Kitty Cats and Airplanes

Sorry for the confusion!!

2013-08-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Hello friends.

I have been doing a lot of research on photography and copyright laws lately, so last night I was cleaning up the blog in attempts to remove any picture that I had posted that I did not have permission to post. During this I think I might have accidentally re-published a few posts...and some of you might have gotten an email with these posts, thinking they were new posts (which is understandable! I set it up to send out an email every time I post something new). But sadly there are no new posts. I'm not running any deals on deal of the day sites, I'm just on vacation in Tennessee, soaking up the last bits of summer with the hubs and the baby. Sorry for the confusion. :(

But isn't she so cute??

Time flies...

2013-07-31T19:33:00.001-04:00

When you're having fun. <3 p="">

Does this count as a post?

2012-12-27T11:24:00.004-05:00

I know...it doesn't. :( I miss you guys! Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays, hopefully I'll be back soon!

She's here!!

2012-11-04T22:06:00.001-05:00

Oh hi. Remember me? I used to blog here about crafts I did. But then I got pregnant, moved, started a new job, and then had a baby! So things have been crazy. You know how they say, "sleep when the baby sleeps?" Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice, I'm doing that involuntarily!

Our precious baby girl arrived on October 25, 2012 at 9:01 pm. She weighed 7lbs3oz and was 19 inches long. After much deliberation we decided to name her Lily, despite is rapidly rising popularity. We tried and tried to settle on a different name, but in the end she's just always been Lily. And we just love her to pieces!

In case you're interested in the birth story, here it is! If you're not, skip it over and look at all the pictures of her. :)

I do have to include a small backstory though, because it's just too ironic to leave out!

Last year, I met a follow blogger, {Meg}. She won a giveaway I hosted, and when I went to ship her her prize, it turned out that we lived only 15 minutes away from each other! We met up to craft and became real life friends! We ended up getting pregnant right around the same time, our due dates were just a few weeks apart. It's been so funny going through the pregnancy together, and, as fate would have it, we ended up having our babies on the same day. Yeah, really. It's like something out of a movie!

Ok, onto the real story. The aforementioned bloggy friend, Meg, texted me that she had finally gone into labor (she was 42 weeks pregnant! Poor girl!) I drove over to the hospital to keep her company while she walked the halls to get her labor going. I had done a few things myself to "stir up some trouble" and get my own labor going, but I was still surprised to notice that while I was walking the halls with her...my own contractions were starting to pick up! The nurses kept eyeing me, asking me if they needed to get me a gown too! We walked for a couple hours and I finally called my doctor and he told me to come in. We both laughed when I told him I was already there. ;)

They moved me to a room and hooked me up to monitor my contractions. It was determined that I was still in early labor, but they wanted to keep me overnight anyway because the baby's heartbeat was a little sporadic. I sent David home to grab our bags and we prepared ourselves for a rough night.

But it never happened. My contractions stopped in the middle of the night and never came back. When morning came, the nurse came in, looked at my charts, and told me that I wasn't in labor. What I had experienced the night before was false labor.

I cried. This was the fourth time I'd been to the hospital in the last three weeks (mostly for high blood pressure scares) and I was going to be sent home baby-less again!? The nurse grabbed the doctor who looked over my charts and history and told me that she recommended an induction. The baby's heartbeat kept dipping, and she thought it was better to get the baby out rather than keep her in for a few more days. I had already made excellent progress on my own (I was 5cm dilated and 80% effaced and the baby's head was very low) so all I needed was a little "push" to get the true labor started. She started the pitocin.

After about 4 or 5 hours later the contractions had REALLY picked up. I handled them just fine until I hit 12 on the pitocin, aaand then I wanted to die. Did I mention it was all back labor?? Horrifying! The labor wouldn't progress because I was so stressed and anxious the contractions weren't moving the baby at all. I asked for the epidural. Holy crap. How anyone goes through childbirth without one of those glorious shots is beyond me. I was able to relax, calm down, and let the labor progress for a few more hours. I tried to nap, but I was too anxious.

Around 6pm the nurse came in to check me and discovered I was 10cm, 100% effaced, and ready to push. I was a little shocked, I thought I would have a few more hours to mentally prep. LOL NOPE! She quickly gathered her supplies and got me ready to push while I totally freaked out. It was all happening to quickly! Everyone told me induced labors took forever and were just awful, but it hadn't even been 12 hours yet and everything has progressed so smoothly! I guess the doctor was right when she told me all I needed was a little bit of help. And so the pushing began.

