Teddy Started It!

The Happiness Project :: Sshhhhh...

2010-11-23T06:56:00.000-06:00

...everybody's sleeping. Except me of course, but that's by choice. Everybody else in my house is still sawing logs. Usually we'd all be up and screaming at each other by now. You know, the hectic morning drill. But not this week. That's because my kiddos get the whole week of Thanksgiving off. Which means no morning madness for us this week. That makes me very VERY happy.

What about you? Share your happiness over at Leigh vs. Laundry. And have a very happy Thanksgiving!

The Happiness Project :: Insomnia

2010-11-16T13:13:00.000-06:00

Hey, sometimes insomnia comes in handy...like last night when I realized, after staring at the ceiling fan above my bed for about 45 minutes, that I'd completely forgotten the Tooth Fairy's scheduled appointment with the little guy sleeping in the room directly above that ceiling fan. Whew! Dodged a bullet there!

Oh, and now that it's the morning after, I'm also happy for this stuff. The little bottle doesn't lie, people.

And you? What are you happy for? Join the fun over at Leigh vs. Laundry, wont you?

The Happiness Project :: The End of Soccer Season

2010-11-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday! And not just any Tuesday. It's the 1st Tuesday in...well...in a long time that we don't have any soccer practices. Tuesdays have been my day from hell ever since school started. The whole day was consumed with shuttling one kid here the other kid there. Then back to get the kid from here to there and then off to get the other kid from there to here. Ugh! It's been brutal. I never did figure out when to squeeze dinner in. We all just kind of went hungry on Tuesdays. And now it's OVER! At least until Basketball season starts.

What's making you happy today? Join The Happiness Project over at Leigh vs. Laundry and tell us all about it.

The Happiness Project :: Nobody

2010-11-02T11:56:00.000-05:00

That's right. Nobody's making me happy today. And I have no picture to prove it.

What, you say! Has she lost her mind?! This is The Happiness Project. You can't just post that nothing's making you happy today. Just don't put up a post at all if that's the way you feel about things.

Oh, relax people! Don't misunderstand. I'm happy. Very happy, actually. Because I have nobody today. Nobody in my house, that is. No work-at-home husband dirtying dishes faster then I can get them washed. No kiddos hey-mommy'ing me to death. NOoobody. And I'm ecstatic about it!

Oh, alright. Since this really is a picture project, I'll post a picture of something else that's making me happy:

I'm really happy that this it the last one of these in my house. I made 8 dozen Halloween-shaped sugar cookies last week and this is the very last one. It's been expertly decorated by my Ladybug. There's about 1/4" of icing under all those sprinkles. And I'm gonna eat it. Right now. To get it out of my sight. I'm sure I'll live to regret my decision, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

And what's making you happy today? Pop on over to Leigh vs. Laundry and tell us all about it, why don't ya.

The Happiness Project :: A Beautifully Illustrated Children's Book

2010-10-26T06:22:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for children's books. I started my collection long before The Man talked me into having kids. For the most part I'm pretty picky about the quality of the story/writing/message, but I'll make an exception for a book that's beautifully illustrated. The images in Augustus and his Smile are so scrumptious I think I could live off them. Oh, to be able to draw like that! And the story's sweet, to boot.

Augustus the tiger has lost his smile. He goes on a journey to find it, and discovers it's right there under his nose - when he does things that he enjoys. As a person who loses her own smile from time to time, I appreciate the simple reminder.

So what's making you smile today? I hope you'll hop, skip and jump on over to Leigh vs. Laundry and share a little of your happiness today. Oh, and please, take a look at Catherine Rayner's amazing illustrations. I'm sure you'll find something there to put a smile on your face...whether or not you've temporarily displaced yours.

A note to Ms. Rayner:

If by chance you stumble upon this post, you will know that I did not ask your permission to to use your lovely Augustus. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me rather than sue me. We have been leaning upon him these last few days, and I just had to share him with my little corner of the world.

The Happiness Project :: Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow (An Oxymoron)

2010-10-21T21:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Slinky,

I am happy that that stupid coyote only got eight of your nine lives.

I am happy that a half crazy and very boisterous country vet declared, ‘We can fix her!’

I am happy that you were a fighter.

I am happy that I couldn’t bear the thought of putting you back in that barn where I found you.

I am happy that you were too mangy and scrappy and squirrelly and stinky for anyone to adopt.

I am happy that your scavenging rid my garage of its mouse problem – even if the same habit did result in other more complicated situations…like the time you got the spine from my salmon steak lodged on your canine teeth.

I am happy that you were not a “yacky” cat like the other two high falutin' pedigreed city cats you shared the house with. It’s hard to believe that in so many years I can count the furballs on two hands.

I am happy that the other two high falutin' pedigreed city cats taught you to talk - even though your voice was a bit shrill.

I am happy that the move to California didn’t kill you.

I am happy that the addition of two hairless apes and a move back to Texas didn’t kill you either.

I am happy that, at the end of the day, when the noise died down and the lights were low that you trusted me enough to snuggle up on my lap - even though you never completely lost your feral instincts.

I am happy that, although you knew the food supply was bountiful, you still felt the need to taunt, kill, and hoard your treats.

I am happy that on every vacation we took, the nervous look in the eyes of every bird, squirrel, and rabbit we passed reminded us of you -- and always will.

I am happy for the 15 years we had together.

I am happy for the millions of belly laughs you gave me.

I am happy that you are no longer laboring for each breath.

I am happy that you purred in my lap on the drive to the vet’s this morning.

I am sad…very sad, that you will not be sleeping next to me tonight, but I am happy that I found you and that you found me on that hot Texas day so many years ago.

Thank you, Sweet Slinky-Do, for bringing me so much joy.

Believe it or not, this kinda sad post was brought to you by Leigh vs. Laundry and The Happiness Project. Sometimes the things that bring us the most joy also bring us sorrow. I hope your day was filled with joy. And if it wasn't...well, I hope you can find the joy in your sorrow.

The Happiness Project :: Spent Ammo

2010-10-19T06:22:00.000-05:00

Water balloon carcasses:

Evidence of a hard fought battle where both sides were victorious.

What's making you happy today? This post is usually hosted by Leigh over at Leigh vs. Laundry, but she's got a sick baby today -- which is definitely not something to be happy about. But you should check out her Happiness Project anyway. Because it really is a very happy project. And while you're there, drop Leigh a comment with some good mojo for her ailing little one. A little positive energy goes a long way. Oh! And before you leave, let me know what's making you happy today. I care. Really!

The Happiness Project :: The State Fair

2010-10-12T11:09:00.000-05:00

The Texas State Fair. It runs the first three weeks of Autumn, which is pretty much still summer here in the Big D. But Big Tex can take the heat when he has to. His 75 gallon hat casts a nice big shadow to keep him cool as a cucumber. He's the scariest looking 52' tall vaquero this side of the Rio Grande. The fact that his lower jaw moves up and down while he drawls out his greeting to fair-goers doesn't really make him any less frightening either. That doesn't bother him any. He knows he's there to scare the bejeezus out of all the kids. That's how we toughen 'em up in these parts. And after Big Tex gets 'em good and tough, we Moms & Dads head over to the coupon booth, buy our food tickets and soften our little buckaroos back up with stuff like this...

...Tornado Taters! Mmmm, mmmm, GOOD! Fried just doesn't get any better than this, people. Unless, of course, it's Tornado Sweet Taters! Drizzled ever so lightly with marshmallow sauce. Sprinkled with a dash of spicy salt. (I didn't get a picture of those - they jumped into my mouth too quickly for anyone to capture.) And if that's not quite enough fried food for you, there's always...

...Fried Fr.... Oops!

Oh! There it is! Fried Frito Pie!! Frito scoops, filled with chili & cheese, dipped in cornbread batter and deep fried to artery-clogging, thigh-padding, belly-bulging perfection. Good stuff! You know, I hear washing it all down with a margarita (on the rocks, please) zeros out all the calories. Seriously. Hey, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

What's making you happy today? Mosey on over to Leigh vs. Laundry and tell everybody about it.

The Happiness Project :: The End of September

2010-10-05T06:30:00.001-05:00

September's a busy month for me: my wedding anniversary at the beginning of the month, The Man's birthday in the middle, and Buddy Boy's birthday at the end. There are just too many important things going on in September. Add to that, the start of school & fall soccer season...well, it always seems like more than I can handle. Watching Buddy Boy rip through his birthday presents with wild abandon is a joyous way to bring 30 days of insanity to a close. Watching a kid open presents is happy enough as it is, but when it's coupled with the knowledge that the madness is over for another 11 months...well, now that's nothing short of bliss, people. Nothing short of bliss.

And you? What's got you happy today? Jump on the happiness bandwagon over at Leigh vs. Laundry.

The Happiness Project :: Getting the Order Wrong

2010-09-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

A drive-thru Starbucks recently opened right down the road from my house. Now, I'm not a huge Starbucks fan, but it's nice to be able to drive thru and pick up a coffee when I'm in the mood. So, I was pretty happy to see one so close to home. Problem is, they keep getting my order wrong.

Me: "Tall, one-pump, decaf mocha frappuccino -- no whip, please."

Barista: "Tall, one-pump, decaf mocha frappuccino -- no whip. $3.84 at the next window please."

Me: "Geeze Louise! They always forget the 'no whip' part."

Ladybug: "I can help with that, Mommy."

And that makes my heart smile. Keep up the bad work, Starbucks at Custer & 121. Really. It's fine with us.

What makes you smile? I know it's late in the day, but there still time to join the fun at Leigh vs. Laundry.

The Fine Art of the Love Note - or - The Making of a Monster

2010-09-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

It started simply enough. A quickly scribbled note tucked into Buddy Boy's snack pack. It was his first day of kindergarten. Mine too, for that matter. He was a little freaked out. Me too, actually. Writing the note made me feel a little better, and I hoped it would make him smile when he found it.

It did the trick. When I picked him up at the end of the day he smiled & whispered to me, "I found your note Mommy." And my heart exploded. So, I decided to do it again the next day. This one was a little fancier - a quick picture of our big orange kitty, Willie. Then it was a picture of our teeny tiny old lady cat, Slinky. Next up, Buddy Boy on a skateboard, followed by a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet. A sketch a day for the first week of school.

I know. You're in total awe of me now, aren't you. Because I'm such an incredible mom. So creative. So in love with her kid. Doing such wonderful little things to make him feel loved & secure. You wish you'd had a great idea like this. You wish you were an awesome mom like me.

That or else you're saying to yourself, "Oh what a stupid, stupid girl! What a colossal rookie mistake. She's really dug herself in deep. Boy-oh-boy does it suck to be her!"

Now I'll admit, I'm a creative person. I've got a BA in fine art to prove it. But let me tell you what I'm not. I am NOT a sketch artist. I am NOT a cartoonist. I can not draw for $#!+. I can push paint around pretty well, but do not expect me to do anything amazing with a pencil or a marker. And definitely don't get any bright ideas about being my partner for Pictionary.

These little notes have turned into the bane of my existence! I love my kid, but a line has got to be drawn -- and I'm NOT the gal to draw it.

~sigh~

So, every night now, instead of catching up with my reader or blogging, I slave over a 4" square piece of paper trying to come up with something that...well...looks like something. He wants one every day for the whole school year! All I wanted to do was write a little love note, but it seems I've created quite a monster.

The Happiness Project :: Pink Shoelaces

2010-09-21T06:30:00.001-05:00

Need I say more??

So? What's making you happy today?

Join the fun, why don't ya?

Happy Birthday to The Man - or - Girls' Night Out

2010-09-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was The Man's birthday. Tuesday is also the craziest day of our week. Here's the day in a nutshell:
7:30 - ride Buddy Boy to school (yes, we ride bikes to school. Go green! Save the planet! Burn a calorie!)
8:45 - drive Ladybug to school (it's OK, I drive a hybrid. Go green! Save the planet! Get to sit down for 10 minutes!)
2:00 - drive Ladybug home from school
3:00 - ride Buddy Boy home from school
4:00 - Ladybug's gymnastics practice
5:30 - Buddy Boy's soccer practice (close to home)
6:00 - Ladybug's soccer practice (on the other side of the moon)
7:30 - feed kids while they're taking a bath so we can make it to bed on time
8:00 - stories (read to your kids, it'll keep 'em off drugs. Hey that's what the commercials say, isn't it?)
8:30 - goodnight kisses
8:45 - clean up bath mess, do dishes, pack lunches, blah blah blah

Yep. Tuesday's are hectic. I try really hard to have Tuesdays all mapped out by Sunday. Last Sunday I was going over the drill at the dinner table. I told everyone we'd be having leftovers on Tuesday since we were so tightly booked. The man gave me a look. You know the look I'm talking about. The kind that animals at the shelter give you so you'll take them home with you. When I ask if there's a problem, The Man sheepishly states, "I'd like to have a fresh cooked meal for my birthday." OH CRAP!! But there's no need for me to stress about it. He's got it all worked out for me. If I start cooking in the morning, I can have it all lined up and ready to pop in the oven as soon as we get home from practice. And if the kids stay up a little late on Daddy's birthday, so be it. OK...ok...have it your way, Birthday Boy.

So, that's what I did. I spent all morning frantically running around to various grocery stores (because I can never manage to remember to get everything in one trip), cooking, cleaning, doing dishes, etc. Oh! And slaving over The Man's birthday bacon. (Seriously, am I a rockin' wife, or what?! Birthday bacon!!)

I dashed off to get Ladybug from school - only to remember I'd volunteered to take a little friend home with us that afternoon for a playdate. Then another little friend was sad because she wasn't coming, so I took her home with me too. Hey, what's one more little girl, right? By the time I got all 3 girls home, it was time to go collect BuddyBoy - who got mad at me because I came in the car, not on my bike. What is it with the men in this family, do they not understand there are only so many minutes in a day?!

By the time I got home with BuddyBoy, it was time to load the 3 girlies back into the car for gymnastics practice. On the way to the gym, I realized I didn't have any ice cream, so I dropped them off and made another trip the the grocery store. Then it was back to the gym to supervise BuddyBoy's homework activities while Ladybug trained, then back home to get everyone changed and cleated up for soccer practice. Then it was home to pop dinner in the oven and get the kiddos bathed. Then it was out to the table to eat the fresh, slightly over cooked ok, burnt dinner, followed by birthday pie and presents.

This year's presents were OK. Nothing super great, although I do really like the Seasoned Old Crab t-shirt I picked up for him while we were on vacation in Maryland. The Man can be a bit crabby, so it suits him well. But the piece de resistance had to be the card he got from his mom:

The Happiness Project :: Time Off Well Spent

2010-09-07T06:03:00.000-05:00

MIA? Who, me? Yeah, I know. I haven't been around lately. Hey, every now a girl just needs a little time off. After I got the family home from vacation, unpacked & did all the laundry, I packed a small bag for myself containing nothing but a toothbrush, a bottle of sunscreen & a bathing suit. I informed The Man that I was taking off for a deserted tropical location to 'recharge my battery', and that I'd be back in...oh...I dunno...a while.

Well, he put the kibosh on that pretty much right away. So, I decided to take a blogging break instead. What'd I do with all that extra time? I played with my kids. I slept. I back-to-school shopped. I got the family into the new OMG-kindergarten-starts-at-WHAT-TIME?!?!? routine. And I'm happy I did. I feel well rested. We've got a decent routine going on in the house. Things are running about as smoothly as they can run in this family. So all in all, while I've missed out on a little blogging fun, I'd have to say, it was time off well spent. And that makes me very happy.

And you? What's making you happy today? Join the fun, wont ya?

The Happiness Project :: Sweet Corn

2010-08-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Mmmm...sweet corn. My summer food of choice. Until I moved to Texas the 1st time. Ugh! I can still taste that chewy, nasty cow chow they were trying to pass off as food fit for human consumption. I was so desperate for corn that first Texas summer that I actually had my Mom FedEx me a dozen ears of Silver Queen from a road-side stand in Maryland. I'm deliriously happy to say that Lone Star corn has come a long way since then. Now you can get good sweet corn in any of the grocery stores. It's still not Maryland corn. And I'm still kicking myself for not eating more of that deliciousness when I was 'home' last month. But it'll do. And that makes me very, very happy.

What's making you happy this fine Tuesday? Join the fun over at Leigh vs. Laundry.

The Happiness Project :: Modern Appliances

2010-08-03T11:33:00.003-05:00

Yep, that's right. I'm happy for my washer & drier. Why? Because they're much better alternatives to these:

And these are how I've been doing laundry for the last 2 weeks. Ahhhh...I love vacation, but there's no place like home!

Now, as soon as I finish all this laundry, perhaps I'll get back to some real blogging.

Happy Tuesday, everybody. Join the fun over at Leigh vs. Laundry.

