{Rubber-Sol: Why, hello there!}

Many Thanks

Hi.

It's been a while, yes?  Oh I've been hanging around, reading your blogs and peeking at your flickr streams.  I just haven't had much to say lately. 

But now I'm back, and the first thing I'd like to say is: THANK YOU.

Yes.  To all of you.  Your overwhelming support has been so much appreciated during this difficult transition.  Your comments, heartfelt e-mails and cards, your flowers, gifts, plants all meant so much to me and my family during our difficult time.

****

In the morning when we wake up, as per our newly formed ritual, I carry Kate to the living room to look at a photo of my father.  And as if on cue, she undoubtedly points to it and shouts his name.  Usually his name is a burst of happiness from her mouth, and part of me feels relieved by her recognition.  Yes. She still remembers him.  Yes.  He's still fresh in her mind.

Alison and Henry are starting to comprehend his physical absence from our lives.  Usually a memory will trigger or a thought will pop into their minds, and then a moment of sadness washes over them.  Today as we were getting ready for bed, Alison turned to me and said softly, "Mama, I didn't want Buppa to die."

So yes.  Sadness does creep into our lives on a daily basis, and it comes at surprising times, like sudden pangs of emotion.  But most of the time, we live in our many moments of happiness together as a family.  We've made it this far, and I know, as so many of you have shared, life does go on.  We're know that now.

Thank you again for everything. 

Hank vs. Hank + Random Bits

Okay so I've been intrigued with cloning (no, not the cloning of the Dolly the Sheep or the Raelian variety), but the photographic cloning.  I thought I'd try my hand at it, and grabbed the two family members who weren't fussy (that'd be Alison and Hank in case you were wondering) and subjected them to be my first victims.  It was kind of tricky, but certainly a lot of fun. You can view my first attempt here. 

****

I also have a new series of cards (soon to be uploaded).  I was rifling through my photos on iPhoto, and found some interesting backdrops for some of my illustrations.  This one I kinda cheated because I recycled one of my older illos, but I thought it was perfect for the NYC scene (taken when I met up with the girls!).  Here, take a peek:

**** And dear Joyce tagged me with a meme!

Here is how it works: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.

Hmmm, let's see.  Okay, here goes:

• Although I write with my right hand, I do everything else with my left (cutting, steering, brushing hair etc).

• I had what doctors refer to as a "silent labor" -- which means that I didn't feel my contractions.

• Don't believe me?  Well you can catch my first labor on national t.v.!  Yep, my husband and I were on a popular t.v. show that chronicled the birth of Alison.  Cool, eh?

• In high school, I had a good friend named Alison Leslie.  Quite a pal for me, Leslie Alison.

• I've been the same height (5' 5") since I was 13.  I used to be the tallest in my group of friends, and now I'm just an average gal!

• I've sold many things on eBay, including:  two sofa sets, a dining room table, old ski boots, and my car. 

• I never was a fan of chocolate until I became pregnant with Alison.  Oh, I also used to hate the color pink. . . until I had Alison.  Weird.

Thanks so much, Joyce!  I had fun!  And now I tag:  Kath, Hope, Giao, Jes, Dawn, Ellia,and Lori

22 Months

This morning I was making my blog/flickr rounds, and Sally's post for today made me stop and pause.  You see her Baby J and my baby Kate are the same age.  The exact same age (both were born on the same glorious June day).  Anyway, it just hit me like a ton of bricks that my baby isn't such a baby anymore.  She's no longer an infant but a walking, talking toddler with her own personality and spunk.   

My family likes to joke that no one messes with Baby Kate.  No one. She's a strong-willed little girl, and she's been called feisty, spunky, bossy, spicy, a pistol, a firecracker. . . I think you get the picture!  I suppose her strong personality comes from being the youngest sib, but yet it still surprises me that she's so different from shy, introverted Alison and boisterous, but gentle Henry!  If my kids were salsa, I'd rate them as follows:  Alison - mild;  Henry - hot;  Kate - PICANTE.  Ha!

Anyway, here's a video clip from a couple of weeks ago.  While stopped on the infamous 405 freeway, we saw giant ELMO on the Science Center rooftop:

And here's a clip from today.  We went strawberry picking, and Kate ate and ate and ate those berries until her tummy was full.  We stopped at Pick Up Stix on the way home, and as you can see our little one has learned to undress herself:

There are so many gosh darn cute babies in my flickr stream, and seeing them makes me (oh gawd I'm gonna say it) want another baby.  Oh I said it!  The thought of having a little bun gets me all giddy, and then I think about REALITY!!  Like the fact that we've been diapering kids for 7 years straight.  SEVEN YEARS!!!  Not a single break! Yes, we managed to stagger our potty training just right so that there wasn't a single lapse in diapering!  Awesome!

*****

And if I owe you an e-mail or a package. . . keep your eyes peeled!  It's coming soon!

Over the Hump!

In the grand scheme of things, all things and events that happened in the past are all lumped into YESTERDAY.  Everything pressing and of the moment are considered TODAY.  And the future, both the near and the far, is considered TOMORROW.  I've made it over the hump, and I can finally enjoy the right now moments.  Today has never been so grand!

 

Yesterday, I:

• Tended to all three kids who were sick with:  pneumonia, the flu, strep throat

• Gocco'ed over 1000 cards for the shop

• Had our IEP meeting for my son Henry.  We're moving forward now in such a great way!

• Announced the winners of the Valentine's Day Contest (via e-mail) -- The winners were: Amanda, Kelli, Allison, Lisa, and Courtney! All packages were shipped last week, save for Courtney and Lisa.

• Packaged up the largest wholesale order yet!  The 3 months they gave me to fulfill the order was crucial to my sanity!  Be gone package! Be gone!  So happy that is over and done with. . .though my fingers are crossed that my products do well in hopes that they reorder!

• Watched as Hank and Alison attended the first annual Valentine's Day Ball at school.

Today I enjoy:

• Taking Kate to her Giggles and Wiggles class (which she loves so much!)

• Planning for Henry's 5th birthday party this weekend.

• Watching Alison and Henry overcome their fears in their karate class

• Reading in bed before falling asleep (5 pages a night is okay, right?)

• Listening to Kate rattle off a new word every day!  Her newest faves?  Elmo, owl, trash, and waffle.

Tomorrow I am:

• Looking forward to visits from out of town guests

• Enjoying time with friends + family + celebrations!

• Enjoying the present!

Lotto Here I Come!

I've been a reader of Ez's blog for a bit now, and when she announced her giveaway, I couldn't resist entering.  Last month I was the lucky, lucky winner of Creature Comfort's fabu, fabu giveaway. Yep, lil' ol' me!  About four days after the contest ended, an enormous box was delivered to my doorstep, and it was filled to the brim with such goodness.  It contained adorable kids' stuff like this:

An artist's roll of crayons for little hands by Teacups & Tadpoles.  I love, love, love the ric rac and the girly pinkness of it all.  Lucky me, I have two daughters!

And to add to the eye candy, how about this:

These Under Golden Branches" hairpins are so pretty, and I spent a good chunk of time browsing through all the lovely goodness at Jeweled Elegance. 

