Froggy Girl Designs

Four little boys, fresh out of the tub. All in their clean jammies smelling like lavender soap and giggles. All of us cuddling up on the floor together reading some books before bed. Then, one of them farts and goes "Man, that was a good one!!!!". Then they all burst out laughing.

Yes, that is life here sometimes. I think the fart bragging MUST be in their DNA because I know for a fact that is not something they've picked up from either Bobby or I. Some days I feel so sorry for this poor little girl getting tossed in the middle of this testosterone driven house, and other days I'm so very thankful to finally be getting a little more estrogen around here to help even things out!

As a matter of fact, I'm not dead

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:53:00 +0000

Well, not sure how that happened...months and months with no posting. OK, I know HOW it happened, just not why! Things got crazy around here for awhile, but I'm finally getting my sea legs back! I know there are about 2 of you who check in here from time to time, so here's my update:

We just moved, AGAIN, now living in Northern Kentucky for Bobby's new job. He got off of active duty in May, and the job market where we were was no good, so we followed the market and here we are! We just moved a few weeks ago, so we're all settling in to a new school, new home, new everything.

Wyatt is 15 months old, walking everywhere and cracking us all up on a pretty regular basis. Here's a picture of him recently during his favorite time of day-bath! I can't post my favorite pic from this session because it's a bit more, um, nekkid lol.

I'm working on a grand re-opening of the shop around October 15th, so that's taking alot of time as well (don't get me started on my Etsy rant!). I'm starting to do more custom clothing, so look for that to hopefully take a front seat when I reopen.

And possibly the most exciting news-I'm expecting baby #5 January 29th. And even better? This one is a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it??? I can't..still..in shock. I cannot believe that after 4 boys, I'm going to have a little girl. I don't know what to do with a girl!! It struck me today that I'm going to have to figure out how to store and organize hair stuff..what? It's insane! We're completely excited to complete our family, we had decided 5 was it, and that it's a girl-it's just icing on the cake!

I'm really going to try and get back into my blogging routine...so tell your friends! I have some goodies planned!

Bloggy Giveaway!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:17:00 +0000

I'll update my whole "head in the sand" thing I've had going on soon, but I had to participate in this again! Shannon, at Rocks In My Dryer, is hosting another huge giveaway for Winter '08. Check her post out for tons of details.

Now, on to MY giveaway!! I love doing these, I usually forget to participate in many but really enjoy doing them myself. Rules are: one comment entered below only enters you into the contest, I MUST have an email address to contact you or you forfeit your prize (this happened last time, so PLEASE make sure I have a way to contact you!!), this is US only-sorry you international folks! There will be TWO winners: Each will receive their choice of a pair of boxer shorts (boys or girls!), or a rice bag. For more details on the products, please feel free to check out descriptions at my shop.

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What's on my mind

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:07:00 +0000

Musings of a Housewife said it so much better than I ever could. The trials of watching your child grow up and into a PERSON not just a kid, are hard! My exhusband just moved a bit more "local" so our visitation has been significantly changed in that regard, and with that comes a whole slew of what we lovingly refer to as "attitude adjustments". My oldest son is his father to a T-same long and lean body type, same facial expressions, same temperament to a point, and he does so many of the same things to frustrate me to no end.

The glowing eyes are no indicator of said temperament, those are just a result of a bad photographer (not me never!). I love that kid so much, he is a huge helper to me while Bobby is gone. He's SCARY smart, he's funny and he amazes me everyday with just how big hes gotten. I pray every day that I can guide him into being a good man and I'm so proud I was given the opportunity to be his mom.

Now, dear readers...any thoughts on how to deal with those sullen, flippant, too smart for his own good times where I want to pull my hair out?