For two and a half hours. Augh! Lily had turned herself all crooked (sunny side up anyone?) and gotten stuck, and this being my first baby made it even more difficult. I was utterly exhausted, the pitocin was cranked up too high so I was literally pushing every minute with only a 30 second rest in between. I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours, I had barely slept the night before. My pushes had become completely ineffective. Boo. The doctor came in and suggested an intervention via vacuum. I was very hesitant, I asked if I could try a little longer before any kind of intervention. So I tried and tried, and failed. She was just too stuck and I was too exhausted. The doctor told me I really just needed a tiny bit of help because she was so dang close to try and reassure me. I felt like such a failure, but I didn't want to risk putting her into distress by dragging out the pushing, so I reluctantly accepted the intervention.

There needed to be a whole team of NICU nurses in case something went wrong, so once they were assembled I tried again. Two gigantic pushes later she was out!

She was a little cone headed, and had a little bump where the vacuum was on her head, but she was here! I cried when the put her slimy body on my chest.

Her birth has created two parents, four grandparents, five aunts, two uncles, and two great grandparents. Needless to say, she is going to be one spoiled little munchkin. :)

We just love having her. :) Hopefully I can get back into the swing of blogging again! I don't know how you moms do it!

Hospital bags, let's discuss!

2012-09-20T20:18:00.001-04:00

I don't know why, but I am utterly petrified of preterm labor. I really have no reason to be! I have no family history of it (that I know of), no current signs or symptoms, AND this is my first. So really, I'm being completely irrational. But gosh dang, I might as well be prepared right?

Right now, this is what I'm planning on using as my hospital bag:

Yeah, I know it's a diaper bag. But really, I never planned on actually USING it as a diaper bag. It's too dang big! I want the bag to be easily identifiable for the hubs:

"HONEY GRAB THE HOSPITAL BAG!!!"

"What does it look like!?"

"The duffle!"

"WHICH DUFFLE!?!?"

Yeah, we don't need to have that. Plus, I don't want anyone grabbing mine thinking it's theirs at the hospital. I've never hear of that happening...but let's leave the irrational pregnant woman alone mmkay?

So I've been stuffing my bag with things I think I "need." And then I take things out. Put them back in. Take them out. I have no idea what I'm doing!! I've been browsing Pinterest for ideas but honestly, I want to hear from you. You're my friends and I like you.

What did YOU find helpful to have in your bag? What things were you dead set on that you ended up not needing? What was good for you? Did you bring things for your hubby? What about baby?

Oops...did I show this one already? Sorry, she's just so cute. I can't wait to kiss those fat cheeks and that tiny little nose.

PS, 8 days till we move! :o)

Baby bucket list

2012-09-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

You guys, baby girl's arrival is NEXT MONTH! Granted, it's the *end* of next month, but it is next month nonetheless! I have about 8 weeks left of cooking!

And I'm finally starting to show!! I was 30 weeks pregnant before I got an acknowledgement from a stranger. Good or bad? Not sure! All I know is that the reality of my soon to be turned upside down life is starting to hit home. We've already had some major life changes around here: my husband graduated with his masters, he started his first real grown up job, my little brother got married, and currently we are in the process of MOVING!! In just a few weeks we will no longer be basement gremlins, ohhh I feel giddy just thinking about it.

Despite all these major life changes, I still have a hugely long list of things I want to get done before Baby Girl gets here! I know I won't be able to accomplish half of it, but this nesting chick is sure gonna try.

Car seat blanket from {Toad's Treasures} Since BG (that's Baby Girl, btw) will be arriving right as things start to get chilly, I need something to keep her snuggly warm.

Car seat protector from {Bubbly Nature Creations} This is one of those ones I probably won't get to, but gosh dang, what a fantastic idea!

Nursing shawl from {The Coterie Blog} Let's be honest here, do I really have the patience to sew an all out nursing cover? No. Do I have the patience to sew one line? ...let's hope so!

I have enough fabric to make SEVERAL of these blankets from {How Does She?}

And don't even get me started on the nursery!! For a very long time, we thought we would still be stuck in this one bedroom basement when BG got here, so my dreams of having a nursery were just that. Dreams. I've pinned a whole bunch of images for inspiration and I have no idea how to incorporate everything together to create a stellar nursery in the less than 4 weeks we will have! Either way, let's drool together yes?

Ooooooooo {from Design Dazzle}

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh {from Apartment Therapy}

Preeeeeeeettyyyyy! {from Very Rosenberry}

I just wish I knew what her name was going to be. David and I decided on a name we loved about 3 years ago, long before getting pregnant! But in the last 3 years the popularity of the name has exploded, it was in the top 10 names last year! There are already 2 babies in my church group with this name, so I am extremely hesitant to use it. David thinks it's "despicable" to not use a name we love just because it has increased in popularity. But I don't want her to be one of 3 in her class at school! I want her to feel special. Blargh. Hopefully we'll come to a compromise soon! Or she'll be Baby X for a while. :)

A foot long change

2012-08-08T15:23:00.000-04:00

Last week I decided it was time for a massive change in my life.