The Happiness Project :: A Stunning Last Day

2010-07-27T06:31:00.000-05:00

I don't particularly miss the steamy Maryland summers, but my home state did its very best to make sure I went back to Texas not just a little homesick. What a fantastic last day of vaction: clear skies, low humidity, and plenty of time to trapse around Baltimore's harbor. And just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we found...

crab silly bands!!

It just doesn't get any happier than this.

And you? What's making you happy on this fine day? Join the fun over at Leigh vs. Laundry why don't ya.

The Happiness Project :: A Sandy Donut

2010-07-20T05:42:00.000-05:00

What? A sandy donut? Who wants to eat a sandy donut?! Well...I do...when it's an OC Sand Donut from the Fractured Prune in Ocean City, MD. Mmmm...! So fresh out of the grease they're almost too hot to handle. Crunchy w/cinnamon & sugar. A true summer treasure.

So that's what's making me happy today. What about you? Join the fun at Leigh vs. Laundry, wont ya?

Well Isn't That Nice :: Karma's Gonna Gitcha, Jerri!

2010-07-17T10:19:00.000-05:00

Picture this. The man - frazzled, sweaty and barking orders while operating the electronic check-in kiosk at the airport. Me - trying to maintain my cool while managing two tired yet over-excited kids, and an embarrassingly tall mountain of luggage. Jerri Greene - casually leaning on the ticket counter chatting with a colleague.

What? Who's Jerri Greene? Well she's the supervising ticket agent for American Airlines at DFW. She's the lady who easily ignores the growing crowd of restless travelers desperate for an agent to process their bags so they can get to their gate on time. She's the lady who snipes at The Man (an Executive Platinum traveler on American) when he asks her if she's going to call for bags any time soon.

Jerri (barely glancing up from her conversation): "We don't call for bags, you have to form a line."

The Man: "Since when? That's not how it was when I was here four days ago."

Jerri: "For two years...at least."

The Man: "Well that's not how is was when I was here four days ago." The Man really likes to repeat himself.

Jerri (rolling eyes and speaking to colleague as she starts to walk away): "Thank goodness summer vacation will be over soon." (Jerri obviously doesn't understand that her job security depends in part on familiesshelling out big bucks to go on summer vacations.)

Well Jerri, this one's for you. I sure hope someone you know googles your name and finds this for you. You deserve the recognition. Really. Oh, and about that stunt you pulled with my luggage. Yeah, I'm on to you sistah. I don't have proof, but I'm pretty sure you flagged my bag so it would get held up with TSA. Karma's gonna gitcha for that one. In the meantime, enjoy your flower.

Do you have someone you'd like to send a flower to? Feel free to grab one and pass it on. Just remember to leave a comment so I can enjoy your generosity.

The Happiness Project :: Gone Fishin'

2010-07-13T22:01:00.000-05:00

OK, so I'm not really fishing. But I do plan on catching a fair share of these with the kiddos in the up coming days...and maybe even eating a few. But not this one. This one's a girl, and no self-respecting Marylander would ever eat a girl crab. I mean...if you eat all the girl crabs, there wont be any crabs next season. It's not like the boy crabs are gonna step up and lay the eggs.

Today is day 1 of my vacation - and that makes me very happy. VERY happy. In spite of the fact that yesterday The Man informed me I needed to bring a formal outfit with me (last-minute shopping...ugh!); and that I discoverd late yesterday afternoon that the cat had peed in the kids' suitcase (more desparation shopping); and that TSA decided my suitcase needed to spend an extra four hours in Dallas. It doesn't matter. I'm home! Even if it's just for a few days. And that makes me very happy.

What makes you happy? Join the Tuesday fun at Leigh vs. Laundry (even if it's almost not Tuesday anymore.)

Thanks, Honey

2010-07-08T05:35:00.000-05:00

The Man's been burning the midnight oil lately - hard at work, providing for his family. Good Man.

He knocked off around 2:30 this morning.

He decided to "do me a favor" and put the dishes away before he came to bed.

Unfortunately, The Man's as noisy as a bull in a china shop.

Sleeping is not one of my many talents.

Thanks for the 2:30 AM wake up call, Honey. The kitchen looks great!

The Happiness Project :: My Blind Date

2010-07-06T06:55:00.000-05:00

So, last Tuesday I showered, dressed, put on my cool watch, posted my Happiness Project post, dumped the kiddos and dashed off to meet a blind date. This was not my first blind date. That would have been with a guy named Mark…I think, or was it Mike…it could have been Mike. Well, that blind date was OK, until I was broad-sided by a Mac Truck on the way home. Totaled car. Broken shoulder. 17 stitches in my forehead. Not the best way to end an evening. I was 16. Yep, the ‘rents let me go on a blind date when I was 16. OK, so I may have told them I was with my friend Lisa…who they didn’t hate…yet. Yeah, the call from the Emergency Room pretty much blackballed Lisa forever – even though she had nothing to do with anything.

And speaking of nothing to do with anything, let’s get back to last week’s blind date.

Last week I got to meet Vanessa. You know Vanessa -- Much More Than Mommy Vanessa. Oh yeah. That Vanessa. I know. You wish you were me, don’t you. I know you do. Well if you don’t, than you should, because I had a really good time. We met at Dallas’ poshest mall. (And no, I’m not talking about the Galleria.) I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. She’s really funny, and nice, and disciplined and together. Basically, she’s all the things I’m not. OK, sometimes people ~~laugh at me~~ think I’m funny. Oh, and she’s Baptist. And Baptists scare me ~~a lot~~ just a little. We sat down for a cup of coffee…tea…well, I had coffee, Vanessa had tea. We started chatting and before you know it, 4 ½ hours had gone by. So we traded one shopping destination for another – because that’s what we do here in Dallas…shop. We shopped a little, ate a little, talked some more, and ate some bacon chocolate (not to be confused with chocolate covered bacon or chicken fried bacon – both of which are easy to find in this town if you know the right people me.) And then the date was over. *sigh* And while the bacon chocolate may not have been the perfect way to end it, it was a heckuvalot better than being smashed by a truck. And quite frankly, Vanessa was a heckuvalot more fun than Mark…Mike…whatever his name was. Gee, I hope she’ll go out with me again some time.

So what's making you happy today? Join the fun over at Leigh vs. Laundry. It'll make you happy.

The Happiness Project :: Crazy Color Dreams

2010-06-29T07:36:00.001-05:00

I was having a hard time coming up with a happy thing for today's post. I don't know why...it's not like I'm grumpy or anything. Actually, I'm in a really happy mood - even for a rainy day. I think I'm just a little brain dead. So, I decided to get showered & dressed, and tackle the Happiness Project a little later.

Getting showered & dressed first thing in the morning is a big deal for me. I usually don't do both of these things in succession - let alone at the beginning of the day. Now don't go getting all crazy on me. I get dressed everyday. I promise. And I get showered ~~at least once a week~~ ~~every other day or so~~ every day. But I don't get dressed. You know...presentable dressed. But today's a special day. I have a blind date. But more about that later.

Anyway.... I got showered, got dressed and was putting on the finishing touches and there it was! One of the things that makes me grin like a kid in a candy shop everytime I put it on. My Franck Muller Crazy Color Dreams watch. The Man bought it for me for my birthday a few years ago and I love love LOVE it! I also love that it's a knock-off. Don't get me wrong. I'm totally worth +$35k retail price of the real deal -- I'm just way too cool to wear that kind of money on my wrist.

So? What's making you happy today (other than the fact that I took a shower, of course)?

How 131 Became The New 122

2010-06-23T07:00:00.024-05:00

I’ve never really struggled with my weight. Stop hating, please. You know, hate makes you store fat. Really. That’s not to say I haven’t had my fat periods and my lean periods, but all in all I don’t really struggle. I consider 115# to be my ideal weight - and no, I haven’t seen it since I got horribly ill a decade ago. (Oh, but how glorious it was!) 118# is what I refer to as my fighting weight – it’s were I feel I get optimal performance from my body. 122# is my natural weight. It’s just where my body wants to be. And it’s an OK weight for me. Not MILF weight, but an OK weight.

While I say I’ve never struggled with my weight, I do work to maintain it. I eat pretty well – lots of fresh foods cooked at home and absolutely no fast food. I'm a gym rat – nothing like a good sweat to start the day. And I’m not a huge fan of sitting still. Oh, and I have that nervous leg thing. You know, bounce-bounce-bounce with the knee. Drives The Man crazy - and not it a good way. I keep telling him he should pick up the habit. It burns a lot of calories.

So with all these things I do to manage my weight, tell me how? HOW did 131# become the new 122#?! Here’s how:

4 oz. Chardonnay = 90 calories
3 oz. 1% Milk = 40 calories
3 Oreo Cookies = 160 calories

Every day. Yep. Every day. And yep, there were supposed to be three Oreos in that picture up there. Guess what happened to the missing cookie. Yep. Ate it before I could get the picture snapped.

So. Can you guess what my goal is for this week’s Shape Up with Aly? Yep. I’m gonna skip the Chardonnay.

OK, I’m going to try to skip the milk & cookies too.

As for last week’s goals…I did OK. I definitely did better on my water consumption, although there’s still room for improvement. I managed to up my sleep average from 5 hours a night to around 6 ½. I’m shooting for 7 hours a night this week. I failed miserably on remembering to take my vitamins. Anybody know where I can get some Oreo-flavored chewable vitamins?

Got a weight loss or fitness goal? You can find some bloggy support over at AlyGatrsEverywhere:

The Happiness Project :: Mr. Fix It, Little Bunny & The Lucky Girl

2010-06-22T05:44:00.000-05:00

A million years ago...when I had a "real" job - a real horrible job - The Man bought me this little tchotchke to hang off the side of the potted plant in my office. Geeze Louise how I hated that job, but my office was so dang cute. Well, now my 'office' is the kitchen, the laundry room, the playroom, etc. So Little Bunny's been hanging off the lampshade in The Man's home office.

A week or so ago, the kiddos & I were out at the kitchen table ~~doing whatever it is that we do when we're home trying to stay quiet so Daddy can get his work done~~ doing eduational crafts, when we heard a small crash followed by a loud NOOOO!! I asked what happened and was promptly told I didn't want to know. Which really made me want to know. Turns out, Little Bunny had lost his grip on the lampshade and had shattered into tiny pieces on the floor. Buddy Boy assured me that Daddy could fix it with glue. (The Man can work serious miracles with a brush bottle of krazy glue.) But I told him Little Bunny was beyond repair and was going in the trash. At which point, he got all choked up and told me he'd go to Target with me to get another one. When I told him that Little Bunny didn't come from Target and that I was sure we would never find another one...let's just say things got very sad at our house.

Later that evening, I walked out into the kitchen and found my Mr. Fix It working miracles with his glue. The fact that The Man cares about these silly little sentimental things...well, it makes me more than happy, it makes me feel like a pretty lucky girl.

It's Tuesday, join The Happiness Project over at Leigh vs. Laundry. Tell us what makes you happy.

You're Lunchin'...and munchin'...on popcorn? (15 minuts of my life I'll never get back)

2010-06-21T08:13:00.000-05:00

So, I didn't have anything better to do with my time yesterday while The Man was geeking out to golf on the TV. Actually, I could have been doing dishes, folding laundry, packing the kid's summer camp snacks but all those things seemed so boring. So I decided to number kernels of popcorn. Huh? Yep. I was totally lunchin'. But I had to choose my giveaway winner somehow.

So meet my latest Random Number Generator! 100+ kernels of popcorn, evenly arranged on a glass tray.

30 seconds in the microwave and POP! We have a winner! Congratulations Elizabeth W! You get to head on over to Apeyleedesigns and pick your lunchbox. Hopefully your mailman wont steal yours. Thanks to everybody who entered. I've never had so many entries before. It was lots of fun. Numbering the popcorn...not so much fun. At least I had something yummy to snack on when all was said and done.

Well Isn't That Nice :: The Stinky Falafel Moms (or The Book Store Bullies)

2010-06-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

To tell the truth, I wasn’t going to do one of these posts today. I’ve been feeling a little… I dunno, nice lately. And nobody’s playing along with me anyway, and let’s face it, ~~playing with yourself~~ playing by yourself is overrated.

But then I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday afternoon.

As soon as we got there, my kids pulled down a bunch of books and raced over to an open bench in the reading area. My kids like to fight over me – especially in the afternoon. I don’t understand this because I’m pretty cranky – especially in the afternoon. Yesterday was no exception. Ladybug wanted me to read her some inane Barbie book, then Buddy Boy insisted I read Alvin & the Chipmunks Sqeakquelle (and I’m not even going to bother spellchecking that word). Why, oh WHY have I spent so much money on quality children’s literature when THIS is what they want?! Ugh!

Anyway, so there I sit with a stack of mind-numbing drivel when up walk a couple of moms & a bunch of boys. The moms immediately park themselves on the floor right next to our bench. Seriously, one of the moms was even leaning on our bench. And when Buddy Boy got up to get another book, she actually took his spot on our bench! You know the benches I’m talking about, right? The kiddo benches that are just barely big enough for one adult bottom and one child bottom? So that was a little obnoxious. There were other benches available, but I guess they wanted ours. Well, the boys were running and screaming pulling all the paperback books out of the kiosk adjacent to our bench. Then, up walk a few more kids – pre-teen girls all excited about something. So, two moms, seven out of control kids - all shoved into the six foot space between our bench and the wall. Comfy cozy. I was reading at the top of my lungs and my kiddos still couldn’t hear me. It was bad. And I was getting…well, even crankier usual. And then the moms proceeded to pull out snacks. SNACKS! In the bookstore! And not just any snacks. Oh no. A big bag of stinky, fried, greasy falafel!!

So we moved. And they commandeered our space. And Mick Jaeger was wrong when he said “you can’t always get what you want”. Apparently he never got bullied by a mom with a bag of stinky falafel.

Well…you win, Stinky Falafel Moms. This one’s for you:

This weekly post is brought to you by passive-aggressive people everywhere. Is there someone or something you’d like to send a flower to ? Or maybe you'd just like to flip someone off in a genteel kinda way. By all means DO SO. And then swipe my button up there and include it in your post. Then come back here and link up, of course.

I'm No MILF (But I Wanna Be)

2010-06-16T07:55:00.000-05:00

OK. We’ve pretty much established that I’m old. Yeah yeah yeah, 46 – make me say it over and over again, why don’t ya. And I’ve got some pretty young kiddos for my age. Buddy Boy’s 5, Ladybug’s 3. And really, all things considered, I think I’m looking OK. BUT…I ain’t no MILF. I probably never will be. I mean that train left the station about a decade ago. But a girl’s gotta have her dreams, right?

So, my friend Alyssa over at Aly Gatr’s Everywhere declared she was going to do a little shape up thing on her blog, and I’ve decided to jump aboard. I leave for vacation in four weeks. I’m going on a cruise with ALL my in laws. Oh yeah! ~~Shoot me now!~~ Lucky me! I can’t wait! Fun! Fun! FUN! Anyway, I figure four weeks is a perfect amount of time to trim a little fat. Here’s my plan for week 1:

1st – I’m going to get more sleep. You know, sleep deprivation gives you the munchies. Seriously. The munchies aren’t just for pot-heads anymore. Scientific studies have proven it.

2nd – I’m going to drink more water, because dehydration also gives you the munchies. Again, science is backing me up here.

3rd – I’m going to take a multivitamin every day, because vitamins DON’T give you the munchies. AND hopefully they’ll give me a little bit of an energy boost. Because let’s face it, if I’m gonna be a MILF, I’m gonna need some energy to fight off all those teenage boys. OK, I've got no studies to cite here, but it sounds good to me.

That’s it. Week one in a nutshell. You’re probably thinking my plan is stupid. But all y'all out there who have a couple lbs to lose are probably hoping like hell this works, because sleeping, drinking and swallowing pills sounds a lot more doable than hitting the gym, keeping a food journal and giving up junk food.

Up next week: Hitting the gym, keeping a food journal & giving up junk food...maybe.

Well? How 'bout it? Got a pound or two you'd like to get rid of? You can find a little bloggy support right here:

The Happiness Project :: Pruney Feet

2010-06-15T06:41:00.000-05:00

Pruney feet & fingers....

Freckles....

Green hair....

A small price to pay for too much fun in the pool-side sun.

Oh yeah! And giveaways make me happy too - so go here to enter mine!!

What's making you happy today?

Join the fun at Leigh vs. Laundry.

Well Isn't That Nice :: Fight Like A Girl

2010-06-11T07:18:00.001-05:00

So it’s Friday, and that usually finds me handing out flowers to some well-deserving passive-aggressive schmuck. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Go here.) My head’s circling the drain on something a little different today. Something not nice, no matter how you sugar coat it. Something that just makes you want to scream…brace yourself…I’m gonna do it…I’m gonna use the F word…right…now...FUCK!!