Well, I'm glad that's over

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:04:00 +0000

It's been a week. Ya know, one of those again. Hubby leaves bright and early tomorrow morning for Georgia for 2-3 months, but I'm ok with that. He has a job to do, and he's ready and willing to do it. My mom was rushed into emergency oral surgery on Sunday, she'd been in the hospital for a few days with a severe infection and the fear was that the infection was going to enter her bloodstream if the tooth was not removed immediately. They were putting off the surgery until her condition improved a bit (she has various long term illnesses-lupus and fibromyilga, which I can never spell correctly). She's fine now though, and home resting. God has been good to us this week-though challenging, everything is chugging along quite well!
I've started researching local craft shows for this year, I'm wanting to get my feet wet in that arena soon. I've got my bulletin board in my sewing room all covered with notes of things I need/want to do before I'm totally ready. I don't know if I have any "local yokel" readers that know of any good ones in this area (southern Indiana/Louisville area) but if you do please let me know! Does anyone have any tips of the trade for me?
And since we've seriously been lacking in the baby pictures area lately, there's a new one of Wyatt. He found a stray piece of batting and this is his "Who me?" face when I found him with it. Oh! And I'll have an exciting announcement this weekend, I can't wait! So check back for that!

What has been giveth, can be taken away

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:55:00 +0000

Otherwise known as the post where I gripe about the Army. My husband's unit left yesterday for GA. My husband did not. He was supposed to stay here to do stuff at the local base while they were all away. We were SO relieved that he wasn't going to be leaving for 4 months. Well, this morning when he went in, he got a little surprise. He's going to GA after all. He leaves the 9th and will be gone for 3-4 months. I'm not a happy camper over here.
First, I threw a mini tantrum once we hung up the phone. Then I griped out the fireplace because it doesn't want to work right either (and I'm sure operator error has nothing to do with that right?). Then I sat down and prayed. For strength, and sanity, and peace. And I'm better now. We were already basically prepared for him to leave, so nothing is different now right? I can still handle the homefront while he's away. I want it to be as positive as possible for the kids, and for him. My plan is to sew ALOT, and clean and all those things that I always shove aside while he's home.
Oh, and I sense alot of fabric buying in my future. And Reese Cups. Must have large stock of Reese Cups.

Lookie where I am!

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:21:00 +0000

Woke up this morning to see myself featured on the Laundry blog! They feature different artists from Etsy all the time, it's a GREAT way to find some really awesome stuff so go check em out! And when you're done, check out my Etsy store..I've been a busy girl!

Stashbuilding and mail goodies

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:04:00 +0000

I won a giveaway on See Katie Sew last week sometime, and I got my package in the mail today. She's busting some of her stash, so she sent me a FULL box of all kinds of awesome fabric. Can you see that little monkey fabric peeking out? It's a home dec weight, and it's a scrap so there's no selvedge on it, but I LOVE IT! It's so adorable!!! Thank you so much Katie for the great box!

I've also been doing some stashbuilding over here. This is a small sampling of what I've gotten recently. Some Freespirit, Kaufman (I've already got the black gingham cherries in a project!), Sis Boom and more. I have a full laundry basket of others waiting to be ironed. I'm not a fabric addict or anything though. I need a 12 step program.

That's all from this camp for the night, tomorrow...well, we'll see what tomorrow brings!

A great start to 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Share your chips daddy!

That's what we've had so far! Woke up to a light dusting of snow which is still falling. I love snow in theory, hate it in actuality (as in going outside in it!). My oldest two sons are with their dad, and the youngest two let Bobby and I sleep in for once. It's one of those lazy days of getting to do not much but clean up from last night and sew. Late last night, I not only met my 2007 sales goal, but I exceeded it! I am STILL on cloud 9 on that one. In the 3 months I've been using my etsy store, I've sold 31 items. No, it's not a ton, but it's wonderful!!! I have so many goals on that aspect of my life for this year that I've made a list and am checking it twice.
I so hope that 2008 hold great things in store for everyone! Do you have your goals in mind for your life this year? I'd love to hear what they are!

Putting one year to rest

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:03:00 +0000

It's time to put 2007 to rest. We're four hours from 2008 in my neck of the woods and as I'm tidying up waiting for guests to arrive I've been reflecting on the year gone by. It's been a big one.

My husband got activated with the Army-a HUGE blessing because he had been layed off from his job a couple of months prior.
We celebrated our first wedding anniversary.
We had a baby, Wyatt who is now almost 7 months old.
We lost our house due to the financial misfortune of the woman we were buying it from.
I started my own business and am learning and growing in that respect every day.
We faced the beginnings of a long deployment for my husband, which gave us a taste of what other families go through for much longer every single day.
I lost my aunt, the woman I was closest to in my life-I still miss her so much every day.