Oh, wait, you knew I was pregnant. Let's try a different angle.

Tah-dah!!!! .....still nothing? Crap. Uh, let's compare me here with the week before...

No....it's not the bags under my eyes getting bigger...

I cut my hair! A LOT!! I cut an entire foot off. Twelve. Whole. Inches.

Really though, it was getting out of control. Look at all that! All the way down to my waist.

I would trust no one else to cut off my hair than Joanne, she's been cutting my hair my entire life! The expression on my face really isn't mirroring my inner horror....I about threw up. I loved my long hair...honestly I really don't like my haircut. I'm having trouble figuring out how to style it, and it just isn't working! I don't like the way it frames my face, eh. I don't like it. This sounds a lot like complaining, but I was really happy to donate my hair. I've always thought I have the ability to grow my hair long, and there are little girls out there who can't. Who am I to deny a little girl the chance to have a beautiful head of hair? If this baby girl someday needs a wig of hair, I will be forever grateful to those women who donated their own hair to make a wig for mine. KWIM??

So, who else has made a big change lately?

Oops. I forgot to title this post.

2012-07-19T00:37:00.002-04:00

I can't sleep. It's 12:30am and Baby Girl has decided right now would be an EXCELLENT time to practice her ballet and get hiccups. I can see my belly going crazy from the outside. So much for getting to bed early!

So, while I'm up, I made a belly collage! Quality isn't great, I know. Photo editing skills and photography skills are still bad...but at least I have pictures to track my progress right?

I'm still trying to stick it out, was anyone else this small at 25 weeks??

Quilting

2012-07-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

I really want to make a quilt. Like, REALLY want to make a quilt. A quilt is looming over my head like the magic carpet from Aladdin. Even stole my hat, little stinker.

All jokes aside, I am running out of time before Baby Girl gets here to make her a quilt. I know I'm only 6 months pregnant but in the next few weeks I'll be attending a wedding (hopefully!), moving across town, starting a new job, baby showers, and then Baby Girl's arrival! I look at my schedule and I laugh with tears in my eyes thinking about how stressful and jam packed my weeks are.

I've done a lot of Pinterest-ing and I've found a bunch of different tutorials and ideas for a non-quilter like myself.

"Quilt in a day." {See my pin here} I couldn't get to the original link but the pin explained things. I think...

Easy binding from {Make it and Love it}

Basketweave quilt with a no sew top! From {Honeybear Lane}

Easy 5x5 baby quilt from {Floating on a Cloud}

You know, this probably is one of those "The only person stopping your from reaching your dreams is yourself." I can do this, right??

Dear Baby

2012-07-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

My dear baby girl,

I find myself dreading the day when I have to share you. I love that you and I are exclusive, and that I am still the only one that can feel you, the only one close enough to you to learn your little quirks and schedules. When you react to certain sounds it makes me giggle, and no one around me knows why. It's like our own little secret. I know you like me better, because whenever Daddy tries to feel you you stop moving. You're so sneaky.

As much as I can't wait to meet you and kiss your little nose, do I really have to let other people hold you?

Love,

Mama

Nicole's Classes

2012-07-10T17:10:00.000-04:00

I know, I'm so MIA lately. I've just been busy with a lot of things I find non-blog worthy. Like, running deals on deal of the day sites. My posts would go something like this:

"Today I packaged up almost 50 cabochon kits and got them shipped off! Yay! I think the post lady hates me though. Now I'm too tired to cook. Ramen! Again."

"I spent about 5 hours today marketing and advertising. And reading business books. Cool. My eyes hurt."

"I just bought 500 bubble mailers! The box is huge, I have no idea where I'm going to put it. Do I really need 500 mailers?"

"Today I made 100 pairs of earrings. The same pair, 100 boring earrings. My fingers really hurt. And my progress only fills a small bowl. This sucks, I wish I had something more to show for my day."

"I really want to make something FUN, but how can I spend any time sewing if I still have a dozen packages that need to get shipped out? Ugh. Does the phrase 'it's the thought that counts' apply here? No, craft blog readers don't want to read about thoughts, they want crafts. Ok then, another day, when I'm done with my work."

"I actually don't have much to do today! But baby girl decided it was a great time for a growth spurt and I'm utterly exhausted and sore. So much for that...."

"The sun in shining and it's not 100 degrees. Stay inside and blog or go outside and soak up Vitamin K? HAHAHA. C ya suckers."