Not long ago, a friend of mine – not a close friend actually, she’s the Mom of a friend of Buddy Boy’s, and I like her very much – well, she found out she has breast cancer. And not the “good” stage 1 kind. She’d had a clean mammogram just a few months earlier. This sucks! But she’s strong…so amazingly strong. She made a few jokes, shaved her head, bought some wigs, and donned a “Fight Like A Girl” t-shirt. And she’s doing it…she’s fighting like a girl. Not like a snippity, passive-aggressive suburban housewife, but like a girl. A scratching, clawing, grab-you-by-the-ponytail-and-drag-your-waxed-legs-through-the-parking-lot GIRL.

So today, instead of taking the Southern Lady’s approach to some petty act of unkindness, I’m going to celebrate my friend. Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t get to pass out any flowers. There are still plenty of people out there who deserve them, so tell me about it and link up!

This weekly post is usually brought to you by passive-aggressive people everywhere. Today it's brought to you by breast cancer. Is there someone or something you’d like to send a flower to today? Or maybe you'd just like to flip someone off in a genteel kinda way. By all means DO SO. And then swipe my button up there and include it in your post. Then come back here and link up, of course.

Out to Lunch (A Giveaway)

2010-06-10T13:54:00.001-05:00

There are many things I love about living in Texas, but my mailman isn’t one of them. Which is ironic, because my mailman used to be one of the things I loved most about living in Texas. My old mailman was a great guy. Now who says that about their mailman?! My old mailman used to let my neighbor’s dog ride in his mail jeep with him while he made his rounds. My old mailman new all his stay-at-home-moms and work-at-home dads by name. Really. He’d greet you by name when he delivered a package to your door. My old mailman looked the other way when I’d conduct a little illegal business through my mailbox. Now don’t go getting all ‘Ooooo, she’s a dope dealer’ excited about this. Years ago I had a pet sitting business. I used to leave paperwork and paychecks in my mailbox for my employees to pick up – which is illegal. Did you know the only thing allowed by law to go into and come out of your mailbox is mail? Technically speaking, your mailbox is not YOUR mailbox? It’s considered property of the US Postal Service?

Well, my new mailman is a problem. Especially lately. He seems nice. He waves at the kiddos and hands them the mail when they beg him for it. But, he’s a liar…and a thief. He says he can’t pick up pre-posted packages from my mailbox – that I have to take them to the post office. Liar, liar, pants on fire! He says he delivers ‘confirmed delivery’ packages to my door and then goes pack to the Post Office and marks them ‘undeliverable as addressed’ and then they disappear forever. Thief! And he loses my packages – like my Mom’s Mother’s Day gift that took 2 ½ weeks to get to her, and the Once Bitten samples I sent to a troop of soldiers doing special training in a bug-infested jungle. The new mailman, who is obviously not a Texan, is totally out to lunch!

Speaking of lunch…. Back in January, to celebrate my birthday, I featured a handful of Etsy shops that were born on my birthday. One of those shops, Apeyleedesigns, makes the cutest bags and lunchboxes. April (aka: Apeylee) recently sent me a lunchbox to review and give away to one of you lucky readers. This is the one that my mailman is eating his lunch out of everyday…because he stole it! From me!! And I’m pretty mad about it. But April, who is obviously nice enough to be a Texan, still wants to do the giveaway – even though she’s already lost one lunchbox to the USPS.

So here’s what’s up for grabs: one of her beautiful handmade lunchboxes - any one you like! Each lunchbox features coordinated fabrics; a thermocool lining to keep things cool and fresh; a laminated interior for easy clean up; a Velcro closure to keep your yummies from falling out; and two convenient exterior pockets for utensils, napkins, your legally licensed concealled weapon - in case you need to go postal, etc. (JKOC...about the weapon, not about all the great features.)

To enter:

- Visit April’s shop and then come back here and tell me which item you like best (this step is manditory for entry.)

You can receive bonus entries by doing any of the following:

- Follow April’s blog: one bonus entry
- Heart Apeyleedesigns: one bonus entry
- Buy something from her shop: two bonus entries
- Follow my blog: one bonus entry

Leave me comments for each thing you do – with a way of contacting you, please.

The giveaway will close at midnight, CST, on June 19 – April’s 5 month Etsyversary (and my Mom’s birthday.)

Good luck!

The Happiness Project :: Serendipity

2010-06-08T06:40:00.001-05:00

Some folks say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, I say when the non-stick surface of your waffle maker starts tearing your waffles apart…make Waffle Sandwiches!

Ya just gotta love it when an appliance failure results in a new and delicious breakfast discovery. Now that’s serendipity!

What’s making you happy today? Join the fun over at Leigh vs. Laundry.

The First Cut is the Deepest

2010-06-06T18:37:00.002-05:00

Today was momentous day in our house.

Ladybug's been bugging me for a while now to cut her hair. She seems to be under the impression that if she cuts it, it will be short and straight and brown...just like her friend Audrey's. Last month I took her to my hairdresser, Michael -- so he could do the dirty work of explaining it to her. He looked deep into her brown eyes and explained, "Sweetie, I will never cut your hair. NEVER!" So, I was left with the task of explaining to her that she will never, not EVER be able to wear a Bob. That her hair will always be curly, and cutting it will only make it curlier. That some day, she will realize that her hair is actually a lethal weapon, and that it will get her darn near anything she wants - providing she learns how to use it, of course. Which she will, of course. Which, actually, she has already learned to a certain extent.

But then it happened. Last Monday to be exact. The tangle that couldn't be combed out. The snarl that had to be cut out. It was an unfortunate one - relatively high on the head, in the front, near her face. *snip-snip* A rogue ringlet. A lock that will no longer reach into a pony tail. *Sigh*

Poor girlie. She's so strong-willed. So full of fight. Really. She'll fight you just for the sport of it. But the one thing she lets me do is comb her hair -- even though it's horribly painful and it takes forever. She puts up with it, bless her little Texan heart. But with those fabulous locks reaching nearly to her fanny, the time had come. So...

...out came the scissors.

I cringed as I made the first cut. (Really...I felt a little sick at the sound of those first snips.)

And then, there they were...the locks I couldn't put back on. The point of no return. My intention was to take off about an inch or so -- you know, just to clean it up a bit. In the end, about 4" came off!

Poor little Ladybug. After all was said and done, she wasn't quite sure.

But I think it will be a much more manageable and attractive length for her.

After a while, she seemed convinced that things were going to be OK.

Well Isn't That Nice :: The Nurse

2010-06-03T23:21:00.000-05:00

It starts with an F, and it's Friday, but it ain't your regular Follow Friday

(but you can play along anyway.)

I took Ladybug to the urgent care a while back. She had a weird bump on the back of her neck. I'm not a paranoid mom. Actually, I'm pretty laid back when it comes to health stuff. ~~But I spend so much time consciously neglecting my girl, that when this thing popped up...well, let's just say I put myself on a helluva guilt trip~~. But my Mother's intuition was really nagging at me over this bump, so I decided to take the girlie in to see a doctor.

Now if you read my blog (and of course you do...religiously) you probably know (or have figured out) that I'm ~~old as dirt~~ ~~no spring chicken~~ a 'mature mom'. OK, true confessions, I'm 46. Buddy Boy is 5, Ladybug is 3. I know what you're thinking now.... Daaaaaaaannng! She's OLD. Yeah, whatever. I may have been born before God, but ~~I consider myself remarkably immature~~ I'm as hip as they come. And frankly, up until the 2nd kiddo, I was looking pretty damn good for my age. Actually, it's not that I'm looking bad for my age these days, it's just that I've moved back to Texas where everybody has their kids when they're in their 20s. In the Silicon Valley, where I lived when I bred my replacements, the average age of the 1st-time mother is 35. I had plenty of company on the geriatric maternity ward.

So...back to the urgent care. I'm sitting in an exam room with my daughter. A not-so-gracefully pregnant nurse waddles in:

Nurse: So, what are we seeing this little lady for today?

Me: She's got a strange bump on the back of her neck.

Nurse: OK, Ma'am. Now, is she your granddaughter or your daughter?

Me: *blink* *blink*

All the way home I was kicking myself for not saying, "Hmmm...are you pregnant or just FAT?"

Yes, I missed out on the perfect opportunity for the ultimate rude response to the cruelest question I've ever been asked. Well, sweetie, this ~~finger's~~ flower's for you!

So what's this all about? If you missed the original post, check it out here.

This weekly post is brought to you by rude people everywhere. Is there someone you’d like to send a flower to today? Or maybe you'd just like to flip someone the bird in a genteel way. By all means DO SO. Just swipe my button up there and include it in your post. Then come back here and link up, of course.

G’head. Grab it! You know you want to.

The Happiness Project :: Let There Be Light

2010-06-01T08:43:00.000-05:00

Seriously. How could a chandelier made entirely of gelatto spoons not make you absolutely giddy?

This post was brought to you by Leigh vs. Laundry's Happiness Project. Join the fun, wont you?

Well Isn't That Nice (It starts with an F, and it's Friday, but it ain't 'Follow Friday' - but you can play along)

2010-05-28T02:00:00.002-05:00

Oh friend. My dear, dear friend. You know the hours of research…the calculations…the consultations…the blood, sweat & tears I put into every one of my products. I don’t insist that you use them. Even though your own kids swear they work better than your remedies. I don’t preach to you about the merits of doing things the natural way. So please…PLEASE! When someone is interested in my modest little concoctions, don’t butt in and say things like, “Oh! Try shaving cream! Shaving cream works just as well!”

I love ya honey, but this is for you!

So what's this all about? If you missed last week's post, check it out here.

So, is there someone you’d like to send a flower to today? Or maybe you'd just like to flip someone the bird. Well, now you can do both! I'll be celebrating brazen acts of passive aggression right here for the next few Fridays – or maybe longer. We’ll see.

G’head. Grab it! You know you want to. So do it! And don't forget to leave your link.

Coming Through In The End (my Things Bug Me giveaway)

2010-05-27T08:53:00.001-05:00

So, anyone wondering what ever became of my giveaway? You know, the one where you got to tell me what was bugging you? Yeah, well, I got busy and lost track of time. Get over it, already. I haven’t and I’ve been using it as an excuse to beat myself to a bloody pulp daily for the last couple of weeks. I have. I’m totally over it.

It’s my bad, really…for setting up a giveaway that was just to elaborate to carry through. That’s pretty much the story of my life. But in the end, I usually come through. And to make up for the facts that I didn’t do the whole people’s choice thing, and that I’m so late with announcing the winners and all, and that my random number generated insisted on spitting out 4 winners…well, I’ve added a 3rd runner up.

What’s up with the random number generator?! Well…you know me, I’ve just gotta be ~~complicated elaborate~~ ~~super-mommy~~ different about it:

First I numbered all the entries...

Then I loaded them all into the random number generator...

I flipped the switch...

And it spit out four winners.

See? Four!

So. There you have it.

1 prize goes to:
Christina Silverio who was really beating herself up for not being able to keep up with the house work. I get it, sistah. I really do.

2nd prize goes to:
ByHandGiveaways who was beating herself up about not feeling good enough for her boyfriend’s family. To which I say, Honey, you only need to feel good enough for yourself. Do what I did – marry the guy and then move thousands of miles away from his family. Let ‘em know who has the power, girl!

3rd prize goes to:
Jakell who really needed to beat her X up who was having a crappy week with ex-husband problems and unemployment problems and sidewalk chalk problems.

And the Bonus prize goes to:
Linda Kish who was not having fun taking care of her daughter-in-laws pets.

There you have it. The results. I’ll try not to be so delinquent next time. I might succeed, I might not. But I promise I’ll come through in the end. Really.

Oh, and don't forget to join the Well Isn't That Nice fun tomorrow.

The Happiness Project :: Graduation

2010-05-25T06:08:00.000-05:00

What could possibly be more joyful than a good old fashioned cap toss? To all those kids moving on...

Happy Graduation!

(It makes me a little sad too. Please tell me how to slow, or better, freeze time...just for bit.)

Of course this post was brought to you by Leigh vs. Laundry and her fantastic Happiness Project. Go check it out. Then tell us all what makes you happy.

Well Isn't That Nice (It starts with an F, and it's Friday, but it ain't 'Follow Friday' - but you can play along)

2010-05-21T06:44:00.000-05:00

Buddy Boy goes to two different schools for pre-k. (A long boring story that I promise not to share with you.) T/TH he’s at the Happiest Place on Earth – Infinite Bounds. M/W/F he goes to The Other School – which will remain nameless. I’m not a big fan of The Other School. Buddy Boy loves it, but I don’t find it a very warm and welcoming place. We’ve been going there for a whole school year now, and out of the 9 kids in Buddy Boy’s class, only 2 of the Other Mothers actually speak to me. Until Monday.

It was Texas-hot outside, so of course, the kiddos insisted that I pick them up in the convertible. By the time I got to The Other School to retrieve Buddy Boy…well…I was swimming in sweat. Oh yeah, we’re talking sweat marks on my backside. I walked into school, a little embarrassed – but not too much. You know, on account of the fact that nobody there talks to me. Well, here’s what transpired:

Other Mother (who has not so much as smiled in my direction in the last 9 months), “Hi! How are you?”

Me (quickly glancing over my shoulder to verify that Other Mothers is indeed addressing me), “Whew! Hot!”

Other Mother (before I even get a chance to recover from the shock of being spoken to), “I’m Fine. (pause for effect) Thanks for asking.”

*blink* *blink*

~* Language Alert *~

You know, shortly after moving to Texas for the 1st time, one of my new friends asked me if I knew how a Texan Lady says “Fuck You”. The answer? ”Well isn’t that nice.” Said with a charming smile, of course.

Well Other Mother…this is for you:

So, is there someone you’d like to send a flower to today? Or maybe you'd just like to flip someone the bird. Well, now you can do both! I'll be celebrating brazen acts of passive aggression right here for the next few Fridays – or maybe longer. We’ll see.

G’head. Grab it! You know you want to. So do it! And don't forget to leave your link.

The Happiness Project :: Ms. Josie's Money Chain

2010-05-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

Late last week, I put out a call for help for one Buddy Boy's teachers at Infinite Bounds. Within 72 hours, I was drowning in cash. With plenty of eager help from lots of little hands, we assembled this money chain. We're going to present it to Ms. Josie at the Graduation Ceremony tonight. I can't wait to see the look on her face! I'm so moved by the generosity of everyone who participated. It's going to make Ms. Josie incredibly happy. And that makes me incredibly happy.

What makes you happy?

Jump on the happy train over at Leigh Vs. Laundry.

The Error of My Ways

2010-05-17T11:31:00.001-05:00

Like I needed more hair to comb!

Ladybug completed a line on her sticker chart today. Which meant she got a 'special prize'. She's been begging for a My Little Pony with a brush. Now she insists I style its hair. Isn't that her job? I guess I'll add that to next month's sticker chart. And maybe as the 'special prize' for completing the item, she'll get a pair of scissors.

Teacher Appreciation :: Ms. Josie's Gift

2010-05-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

This is Buddy Boy’s last year at Infinite Bounds. People say that Disney’s the “happiest place on earth”. Those people have never been to Infinite Bounds. IB is where my kiddos go to “school” a couple days a week so ~~I can desperately cling to the little bit of sanity that I have left~~ I can plan gourmet meals and keep my home immaculately clean. IB rocks! It isn’t swanky or nicely decorated. As a matter of fact, it’s a little run down – and not in that shabby-chic kinda way. More like in that rode-hard-and-put-away-wet kinda way. But that’s OK, because every inch of frayed carpet, every knick in the walls tells a story of pure, unadulterated joy. (Oh, and I should say that this is NOT the school that threw their own ridiculous teacher appreciation week-long party that I was complaining about last month.)

IB is actually a gymnastics training center. All day long, young gymnasts flip, balance, spin and fly until they get it just right. That all happens in the gym. Around the perimeter of the gym are small classrooms for little kiddos. They learn their colors & ABC’s. They sing songs and get all messy with shaving cream finger painting. And when it’s time to work those wiggles out, they head into the gym and go crazy.

The best part about IB is the staff. Buddy Boy’s been going there for almost 3 years now, and in that time, I’ve never seen the staff with anything but shit-eating grins on their faces. They’re all just so stinkin’ happy that you’re there. Every child and every parent is greeted by name…every time. They ask you how your weekend was. They tell you you look pretty today (when you know you stink and you’re running on 3 hours of sleep). They love you, and they absolutely adore your child. Your child is the greatest kid they’ve ever met. And while it sounds like a load of crap, it’s not. They really mean this. Really. It’s crazy how friendly and loving everybody is.

