Trunk or Treat!

The kids and I attended Connor's preschool event, Trunk or Treat, yesterday afternoon, and we had a great time (as usual!). The rain held off for us, we had LOTS of participants, and we came away with some yummy treats and prizes.

Here are Little Orphan Annie, Knight in "arming sharmor" (as Connor says it), and a SWAT team guy, all lined up in front of our decorated trunk:


NORMALLY, the kids would have trick-or-treat bags that coordinate with their costumes. I even bought the materials to make the bags. But that tricky little thing called LIFE got in the way, and it was either stay up extremely late and stressing over it, while also trying to tackle more important things, or admit defeat for this year and buy "normal" trick-or-treat bags. I admitted defeat and bought bags. And you know what? The world didn't end! The kids loved their bags, which will hold more candy anyway... Life is NOT all about the coordinated trick-or-treat bags.

I still feel like a bit a failure. LOL

PS Em went to bed with sponge curlers in her hair in order to have a mop of Annie curls on her head for her school Halloween party and parade later today. I'm anxious to see how things look once she's awake and we take them out. Could be interesting!

?????

When I headed to bed last night, I noticed the boys' bedroom light was on, so poked my head in to check on them (something would have done regardless of the light being on), and found Jared sleeping at the foot of Connor's lower bunk!


I have no idea why he was down there, or why the light was on, but I thought it was pretty funny! I jiggled him awake and helped shove him up the bunk bed ladder into his own bed, while he insisted he'd never gotten out of bed and Connor must have dragged him down. LOL!!

The previous night, one or the other of the boys had gotten up and mistaken their bedroom floor for the toilet and peed on the carpet in their half-asleep state. Hey, better the carpet than the bed!

I'm going to win!

I attended a spa party over the weekend, and when it came time for the door prize, I looked to my mom and said, "I'm going to win!" Then I explained how my friend Carole had once told me that you're supposed to say out loud, "I'm going to win!" to better your chances. She won a door prize about ten seconds after telling me that, so I figured there must be SOMETHING to it. I have since won a door prize at a Stampin' Up card-making party (flower stamp and small ink pad), and I DID win the door prize at the spa party over the weekend (2oz bottle of aromatherapy bath oil). I can't wait to have a chance to take a soak in the tub and test out my new prize!!!! After the weeks I've been having with Connor, I could really use it!

PS You're not allowed to announce out loud, "I'm going to win!" if you and I are in the same drawing. ha! You just have to sit back and let ME win!

My favorite set so far!

I got an order for a sweater/hat set for a baby girl, and was pretty much given free reign as to how I wanted it to look. This is what I came up with, and I have to say, it's my favorite set by far! I have to rush back to JoAnn Fabrics and see about picking up some more of the adorable little bow-shaped buttons. They totally MAKE the sweater!!!!


I was in a hurry to take the picture, so didn't take the time to lay the sweater out very nicely, which is why it looks a little lopsided. I promise, it was done up very nicely!

Here's a better picture of the little hat. I had a leftover button and couldn't resist prettying up the hat a bit!


I also have an order in for a red sweater/hat set, but they don't know boy or girl yet, so I don't know which side of the sweater to put the button-holes (whose brilliant idea was it that boy and girl clothes should button and zip on opposite sides???), so I have to wait a few more weeks before getting started. I'm kind of hoping GIRL because I found pretty pearl-looking buttons that would look so cute with the dark red yarn I found! I also have an order in for an all light blue set, which I will be starting next week!

Yay for projects to keep me busy in the evenings while I'm icing my back before bed!!!

Just a reminder, sweater/hat sets (0-6 month size, but remember, babies tend to outgrow clothes ahead of time, so the sets should really be purchased for a NEW baby to get the most use of them) are $35, and hat and mittie (thumbless mittens) sets are $12. Shipping is extra.

Happy Halloween!

Dan and I attended a Halloween party over the weekend. We had a great time, as usual!

I went as the Toothfairy, using the bridesmaid dress from my brother's wedding this summer (embellished with some iron-on decals, and some hot-glued rhinestones, and some ribbons, and a felt tooth shape). You can't see my "fancy" hair-do in these pics very well. Too bad, I was actually pretty pleased with how it turned out!




Dan was a "happy" man in a toga








I'm already looking forward to next year! *grin*

Months of the year

Days of the week

I hope this video works out okay. Normally I load them through photobucket, but it was NOT working and I gave up trying.

ENJOY!

Poor Emily

Emily got off the bus yesterday, looking entirely EXHAUSTED, and also a little sad. The bus was late in dropping her off, and we BARELY had time to get home, change her into her ballet outfit, and head out the door to dance, so I didn't question her right away. But as soon as we got into the car to head for home, she fell apart and insisted it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (ever read that book? My kids enjoy it!). Apparently, a classmate had spilled some juice at lunch, and decided to use Em's knit poncho/shawl as a rag to clean it up. And a girl on the bus (friend/neighbor girl, which made it worse!) reached down and stole the shoe off Em's foot, threw it to the front of the bus, and EMILY got in trouble for it. She couldn't find her best friend at recess, and ran out of time to finish a math paper in class.