That about sums things up! I just have so many things to do and it's all so boring! Bo.Ring. Who wants to read about mailing packages? If you made it this far, I guess you do. Props, I'll send you a cookie. Except that requires going to the post office...again. Um, virtual hug?

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I have been doing a few fun things though. As a teacher, I really like learning new things. I'm always reading articles and trying to develop new skills. I'm convinced I'll never be really good at anything because there are so many things I like to do. And so many things that I can't do that I want to learn how to do!

Or many it's my ADD.

Remember how hubs bought me a super amazing camera for Christmas? {here} I wanted a nice DSLR because when we had kids I wanted to be able to take great pictures that would be frame and scrapbook worthy. So he buys me this AMAZING camera and I freeze. What the crap is aperture? Wait, I have to change the lens? Whaaaat are all these knobs and buttons? You mean this thing doesn't automatically take super amazing pictures? Well crap...honey, take this back it's too hard.

I tried my best to figure it all out, but it's really hard! I read so many articles, so many blogs, my manual, everything. Finally, I broke down and decided that I'm too much of a hands on learner, I needed a class.

A lady at church was talking about how her daughter taught online {photography} and {Photoshop} classes, and after doing a bunch of research I decided they seemed like great classes and signed up for two of them!

Last month I took Photoshop Elements and loved it. I also go PSE for Christmas but I had only opened it up once, got discouraged, and went back to Picasa. Bad.

This class took me through everything! It was amazing! I now know what each of the tools do, how to use them, and when to use them. I'm a really visual learner, so it was really helpful that the class was all in video format. The month long class was broken up into weeks, and each week covered a new topic/skill. I could watch the videos whenever I had time, and I could rewatch them if I didn't understand something. There were homework assignments that I could submit and get real feedback from the instructors to make sure I was on the right track. I felt like I was actually with an instructor who was pointing at my computer and telling me exactly what I needed to do and how to do it.

Now that it's over I honestly feel like kiiind of a PSE guru, the class was so thorough that I don't have anymore questions, nothing is unclear! I can even make a style board! I loved being able to read feedback from the instructors. I would practice a skill and think that my execution was pretty good, and I would get feedback saying it was a little bit over the top, which was so helpful! I highly recommend this class for anyone who has PSE installed but never uses it.

Ok, I know it doesn't LOOK like I'm amazing at this, but I was able to get rid of my saggy eyes and blemishes without using Picmonkey! Yay!

This month, I am taking {Photo 101} THIS class is hard, but in a good way! Right now I'm learning how to use my manual settings and how to compose a good picture. Before the class, I understood the definition of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, but I had no idea how to apply the definition to real life. Though I'm still learning, even after a week I understand it so much more!

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Like I said, no one is paying/compensating me to write this. These classes have taken away a lot of my blogging time and have been fantastic, so I feel like I should let you in on this little secret! The next class I want to take is {Table Top Photography}, I just gotta earn a little more money then I can reward myself. :o)

Photo lightbox, a tutorial

2012-07-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't know, a "tutorial" is when I walk you though something crafty I've done and teach you how I did it with pictures and directions. I'm not sure if you remembered, since I can't even remember the last time I did one of those on here.

I've been wanting to make a lightbox forever. Actually, I was totally going to buy one, but then I looked at my business budget, cried a little bit, and dove into my recycle bin in search of a perfect box. Because really, all a lightbox is is a fabric wrapped box! So, you will need:

A large box. A pretty big one, I'd say at least 18" tall, it needs to fit whatever you want to be photographing.
A box cutter/razor
Sharpie/ruler
White spray paint
White poster paper
About 3 yards of plain white fabric (I just used the $1.99 white muslin from Joann, with a coupon!)
Packing tape, staples, glue...something to attach the fabric to the box.
Three lights with those fancy "natural light" light bulbs that give off white light

Nice big box. I bought David some speakers for his birthday so I just swiped the box. I bought it...so it's ok right?? Tear off those annoying flaps at the top, they aren't needed.

Don't leave your box for even a second! Cat magnets they are....Use the sharpie and ruler to draw rectangles on the front of the box and the two sides, two inches from each of the edges. Cut out the rectangles.

After you spray paint it white, it should look like this!

Cut that white poster paper to the same width of the box and gently lay it inside. The poster paper should be longer than the box, because it needs to be taped to the top of the box and the bottom front of the box with a nice curve, you don't want any folds in your paper at all.

Nicely curved! This ensures that there are no lines in your product pictures from corners or folds. Nice and clean.

Next, you'll need to add your fabric. The point of the fabric is to soften the light being shined into the box, so there are no harsh shadows. I taped the fabric over these three sides, and it's held up just fine. Staples would probably be your best bet though, I just didn't have that on hand.