And it was such a treat to receive paper goods from other paper shopgirls out there.  I Love Jezebel truly has a love for all things vintage, and you can tell from their line of paper goods.  Here's a sample:

The gems you see here are just a smidgen of what I received.  I urge you to peek at my photo album to see everything up close and personal!  I was absolutely blown away by the generosity, creativity, and craftsmanship of these indie shop girls!    And I'm most grateful to Ez of Wren Eleven for hosting such an amazing give away! Thank you so much!

Tabula Rasa

Happy New Year!!  I'm happy for new beginnings, a fresh start!  Tabula Rasa.  I started yesterday by getting rid of the old by overhauling my studio space (aka Le Garage) with Hank and my dad, and I'm hoping that the space will be more functional from now on!  I can actually walk without tripping over this and that so I consider that a mini success! 

And I'm hoping to work at some of my New Year's Goals too:

•Organize my ever growing stash of photos -- some are too precious to be sitting in a box on our bookcase!

•Keep the house tidy. (Ha! I almost have to laugh at myself on this one. . . )

•Print a mini grocery list of all my fave recipes -- that way I can shop in a jiffy!

•Have a weekly date night with Hank.  A simple cup of tea + a movie at home is such a treat!

•Trim down the amount of magazine subscriptions, and renew the ones that I actually read:  Domino, Mother Jones, HOW, BUST, and The New Yorker. (Yes, an eclectic collection, I know! :)

•Spend more time illustrating for fun.

•Write a business plan for the year.

•Post more frequently on this here blog! (Awright, you can stop laughing!)

Hmmm, I'm sure there are more, but this is a good start!  I'll keep you updated you on my progress!

******

And before I close, I just wanted to add a shameless plug for The Paper Princess. I recently added a new line of greeting cards, and I'm really excited about them.  If there's something you'd like, please feel free to use my coupon code for 20% off of your entire order.  Simply enter RESOLUTION upon checkout!

Don't Hate Me Cuz I'm DONEZO

Yep!  I'm donezo with the holiday shopping!  Hoorah!  I've finished the last bits o' shopping oh about two and a half weeks ago!  Hip hip!  Hooray!  But that doesn't mean that I'm immune from the holiday frenzy 'cause frankly, the holiday madness is about to swallow me whole!!  Anyway, the daily hoopla is the main reason why I've been so darn blogligent lately.  Everytime a blog-worthy thought pops into my head, I find myself with a sinkful of dishes, a living room to tidy, or Mr. Sandman is calling out to me.  So sorry!

Well, I've been staring at this blank blog page for a bit now, and I'm still waiting for some amazing blog-worthy thought to fly into my head.  But, er, that's not happenin'. So instead of boring you with the story of how one of my kids bit me yesterday, how 'bout a contest?!  Last year I had y'all guess how many 44 oz jars of peanut butter we might eat in a year, so I thought I'd up the ante and move up to KETCHUP.  Yep, the red stuff.

Alison and Henry recently discovered ketchup, and wow! it goes with everything!  Yes, it goes with the typical stuff like fries and burgers, but it also compliments other goodies like chicken dinos (thank you Costco), rice, corn dogs, mac and cheese.  Okay, enough peering into my kids' healthy eating habits. . . and let's move onto the fun stuff, shall we?

How many 66 ounce bottles o' ketchup do you think my kids will polish off in a year?  Go on take a guess!  To give you a fairly good idea of how large a 66 oz. bottle is. . . just imagine that the bat broke at your son's birthday party, and the wee guests are eager to knock the lights out of the candy filled piñata.  What do you grab first?  Yep, that 66 oz. bottle of ketchup.  That's what.  Okay, not the best example, but I think you get the picture.

So, please dear readers. Go on and guess. . . .

Testing. . .1, 2, 3

Testing. . . . 1, 2, 3

Testing.  Ahem, is this thing on?

Okay good.  Glad you're still hanging around this here blog.  Since when did this become a once-a-month posting place?!  Oh right.  A long time!  Well, what's new?  Um, a lot.  A little.  Nothing.  Everything. 

We're entering mid-November with much enthusiasm and excitement for the upcoming holidays!  Can you believe that I've already started my holiday shopping?  Yep!  Started last month with a few things here and there, and this month I intend on finishing up so that December can be relaxing and calm!

It seems that every day Hank and I enter a new dimension of parenting.  New discoveries, new challenges.  I swear every day I learn something new about my kids, and something new about myself as a person.  Parenting is by far the most important and most challenging job I've ever had, and fortunately I have an amazing husband with whom I can share this journey.  What would I do without you Hank?  I spend a lot of time reflecting on my parenting choices and style, and oftentimes I wonder how much of my own childhood  has influenced the decisions I make today.  (Parents) Do you ever think about that too?

Anyhoo, I just wish there were a Parenting Manual, complete with instructions on how to proceed when, say, your son flushes his underwear down the toilet (immediately after the plumber leaves).  Or on a more serious note, when your daughter writes something like this:

Yesterday we gave Alison a timeout, and the funny thing is I can't even remember why.  We don't give them that often, but when we do, it's usually so that our kids can calm down and so they can get their thoughts together.  After about five minutes, Hank found this (unfinished) note on her doodle board.  Initially I thought the note was cute and a bit dramatic, but after thinking about it more, I realized that Alison's feelings are a big deal to her.  And they should be to me also.

Alison and I talked through the problem, and we were able to think of a solution for future situations. . . But see?  I told you I need The Manual.  That should have been a no brainer, and yet I found myself stumbling through the "what do I do?" and "what do I say?" question-answer session.  Gah! 

****** Well, I couldn't leave this here blog without telling y'all about some new Gift Enclosure Cards that I just added to the shop. I've been having a lot of fun with pattern creating and brush making. Go check 'em out. And if you sign up for the newsletter, you can get top secret discount codes and other fun stuff.  Oh, and the FIRST FIVE people who comment below will win A Baker's Dozen Variety Pack of gift cards!  Go on now! :)

******
And I'm terribly, terribly behind on e-mails.  I will catch up soon! I promise!  Have a great week (er, month!)

Kick Up Your Heels

We just returned from our weeklong vacation visiting my brother and his family!  We're beat, and taking our sweet time in the unpacking, settling back into our lives routine.  I have tons o' catching up to do since the entire week was  computer free (save for a few e-mails here and there) -- lots o' blog reading, and an entire week of flickr photos to peruse.  Isn't that dreamy?  Flickr is my visual treat, and Sundays are always such a fun day to peek at everyone's weekend!

For now, though, I leave you with this:
Kick Up Your Heels!

Our newest movie star showing some of her finest moves.  Just what is it that has her so excited?  She was watching the Teletubbies for the first time. (Note: Okay, we're back to the silent film again. . . If only you could hear the squealing. . . the sound is 99.9% of the cuteness factor!

And see?  I told you I was addicted:

What I Did Over Summer Vacation

Man, I can't believe that summer is almost over!  Where on earth did time go?  That always happens, though, doesn't it?  Summer whizzes us by, and then before we know it, we're writing essays titled, "What I Did Over Summer Vacation."  Or something like that.