Next week, he’ll graduate from the Happiest Place on Earth. His teacher, Ms. Josie has it all worked out and it’s going to be great. (I’m sure I’ll spend the whole ceremony hiding behind my camera so no one will see me bawling like a baby.) In the fall, Buddy Boy will start real school where all the joy and creativity will be systematically sucked from his soul. But in the meantime, he still has a few precious days left in this incredible environment. I recently learned that Ms. Josie is struggling to make ends meet, and this broke my heart not just a little. So o I decided to do a little fund raiser for her. I’m having the kiddos make a paperchain out of the money we collect. The kids are having a blast keeping the secret and making the chain. We’re going to put it in a huge box and present it to her at graduation. I also want to make a big card to go along with it. But oddly, I find myself at a loss for words. So, I’m turning to all you creative writers out there. Come up with something for me. Please. Something about how early care providers are an important link in the chain of a child’s life. Something that will connect the links in the money chain to how fondly we all feel towards Ms. Josie. So any great ideas for me? Any catchy little phrases or isms? I’m open to suggestions.

The Happiness Project :: Texas Wildflowers

2010-05-11T07:01:00.002-05:00

Lady Bird Johnson :: photo by Frank Wolfe

Look at that face! Don't you just love that little smirk of disgust? One look at her and you know she's suffering fools as kindly as she can. This is the look I get on my face when people ask me why on earth I moved back to Texas. My friends & family don't understand the soft spot in my heart for Texas. Probably because they've spent their lives in areas considered beautiful. The lush rolling hills of the Mid-Atlantic. The rugged outdoors and amazing weather of Northern California. The Eastern Shore. The West Coast. It's easy to call those places beautiful. What my peeps don't understand is that to really see beauty, you have to first experience extreme ugliness. The monotonous concrete blond winters of the levelands. The searing pain of black leather seats on the back of your bare thighs in August. This is the stuff that really helps you appreciate the simplist of beauties - like wildflowers...and air conditioning.

We just got back from a Texas road trip. We drove from Dallas to Galveston to spend a long weekend at perhaps the most unappealing beach I've ever seen. The water's brown and muddy, the sand's sticky like clay, and the wind never stops blowing. But the drive was incredible - thanks to Lady Bird Johnson and her wildflower efforts. Ten total hours on roads as flat as a table top...with nothing to look at but this as far as the eye can see.

Thank you, Lady Bird - and to all the people who continue to keep her dream alive. Your wildflowers make me incredibly happy. What makes you happy? Join the party.

Good Stuff :: Local Honey

2010-05-06T23:15:00.000-05:00

Well, The Man's sick of hearing me go on and on about how much I love honey. That means you get to sit there and nod politely until I'm done. Sure, you could just click over to the next blog on your reader list, but then you wouldn't benefit from my wit and wisdom.

I've always loved honey. Probably due to an inexplicable early childhood hatred of jelly. Yeah, I was that kid. The ~~weird~~ cool one with the peanut butter & honey sandwich. I was ~~a total social outcast~~ so cool. Everyone wanted to be me. OK, so maybe that's not true. But come allergy season, there are plenty of people who wish they were me - you know, because I'm so smart and funny and incredibly easy on the eyes. Or maybe it's because I don't have allergies. Unfortunately, my Buddy Boy does.

This breaks my heart, and not just a little. I don't have to have allergies to know that they suck. But the upside of the diagnosis is that it supports my local honey habit. And by 'local honey', I do not mean running down the street to the closest grocery store to get you some Sue Bee clover honey. Local honey is made by bees collecting nectar and pollen from a wide variety of plants in your geograhpic area. It is raw and will probably crystalize if left in your pantry too long. (Which is OK, you know. You can still use it. Just warm it up a bit and it will liquify again.) You can usually find local honey in your regular grocery store. If you can't, you can defintiely find it at a Wholefoods, Sprouts, or any gourmet grocer.

So. What does this have to do with allergies, you ask? Well, funny you should ask! Everything, that's what. Everytime you consume local honey, it's like you're giving yourself an allergy shot. Only it hurts less and tastes a lot better. Now don't start thinking that eating honey is going to help with your cat allergies or your husband's lactose intollerance. Sorry. It wont. What it will do is help you build an immunity to the plants in your area. Every golden drop contains pollen from the plants that cause the problems. A daily dose of honey allows those pollens to get into your system in very low levels. This allows your body to develop antibodies. It's the same principle as taking allergy shots.

And now for the words of caution. We all know that giving honey to babies carries a risk - so don't do that. And, if you're prone to severe allergic reactions - you know, the oh-my-GOD-I-can't-breath-get-me-to-a-hospital-NOW kind of reaction - and you've never eaten local honey before, you might want to start with small quantities. But barring any of that craziness, I'm encouraging you to give it a try. It costs a little more, but it supports your local beekeepers and it could help you with those itchy eyes and runny noses. And besides, it's just plain yummy - especially with peanut butter. It's good stuff.

The Happiness Project :: A Double Rainbow

2010-05-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

It was pretty stormy around here yesterday – inside and out. We have houseguests, including a 6yo and another 3yo. Yesterday afternoon, I was out number 4 to 1. Kids were screaming and burping and chasing the cats and spilling stuff all over the floors and calling each other “baby-head” (and just WHY is this funny?), and fighting and getting in each other’s way. ~~I totally lost it, hit the sauce and spent the rest of the evening in a drunken stupor.~~ I remained calm, cool and collected through the whole adventure…until dinner time when Buddy Boy announced he wasn’t going to eat any meatloaf because it was “scary looking”.

OK, it wasn’t a pretty meatloaf. I don’t like to make pretty food for my company…I don’t like to intimidate friends with my culinary superiority. I’m nice like that. But c’mon, SCARY?! And so what if it looked like dog food that could crawl off your plate at any moment? It still tasted good – and he loves the stuff. Well, the meatloaf crack was the straw that broke this camel’s back. ~~I burst into tears and screamed at him to go to his room and never come out.~~ I calmly told him to go upstairs and think about his actions. Two seconds later, he came flying down the stairs.

“You guys!! You guys!! You have to come see this!! It’s a rainbow!!”

Well, who could say no to enthusiasm like that. So we all ran outside and sure enough…rainbow. Actually, it was a double rainbow. And even though you can’t tell in the picture, it was a whole double rainbow – you could clearly see the beginning and the end. I’d like to say the remainder of the evening was as lovely, but it wasn’t. Whatever. We had a couple good minutes there. I”ll take what I can get!

This post is brought to you by Leigh vs. Laundry’s lovely Happiness Project. Come join the fun!

The Dingo Ate My Baby! (And Blogger Ate My Comments)

2010-04-30T11:45:00.001-05:00

5:00 AM. My bedroom. Me. Sound asleep. (A rare and precious thing)

Buddy Boy tiptoes in, climbs onto the bed and lets loose the song in his heart.

“D-I-N-G-O! D-I-N-G-O! D-I-N-G-O! And Dingo was his name-o!!”

Oh yeah! More obnoxious than any alarm clock I’ve ever heard. But something about the substitution of the D for the B made it all a little hysterical – even at that hour. And in that early morning fog, my response was, “But the dingo ate my baby!!” The reference was completely lost on Buddy Boy, but since I screamed it at the top of my lungs in my best Aussie accent, he busted up laughing. Not a bad way to wake up after all.

I got the kiddos ready and out the door early, I was pretty sure it was going to be a nice productive day…until I got home, checked the blog and realized that Blogger had eaten over a dozen of the comments on my giveaway post. And, since I’d already deleted the comment emails from my inbox, well, I was a little unhappy. How was I going to do my giveaway when the comments were…gone!?!? So, I wasted a few hours trying to figure that out and got nowhere. Fortunately, the comments reappeared yesterday. Now, if only I could get my kids to stop screaching, “The dingo ate my baby!!!”

Oh, and if you're wondering wtf I'm talking about, here you go (minute mark 3:39).

And if you haven't entered my giveaway - today's the last day. So go here and tell me what's bugging you.

This post is brought to you by Follow Friday.

The Happiness Project :: My Wingman

2010-04-27T07:00:00.013-05:00

Buddy Boy got in trouble yesterday for running around on the playground screaming that everyone was wearing dirty underpants. ~~Whatever. At least he wasn’t swearing or sneaking cigarettes behind the dumpsters like I was at his age.~~ Of course, I was mortified when his teacher told me this. And after I spent an acceptable amount of time lecturing my 5yo on the perils of potty talk, I spent a little more time searching for an appropriate baby picture for his Pre K graduation ceremony slide show. I think this one will do just fine. Ahhhh…my little ‘wingman’. He makes me incredibly happy – potty talk and all.

So? What's putting a smile on your face today? Join the happiness at Leigh vs. Laundry.

(Oh yeah, and just in case you’re wondering – which you shouldn’t be, because I’m a good mother…really…I am – that bottle was rinsed clean when Baby Buddy Boy got a hold of it. Drunk babies are not cool…and neither are drunk dogs nor drunk rabbits, but those are different stories.)

Hey! Have you entered my giveaway yet? There's still time. Hop on over here.

The Happiness Project :: Another Happy Cuppa

2010-04-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

Well it seems that tea makes a lot of people happy…at least judging by last week’s comments. So here’s another happy cuppa for ya. And this is one I can really get behind. Not that I couldn’t get behind the Kindness cup, I’m all for kindness…really. But this one? This one’s for me. Because I love to sing. And let me tell ya, I can sing! And when I sing, I sing ~~at the top of my lungs~~ from my heart. Which means I get a lot of funny looks when I’m crusin’ around town topless with my convertible hair flying all over the place. But they’re always kind smiles…because as y’all know…this is Texas, and you never know what caliber of kindness I might be keeping in my glove box. (Just kidding...again...~~or not~~.)

So Happy Tuesday! Keep the happy going, wont you? Join Leigh vs. Laundry and The Happiness Project. You'll be happy you did.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts (And a Paper Flower Tutorial)

2010-04-18T17:13:00.001-05:00

I’m reliable. You can count on me. Really. You can count on me not to listen to my voicemail. You can count on me to show up 15 minutes late. And you can count on me to be poorly prepared for just about everything. But in the end, I will get the job done. I will make a huge mess in the process, but I’ll get it done and I’ll have fun doing it.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week in our town. And surprise! I’m unprepared. Teacher Appreciation week is a big deal in these parts. ~~I mean seriously, how else can all the stay-at-home moms around here one-up each other?!~~ We love our teachers. Buddy Boy goes to preschool 3 days a week. This week’s activities include:

Monday: Teacher breakfast and flower presentation. Moms make Teachers breakfast, kiddos give flowers to Teachers. (I will be up at some un-godly hour tomorrow morning making my secret weapon cinnamon chip scones. I will not be making a mad dash to the florist section of my local grocery store because the roses in my yard are amazing right now.)
Wednesday: Teacher lunch. Moms will be preparing salads, casseroles & desserts. (I’m off the hook for this one.)
Friday: Teacher lunch and Teacher dinners. More moms preparing more salads, casseroles and desserts for that day's lunch. AND still more moms preparing meals to stock the teachers’ freezers. (Because…well…I guess preschool teachers can’t cook…or maybe preschool teachers are so incapacitated by the end of the year that they can no longer take care of themselves.)
Monday thru Friday: Early release for Teachers. Moms come into the classroom and substitute-teach for a couple of hours each day so the real teachers can go home early. (Because that's what I pay all this money for -- so moms, ~~not teachers~~, can teach my kid.)

I don’t know…I’m all for teachers, but it seems like overkill to me. What happened to the days where the kids saved their milk money, pooled it all together and then went out and bought Teacher a month’s supply of BubbleYum?

Personally, I’m a fan of the handmade Teacher gift. Something that comes from the heart and the hand of the kiddo. There will be a handmade gift from us this year, just like there was last year. We made these awesome paper flowers last year and I think they turned out great. Here’s a little tutorial. It was tons of fun and the kiddos got to participate in just about every step. In other words, it really is a “kid craft” – suitable for a 2yo and a 4yo. Here’s the list of what we used. We had most of this stuff just hanging around the house:

Paper. I used old packing paper, because I’m all about reusing.
Squeeze bottles. I used old water bottles.
Acrylic paint. The kiddo paint is too chalky for me, so we used the real deal.
Kid scissors
Hole punches. I used a double hole punch and a 2” punch.
Wire cutters/needle nose pliers
Thin wire cut into 2” lengths. I used floral wire because I had it lying around, but any thin wire would work.
Buttons
Thick paper-wrapped wire stems (available in the floral section of your craft store)
Glue (any kind – I used Elmer’s school glue)
Plastic “pony” beads (I used clear because I didn’t have beads that matched my papers.
Floral tape (optional)

Scenting oil. You can use essential oils, your own perfume, even a drop of vanilla from your spice cabinet will work.

First we taped down sheets of paper, filled squeeze bottles with a dollop of acrylic paint mixed with about a cup of water. We shook up the paint and squeezed, splatted and splooshed it onto the paper. OK, so some of it got squeezed other places too. Hey, messy = fun, right?

Once the paper dried, the kids cut out circles. What kid doesn't love to play with scissors?! And for this project, the more irregular the cutting and the less exact the size, the better. It's a win/win. While the kids were cutting their circles, I punched 2" circles out of used tissue paper in coordinating colors. I also used the double punch to punch holes 'near' the center of each circle. Again, lack of precision gives a better end result, so kiddos strong enough to operate the punch could participate in this step as well.

Next, I threaded a button and 6 paper circles (alternating painted paper and tissue paper) onto the thin floral wire and twisted the wire on the back side to hold everything together.

This was Buddy Boy’s favorite part. Crumple everything up into little balls creating “buds”.

Then I attached each bud to a paper-wrapped stem with a drop of glue and slid a pony bead onto the stem to secure it all and give it a nice finished look. You could cover all this up with floral tape, but I couldn't find any 'craft' color tape to match my stems, so I just left it as it was. After the glue dried, we carefully unfurled our flowers.

The last step was to apply a drop of scent oil to each flower.

Voila!! A sweet smelling bouquet for teachers. We used them to dress up the outside of plain brown paper handle bags filled with homemade cookies.

Things Bug Me (So I'm giving some things away)

2010-04-16T12:18:00.001-05:00

Ugh! Sometimes things just bug me! Like today. It’s what I call in inconvenient day. I know you know what I’m talking about…the kind of day where it’s just one inconvenience after another, after another.

The Man usually takes Buddy Boy to school on Fridays so I can be at the gym by 8:00. There’s an 8:30 yoga class that I love, and I like to get a good beating in on the treadmill before I get my chill on. Well, Mr. Man had an early flight this morning. No biggie. Buddy Boy can be a little late to school – it’s just Pre K. It’s not like the State’s gonna come after me for truancy or anything. So the day could have been fine, but nooo....

What do you mean the Kids’ Klub girl is running late?! This is cutting into my cardio time!

No! No! No! Not the gym-hoochy! Please, take your Juicy sweat suit, Coach tennies and all that perfume your wearing to the other side of the gym. PLEASE! Keep walking…keep walking…stop stopping! NO! Don’t stop. Not here! C’mon! There are 12 open treadmills over there! Arrrrrgh!

Oh tell me no! That’s not the Group Exercise Coordinator walking into the yoga studio, is it? You’re a rockin’ kick-box instructor, honey, but you can’t teach yoga for $#!+. Oh yeah, it’s definitely one of those days. Oh wait! She’s going into the spin studio. Oh, and there’s my little yogi. Whew!

Alright! Sweat’s on. Mat’s down. I’m ready to breath. Thumpa-thumpa-thumpa…! Seriously? Group Exercise Coordinator’s got to have the music that loud? She’s in the spin studio all by herself!

And so it goes. The inconvenient day. It will continue to be inconvenient. There will be traffic jams, and wardrobe malfunctions. The phone will ring while I’m running out the door to the Vet’s this afternoon, which will mean I’ll be running too late to stop for gas, which means I’ll have to fill up on my way to get the kiddos, which means I’ll have to find some way to duck chatty mom or we’ll be late for the Pediatrician, which means…(blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.)

Oh yeah. The whole day’s gonna bug me. No doubt about it. But I’m going to have some fun with it. Let’s play a little game, shall we? Tell me what’s bugging you today. That’s right…whine and complain until your heart’s content. You can tell me in a comment, you can rant about it on your own blog (but you’ve gotta link to this post and leave me a comment about what you’ve done so I know you’ve done it). Comments will close at midnight (CST) on the 29th. On the 30th, I’ll announce the 6 complainers who made the finals. 4 will be chosen in some random fashion, 2 will be my personal favorites. Then we’ll have a vote. Voting will close at midnight on the 13th. I’ll announce the results on the 14th.

The winner will receive this & this:

The 1st runner up will receive this.

The 2nd runner up will receive this.

And everybody else who left a comment will receive a coupon code for 20% these products in my shop. At least that way, the bugs wont be bugging us.

Oh yeah, and it's Follow Friday. Come play along.

The Happiness Project :: Kindness and a Cup of Tea

2010-04-13T07:06:00.000-05:00

My favorite Yogi Tea is back! Mmmm…the Berry Detox blend. It’s good for your liver and your kidneys. (And sometimes I need to think about my liver and my kidneys, because…well…as you know, I overdo things every now and then.) It wasn’t that big a deal when they dropped my flavor – I’m not a huge tea drinker. There are other varieties that’ll do just fine in a pinch, but I’m happy to see it on the shelf again.

