Funky Monkey

A little about me ....

2009-04-21T16:10:00.016-06:00

Ok so it has almost been 4 months since my last post, seriously slacking here. It is hard enough to keep up with the custom orders, emails and convos let alone manage 2 blogs :) I need a twin or lets make that 2!

Some of you may or may not know how I got into the business of custom sewing and so I thought I would share a little bit about myself. I will keep it short and sweet ala Cliff Notes version.

After having our first daughter I had to leave my career in Marketing to care for the Little pip squeak because she had severe acid reflux and was monitored night and day. After she outgrew this and was all better I looked for a way to get creative and make a little bit of money at the same time. This is when Funky*Monkey was born which is the name/label I designed and created under on Ebay.
I used to make Euro and Vintage inspired designs. Certainly a great way for me to feed my passion of being creative! I remember the first set I did, a pair of denim overalls that had little flowers, ruffles on the hem and lots of trim! I have come a long way! Here is a photo of the famed first set of denim overalls, I should spare you the torture!

Last August I made the decision to leave Ebay and transition to Etsy and offer a collection of items rather than a one of a kind set. This is when Loves Me Not began. Ebay got too expensive to sell on and Etsy is very reasonable and I love the look of how artsy it is too!

I never would have dreamed that when I started this that I would have come this far. Of course without all of the love and support from my husband, family and all of you this would not be possible. Once I get the Summer collection finished and on its way to everyone I can focus on Fall and the big things I hope to bring so stay tuned!

A new year

2009-01-04T12:45:00.007-07:00

Welcome to 2009! I have been a bit behind on the blogging scene lately as I have enjoyed my month off from the sewing scene. Still on the pc surfing and gossiping and driving my family nutty!

I made more handmade gifts this Christmas too! So proud of myself to make some aprons and oh were they fun!

Trying to make sense of this whole CPSIA law taking effect on Feb 10. I am going to go about my business and start my Spring line for Loves Me Not and sell up until then and after that date we will see what happens? I still need to decide on what fabrics we are going to use. Why is that always such a hard choice for me? I am a go getter but just a tad bit indecisive.

We made homemade ice cream last night. Steve bought the ice cream maker along with a few others as gifts and one migrated into my kitchen at my kid's request. I like a clean counter. I like to hide all of my gadgets and gizmos under the counter in the cabinets. I certainly did not need another appliance to figure out where to store other than the 2 times a year we use it...sorry honey. I will let you know later how it all turned out. Lets just say I think it was a lot more work than it is worth!

On the subject of new years resolutions, I resolve to not have any resolutions. I know what I need to do, just got to get on it. Spend more time with the family, read to my girls more, loose some lbs and get into shape and try not to obsess so much with my sewing!

And just in case anyone is counting (I'm not) I just turned 34. Steve made sure I had a great day and we all went out on the town. Had a blast! This is my long time friend Sarah, just look at her hair! That is "vacation worthy" hair as I call it.

I would have had a birthday sale in the Etsy shop had I had my act together and had some stuff to sell. I do have some skirts cut out that I am working on and hope to get them up in the shop soon! I thought I would ease my way back into sewing so my family would not be in shock.

Let the counting begin!

2008-12-18T19:32:00.005-07:00

And so it is that time of year again where I get asked more than a few times a day "How many more days until Santa comes?"....ah yes my impatient little ones.

My attempt at taking a photo of the girls for our Christmas cards was a bit challenging this year. Ms. S just loves the snow aka "Ice Cream" and did not want to sit for Mommy. She was way too intersted in eating the snow.

I have been enjoying my time off from making and filling customer orders but could not keep away from my pile of fabrics and my sewing machine. I decided to make something creative for the teachers this year. These steno pad covers where super easy to make and fun because I got to mix and match some of the brighter fabrics together.

The next half of the countdown will be mine of course....how many more days until school is back? That is after Christmas of course. The kiddos will get bored and tired of being stuck inside with this really cold weather and snow we have been having.

And then comes my birthday again....it creeps up on me every year. I have even lost count a couple of times and had to sit back and actually calculate in my head just how old I really was? I took off 1 or 2 years accidentally when I had answered how old I was. Is this what happens in your "ahem" early 30's? I am in trouble if that is the case I will be a basket case by the time I am 40!

We all get so busy and involved in Christmas, then New Years Eve, then the recovery of New Year's Day then BOOM....it is here again but who's counting anyway?

Please Read!

2008-12-15T20:06:00.003-07:00

As of February 10, Loves Me Not and thousands of others in the children's industry will be deeply affected financially and or will be out of business.

Remember the outcry last holiday season over lead in imported toys? In order to combat such safety issues, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has passed legislation called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The law sets stringent guidelines for children’s products containing lead and phthalates (a chemical used in some vinyl products).

It is supposed to go into effect February 10th, 2009, and after that date any product intended for children ages 12 and under must meet these guidelines, and have a certificate of compliance from a CPSC-accredited laboratory. This includes not just toys, but clothing, jewelry, blankets, sheets, books, bibs, strollers, carriers, and anything else that a child under 12 might come in contact with. Sounds great, right?

In theory, maybe. But in actuality the law is so far reaching that it may succeed in turning the economy upside down. For starters, the CPSIA requires end unit testing on every product intended for use by children under 12. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to do this testing, regardless of how small the business. That means that manufacturers (like myself ) will have to pay to get every different product they offer tested. These tests have to be done at a CSPC accredited lab, and cost tens of thousands of dollars. For example if you offer 3 different types of dresses. Each dress contains 2 different fabrics, as well as buttons, and thread, so that's potentially $600 to test one dress. But if you have 3 or more styles, that's $1800. And when you get a new bolt of fabric, you need to start all over again.

At present, there are no exemptions for small businesses and "micro" manufacturers and most handcraft artisans. There is no exception for quantities made, where the garments/products are made or anything else. Nor is there an exception for unadorned fabric components, unfinished wood components, materials which, by their nature, are free of lead and phthalates.

Also, the Act takes a "guilty until proven innocent" approach, which would treat a handmade, unfinished wooden toy that doesn't meet the certification deadline of 2/10/09 as a "banned hazardous substance" which would be illegal to distribute in this country. Each infraction carries a $100,000 felony charge. This legislation is also retroactive for any pre-existing inventory as of February 10th, 2009. This means that everything on the shelves in those big (or small) stores will also be "banned, hazardous substances" - contraband.

Larger corporations that can afford testing will incur thousands, maybe millions of dollars in fees, and this expense will be handed down to the consumer, probably making the prices for children's products go through the roof.

This also means that after that date, even selling your kids old things on eBay or Craigslist will be illegal. Charities will not be able to accept donations without a certificate of compliance either. February 10, 2009 is being dubbed “National Bankruptcy Day” by many people in the apparel and toy industry. If this legislation is not amended, it will affect everyone from port workers to parents looking for legal products. Billions of dollars worth of children's products will have to be destroyed because they can’t be legally sold, and this will cause major environmental problems.

While I am all for higher safety standards and keeping our kids safe, this law is so overreaching as to put thousands on manufacturers of children's products out of business -hurting our economy and causing even more loan defaults. Though this legislation was well-intentioned, it cannot be allowed to stand as is.Please help us defend the American dream and our entrepreneurial spirit! This law affects every stay at home mom trying to help put food on the table and every grandmother knitting blankets for the local craft fair. It makes the thousands of us who have found a niche in the burgeoning children's market have to make a tough decision - continue to produce items illegally and possible incur a $100,000 fine, pay the enormous fees and raise costs of goods sold, or close up shop!

Please help us!Contact your Congressperson using this link: http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476

It only takes 30 seconds!If you have an extra minute send a hard copy of the letter as well!To sign the online petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

Read more about it here: http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/

Please copy and paste this on your blogs, we need all the help we can get!

I copied this article from Knuckleheads Clothing.

Photo Moto

2008-12-08T22:23:00.008-07:00

Two posts in one day...man am I on a role!

So you may or may not know I tinker in photography just for fun. I have been asked by a few friends to take some photos for them for their Christmas cards this year, and for my first official "shoots" I think I did pretty ok.

Just wanted to share a few of my favorites

Now for my family photos so I can get cards printed and in the mail :)

Exhale ....

2008-12-08T16:17:00.005-07:00

Wow, it has been really long since I have wrote here on my blog. But since things with Loves Me Not are now slow and I am finally caught up, I can slow down a bit, exhale, and enjoy the Holiday rush right?

Lots has happened since I was on here last and I will sum it all up!

Miss. S turned 3! Can't believe my little baby is 3. We had a great time at the birthday party as usual.

I conquered my portion of the orders from our Etsy shop "the beast" as I called it has been wiped clean! Oh what to do with this free time?
Miss. S decided that turning 3 was just not enough and decided she needed to add 3 stitches to her forehead. She got into a tassle with the coffee table and the table won! Just got the stitches out today and she still jumps and climbs like it never happened.
Lesa and I are working on finalizing a photographer and choosing fabrics for the Spring line. We do not know exactly when we will be previewing that but we need to decide soon.

Spellcheck is not working on here and if anyone knows me I always have typos so please forgive my mis-spellings if I missed any!

An Addiction?

2008-10-26T20:30:00.007-06:00

Today we took our annual trip to the local pumpkin patch. The girls each got to pick out their own pumpkin They carefully prod and nudge each pumpkin and carefully choose their own special little orange treasure to call their own. It was quiet chilly and I certainly did not dress for the occasion ...48 degrees and a wind chill brrr! We had to talk them out of visiting the farm animals so our ears could defrost.

Things are moving along with Loves Me Not and seems like business is booming. I have a couple simple winter sets I am sending off to a great photographer I came across and she works wonders with the camera so I can't wait to see what she comes up with. I keep asking myself why in the world I decided to do something in between Fall and Spring....I am insane? I am such a busy body and had a couple ideas in my mind and and the only way to release them was to create something. I am hoping though to have some free time for the family, the house and the holidays in December as my organizational skills are severely lacking....ask my husband and he will laugh.

This week I have lots to conquer...

-lets see figure out how to keep myself off of Facebook so much - a new addiction thanks to my dear friend Sarah "thanks Sarah"..and if you are on Facebook find me! (see there I go again with the addiction!)