If Alison were to sit down and write an essay like this, hers might read a little like this:

What I Did Over Summer Vacation (So Far)
By Alison W.
"Summer started off pretty fun.  My mama signed Henry and me up for swimming lessons.  Henry kinda freaked out and screamed every day at  the lessons.  He didn't like hanging on the side of the pool.  So he just screamed and hollered.  Now he sits on the side of the pool and watches me.  Oh and he eats lots of popcorn too.  Mama says she makes it for him to keep him focused and still.  I don't think it works, though, because I always hear Henry yelling "Hi!  Hello Allie!" to me while I'm swimming.

Let's see what else?  Um, we've been eating a lot of frozen yogurt.  My mama said that she's "hooked" on frozen yogurt from The Golden Spoon.  I don't know what hooked means, but I feel like I could eat that stuff every day. Especially the mint flavor with gummy bears.  That stuff is so yummy.  My mama says eating her frozen yogurt is as important as breathing air.  I usually just smile and nod and say, "Can I get two toppings this time?"

Oh we're going on vacation soon.  We're flying out to see my uncle, aunt, and cousin.  That should be fun, and if I remember right, our last plane ride was kind of crazy.  Mama likes to refer to it a "disaster."  All I remember is Henry pooped his pants on the plane, and then my shoelaces got stuck in the escalator at the airport.  Oh and I also remember Mama rushing off to buy some medicine called Addvill.

Another exciting thing that happened is Baby Kate started walking all over the place.  She can walk everywhere now, and she usually ends up playing in my room or my closet.  She's so cute, and I love being her big sister.  My mama has taught her some sign language, and she signs for simple things like "more," "milk," "eat." 

And Henry.  As crazy as he is, he really is my good pal.  We do fun things like play "FOOD" or "FAMILY."  Usually I'm the mama, and he's the daddy.  Oh and Baby Kate is, well, the baby.  We have pretend food, and we take orders and stuff.  Today Henry and I pretend cooked some tomatoes.  We all laughed when Henry said that he added his special salt, pepper, and syrup to them.  He always makes us laugh.

We also got to spend the night at our grandparents' house.  My Daddy surprised my Mama with tickets to see Sirk Doo Solay in a place called Vegas.  They flew to Vegas and saw the show, and my Mama was happy that she was able to go on a trip sans the kids.  (And she always whispers that part). 

Well, I think that's about it.  Summer is almost over, but we still have a lot of plans left for the next few weeks.  It should be a lot of fun!  Life is good."

******
Hee!  i think that about sums up our summer vacation so far!  I have some (potentially) exciting news relating to The Paper Princess that I can't wait to share, but I'm afraid of jinxing things. . . so I'll just leave y'all with a cliff hanger!  I have been reworking some of my illustrations for card designs.  Here's the lastest one I redid. . . . still in its production stage!  Do you like?

HONK IF YOU'RE HOT!

Honk! Honk! Honk!

Hot diggity!  It's hot!  Is it hot in your neck o' the woods too?!  Right now it's a cool, NINETY DEGREES INSIDE THE HOUSE.  Yep.  And outside?  Add about another 10 degrees.  The funny thing about this obnoxious heat is a conversation I had with Hank last November (when we were having a new heating system put in).  It went a little something like this:

Hank:  So did you want to just go ahead and add a/c to the forced heating system?

Me: Nah, it never really gets that hot in the summer.  We'll be alright!

So yeah, I'm kicking myself for not splurging on the a/c.

And I  know, I know.  It's hot everywhere.  Poor Joleen is suffering through 121 degree heat. . . . I'm just a big ol' wimp when it comes to extreme temperatures (be it too hot or too cold!).  I'm a 70 degrees kinda gal.  Yeah, that sounds nice.  Oh, if only.

Anyway, what was the point of this post?  I dunno. . . I think the heat melted all the ideas in my head!

Well how about these long overdue photos?  The blogosphere spoiled me good for my birthday.  Here take a peek at part of my gifty from Kathleen:

You can view the rest o' the goodies over here. ***

I've been getting many questions about my Crap Swap -- I had grand plans of using flickr as our medium of trade, but after e-mailing the fine flickr folks, I learned that flickr cannot be used for commercial purposes.  (Jes and Hope also tipped me off about the flickr TOS, and they suggested I remove links to my business site to prevent losing my flickr account!  Thanks girls!) And well, flickr,  considered my crap swap a "commercial use."  Bummer, I know.  I had fun in the first round. . .round 2 coming up soon.  And Gifty?!  Oh, we'll get around to that again soon too!  The group has gotten quite large, and it's becoming harder to manage.  Any suggestions?  What do you guys think about putting a cap on "registration?"  Does that take the fun out of the swap?

***

And I almost forgot (see what happens when the posts are so infrequent?  You get a random bunch of random thoughts all thrown together!).  I almost forgot to tell you folks that I opened up a shop over at etsy.   Go take a peek!  My paper goods are cheaper there (primarily because I don't have to worry about the spying eyes of retailers surveying my prices).  My learning curve for selling wholesale is quite steep, and I'm just now learning how to offer wholesale prices while making it worthwhile for me too!

***

Okay, now the real question.  HOW HOT IS IT WHERE YOU ARE?  Do tell.

Signs of Spring?

Originally written on Gloomy Monday, May 22nd
It's 11 a.m., and the sun is shyly peeking from behind the clouds.  It'll only be a few moments, though, before she hides again as the weather here in SoCal has been unforgiving and unspringlike!  Egh!  Sun, won't you stay for a while? 

Kate is down for her morning nap, and I'm trying to enjoy my cup of tea (PG Tips, of course) and my mid-morning snack.  It'll only be a bit before I have to dash out to pick up Henry, and then the day turns crazy again!  Lately I have found that multitasking is not only a skill, but a prerequisite to raising a three ring circus!  So many thoughts and ideas are continually swimming through my head at any given moment, and oftentimes I find myself trying to find tranquility (like in my cup of tea) or in our roses (lovingly cared for and tended by Hank). Behold:

Could this be a sign that spring is near?  Oh I hope so! I am also finding that ME TIME is so utterly important nowadays.  I've been eager to create something for myself, something that I enjoy doing.  It's funny that these thoughts started surging, and then I happened to read Blair's recent post.  Here's her thoughts on creating:

I need to take ideas from inside my head to fruition.  I need to create with my hands, and my brain.  It has occurred to me that, being home with my kids all day, I could literally pick up after them, and clean up *all*day*long.  Seriously, without question, there is no shortage of something to be done in every corner, inside and out, all the time.

Amen, sister!  Oftentimes I am burning the candle at both ends, and I am at the point where I need to refocus and concentrate on the SIMPLE PLEASURES of every day life!  Every day I'm going to do something for myself (whether it be something small, like indulging in my favorite green tea latte or whether something luxurious, like taking a loong nap or even 30 minutes of drawing on the computer!)

So won't you join me?  I know there are other tired, multitasking, overworked folks out there!  Join me in spoiling yourself!  You deserve it, don't you think?