Doesn't seem like much huh? When written out like that it really doesn't but it feels like so much more. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2008. I also want to thank each and every one of you who comes by and reads my ramblings, and takes time out of your busy day to leave me comments-it really means so much to me. And with that, company has arrived, Happy New Year!

And a Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:53:00 +0000

I've been absent, AGAIN, and I'm sorry. Bobby got home from Georgia just in time to do a last ditch effort at Christmas shopping and the whirlwind started. It's been an absolutely crazy two weeks, but it's calming down now. The reflection on the past year has started, and lists are being made for the year ahead.
First, if you're of the praying sort, will you please shoot a prayer up for us? Bobby got notice that he may NOT have to go back to Georgia for 3 months. There will be two of them left here for maintenance and the like, and as it stands now, Bobby is one of them. This would be a huge blessing for us! We're not counting our chickens before they hatch though, because things can change up until the last second. So thank you in advance for adding us to your prayer list!
The picture above is the older 3 boys Christmas morning at my parents house. As you can see, Nana and Papa went a bit overboard again this year. Overall I was pretty happy with the things they received, I put everyone on a strict "no made in China" toys rule and I think only a couple snuck through. We came in well under budget on our own gift giving which is a good thing.
Christmas Eve for our family has always included the church Christmas program, which is all of the children putting on a show about the birth of Jesus. There are recitations and songs, and it's a wonderful chance to worship and enjoy some of my favorite hymns. The older two boys have been participating the last couple of years, and they're just starting to hit the point where they have lines and I was so proud of how well they did. Next year Mattie will be joining in as well. Afterwards, we go to my parents house and my grandfather and step-grandmother come over to eat and exchange gifts. I don't get to see them very often so I love to spend that time with them. Also, this year, I feel really blessed that my cousin and her boyfriend are with our family.
She and I are only 9 months apart in age, and growing up we were the closest of all the cousins. When we were about 11, my aunt and uncle moved to Florida and we had no contact for quite a few years. Her mother moved back here a few years ago after their divorce, while she stayed in Florida. My aunt and I got really close, and she passed away earlier this year, the same day Wyatt was born. I've really been feeling the loss this season, I miss her so much but I know she's no longer in pain (she had been severely ill for many years), and is in a better place.
Heather (my cousin), moved back up here about 2 months ago. Life in Florida was very very hard for them, and they had made some bad choices, and were homeless, jobless, and hopeless. Right now they are staying with my parents, and turning their life around. They have made significant progress towards their goals, and I am so proud of everything her and her boyfriend are accomplishing. It was wonderful to have them here this Christmas, and we've been spending quite a bit of time with them lately which has been really nice.
I'm so thankful for all of my family, there was only one thing missing. My sister lives in Arizona, she's an attorney there and has been buried with work so she wasn't able to come home for Christmas. Instead, her and her long-time boyfriend took of to Vegas for a quick trip and got married!!!!!!! I'm so happy for her. She called right after the ceremony and you could just hear the joy in her voice. I wish her and Marco a long blessed marriage, with many years of love and laughter.
I know I'm rambling here this morning, and I'm sorry if it's boring. What are you reflecting on as 2007 comes to a close? I'll be posting my 2008 goals (no resolutions here, nosireebob) in a day or so, I would love to know what yours are!

While Daddy's Away...

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:56:00 +0000

Lest you all think I'm super mom (or some silly thing like that). Things are going fine, but well, I thought I'd amuse ya'll with some photos of how things are this week. Above is our lovely Christmas tree, decorated before Bobby left for Georgia. It's nothing amazing, but it's ours, and this is only the second year that I've had my OWN Christmas tree as an adult.

Now, this shot is what it looks like now, after the cats had a heyday in it the other night. They slept in it, they played in it, they chewed on it. And this is AFTER we "fixed" it. There was not one ornament left on the poor tree, we're still trying to find the missing ornament hangers for about a dozen ornaments. The cats have now been relegated outside for the duration of the Christmas season-they are NOT happy with me.

And then things like this happen. I STILL have not figured out how Wyatt managed to get stuck under the coffee table like this. But it was pretty funny! (I know, horrible mother laughing at my poor child and grabbing the camera before I relieved him of his prison) The good news is, Bobby will be back in 8 days. I may regain a little sanity by then.