-figure out what the heck is wrong with my right hand. I woke up last Sunday and my ring and pinky finger were numb and half of the hand, and still are - pretty annoying, need to see the dr.

-sew 2.5 million pairs of pants....I am exaggerating just a little bit.

-finally accept the fact I need to jump on the wagon and get back to the gym and loose some lbs. I am gettin some muffin top and it ain't lookin so good.

Happy Sunday!

Much needed play time....for Mom

2008-10-16T20:51:00.008-06:00

For the last week Miss. M has been asking me "Mommy when can we jump in a big leaf pile?".

And I answer "Not until there are enough leaves on the ground to rake into a pile."

Today we had a windy day and Mom had to "pay up" on the leaf action. One hours worth of raking and playing and they had a blast! It is nice to take a break and just be crazy with the kids every once in a while.

I will be picking out leaf particles in my tub for the next week.

Finally Something Clicked!

2008-10-07T20:05:00.007-06:00

I finally created something for me that I actually liked! I get asked all the time "Why don't you make clothing for women or yourself".....well as you all know we "ladies" are much more curvy than our younger counterparts and it is not easy to fit everyone because we are all built so different. On top of that what the heck is it with patterns being so "off" on sizing? I am not abotu to disclose my "pant" size but lets just say according to my measurements the people at Simplicity think I should be wearing a size 3x larger than my normal. No way in heck am I making myself that will yet resemble another tent in luscious fabric.

I had a couple requests for some cute and casual velour track pants with a small ruffle on the bottom and they actually turned out cute - they are so comfy and I just love them! A fun little twist on the ordinary track pant. I love to wear mine with my jeweled flip flops but soon I will have to resort to other shoes if Mother Nature has her way.

The last time I attempted to make something for myself it was disastrous! I "upsized" this Euro skirt pattern that I have that I just adore and it looks so good on the little ones so why not me? Holy cow is all I can say. I wasted $30 in wondrous Amy Butler fabric to create this??? Luckily the fabric got recycled into a sweet little dress and is now trotting around somewhere on a 5 year old girl in Thailand....true story.

I do not know what comes next, there are so many patterns I wish I had time to mess with and create something new but for now it is about digging myself out from under the orders in the Etsy store. Is there light at the end of the tunnel....

Summarizing September

2008-10-03T21:51:00.009-06:00

September was a crazy month for us here and since I have been so busy with this, I thought I would just summarize September since I missed so much.

You know something is "up" when the kids get quiet. When I am busy sewing late at night and think my daughter is in bed watching a movie this is the last thing you expect to find when you walk into the bathroom....her face and hair plastered with Bubble Gum Pink Hannah Montana lipgloss. This girl used the entire tube in one sitting and not only put it on her face, but managed to get her entire hands and hair involved. I tried not to laugh when I took pictures.

Miss M. lost her first official tooth and was granted a very generous gift of $5 from the tooth fairy. It think I need to have a little discussion with Ms. Fairy as she has Trumped Mom and instantly became Miss. M's biggest fan overnight.......I only got a lousy quarter.

Loves Me Not Fall line was finally finished despite major fabric delays - 6 weeks but whose counting - the shop is open and everything is running smoooth. The leggings seem to be a favorite, and mine too!

Apparently I have taken up a third job, yes third (#1Wife/Mom, #2Designing) as a skunk farmer. We encountered 2 - yes 2 - skunks in our yard in 1 weeks time resulting in a stinky little dog who had to get shaved and leather furniture that continues to be "aired" out on the patio. I feel like Sanford & Son over here. The 2 skunks have since been relocated and we have encountered a third -3-tres'- however you want to call it a 3rd skunk 2x this week in our backyard. My dogs are on a curfew and lockdown starts at 7pm. I hope the Tres' Skunk gets the heck outta town because I just can't take any more of this nonsense.

Miss. M turned 6 and we had a great party in the backyard....even a special visit from "Coconut the Clown". She loved the clown but was too worried about her hair to put any of the hats on in his corny little skits.

And when did Fall arrive?? I knew it was coming and was in full acceptance of this but it seems like the evenings have gotten darker much quicker than I remember and the leaves started turning faster..........or maybe it is just loss of sleep?

Thats a wrap!

2008-09-19T11:42:00.010-06:00

I am finally done with photographing, editing and building up the line for the Etsy shop for Loves Me Not! Tada! Now go check out the shop!

WHEW! Anyone know of a great photographer? I am seriously going to hire it out for the Spring line. Toting around 3 girls, several pieces of clothing and shoes, brushes and bands, a very pricey camera kit and props in rural part of the country and dodging broken glass nails and prairie dog holes and horse poop is no cup of tea.......I promise! By the time I was done, which was usually way before they were done and begging me to stop taking photos I was ready for a cocktail!

So just for giggles and grins here are some FUN unedited not so perfect and posed photos we had some fun with !!

What's that smell?

2008-09-14T22:03:00.004-06:00

What's that smell you say?

My family and I have been dealing with a one "PePe Le Pew" for over a week now. He has moved into my yard, sprayed in my house by my garage and sprayed my dog on 3 separate occasions. We took matters into our own hands and rented a trap. This whole situation has put me so behind in the matters of things! My house has been turned upside down!

After three nights and 2 cans of sardines, we finally trapped PePe and the little critter has since been relocated. He got the last laugh as you may guess and sprayed last night when he got stuck in the cage so we had a very nice aroma sifting through out our house as we tried to sleep. He also sprayed a couple times before he was relocated this morning. Now my Jeep has a new car scent that I am sure any car scent company would love to to put a patent on. They are lining up at my door now and I will be a millionaire tomorrow....wishful thinking.

Have you heard?

2008-09-12T16:23:00.002-06:00

We are getting closer to opening our Etsy store and officially starting our own label! Loves Me Not will be in full swing sometime next week. I can't put my finger on an exact date yet but I want to be done soon!

I am about 95% done with my part of the collection and just need to do photographs now. I have a few done so this week as long as the weather is good and the girls even better we will be in business!

Who ever said I was in a Rush?

2008-09-02T21:59:00.004-06:00

Why is it when you are anxious and in a rush everyone else in the world is not?

I along with Lesa, had everything perfectly planned out. The fabric was ordered, the labels were ordered, we assumed all was good and everything was in the mail. 1 week went by then 2, then ...I began to sweat. Week 4 came and went and we got on the horn, no return calls. Ack! Email after email, one after another, and the e site we ordered our fabric from gave us a lousy pattern! LOL. 5 weeks of waiting for fabric and you offer me a pattern?

So, I am a very impatient person and simply could not wait any longer....so I ordered from another site and my wonderful box of yummy goodness arrived today in all of it's glory! I simply cannot wait to get this fabric on my machine and do something with it!

I hope to have some sneek peeks up on Loves Me Not soon I promise!

Please no snow yet!

2008-08-19T21:02:00.005-06:00

I am still enjoying my summer and I can accept that fall is on the way. Please no snow for at least 2 more months! I know we are in full swing with Holiday themed items on Ebay, but lets keep the weather at bay for a bit longer. The cooler 80's and 70's are ok too Mother Nature (in case you are reading this), as I am getting tired of dealing with cranky little ones modeling cold weather wear in 90 degree weather..........so I will stop complaining.

We actually got snow over the weekend up in the mountains and some of the roads closed - just rain down here but that is why they call Colorado weather so WackY!

I just finished up 2 new sets for the Eden boutique "Believe" Holiday launch and you can see them both here. And don't you just love how enthused Princess 1 and 2 both look modeling these sets here?

I am in love with them both and need to decide which ones to keep - that is if Ms. Priss will wear them!

A BIG Announcement!

2008-08-12T16:46:00.005-06:00

I have been waiting for just the right time to make an announcement! I am so excited and cannot wait so I figured any time is a "good" time!

I along with my great friend Lesa, am coming out with a new line of clothing for girls called "Loves Me Not". The debut Winter '08 line is called "Ice Bouquet" and will feature lots of rich colors with pops of Ice Blue. The designs are focused towards girls age 2 - 8. We believe in making fashion timeless and comfy at the same time.

We can hardly wait to share all of the wonderful things we have been working on with you! We will be starting out on Etsy and see where the world takes us from there.Labels are on the way and so is the fabric so stay tuned and see what happens next!

First Day of School

2008-08-12T10:47:00.004-06:00

Today was the first day of school for us! Quiet early this year, they might as well just start after the 4th of July!

Miss. M. is in the big first grade now so she will be in school all day long now. I have no quiet figured out this whole schedule thing as no one in this house is an early bird....you should have seen the disorganization this morning!

Fall already

2008-08-07T16:50:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe that the first day of school is almost here. Where has my summer gone? They say time flies when you are having fun so I must be having a blast!

I love summer and everything about it! My top 5 favorite things about summer:

Flipflops and pedicures

Crickets chirping in the evening

The smell after a rainstorm

The endless sunshine

The warm sun on your skin

Things are a bit crazy now and I will soon have a very exciting announcement to make so stay tuned!!!

I also just listed this new Hello Kitty Halloween set with a matching tote! You can see them both here.

Have a great night!

Sunday Nonsense

2008-08-03T21:13:00.006-06:00

While blog surfing tonight, I came across this fabulous site that is so much fun!

You upload your photos and get to play with all sorts of effects.

Ever wonder what your design would look like on the cover of Vogue?

or put a spin on a favorite vintage photo .....

and look a billboard in NY City!

Hoot Hoot

2008-07-31T19:31:00.006-06:00

I just finished up with a new set today for the Caramelo launch and I love this set! Probably one of my top 10 favs.

I have always admired the hand painted totes that one very well and talented artist puts her heart and soul into and I too like to doodle a bit. So I gave it a shot....lets just say I do not plan on doing it often. I do not have the patience to sit still and paint like these totes deserve to be painted. So who knows, I may or may not do this again.

As for my photography, I have decided to start sharing some of my not so perfect photos here on my blog. You can see my "pretty show room floor" photos on my auctions.