Oh Me! Oh My!

Today I was browsing the internet and googling random ideas and thoughts, and I somehow ended up on eBay (hmmm, how convenient).  And then, and then, that was it.  I found this fabulous eBay seller who sells nothing but magazines subscriptions.  For cheap!  Super cheap.  Check out some of the deals I snagged:

Can you believe that Domino was a mere $4.97/year?!  What?  Since the mags were all so reasonably priced, I bought several titles (Every Day Food, Self, Working Mother).  The Rolling Stone subscription is for Hank ($5.95 for two years). Unbelieveable! Friends and I swap mags all the time, so I know that they'll be equally thrilled with my bargains!  It's like I've suddenly gone magazine crazy ever since Hope posted about the new Blueprint Mag. 

Okay, I'm off to peek at more magazines.  Geez, I'm afraid I'm addicted.  Go on now. Go peek for yourself. And if you end up with some of your own bargains, let me know! 

Fun Finds! And (Possible) Junk Swap?

About once a month my best friend and I head out in the early morning in search of vintage finds.  Last week we headed out later than normal, but I still managed to find some nice surprises!  Like these guys:

How wonderful is it that I bumped into a man selling bakery toppers (old new stock!).  I was thrilled to bits, and managed to grab a bag full of these little guys! So much fun! Alison's party is coming up soon, so I think I will venture in topping some cupcakes with these creatures.  Won't they look fab?

Here are some more:

These fellas are a tad creepy, in a clown sort of way.  But I still had fun opening them up from their original packaging (1950s). 

  I'll post the rest of the gang over at flickr.

******* I think spring fever has hit around here (save for Monday when it was icky and rainy).  The weather today was great, and Kate and I managed to take two walks around the neighborhood.  The first walk was cut short when I noticed Kate's chin in her chest - - she had fallen asleep!  And lawd knows that if my kid is napping, I'm going to haul it home to take advantage of quiet time!

On an unrelated note, I have to say that I love my neighbors!  One of my kind neighbors takes Henry to preschool since it's impossible for me to drop off two kids at two different locations at the same time!  And Henry has formed a convenient friendship with another neighbor's daughter Madison (also 4) -- this year it's been great carpooling with Jen (the mom) to pick up the kids from preschool.  Usually we eat lunch together while the kids play, and then I dash off to pick up Alison from kinder.  I don't know what I would do without the support of other moms (and my neighbors!).

******* Speaking of spring fever. . .I've been clearing out stuff like mad. I actually tackled my craft closet, and realized that: 1.) I horde stuff and 2.) hording = clutter

So! With that in mind, I've decided to collect up some of these goodies. . . and perhaps ask if anyone wants to swap junk?!  I have YARN UP THE KAZOO, fabric, watchmakers' cases (two sizes), rubber stamps, ink pads, this, that, and yeah, that too. 

Any of you interested in my crap?  (I'll post pics of stuff up for swap later! )

Serenity Now!

Serenity Now!  That's been my motto of late.  I feel like Old McDonald with a farm full of animals barking here a command, there a command, everywhere a command command.  Sheesh.  We're just rounding up the last bits of home renovations (for now), and it feels like such a relief to have hallway lights again. It's the simple pleasures, I tell ya!  As soon as I get our home in order, I will give ya'll the flickr tour!

We recently celebrated Henry's fourth birthday with a family get together (this party just about did me in!), and as soon as March made its appearance, we celebrated Alison's sixth birthday!  Her party is in the planning stages, and this one will be huge.  Alison plans to invite the whole gang from her class.   I'll let you know how that goes!

I'm also currently reworking The Paper Princess site -- there will be new and exciting things in place very, very soon!  I can't wait to share those with you soon!

Despite all of the frenzy on the homefront, I have managed to get a bunch of reading and knitting done (I made a pact with myself to indulge in ME TIME every evening).  I'm currently throughly absorbed in The Kite Runner.  I'm having a really hard time putting that book down, and oftentimes I wake up with the book tucked under my pillow, my fingers gripping the last page read. 

Pictured below is that pinafore that I've started knitting for Kate.  Of course the beginning of this project coincided with the release of The Happy Hooker. . . now I'm in spaz mode trying to finish up the pinafore so that I can get started on my next project!  Gah!  I'm a nut!

And isn't that fabric neat-o?!  A friend sent me this fabulous curtain panel -- she found it when she was cleaning out her mother's craft room.  These panels once hung in her childhood kitchen!  I love fabric with history, don't you? Well folks, I think I'll keep this post short.  I just wanted to update with my NEW! and IMPROVED! banner!  I hope you like it!

And a big hug to you all!  Your comments about Kate's first "Mama" made me so happy!  I'm so glad that I could share it with you all!

Today.

Today she said that one special word.
The one just for me.

Foiled by Waffle Sticks!

In my recent post regarding our Skippy Peanut Butter consumption, Hank, my peanut butter loving husband, posted this comment:

Okay, in the interest of Science, I am prepared to eat as much peanut butter as I can over the next fifty-two weeks. In the interest of Science. I will do anything for Science. Perhaps Leslie will then run a clever post on how much weight her husband has gained over the past year. But if DeNiro can do it for Raging Bull, I can do it for Skippy. ~Hank

Okay so I know that you have all been eager and white-knuckled with anticipation to see how this Skippy! count contest unfolds.  I know, I know.  It's about as exciting as watching paint dry.  Or watching ice melt.  Well folks, I hate to break it to ya, but I think that my family has banded together to try to prove me wrong.  You see, I think I've been foiled by Waffle Sticks.

Every morning my kids used to eagerly, feverishly gobble up peanut butter toast or peanut butter bagels or peanut butter crackers.  But now?  The introduction of Ze Royale Waffle Sticks has curbed my kids' appetite for la crema de cacahuate! Every morning, there's the rush and scramble to the freezer to pop those waffle sticks into the toaster oven.  So my friends, the peanut butter consumption 'round here has come to a crawl (a mere 2.5 40 oz. jars!).  Yep, just like I said. As exciting as watching your hair grow.

Speaking of growing hair. (Heh, did you like that segue?)  Remember when my hair stopped falling out when I was pregnant?  And do you remember when I mentioned that it had started to grow back?  Well dear reader, did you really believe me when I told you about my hair woes?  (Come on, you can tell me if you thought it was all a crock!) Well in the interest of showing you what I was talking about, check out my new hair!  See?!  I told you I have a couple of inches of sticky-uppy hair (all new growth!)!!! 

Gosh, nuthin' but excitement 'round here folks.

Onto truly splendiferous news, I was so happy to hear about Hannah's newest addition, Arlo.  What a sweet bean of a baby!  In my desire to get back into crafting, I crocheted a pair of All Stars just for her wee one.  (I used some insanely tiny needle!)  Here, take a looksee, will ya?  I like how it coordinated with Valentine's Day!  I think these little guys must have arrived around the time little Arlo entered the world!