If you’re unfamiliar with Yogi Tea, every packet has a happy little affirmation printed on the hangy-tag. Some of the sayings don’t say that much to me. Some do. Like this one. “Kindness is the only tool you need.” That’s a very nice sentiment, isn’t it? And it might fly in a place like…I dunno, someplace else. But down here in Texas...? Well, any good Texan’ll tell ya the only tool you really need is a reliable gun…and maybe a pitcher of margaritas. Everybody’s pretty kind down here and I’m pretty sure it’s because everybody knows everybody’s packin’. Except, of course, when they’re in the bar drinking margaritas. Because you can’t bring your gun to the bar. You can bring it to church. You can bring it to the grocery store. But you can’t bring it to the bar.

So cheers! And Happy Tuesday! And go join Leigh vs. Laundry’s Happiness Project or I’ll shoot! (just kidding...~~maybe~~) Or maybe I’ll pour ya a nice cold margarita on the rocks, because that’s how they’re supposed to be served. (much more likely) And then I’ll brew you some tea to help restore the health of your liver. Because I’m kind like that.

Double Dipping & A Reality Check

2010-04-09T04:33:00.000-05:00

I've got another blog. A teeny, tiny neglected blog. A happy blog. An optomistic blog. I started it last summer after a string of bad news.. It was supposed to be a celebration and a reminder of all the great stuff that happens to me on a regular basis. Yeah, well, great stuff never happens to me.

OK, that's not true.

Great stuff happens in such abundance that I don't have time to write aboutit.

OK, that's not true either.

It's just more fun being snarky.

That's true.

Anyway, if you want to find out what woke me up in a cold sweat this morning, you can go check it out. And if you don't want to know, well...then you don't get the happy little message at the end. Oh yeah, and I'll my tricycle riding dragon on you in my next nightmare.

Happy New Year!!

2010-04-07T07:18:00.006-05:00

What? You’re kidding! I missed it? No $h!+, Sherlock. I know I missed it, but hey, it’s never too late to start fresh, right? And ‘Happy New Year’ sounds a lot better (and a lot more optimistic) than Happy Second Quarter!!

I spent the better part of the 1st quarter of 2010 sick – which has put me a tad behind. And I had such good intentions…such high expectations. So, in the spirit of better late then never, I’ve decided to start my year ~~over~~ today.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions…but I do set them occasionally. When I set them, I usually set them on my birthday – you know, the beginning of my own personal new year. As you might guess, I did set one resolution on my birthday this year…or should I say, the day after my birthday celebration – and so far so good for that one, I’m happy to say. (OK, so maybe I haven’t stopped completely, but I’ve cut back significantly.)

So, here they are, in no particular order…the things I’m going to try desperately to remember to do (or not to do) for the remainder of 2010:

I will not rush my children. After 5 ½ years (yeah, I’m a quick study, eh?), I’m finally figuring out that rushing my kids is counter productive. Especially with Ladybug. The more I try to hurry her along, the more she grows roots.
I will prepare for tomorrow today. Hey, teaching this old dog new tricks is…well…tricky. I’m actually pretty good at preparing for myself, but I absolutely suck at preparing for the rest of the family. Lunches packed, clothes laid out, kid activities lined up, dinner planned, shopping lists prepared…that sort of stuff needs to be all worked out before I go to bed. Ugh! This will be hard for me. I’m really too spontaneous for this Mom gig, but I’m going to try to plan better.
I will be a little sweeter to The Man. Not that I’m mean or anything, but I’m not an especially sweet person. I’m more…bitter…in a good way…like a nice hoppy beer. But The Man’s got a sweet tooth, so I’m gonna be a little sweeter.
I will sleep. I will go to bed before it’s ‘officially tomorrow’, and when I wake up at 4:30 am, I will roll over, close my eyes and try to catch a few more Zzzzzs. And if that doesn’t work, I will do a little reading…in a book…not on the computer. Reading books makes me sleepy. Reading blogs wires me.
I will treat my business like a business and stop pussy-footing around with it. Yeah, this means I have to hit the pavement and beg the brick & mortar world of retail to start pushing my products for me. Ugh…again.
I will stop complaining. Yeah, right! Like that’s gonna happen.

There they are. Five things to do with the 3 quarters I’ve got left in 2010. (And yeah, yeah, I know there’re 6 on the list, but I’ve already bailed on the last one. I like building a little failure into my goals.) So, how about y’all? Did you set resolutions this year? Are you meeting them? Anybody want to start ~~over~~ fresh with me?

The Happiness Project :: Going Topless

2010-04-06T07:41:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah, this makes me REALLY happy. Happier than that, even. Now c'mon...you didn't think I meant shirtless, did you?! Sorry to disappoint. That kind of topless ain't my style -- I burn too easily. But driving around with the top down working up a good case of convertible hair is definitely my style. It's not going to be a convertible day today. T-storm's a comin' - but tomorrow's another day.

So? How 'bout you? What makes you happy? Visit Leigh vs. Laundry and join the fun.

For the Love of Ladybug

2010-04-02T21:42:00.000-05:00

It’s crazy days around here. We’ve got houseguests – which is always fun, but it’s especially fun for Buddy Boy because one of our houseguests is a 5yo boy. And boy-howdy, those boys are having fun. And Ladybug…is NOT having fun. And when Ladybug isn’t having fun, nobody's having fun…except the two 5yo boys who are oblivious to everything.

It’s ~~Good-for-whom Friday~~ Good Friday, which means the schools are closed. And since it was supposed to be a horrible stormy day, we decided to take in a movie. To cheer Ladybug up, I let her pick out my movie-going ensemble. Hey, 2 hours in the dark – who was going to notice? The Hot Dad who stopped Ladybug on her way out of the theater and whispered, “Your Mommy’s socks don’t match.” That’s who! In a sea of well-coordinated, over accessorized N. Dallasites, I guess I did stick out like a sore thumb. Ah, the the things I do for love. This ought to put me in the running for Mom of the Year, don't you think? Oh well. At least someone got a laugh at my expense today. And my little girly was pretty tickled too.

So, what'd you do for love today?

Oh, and it's Follow Friday - just click the button to play along.

The Happiness Project :: Ugly Drapes

2010-03-30T18:15:00.001-05:00

I have so many reasons to be happy today it’s hard know where to start. Ha! I’m such a liar. I know exactly where to start. I’m starting with these awful curtains. I’m so freaking’ happy these hideous drapes are out of my house!! I’m so happy my face hurts. I’m also happy that my best friend and his family are visiting. And that I got those ugly drapes out of the guest room just in time. And not only that, I managed to hang some simple drapes, make a new valance, oh yeah, and make a new bedskirt…all just in the nick of time.

I suppose my guests would have been happy if I’d managed to squeeze in a shower. Oh well…maybe next visit.

So? What’s got you smiling today? Visit Leigh vs. Laundry and join the fun.

He's Hot, I'm Lost...

2010-03-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

...but some people don’t care. More specifically, WendiWinn doesn’t care. She’s gonna follow me anyway…even if she’s lost…and presumably even if I’M lost…which I am ~~a lot of the time~~ ~~some of the time~~ occasionally. I’m especially lost when I’m watching Lost. (Geeze Louise I’m glad this is the last season for that show! Watching it makes me crazy. But like the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, I just can’t get away from The Island.)

Wendi made this absolutely fab award just for me. I’m assuming because she likes my blog. Or maybe it’s because she follows my blog, but has a hard time actually following what I’m talking about half the time. Hmmmm….what does that say about me? What does that say about her? Maybe she felt obligated to make me an award…since I made her one. I dunno, and I don’t care. I like my award, so I’m taking it! Maybe I’ll share it around, maybe I wont. Either way, check out her blog sometime. She’ll make you laugh, and she might get you lost.

As for Jack…is he hot? Of course he is, he's stranded on a tropical island. He's so hot he's...he's...sweaty. But is he “Hey baby, come on over to my lean-to and let’s get sandy” hot?

Whopper Cake (or Big Pile of Pooh)

2010-03-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Buddy Boy was Star of the Week this week. Yeah, wow! OK, not so wow. Every kid gets to be Star of the Week. All this really means is a lot of extra work for Mommy (aka: me). Monday he was to bring photos of his friends, family and favorite things with the class. Friday, a special friend could come to school with him to share a favorite story and a yummy, nut free, non-candy, over-processed, over-preserved, individually wrapped treat with the class.

Last Friday he brought home the empty photo album. He was actually given the option of filling it with pictures or making a poster. Of course my kid chose the poster. OF COURSE…because he’s my kid and he’s inherited the “do everything the ~~hard~~ creative way” gene. The poster was his idea, but it was my project. I was up until 2 AM Sunday night working on it. His poster rocks…of course.

For his story, Buddy Boy chose Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson. It’s a really cute book about a Granddad who makes a whoppin’ big cake for Grandma’s birthday. It has a recipe in the back, so I had the brilliant idea to make the cake in the classroom with the students for the treat. I was shocked when the administration gave the OK – as long as I brought unopened ingredients to work with. (You know, so I wouldn’t poison the kiddos…because I might do such a thing.)

OK, before I get too snarky, let me give you a little background.

** (optional reading - skip this part if you’re in a hurry to check off all those other blogs on your reader list.) **

Buddy Boy’s school is a faith-based school.
I was raised in a very fundamental religious environment, and attended parochial school from grade 1 through college.
At one point, I seriously considered entering the seminary. (OK, maybe not that seriously, but I did considered it.)
I no longer practice my religion.
The Man is a lapsed Catholic.
We have not tackled the subject of God with our kids…yet.
In general, our part of Texas is populated by very conservative, devout people. God is ever-present in our community.
I do not have a problem with God.
I have a HUGE problem with dogma.
I asked questions about the role of doctrine in the classroom before enrolling Buddy Boy in this school.
I was told one thing, experienced another, and spent the first couple of months trying desperately to convince people that while I am religionless, I am NOT a High Priestess of the Prince of Darkness.

** (resume reading here) **

So, back to today. I went to school with my boy. I brought unopened packages of all the ingredients for our cake. I brought aprons and spoons for all the kiddos. I premeasured and made certain that every child had a part to play in the making of the Whopper Cake. It was fun. I baked the cake in the kitchen of the fellowship hall while the kiddos were learning, playing, and doing whatever pre-k'ers do at school.

Now I've got to tell ya, there are people in this world who will eat whatever comes out of my kitchen. I wouldn’t say I’ve got mad skills, but people like my cookin'. And desserts are my specialty. Need proof? Here’s proof:

Buddy Boy's NASCAR cake - and yes, the cars were sinking in a sea of dark chocolate. What can I say? It was 95 degrees that day. It was still a heckuva cake.

Hello Kitty CakePops for Ladybug's last birthday - so sweet they rotted teeth on contact, but they were too too cute. (Bakerella gets the credit for sharing the idea and how-tos. She's amazing, you should check her out!)

And then here’s the Whopper Cake…or as I refer to it, The Pile of Pooh. Dig in!

Don’t ask. I have no idea what happened to this cake. Maybe it was the Devil getting back at me for declining the High Priestess position. I dunno. What I do know is that I’ve got the sweetest kid in the world. When I asked Buddy Boy what he thought of the cake he said, “It was GREAT!” When I asked him if his friends liked it he said, “Oh, they LOVED it!” When I asked him if it was a mess he said, “Yes Mommy, it was a WHOPPER mess! But I don’t want your feelings to be hurt. It was really good!” And then I cried a little…and ate some pooh…and you know, he was right. It was pretty good – even it if did look like pooh.

Happy Friday everybody. I hope you had a whopper of a day (and not in a pooh way.)

It's Follow Friday - play along.

The Happiness Project :: Duct Tape

2010-03-23T16:20:00.001-05:00

The Man came in my office today. {uh oh} He came in my office to offer me some "constructive criticism". Yeah. So. Basically, he came in to tell me all the wrong things I'm doing with my business. And then, of course, he proceeded to tell me all the right things I should be doing with my business. A lively discussion ensued. He stomped out mad, mumbling that I never consider his ideas; I sat smoldering in my chair wishing I could just slap a piece of duct tape over his mouth when he starts 'helping' me. So today's Happiness post isn't so much about what made me happy today as much as it's about what would have made me happy today. Duct tape would have made me happy. Unfortunately, I only had a thin roll of that not-so-sticky blue painter's tape. I'm happy to report, it did the trick.

{And I'm happy that The Man is such a trouper.}

So what makes you happy? Jump on the happiness band wagon, and link up at Leigh vs. Laundry.

Sublime Kindness

2010-03-19T06:32:00.001-05:00

I needed some chocolate today. And I'm not using the word need lightly here. I'm not talking about needing it like an addict needs her junk, I'm talking about needing it like a mama who's just realized she used the last diaper 2 hours ago. We're talking serious need, people...serious need.

Well, getting the chocolate wasn't supposed to be a problem. There's a fine little chocolatier right down the street from me. Sublime Chocolate. Mmmmmmm...good stuff. I was excited to go there. They've had a shop on the other side of town for a couple of years now, but I'd read recently that they'd opened a shop on my side of town. Perfect! Sublime, even. So, Buddy Boy and I hightailed it over there...only to find a sign on the door that read "Opening Next Week". WHAT?!?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOoooooooo!!!! (I swear they could hear me screaming in Lubbock - which is far from here, trust me.)

While my son & I made the sad slow walk back to the car, he mentioned to me that he saw someone inside. "Maybe they have some chocolate, Mommy." Well that's all the encouragement I needed, so we crossed the street again and knocked on the door. A workman came out. I told him my story - that I needed one small piece of chocolate. He got the owner, the owner immediately got on the phone, called his kitchen on the other side of town and we were back in business. It took 15 minutes to get to the other store. There was a sign on the door. "Close for Spring Break", and a smiling lady on the other side waving me in. The door wasn't locked. They were waiting for me. I walked out with not one but a dozen beautiful, exotic chocolates. Confections like Lavender, Peppermint Tea, Honey Caramel w/Hawaiian Red Salt and Curried Coconut.

The folks at Sublime will probably never understand what their small act of kindness meant to me, but suffice it to say it meant a lot. Sublime ships their incredible creations all over the US. So if you need something truly special, from a truly special kind of business, please keep them in mind. I'd love to repay a little of their kindness. Oh, and if you need me to do any taste-testing for you, don't hesitate to ask.

By the way, it's Follow Friday. Join the fun, wont you?

The Happiness Project :: Slinky-do

2010-03-16T07:06:00.001-05:00

My kitty, Slinky survived our vacation. This makes me very happy. I made three separate appointments to put her down before we left - not wanting her to pass on her own while we were gone. But she made it through in spades. I know her time is coming soon, but it's nice to have a few more cuddles with my scrappy little cat.

What makes you happy? Jump on the happiness band wagon, and link up at Leigh vs. Laundry.

Smiling at Strangers

2010-03-14T08:11:00.002-05:00

This it the title of the book I shall write one day. It will be an outrageous work of fiction, with just enough realism thrown in to make you believe it’s all true. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. You will be heartbroken to reach the last page, because you’ll want it to go on forever. Really. It’s going to be that good. So don’t steal my title. If you do, karma’s gonna gitcha!

It’s Sunday. And it’s a bit of a weird Sunday for me, but then Sundays have been weird for me for quite a while now. You see, for the last 6 ½ years, Sunday has been the day I walk away from my job as Haus Frau, and for a few hours I am transformed into…Shop Girl. Haus Frau has none of the authority and all of the responsibility. Shop Girl has ALL of the authority and NONE of the responsibility. Strangers listen attentively to Shop Girl. They hang on her every word. She smiles at them. She understands their dilemma. They believe her when she says they will absolutely love the chartreuse pillow that costs $54.00. And no, that doesn’t include the down insert. And yes, three will be needed to achieve ‘the look’. And oh! They will look absolutely fabulous with the rug over there!

Shop Girl is fresh, fashionable and filled with smiling confidence – and she pulls off those sensible shoes with such aplomb. Poor Haus Frau. No one listens to her. People just roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders at Haus Frau. Haus Frau is schlumped and frustrated. She’s poorly groomed and grumpy.

Well, today I am no longer Shop Girl. Today I am simply Haus Frau. I’ve shelved the sensible shoes in order to spend more time on my family and my business. Working Sunday evenings was getting the week off to a rocky start. Hopefully things will run a little smoother now. Hopefully there will be more time for fun…and for grooming. But I sure will miss smiling at all those strangers.

Another Oops! Moment

2010-03-11T12:05:00.000-06:00

I’m a potty-mouth. I spent nearly 20 years in the construction industry – 10 of those years working on military contracts. I honed my foul-language skills with the best. That’s not to say I don’t have a good command of the (American) English language. I do. I have a decent vocabulary. I know my grammar. I speak properly…most of the time. But sometimes, swearing just feels better.