Ta-dah!! You need to keep that front panel open so you can stick your camera in there, so don't cover that up. Your box is now finished...but how do you use it??

Shine your three lights in where the arrows are pointed. Since the light sources are coming from three different directions, it will create minimal shadows. Stick your camera on your tripod, put your product inside your box, turn on your lights, aaaaand....

Shoot! See how the shadows are really soft? It makes for great product shots. I've LOVED having this box, I used to wait for a nice cloudy day to take out my poster board and shoot my products, and now I can be be a lazy butt and shoot at night if I want! Best part? This box was totally free, I already had everything I needed on hand. Silly me...thinking I had to buy one.

Where I've been, a derecho what now??

2012-07-05T21:01:00.000-04:00

Um...hi. I didn't realize it had been this long since I popped in here. I am so full of excuses lately, and I can only blame pregnancy on so much. I do have another good reason to have been gone though....

A MASSIVE storm blew through my area Friday night. I mean MASSIVE. It barreled over 600 miles of land so I'm sure many of you were hit too! They're calling it a "derecho," a "land hurricane" or a tornado + hurricane. It was really one of those things you've got to see to believe. (If you're interested, you can read an article {here})

Trees downed EVERYWHERE. I live in a very rural area (read: the middle of freaking nowhere) so there is a lot of untouched forest around. Roads were closed for miles! Gas stations literally are just opening, almost a week later. Millions of people are still without power, and many, many grocery stores are still running off of generators and aren't even carrying refrigerated/frozen food. I'll tell you my little story.

It's Friday night, I'm out with some friends doing a "girls night." (Which I never do, btw). Dinner and a movie. After dinner I see a text from my mom, "Bad storms tonight be careful." I text back "Ok I will!" not thinking much of it. We see our movie and get out (I'll give you a hint, there is a reason we didn't bring our husbands to this one!) around and start trekking back to the car. It's obvious a storm is brewing, but really there was nothing going on that would make you think something that bad was coming. We start driving home, and before you could even blink it was there.

Thunder.

Lightning.

Rain.

WIND! Oh my gosh, the wind. 80mph wind? During a thunderstorm?? We literally hadn't even driven a mile when branches and shopping carts started barreling right by us. We couldn't even see the rain was so thick, and it came out of NOWHERE. In case you were wondering, I don't have a wish to be impaled by a branch through a car window. We pulled into the grocery store across the street, abandoned the car by the curb and ran inside to take cover. So lucky we did, the store soon lost power, and no one was even allowed to leave. And really, how convenient is it that we were stuck in a store filled with food, batteries, flashlights, and water?? (Answer: very.) We stuck around for only about 45 minutes till the storm had passed, super quick really! Luckily there was no major damage to the car. Then...the drive home. My friend described it as "someone put some trees through a wood chipper and scattered it everywhere." Trees were down, power lines were torn out of the ground, no power, my gosh! Devastation.

Our friends let us stay the night. Miraculously they had gotten power back. And even more miraculously, we came home to power the next day too! Our yard didn't fare so well...we lost three full trees and half of another one.

This actually is a picture from the backyard. That's what was left over after we'd already filled up two truck beds, from just ONE tree. Haha, I said "we." Don't let me fool you, I didn't do squat. Pregnancy card on this one! This disaster took three full days to clean up, and since then we've been helping friends and neighbors clean up their yards, their torn down barns, and whatnot. We've been housing family and offering up our showers and cooking food for hoards of people. We've been very busy, so thanks for your forgiveness. :)

Did anyone else get hit? How are things in your area?

Website feature- Very Jane

2012-06-23T15:16:00.000-04:00

First off, this is NOT a sponsored post. No one is making me write this post, I am simply letting you guys in on a company that I have thoroughly enjoyed working with. Now that that's outta the way....

{Very Jane} is a deal of the day site that features new boutique style gifts, accessories, supplies, and way too many other pretty things every day! (Much like {Groopdealz}, {Sassy Steals}, and {Rubee Lane}) Each of the deals only last a few days, *if* they don't sell out first! I must admit I blow a good chunk of my monthly budget on Very Jane...but it all evens out in the end, because I've also been able to make some money off Very Jane too!

Here's how it works. I email Very Jane (featureme at veryjane dot com) with a deal proposal. Their approval committee then reviews my application and either accepts or rejects my deal. If my deal gets rejected (which it has!) I just submit another idea. Very Jane is incredibly helpful and willing to see all kinds of different deals! Once the approval committee approves a deal, I get set up for a date to be featured! Usually it is a month or two down the road. Very Jane has a 25-30% commission fee, but honestly, it is a very small price to pay for the amount of exposure I've been able to receive. Very Jane reaches hundreds of thousands of customers! Do you know how much money you have to pay per month to advertise on a blog with that big of a following? A LOT. And in my personal experience, I have receive tons more traffic to my shops (traffic = sales!!) than I ever have advertising on another blog. It is well worth the commission fee.

