keep a regular climbing routine. For the past few months, I’ve been climbing about once a month and here’s how it has helped my pregnancy:

·        A challenge with pregnancy is remaining active. My center of gravity has shifted and my body’s job changed from burning calories and staying fit to, ya know, building a person! So coping with physical limitations was definitely difficult. Climbing has definitely helped me fulfill a physical need while I’m otherwise limited.

·        This may sound silly, but even before pregnancy, climbing technique has made me realize more things about my physical limits in my everyday life. Since I’m on the short side, things often seemed out of reach. But after learning climbing technique, my body knows how to distribute weight better. For instance, hiking myself onto a counter is quite graceful now! While my center of gravity is definitely getting messed with as this belly continues to grow, I believe my body is far more capable then if I wasn’t a climber.

·        Climbing requires small, specific muscles. As I was advancing into V2 and V3s (I know, I know, I’m talking climber speak. V2 and V3s are intermediate routes at my gym), I was finding that curling my toe on a hold and engaging my calf muscle helped. I found that learning to grip a hold with one finger on top of another gave me added strength on some routes. I found that my core muscles were extremely important, especially because of my height and the techniques I needed to use to complete routes. FitPregnancy suggests having a strong core will prevent back pain during pregnancy and help control contractions during labor.

Corey rocking some routes I wish I could tackle! V2/3 above V4/5 below. 

·        Finally, loving to climb has allowed me to think about getting back into shape once our little girl arrives. While a climber is training he/she might put on a weighted vest for added resistance during a climbing session. Now I jokingly say when I climb at my gym, it’s like I have 3 vests on! However, all that weight is not baby and I’ll be responsible to eat healthy and workout once I’m a new mom. Looking ahead now, climbing is definitely a motivation to get to my pre-pregnancy weight.



My recommendation for those newly pregnant ladies out there is keep doing what you are doing. Keep dancing, keep running, keep Zumba-ing. But, do your research about what restrictions you should place on yourself and talk to your doctor. One caution I have for you, is don’t start something new. If you don’t have a physical activity you enjoy, talk to your doctor first, but walking or yoga might be a perfect fit.

For more information on climbing while pregnant, check out this video of Carrie Cooper climbing at 39 weeks pregnant!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Baby Surprise Cake!

Earlier this summer I went to a family event up in New England and my husband and I were surprised with a wonderful family get-together in celebration of our future new addition to our family. I wanted to share a few photos of the amazing cake that was made for us by the wonderfully talented Shaunna. It not only looked awesome, but it tasted delicious too!

It's a baby in a crib cake! The details were so cute. I'm a big nerd and I really enjoyed the addition of the parrot on the crib railing, painted to look just like my Twitch!
There's also a teddy bear for my husband. We still have his Snuggles, who will go on a shelf in our wee one's room since he's gotten much use over the years.
Ah! Then they made me cut it! Luckily once all the rice krispie treat details were removed, it looked like a regular cake. Otherwise, I'm not sure I could have done it!
Just a nice picture of us that was taken that day!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Pleased Customers!

Since I've started my Etsy shop, Today is a Sunny Day, I've had the opportunity to work on some very creative custom orders. Here are some of my favorite customer photos!



Custom Thank You Flags for a bridal shower.
Custom Wedding Sparkler Tags. "Watch the Sparks Fly"

Custom Favor Tags for a bridal shower. The bags have shower products in them.


Another adorable shot of the Custom Thank You Favor Tags.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

We Are Pregnant!


First things first:
  • We are pregnant.
  • We are due Dec. 3, 2012. (Before 2013! Woot!)

Now that’s out-of-the-way, I can share a little bit about our story. We have been trying to conceive since December of 2010. That’s 16 months. Almost 500 days.  



While that might not seem long ago, a lot has happened to Corey and I over those 16 months. Looking back on that year and a half, we had a lot going on with our families, jobs, our household, and finances. 

Also, it seemed like it was the season for my Facebook friends to have babies. And lots of them! My newsfeed filled with stories of new parenthood and quotes of how precious life is. And while that is exactly what social media is for, ashamedly, those updates stung. When you are TTC (what I quickly learned was Internet lingo for “trying to conceive”), every encounter with something about pregnancy or babies were reminders of something I desperately wanted, but somehow couldn’t have. 

Seeing people around me having, as far as I could tell, no trouble conceiving made me feel quite alone. Why was this my “story”? There’s something human in us that is embarrassed, ashamed, and insecure about sharing struggles and hardships with others. 

There are 2.1 million married women in the United States who have not been able to conceive in 12 consecutive months. That’s 7.4% of married women; that’s not even everyone! In the U.S., 7.3 million women have used infertility services.  I’m sure there are similar statistics for pregnancy loss and post-partum depression. 



Similar to the unrealistic expectations that advertisements subliminally pass along to women about body image, I believe the same happens with pregnancy. And we aren’t talking about it. Even in the church. I believe we are ashamed, embarrassed, and insecure when nature doesn’t go as “planned.”

Case at hand: a married couple decides they are ready to be parents.  The first time they have unprotected sex, they eagerly anticipate seeing a positive sign on the pregnancy test.

While that seems absurd, it’s what’s in the back of many women’s minds. That’s usually the story that everyone hears. Chances are, your story is going to be different. 

And there’s nothing to be ashamed.
Embarrassed.
Or insecure about. 

I believe that instead of sharing our stories, we hold them, and forget about them once the adversity has passed. Once Corey and I have a dribbly baby boy or girl, we won’t need to remember how we felt from December 2010-March 2012, right?