Giving up the swearing has been the hardest part of parenting for me. (OK, maybe not the hardest part, but it’s definitely been a struggle.) Shortly after Buddy Boy was born, The Man sat me down and gave the ‘the talk’, “You know, Honey, you’re going to have to clean up that mouth of yours.” Yeah, yeah, yeah…whatever, I’ve got years to work on that.

Well, two years ago, when Buddy Boy was three, he went through a little phase. Every time he got strapped into his car seat he’d say “Dammit!” He didn’t use the expression at any other time – only when he was getting buckled into the car. He did this several times when my folks were visiting. You can imagine my embarrassment. So I asked my Mom, “Do I say dammit every time I get in the car?” “Why yes, dear. You get the car, close the door, say dammit, hop out of the car and run back into the house.” I guess Buddy Boy just thought that’s what you say when you get into a car. That phase passed and I really started making an effort to clean up my act.

Yesterday was our first day back from vacation. It was also yoga day. First thing in the morning, the kiddos and I hit the road to the gym. Half way there, I realize that I forgot to put my yoga mat back into the car.

Me: “Crap!”
Buddy Boy: “Mommy, crap’s a bad word”
Me: “You’re right, sweetie. I’m sorry.”
Buddy Boy: “That’s OK Mommy, at least you didn’t say fuck.”

Oh SHIT!!

**Credit where credit is due: The illustration above is a greeting card created by Peggy O’Neil (aka: GoodGosh). If you ever need a little something special to pop in the mail to someone, she’s your gal. Check her out on Etsy.

Black and Blue and Geraiums All Over

2010-03-05T22:35:00.000-06:00

This lovely photo was taken by my blogging buddy, T over at Poppy Place PDX. I'm convinced this is THE geranium that sat in the window of the room in Mutigny, France that I called home for a few fantastic days. I'd never taken much notice of geraniums until my honeymoon. The Man and I were married in Switzerland and spent three fantastic weeks touring the country. One of the first things you notice about the place -- besides those mountains and the cows with the bells -- are the geraniums. They drip from every single window in every single town. It's truly an amazing sight. T's having a give away right now and there's still time to enter -- so drop in for a visit and enter. If I win, this picture will be my prize. First because it reminds me so much of that fantastic trip to France; second because it makes me think of those cheery windows in Switzerland; and third because I've come to regard geraniums as powerful medicine.

I've actually been spending a lot of time with geraniums lately - partially in preparation for my annual ski vacation. What? Yep, that's right. I wont go skiing without my geraniums. That's because the distilled oil of these lovely plants provides just the kind of medicine one might need on a ski trip. If only I'd known last year what now - that geranium oil is great at easing the pain, swelling and discoloration of bruises. You see, last year I had a little mishap. On the very first day on the slopes. Just a little oopsy-daisy. OK, maybe it wasn't so little. Maybe it was a big YEEEOOOOWCH of a mishap.

Well, this year I'm prepared with a little bottle of geranium elixir -- and I'm hoping like hell that I wont be needing it. So how 'bout you? Do you have any great home remedies for the things that leave you black & blue all over?

Winter Complaints (and a new product line)

2010-02-26T17:36:00.001-06:00

I used to be a winter person – the cold crisp air, the big comfy sweaters, thick wooly socks, and boots. The move to Texas kind of ruined winter for me. I don't really have an excuse to lavish myself with winter's creature comforts anymore.

Texas weather is such a tease – especially in February. The daffodils are up and at 'em, but don't let those cheery yellow blooms fool ya. It's sunny and 60 today, but tomorrow it’s gonna be 40 and rainy, the day after that it'll be 35 and windy. Oh, and then it’s back to sunny and 60 again. Now before you start calling me a whiner, hear me out. Enjoying [surviving] winter is largely dependent upon dressing appropriately, right? Well, it’s nearly impossible to dress for a Texas winter. You never know what the weather’s going to do. On the news here they give Bus Stop Reports for the morning and the afternoon. That’s because it can be 65 degrees at 8:00 AM and then fall into the 30s by 3:00 PM. I’ve actually watched the temperature drop 40 degrees in as many minutes. That’s crazy! How do you prepare for weather like that?

You can’t. Even if you could figure out how to dress yourself, you’re screwed because none of the stores around here sell winter clothes. (Unless of course you happen to be thinking about your winter wardrobe in August…when it's 100 degrees outside.) This is especially true for children. Don’t try to find a long sleeve shirt or a jacket for your kiddo after December. Come January, it’s all about summer.

This winter has been a particularly tough one for us Texans. We had snow…TWICE! One storm dropped nearly 12” on us. Somehow snow always makes the cold more tolerable to me. The snow days were fun. But the rest of winter, well it's been awful. Again, especially for the kids. We haven’t had the sunny-60s this year. And since no one has proper cold-weather clothing to wear, that means no one’s been playing outside to play. And what happens when everybody stays inside all winter? You got it…viruses. Everybody’s sick.

I was sick for the first 38 days of 2010. (Except for the 72 hours preceding my birthday – when I decided to over celebrate and give myself a hangover that lasted for 2 days. No, I still haven't forgotten about that.) I had the flu…I had a cold…I got a sinus infection. And just when I was on the mend...there was a bout of strep. Fun times. Well, the good part about spending all that time on the sofa feeling like crap is that I got a lot of research done. So, meet the new kids on the Teddy Started It block:

The Honey Bee Well antiviral line. I’ll be introducing them into the shop over the next few days. I'm really excited about them. Family and friends have been test-driving them and the results are looking good. We're well at last...and planning to stay that way. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm done complaining about the weather.

Back To Work (The Brain Damage)

2010-02-22T12:19:00.000-06:00

So, The Man decided to check out my blog the other night. (He does this from time to time – primarily to point out my typos. Thanks, honey.) “THIS is what you write about?!?”, he exclaimed. Seriously. What did he expect? The Man’s been married to me for…uh…well geeze, so long I’ve run out of fingers and I’m almost out of toes upon which to count. He knows I’m not an all work and no play kinda gal. He shouldn’t act so shocked.

The fact of the matter is that I’ve been working very hard lately – which is probably why the blog entries have been a little, well, shall we say, frivolous? Developing new products for my shop is hard work. We’re talking serious brain damage. There’s actual math involved! Formulas and conversions…stuff that makes my head HURT. Just buying my supplies takes an enormous amount of effort – finding the best price for the purest, most therapeutic ingredients…ugh! Just the thought of it!

Therapeutic essential oils can be crazy expensive. Committing to a new ingredient can be a significant investment. Example: German Chamomile. It’s one of my favorites. It’s cobalt blue in color and it smells a little funny in my opinion. The color can be a problem – like when it’s combined with oils that are amber or brown and turns the whole mix the color of old guacamole. (Nice visual, eh?) The smell can be a problem too because we’re conditioned to believe that everything needs to smell like flowers or freshly cut grass. But the stuff works miracles. It’s the serious magic in my Once Bitten bite soothing cream -- and if you’ve used this stuff, you know what I mean by serious magic. (And if you haven’t tried it yet and don’t enjoy those itchy red spots the mosquitoes leave behind, well go get you some…right here.) One drop…one SINGLE DROP of German Chamomile costs $.53. Drops probably don’t mean much to y’all so let’s do some conversions. After all, who doesn’t just love conversions? 1 drop = .05ml. In other words, there are 20 drops in a milliliter. And there are 5 milliliters in a teaspoon. That means there are 100 drops in a teaspoon. Now do the math that counts. That’s right…a teaspoon of therapeutic grade German Chamomile costs $53!!! And that’s wholesale.

So on top of the general chemistry involved, I have to ask myself the questions: Is the formula going to be prohibitively expense? Will customers be able to appreciate the therapeutic effects if the smell or the color is a little unexpected? Can I afford to invest in quality ingredients if a product bombs? I haven’t found a chart or a calculator to help me out with these answers. Is it any wonder the blog gets a little silly when I'm in product development? So The Man should just back off a little, don’t ya think? And really, he’s a fine one for pointing fingers. Just look what he did to my Chickenpants while I was at work the other day!

Tell me, what do you do when the thinking part of the job makes your head hurt?

Oh yeah, and look for a couple new products coming SOON!

Don't Hate Me Because I'm A Winner

2010-02-19T12:29:00.004-06:00

That’s right, people. I WON! I won Chickenpants #285. Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Well good for her. She won. She’s a winner. That’s just great. But what a waste. She’s not going to know what to do with that Chickenpants. Now I’d know what to do with that Chickenpants.”

It’s OK. I forgive you for not being all that happy for me. I understand. Really. You see, I’ve been there. Several years ago, a lifelong friend of The Man (and former college roommate of ours), won BIG in the lottery. Like, set-you-up-for-the-rest-of-your-life big. When you think about something like this happening to someone you know, you just assume that you’d be really happy for them. Well I’m hear to tell you, it’s surprising how really not-so-thrilling it can be when a friend hits the jackpot. You start thinking weird stuff, like: “Wow, if I call them to say congratulations, they’re just going to think that I want something from them.”; or, “Do you realize our kids will never be friends with their kids, because their kids are going to be rich and have all these incredible experiences and our kids are just going to be…well…normal kids.”; or worse, “They’re not going to know what to do with all those winnings – not like we would."

It was very uncomfortable for a while. But I’m happy to say that’s all water under the bridge. Our weirdness has mellowed with time, and their winnings have changed them very little. We enjoy visiting with them when we’re back home. Their kids are great and our kids love playing with them. It’s all good. And it’ll be good with you and me too. You’ll see. My Chickenpants windfall wont change me a bit, and you don’t have to feel weird about congratulating me. I promise. So go ahead, be happy for me.

Oh, and if you'd like your own Chickenpants, I'm sure Claire would love to help you out. Check her out at AbsolutelySmall. They're hip, they're cool, they're in pants. They're Chickenpants! (And they actually come from Cool, CA - how could they not be cool?)

My Chickenpants (I hope, I hope)

2010-02-12T18:01:00.000-06:00

Today I’m wishing a Happy Etsyversary to AbsolutelySmall – creator of Chickenpants. Of course, I’m very happy that she’s celebrating her 3rd anniversary as an Etsy seller. But mainly I’m doing this for selfish reasons. She’s got a giveaway on her blog and I have EVERY intention of winning. So I’m wracking up a few extra entry points by blogging about it. So pop on over to her blog or her shop or her fan page to say Happy Etsyversary, but don’t bother entering the contest, because Chickenpants #285 is mine, all MINE!!!

What will I do with Chickenpants #285 when I win him? Will I take him to Paris? Will I feed him donuts? Will I sign him up with a temporary agency? You’ll have to wait and see!

A Picture May Be Worth 1000 Words, But This Ain't No Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T17:31:00.000-06:00

This is Buddy Boy. He's got a beautiful smile. This is not it. This is his "picture smile". Every picture I have of him, he's got this smile on his face.

Unless, of course, he's got this smile on his face.

Buddy Boy has amazing hair. Beautiful strawberry blond ringlets that never tangle and never frizz. The Man insists I keep Buddy Boy's hair cut super short. I'm rebelling. I figure it's my one and only chance to do with that hair what I will, so I'm growing it out. We're in the awkward stage right now. I call it the "Pom Pom" stage.

I work Sunday & Monday nights, so The Man gets to give the kiddos their first baths of the week. As you can see, there was some serious fun had with temporary tattoos after bathtime this week. Buddy Boy thinks his Terps tattoos look great.

Today was picture day at Buddy Boy's school. I am so proud.

How Pancakes Are Meant To Be Done

2010-02-09T07:14:00.001-06:00

I hate pancakes. And I really hate bananas. But I love my chocolate chip banana pancakes. Especially when they’re heart-shaped and covered with sparkly red icing and whipped cream. Now that’s how pancakes are meant to be. G’head, you know you want to try them for yourself.

Start with your standard pancake mix prepared per the instructions on the box. The following quantities are for a recipe using 1 cup of mix. Add:

3 heaping tablespoons of wheat germ – you know, to make that processed pancake mix a little healthier.
¼ cup of milk - to moisten up the wheat germ
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
1 smashed banana – the riper the better

Mix it all up and you’re ready to pour! To make the hearts, just pour the batter out in a V-shape. Gravity should do the rest. If your heart’s not quite pointy enough on the bottom, pull the point downwards with the back of a spoon. Trust me, this will make a perfect heart. Not a wonky one like the one you see here. This was my first attempt. The kiddos grabbed and gobbled up all the pretty ones. Kids! They’re always snatching up the good stuff and leaving me with nothing but rejects to photograph. Who do they think I make this stuff for…them?

The Bold Black Number

2010-02-08T06:36:00.000-06:00

I read lots of blogs…on a semi-regular basis…because I’m a semi-regular kinda gal. I love reading blogs, but I have difficulty doing things on a consistent basis. So I’ll go days and days without reading any, and then I’ll frantically read like 279 posts in one evening. I thought purchasing my oh-so-sleek, that-color-blue-looks-amazing-in-your-lap netbook would help. Well, it’s made things even worse. Actually, it’s Google Reader that’s made things worse. Now that I’m set up on Reader, it lets me know just how behind in my reading I really am. The bold black number intimidates me. It's bold. It's black. It's there to remind me what hasn't been done. Sure, sure. It calls itself "new items" - it's passive aggressive that way. If you know Reader, you know the number I’m talking about -- the unread number. The number of posts that other people managed to complete while I was doing whatever it is I do with my time. (Geeze Louise, I’d like to know what I do with my time!) I don’t dare miss a post. There might be some great new idea to try, or some beautiful item I need, or a giveaway I’ll never manage to win, or most importantly, something that will give me a good belly laugh and make me forget about just how behind I am on…well…everything.

So, now it’s Monday morning. I went to bed way too late last night (because I was reading 279 blog posts), and for some reason I’ve been awake since 3:55 this morning. My son’s school is closed due to a broken water main and I have to work until 10:00 tonight. Oh, and did I mention it’s pouring down rain? I’m pretty sure today is going to suck for me. But I’m going to try to make someone else’s Monday a little less sucky by handing out an award. This blogger wasn’t On My List when I was passing out the Kreativ Blogger award a week or so ago, but her blog is always tops on my must read list. So here you go, WendiWinn -- an award just for you. For making me laugh.

No rules. No suggestions. I trust you'll know what to do with it.

Picking a Winner - The Hear Sick Pendant Give Away

2010-02-03T13:08:00.000-06:00

Is it "give away" or "giveaway"...? I always struggle with that one. But then, I struggle with a lot of things -- like getting things done in a timely fashion. And how to keep the kiddos entertained while I’m getting things done in an UNtimely fashion. Well today I decided to enlist their efforts in picking a winner for my Heart Sick Pendant giveaway…er…give away…whatever.

Buddy Boy carefully numbered all the entries.

Then he and Ladybug wadded all the entries up into tiny balls.

We placed them in our “pudding bowl” (that’s right, we don’t use this bowl for anything but making pudding. I don’t know why.)

Then we pulled out a winner! OK, you’re probably thinking, “What, one kid gets to pull the winner and the other kids gets what – the first loser? That sucks.” And you’re right. That would totally suck. So, because I can’t stand sibling rivalry and go to great lengths to avoid it at any cost, we have TWO winners!

Congratulations, JerzyCat99 and SarahL!

I've still got a couple of these in the shop, so if you didn't win and still want one, you know where to go.

On My List

2010-01-27T22:05:00.000-06:00

Sunday night. Checking Facebook in the car on the way home from yet another birthday celebration (no, I wasn’t driving). Hmmm...I have a message in my inbox. It’s from my friend Alyssa over at AlyGatr’s Everywhere. I love her blog. She always manages to put a smile on my face. She was writing to let me know she’d passed the Kreative Blogger award to me. How nice was that?

I’ve received blog awards a couple of times before and it always makes me feel so good. Honestly, I can’t believe people read, never mind enjoy reading, what I have to say. So it’s truly an honor. Thanks Alyssa. Oh! And if you don’t read AlyGatr’s Everywhere, have never caught up with Alyssa at The Mamadramalogues, or checked out her shop…well, you should.

Now for the hard part…. As the recipient of this award, I have to share 7 things about me that you might not know. Coming up with 7 things you don’t know about me is a little challenging, because, well, because I’m always going on and on and on about myself and my life. But here goes:

1. I hate fruit. Yep, all fruit. Don’t like any of it. Nope, not strawberries, not apples, not bananas – Ooooo, ick! Especially not bananas.

2. As a little girl, I wanted to be a lounge singer…and as a matter of fact, I still want to be a lounge singer.

3. I get all choked up watching the Tinkerbell movie. I know, lame, lame, lame. Can't help it. Whe she puts that little music box back together.... And when she gets to go to the mainland, and Pixie-Dust Fairy Boy gives her that little purse full of pixie dust.... And when she leaves the little music box on Wendy's window sill.... Oh god! Here come the waterworks. So embarassing!