I'm still alive!

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:45:00 +0000

Hubby has been gone for 4 days now, and we're making it. Does anyone else feel totally lost when their other half is away? I'm very lucky that I'm being kept busy with the kids, Christmas preparations, and orders. I have done NONE of my Christmas shopping yet, except for one small thing for my sister's package which I got through a trade on Etsy. I am LOVING trading over there! I've just recently started perusing the forums and there are some really great people on them. I still have so much to learn about running a business, and the forums are a wealth of information. So if anyone has questions, pop over there and ask away-someone will answer!

That picture up there is our gorgeous boy of course. He is getting SOOO big. He is working on mastering the crawling thing completely and is just so adorable (not that I'm biased or anything lol). He is still nursing like a champ, and I am just blown away that he's almost 6 months old and still being nourished completely from me. I know for alot of people breastfeeding is easier than it has been for me, and for alot of people it's harder. After 3 failed attempts, I just feel so amazingly lucky that we're succeeding this time.

And this is my newest design. It's a CD wallet. This one holds 6 CD's, and has a foldover flap that closes with Velcro on the back. This turned out exactly like I had it in my head. I LOVE that! Getting the right interfacing and measurements right was the biggest challenge. I'm so happy with how it turned out though. Note to self: learn how to take pictures that AREN'T crap! I think that would help immensely, but well, I'll work on it.

I hope everyone is having a great pre-Christmas time. Do you have all your gifts bought yet? Or are you a "slacker" like me? (Said totally tongue in cheek of course!)

Frugal Friday: Favorite Meal for Hubby-Green Beans and Sausage

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:29:00 +0000

I'm a little late in the game today, but I hope ya'll understand. As I've said, my husband is getting ready to go on an extended trip, so I'm trying to make all his favorites for him before he leaves, as well as do a massive baking session for treats for him and the other guys while on the road.

Tonight, our dinner qualifies for frugal as well as favorite. Green beans, potatoes and sausage. The method is simple. Open 3-4 cans of green beans (or more/less depending on family size, this is VERY flexible), and dump it all, including the liquid into a stock pot. Peel and cube about 2 lbs. of potatoes and throw them in the pot. Slice 1 package of smoked sausage (we get it 10 for $10 around here pretty frequently) into the pot. I use a healthy dose of Nature's Seasons to season it up, and sometimes add just a bit more water to make sure the potatoes have enough liquid to cook. Then cover and simmer for 45 minutes or so to blend all the flavors and cook the potatoes through.

What's your favorite quick and frugal recipe?

Title? We don't need no stinkin' title!

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:38:00 +0000

Ok, maybe we do, but that's the best I could come up with for today. I'm sorry I've been so scarce lately, and I'll go ahead and apologize now because I'll continue to be scarce until after the 3rd. You see, hubby is getting ready to leave for a few months for Uncle Sam, so we're trying to squeeze 4 months worth of family time into these last few days. I know there are some of you out there who deal with long deployments all the time and my heart goes out to you. We've been very lucky that the only trips we've had to deal with to this point have been no longer than a week or two. I'm starting to flounder wondering how we'll all do without him here to keep me grounded and to love on us all. Sometimes I forget that for 4 years I didn't have anyone else there to pick up the slack when I was having a rough day with the kids, it seems like we've been together forever!
With that being said, I've started planning goals for while he's away to keep me sane-projects with the kids (they wanna get crafty for Christmas!!!), goals for my business, projects around the house to tackle. I'll miss him terribly, but want to make sure he has a nicer home to come back to than what he's leaving-even though it is still pretty durn clean from Thanksgiving! Does anyone have any tips for how to deal with long business trips like this without going completely crazy???
And onto better news...I've still been sewing up a storm. My boys have recently become addicted to boxer shorts so I let them loose on my fabric stash and have been sewing up their choices for them. I noticed on the Etsy boards that there were quite a few people looking for boxer shorts, and only one person selling them..so I've started listing some in my store as well. We aren't so much into characters at our house, and every little boy wants something fun instead of just plaid or plain colors so that's what I'm hoping to provide. The jet planes were my 6 year old's first choice for shop boxers, I figure letting them pick out the fabrics for the ones in the store will just make sure they're little boy choices right?
Regardless, I'm having fun with the interaction with my boys, and teaching them how to run the sewing machine a little bit. I'm kind of a nervous nellie about it, I let them run the foot pedal and I guide the fabric. I'm so afraid they'll stick a little finger under the needle! It's funny though, because I am SO not a nervous mom. With 4 boys we have plenty of bumps and bruises (although surprisingly few visits to the emergency room! HAHA!), so I should just relax with the sewing machine right?
Todays question: How old were your kids when you started introducing them to "dangerous" crafts? Any tips for letting them start to be more creative than drawing (which they LOVE)? I'm wanting to get them crafty stuff for Christmas because that's what THEY want, I just don't know where to start! Thanks ya'll!