Onto Gifty! news, if you've taken snaps of your goody goods, please consider posting it in our flickr group!  It's been so much fun seeing all the swapping goodness.  And guess what?  This round I participated in the swapping fun!  So this Gifty! round was my very first one!  My fabulous partner was Kat of Pinku!  She's such a sweetie!  She spoiled me with some wonderful surprises (I will take pictures soon. . . it's night, lighting's bad etc, etc).  But to give you a little teaser, it included EDIBLE (REAL) GOLD HEARTS!  Whoa!  How cool is that?!

Anyway, my  mind is a jumble, so I think I will close with a list of thoughts that have been popping in and out of my head lately:

• I'm feeling quite lucky to have scored a subscription to Mail Order.  I'm also feeling way cool because I guessed the secret word!

•  I'm excited because my big bro and his family are in town, and this weekend should be a ton o' fun!

• I am thrilled because a very, good friend has recently reentered my life!

• I'm knitting a pinafore for baby Kate!!

Skippy! It's a Snack! It's a Meal!

Like father.  Like daughter? 

Yes, Alison is like her father in so many ways.  She's tall and lanky.  She's sharp and intelligent.  Those are all good qualities I know.  But there's one gene that Hank must have hand delivered to Alison himself as she is so much like him, it's uncanny.  Now for the sake of this post, let's refer to this gene as The Skippy Gene.

The Skippy Gene, you ask?  Now before I go on, let me just explain that Alison has to inspect each morsel of food before it touches her lips.  I'd also like to preface my explanation with the fact that my husband likes tomatoes, but not in tomato form.  There is a difference, you know. 

Examples: 
Ketchup?  Yes! 
Cherry Tomatoes on salad?  Nope! 
Bruchetta?  Yes! 
BLT?  I'll have a BL, hold the T, please!

Now what does this have to do with Ze Royale Skippy Gene?  Well folks, around my household, peanut butter, specifically Skippy (creamy) peanut butter, is the fifth food group.  In their finicky ways, Hank and Alison find refuge in Skippy, and they inhale the stuff like two Skippy addicts.  Dare our supply of the stuff get dangerously low, and I'm off to the market in the wee hours of the night.  I kid you not.  You should see Hank's face when the last bit of the creamy wonder is gonzo.  It's sad really. 

Anyway, so WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS POST? 

The point is to tell you that my family eats too much peanut butter.  Yes, yes it's true.  I admit it.

And I've decided that as of Wednesday, February 1st, 2006, I am going to keep a running tally of how many jars of Skippy Peanut Butter my family consumes in a year!  How's that for exciting?  Now before I start my tallying, I'm going to have all y'all in blogland GUESS HOW MANY JARS OF SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER MY FAMILY WILL CONSUME IN ONE YEAR?!

Go on, guess!  I dare you.

Now to be fair, here are the specs about our beloved Skippy:
• One jar refers to the 40 oz. Mama Size Jar (Basically if you opened up your pantry and this happened to fall on your head, you'd need to pay a visit to the hospital).
• I actually BOUGHT COUPONS for Skippy Peanut Butter.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I PURCHASED COUPONS for the stuff.  That should give you an idea of how often I buy the stuff.  Is there no shame?
• Sometimes we eat other brands of peanut butter (gasp!), and I will not tally these jars into the overall count!

So go guess folks!

*****
Gifty update!  So far everyone who has signed up for Gifty! is in Round 3!  Yay!  Keep your eyes peeled later in the week for more details! :)

In Which She Wears a Booger on Her Shirt Like a Badge of Honor

Okay, so I have to say that returning to my real job wasn't all that bad afterall.  My first day, Tuesday, was pretty much dedicated to cleaning off my desk (oh it felt good to chuck all my old projects!) and organize my computer files.  Oh, and of course I spent a good portion of the day in the "honeymoon phase . . . " in which everything was rainbows + lollipop good.

Most of my co-workers were happy to see me, and after a couple of hours, I started answering people's questions with my standard rote answers.  "Oh the kids are great. . . " or "She's almost seven months now. . . " or "Yes, I'm thrilled to be back here."  Some co-workers acted just as if I had never left, making me feel as if I were in some H.G. Wells book or something.  Hello timewarp!  Case in point:  a co-worker who is kinda, um, how shall I describe her. . . uh, kinda dingbat-ty (no, no, I'm not referring to Birdie.  Do y'all remember her?).  Imagine someone who doesn't hesitate to spew her deepest, darkest secrets over lunch. . .and then cries three months later because God forbid EVERYONE knows her secrets and Jesus how on earth did they find out?  For the sake of this post, let's refer to her as Miss Loopy.

Anyway, there I was at my desk having worked an entire 45 minutes,  and just as I was ducking down to file away some paper, my office door bursts open, startling the beejeezus out of me.  And there's Miss Loopy.  (Now remember, I haven't seen her or spoken to her for EIGHT MONTHS).  And there she is, her loopiness on high, and she's rushing into my office at full speed.  In fact, as she's bursting into the office, she's conversing with someone (no one?), and also happens to be mid-sentence.

Miss Loopy: "---and then on Christmas Eve I get a call, and it's my ex in the hospital."

Me: (excited to see a new face): "Oh hi, Loopy!"

Miss Loopy: "Can you believe the nerve?  He went and had a stroke, and then called me. . . "

Me: (surveying the office to see if anyone else was perhaps in mid-convo with her. . and nope, it's just me and The Loop.)

Miss Loopy:  ". . . it's like he's on his deathbead or something. . . but what could I do?  Huh?  I mean, after all of this time I'm NOT getting any of his pension since all of that illegal stuff back in the 90s. . . and besides SHE was there.  You know.  THE OTHER WOMAN."

The monologue continued like this for about 15 minutes, before Miss Loopy decided to end the conversation by leaving my office. Midsentence, of course.  That wacky woman that!  And folks, I'm sorry to say that the Birdie stories will be no more.  Birdie has moved onto a new place of work.  Rest assured, though, that there will be plenty stories of The Loop. . . oh how the archives are deep!

******

Onto more intriguing bits of news.  Did you know that the other day I had a booger on my shirt?  And no, it wasn't mine thank you very much.  The green ball of sticky slime belonged to one of my loving, charming children, and whichever one decided to bestow this phlegmy wad of love onto my shoulder is so going to get it some day. 

Before the M.o.B.R. (Moment of Booger Recognition), I was feeling pretty damn good.  I was up, the kids were dressed, I was dressed. Heck!  I even flatironed my hair for the day!  Man, the day was starting off so well.  In hindsight, the morning was pretty hectic, requiring me to hug or coddle each one of the little tykes at varying points of the morning.  You know those early morning moments when sibling 1 yells, "Go away!" to sibling 2, and sibling 2 feels crushed because sibling 1 is being mean.  And the morning becomes filled with yelps of "Mama tell him/her to stop looking at me!!!!" or "Allie's using my cup!" or "Mama!  Henry ate the last packet of oatmeal!"  You know, that kinda stuff.

Anyway, so what I'm saying is that the booger culprit could have been any one of my three lovelies.

