I have been searching Etsy for the past several days-nights-wee hours of the morning...I love Etsy..but there is so much to chose from that I am having a hard time making decisions.
So far; Artwork, yarn, pottery are all in my sights. I just NEED to make some decisions!
Hope your Handmade Holidays are off to a great start!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Blessings
...Tuesday was Lily's first day back to school after she quit. Yes, she quit...a month-and-a-half of Preschool was just too much for her.
We tried lots of things........to name a few..
Upon being told that she should go to school to meet friends, she told her father..."I don't need any friends Big Guy.." She declared one of our 60+ year old customers her best friend and his dog too....
After being encouraged to go to school so she could attend her field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, she responded...."I have pumpkins in my backyard, and b'sides...I got one from the Hardware store!"
I met with the teacher and the director of school and they suggested all sorts of things...one included somebody with the preface of "Specialist", being told that her father and grandmother were not allowed to drop her off anymore because they both had tearful-puppy eyed goodbyes...not a confidence booster for the child...Bottom line is that I have a very intelligent, almost 4 year old who has a pretty strong case of separation anxiety and spends a better part of her life and day in her very own coffee shop with lots of gifts and fun things and customers who come in just to see what she is up to that day!
We took the month of November off and decided that "with no other option" we would return to school on the first Tuesday of December.
There were LOTS of tears....back packs were thrown into the trash can....refusal to eat and clothes being taken off.... but in the end....
We made it! It was a BEAUTIFUL day! The Sun was shining and in the end I walked out of preschool with a HAPPY, skipping little girl who tried to scale the fence when she saw my car coming around the turn.
Thank you to God and all the powers of the Universe! One more blessing to add to my list..
We tried lots of things........to name a few..
Upon being told that she should go to school to meet friends, she told her father..."I don't need any friends Big Guy.." She declared one of our 60+ year old customers her best friend and his dog too....
After being encouraged to go to school so she could attend her field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, she responded...."I have pumpkins in my backyard, and b'sides...I got one from the Hardware store!"
I met with the teacher and the director of school and they suggested all sorts of things...one included somebody with the preface of "Specialist", being told that her father and grandmother were not allowed to drop her off anymore because they both had tearful-puppy eyed goodbyes...not a confidence booster for the child...Bottom line is that I have a very intelligent, almost 4 year old who has a pretty strong case of separation anxiety and spends a better part of her life and day in her very own coffee shop with lots of gifts and fun things and customers who come in just to see what she is up to that day!
We took the month of November off and decided that "with no other option" we would return to school on the first Tuesday of December.
There were LOTS of tears....back packs were thrown into the trash can....refusal to eat and clothes being taken off.... but in the end....
We made it! It was a BEAUTIFUL day! The Sun was shining and in the end I walked out of preschool with a HAPPY, skipping little girl who tried to scale the fence when she saw my car coming around the turn.
Thank you to God and all the powers of the Universe! One more blessing to add to my list..
Monday, November 30, 2009
Being real...
My Life is Crazzy, it is chaotic, it is overwhelming...it is difficult, it is disappointing at times, it is a million other things that seem to pull on me... right now I feel like it is taking me down.
WARNING: The following post could be considered a RANT...but I needed a bit of soul cleansing and what better place to do it than here...
My life is not adventurous the way I would like it to be, it isn't FUN like I thought it would be. We work hard and don't get to play hard... When I was a little girl all I wanted to do was have children that I could bake cupcakes for, make crafts with, read stories to. That was my fairy tale...in reality, raising kids is hard, marriage is really hard, there is a lot more yelling than I ever thought there would be...I even told myself that I wouldn't yell at my kids or argue with my husband.... that seems all but impossible now. No matter what you do, there is a lot more month than $$, a lot more homework and talking from 4 kids than my brain can handle on most days at 4pm, a lot more heated discussions and sibling arguments than I know what to do with.
It is very full, it is very busy and i guess in it's own way it is very beautiful. But it is not beautiful every day the way I want it to be or thought it would be..in my fairy tale world. My blessings are abundant and don't get me wrong, there are few people that I would want to trade places with but I read blogs and see people around me, some that make me laugh, some that make me cry, some that make me feel inadequate as a mother at times and others that make me wonder what am i doing wrong , why isn't my life "that" peaceful and accomplished???
My life is a contradiction in terms....this month has been hard - really hard in so many ways and in so many other ways it has been fulfilling. Maybe this is the same for everyone and they don't share that??? I don't know...but I decided that no more of that crazy living that makes store clerks look at me and say things like....."oh, you look tired..." or "rough day???" and my all time favorite..."You look like you have a full plate..." NONE of these are good for a girls ego! I need to find the right balance...the right mix.