Well, that was unexpected...

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:48:00 +0000

Thanksgiving came and took us by storm! I overestimated myself in preparations so my computer time was severely limited. It's been one of those weekends, lovely, but...wow! First of all, my house is CLEAN (except for some lingering dishes and laundry of course!). I spent two days cleaning the heck out of this place in preparation for everyone coming here for Thanksgiving so it looks good, and I'm going to try and keep it that way. I'm working on some major decluttering around here, we simply have too much stuff.
The picture above is from about 2 weeks ago after my first seige on the front room. Now, my jacket is hung on the rack like it should be, the box of clothes is gone to the thrift, and the table is cleaned off. My sewing area was cleaned up, but I've been sewing like crazy the last few days so right now it has a bunch of projects in progress on it. I'm not even showing pics of my cutting table at this point because it's worse than it was! LOL!
Another development of the weekend was my husband's beloved Camaro breaking. Apparently the head gasket blew. Now, my knowledge of a cars mechanical workings is complete with putting the key in and turning it on, so all I know is that he said it's BROKEN. Horrid timing because he's leaving in just over a week for 4 months, and he wanted to drive his car, but will now be taking the truck instead. Time to start squirreling money away to pay for a new engine. I'm very thankful that he has the knowledge to fix it himself because just the engine alone is really expensive, let alone if we had to pay someone else for labor and the like.
I also got tagged last week by Green Bean Baby (if you haven't checked out her blog before, go do it...she has some SERIOUS talent!!!) . 7 random things about me...oy, coming up with these is gonna be hard, but here goes.

1. I've been pregnant 16 times. I've had 12 miscarriages for unknown reasons, even after a massive vampire session with my perinatologist while I was pregnant with Wyatt. I am VERY thankful that I have 4 healthy, happy babies now.

2. I've bitten my fingernails for as long as I can remember. My mom tried everything to get me to quit and nothing has ever worked. It even drives me crazy, but it's a mindless habit now.

3. I wanted to be a veterinarian as a kid until I found out that sometimes you have to put animals down. As an adult, I understand the need to do that sometimes, but I still can't handle an animal dying.

4. I'm addicted to Starbuck's Carmel Macchiato, but I try and limit myself to one every other week or so because it's insanely UN-frugal to pay over $4 for a cup of coffee.

5. I LOVE movies. I have a massive DVD collection of 400+ movies. I don't get to sit and watch them as often as I'd like anymore, but I still love them.

6. I hate putting laundry away. I don't mind doing the whole rest of the process, but for some reason putting it away is the worst. Again, very thankful for children on this one lol.

7. The most embarassing, and I can't believe I'm admitting this. When I was 5, I wanted to marry Michael Jackson and have baby zebras. Now, please remember I was 5...he was in his "Thriller" hay day, and was as yet untouched by plastic surgery. Also, I didn't understand how racial mixing worked at that point. Feel free to pick yourself up from the ground now lol.

Now, I tagged everyone I knew last time I got tagged, so if you're reading this...you're tagged! Now have fun!

We're off to return our nephews home from their stay this weekend, then I'll be sewing away some more. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! I'm going to leave you with this question..what's YOUR secret to getting all your laundry put away in a timely manner????

I'm a Flunkie!

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:26:00 +0000

Ya, hi!!! Thanks for remembering I'm here, because I am...here that is. Kinda.

