New Home Business!

Okay, I am shamelessly going to promote my latest creative venture in this post, my new home/online business, AshleyGabby Designs.  What does this have anything to do with Stephanie and why am I posting this on a blog about her?

I'll tell you!  I used to sell dolls and crafts when I was 18 or 19 at a large department store in Canada known as The Bay (or Hudson's Bay Company).  Back then it was fun and I didn't really go anywhere with it.  So, since I have put my career on hold for the last year or so, I have started to indulge in my creative side even more.  I made birds on a branch for Steph, I actually did some party planning and decorations for her last two birthdays, I started sewing and have my own craft room, I made a doll, etc. etc.

My husband encouraged me to think about selling some of the projects I was coming up with.  Hmm, good idea!  We talked about wanting to dedicate the business to Stephanie and other kids like her.  We talked about having a signature "item" that could be sold and a portion of the profits would go to awareness or research for one or all of the conditions Stephanie faces.  I am still working on that special item but in the meantime, I am making children's play tents - where kids can be kids, I am making some home décor for mom's and dad's, and I am making custom sterling silver jewellery. 

And here is where I get to the point! lol

The custom jewellery I make includes awareness ribbon and autism puzzle piece stamped sterling silver.  You can custom request a piece of jewellery with your child's name or a special inspirational word, and include a ribbon or puzzle piece symbol as well. 

To top it all off, I have named the business AshleyGabby Designs in honor of Stephanie.  She had two dolls, one named Ashley, one named Gabby.  When she desperately wanted one of them, she merely told us she wanted "AshleyGabby" and we NEVER brought her the right one first! This is why I chose to leave the name without a space.  That's my Steph!

I am really excited about this new opportunity to focus on Stephanie's well being by being a stay at home mom, while still getting the chance to be productive and creative for my own well being.  Please visit my Etsy shop or "Like" my facebook page and don't hesitate to provide feedback about what new items you might like to see!  Here are the links:

Etsy:  www.etsy.com/shop/AshleyGabby
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AshleyGabbyDesigns

Cheers!

Darlyn

What a WISH!

Home sweet home! It's bittersweet to say that because Stephanie, my sister and I had such a wonderful time during our trip to Disney World that we would almost prefer to stay there! It's great to be back and be able to share the wonderful memories that we made.  Give Kids the World Village was an amazing carefree place to be with your family.  Breakfast, lunch, & dinner was served or delivered every day and tasted like home cooked meals made with love.  The evenings were filled with events and activities such as Halloween on Mondays, Christmas on Thursdays, and bbq pool party on Saturdays!  Stephanie received a gift delivered to our villa each and every day we were there.

As for the theme parks, we had such a blast and I couldn't have asked for Stephanie to be more cooperative and happy.  We lugged her around everywhere and she loved it all!  Let's see, we met and got pictures with Cinderella, Aurora, Rapunzel, Belle, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Lion King's Rafiki, Woody and Jessie from Toy Story, Baloo, Dora, Diego, Boots, Patrick from SpongeBob, Green Goblin from Spiderman, Tinkerbell, her new sister, Curious George, Cruella DeVille, Woody Woodpecker, Chip and Dale chipmunks, sea lions, stingrays, dolphins, alligators, snakes and you name it!!!

There were a few teary moments...happy ones...for me and my sister.  The look on Stephanie's face when she met some of the characters and how wonderfully they treated her made this whole trip priceless.  I think along with meeting Cinderellla, Stephanie's most enjoyable moment was feeding and playing with the dolphins.

I don't think I will be able to come up with a thank you letter to Make-A-Wish and Give Kids The World that will adequately sum up how we feel about what they have done for Stephanie and our family.  These memories will last a lifetime.  I took hundreds of pics and some fantastic videos, some of which are posted in the Make-A-Wish page link on the right.

Now if only I can find a way to get Stephanie to understand that every time we get in the car we are NOT headed for Disney World!!!

Toodles!

Disney World Countdown!

Time is going by quickly now and we are just over 3 weeks away from our Make-A-Wish trip to meet the Disney Princesses at Disney World.  I am sure that Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty's Aurora are just as anxious as we are to meet!  I finally submitted Stephanie's passport application and we should get her new passport by the end of this month. 

To celebrate our upcoming trip, Stephanie had a great visit with Make-A-Wish staff last night and received many wonderful gifts! She was smiling ear to ear when she pulled out a new stuffed Miss Piggy doll!  And that wasn't all...there were so many wonderful things that I took pictures and posted them along with comments on the page to the right under Make-A-Wish.

We are very excited for this wonderful opportunity and Stephanie's language has increased significantly now that she is talking about all things Disney!!

As Mickey Mouse would say, "Toodles!"...

News!! Make-A-Wish Trip

After some discussion last week with the Make-A-Wish Southern Alberta Chapter, my husband and I have decided to change Stephanie's wish from meeting Jewel to meeting the Disney Princesses at Disney World. Although she still enjoys listening to Jewel, we thought Disney World might be more memorable for her and easier to comprehend. 

Well on Friday the flights were confirmed! November 12-19th my sister Karen and I will be taking Stephanie to Disney World!!!  We will be staying at a wonderful resort that was built specifically to provide families and children of such wishes an enchanted place to stay - Give Kids The World Village.  This resort in itself is 70 acres and has an incredible amount of activities to enjoy but we also will receive a 3 day pass to Disney World and it's different parks, a 2 day pass to Universal Studios and a 1 day pass to Sea World!  Stephanie will get to meet some of the princesses during our visit to Disney World.  She is beyond excited now and thinks that when we get in the car each day that we are going to Disney World.

In addition, the wish granting manager advised us that the Canadian National Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish will be personally adopting Stephanie's wish and will be making the donations to make her wish  come true.  They are very excited about this news since it is the first time the National Board has adopted a wish for their own!  A profile of Stephanie will be presented to them, as well as details of the visit and a plaque to give appreciation of their generosity. 

I think this will be an exciting journey for Stephanie and our family!!! Time to get her passport finalized...

Make-A-Wish Visit!

We had a great visit from the Make-A-Wish volunteers Christa and Cody this evening. The process of granting a wish can sometimes take up to a year, so it was especially nice to get a quick visit from our new found friends who came bearing a gift!  Stephanie is now the proud owner of a new Jewel t-shirt!  Thanks Christa and Cody for taking the time out of your busy lives to put a little smile on Stephanie's face.  We anxiously await news of being able to meet Jewel in person...to be continued!