I am going to make a VERY conscious effort to make my life the most beautiful that it can be for myself, my kids and my husband. To do the things that I really love doing and not feel like I am struggling to do it.... I hate when cooking and crafting feel like work when really they are some of my most favorite things to do.
I have no time to give up, and I am too tired to feel defeated....besides that is not me. My life isn't horrible, it is by most standards a pretty good one. I just feel so overwhelmed, overworked, underpaid and out of control! Seems like I am missing the magic potion that all these other women have that keeps them smiling and beautiful all the time. One of my girlfriends says it has something to do with Prozac and alcohol.....I don't know, but I know that I am not willing to go that route. I know that I am blessed - I just need to look at it a little differently sometimes. I need to start a journey of daily gratitude and remind myself that in the midst of the chaos there really is peace. I just need to find it tucked in there (probably in the fetal position like I would like to be when it gets really chaotic in my life, but nonetheless it is there). I ending the month with a list of the blessings that I have been given and being thankful for them. Some hidden that needed to be uncovered and dusted off a bit but there there. Then I am going to rewrite it and carry it with me so when I am feeling like my head is going to explode from stress I can either read it or force myself to add to it......
WARNING: The following post could be considered a RANT...but I needed a bit of soul cleansing and what better place to do it than here...
My life is not adventurous the way I would like it to be, it isn't FUN like I thought it would be. We work hard and don't get to play hard... When I was a little girl all I wanted to do was have children that I could bake cupcakes for, make crafts with, read stories to. That was my fairy tale...in reality, raising kids is hard, marriage is really hard, there is a lot more yelling than I ever thought there would be...I even told myself that I wouldn't yell at my kids or argue with my husband.... that seems all but impossible now. No matter what you do, there is a lot more month than $$, a lot more homework and talking from 4 kids than my brain can handle on most days at 4pm, a lot more heated discussions and sibling arguments than I know what to do with.
It is very full, it is very busy and i guess in it's own way it is very beautiful. But it is not beautiful every day the way I want it to be or thought it would be..in my fairy tale world. My blessings are abundant and don't get me wrong, there are few people that I would want to trade places with but I read blogs and see people around me, some that make me laugh, some that make me cry, some that make me feel inadequate as a mother at times and others that make me wonder what am i doing wrong , why isn't my life "that" peaceful and accomplished???
My life is a contradiction in terms....this month has been hard - really hard in so many ways and in so many other ways it has been fulfilling. Maybe this is the same for everyone and they don't share that??? I don't know...but I decided that no more of that crazy living that makes store clerks look at me and say things like....."oh, you look tired..." or "rough day???" and my all time favorite..."You look like you have a full plate..." NONE of these are good for a girls ego! I need to find the right balance...the right mix.
I am going to make a VERY conscious effort to make my life the most beautiful that it can be for myself, my kids and my husband. To do the things that I really love doing and not feel like I am struggling to do it.... I hate when cooking and crafting feel like work when really they are some of my most favorite things to do.
I have no time to give up, and I am too tired to feel defeated....besides that is not me. My life isn't horrible, it is by most standards a pretty good one. I just feel so overwhelmed, overworked, underpaid and out of control! Seems like I am missing the magic potion that all these other women have that keeps them smiling and beautiful all the time. One of my girlfriends says it has something to do with Prozac and alcohol.....I don't know, but I know that I am not willing to go that route. I know that I am blessed - I just need to look at it a little differently sometimes. I need to start a journey of daily gratitude and remind myself that in the midst of the chaos there really is peace. I just need to find it tucked in there (probably in the fetal position like I would like to be when it gets really chaotic in my life, but nonetheless it is there). I ending the month with a list of the blessings that I have been given and being thankful for them. Some hidden that needed to be uncovered and dusted off a bit but there there. Then I am going to rewrite it and carry it with me so when I am feeling like my head is going to explode from stress I can either read it or force myself to add to it......