As many of you know, it is hard to get your little ones to cooperate most of the time. I take around 100 photos per session and only a handful turn out. Is life really that bad? My daughter would probably agree. I am not so nice to make her model corduroy in July, in 95 degree weather. Even a bribe of a trip to the Disney Store did not work this time. So just for laughs, I will share my "unperfect" photos here.

New Begginings

2008-07-28T20:14:00.003-06:00

We are just about 2 weeks out from the first day of school again and I cannot believe how quickly it has come! It seems like we just had the last day of school not too long ago.

I have 2 new sets listed today that are perfect for Back to School!

One is a bit more vintage and the other more Euro - whatever your taste they are both sweet! My sister is joining up with me and sewing as well so I will be able to offer more designs this year! Thanks sis!

And speaking of "New Beginnings" I have joined a new group. You will now find me under Boutique LemonLime. VendeMia was my baby and I have a lot of great friendships that have come out of it. I needed more time freed up so I could focus on myself and my designs. The ladies of VendeMia were awesome and I am looking forward to continued friendships!

Visiting the Farm

2008-07-26T10:00:00.013-06:00

We drove up to visit my Dad last night and the girls are always so excited to go up there.

I wonder why .....

They can drive down the middle of the road and exceed the speed limit ....

Ride the horses .....

Catch a few toads ....

Hug your sister and still be "cool" .....

Wear whatever you like, even if it does not make sense....

Be up close and personal ....

What a great way to start the weekend.

Family Reunion

2008-07-19T20:10:00.006-06:00

This weekend my entire family on my Mother's side is in town for a family reunion. We are celebrating my Grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary and 80th birthdays.

We are a BIG family! The family tree is growing still:

2 Grandparents

12 children (1 being my mother)

28 Grandchildren

13 Great Grandchildren

and if you can imagine all of the spouses added to those numbers......Yup we are living large.

Today we went to the lake for some fun in the sun! We played horseshoes, went boating and tubing and jumped off the cliffs.

You know you have had too much fun in the sun when you go from this face .....

to this in 5 seconds flat! Note the bee buzzing by on her left side of her face.

Tomorrow we are supposed to hit 100 degrees and have lots planned! I will be sure to catch some more fun pictures of the entire family together!

A litte Rag Doll

2008-07-17T17:38:00.004-06:00

I just love this Raggedy Ann fabric and this set turned out so sweet!

I appliqued my little heart out on this one. I decided to not recreate the dress due to all the applique and offer this set as a one time semi-custom.

You can see this sweet little number here.

Pure Sweetness

2008-07-16T08:04:00.005-06:00

I received these photos from one of my customers and oh my goodness!

Aren't they just the sweetest little things? Charley and Emmie such sweet little dolls!

Both girls are wearing their designs made by me and they look too cute in their photos!

Fairytales do come true!

2008-07-15T16:16:00.003-06:00

I have a new set up for VendeMia's "Once Upon a Time" fairytale launch. I LOVE this fabric and had to have it! Sweet Little Red Riding Hood fabric from Japan.

I am really enjoying the applique I have done lately, though it takes lots of time and patience.

You can see my auction here and all of VendeMia's launch auctions here along with our great guests.

Back to School

2008-07-09T10:09:00.005-06:00

I have 2 new sets listed this week. I am burnt out on summer pieces (did not ever think I would say that) and I am looking forward to playing with some new Fall designs!

The first is made with a fun cow print and a sweet little back pack to match. This set comes with leggings and is perfect for all year long. Thanks to PoppySt for asking me to guest on this launch.

The other set features an imported puppy fabric with little weiner dogs all about! I fell in love with it when I saw it and new I had to have it! Holly made some sweet little bows to match, so be sure to check out her auction too!

Pride

2008-07-05T21:15:00.004-06:00

Today we visited the traveling Vietnam War Wall. It is here for a few days so we stopped by to see it.

It is a very powerful thing to see all of those names on the wall. 58,196 names are listed on the Vietnam wall. This wall is a much smaller replica of the original, but just as powerful.

It makes you realize just how lucky we are to live in a free country. Often we forget the women and men that died to give us that freedom and it is such a powerful thing. I hope you all had a happy and safe Fourth of July.

Sneak Peek - E-I-E-I-OOOOO

2008-07-01T13:58:00.003-06:00

Here is a little sneak peek at a set I have finished, 1 whole week ahead of time, for the PoppySt Back to School launch next week.

I love this cow print and have been holding on to it, so I figured it was time to break it out. I even made a sweet backpack to match!

Good Food and Great Friends

2008-06-29T20:16:00.005-06:00

This weekend one of my best friend's from high school was in town from Sonoma, CA!

We had a blast and all of the kids enjoyed seeing each other. My other 2 best friends from school live here in town as well and even though we are "minutes" apart we rarely get together. Life gets in the way but we never seem to loose that special link to each other we all have. We can pick right back up where we left off like we have seen each other every day for the last 3 months.

We had a great Shrimp Boil at our house and finished the night off with some great music by the fire.

Oh how I love summer!

Amy Needs

2008-06-18T21:16:00.002-06:00

I was blog surfing and came across Lanae's blog and this fun little game...so I am copying.

Visit Google and Google your name and the word "needs", all in quotations...."Amy Needs"
LOL the results are hilarious.....here are the first 4:

Hey i just typed in Amy needs and this came up and just to make things CLEAR im not going out with any one called Peter!

Amy needs some helping drinking apparently

Amy needs to either wake up or start getting some extra will-power. ... We see how Amy needs and helps the horse and how he needs and helps her.

Amy needs a new pair of shoes. I'd like to have these shoes. I'm still wearing those red mary jane heels I showed you a few months back.

I have no clue what #1 is and I think I already have #2 taken care of. #3 LOL will power! and #4 who would ever deny a herself a new pair of shoes???

Love This!

2008-06-17T21:15:00.002-06:00

I came across this little saying on Etsy, and I wish I had somewhere to put it! My washroom is in the portion of the basement that is not finished and I don't have a mud room....how about my bedroom? Not too romantic and may just remind me of my housework I have to do LOL!

So true these days with how busy we are and now especially with three little ones here all day long! It is going to be a loooong summer!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T09:35:00.004-06:00

We tried something a bit different this year. Each of the girls is holding a D A D and I had this framed for Steven as a photo for his desk. I loved how it came out!

Here are some more photos we took and they turned out so sweet!

Happy Father's Day!

Taking the plunge!

2008-06-13T15:23:00.004-06:00

My daughter and niece had their last day of swim class today before moving on the the next one and they got to have fun today!

Both of them went down the "big" slide repeatedly, they even got brave enough to take their life jackets off and go a few times. They showed up the boys in the class who chickened out! Way to go girls!

Summer is here and should be a blast!

Speaking of plunges, here is a quick pic of my new haircut. I took a plunge last month and cut over 6" off! A fun and edgy bob! Alot different from my long and curled locks!

Sweet Sisters

2008-06-12T21:12:00.003-06:00

One of my close customers Wendy just emailed me the sweetest photos of her girls wearing their very own FM Vintage twirl dresses! I made these special for her for Easter this year and the girls look so beautiful in the photo!

Not so perfect "props"

2008-06-11T18:04:00.014-06:00

Lately I find myself struggling with photographing my youngest, she is 2 1/2 and very very independent! I have figured out that she will cooperate with me slightly IF I give her something to work with such as:

Crackers

More crackers

Her little "babies" as she calls her turtle and bunny, they never leave her side.

My duck that is supposed to be for looking at and not touching! I cannot tell you how many of my little garden animals are missing body parts, this little guy is still in tact (holding my breath).

It is so hard when you are trying to photograph your sets you have spent hours on and then it's success is all based on photos with crackers in the shot .

But today she actually smiled for me and enjoyed taking pictures! Horray! And all it took was a little bit of fabric with Elmo all over it! Who would have thought? So unless you want to see me permanently making Elmo sets week after week please, please forgive my crackers!

You can see both of my latest auctions here Elmo (without crackers) or Raggedy Ann (with crackers). And both have No Reserve - now those are some serious crackers!

Join us for a Picnic!

2008-06-09T20:17:00.004-06:00

I just listed a new set for the Roxy & Rocco boutique guest launch featuring berries! Sweet little cherries and strawberries with lots of ruffles and a little vintage pocket!

Savannah is so hard to photograph, yet I enjoy making the "smaller" pieces and after every photo session tell myself "I will wait a bit longer to do this again" and there I am again a week later!!!! She just loves to run from me and it is almost a game, just need to figure out how to turn the tables so it is fun for both of us.

You can see this sweet little number here.

Take a break on me

2008-06-03T22:44:00.000-06:00

A great idea gone bad

2008-06-02T09:46:00.008-06:00

I get asked all the time "Do you make clothes for yourself/" and I answer "No". Why you ask? Because I never have really tried and if I can sew little toddler clothing, then making myself something should be a piece of cake!

So I bought some Amy Butler fabric, which I LOVE, and thought this would be fabulous in a fun and flirty summer skirt! Fun yet classy. Off to the fabric store to buy some of this fab fabric.

I love to sew freely and not use patterns all the time and just like the fun little girly skirts I make my girls why would I need a pattern for myself? I washed the fabric and ironed it and cut it out - 3 different prints. How exciting!

The end result.....not good. As I put the skirt on I could not wait to look into the mirror, Holy Cow! My fun, sophisticated, designer fabric summer skirt was oh not so flattering at all! It had the lower half of my body resembling a familiar farm animal....sorry Daisy. It was a goood, no great, idea gone bad. And what does one do when she tries something out that does not work? She tries again, yes again! I made another skirt and spent 2 hours "upsizing" the Insa skirt pattern and this one turned out even worse! I will spare you the photos on the second skirt.

In the essence of making lemonade out of lemons, as the saying goes, I made a fun little apron dress out of my unflattering skirt! I just love it and it is up for auction today starting at $35 with no reserve!

Simply Chic!

2008-05-27T19:19:00.005-06:00

For VendeMia's Market launch I will be listing lots of ready to ship pieces ranging from size 2 up to 6 over the next three weeks. We are all trying to use up some of our stashed fabric, that was the idea at least, and what did I do you say? I bought new fabric, yes more fabric. I have a problem!