It really is that easy, communication is quick and efficient and everyone I've ever talked to has been very helpful and friendly. I've had nothing but positive experiences with Very Jane. If you have an idea for a deal, and have the capacity to produce a mass amount (trust me, it takes many, MANY hours to create, package, and ship all those orders!) I highly recommend emailing Very Jane and submitting your idea! Very Jane has really helped grow my business and earn me the money I need to expand and advertise. An invaluable experience, IMHO.

Thank you Very Jane!! (less than three)

Need another reason to check it out? Right now on Very Jane's {facebook page}, they're giving away $100 AMEX gift card. Who DOESN'T need $100??

{find the giveaway here}

Ok, you're sick of my gushing. How about a tutorial, does that entice you? :)

I've got some major crafting to do....

2012-06-19T16:17:00.003-04:00

Because....

Our little pumpkin is a little princess!! Well...we're PRETTY sure she's a girl. This little one has a lot of her dad in her...meaning she is a huge stinker!! When we went for our anatomy scan last week she had her legs up over her head and kept squirming around making it very hard for us to see anything! So there is a slight chance she'll come out a boy...but honestly, she's healthy, and that's really all that matters to us.

But in the meantime...bring on the crafts!

{ruffled romper pattern, $9 on etsy}

{headbands}

{barefoot sandals}

Ahh, there are SO many things on my to do list! Hopefully I have the energy to keep you updated on everything! :)

And before you go...

Isn't she beautiful??

Golden Corral now has an acceptable dessert

2012-06-15T22:34:00.001-04:00

Great choice for your birthday Mom!

Amy Butler modern diaper bag

2012-06-14T12:57:00.001-04:00

Remember how I used to post crafts on here?? The funny thing is, I actually have still been crafting (not NEARLY as much!), I just lack the time to blog about it. I use up all that energy crafting! I always have energy for stories though, so let's dive right into one shall we?

I started this diaper bag only a few weeks after I found out I was pregnant. I had bought Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones (buy it here) when Borders was shutting down for mega cheap, so there were a bunch of projects I wanted to get done even before I knew about this little one. I was at Joann and saw this quilting fabric that I LOVED that also happened to be on sale for $2.50 a yard and also happened to be gender neutral. Fate? I think yes!! I started working on the bag that night, I was so excited.

And then...morning sickness hit. Oh that horrible affliction! I was in bed for weeks. I didn't eat, let alone sew! It was totally miserable, I know many of you can relate! I tried to work on my bag, but I had no idea what an undertaking it would be! Amy Butler is an amazing designer, but that woman has no business writing patterns. Or maybe *I* have no business trying to read her patterns. Either way, this pattern kicked me in the butt.

But hot dang...I DID IT!! I love, love, love it! You know how much I love my gray and yellow! And I love monogramming, I used my Silhouette to add it.

(Is it true baby girls steal your beauty? Because I've looked like a train wreck since day 1.) I had tons and tons of help from {this very talented lady}, many long hours hunched over my machine, and almost $50 worth of fabric and interfacing in the hole, but I did it!! My gosh, this woman LOVES her interfacing! I'm not even kidding, each of the bottom panels were interfaced 2-3 times! Yes, more than once, several pieces are interfaced more than once! It's completely ridiculous...but the bag is super sturdy.

The inside is awesome, there are tons of pockets. Maybe too many, the pockets take up almost the entire inside!

(Baby also turned my hair brown...little stinker...) All in all I love the bag. I love the hugeness, I love the design, I love the sturdiness, all in all it's a fantastic bag. That being said, I don't know if I'd make it again or if I would recommend it. Unless you are a very direction oriented learner, the lack or pictures might throw you off. It's definitely not for a beginning sewer, I'd say experienced intermediate. And it is NOT a quick project, I spent maybe 15 hours on this! Would have been much easier (and maybe even cheaper!) to go out and buy my own bag, but c'mon, as crafters we love the satisfaction of doing it ourselves.

Only 20 more weeks till I meet this little gymnast! :)

Dear life

2012-06-12T20:02:00.000-04:00

Dear weather,
While I'm super stoked it's not 100+ degrees outside, I would appreciate at least a LITTLE sunshine.
Cordially,
Amie

Dear husband,
Thanks for being born, I'm glad you've been around to celebrate 27 years.
Love,
Amie
PS, I'm still mad at you for walking in the door when I was carrying your birthday present in and RUINING the surprise.