1. Child 1 a genuine, beautiful, spirited child with a tremendous work ethic.
2. Child 2...blessed by his brains, his curiosity, his gentle heart
3. Child 3...blessed by his strength and courage and his stubbornness. Reminding me that giving up is not an option.
4. Child 4...my insanity and sanity rolled into one. The little sunshine at the end of our tunnel.
5. A husband that comes home to me every day
6. Working with my mother every day...even on those days where I think that I could pull my hair out
7. A roof over my head
8. A husband with a job
9. Healthy (for the most part) Kids
10. A husband that loves me.
11. Kids that have good manners and respect adults
12. Electricity and food
13. Making it through childhood
14. Customers that come to see us every day
15. a big beautiful back yard
16. creative genetics
17. having good role models when i was a child
18. living close enough to the water that I can see the sun rise or set over it any day I want
19. Being able to make decisions for myself
20. Health care options for my children
21. my blue eyes
22. child 3 is still with us after last February
23. A father that gave me nothing - ever - but made me a survivor
24. A mother that did what she could
25. God for giving me all that he has given me
26. the challenges that have been blessings in disguise
27. a beautiful turkey on Thanksgiving....(I know that was a stretch)
28.A strong southern woman for a grandmother
29. The friends that I have had and lost along the way.
30. the ability to make changes when I need to
Monday, November 2, 2009
Handmade Holidays 2009!
I am doing it again.....handmade for all. Last year went really well! A few "Elf" made gifts made their way under our tree, but for the most part it was handmade and up-cycled whenever possible.
I am pushing myself one step further this year. I am going to "attempt" to use what I already have on hand to make these gifts. I honestly have WAY too much in my craft room and am 90% certain that I can accomplish my gift making/giving without having to buy anything new.
Wish me luck!
There are approximately 60 days until Christmas so I figure 5 days on each gift can earn me 12 really nice gifts! I will also be visiting Etsy and some of my favorite blogger's shops. There is so much to chose from!! The kids really got into making wish lists from Etsy. And in effort to be completely honest...I am buying each of the kids a "Snuggie" because I think they are hysterical and make a great gag gift. Gag in more ways than one.....
But they will be purchased from our local hardware store (family owned)- they carry a bit of everything - so I feel good about buying this mass produced product from one of our local stores.
Again....wish me luck!
I will keep you posted on how it is going.
Flying By...
The last part of October flew by....so much happened in such a short few days I can't even believe it is over!
I have so many things to share, and not enough hours in the day to show them all to you...
2009 Oyster Festival
Final Harvest of our Summer Garden
Mid-day Pumpkin Pie....courtesy of Chef Hayden
Pumpkin Carving....with two of the kids
What happens when you take away the Princess's Pumpkin Seeds
No Cute pictures of the kids on Halloween....Completely forgot my camera every time we were in costume. Bad Mommy.....
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
An Apple Today
Is Applesauce, Apple Tart, Apple Pie, Apple Butter.......tomorrow.
I grew up on a farm and there are so many memories associated with the seasons and one of my favorites (I say that alot...) was always Fall. The colors of the leaves, the way the horses started to settle and the change in crops...empty fields from summer crops and acres of dry cornstalks...Homecoming Dinner and applesauce....pounds and pounds of applesauce! I have been dying to take the kids to pick apples and can some homemade goodness!
Sunday was our day. We woke up to the most beautiful day after the terrible rain the day before! We hit the road and headed to a pick your own farm... It was about an hour drive for us and we got to see the most beautiful fall foliage. The trees were just alive with color!
Lily of course donned her Princess Dress and 1" heeled dress up shoes...what else do you wear to the fields?...
And after we purchased the biggest bag of popcorn I had ever seen we headed out to the orchards.There were rows and rows of apples....Red, Yellow, Green and every color in between. We made our way home with over 70lbs of apples and I can't wait to eat every bit of them!
The Princess tired of walking and rode for a bit.
Bree is so proud of this apple - it was HUGE!
My kids were like speed pickers! My husband and I joked that if our kids were around when my uncle was farming our land he would never have had to stop!And for a little more nostalgia.....
My first job at the ripe old age of 13 was at my uncles produce stand just like this. I get a little sad when I see them empty at the end of the season because as much as I love Fall, an empty stand means all those delicious summer vegetables are gone!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Bewitching
Our Bewitching Hour came on Saturday night, and along with it came some HORRIBLE rain!! I have always professed my love for Mother Nature but on Saturday I decided that she really isn't my friend and is a "Mean Girl".....
Normally our party is outside under the moonlight but this year the rain drove us inside!! None the less we had a really great time. This year we went with a Diva Divine Witch theme...more Sparkle than Scare!
My girlfriends always look fabulous and my mom pulled out all the creative stops with the hat designs this year. She sold them at our shop and they literally flew out the door as fast as she brought them in. 
Over the past four years I have made a collection of silverware, plates to go with our theme. This coming year I think I am going to make goblets for the evening. This year I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning working on my dress....I had a last minute inspiration and worked furiously to get it done. Old bridesmaid dresses come in handy after all! I discovered some really great tips along the way for working with lace and 13 yr old models....they don't go together well! I need to invest in a "real" dress form!
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