All auctions will start at $35 or less and the best part is there are no reserves! Are we crazy - evidently! But what the heck - it sure is fun to create one of a kinds all day long !

Here are the 2 dresses that are ready to ship for a 4 5 6 made with my "new" fabric. I have always drooled over the Amy Butler lines of fabric and had intended to make myself a flirty little skirt with the fabrics, more on that later!

I also have some samples listed from previous listings as well and you can see all of the good stuff here.

You can see all of VendeMia's listings here and mine here!

Summer is almost here

2008-05-26T12:17:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone had a safe and fun filled Memorial Day weekend! Before we know it school will be out this week followed by a summer filled with trips to the pool and beach! We can't wait!

I thought I would share these photos I captured by our house as these honey bees are taking over this fence. I have never seen anything like this, or more than one bee together at once! I stayed a bit back for the photos in fear of upsetting the little guys.

Wine anyone?

2008-05-23T10:03:00.011-06:00

I have finally figured out how to apply some fabulous photo touches in PSP. I had fun playing around with my latest photo of my wine cork collection. I will definitely choose one to print and frame for my kitchen. You can view the picture in its original unedited format below on my previous post.

Enjoy

Photo Shmoto

2008-05-22T22:44:00.012-06:00

I thought I would share some photos I have taken for my online photography class I am taking.

I am really enjoying it, though there is so much to learn I feel like I can't keep up!

Eileen is a great teacher and very complementary!

We have been given "assignments" and a theme surrounds some of them. I feel like I am learning to be a bit more creative with my pictures and what I photograph so here are some of my latest. They are all "unedited", in the raw, straight from the camera, as we are trying to learn to take great shots and not have to edit them at all.....yeah right!

Feet

Action

Perspective

Motherhood or related to LOL

Faucets

I am expecting a call from National Geographic any minute now...

A late Tea Party

2008-05-22T17:52:00.004-06:00

I finally got my tea party set photographed! Whew!

It has been a crazy week here and it seemed like I would never get pictures done! My daughter was either sleeping, cranky or the weather was bad! So in between hail storms here today we got our pictures done and she had fun modeling with my nice china tea set! The only time "Mom" has ever allowed her to play with it and not get into trouble!

This set was actually intended to be part of VendeMia's Gilligan's Island launch but life got busy and things sometimes go haywire. My inspiration was Mr.s Howell, the millionaire's wife. I thought a tea party was fitting and just love these colors together!

You can see my auction here.

What's a girl to do?

2008-05-17T21:51:00.014-06:00

We took a trip to the zoo for M's kindergarten field trip this Friday. We were fortunately blessed with wonderful weather in the 70's!

As we were waiting for the class to arrive I made a mad rush to the ladies room while we had some time. I came across several, more like 8 or 9 male Peacocks courting a single female. I have never witnessed such a display. They were blocking the bathroom door! The poor thing was cornered and surround by the male peacocks fluttering and shaking their gorgeous colorful fan of feathers. Oh just what is a girl to do? I could not help but think that it reminded me of the typical, competitive, puffed up, testosterone ridden male, and the one we all know and love and call our "partner" or "husband".

Not only do the males have the beautiful color and fanciful flair that would better fit the women, but they all have to compete for the loving affection of one woman....oh yeah. It's ladies choice and she can be picky!

Choices, choices.......

So just for fun and laughs I am sharing some photos of the 'Peacock Love" story ....

Eat your heart out Liberachi!

Field Day in December?

2008-05-15T20:41:00.012-06:00

Today was my daughter's first official "Field Day" for Kindergarten! She was so excited all week she could hardly wait! So we woke up today and it was freezing out side, a forecasted high of 45 degrees with rain, possible snow and lots of wind. So we rushed off to watch the kids at field day and when we got there the wind made it feel even colder so with our lack of planning I rushed back home for hats, mittens and some warm blankies!

The kids did great, the cold did not even seem to phase them!

Savannah tried with all her might to blow some dandelions......and they stuck more to her face than anything!

My little "winner" got a bit camera shy when I asked for a shot of her stars. They don't give ribbons anymore so everyone gets a reward, she had lots of colorful stars on her button!

Here are a few of my favorite action shots!

Gilligan's Island

2008-05-13T15:45:00.006-06:00

I used to love watching Gilligan's Island when I was younger and we used to play make believe and I always had to be Ginger (am I aging myself?). So this theme for our latest launch was a blast! We all chose a cast member to design our set off of. I had fun with this one as it was a challenge for me to come up with something.

My first one is based off of Mary Ann. A Gymboree inspired double layer skirt with fun daisy prints and vintage yellow accents.

Gilligan always had light denim pants and a red knit shirt so I designed this sweet little sailor set great for casual wear.

Check back later this week as I will be listing a sweet tea party set inspired by the Millionaire's wife Mrs. Howell!

You can see all of the VendeMia Gilligan's Island listings here.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T21:56:00.005-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day spending much needed time relaxing and enjoying the family...something I do not do enough!

I got to play around with my camera some more and take some fun photos. We had gorgeous weather today and I had planned on planting some of my new flowers that my husband and girls got me, but Mr. Weatherman is predicting frost and snow on Tues and Wed so we will wait.

We Love Mud

2008-05-08T14:26:00.006-06:00

I just listed a OOAK dress to benefit the Yurgaitis Family on Ebay. I started it a .99 and there is no reserve so please bid as 100% of the proceeds go to the family directly. I have never met "Mud" personally but her situation has really touched me and I wanted to help out somehow.

You can see the auction here and see the other auctions here.

and more not so spectacularnis....about Me!

2008-05-05T19:19:00.008-06:00

So I am back with more boring and quirky facts about me, yes me, just in case you wanted to figure out what makes me click! Annette of Pickles and Company tagged me and if she lived any closer I would most certainly pay her a visit :).

1. I totally love those ER reality shows. The ones with all the adrenaline and blood and guts, yes those ones. The more dramatic the better. I wanted to work in the health care field as an RN, but life took me on a different path.

2. I am so anal when it comes to planning events and my family calendar that it can get to the point of annoyance to my family (sorry loved ones :)). I have to know the date, time and where the get together is about 1 month out or I get really uneasy and bother everyone until it is scheduled.

3. I am a stuffaholic, that's right, I am a "closet stuffer". Not one who stuffs goods in her closets (I just organized mine last week of you are counting), but the kind of person who stuffs things into the junk drawers in her kitchen. The surface is impeccably clean, but I have 3, count em, 3 junk drawers.

4. I am debating on an entirely new hairstyle. I have had long hair for as long as I can ever remember and really feel "stuck". I get a haricot and always go back to styling it the same. I am thinking a stylish bob just above my shoulders, but then that would not be a bob would it? So stay tuned as I head to the hairdresser tomorrow - yikes!

5. I used to volunteer at an animal shelter 3 days a week before we got married and had kids. I am an animal lover and totally freak at any type of negligence or cruelty.

6. I am a country girl at heart though I do love a 5 star hotel! I love to go to the lake and go camping and hang out on the beach or the boat and just do nothing!

7. My last but not least fact, I was born with fire red hair. Red as can be. Neither of my parents or grandparents have red hair so what gives mom? LOL! It gradually lightened over the years, thank you , to a light strawberry blond that I so desperately try to cover up and hi-light over and over again. I do not like the red at all, it was the root of all my teasings by other children when I was younger.

Ok...so here are the rules (in case you have not been tagged yet LOL)

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Bear with me as I attempt to tag some of those that I think may not have been tagged yet OR someone that I would like to meet!

I'm tagging:

Tracy Creme de le Gems

Traci Sweet Innocence Designs

Becky Ambrosia Couture

Kathy Pixie Dust Studio

I am stopping at 4 (breaking the rules :) in fear of my own well being if I tag any one else at this time.

I am also calling "Uncle", no more tagging of me for at least 12 more months LOL!

Just call me Martha

2008-04-30T19:12:00.007-06:00

I recently restyled our master bedroom. I love to change things up in the house, not a good habit for the pocketbook, but it is a great feeling to have that fresh and new feeling!

I just could not find any artwork that I liked in the color scheme I needed for something above the bed...so a little improvisation was in order. I made 3 total pieces, all in coordinating colors for under $25 total! I am a very creative person and just love how this turned out so I had to share.

You can find all of these supplies at your local Hobby Lobby or most other craft stores.

List of supplies:
Modge Podge
Paint Brush
12x12 Artist Canvas
Choose your favorite piece of designer Scrapbook paper or you can use fabric but you will have to cut it to size

1. Brush on a thin layer of the modge podge to your artist canvas.

2. Gently lay your paper or fabric over the canvas and you will need to be careful how you smooth it out to remove any air bubbles. A few got left behind on mine and when I tried to smooth them out they wrinkled a bit which only added more character to my art and it looks very unique.

3. Let it sit for about 10 min and you can even lay it face down and put something heavy on top such as a phone book to insure the seams all seal together well.

4. When it is dry take your paint brush again and go over the top of the paper or fabric now and give it a really nice coat. Let this dry, should take about an hour.

5. After it is dry it will have a nice sheen to it and you can actually see the brushstrokes in it so it looks painted on! Voila you are done! Now that was not that hard was it?

Crafty Shmafty!

We have been Buzzzzzy

2008-04-29T20:12:00.004-06:00

I saw this black daisy fabric and just loved it and wanted to design something fun and girly too! I sat down and dreamt up this little Bee Fairy! The drawing and applique alone was a lot of work and I added 5 rows of fluffy bee ruffles to the back of the halter top. You can see my little bee here.

I also decided to create another simple yet sweet auction and start it at .99 with no reserve. A vintage set with some charm and a one of a kind for sweetie sized 4 5 6. I am getting my hair done next week and as they say "Momma needs a new pair of shoes", so this explains my latest sewing madness!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Lemony Fresh!

2008-04-27T17:53:00.004-06:00

Today the warm weather was back! We had another short blast of snow yesterday, Mother Nature at her best, but it is all melted and the trees are blooming!

Our photo session today was a bit of a challenge. S had to tow along out to the front yard with us and she discovered a huge pile of small ants. M was so distracted and wanted nothing to do with pictures and all she wanted to do was play with the ants! Seems like these photo sessions are getting harder and not easier by the day!