OK, enough of that, back to business.

4. I can drink my weight in beer. (There, that ought to make up for the Tinkerbell thing.) I really try not to do this anymore. Although every now and then I like to confirm that I still can – which could explain a little about why I was searching for a hangover cure a week ago.

5. I am obsessed with laundry. I can not stand to see stains on things and have been known to spend hours researching how to get a particular stain out of something. (And yes, I have a pretty good list compiled, if anyone’s interested.)

6. I am absolutely terrified that my 3yo daughter (Ladybug) already realizes that I have no real control over her.

7. I believe in magic. Not the ‘pull-a-rabbit-out-of-your-hat’ kind of magic, but the ‘cosmic-convergence’ kind of magic. Like when somebody spills their drink at a ball game, bends down to make sure it’s not soaking your purse and misses the pop-fly so you get to catch the souvenir ball. THAT kind of magic.

And now for the TRULY hard part – picking 7 other bloggers to share the award with. This really is difficult. I read a lot of blogs and I only read blogs I love, of course. I could pick a lot more than 7, but here are 7 that I’m really loving at the moment:

1. Garden Mama - beautiful photos and great ideas
2. Grass Stain Guru - exaulting the pleasures of playing outside
3. I Don’t Like This Job - a brave mama who's not afraid to blog about the crappiness of stay-at-home-motherhood. I worry about her sometimes, but it's good to know I'm not the only one who doesn't just love life with the little kidos.
4. When T Rules the World - really, she should rule the world.
5. One Pretty Thing - round up after round up of pretty things to look at, and pretty things to do.
6. Absolutely Small - the exploits of Chicken Pants. Now who can resist that?
7. Kind Over Matter - they need another blog award like they need a hole in the head, I'm sure. There's just so much kindness going on over there, I feel compelled to spread it around a little. If you haven't checked them out, do it now. It'll make you happy.

Whew! That was a hard list to cull down. It’d probably be a completely different list tomorrow, but that’ the list for today.

Here are the Rules to Pay it Forward (If you want to participate):

1. Copy/paste the Kreativ Blogger Award picture onto your blog
2. Thank the person who awarded it to you and post a link to her/his blog
3. Write 7 things about yourself we might not know
4. Choose 7 other bloggers to award
5. Link to them
6. Notify your 7 bloggers of their awards

Heart-Sick (A Give-Away)

2010-01-26T13:04:00.014-06:00

My kids have been sick which means we’ve been spending a lot of time at home lately. I don’t really have a problem with that. Sometimes it’s nice not to have to go through the morning rush. Who doesn’t love spending an entire day in their PJs?

In an effort to keep the TV turned off, we’ve been spending our time on Valentine’s projects. We’re in the process of all kinds of things. That’s right – we’re starters. We just LOVE to start stuff. We don’t always finish it, but who was it that said ‘it’s not the destination, it’s the journey’? Well, we’ve really been having a lot of fun with this stuff. So much so, that I’ve decided to share it with the world. So in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s day, I’m going to be sharing it here.

Over the weekend we finished Valentine’s gifts for the teachers and Grandmas. And no, I’m not one of those moms who gives the teachers gifts for every Hallmark holiday. But give me a break! I’ve been stuck at home crafting with the kiddos. Anyway, we made these fun little Valentine’s pendants. Ladybug & Buddy Boy used plastic beads. I got to play with the Swarovskys. I’m not much of a beader, but these were fun. The kids love wearing theirs around and dangling them in the windows to watch the light shatter. We ended up with a few extra, so I’m putting them in the FlutterbyGirly shop. If you know someone looking for a sparkly Valentine’s gift, send them my way.

It was actually Buddy Boy's idea to put the extras in the shop, and I promised I’d give him all the profits as a reward for his entrepreneurial spirit. In return, he's promised to indulge me with chocolate and flowers. He’s planning on hitting it big here, people -- and I'm always ready to receive bon bons and posies. Hmmmm...you know…I think I’ll help him out here a little. I’m going to do a give away – US and Canada only this time folks. (Sorry)

OK, let's see:

Leave a comment w/your favorite sick-day activity, get an entry
Leave a comment if you’re currently sick and just want to complain about it, get an entry (maybe two if your complaining really impresses me)
Follow the blog, get an entry
Tweet this, get an entry
Tweet the shop, get an entry
Fan the Facebook Page, get an entry
Buy something from the FlutterbyGirly shop, get 2 entries

OK, that’s enough. Leave your contact info with your comment. Oh! And your color preference: ruby red, India pink, Siam; and whether you want a gold or silver chain. Remember, I’m a whole year older this week and I’m already getting senile, so make it easy for me.

Give-away ends at midnight on the 31st (of January).

Sharing the Birthday Love

2010-01-20T16:30:00.011-06:00

Yesterday was a pretty ordinary day. Sure, it was my birthday, but I had a sick kiddo home from school, so the day was pretty mom-intensive. Not exactly what I had planned, but it was a great day nonetheless. Buddy Boy and I spent a lot of quality time playing wii, eating snacks and doing a little Valentine’s decorating. The Man and Ladybug made me dinner and a cake. I got tons of calls, emails and facebook posts wishing me the best day ever, and you know…looking back on it, it was a pretty good day. I sure felt loved and appreciated. So much so, that I find myself with a little extra love to give away today. Meet four new Etsy shops -- born on MY birthday:

1. Heart photo by Happy Times Co. – sharing their belief in the power of inspiration.
2. Amelia pendant by Zingo – elegant and flirtatious.
3. Dynamic purse by Apeyleedesigns – pretty and practical with lots of pockets.
4. Peaches & Cream cravat by Judaleah – she calls it truly cute, I call it truly gorgeous.

So, what did you love today?

Happy Birthday To Me!

2010-01-19T07:02:00.000-06:00

That’s right! It’s my birthday. How will I be spending my special day? Well, since I already partied like it was 1999 (hence Sunday’s hangover post), I’m going on a shopping spree! What will I be shopping for? Oh, all kinds of great stuff: niaouli, petitgrain, ravensara….

You see, my entire family wanted me to feel extra special needed today, so they all decided to get sick last night. Aren’t they just the best?! Yep, everybody’s sick except mommy. (I guess I should count my blessings, there’s nothing worse than being sick and having to be mom to a bunch of sickies.) So, I’m putting on the lab coat and working up an antiviral potion today.

An antiviral treatment is something that’s been on The List for the last couple of months, so…no time like the present. Of course, the potion will eventually end up in the shop. I may even conduct a trial, so if you’re interested in playing guinea pig, leave me a comment with your email address. I don’t know if it’ll be a free trial yet – some of the ingredients are crazy expensive – but trials are usually offered at a greatly reduced price. I’ll get back to you on that one. In the mean time, stay well, and have a piece of cake, or a cake pop for me!

The little partier pictured at the beginning of this post is one of my takes on Bakerela’s cake pops. If you haven’t checked out Bakerela, be warned…simple cupcakes will never suffice again. We’re talking extreme cuteness and serious sweetness. They’re actually too sweet for me, but they’re a guaranteed hit at any party.

In Need Of A Remedy

2010-01-17T16:40:00.005-06:00

OK, so I confess...I'm probably not the person you think I am. Given the nature of my homeopathic product line, you probably think I'm one of those holistic, raw-food-eating, sandal-wearing, earth-mama types. And today, well, today I really wish I was. Well I'm not (and I certainly wasn't last night), but I'm resolving to become one. That's right...I'm never drinking again! Yikes! I feel like garbage!!

Today's blog was going to be about some of the new products I'm working on for the shop. I've got some great things in the works and I'm really excited to share them with you and get your feedback. But, since last night's stupidity has left me even stupider today, you get a post about hangovers. Who knows, it may come in handy for you someday - although I wouldn't wish my current condition on anyone. OK, well, maybe I'd wish it on that lady who accosted me in the grocery store parking lot last week because she didn't like my driving - but I wouldn't wish it on anyone else.

Remedy #1 - Bananas. Eating bananas replenishes all the potassium you peed out while you were binge drinking. The problem with this is that bananas make me gag, and well...I don't need to do any more gagging right now. Blech!

Remedy #2 - Eggs. Eggs contain large amounts of cysteine, the substance that breaks down the hangover-causing toxins in the liver. Excuse me while I scramble up an egg or two....

OK, I'm back. That was tasty.

Remedy #3: Water. Duh!

Remedy #4: Sports drinks. They replace all those electrolytes that went down the toilet last night. Again, duh! And I already did that and it's not working fast enough.

Remedy #5: Fruit juice. Fructose, the sugars found in fruit replenish the body's energy supply and also get rid of the toxins that build up as your body metabolizes alcohol. Excuse me while I take a potty break -- all this rehydrating is...well, you get the picture.

Whew! That's better.

Remedy #6: Aspirin. Not tylenol, not ibuprofen -- just plain old aspirin. Aspirin is a non-caffeinated pain reliever (caffeine is dehydrating, so you definitely don't want that.) It's also a prostaglandin inhibitors. High levels of prostaglandin have been associated with increased hangover severity. Excuse me while I scour the medicine cabinet for some aspirin.

Ugh! All I had was some BC Powder - that was disgusting! Whose bright idea was it to pour crushed up aspirin on your tongue?! Need water!

Remedy #7: Abstinence. NOW you tell me!

Here's hoping you're feeling better today than I am.

You Put A Spell On Me

2010-01-10T16:18:00.001-06:00

Well, it’s the 2nd week of the new year and I’m just finishing up with the Christmas gifts. Yep, that’s right. Up until a few days ago, I was still working on the last present – this too cute little fused shoulder bag for my 16 year old niece. (I hope she likes it, because I’m really tempted to keep it for myself.) I got a little extension on her gift. She and her family spent the holidays abroad, so I didn’t have to have things to them by the 25th – but still, I should have had it done a long time ago.

The last quarter of the year is always crazy for me -- too many birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, obligations, etc. But this year was particularly bad. I’ve never been so behind. I didn’t even send holiday cards. Even the year Ladybug made her expedited arrival 2 weeks before Christmas, I still managed to get the cards out. I definitely hit a new low this year.

I’m not accepting responsibility for it. I know I have a problem, but it’s not my fault. I know just where to put the blame. I’m placing it squarely on the cyber-shoulders of a little website most of us know and love. That’s right, I’m blaming ETSY!

I’ve always been one to get personal when it comes to gift giving and I’ve always loathed big-box, mass-produced merchandise. But ever since I stumbled upon Etsy…well, things have gotten out of hand. Sure, I voluntarily took “the pledge”, but I was under the brainwashing influence of guerrilla crafters. They validated my obsessions. They fed me ideas. They lured me in with beautiful photos and tutorials on how to get things done just right. They made it all seem so…so…so possible.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all possible in the time allotted. Oh well, I had a good time with it anyway. And nobody really wanted to read that boring Year-In-Review letter or look at another picture of my kids all dressed in red anyway. I just hope I can take a few lessons away from this passed handmade holiday season into the next.

So, how were your holidays? Did you make it a handmade Christmas? If so, do you have any time management tips for me? I’m all ears!

Oh yeah, and as for you, Etsy...yes, I’m still under your spell. Pretty sure I'm hooked for life.

101 Things To Do With Bubble Wrap - #2 Thanksgiving Decor

2009-11-26T16:36:00.000-06:00

Yes, I’m still trying to burn through all the packing material I brought home from the stockroom a month ago. You’ll recall from my last post – assuming, of course that you avidly follow my blog and did indeed read my last post, that two of my Etsy Sisters, ReallyBadKitty and DRyan327 took all the bubble wrap. However, they left me with a HUGE bag of foam sheeting. So, what to do? What to do? I don’t know!

Well, a week ago, while I was successfully avoiding all the things I should have been doing by catching up on my blog reading, I ran across this little gem of a Thanksgiving project. Hand Turkeys! How stinkin’ cute are these?! The grandparents usually get some kind of something from the kiddos on every holiday (Hallmark holidays included.) I thought this was pretty darn perfect.

We made sets for ourselves and both sets of grandparents. I think they’re so cute, and we had a lot of fun making them. Of course, I did the sewing, but the kiddos stuffed them and glued the feathers on (with a tiny bit of direction from me.)

Now just what do these turkeys have to do with all that packing material, you’re asking? Well, guess what those perky little turkey fingers are stuffed with. G’head! Guess!! That’s right! Foam sheeting! We cut the foam sheets into little pieces, rolled them up and stuffed the fingers with them. It was the perfect stuffing material – faster and easier than batting. I even ran some floral wire through the sheeting so you can bend the fingers this way and that. We stuffed the bodies with those beanie baby beads so they’ve got good heavy bottoms. They sit very nicely on the mantle.

So, that used up a quarter of a sheet. Now what do I do with the other 100 sheets of foam I have? I’m still fishing for ideas!

Have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

101 Things To Do With Bubble Wrap - #1 Pawn it off on your Etsy friends

2009-11-25T16:37:00.000-06:00

Actually, it’s the Etsy friends that got me into the bubble wrap mess to begin with. OK, ok, I can’t blame my inability to fill landfills w/packing material entirely on my Etsy friends. Hmmm…or can I? Last I checked, this was MY blog and I could do with it what I want. Yeah! So there ya have it!

It’s all ReallyBadKitty’s fault. With a shop name like “ReallyBadKitty”, could it be anyone’s fault but hers?!?!?

Sure, she makes pretty little bouquets...

...holiday décor ...

...and cute hair clips out of buttons, but don’t let that fool you. She’s bad news!

And then there’s that Purple Toes Jewelry chick (aka: DRyan327) – she was a witting accomplice.

Those smoking rabbit earrings should’ve been a dead give away that this gal was nuthin’ but trouble. Poor bunnies!

And just look what she does to watches!!

Grandpa's pocket watch never saw this coming!

All joking aside, I met these talented ladies when I joined the North Dallas Etsy team earlier this year. They’re both jewels and I’ve had such a great time getting to know them and the other Team members. And yes, they took all the bubble wrap and will be using it to package up their wares. So when you buy stuff from their shops, you’re not just getting a great handmade treasure – you’re helping save the planet one bubble at a time. How much better can you feel about buying something?!

So the bubble wrap’s gone, but I’ve still got a ton of foam sheeting. I’m still looking for ideas on what to do with that. I have to admit, I really like Haptree’s suggestion of turning a room in the house into a padded cell. Goodness knows I could use a room like that!

Bear Hugs: Tree Of Life Designs

2009-11-20T06:45:00.002-06:00

It's early. The house is silent except for the rain on the roof. I'm all cozy with my coffee and I've got a little time on my hands. I feel like passing out some bear hugs this morning.

Today I’m featuring Michelle, aka TreeOfLifeDesigns. Last summer, Michelle bought a sample of my Muddah Buddah belly butter as a surprise for a pregnant friend. It was sent anonymously. It was fun to be involved in the conspiracy. Michelle lives in Denver and makes jewelry. Her pieces are beautiful, and her photography (not to mention her collection of ceramics that she uses as props) is awesome. So, meet Michelle….

I love hearing the stories behind shop names, tell me about yours.

I have always had a strange love for trees and the tree symbol. I had a tree embossed on my wedding invites. In doing research about the “Tree of Life”, I found that it is a symbol that crosses many, many cultures and is found in art all over the world throughout history. The tree, to me, symbolizes the need to reach for the sky while at the same time keeping yourself firmly planted to the ground.

How'd you start doing what you do?

I moved to Denver form the east coast where I grew up, and was lucky enough to land a job and a little mom-and-pop-jewelry store. I have always been somewhat creative, and LOVE jewelry, so it did not surprise me (or any of my friends and family) that I ended up working where I did. Over the 9 years I worked there, the owners taught me almost everything I know about making jewelry.

Your Tara earrings are my current favorite in your shop. I love the asymmetry and the length. What's your favorite item right now, and why?

It is so hard to pick a favorite! But I love the Blythe earrings. I always love the green and blue combination, and the stones in these earrings are really yummy. They also are a great length and dangle really nicely on the ear; I love the way they move when you wear them.

Tell me about your most memorable Etsy moment.

Recently, someone ordered a necklace from me…to wear on her wedding day! What a compliment!

Do you have any secrets of success to share?

The support of my girlfriends throughout my jewelry career has been such a tremendous help to me. Not only did they tell me that I was doing great work, but as they wear my jewelry out and about, they are constantly asked about the pieces and get to tell other people about my work. They give me great feedback about particular designs….when they all respond well to a piece, I know it will be a popular design!

What's your favorite "Tip"? (Doesn't have to be shop-related, it can be life-related, a cleaning tip, etc.)

“Do what you love, the rest will come”(–Walt Whitman, I think?)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2009-11-15T16:51:00.002-06:00

I have a part time job at Pottery Barn. One of my favorite things to do there is work in the stock room. It's quiet in the stock room, and fairly orderly -- nothing like my day to day life as a stay-at-home-mom. In the stock room, I'm in control. I get to decide what box gets opened and where the contents get put. I get to line everything up all perfectly straight. Oooooo...I just love perfectly straight.