Anyway, flashforward a couple of hours, and I'm out and about with the kids in a PUBLIC PLACE (Michael's to be exact). Remember now, PUBLIC PLACE = I SEE PEOPLE AND PEOPLE SEE ME.  We're strutting around.  Things are great, and it's my day off to be with the kids.  We're strolling down an aisle in the shop, and a woman walking towards us stops and admires my brood of chickadees.  As she's looking at me, I'm thinking to myself. . . Yes, not only am I decently dressed. . . I flatironed my hair today too.

Her eyes linger a bit on my shoulder, she takes lets out a breath of hesitation, and then smiles and moves on down the aisle.  I continue down the aisle in the opposite direction and then the moment occurs. You know, THE MOMENT.  The M.o.B.R.!!  My fingers somehow land in the slimey ball of green boogery mess, and as I pull my hand away, the booger stretches and snaps off of my sweater and onto my index finger.  I try to flick it off, but to no avail.  My fingers are now tangled and stuck in a CAT'S CRADLE OF GREEN SNOT.  And it ain't pretty.

The kids start getting whiney.  Someone mentions something about having to go pee pee. And damnit I have a booger stuck to my hand.  Another lady starts heading my way now, and I start panicking.  Wouldn't you?  Eventually the booger flicks off and lands somewhere between the rows of rubber cement and the Plaster of Paris.  And like the proper lady that I am, I leave it there.  Shhh, don't tell.

Hours later, when I'm at home, and the kids are down for a nap, I sit on the couch and I laugh to myself.  I laugh hard like a lunatic.  When Hank comes home, I tell him all about my day, and he laughs too.  When the kids get older, I can't wait to tell them the booger story.  Heck!  I can't wait to tell them all the stories:  the story of Henry's candy cane that got stuck in Mama's hair. . . or the story of Alison's dried barf on my shoulder. . . these are the war stories of my life as a mama.  May I wear them all like badges of honor.

 

Happy Holidays!

This portion written on December 23rd
Oh! It's been too long my friends. Too long! I'm heading towards the tail end of our winter break (Hank has been off of work since November 23rd), and it's been so wonderful having him home. Our days have been long and lazy with later wakeup calls, lingering breakfasts over chai tea, mid-afternoon naps, and lots of reading and lazing about. Nothing wrong with that, don't you think? It's been nice to reclaim Mr. & Mrs. Time while the kids are away at school, and we're left with an empty, quiet house. (Well, of course we've had the pleasure of being with Kate, but she's such a quiet, sweet little creature.)

A couple of weeks ago Kathleen and I stormed Bizarre Bazaar at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium, and we were able to get some goody goods to gift and to keep. So many crafty ladies were there, and it was fun meeting some of them in person. Kathleen and hubby Shawn are so fun to hang around with, and we're planning to meet up again soon (this time we won't require our husbands to roam the aisles of a craft fair!). We're just going to wait until the holiday madness simmers down.

The following day, crafty diva, Jenn popped by with her bambinos, and she came bearing gifties for the kidlets. And the best part? She managed to whip up a homebaked gingerbread house for the kids! Yes, you read that right! A gingerbread house from scratch! Alison and Henry were thrilled, and there were many quarrels about who would get to eat which part. . . and they were constantly turning the house 'round and 'round and 'round. Here, go on and take a peek at the houses here!

Mr. Yury, our contractor, decided to reenter our lives last week to finish up yet another phase of our renovations. So currently our house is in a state of complete disaster (the Master bedroom looks like it exploded, and our hallway looks like Beirut!) But we're determined to finish off the renovations especially since Yury has promised to transform our hallway into "The Corridor of Love." Hmmmm. . . we'll see about that.

Yesterday both Alison and Henry had Christmas performances which that sent us flitting about the city trying to catch a glimpse of both. Luckily we have two digital video cameras on hand (thanks workplace!), and we were able to record both performances! So a big whew on that one! Henry and his preschool pals sang the traditional repertoire of Christmas jingles -- he looked so cute with a glittering halo over his head! And Alison's group sang canciones bilingües; her class sang "Todo que Quiero es Paz" (while signing in sign language) and a Hannukah song (Latkes de Papa).

We've been so lazy lately, and now we're paying for it! Hank is about to take the kids out while I frantically try to wrap up our presents for the kids. . .

Obviously I never finished this post. . . so let's fastforward to December 27th
Much has happened since. . .to give you a brief run down, let me give you "The Numbers"

Number of times Henry asked, "Is Santa coming soon?": 27/day

Visits to the post office per week: 9

Number of times I thought I was finished with my shopping but really wasn't: 4

Inches of dust in our home (thanks to Yury): 1.5"

Percentage of brain filled with worry and fret: 99.9%

Number of visits to the ER (in the past two days): 2

Number of kids sick in our household: 2

Days that my Christmas cards have been delayed at the printers: 9

Number of days until I return to WORK: 7

Number of times I watched "A Christmas Story": 2

Number of meds we have in rotation: 6 (Motrin, Zithromax, Augmenten, Albuterol, Advil, Pediacare)

Number of times I've transformed into the Wicked Witch: 10/day (I'm sorry, Hank)

******
Okay, you get the point! In short, Henry has pneumonia and Kate has bronchitis. :( They're both on the mend now, but it still doesn't prevent me from worrying like mad!!!!

Anyway, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to get back into BLOGGING!!!! I miss it so much, and I miss all of you bloggy friends! So!!! I will be back with more VIM!! More smiles!! More laughs!! Yes! 2006 promises to be a FUN, FUN year!!!

Inspiring Women!

Vicki tagged me with this fun, thought-provoking meme (one that she created herself!). She has asked that I write about five women who inspire me and my creativity! Such a great question. . . I've thought a lot about my possible answers, and alas! here is my list:

1. Sandra Cisneros - - Most people that I know either love her or hate her. I fall in the former category, and I have a deep sense of appreciation for Ms. Cisneros' writing. I first read Cisneros' book, La Casa en Mango Street (The House on Mango Street) while in college, and I immediately fell in love with her colorful writing and vibrant word choices. Her work is childlike, brillante, fresh, and she writes from her inner child as a poor Latina growing up in Chicago. I must also add that I have seen the most reluctant readers/writers in my classroom take pride in their own selves and cultures after having read La Casa en Mango St. Cisneros' writing not only entertains, but it inspires me to find my own voice as a female minority.

2. Seonna Hong:
Ever since I entered the world of digital illustration a year or so ago, I have found much inspiration from artist, Seonna Hong. Her color palette and mostly female dominated paintings are so fabulous and truly inspiring. Her paintings shatter stereotypes by proving that little asian girls can be more than just little docile playmates. Trapeze artist? Sure! Space Explorer? Of course! Wrestler? Yeah, that too!

Edited to add: After some fun internet searching, I just found out that Seonna Hong has a gallery showing in my hometown!! Her pieces will be at the gallery through November! I'm thrilled that I'll be able to see her work up close and personal!

3. Paige Pooler: I stumbled across Paige Pooler's illustration site about a year ago, and I find her digital illustrations fun, whimsical, and colorful! I love how she combines digital illustration with photography to create truly one of a kind pieces. Her silly sense of humor shines through her creations. I'd also like to add that she's super friendly too! I happened to e-mail her a couple of months back, and her responses were always so genuine, courteous, and kind!