I will be listing this set tomorrow so here is a little sneak peek!

Customer Cutie!

2008-04-25T13:42:00.009-06:00

I had to share this cute picture of I just got of one of my customer's little girls! Isn't Charley just the sweetest? She is wearing a custom twirl skirt and gauze belly top made by me, and she is just a doll and I had to share her cute picture!

Thanks for letting me share Chelsea!

My Lil Monkey

2008-04-22T21:02:00.005-06:00

We love monkeys, obviously, it inspired our label! So I was thrilled to find such sweet monkey fabric and fell in love with it! The fabric has been sitting around here for almost 2 months and I finally got the push with a great idea from Holly to do something with it - thanks! Be sure to check out the matching bows too by Peyton's Place Boutique - so sweet!

Take a peak at the latest listing and watch out for the mischievous monkey listings from other Ladies of VendeMia!

It's a Heat Wave

2008-04-14T18:06:00.006-06:00

Mother Nature must be listening, because after weeks of wishing and praying we get the most beautiful day of 2008 yet!

The weather was so wonderful, and yes I have to brag, that I even broke down and let my girls throw on swim suits and get out the hose. I got my first "mow" of the season in too. I always get so anxious and excited for that initial first mowing of the lawn, must be the cabin fever. I even got a sunburn!

Mother Nature is my friend again tomorrow as we will get to almost 80 and then, yes you guessed it, snow here on Wednesday....it would not be Colorado without the crazy Spring weather.

So this is what a hangover feels like?

2008-04-14T11:07:00.009-06:00

This weekend we had a huge party at our house to celebrate my husband's 40th birthday! The theme was "party like it's 1968" - original huh?

I can honestly say that bellbottoms are not on my list of favorite retro/vintage wear, but at least I can say I have worn them 1x in my lifetime! And what is it with the falsey eyelashes? I would have to be heavily intoxicated or on valium to have to wear those every day. They drove me nuts and I took them off after 30 min of wear.

We had a great time amongst the long hippie hairdos and wigged out afros and did I mention the jello shots? I think that is what gave me my lovely "ran over by the car and beat up" feeling I had the next morning. You just can't tell how much you are drinking when you indulge in the brightly colored concoctions...how many did I have....just one more.....ok this is the LAST one! Ha! Mr. Jello had it out for me!

All in all we had a great time with family and friends and the costume party made it even that much more fun! I will spare you all of the details but post some fun pictures instead.

Eat your heart out Ted Nugent.

The Man, The Legend.....turns 40!

2008-04-10T22:46:00.009-06:00

Happy Birthday today to my dear husband Steve! Time has blown by and I cannot believe it is birthday time again!

40 is the new 20 right? He has such a baby face and is young at heart so the big 4-0 won't phase him!

We celebrated with his family tonight for dinner which will soon be followed by a weekend of partying! A 1968 themed party - hmm what to wear? Stay tuned and I just may post some pics of us in our ridiculous hippy wear!

Happy Birthday Babe!

New Listings & New Camera!!

2008-04-08T22:00:00.010-06:00

I am a bit behind on my posts, it has been a busy week here! On top of a pile of customs, sick kids, a broken camera and tempermental serger, I am exhausted!

My camera broke, Good ole' Sony, so it was time to upgrade to an SLR - yeah! My prayers are answered!

My first set this week was for a guest launch with ODOD. A "Play Date" theme and we chose fairies for this fun Euro set. The pictures were a bit stressful as I had to use a tiny little 2" digital camera! Not too happy with the picture quality, but it will have to do! You can see the Fairies set here.

So I finally got a new camera yesterday, an Olympus 510 SLR with a couple lenses. I am still learning and took my first pictures with it today - late - and they still turned out pretty good for my first try! The theme is Mille Fiore - thousand flowers. I have been wanting to do a sweet garden set for spring and this was the perfect match! I experimented with a hat pattern from Vogue, fun and a different but perfect for a girly tea party or Mother's Day Tea. My husband thinks it resembles a pirate hat - men don't know fashion LOL! Click here to see the auction.

Happy Fool's Day!

2008-04-01T09:36:00.007-06:00

In the spirit of all things fun, I looove practical jokes! So today is the socially acceptable day, one day per year, that I can usually get away with some fun!!

I can remember as a child my dad playing silly little jokes on me. One of my favorites, which I would have repeated today had I thought my husband would get a kick out of it (he is not a morning person) is the good ole rubber band on the sink sprayer trick.

Plan:Make sure the water is off on the sink or you will get sprayed! Take a rubberband and depress the button on your sink sprayer of the kitchen sink. Place the rubber band around it tight enough that it will hold the button down permanently.

Results: your loved one will get sprayed when they turn on the sink expecting water to come from the faucet, but instead they get a full spray from the nozzle! LOL! I am evil...

Take a look here and read about some of the foolish 100 best hoaxes of all time.

Here is a fun little explanation of the history of April Fools - going all the way back to 1582!!

Here is a great picture I found on the web - look at all the snow in that doorway!

And this one is even more strange, pieces of cheese stuck to the side of a car door. Okay my kids eat that kind of cheese and the fact that it can stick to a door and dry on there makes me wonder what exactly is in the cheese? I may seriously consider banning pre-wrapped cheeses from my household.

So go get your "Fools" on today and oh, I take no responsibility for the actions your loved ones may take against you!

I've been Double Tagged

2008-03-29T19:39:00.003-06:00

I've been tagged by Lesa of Isabel Inspired and Allison of Lula Bee Boutique - thanks girls my first time (blush). So here are some random or not so random and weird facts about me:

Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay lets see what first comes to mind?

1. I always look at the glass as half full! I am an optimist and always think positive! My DH is a pessimist and I guess we complement each other.

2. I bite my nails - a terrible, nasty habit. I have done this for as long as I can remember back into my childhood. No clue how I started, a nervous habit I guess. 33 years later I still struggle with it and I don't even know I am doing it half the time when my DH points it out to me. If I have pretty red acrylics on I wont even put them near my mouth - makes no bit of sense.

3. Before I had children, my plan in the life of 9 to 5 was to be an RN. I went to college and half way through took a break as they call it and jumped into the workforce. I decorated cakes professionally for 2 yrs, worked in the mortgage field, worked for a Dialysis company before eventually settling into a marketing position with Coca-Cola. I loved that job and worked there for almost 6 years before they had a national lay off and I ended up at McDonald's Corp doing more marketing and then came my first little miracle and the rest is history!

4- I love to remake and redo rooms. I am a paint fanatic and will sometimes change the paint color of one room 2x in a year. I like change in my environment and love to play with colors and rearrange things - makes it all new again.

5- I am a Native to the wonderful state of Colorado with the beautiful Rocky Mountains practically at my doorstep - though I don't even visit the mountains 1x a year and would much rather go to the beach any day of the week.

6- I am a very unorganized person and fly by the seat of my pants - a free spirit as I call it or as my husband calls me "the tazmanian devil". My house is spotless on the outside, but don't dare open my junk drawer.

...and the "Taggies" are in no particular order....

Deanna of BirdSongBows
Monica of DomingaLuna
Michelle of BoutiqueBuyersBlog
Gina of SouthernSassCouture
Alicia of Rainas Designs
Gina of Days Numbr'd
Lynda of ButterflyKisses

My Little Artist

2008-03-27T15:33:00.005-06:00

My older daughter loves to draw, she takes after her Mom. 5 year olds have such a positive and fun outlook on life and sometimes that is reflected through their art!

As I am busy sewing and cutting at times she pops on the computer and loves to create paint shop pictures using our mouse.

I thought I would share some of my recent favs :)

Mom and Malaina in the backyard complete with tree, dog and waterfall. I always wear my best pink dress in the backyard and carry my handbag...maybe I should try this once, I am sure she would approve.

This one is a lovely little angel, so happy and peaceful.

Life is Good.

Ginger Blossom is here!

2008-03-25T18:17:00.007-06:00

Well I finally got my hands on some of this great Ginger Blossom fabric! I really love the colors, they remind me of a summer vacation on the beach!

I have designed 2 different sets for the Ginger Blossom launch. 75 designers were involved in this launch so there will be some amazing items!

The first one is a fun swing top with an apron and tiered gaucho pants!

I decided to be creative, LOL, and use up my scraps and create a BoHo Sundress with all the patches! Took quite a while to place and arrange but it is finished! So why you ask am I starting it at $.99 with no reserve? I don't really know myself, I was just feelin a little bit spicy when I listed it. A risk taker today!

I love adding used vintage denim to my sets, I think it adds some personality and a fun twist with buttons and lace.

Holly of Peyton's Place Boutique made the M2M bows and clippie.

You can see all of the Ginger Blossom launch items by clicking here.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:23:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter and enjoyed your day with family and friends!

We woke up to about 3" of snow so no outdoor hunts, though the snow was melted by afternoon (typical Colorado weather).

We attended a play at my mother-in-laws church. A very nice reenactment of Jesus and the whole meaning of Easter and why we celebrate.

The best part was the decorating of the cross at the end! They have a very tall cross and thousands of flowers of all kinds that everyone places on the cross. The girls enjoyed it the most!

The funny thing about today is that I worked so hard on Malaina's Easter dress to have it just right and then...you guessed it, she would not wear it! She is such a little Diva and I have no idea were she gets it from :)?

Happy Spring!

2008-03-20T16:27:00.000-06:00

Today marks the official first day of Spring, and boy are we ready! Happy Spring!

I just finished this vintage inspired ballerina set with this beautiful fabric! I fell in love with it when I saw it and bought all that was left.....all 2.5 yds! The weather is gorgeous here today too - so fitting! So we took some fun pictures outdoors and Kyla had a blast modeling. What little girl does not love Ballerinas?

You can view my auction by clicking here.

Absolute Sunrise

2008-03-18T20:24:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to absolute silence in bed. I am one of "those" people who sleep with the TV on all night long. A trait I inherited upon the marriage to my husband.

On the screen was the most beautiful sunrise and no sound at all. I could hear some birds and monkeys but the sunrise was awesome! I found out I was watching something called "Sunrise Earth" on Discovery channel. It was the Costa Rican rain forest. It is on in the wee hours of the morning and showcases sunrises around the world. Unedited, no narrator, just 100% pure nature at it's best.