Dear Babycenter,
Please go down for maintenance, I don't have time to waste on you!
Annoyed,
Wife

Dear readers,
I love you for sticking around for so long.
You're awesome,
BFF

Dear deal-or-the-day sites,
You're a pain, but thank you for helping keep my family afloat.
Sincerely,
Amie

Dear baby,
I love feeling you wiggle around, you little gymnast. Thanks for reminding me you are there and real every day.
I love you,
Mama

Dear life,
You're perfect. I hope to keep you around for a while.
Yours,
Amie

Belly shot, weeks 9-17

2012-06-07T10:45:00.001-04:00

Ok, I've had a few requests for belly shots. I'm going to have to disappoint you though...I'm almost 19 weeks pregnant and I really don't have a bump! It's my super tight abs that are keeping that child in (sarcasm, please tell me you got the sarcasm.) I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones that stays pretty small. HA! I just jinxed myself with that one, let's see how I look when I'm 40 weeks.

Anyway, before I show you some pictures, I ask that you must forgive a few things. Please forgive: my horrible over editing (esp that first one, YIKES), my tired and saggy face, my changing height, awful lighting, and the rest of the flaws. David takes all the pictures for me, and we're working on consistency.

Ok, here goes...

Look at that pathetic thing! I can still hide it really well, I was shopping for maternity clothes and the lady didn't believe that I was in there for myself. Oh well!

Oh, the picture frame is from Hobby Lobby, spray painted white, with chalkboard vinyl inside.

So...how's your week?

Winners!

2012-06-03T21:52:00.001-04:00

Oh gosh, I totally forgot to announce the winner of my last few giveaways!

Winner of the Very Jane giveaway...Crystal!! (I shipped out your prize with your order, so you don't have to do anything :)

Winner of the PrintRunner giveaway...Julie! I will email you.

Thanks to everyone who entered! I actually have some crafty things to blog about soon.

(I KNOW RIGHT!? When was the last time I did THAT?)

Sometimes I pretend I'm funny

2012-05-27T16:03:00.002-04:00

Tired of being flat chested? Do your friends poke fun at your lack of curves? Have you longed to be full chested and beautiful? Ladies, fear no longer, for I have discovered a completely natural way to a blossoming bosom!

It's called...

Pregnancy!

This bust-enhancing method is 100% guaranteed to increase your chest two or three FULL cup sizes in a matter of weeks and the results last for MONTHS! This method is completely natural: no creams, no lotions, no pills, no chemicals, no herbs, nothing!! Before you know it, you will become voluptuous woman you always wished you could be. Men will flock to you and women will ask for your secret. You will have a hard time containing those suckers. This offer won't expire for several years, and you can use it again and again. What more could you want?

*Side effects may include (but are not limited to): soreness, moodiness, nausea, weight gain, swelling, frequent urination, and fatigue.

Seriously though, these girls are huge.

Some new members of the family!

2012-05-24T21:39:00.002-04:00

No, little Baby A didn't come early. Remember a few months ago when I had to put my poor kitty down? (Worst day of my life, btw.)

Well, my family thought they were ready to bring some new fur babies into the home. I kept suggesting to them that having two kitties is so fun and they should try it.

"No, no. We don't need the stress. One is enough for us."

Ladies....meet Dakota.

She's a four year old diluted calico. She recently had a litter of kittens and sent them off to wonderful families. My parents just fell in love with her, she is a such a sweetie. Affectionate, cuddly, and so friendly.

And...meet Sachi. (I love it when I'm right.)

She's 10 months old. They found her abandoned with a little chunk missing out of her ear. She's timid yet tough, a great match for Dakota.

We are such cat people. It's sad to be "moving on" from my darling Jellybean but saving two little lives from the animal shelter is worth it. :)

Parasite

2012-05-14T14:33:00.001-04:00

I told you yesterday that you wouldn't want to miss today's post! Because today is a big day. Sit down kids, let me tell you a story.

Way back in mid February, I started to feel really sick. I mean REALLY sick. I was nauseated 24/7 and in bed 18 hours a day. I lived off of ginger ale and saltines and lost a bunch of weight. I had permanent purple bags under my bloodshot eyes; I looked like the walking dead. The mothers of my students were so concerned, and a lot of them sent me home because I looked so awful. It was miserable. MISERABLE. And it went on for WEEKS.

Finally, after about 6 weeks of this, I went to the doctor. A brand new doctor that could hopefully tell me everything that was going on with me. After a bunch of poking, prodding, peeing in cups and several vials of blood, she came in with the results.

I had a parasite.