One of the things I don't love about working in the stock room is the realization that big retail = big trash. Seriously, the amount of trash that is generated is scary. The cardboard gets recycled, so that’s OK. But everything else...all the bubble wrap, the foam blankets, the styrofoam, all the packing material goes straight into the landfills. And I’m talking MOUNTAINS of packing material. It’s bad…really bad.

I’m a firm believer that everything ought to be used at least twice, so I’m always trying to find something to do with all this packaging. I’m forever bringing home huge sheets of styrofoam and bags of bubble wrap. It makes The Man more than just a little crazy, but the kids usually love it. Last week I came home with two big bags of bubble wrap and foam blanketing. Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with it all. Ladybug was more than happy to help me out.

After using the bags as lounge chairs for a while, we emptied them and made a nice big moutain to play in. It was great for jumping on, hiding in, crawling through and kicking all over the place.

Of course, we popped plenty of it -- with our fingers, our feet...our bottoms (hee, hee, hee.) We also practiced our scissor skills by cutting some of it up. Cutting the foamy blankets was so much fun, Ladybug decided to see if it was just as much fun to cut up her skirt. Fun for her. For me, not so much. Oh well...live and learn.

So we've lounged on it, played in it, popped it and cut it, but now what? I just don't think it's trash yet. I'm keeping some of it for packaging up my Etsy products, but I'd have to be making hundreds of sales a week to go through this stuff. And while that would be nice, I don't think it's going to happen any time soon. So I'm looking for ideas. What would you do with all this stuff???

Bear Hugs: Aunt Cindy's Attic

2009-11-11T23:11:00.002-06:00

Time for another installment of Bear Hugs. (Bear Hugs is my Etsy customer appreciation feature. It's trying to become a regular feature, but hey, I'm not a regular kinda gal.)

I became acquainted with AuntCindysAttic on Twitter, and she’s the one responsible for the brilliant idea of customizing the labels on my Monster Repellant. I really owe her a debt of gratitude (and probably some royalties.) She's full of great ideas -- like turning your favorite T-shirts into keepsake quilts. She's also fun to tweet with. So, without further ado, meet Aunt Cindy!

I love hearing the stories behind shop names, tell me about yours.

Aunt Cindy's Attic is the name of my quilt shop – the one I plan to open when I win an obscene amount of money in the lottery I didn't have kids when I thought up the name, but had recently been around my niece & nephews and I liked the sound of "Aunt Cindy". I figured I could use the name for my Etsy shop until I win those millions.

How'd you start doing what you do?

A few years ago, I gave my niece a doll bed for Christmas…or her 3rd birthday -- she was born December 21st, so it's tough to remember which one it was. I painted an unfinished bed, crocheted a little afghan, and thought it needed a quilt. I had recently inherited my grandmother-in-law's sewing machine and some of her quilting tools. I thought, "Thousands of grandmas do this, how hard can it be?" I checked out some books on quilting from the library and got started. I finished the little quilt and, amazingly, had some hair left. I didn't touch fabric for another 6 months. I took a machine quilting class right before we relocated. After the moved, I was unemployed for a year. I had no children at the time. I checked out more library books, was invited to join the quilt guild by one of the quilting librarians & the rest is history. This year I'm guild president. LOL!

What's your favorite item in your shop right now, and why?

This one is so hard! I love my reversible purses because I designed them. I love the Nuzzle Me blankets because they're soooo soft. I also love my sock babies. I had one that my grandma made when I was little. I LOVED it & figured other little ones would love them, too! I'm really liking the t-shirt quilts right now, too. I like that people trust me with their memories. At first I didn't think I'd like them (they seemed boring). I love fitting the pieces together to get something that my customers love. I'm not a pattern person anyway, so this is great for me!

Tell me about your most memorable Etsy moment.

I loved selling hairbows to a mom in Norway. I loved it more when she ordered a second time. It was really cool.

Do you have any secrets of success to share?

Take time off when you need to take a break. We all need those sometimes.

What's your favorite "Tip"? (Doesn't have to be shop-related, it can be life-related, a cleaning tip, etc.)

If you're changing a baby boy's diaper, tear off a small square from the corner of your wipe BEFORE opening the dirty diaper. Place it strategically to prevent any "diaper fountains".

BTW, Aunt Cindy, I'm still trying to find that stack of my son's t-shirts I want to send you. I must have one of these quilts!

Number 12's a Winner (and a special offer)

2009-11-04T07:42:00.002-06:00

"Winner" http://woodandpixels.etsy.com

Ok, OK...so I've fallen behind again. This seems to be a recurring theme for me these days. It's those end-of-summer "vacations" which aren't really vacations at all. We take two every year: one to the West Coast to visit family & friends, one to the East Coast for the same purpose. Don't get me wrong! I love these trips -- I miss my friends and family -- but they're grueling! We never spend more than two nights in the same place. So much time in the car running here, there, everywhere. Ugh! And schlepping all that luggage! And the toll it takes on the kiddos. It takes quite a while to recover from trips like that. But I'm back. The suitcases are empty and back in storage. The laundry's done and put away. Sleep schedules have returned to normal. And now I'm playing catch-up at my desk.

So, how 'bout that give away from last month?! The winner is #12, and was chosen by means of http://www.random.org/.

Aik is a student in Malaysia and loves the piano. She has a blog were she features a lot of sheet music...downloadable sheet music. So, for you pianists out there, check it out: http://aik-pianoscores.blogspot.com/. She recently passed her piano exam, so if you stop by be sure to say congratulations. She has another blog, http://aik-friendsnfamily.blogspot.com/, where she holds give aways, writes book reviews and muses on life in general. She's currently giving away a signed copy of Lee Moylan’s "Once Upon a Nightmare" - which sounds really scary. Perfect for this Halloween season.

OK, now for the special offer part. To make up for my tardiness in announcing the winner, I'm going to extend a special offer on my pendants: 1/2 off to anyone who entered the give away; and 1/2 off to the first 12 non-participants who make a purchase. I've been working like a fool getting pictures of my newest pendants, so hopefully there will be lots of new stuff in the shop in the upcoming days. Pendants come packaged pretty and ready to give.

**Credit where credit is due: The cheeky little ducks introducing this post are compliments of Dan over at WoodandPixels. Check out his Etsy shop. He's got some amazing photography on display.

Just Call Me Punkin Head

2009-10-29T10:50:00.073-05:00

Seriously, I had no idea the back of my head looked so much like a pumpkin. Thanks to my son, I do now!

In our family, the tradition is to carve our Jack-O-Lantern on Halloween afternoon. Now some of you who know me may think this tradition was born out of procrastination, but I assure you it wasn't. You see, October in Texas is an unpredictable weather month. It can be in the 50s, like it was day-before-yesterday, or it can be in the 70s, like it is today. If you carve your pumpkin too early, you may just end up with a slug-infested, rotting, stinking mess on your front step by the time Halloween rolls around. Granted, it does make for one scary looking Jack-O-Lantern, but it's really just disgusting. Hence, the Halloween day pumpkin carving tradition.

I love pumpkins. Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup...yummm! Do you know how good for you pumpkins are? They're loaded with all kinds of great stuff: iron and all the B vitamins for lots of extra energy; vitamin E and all its antioxidant power; zinc which is so healing. Really, you should eat more pumpkin. It's also great for skin. So don't let your pumpkin bits and pieces go to waste. Here are a couple of quick recipes for you.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

Rinse and dry your pumpkin seeds.
Spread 'em out on a greased cookie sheet
Sprinkle w/salt (I prefer kosher salt), or cajun seasoning (if you like a bit of a kick)
Bake in the over at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes (giving the pan a shake about half way through)
Cool and munch away

Pumpkin Facial Mask:
This is a perfect way to use the scraps left over from pumpkin carving because you don't need very much for this recipe. (You can also do this w/canned pumpkin.)

First, prepare the pumpkin puree by microwaving the small pieces until they're tender when you poke them w/a fork (probably 1-2 minutes)
Mash cooked pumpkin w/fork or in the food processor until smooth
2 Tbs pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp honey
1/4 tsp cream (heavy cream for dry skin, substitute 1/4 tsp cider vinegar for oily skin)
Mix it all up
Smooth on to face and neck
Rest for 10-15 minutes
Rinse off. Ta-DA! Your skin will feel as soft as a baby's bottom.

Have a happy & safe Halloween!

Powered by Joy

2009-10-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

If someone asked me to describe myself one of the words I'd use is "positive". I try to look on the bright side. I believe in the power of positive thinking. I believe in Karma. I believe that good ultimately triumphs over evil. Etc., etc., etc. That's not to say that things don't bug me. Oh, things bug me. They can bug me a lot. And I can be really bitter. Oh lawdy, can I carry a grudge! Just ask The Man. But still...I try to be positive most of the time. OK, some of the time. Every now and then? You're not going for this?

I have to admit, since giving birth to Ladybug I haven't been my old chipper self. Well, I've been the OLD part, just not the chipper part. The fact is that I'm tired. I try not to beat myself up about it too much. I mean c'mon! I'm...well, I'm old! Like, in my 40s old. I know, I know, 40s the new 30, but I've given birth TWICE since I turned 40. I'm entitled to be a little tired. Especially since I'm still trying to live my life like I'm in my 30s.

Lately I've begun to think that I'm using this "old mom" thing as a crutch. It seems I've gotten out of the habit of recognizing the amazing things that happen right in front of me every day. Well, I'm doing something about it. Ho-hum...sounds a tad cliché, you say? Well, one of the best parts about being in my 40s is that I don't really care what people think about me anymore. (Now if that's not reason for celebration, what is?!) So stop on by my brand-spankin' new blog. Acknowledge a little joy with me.

I'm Sick

2009-10-22T05:38:00.001-05:00

"I Got A Code Id My Dose" http://sbritt.etsy.com

Ugh! I felt if coming on a couple of days ago, and really, I’ve tried to do the right thing. I’ve been taking it easy, trying to get to bed at a decent hour, eating right, etc. Too little, too late, I guess. Oh well.

I’ve been awake since 2:30 this morning. I tried watching a little TV, but that’s always a mistake for me. TV does nothing but wake me up. By 3:45 I couldn’t take it anymore so I decided to get up.

It’s now 5:00. What I should be doing is researching some great homeopathic way to make myself better. Instead, I’m blogging and trolling Etsy.

Basically, I feel like I’ve got a bunch of these guys stuffed in my head.

Pet Pathogens by SublimeDzign
http://sublimedzign.etsy.com/

And an army of these guys in my throat.

Pet Pathogens by SublimeDzign
http://sublimedzign.etsy.com/

All I can say is thank goodness this little dude hasn’t taken up residence in my body.*
Surfing Giardia Germ by FrecklesUnleashed
http://frecklesunleashed.etsy.com/

But if he had, I could always call this bad ass to take care of him.**

Mac the Biker Bacillus Germ by FrecklesUnleashed
http://frecklesunleashed.etsy.com/

All I know is that I’m definitely going to need one of these today.

Flackie Monster Tissue Holder by SwieDebie
http://swiedebie.etsy.com/

Hmmm…I wonder if there’s rush delivery available on this item.

Quinceanera Surgical Mask by CheapChampagne

http://cheapchampagne.etsy.com

OK, I'm going back to bed!

*Gardia - think Montezuma's revenge

**Bacillus - the good kind of germ found in stuff like yogurt

Wake Me When It's Over

2009-09-29T06:39:00.001-05:00

September
Wedding anniversary
Husband’s Birthday
Son’s Birthday
Clean up aftermath of anniversary, Husband’s birthday, Son’s birthday
Write Thank You notes

October
Obligatory vacation “Home”
Clean up aftermath of Obligatory vacation “Home”
Halloween costumes
Clean up mess from making Halloween costumes

November
Start extended “holiday hours” at retail job
Freshen up spare room for house guests
Thanksgiving dinner
Black Friday
Decorate for holidays

December
Make 50# of English Toffee
Package and ship 50# of English Toffee
Daughter’s Birthday
Write Thank You notes
Father’s Birthday
Finish Christmas Shopping
Package and ship Christmas gifts
15th annual Holiday Brunch
Christmas

I'll be napping on the sofa. Somebody wake me when it’s over.

A Penny For Your Thoughts -- UPDATED

2009-09-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

I started this blog as a means of relaying information about the natural products I make for my Teddy Started It Etsy shop, and to encourage others to seek wellness and remedies from Mother Nature’s pharmacy rather than from the local drug store. I stray from that goal periodically. But hey! It’s my blog and I can do with it what I will. Well, today’s one of those days that I’m in the mood to stray. So I’m taking a busman’s holiday.

Today I’m wearing my FlutterbyGirly hat. FlutterbyGirly is my other Etsy shop. It’s my creative outlet. The shop is primarily populated with my Penny Pendants. I love making them and I love wearing a different one almost every day. I’m working on some new inventory, sprucing up the photography of my existing inventory, and promoting the shop. The holidays are coming and I think these little pretties make great gifts. Each one comes ready to give in a tiny gift-tin. I need to sell some so I can justify making some more!

I’ve set a lofty goal of selling 100 pendants before the end of the year. (YIKES!! OK, it’s real now…I’ve gone and made my goal public. Breath girl, breath.) I’m hoping you all will help me with that goal. Hence, the give away.

Here are the specifics:

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment here with your favorite pendant.

Now for the extra credit:

* 1 extra entry - mention this give away in your blog (leave a comment w/a link please)

* 1 extra entry - tweet about this contest or an item in the shop -- with links, of course (include @teddystartedit so I can find your tweets)

* 5 extra entries - purchase something from the shop - leave me a comment telling me what you purchased. This includes custom orders as well. I'll set up a reserved listing for you and then we'll work out the details of the project privately.

Keep checking the shop. I’ve got dozens of pendants that I’ll be listing in the next few days, so the inventory will be growing and growing.

This contest is open to everyone regardless of location. I will pick the winner using a random number generator. It closes at midnight EST on September 30th.

Let the fun begin!

Bear Hugs: WireDreamsDesigns

2009-09-15T22:29:00.000-05:00

A while back I was talking about starting a Customer Appreciation Feature…well, here’s my first installment. Meet WireDreamsDesign. She bought a bottle of my Bzzz Off! insect repellent back in July and she was the first to respond to my solicitation for participants in this feature. So, she gets to go first.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm originally from Texas but now live in Florida with my husband of 10 years and my son who is 2 1/2. I more than make up for the fact that my husband has no real hobbies because I frequently take over half our dining room table to work and have two shelves of nothing but yarn. I’m slowly working on taking over the garage with my kiln and a workspace set up to do lampwork glass beads.

I read in your profile that you’ve always been a rock/mineral collector. What was your 1st exposure to wire wrapping and did you instantly connect this art form to your hobby?

I was first exposed to wire work while looking for something Celtic for a friend. While searching, I came across a site that did wire wrapped jewelry. I bought two ear cuffs and a beautiful moonstone pendant. I was intrigued after that and started looking for references and supplies on how to do it.

I like how your love of one thing led to the love of something new. Do you make pieces out of favorite rocks/minerals from your personal collection? And if so, does your heart break a little each time you sell one?

My personal collection is comprised mainly of specimen-type pieces that are too large to make jewelry out of. Even if I could make jewelry out of them they are stones I picked because I was drawn to them, I couldn't sell them. I do tend to lean toward my favorite type of stones when picking out pieces for jewelry, like labradorite. It is my absolute favorite to work with. I will admit I have had a few pendants that I was a bit sad to see go because I really loved how they turned out.

I like many of the items in your shop, but right now I’d say “Down by the Sea” is my favorite – probably because it's the end of summer and I’m an East Coast girl living in land-locked Dallas. What is your favorite item in your shop at the moment and why?

Currently [the] larimar pendant [pictured at the beginning of this post] is my favorite. Larimar is another favorite stone of mine just because of the different shades of blue it can have. The bright blue color in this stone is absolutely amazing. {Sorry folks, this one sold before I got this post up, but check this one out. It’s beautiful and available…at the moment.}

You have a pretty successful Etsy shop. What secrets of your success would you like to share?

I have no secrets. Maybe it's just luck or people looking for something different when searching on Etsy. I do no real outside advertising other than a main showcase on Etsy here and there of which I have had sales from or people that have seen something then and came back later to buy.

What’s been your best moment since you started selling your wares?

A best moment is hard there are so many. I guess for me it's when you get a repeat customer. To know someone likes your work so much they want to add another piece to their collection. I haven't had anything really catastrophic happen since I've started.

Share something about yourself that most people (at least in your public life) don’t know or some other interesting tidbit/funny story/etc.

I was totally a geek in high school. Every Friday night was spent playing Dungeon & Dragons or a card game called Magic the Gathering. I also collected comic books (and still do) and I would love to go to Comic Con in San Diego one day.