If you have TIVO check it out it is truly relaxing just to watch, especially after a day of stress and screaming kids :)

Here is a little clip I found of "Polar Bear Sunrise Earth" to share...enjoy. You will need to pause the music on my playlist to enjoy the silence and get the whole experience.

Missing Pairs

2008-03-17T16:37:00.000-06:00

How is it that when you need to find something that is in a "pair" you can only find one?

Today was rather chilly out and I was frantically looking for Malaina's matching glove as we were on our way to school. Of course she wanted the one favorite "pair" that I could not find the matching mate too - why does it always work out that way? She had to settle for the plain pink mittens, life as we know it almost ended as I forced them on her little hands.

There must be some place between here and no where that all the missing and lost gloves, shoes and socks go hang out. It always seems as if I am searching for lost mates of my families wardrobe.....there is only one consistent thing here and that is me. I admit I am terrible at laundry and putting things back in the spot they go. I get in a rush and put it back in the most convenient place at them time, that is how all the mates get seperated.

Though there is one thing I have not been able to figure out and that is the mystery of missing socks. I believe they get sucked up by some magical force once they enter the wash to a far far away land. Just imagine mismatched socks running around and living the good life....now that is something to ponder.

Just a little cat nap

2008-03-13T17:44:00.000-06:00

My little Savvy girl fell asleep upright on the couch today.

One might ask "how on earth does she sleep like that?" Kids are so resilient and the only thing I can say is :

1 chocolate bar

some Coke

lots of play time

and a mid-day bath

The perfect formula for the "not so perfect" nap!

Here Fishy Fishy

2008-03-13T16:15:00.000-06:00

I finally finished my latest set! I have been dying to use this fabric for some time and finally got my hands on it.

These goldfish are so much fun and just make you smile!

VendeMia is having a "mini" launch with limited listings all week so be sure to view all of the great goldfish inspired sets here.

The bows were made by Deanna of Birdsongbows and matched perfectly!

Lifes Little Mishaps

2008-03-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

Okay so I just got back from Vegas - 3 whole nights without my kiddos - I should be rested up and re-charged right? So not true! The trip was great but after my flight being delayed and not arriving until almost 10pm Friday night and departing at 6:25 am on Monday, let's just say it was a bit rushed.

This week I have made several general or "not" - you decide -screw ups in my household. Here are just a couple of my notable favs:

Screwup #1 - I was on the pc with possibly the world's largest glass of white wine in tow....need I say more? I am so clutsy and I knocked the dang thing over directly onto my keyboard which has now resulted in a new and improved one. To my dismay, I could not clean the thing and by next morning they were all sticking and I was drumming out typos all over. Can't have that now can we? I confess that I did not tell my husband about my little accident, I ran out and bought the new board before he got home, and I am sure he will eventually find out when he reads this - love you honey ;).

Screwup #2 - As a result of my trip preparations, sewing and just life in general, I managed to catch my first official cold this season. Pretty good considering that Malaina started Kindergarten this year and I had expected a whole new slew of germs. So I took a cough drop, which I hate by the way YUK, and I struggled with it for a whole 3 minutes before spitting it out and setting it on the kitchen counter. Then Me, aka Martha Stewart, took out a frozen pizza for dinner and put it in the oven. Little did I know that my cough drop had stuck to the bottom of the pan and was now being melted into a bath of bubbly menthol smoke in my oven as the pizza cooked. OMG - the house was full of smoke! I don't recommend mixing cough meds with pizza any day of the week.

So my brain may not be re-charged and granted I am a bit comatose. I leave again this weekend on an all girls excurion to the cabin in the mountains for some drinks, fondue, girl talk and oh did I mention the drinks? And I am taking my mascara if anyone cares, my one must have novelty if you will. As for the clothing I am going all casual this time and I just might take nothing but PJ's to wear the entire time because I can.

God bless my little hubby for taking care of the girls so mom can get some much needed girl time!

The "Etsian" Lifestyle

2008-03-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have officially jumped on the Etsy bandwagon along with hundreds of other designers. I can now proclaim myself as an official "Etsian" though the term reminds me of a UFO or something LOL. Yes, I am a bit late "post Ebay strike" but I figure better late than never. Etsy is a whole new world of handmade items and gifts that you will not find on Ebay so check it out!

As of now, I have a few items up for sale. I will be adding some more simple designs (when I get all caught up) and some designs I have on Ebay as well but in a set price - that way you don't have to wait 7 days to see if you win the item or not.

You can check out my Etsy store by clicking here.

Mermaid Dreams....take 2

2008-02-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

I just listed this OOAK Euro mermaid dress that is ready to ship! Lots of room to grow and she will love it! Check out my auction here.

There are also coordinating accessories available by Birdsongbows and Sweet*Magnolia*Boutique so be sure to take a peek - you will love them!

As for me - whew what a busy week! I am a bit behind and taking a mini-vacation this weekend to Viva Las Vegas! Should be a blast. I am not a gambler so no worries in the money department. I get too nervous and send off bad karma - that is my excuse for why I never win. The weather should be fabulous and I might even wear shorts - but be sure to have your sunglasses ready so I don't blind you!

Las Vegas or bust!

Mermaids!

2008-02-28T16:29:00.001-07:00

My girls love mermaids and so do I so I had a blast creating this set for the Elite Bows 'Spring Fling" launch. I also got to work with Deanna of BirdsongBows and Bobbie Jo of Sweet*Magnolia*Boutique and got made to match accessories to model with- thanks ladies!

You can see my auction here. You can find the bows here and the matching jewels and barrette here.

And just for fun and because yesterday was one of those days, I am posting this little picture of my pipsqueek in all her emotional glory...um yeah, I will be retaking photos tomorrow when she wakes up on the right side of the bed. So be sure to check back and see the "revised" photos!

27 Dresses

2008-02-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today marks the beginning of the "27 Dresses" launch with VendeMia. 27 fabulous dresses from all of the designers - come custom and some original One of A Kinds! I had fun working on strictly dresses.

I listed my first 2 today "Fiori dell Turquoise" a OOAK and "Princess Dreams" a custom.

You can view them here and view all of the VendeMia auctions here.

I have another launch tomorrow and I am featuring Mermaids!

Thanks for peeking!

Chocolate Dust Bunnies

2008-02-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

When the kids get quiet it usually means there is trouble....

As I was sewing this morning and jamming to my tunes and the whir of the machine I noticed that it was unmistakably quiet. As I near the stairs I could hear whispering and a commotion.

I entered the kitchen and the kids scattered like mice shoving chocolate powder into their mouths as fast as they could. They had chocolate mustaches and such a look of guilt. Looks like one of them got into the chocolate powder Nesquick (which by the way is huge economy size because that is the size my husband insists on buying everything in) and my youngest decided to make a sandbox of chocolate powder on my kitchen counters and proceed to the floor. They had made an attempt to clean it up and swept it into a pile (note the piece of dog food and other various dust bunnies in the pile amongst the footprint). I have to give them credit for at least trying to clean it up and hide it from my discovery. My kitchen was covered in a chocolate dust - the stove, the dishwasher, the counters and of course the floor.......serenity now, serentiy now.

So I guess I need to pay a bit more attention to the "silence" when the kids are awake, I get a big fat F in that for today. And yes my floors were not the cleanest today either...........I don't know which is worse, #1 posting a picture of the messy floor for all to view or #2 the fact that they were eating the chocolate dust from that pile? #2 - that is gross.

Trading Places

2008-02-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my husband had 6 guys over to watch the “race of all races” the Daytona 500. Over the smells of fried food, beer and other various aromas, I pondered how they could watch so much coverage in one day. You have pre-pre coverage, then pre-coverage, interviews and historical coverage. Then comes the actual race itself which lasts anywhere from 4-6 hours. Then you have post-coverage that seems like it goes on for hours………..and I began to wonder what it would be like if things were turned around?

Today I am having 6 of me best girlfriends over to watch the season finale of “Desperate Housewives”. I have plenty of food made up to eat amongst various alcoholic beverages - yippee! The pre-show coverage starts at 12 noon, even though the actual show does not start until 3pm. 3 hours of nothing but gossip talk by the commentators and pondering what will happen in the final scenes. We even have an online “fantasy pool” - $100 to get in on that. Choose who will end up with a dead spouse, slapped by her friend and cheated on by her fiancé’ (in that order) and you would win $1,000! The kind of damage I could do with that shopping money! The show will finally start and we all yell and smile and slap high fives in anticipation! It is finally here! 4 hours of nothing but uninterrupted smut and dramatic fancified soap opera television, which by the way I have TIVO so I can fast forward through all commercials, rewind for instant replay or pause to debate with my peeps over what just happened. Wow what a day I have to look forward too!

And that is what life would be like if my chic flicks lasted for approximately 7 hours long in one day! If you would like to come, please post a comment and let me know what munchie you would like to bring. NASCAR season has just begun and 9 more months to go…………oh but by then it is football season, don’t remind me.

Happy Lovey Lovey Day

2008-02-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentines to all of you romantics out there! What a great day to remember those who mean so much to us. Of course, we should not need a holiday to remind us of just how precious life is, though the retailers and florists love it! Where would they be in February without Vday after the Christmas slump?

I had a wonderful day! My husband bought me a fabulous new silver Bulova watch, a dozen roses and I also found out I am traveling to Las Vegas with him - without the kiddos - in 2 weeks! Wow! I can't wait!

Today my kids, including my niece who I babysit, are bouncing off of the walls! Their diet today has mainly conisted of sugar and caffeine. I wish I could eat like that. It all started this morning with a special breakfast, followed by lunch, followed by a party at school and ending up at home with more cavity catchers brought over from various family members - by the way thanks and I will get you back. Let's recap what I know they have eaten today, and I state "what I know" because I am sure they have snuck some more sweets behind my back:

cream cheese cinamon rolls compliments of Me for a Vday treat for breakfast
glazed donut holes with pink and red sprinkles
juice boxes (not the real juice kind)
cereal
dora the explorer soup and mini pizzas
more donut holes
various cookies at the school party
various chocolates at the party
carrot sticks, snap peas and brocolli which did not even get touched because they were not drenched in anything sweet (sorry Ms. Mahala)
chocolates
fudge pops
doritos

I am really a good mom I promise! I try to give them good for you foods, but today I get an F. The cinn rolls and dora soup and mini pizzas were my doing - all the rest were a direct result of the happenings of Valentine's Day. So in high hopes of a quiet and romantic evening in with the kids in bed early, my chances are slim, unless of course they come down from hanging off of the ceiling fans and agree to some warm milk and a nice movie.