Srsly? A parasite? How could I have gotten a parasite? That good for nothing (kidding) husband gave it to me. Argh. So I ask her, how long until it will work itself out?

She told me for most people it'll take a least another good six or seven months.

SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS!?! That's like....October!! No, that's like November! So I'm stuck with this life sucking parasite in me until November. Wonderful. Oh, and get this, she said the stinking thing will probably grow to be the size of a WATERMELON or even a small PUMPKIN before it'll work itself out?

(Is that even possible??) I finally asked her if I could see this thing that was making me so miserable. If it's stuck with me for that long, I might as well get to take a look at it right? She geared up an ultrasound machine and let me have a look.

That was it. I was a goner. David and I were so in love with that little grape sized parasite. With it's cute little nose and chin and tiny little arm and leg buds and that precious little heartbeat. We decided to keep it.

It's been another 6 weeks since then, and now we are ready to tell the world.

It's true, our little family will soon go from two to three. :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, for the record, I knew I was pregnant the whole time I was miserably sick. Only took about 6 pregnancy tests to confirm that. And I do not think it's a stinking little thing, hubs and I are overjoyed. :) And we always wanted to keep it, little apple was planned. I just threw in those fun details for the sake of the funny story.
And to answer your questions....

15 weeks
November 4
Don't know yet, anatomy scan is next month.

Will you forgive my absence now?

PS, did any of you pick up on my weekly fruit status updates on Facebook? I felt so dang sneaky.

Happy Mother's Day

2012-05-13T22:23:00.001-04:00

To all of you mothers, grandmothers, mother in laws, mothers to be, future mothers, adoptive mother, fur mothers, and those of you with a mother. That pretty much covers everyone right? :)

I know you've read a bunch of these today, so I'll make it short and sweet and just show you pictures of some mothers that have helped shape my life.

My wonderful Mugga (on the far left) is one of the coolest grandmas you'll ever meet. I call her every week and we always laugh. My own mom (second from the right) is the best mom I've ever had! She gave me my amazing sense of humor and taught me how to look on the bright side. I seriously have such a funny family. Whenever I go to my family's house I spend the entire time laughing my head off.

My dad's mom, isn't she so adorable? Oogling at my ring on my wedding day. My grandmas always has the best stories and has taught me how to be appreciative of everything in my life.

My husband's mom and her mom. I needed a little Cuban spice in my life, and they sure gave it to me! They've taught me to appreciate family more. And they've taught me a teeny bit of Spanish.

So happy Mother's Day to all of you. I hope you had a wonderful day, mother or not.

PS, come back tomorrow. You won't wanna miss this post. It's big. Like super big.

Very Jane deal- Super Sparkly Silver Stacking Bracelets! (plus a mini giveaway)

2012-05-09T12:49:00.001-04:00

Hello friends! Long time no talk. Well, sort of. Some of you have left amazingly comforting comments and really lifted me up high and I thank you for that. I am still working on getting a reply to each of you!

It's been a long time, do you remember these?

I debuted these back during the winter when I went to my first ever craft fair. These sold out at the fair within an hour, and I've had tons of requests for more. But, I was never able to find the beads at a decent price, the shop where I got them before stopped carrying them. I was super bummed.

UNTIL NOW!!! (Announcer voice) I FINALLY found a site that sells these for just an arm (I can keep my leg). I'm so excited to bring these back, out of everything I've ever made, I love these bracelets the most. I honestly wear them 2-3 times a week. I wear them on Sunday with my pretty skirts, on workdays with my t shirt and jeans, and on Fridays in my sweats (ok, that one is pushing it a little...)

The point is: I love these bracelets so much that I am debuting them again on {Very Jane} at 60% off their original price! They come in sets of three instead of individually, super excited that I can offer that now. :)

Squee! I'm overly excited about this. So excited that I'm doing a little giveaway! I wanna spread the word about this fantastic deal, but I know you're going to get sick of me if I post about it every hour. That's where you come in! You can share with your friends and I won't bug everyone, win win! So what's in it for you? I was ONE set of these in fabulous PINK. Only one set! This set will go to the winner of this little giveaway. How do you win?

Share on Facebook (feel free to {tag me})
Share on Twitter (you can tag me {here} too!)
Share on your blog
Purchase the deal (one time only, unless you buy the deal three times on three different days)

You get one entry for each share per day, up to three entries per day (and an extra for buying the deal). Leave a comment for each that you do, and please leave a link where applicable. So, if you share on Facebook today, tomorrow, and Friday, and buy a silver set, you'll be entered to win four times! Make sense? I'll randomly choose a winner to ship the pretty pink set off to once the deal is over (on May 12)

Good luck! :)

{FIND THE DEAL HERE}