This is the reason I wanted to share my story. I believe we have gotten pregnant in God’s perfect timing. And that our son or daughter is purposed for something wonderful. I can’t say why it took 16 months when it takes most couples well under a year. I do know a few things: (1) it’s not up for me to decide, (2) God’s purpose wasn’t to test me or make me stronger, and (3) I can’t wait to meet this new member of our family. 




Here are some things I’ve learned and concluded over the past 16 months:

  • Married and trying to conceive? Start charting now! Learn about your body temperature and how it can detect the time of your ovulation. 
  • Know that your friends and family who ask when you are planning to start a family or tell you “it’s your turn,” mean well. They care about you. They want to see what cute concoction God will create from the two of you! While you are living it, it’s difficult, but they really do mean well.
  • The world has always had babies and will continue to have babies. There were always babies in commercials. It’s likely that you will see a pregnant woman or new mom today. Friends and family members are having babies every year. Don’t take it as a sign that the universe is against you and rubbing it in your face.
  • Live for today, not for tomorrow. Bible author James writes, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”  While it’s great to desire exciting things of the future, we need to remember to live for today. One of my biggest struggles was desiring my future purpose of being a mom and seeing little value to what was currently around me. Instead of making me excited, this “future purpose” saddened and frustrated me because it was nowhere in sight and I desperately wanted to fast-forward my life, which is definitely NOT what God had planned.
  • Once you start trying, you’ll become an expert at pregnancy symptoms. The trick is, everything is a pregnancy symptom and they can often contradict themselves. Extremely hungry? Pregnancy symptom. Nauseous and turned off by food? Pregnancy symptom. Tired or active, constipated or got the runs, have the chills or the sweats? You got it, pregnancy symptoms. I know it’s easier said than done, but really try not to focus on every little thing. The only real pregnancy symptoms you should be worried about when trying is a missed period and a positive pregnancy test. Otherwise, it’s pretty easy to talk ourselves into the possibility of pregnancy. 


My hope is that you will be inspired to share your story. In whatever way that may be and whatever story is uniquely yours. 

Friday, April 6, 2012

Etsy Shop Feedback

As the first quarter of the month comes to a close this month, I’m looking for a bit of feedback on my Etsy shop so I can assess goals for next quarter. 

So, I’ve put together this brief survey. I’m looking for different perspectives about my shop, your opinions and what your eyes notice. 




If you will, please copy and paste this survey and send it to andrea.wolloff@gmail.com. It’s only six questions (and three of them are multiple choice!). I would appreciate it ever so much!

If you are a friend, family member, or neighbor and you are reading this, thanks already for how you helped and supported me. 



(Pssst… There’s even a give-away involved. See below the survey.)



P.S. Even if you are not interested in the freebies ( i.e. you are a boy) I would still really like hearing the feedback. 

P.S.S. The feedback will allow me to shape my goals for the next quarter and I would really appreciate it.


COPY AND PASTE BELOW INTO AN EMAIL (SEND TO andrea.wolloff@gmail.com).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


o   Go to this link www.todayisasunnyday.etsy.com and click on the first thing that caught your eye. Paste the link below.


o  The first thing I noticed about Today is a Sunny Day was:
// The shop banner
// The favorites section
// The images
// The prices
// The personal photo


o   My favorite image from the shop was: (Paste the link below.)


o   I found this background more appealing and eye-catching:
// White background
// Wood grain


o   If I were given anything from Today is a Sunny Day as a gift, I would want:
// Gift tags
// I love you because dry erase board
// Page corner bookmarks
// Paper cutouts
// I’m too manly for this, sorry (Totally an appropriate option! I understand.)
  
 o   True or False, I think people will find it weird that there are bird feathers for sale.

o   Quick! Off the top of your head! – The first word that comes to mind to describe the products is: ___________.


The first 20 replies will get their choice of the following: 
o   2-pack of gift tags, choose from the photo below. 
o   2-packs of recycled, choose from anchors, bows, or bird cutouts. 
o   25% Off any “Because I Love You…” dry erase board 
o   20% Off any custom order of favor tags or sparkler tags












Best of all, everyone wins!
Every participant will get a 10% off Etsy coupon code.


Monday, April 2, 2012

Family Profile - Twitch

Since my parrot, Twitch, has been racking up the sales in my Etsy shop, Today is a Sunny Day, I thought it would be fun to highlight him on my blog.



Parrots molt every six months, resulting in his beautifully colored tail and wing feathers falling out. I have a variety of feathers up for sale in my shop. They are perfect for jewelry, hair extensions, and other crafts. I even had a co-worker design me some earrings with my favorite petite wing feathers.


So, here’s Twitch!



Name: Twitch

Nickname: Twitcher, Squeaker, Wittle Bird

Age: Almost 4 (hatched May 2008)

Height: 5 inches

Favorite food: Cheese, pasta, apples, yogurt bird treats, and seeds

Favorite movie: Rio

Close friends: Blackie, Maryanna and Andy (bird grandparents!), Trish, Dan, Bridget, Pat, Joe, and Jessica

Favorite activities: Cuddling with his piƱata toy, taking baths, dancing, attacking feet

Scary things: Paper, large birds, things that are higher than him

Favorite words:  “Squeaker,” “Do poop,” and “Gimme kiss”


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Vacation Inspiration

As summer approaches, I find myself looking back on a vacation my husband and I took last year for inspiration for new items for Today is a Sunny Day. Below are some my favorite images of the bright Caribbean, along with some sneak peeks of bright and nautical new items for my Etsy shop. PS - I did not eat the turtle soup!







Bow cutouts, in neon blue and kraft brown


Bow cutouts in bright yellow, purple, and kraft brown


Nautical inspired cupcake toppers

Custom nautical page corner bookmarks

Anchor cutouts!




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