Oh and I changed my blog music - I know it is a bit spread out and all out weird, but I love all kinds of music so you can find anything from Elvis to Maroon 5 to Bob Marley and if you don't like it you can change the channel.

Now go give your loved ones big kissies and hugs and I hope you have a fabulous Valentine's Day!

Anniversary and Giveaway Promotion

2008-02-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

So I just realised that I "blogged" my promotion details onto an entirely different page! The blog got knocked off because of my active blogging lately.

So check it out by clicking here for details.

I have an auction ending today and another on Friday and then that is it! I will be drawing the 2 names and posting on here first week of March - so be sure to check back!

Bloggity, blog blog :)

Wicked Witch of the West

2008-02-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

That is how I feel today, completely and utterly stressed out and cranky. It is only 12:30 in the afternoon and there already have been several timeouts for the kids amongst other things on my list:

My youngest got a hold of a red permanent marker and colored her face. Luckily her face and not the furniture or the carpet. I have to say red is her color.

I have to leave town for a couple days to visti my grandpa before he gets triple by-pass heart surgery. Not exactly the easiest thing for him being 80 - lets pray it all goes well.

My niece decided it would be "fun" to pull out all the feathers on my wire wrapped birdie - I have a mommy and had 3 babies I bought from an upscale home decore store in Evergreen - no I have Mommy plus 2 babies - had to trash the poor thing it looked pitiful minus all his feathers.

My oldest daughter decided it would be fun to play like she was a "puppy" so she proceeded to get a straw and drink from the dog bowl - yuk that is nasty. Even though I love my dogs I do not recomend drinking from their bowl to anyone. God only knows whats in there.

So this is just a few of my mentionable happenings of my Tuesday morning. I need to go pack and be ready to pick up my mom in 2 hours and I still have no clue who is picking up my oldest from school today. Life is like that - so unpredeictable! And forgive me for any typos in my post here - blogger still has not got the %&^%&^) spell check working!

Fiorri dell'annata

2008-02-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest listing - Fiorri dell'annata.

I have been wanting to do a long patchwork twirl for sometime now and had fun matching up these gorgeous spring fabrics. I originally had planned on this set being a custom but after the hours and hours of cuting, gathering and topstitching I decided I had had enough! It has over 160 individually cut and placed squares! So I am offering it up as a one of a kind and it is best suited to fit a 4 5 6 - so catch it while you can!

What Type of Fruit are You?

2008-02-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

Check out this fun little quiz I found. I love quirky little things like this that peak into the inner you! Post a comment and let me know what kind of fruit you are!

You Are a Banana

You are mellow, easy going, and a total softie on the inside.
People find it really easy to get along with you. You suit most tastes.

And while you're very sweet, you're not boring or ordinary.
You have an attraction to the exotic, and you could show up anywhere... doing almost anything!

You are spirited, energetic, and a total kick to be around.
You're also quite funny. Your sense of humor is on the goofy side, and it fits you well.

What Type of Fruit Are You?

Random Sunday

2008-02-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday....today seemed to fly by. I woke up in a panic and thought it was Monday - does anyone else ever do that? We actually got to sleep in until 9:30 am! Yeah! My youngest has recently migrated into our bed as the result of the flu she is now over. I am having the hardest time

getting her back into her bed. She used to sleep great, like an angel, but she got up at 6am and was cranky as heck. SO I think I may just take the sleeping in soundly versus the 6am wake up call for awhile. They are only little once!

My husband and I went out for dinner tonight to Papadeaux's for our pre-valentine dinner. I don't care for the crowds in restaurants and waiting for hours to get a table to sit down. So we try to go on the less popular nights pre-holiday and then have a nice dinner at home on the acutal day. Can you say Gluteny? We ate so much food I actually felt sick when we left. We even had oysters on the half-shell and boiled shrimp for our appetizer - not the worst thing for you! I really like raw oysters but these suckers were HUGE! I had a hard time forcing myself to swallow those puppies down - maybe that was where it all began.

I have also added a lovely little Horoscope widget to my blog at the right. I like things like Horoscopes and all that stuff about the day you were born and how the stars were aligned - I am corny like that.

and on that Farm she had some Chickens.......

2008-02-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

EIEIO!

I just finished and listed this set today! Sweet Mother Hens and little baby chicks!

I have been a busy bee latley and wondering when I will get tired? I have always eyed this fabric in the store and just picked it up last night. Not quite sure how I got it laundered, pressed, cut, stitched up and on Ebay in less than 24 hours? Maybe it is hormonal lol.

My niece did such a great job modeling the set and the colors are so fun!

You can view my auction by clicking here.

Day Dreaming

2008-02-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am having one of those days. I am so sick and tired of the cold, ice and snow and it is only February! Our snowiest month here is March and so there is yet more snow to come my way! Ugh.

I am tired of my sweaters and huge coats and boots and freezing my buns off every time I go to start the car.

I am a total beach girl. I love the sun and the sand. Though I am so pasty white my skin reflects the sun and you may need to put on your sunglasses when I arrive(I am not kidding). I have a love hate relationship with the sun. I love it and it hates me. I burn within 30 minutes of being in the sun and need to plaster myself with sunscreen. I have even had numerous skin cancer spots removed, but this does not keep me from the sun that I love!

I was in denial as a teen and would lay out in a bikini and rub on baby oil (what was I thinking) and insist that I was working on my tan............all I got was a red hot burn and a bad peel a week later. I have now come to my senses that I will never have that lovely golden glow that I have longed for! Not even the self tanners work - unless you want to look orange like a sesame street character - I am sure my girls would love that.

I need a vacation! I dream of going someplace warm and beachy. So here is some eye candy and some lovely island tunes to go along with it......dream............

Animal Crackers

2008-02-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

My newest set is "Animal Crackers". I just love this spring import fabric and the colors just pop!

I thought this set would never get listed and I was doomed. My daughter got a bloody nose right before I attempted to take pictures and I went into panic mode! I immediatly threw it in the wash with spray n wash and - voila - the blood came out.

Then today when I wanted to take pictures, she was just not having it. Wanted nothing to do with me or the camera. Probably the cold she is fighting, what a bad mother, making her daughter model when she is ill, so call the police.

I even threw in a cute little matching purse to get her excited and bribed her with candy.....nothing. So I am working with the few little pictures I did get and maybe this will turn into something good.

You can check out my auction by clicking here

Cupcakes!

2008-01-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

In celebration of my 3rd birthday with Funky*Monkey, I have designed a set that screams celebration! Bright confetti polka dots, ruffles, buttons and of course yummy cupcakes! I had fun with this one!

Click here to see my auction.

Happy Anniversay to Me!

2008-01-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

This week marks the 3rd Anniversary of Funky*Monkey!

Time has flown by and we have had a blast!

I cannot thank those of you enough for allowing me to stay home with my girls and do what I love for a living. It is you who have made this dream possible and I am thankful for it!

As a way of saying "thanks" to those of you that have made the last 3 years such a success, I am giving away 2 custom sets! You get to pick 2 items from capris, twirlskirt, applique tank or tee, or a peasant top! I will work with you on theme, fabric and colors.

I am also celebrating with some new and very special designs as well. Here is the first, an all time favorite for me! I will only be offering this one time as it was a lot of work! Click here to see the auction.

How do you enter to win?

Bid on one of my auctions and get an entry. You can get a max of 10 entries per auction. Also, sign up for my mailing list here or on my ME page and get another entry. Pretty easy and who doesn't love things for Free?

Dear God......

2008-01-24T07:53:00.001-07:00

I came across these letters to God from some school children. Here are some of my personal favs - Enjoy!

Venice in Spring

2008-01-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today I have 3 new sets up for auction.

I originally had 2 and late yesterday decided to pop out a 3rd - lets just say caffeine was my friend!

Here they are and you can see all of them on Ebay by clicking here.

See all of VendeMia's listings along with special guests by clicking here.

It was a good idea at the time.......

2008-01-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

The other day as I was in the midst of creating a new set for VendeMia's upcoming launch I had an idea. I had this brilliant idea to create a frog that would match my set I was working on. Now I have only sewn little stuffies or dolls from patterns so this one I would have to "wing".

All I can say is "disaster". I wasted an hour of my free sewing time on something that resembles the Grinch or better yet a UFO. I should have stopped when I turned him inside out and gasped at the green little guy. But, I thought maybe the stuffing might make him a bit more like able - little did I know it was a waste of time. I did not even further waste my time and stitch the bottom opening. where I attempted to bring the poor thing to life

So for giggles, (I am sorry if I give you any nightmares) here is a picture of my green frog inspired creation........warning image not suitable for children under the age of 13.

And for a sneak peak of what the lovely creature was supposed to match here is a peak at the fabric swatch.

Stay tuned and check back on Tuesday to see the completed set!

It's a Beautiful Life

2008-01-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

I just listed 2 new sets this week, a bit late posting!

My first is "Beautiful Life" with a whimsical imported bear fabric! So colorful and fun with cute little sayings all over it. I teamed up with my friend Lesa and we each did a set with this fabric.

You can view my auction here or visit Lesa's by clicking here.

My second set is made with a new Euro pattern and tons of color "Euro Wish". I just love how this one turned out! Savannah loved modeling it too. I did not have to do too much bribing for pictures even though it was in the 40's that day! Click here to check it out.

A little plug....

2008-01-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have never been one to "plug" products but I have been given an awesome birthday gift - a pair of Uggs!

I never thought of myself as the Ugg type. I do not really consider myself that casual of a dresser, though lately I love my tennies and track pants! As I have gotten older, don't remind me, I am now becoming more and more accustomed to comfort rather than style, though these are stylish! I am trading min my black high heeled leather boots for these Uggs when my outfit allows or there is snow on the ground.