I disappeared last week because I got seriously sick. I'm not one that gets sick often, but when I do, I do it right-as in...running a fever of 104.5 and not being able to move. That kind of thing. So that's where I went. And then I realized that Thanksgiving is this week. Who moved the calendar this year? Everything is coming SO fast! I'm trying so hard to stay on top of everything and I just wonder where the time goes. I know ya'll understand that one!
And those of you who have children will know how true the following statement is too....when you're sick, it's like someone has opened the gates of the zoo and let the creatures run wild. So today my cousin came to help me play catch up and get the house ready for Thanksgiving which I am hostessing this year. I'm incredibly nervous, I've never had my whole family in my house for a holiday (or any other day for that matter!) so I'm trying to get everything just right.
I'm going to work on a "Thankful" post for later in the week, and tomorrow is a meme I got tagged for...details forthcoming promise!
The picture above is one thing I'm very thankful for. A wonderful friend whose beautiful daughter we laughingly refer to as Wyatt's future wife. This is a picture of them "playing" a month or so ago. She's 4 months older than he to the day.

Money Making Monday: Netwinner

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:19:00 +0000

I've talked before about Netwinner, but I think it's time to talk about it again. They've been making some changes over there!
First, let me say that while Netwinner can be a waste of time if you don't manage it correctly, it can also be a nice way to take some extra moments while web pages are loading and the like and turn those into a few extra gift cards to have around.
The premise of the main site is this: You "spin" the wheel, and then if you match any of the numbers, you win points, or cash. Yes, you can win cash. Not long after I signed up last year I won $25, and received the check within a few weeks. I've cashed in over $100 in gift cards from them since starting out, and have enough points for another. Are you going to make millions? No. Will you earn enough points for a few extra gift cards to pay for extras or give as gifts? YES!
Like I said, the site has been undergoing some changes lately. They now have 2 different games available. The Money Wheel and Banko. Banko I haven't played yet, it appears to be similar to Bingo. I'm going to check it out when I have a chance though! The Money Wheel: you get 100 spins a day and it works like I mentioned above. It's super simple.
I tend to leave the window open in my browser throughout the day, and click whenever I walk by, or sit down to take a break for a few minutes. Give it a shot, and have some fun! Netwinner is a fun, easy way to earn a little extra for your family!

A nice relaxing weekend..those really happen?

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:02:00 +0000

Every now and again, the stars align and we actually have a relatively relaxing weekend. Bobby is leaving in a few weeks for Army business for 4 months, so we're working on getting everything prepared here at home for him to be away-vehicle maintenance and the like. So he worked on those things this weekend, and I spent alot of time sewing. It's mental preparation ok? And sewing is the default way for me to relax. I always feel like a day is incomplete if I haven't touch my machine-please tell me I'm not the only one?

We still have alot to do-plastic on the windows, move my sewing room, and finish patching the wall in our bedroom where the previous tenants did a REALLY bad drywall job. I have all these high hopes of getting a million things done while he's gone that never seem to get done with him here. I'm dreading him leaving because he is totally the other half of me, and I tend to be a little lost without him around.
That being said...here's the jumpstart to my holiday sewing. I did 2 new visors this weekend, but this one I think is my favorite. I used the Joel Dewberry Rose Magenta fabric, with a lime green blender fabric for the contrast pockets. I love the way it turned out!

I'm trying to start stocking my Etsy store quite a bit more. Hoping holiday sales will kick in soon!
With all the recalls and things, and my Buy Handmade pledge (check the link in my sidebar for more information..it's a VERY cool thing) I'm really trying to come up with ideas for all the family members to receive handmade gifts from us. What kinds of gifts are YOU coming up with for a safe and hopefully handmade Christmas?

Baby Wyatt News Flash!

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:38:00 +0000

The boy is crawling!!!! Less than 5 months old and he's crawling. Aye yae yae I'm in trouble now!

Frugal Friday post will be up later. I'm fighting a bug so it's slow going!

Another Toy Recall-The Date Rape Drug? You have to be kidding me

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 20:30:00 +0000

This latest recall is just making me sick to my stomach. The date rape drug, in a child's toy. Aqua Dots is not something we have, or were going to have in our house, but regardless I am just sick. How many pedophiles will be going dumpster diving in coming weeks for this super popular toy? When is this going to end?
Christmas will be different this year. We had already pledged to buy handmade as much as possible, but I was hitting a wall with ideas for my older kids. Let alone gifts for other family members. Now I'm searching out toys NOT made in China, and our list is consisting of LOTS of books for our little ones.
I'm also looking for toys like these to round things out. I love the "crunchy" feel of the Waldorf toys, which help maintain the types of things we teach around here anyway. I'd just never really looked at them before all these recalls.
It's ridiculous...and something needs to change QUICK!