And I'm going to have to think more about numbers four and five! Thanks for inviting me to play, Vicki!

Photos courtesy of: amazon.com, seonnahong.com, paigepooler.com

*************

Today good pal Amanda and I spent NINE HOURS cleaning out my garage, transforming it into a real bonafide workspace! There's still tons to be done, but the fact that I can actually walk from one end of the garage to the other says a lot! My painting/creating workbench still needs to be organized and sorted through, but we're saving that fun stuff for another weekend.

And I'd also like to add that Amanda LOVES TO STRAIGHTEN and TIDY UP! She thrives off of organization which is such a treat for me. Actually to give you a bit of history, Amanda was my first dorm roomie, and there were days when I'd come home from a long day of school, and my laundry would be folded, sheets washed and changed. . .the works! What a dream, huh?

She's never asked for anything in return (this is the second storm through the garage), but I'd really like to spoil her with something good. Any suggestions?

********
This week promises to be another hectic one, but on Thursday night Hank, the kids, and I are packing it up and heading up north to San Luis Obispo for a fun weekend! Can't wait! Hopefully I'll squeeze in another post before then! Happy Monday!

The Chutes and Ladders of Life

Holy smokes!  Has it really been three weeks since my last post?!  Sheesh!

Well folks, there's tons o' catching up to do, so I might as well start of with our ever fabulous NYC meetup last week.  After much planning and anticipation, I had the sincere pleasure of meeting up with my online pals:  Giao, Jes, Yvonne, Hope, Kathleen, and Dawn.  Though the trip was fabulous and glorious in every way, I must admit that I had a TERRIBLE time leaving Hank and the kidlets behind.  The night before departing, I didn't get a wink of sleep, and I kept second guessing myself with thoughts of, "Should I really be doing this?!" and "How can I leave my kids?" and most importantly, "OhmyGod, Hank is going to be in charge of the kids' wardrobes for three days.  THREE. WHOLE. DAYS."*  (Moms out there, I see you nodding your heads at this.) 

Anyway, our trip was wonderful, splendiferous, and I must say that A LOT of shopping was done.  My fellow craftsquaders were so kind, vibrant, energetic, and so darn creative!  I felt immediately at ease with them, and it was so fun to meet these folk after knowing their online persona for a while now.  I look forward to our next meetup.  For a more details, read Kathleen's post!  Or Hope's!  Or Jes'. Or Yvonne's.

*****
Upon returning to reality, my life quickly resorted to the daily up and down excitement of raising three kidlets.  It's funny in a way, because I've realized that my life kinda represents a game of Chutes and Ladders.  Here take a peek, won't you?

I find that each day is a race to avoid the mishaps, the drama,  the chutes of life that send me sliding down that slippery slope of  CHAOS.  I also find myself yearning for the thriling climb, the ascension to the end of a successful day.  These are the ladders of my day.

Yesterday was the perfect example of the chutes outweighing the ladders. 

1.  Ladder -- the day started off calm and peaceful.  The kids woke up happy and healthy.  The sky was blue and the air crisp.  Our closets were full of clean (and folded!) clothes.  A perfect Monday morning.

2.  Chute - The kids and I take our time getting ready for the day.  We eat breakfast and giggle at Kate's smiles.  We have so much fun together that we end up running short of time -- it's suddenly a mad rush to get everyone out the door.  A ladder disguised as a small chute, I suppose.  Nothing too dramatic.

3.  Ladder -- After dropping Alison and Henry off at school, Kate and I hang out.  I fold three loads of laundry, and package up some orders.  I even have time to check e-mail!  Life is good!

4.  Ladder (again!) -- Kate naps, and I sneak in a couple TiVo'd episodes of Laguna Beach while packaging up some wholesale orders.  I learn that I have family visiting from Hawaii!  Exciting stuff!

5.  Chute -- Henry's doctor's office calls to inform me that he's no longer on our insurance plan.  So the 4K hospital bill will be OURS TO KEEP.  Fricken grand.  Big Henry is listed, but little Henry is not.  Lovely. 

6.  The Grand Finale Chute -- The director of Henry's school calls.
Director:  "Hi Leslie....This is Laurie from Henry's school.  Henry is fine.  He isn't hurt--"
Me:  (eagerly) "---yes!?"
Director:  "Um....he filled his pants real bad.  Could you come and bring him a change of clothes?"
Me:  (Thinking to me self) Oh lawd! Great!  Desperate Housewives is just about to start! (kidding folks!  I didn't really think that.  No really. I didn't)   

Minutes later, I arrive at Henry's school and I find him on the playground.  I have a change of clothes, and a travel pack of wipes.  Thinking this will be an easy cleanup, I head off to the kids' bathroom with Henry and Kate in tow.

Imagine this will ya?  Kate is in her stroller right outside the stall.  Henry and I try our best to squeeze and squish into the mini stall (remember this is preschool).  I strip down his pants. . . .

********Now of you're a poopaphobe, now would be a good time to avert your eyes.********

. . . and the gooiest, softest, runniest poo is smeared up and down Henry's legs (imagine half-cooked brownies hot out of the oven). Secretly, I was hoping for a congealed, lump o' poo that could be easily plucked from the undies and plopped into the toilet.  I actually imagined myself busting out of the bathroom stall like a proud cowgirl leaving the saloon.  I'd sidle up to the teachers, tip my hat, and say, "Have a good one, ladies!" A trail of dust would follow as I stroll off of the playground, and only whispers of "Man!  Did you see her clean up that poo?  She's amazing that mama!" would remain.

But no. I struggled.  I sweat.  I think I even cursed under my breath.  Yeah, it was THAT bad.

After plowing through my supply of wipes, I resorted to the badass stuff:  paper towels.  And not of your Brawny variety.  I'm talking sandpaper rough public restroom stuff.  Yeah, those.  I wiped him dry.  Nothing.  I doused the paper towels with cold water.  Hot water.  And nothing!  The poo stayed.

Meanwhile I hear kids outside saying, "Hey teacher, that lady has been in the bathroom the whole recess!!!"  At one point, Henry started to cry when I wiped too hard and he lurched forward, bumping his head against the stall door.  The director came running in, alarmed at the shrilly cries (at this point Kate had started bawling too).  And there I was on my knees wiping poo off of Henry's feet.  Yeah.  One big fricken suckass chute.

What a chute-y day, huh?

Actually, by the end, when I had the kidlets tucked in their warm beds, it was still a good day afterall.  And today has been filled only with ladders.  Yay for ladders!

********
On The Paper Princess front.  I have a few new goodies for you folks.  New gift tags which are super perfect for the upcoming holidays!  New Japanese craft books!  And finally a new card design (design swiped from one of my Illustration Friday contributions).  Fun stuff guys!  And blog readers. . . get this. . .TWO BUCK SHIPPING to any U.S. addy.  Simply enter "I read Rubber-Sol" in the special notes section of checkout, and I'll refund the shipping difference pronto! :)  Take advantage of the cheapy, cheap shipping as this offer will expire on Halloween! 