These are heaven for your feet and if you don't believe me try on a pair at the department store! Uggs - Where have you been all my life?

What's mine is mine

2008-01-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

My 5 yr old latley likes to point out the obvious to me.

"Mommy you're speeding"

"Mommy you are not paying attention to me"

"Mommy you need to do the laundry"

And today she pointed out something that I always say and it made me laugh.

Me "Malaina don't push that on my floor or you will scratch it!"

Malaina "Mom, why is everything in this house yours?"

Me "What do you mean?"

Malaina "You always say "my carpets" or "my floors" or "my bathroom" and isn't it all of ours and not just yours?"

Made me think....yes again she was pointing out the obvious. I have a habit of stating "my" in front of certain objects in this house. As in "Don't get food on my counters I just cleaned!" or "Don't take drinks in the family room you will spill on my carpet!"

So maybe I should make a resolution to be more thoughtful when I am complaining to my kids about what they are doing to my ... er "our" house.

Resolution #1

2008-01-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

My #1 resolution, just like millions of other Americans, is to get in shape and loose some lbs. I have slacked immensly in the "bod" department. Eating just about, well actually whatever the heck I want. I have not excercised one bit in months. So as my jeans have begun to replicate a "muffin cup" as my lovely waistline pops out over the top and resembles the ever so loveley "muffin top", I have made it my #1 resolution to rid myself of my new found shape in an effort to not only look better, but to avoid the ever so popular "mom jeans".

I consider myself a woman of fashion and like to stay abreast of the new trends. Though I find myself struggling to find that perfect pair of jeans. Either ther is a huge gap in the back above my butt or my underwear peaks out in the back if I even dare move. Huge problem. I think I have given up on finding the perfect pair as I continue to wear my 6 yr old Old Navy jeans amongst 2 other "old faithful" pairs I love.

Mom Jeans - Funny video clips are a click away

I think whoever invented "mom jeans" was in a desperate attempt to hide not only her muffin top, but her lower "FUP" as I call it. That lovely lower abdominal section where after having babies just never seemed to recover. She thought why not cover it up with more jean and maybe it will hold it all in and at the same time I will support my now sagging breasts with this firm waistline of jeans! She thought she had it all figured out.

For now I will stick to my 3 pair of jeans that have been good to me and try not to buy any new ones until I find my new shape.....that is after I find myself in the gym for a few months if I don't give up on my resolution.

Residing from Afghanistan

2008-01-02T21:07:00.001-07:00

I recently discovered that my blogger profile showed me as a resident of Afghanistan and that I was in the industry of Accounting. I was laughing my @ss off as this is hardly not true for 2 reasons...

#1 I am not an "Afghan" as they may call it. I am so white that I am pale as a ghost. In fact people run on the beaches when I disrobe as my skin reflects the sun like tinfoil. I am pale and freckled as can be! I do not consider myself to be the cave dwelling type either LOL, though some may appreciate it in the summer - the reflection thing again.

#2 I am horrible when it comes to numbers. Ask my husband it is true. My worst subject is math. I had to take Algebra 2x in college - don't remind me please. I despise anything having the deal with fractions, dividing or accounting in general. Steve is the CFO in this household and I am proud to hand that off!

So now I have updated my profile - as if anyone reads it anyhow - to properly state that I am a proud citizen of the USA!

Can you guess....

2008-01-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

how old I am today? Try counting the candles on this cake! I thought it looked like there were more candles on there than my "years" on this planet but after slowing counting 2x and then another because I obsess about counting certain things, it is correct!

It has been a great day so far as my youngest decided to sleep in until 7:50 am instead of her usual 6am, so I will take that! That is considered sleeping in in my book!

I have got my big cup of coffee and a big day planned. I will have to get back to you on the results of that but if I know my Husband, I am sure it will be great.

It is a bit tough having a birthday this time of year. Not the most desirable time of year to be born LOL. Though it is pretty cool if you are sharing a birthday with Jesus I must say. Christmas is done, New Year's is over and the last thing people have on their mind is another celebration or party to go to. They are still recovering from the shock of overeating and might still be dealing with a hangover. Most people are staring at their decorations planning to take them down, which I hate doing by the way, compiling their resolution lists or just plain blank in the brain from the over stimulation of the holidays in general. It sucks. Though I thought the older you got the easier it would be. After all, I am &% years old so birthdays are no big deal after 21 right? Nope. I think no matter who old you are it is a wonderful thing to be "special" for just that one day! I am not one to turn down the pampering and the daunting over for 1 day per year, and that's 2 if you count Mother's Day.

One other reason to not be born close to the Holidays (like you can help it) is the great idea of the combination gift. "Merry Christmas & Happy Birthday" gotta love that one. It is almost like "Hey I forgot your birthday so here's hoping you forgive me by accepting this lovely combo gift" or "I will be comatose after New Year's so I might as well just give you your birthday gift now". That happened a lot when I was younger, though not so much now as most of us draw names for Christmas gifts in my family leaving no change for the Happy Christmas gift. It is not always such a bad deal as you can get some larger gifts that you may have not received had your birthday been in March. I remember the oak waterbed I got back in 1986 and the based out stereo system that I got to go with my "vintage" VW bug complete with bright turquoise paint job, that was birthday #16.

I am giving myself today to do eat or drink whatever I like without guilt as tomorrow begins the "road to a better body". Yep, like millions of other Americans I too will be jumping on the weight loss and get in-to-shape bandwagon. Though I might extend my guilt free eating through the weekend and start on Monday.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:47:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe time ringing in the New Year 2008! Can you believe it is here already? The holidays are finished and now I stare at all of my decorations we all worked so hard putting up - they have to come down at some point!

We had a very eventful New Year's weekend! Our good friends from Ireland were vacationing in Breckenridge, a ski resort about 1.5 hours from us. We decided to go up for the weekend and stay a night and visit! Little did we know there was a blizzard and 100 mph winds on the way!

We ended up getting stuck in Frisco just outside of Breckenridge as they closed down the major interstate I-70 - the only way in and out of town. The winds were so bad they created such an avalanche danger that the highway was closed for 60 miles both ways! We could not see the car 15 ft in front of us - a complete white out.

We heard that the hwy would open up again around 2pm so we naturally checked out of our hotel room and just an hour later they announced that the highway was closed indefinitely! That term indefinitely" made me very nervous as it seems so final! Not a room was to be found in town. They all booked up faster than I could dial. Luckily our friends were in Breckenridge still and had their condo. We dropped in to the jam packed Walmart to stock up on supplies and headed back up the mountain to spend New Year's Eve with our friends - 8 adults and 8 kids (6 of them age 5 and under LOL).

5pm rolled around and they now announced the highway was open and they would let people drive through in a controlled release to not cause jams. We decided to wait, ordered in some great (but expensive$ - gotta love those resort prices) Chinese and drank some wine for a couple hours before venturing home.

All in all it was a fun, cold, frustrating, scary and crazy weekend! What a way to end 2007!

The funny thing is we only were around our "Irish" friends for about 38 hours, but we happened to pick up a bit of the Irish accent! I could not stop accentuating my words at the end of my sentences and even my 5 yr old sounded a wee bit Irish!

MIA

2007-12-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

MIA - Missing in action!

I have to write about this infamous lost wallet of my dear husband's because I am so tired of looking for it that I am loosing my mind!

Christmas Eve was a bit of a rush, we were running late as usual. He rushed home and we were out the door in minutes. The last "sighting" of the said wallet was at the store when DH paid for our last minute gifts - I was so not prepared this year!

It is now 2 days post wallet sighting and I have looked through every nook and cranny in my house! It is not even January yet and I have finished my "Spring" cleaning LOL! What a wonderful thing! I must have 7 trash bags of "stuff" to donate to the goodwill....here are some of my findings....

black clogs that I swore I would wear again...that was 5 years ago

numerous suits and skirt sets prior to my "stay at home mommy" days - I have nowhere to wear these and I highly doubt they would fit!

a pink and green striped belt - have no clue how I obtained this - looks like it belongs in the 80's

size 5 Rockies Jeans - these were all the rave back when I met my DH 14 years ago! I used to be a size 5, but as the years have pasted my lovely hips have matured LOL! I have no clue why I was holding on to these? There is no way in heck, even if I worked off my A@@ that they would fit - my hips have spread like margarine - that's a gross analogy but the only one I could come up with.

A Louis Vuitton wallet box - I can't find my wallet it is lost as well - maybe the two ran off together and are vacationing in Cancun! I threw it in the bag anyhow, though I am sure the person unwrapping and sorting all of my donated goodies will have no clue who Louis is and trash the dang thing like I should have!

I should be happy that a lot of my cleaning and purging of old things is done BUT I am still so annoyed that the wallet is missing. I am sure a couple months from now I will be going through something and there it will pop out! In the most obvious of places! Isn't that how life works? For me at least...I am not the most organized person and I will admit it!

I should be thankful that the wallet has forced me to do things like vacuum under my beds, clean my linen closets and go through my closets! I just can't seem to "let go" of this damn wallet as like any other "SAHM" I am financially tied to it LOL! No wallet, no getaway! We were supposed to meet up with some friends that are from Ireland that flew over to vacation in the mountains for a winter ski vacation. I do not have a credit card to my name so this is not good! My DH called the back and we were told 7-10 days before the new one gets here - UGH.

So send me some good "wallet kharma" and maybe it will turn up by Sunday!

'Twas a Verry Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Whew can you believe it is over? After all of that work - making your lists, shopping, wrapping, cleaning and cooking - and it is over in a mere 24 hours flat!

Here are some great pictures from our Christmas.....

the girls fell asleep on Christmas Eve. All of that unwrapping is hard work!

My mom surprised us all when we arrived at her house with a new set of PJ's - so Christmas Eve became "lounge wear" night with great food and drink! I loved it! Here are all of the ladies modeling their new red threads!

I hope Santa was good to you and brought you everything on your wish list!

Elf Yourself

2007-12-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

I just found this hilarious site and had to share - go check it out by clicking the link below.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1499759817

Happy Holidays!