Another not so exciting day...

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:52:00 +0000

I spent most of today working on a bib design. Easy enough right? WRONG! I couldn't find any patterns online that were what I was wanting so I started trying to draft my own, and I cannot figure it out for the life of me. I'm wanting a side closure, that's a decent size to catch drool for my monkey. I have the perfect shape in my head, but I'm not getting the pattern itself onto paper very well. Sigh. One day it will come, probably after all my babies are out of the bib stage I'm guessing.
I've got some luscious Minkee fabric here to use, a(nother) blanket for Wyatt is in order I'm sure. I've been pretty picture starved around here lately haven't I? Tomorrow I'll post those pics of the front room..it's looking REALLY good. So until then...I'll leave you with this. We have a cat that thinks he's a dog, and that also thinks that Wyatt is HIS baby. This is the result:

Doesn't that face just say..someone get this cat off of me???

Ya I blew it already

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:33:00 +0000

It's only the 6th and I've already blown NaBloPoMo. Do I get kicked out of the club now or can I try to redeem myself and not do it again? (Man I feel like a 4 year old who just got caught eating paste or something!)
My marathon cleaning session caught up with me from Sunday I think, so I spent most of the day doing LOTS of laundry and ironing of new fabric that came in. I also threw in some sewing of course, am I the only one who feels like the day is incomplete if I don't touch my sewing machine at all?
Here's what came out of it though:

Doesn't look like much does it? It's a smaller version of the Fix-It bag. I wanted some of these for Bobby and the rest of us to be able to use as handwarmers in our coat pockets this winter. None of us are fans of mittens so these will be perfect! I've also got these in my shop if anyone is interested.

Day 4: Simply Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 23:34:00 +0000

Today has been spent on my dungeon room-the front room that I posted about here. It's about 3/4 of the way done at this point, after a few really long hours in there. Lots of things put away in their correct places, LOTS of trash, and 3 huge trash bags to the thrift. I meant to take pictures, again, but I forgot and now its way too dark to get even halfway decent ones.
Is this time change kickin' anyone else's booty? It is mine! Gain an hour, whatever! The boys were all wound for sound today and did not want to go to bed...I'm so loving Mitch Daniels right now for deciding it was a good idea for Indiana to start daylight savings time (insert sarcasm here).
In other news...well, there's really no other news. I still haven't heard from Hilary that won one of my rice bags, so Hilary, please email me!!!!!! I have a couple of VERY belated things to mail out this week as well, poor Barb who won my last giveaway has been waiting so very patiently, so her package is going out this week. Sigh, I feel so bad!!!
Back tomorrow with more random musings and craftiness!!! The boxers above are one of many pairs I've done over the last few weeks. My older two boys have discovered that mama made boxers are the best since they can pick and choose fabrics and stitching. I love seeing them wear things I make, and seriously LOVE them!

And the winner is!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mika) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:33:00 +0000

OK, ya'll this was SO much fun! I had 159 total comments, two were duplicates (or oops here's my email lol), and one was a "don't enter me", so I didn't include those. And thanks to random.org pulling numbers for me, the winner is:

Number 21 - Hillary. Please shoot me an email with your mailing address, Blogger wouldn't let me see your profile to email you! Also, stop by http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd299/FroggyGirlDesigns/ to pick the fabric for your slipcover.

And...simply because all your comments made me so happy. I picked a second winner. And that winner is....Holly! I've emailed you Holly, so if you don't get it, please shoot me an email as well ok?

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and entered to win. Your feedback on my bags is greatly appreciated! And as another token of my appreciation, I am offering up to everyone else a discount! Shoot me an email with "Happy Fall Rice Bag" in the subject line, and your order and fabric choices, and I will give you a 10% discount of your entire order. Right now I only have large sizes in my store that measure 5" x 20", but I also have available medium (5" x 10"-$11.50 regular price) and small (5" x 5"-$9.50 regular price).