I'd agree it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!

Thankfully, dance class cheered her right back up; she came home and did awesome on the online math program she was supposed to do, AND she was enjoying her new fairy book so much that she BEGGED to read longer than the required 20 minutes!!

Quote of the Week

"I was so mad that I jumped up and down like a frog!"

~Emily~

She wrote that in her journal at school yesterday morning, in reference to being upset about the pin split while playing Wii bowling. Except, I don't recall her EVER being upset while we played over the weekend, and I definately don't remember her jumping up and down like a frog! ha!

Either way, it made ME laugh, and it definately made her teacher laugh!

So far, a success

After "selling myself" on the Internet, and introducing my crafts, I have had a nice steady stream of orders...and it's only been a week and a half!

I have so far completed 3 card pack orders (30 cards), plus one thank you card. I have 6 more card pack orders to work on (5 of the 6 packs not needed until Christmas).

I have so far completed one infant sweater/hat set, with two more sets ordered (neither needed until after Christmas), and a potential order for a fourth set coming soon.

I have so far filled two collage orders, and am waiting on pictures to put into a "baby's first birthday" announcement photo card template I created for a family.

I am having so much fun with all of this! Keep the orders coming!

XOXO

Oldies but goodies

Scary how this seems like it could have been JUST YESTERDAY! Time flies!

Mummy food

I wish I could properly give credit where credit is due, but I'm lacking the proper information! The kids and I were at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago and Emily pointed to a cover of a magazine at the register that depicted hotdogs baked in bread dough to resemble mummies. They were adorable, the kids were fascinated, and I was in a huge hurry to finish unloading the cart onto the conveyer belt and hardly gave the magazine a second glance, or even a second though.

Until, that is, I found a thing of refridgerated pizza dough in my fridge that needed to be used, and came across a package of frozen hotdogs in the freezer, and the image came into my head.

And so, the kids had mummy hotdogs for lunch last Friday, and they LOVED THEM. Now instead of asking for octopus hotdogs (which Connor calls "opopussy" dogs, btw!!!), they're asking for mummy hotdogs. Prep time was a little tedious, but nothing major. The ones on the magazine cover were done up much nicer, but my kids didn't complain. (I can't help but envision newborn babies swaddled with little hats on their heads when I see these, though...LOL)



It's amazing what a person can create with hotdogs...

Sack races

While in the back of the house getting the bathroom all cleaned up, I started hearing this loud pounding sound, with cupboards rattling, and LOTS of giggling. Of course it was something I needed to come investigate...



GOOFS!

This picture makes me laugh!!

Sound Sleeper

Even after being a mother for 7 years and 5 months (to the day!), it never ceases to amaze me how soundly kids sleep, and how they choose the craziest positions!!



Me? I need a pillow (two, actually!), my blankets nicely smoothed and straight on top of me, and I'm curled up on one side or the other.

So funny!

My friend Jami gave me this picture after Emily had spent the night over there earlier this summer (Katie is on the left, and is in Em's grade. Friend Emily is in the middle and is one grade younger. We refer to the other Emily as "Friend Emily" when we discuss her at home to avoid confusion with OUR Emily! LOL!).



Do you know how many times I looked at this picture before I realized there is a bird sitting on Emily's head? I focused straight on the girls' pretty smiling faces every time. Now that I've seen the bird, I can't figure out for the life of me how I missed it the first few times around! ha!

In case you are wondering, the bird is a Lovebird named Mango.

"business name here" (TBD)

I've posted some of my crafts on here in the past, but I'm at the point in time where I need to figure out ways to bring in some extra cash flow, and my fabulous friend/neighbor suggested I work at selling my crafts. To date, I have filled an order for 25 "thank you" cards for a woman who has an organizing business and wants to send thank you cards to clients, and I have filled an order for an infant sweater and hat set for a grandma who was welcoming grandson #2 into the family.

That said, I plan to sell home-made cards for $2.50 each (prices subject to change if you are requesting something more elaborate), or in packs of 10 for $20. The packs can be all of the same style, or varying styles; it will be your choice.

Here are a few examples of past work:










I decorate gift bags, which I will sell for $3.50-$5 each (depending on how elaborate); or $5-$6.50 if you purchase a coordinating card and gift bag set.




I also knit infant hat and sweater sets (0-6 months), which I will sell for $35. (These will have a 3-5 week turn-around period as they take awhile to do!)


newborn hat and mittie (thumbless) sets will sell for $12.


I can also create one-of-a-kind photo cards (birth announcements, holiday cards, etc), and/or custom photo borders and embellishments for around $10, based on how detailed you want the final result to be. I can also create collages in a large range of sizes and styles. For any photo-themed project, you would email me your photo(s) and your preferences, and I would email you a full-size, high resolution final project for YOU to have printed at the place of your choosing.