Okay folks!  I think I'll close here!  Have a great week!  And hey, just for kicks, what were the chutes and ladders of your day?

* I often joke with Hank that he needs fashion assistance via Garanimals.

I'm Wimpy and Other Tales

{Click for Full View}

Last night was crazy.  Rain, lightning, and THUNDER, THUNDER, THUNDER!  Sheesh, when did get to be such a wimp?  I mean when your three year old son comes running into the bedroom at night because the rumble of thunder spooks him, and you feel a sense of relief because now you can snuggle with him and find comfort in him much like you would a giant, warm teddy bear. . .you know you're a wimp.  With a capital W. 

Yep.  Wimp's me!

Ever since Alison started kindergarden, I have struggled to keep up with that thing called LIFE.  I'm either shuttling someone to school or I'm rushing to pick someone up.  Although we've managed to establish a new daily routine, we're far from cruising down Easy St.  Usually little Henry manages to throw in a curve ball into our lock-step schedule.  Let's just put it this way:

Pee pee + car ride - accesible bathroom = A FRANTIC MAMA!

There's nothing like the words, "Drive faster, Mama!  Pee pee's coming...."  to put a little adrenaline into your system, now is there?

Tee hee.  I love Henry.

As if that weren't enough excitement, we bought a new WHITE couch.  Yes.  In case you didn't read it the first time, I said, we bought a NEW WHITE COUCH.  White.  Here's another equation for ya.

3Kids(White Couch + Red Vines) + delusional mother = INSANITY

So, yeah.  Try that on for size.

******
In just 9 short days, I will meet up with very good blogging buddies in New York.  We've been planning for months, and frankly, I can't wait to see everyone!  I am a little wary about travelling without Hank or the kidlets.  I've never been away from them for more than a day, and the last seven times I've travelled by air, I've been pregnant!  So this will be quite an experience for me!

******
The illustration above is my contribution for Illustration Friday.  It's been months since I've participated, and it was fun to doodle with illustrator again.  This week's theme is "Escape."  I hope you all like it!

******
Well this post is turning into a bunch of non-sequiturs.  So I think that's a sign to close here.  I'll post again later in the week.  I'll have some shop updates by then.

Hurricane Katrina

If you'd like to donate to the hurricane relief fund, go on a shopping spree at Craft Revolution's Etsy Shop. ALL proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross. If you're a crafter yourself, you can donate some of your wares to the shop too.

I am so terribly saddened by Katrina and her overwhelming effects.

No saddened isn't strong a enough word. Paralyzed?!

+++++++++++
On a happier note! I am THRILLED with the contest entries! Woo hoo! I just hope my prizes aren't anticlimatic! I will draw the three winners on Friday! So keep the entries coming!

I'm So High Tech

Okay so for the longest time I think I was the only person on the face of the earth who had a Flickr account with NO PHOTOS!  Even after Yvonne had gifted me with a pro account, I still had NADA!  Zip! Zilch!   I felt so proud to be part of these Flickr groups, but, er, I had NO PHOTOS!  But guess what folks?!  I uploaded twenty photos today!  Woo Hoo!  There's no stopping me now!  Ha ha!  Edited to add:  I just peeked at my sets, and Yvonne's comment just about says it all!  :)

Anyway, if you click on my Flickr badge (oh I feel so important with a badge.  Me!  A badge!), you can see my contribution to the Collective Souls Journal Project.  Fun, fun, fun!  And I have FINALLY, finally uploaded my vintage fabrics on Hillary's vintage fabrics group.  That group is so amazing, and there is SO MUCH EYE CANDY to be seen!  And I can't wait to add my thrifting goods to Cassi's new group!

And last but not least, I have some shop updates.  More Japanese craft books!  Yipee!  I have more waiting to be uploaded, but *yawn* I'm tired!

*****Another closing note:  I recently checked my spam folder and lordy lord!  Why didn't I check sooner?  I have months of e-mail in there (some of it really good stuff!).  So I APOLOGIZE profusely if you've written to me and I haven't responded!  Silly me!  Geez, that's embarrassing!

Living in a Time Warp

Um, is it just me or are the days flying by?  It seems that hours, days, weeks are running together, confusing the heck out of me!  It must be because a.) my pregnancy brain has yet to leave the building or b.) I'm getting old.  Either way, I can't seem to keep my days straight.  I mean I have my Palm Pilot and all, but, er, I keep forgetting to charge it.  And when I do manage to charge it, I forget to synchronize it.  So! The bottom line is:  I'm screwed.

Sigh.

Anyway, I've been meaning to post some goodies that some kind folk out there have sent me.  Remember how I mentioned that Mo of Froy and Olo sent me some amazing gifts?  Well here they are folks!  First there's this bit of EYE CANDY.  (Be sure to check out Mo's freshly launched site as I'm sure you'll find something fun there!).  And if this weren't enough, she managed to find the most adorable pair o' booties.  Ever.  She found them at an estate sale, and she was kind enough to part with them and sent 'em my way.  Oh, I can't wait to put them on little Kate!

justJENN, recently returned from her Hawaiian vacation, sent me oodles of goodies.  BEHOLD.  Can you say Yum?  Everybody now, "Y-U-M!"  The best part is that I'm not going to share with N-E-1!  Hee hee!  Just kidding.  Hank, I know you're reading this and salivating.  The very next day, Debbie sent me a pincushion of my very own!  (Remember how she whipped one up for the Baby Pool Stash?)  And take a peek at her handcrafted cards.  The chubby bird is too adorable!

*****
And someday when the stars align I will actually have photos in my Flickr album.  I have a stack of vintage fabric that I'd like to share with you folks, but I don't seem to get around to it.  Remember, this girl can hardly remember what day it is!

Well, I think I'll close here.  But before I do, take a peek at my shop.  I have some Japanese craft books for sale.  Like this one!  Adorable dresses?  Check!  Fun fantastic ideas?  Check!  Furry Friends?  Check!  Go on now.  Run along. :)

P.S. Kate is now EIGHT WEEKS OLD!  Yes!  That's two months old folks.  She's getting really good at holding her head up, and just recently she has started babbling up a storm.  And she smiles.  Oh yes!  She smiles.  And my heart gets all melty and fluttery when she does.  Heck!  Now that I think of it, I don't really care what day it is.  Because right now it really doesn't matter.

At all.

 

Tag! You're It!

Last week Giao tagged me with a fun meme!  Now that the kids are down for the night (Hank too!), I thought I'd sneak in a quick post.  Okay, here goes:

5 CDS in your player:
The Wiggles (Thrilling, I know)
Dido
The Shins
Arthur:  Crazy Bus! (Crazy indeed!)
Coldplay
5 Movies You've Seen Recently:
Must Love Dogs
The Incredibles (2X this week!)
War of the Worlds
Nightmare Before Christmas
Math Circus
5 Nice Things That Happened To You Lately
• Hank purchased cards from The Paper Princess to show his support.  He was hoping to be the first customer!
• Henry picked a passion flower from the yard and gave it to me (it was swarming with ants, but the thought was so sweet!)
• My mom has come ove