Some examples:






Those of you not in my local area for hand-delivery will have the added expense of shipping costs, but I will shamelessly remind you that you will be getting a hand-made item at a cost GENERALLY much cheaper (even after shipping costs if you're buying in bulk--and the more you buy in the same order, the better the deal because of the flat-rate shipping boxes) than a "cookie cutter" store-bought card or gift bag that hundreds of people will buy. At the very least, it's the bonus of giving something that no one else will be giving... *grin*

In need of some gift ideas? Packs of cards would make great stocking stuffers! Or think about having and/or giving a collage of a family vacation, or of baby's first year, or of an outing with Grandma (ETC ETC ETC!)...

I am working with my neighbor to create an actual business name, and may potentially start a website, and hopefully an etsy.com shop further down the road once I get a little more established.

For now, please plan to contact me by commenting on this post. If I get a lot of interest, I will create a special email address specifically for business purposes, but I'm not that organized just yet. I may have some price changes if I find the current ones are not covering my supply costs as well as I'm hoping, and I'm hoping to be able to add a few more items down the road as well, so check back! PLEASE feel free to share this post with friends and family.

A whale of a tale

Connor has spent the last several months telling us all about his friend Drake, and all of the things he does at Drake's house, what Drake is allowed to do, etc. Which is super cute, and almost always hilarious, considering he's never been to Drake's house... Drake is a real friend from preschool last year, and is in Connor's preschool class again this year, but beyond being classmates from January-May, and attending each other's birthday parties, that's about as far as it goes in reality.

I can't decide if Connor's conversations about Drake are sort of imaginary friend type stories (Emily had an invisible friend!), or if it's all just wishful thinking, or if he's having vivid dreams at night and is retelling??? I'm stumped!

When we're in the car, Connor will pipe up about Drake having cows at his house. Or if I tell him he can't take food back to his bedroom, he informs me at his friend Drake's house they're allowed to take food into bedrooms. And he's supposedly been on the roof at Drake's house, and has supposedly done other dangerous things along those same lines. His number one argument always starts with, "WELL, at my friend Drake's house..." He tells me about strange things he's eaten, big-time bogus things he's done, etc.

Part of me thinks that maybe because Emily and Jared have stories to tell about being at friend's houses that Connor just wants in on it as well, but then you look at how SERIOUS he is, and how much he'll fight you if you call him on the tall tale. He will INSIST that YES, HUH, he HAS TO been on the roof at "Drake-ez" house(or whatever the case may be). So then we're back to the "I'm stumped" problem.

ahhh, to try and pick the brain of an imaginitive and stubborn three year old... LOL!

"Got a whale of a tale to tell you lads, a whale of a tale or two!
'Bout the flapping fish and the girls I've loved
on nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true, I'll swear by my tattoo..."

Sorry, after typing the title, I got the song stuck in my head and felt it was only fair to get it stuck in yours as well! muh ha ha hahaha! (that's evil laughter in case you weren't sure...). And if you don't know the song, then you, my friend, haven't listened to enough Disney soundtrack CD's, or seen enough old Disney movies and you should CLICK HERE to hear it.

My "to do" list for today

1. Volunteer in Jared's classroom
2. Take Connor to his activity
3. Call the insurance adjuster assigned to me by my auto insurance
4. Call the insurance adjuster assigned to me by the guilty person's insurance
5. Call my medical insurance
6. Make an appointment for a physical (has to be done by the end of the month per some last minute decision by the uppers at Dan's work)
7. Make an eye appointment for Emily to make sure her reading glasses are still right for her
8. Make "well child" appointments for the kids (months over-due at this point!)
9. Take Emily to her activity
10. Make dinner, bathe kids, do dishes, clean floors, put kids in bed, try to catch up on some crafting projects, fill out some paperwork, pay some bills
11. Sleep (at some point)

It's going to be a LONG busy day!!!!

Officer Jared

Jared pulled the policeman dress-up outfit we have off the hanger the other day, put it on, tucked it in, and went about his merry way, playing police officer outside. He came in after a little while and said he needed his bow tie because police officers dress really nice and have to have their FULL uniforms on when they're working ("don't you know.")


He's one fine looking "man" in uniform, wouldn't you say?

I love that kid.

Quote of the Week

backstory: Connor's behavior had been HORRIBLE (times 1,000) the other day. Arguing, screaming, crying, etc. After he launched into yet another tantrum, I lost MY temper, and said to him very forcefully, "Connor, you are RUINING my day!!!!!!!"

To which he replied, loudly, "IT'S NOT YOUR DAY, IT'S MY DAY!"

And all I could do at that point was laugh. The little booger!

Thoughtful Student of the Month

Emily Grace was nominated by her teacher to be a Thoughtful Student of the Month at her elementary school. There was an assembly yesterday afternoon where one student from each class was recognized with a certificate, and had a small paragraph read about their thoughtfulness. I've requested a copy of what was written about Emily; we'll see if they follow through! I was very proud of my girl!

(she's in the red shirt, and it's grainy because I had to use HER camera as mine doesn't have a lense that will zoom that far yet, and her camera doesn't take very good pictures...LOL)




Way to go, Emily!!!

Next month they will be focusing on kids being Enthusiastic. Jared says he knows how to be REALLY enthusiastic so that he can win an award next month. I guess we shall see!