Two Seaside Babes

Angel Canary + Addison Ava + Two Seaside Babes

2011-07-19T13:13:00.043-04:00

A few weeks ago, we were given the wonderful opportunity to participate in a photo shoot for Addison Ava's new line of clothing and accessories. The babes couldn't be more thrilled to be models for Julie's "pretty dresses" and I was beyond thankful for the opportunity to pair our hats and hair accessories with her gorgeous goodies.

Angel Canary was absolutely fabulous to work with! Not only did she put all of the wee models as such ease (not an easy feat for my oldest babe), but she made the shoot loads of fun. Overcast skies, a great location, and campfire sure made it a night that my babes still talk about weeks later.

Oh...and of course...there were some AMAZING photos to come from that shoot.

Angel Canary + Addison Ava boys ties + Two Seaside Babes boys Striped Visor Beanies = Uber Handsomeness!

Angel Canary + Addison Ava dresses, skirts, tops, and capris + Two Seaside Babes Buckle Beanies = Adorably Trendy!

Angel Canary + Addison Ava dresses, skirts, shorts, and tops + Two Seaside Babes Crocheted Flower Headbands = Fabulously Flirty!

You can check out Addison Ava's gorgeous dresses, skirts, tops, capris, and boys ties here.

All photos are copyrighted by Angel Canary www.angelcanary.com Please do not copy or use without permission.

Top 10 Craft Show Lifesavers

2011-07-07T18:20:00.025-04:00

Two Seaside Babes just finished our second year of shows. We LOVE doing shows (craft shows, festivals, art fairs)...getting out to our customers first-hand, meeting them, and introducing them to our products. It's been a great way to get our name out there to local customers, local shops, photographers, and the media.

During the past 2 years, we've learned a lot about doing shows. And doing them in a way that is profitable. We've learned (mostly the hard way) what works...and what doesn't work. What to buy...and not to buy. Things that you just cannot live without...and things that you should just skip.

Just like most artisans and crafters, the mere mention of an "outdoor" show makes the heart flutter a bit. And not necessarily in a good way. Rain. Wind. Extreme temperatures. It's a whole other ballgame when you do outdoor shows, as opposed to indoor shows. It takes a completely different setup, completely different gear, and a completely different mentality.

Two years later and we LOVE outdoor shows. They are our bread and butter. It's easier to sell warm weather gear to people when they are outside. Even in the summer this still holds true. Believe it or not, the worse the weather is (cold, rainy), the better we do. We sell hats and scarves after all. People want to stay warm at outdoor shows.

So the biggest thing you need is a canopy. With sides. And silicone seal. I know, you're asking yourself why. Because...there is no waterPROOF tent. There are water RESISTANT tents. No matter if you pay $100 for your canopy or $2000...it's going to leak. Somewhere and at some point. So get ahead and spent $7 for a tube of silicone seal. You'll thank me the first time it rains.

That old adage about needing to greet your customers on your feet...well, that's a load of whooey. I've had 2 knee surgeries...you won't see me standing for long. But you will see me sitting in my director's chair. It's eye height with my customers. I don't need to stand to look them in the eyes and talk to them. I just park that thing smack dab right in the front of my booth (sometimes even outside) and crochet for everyone to see. It brings people in. I'm not looking up at them (like with those traditional folding chairs). And I'm not killing my knees...especially at some of the 4 day shows I do.

Grid walls. I just got them this year. O.M.G...why did I not invest in these sooner? They make my booth look so much more professional and I can get oodles more of inventory in the booth because of them. They create visual space, adding height to the booth. And for any veteran having done shows, you know that customers don't want to just look at merchandise laying on a table. They want to look up, down, across, and all over the place. Grid walls certainly help us do that.

I hate the look of the plastic tarp walls on the canopy. They look so....uninviting. So I hang white sheers to make the booth feel like a boutique. You would not believe the compliments that I get from patrons, other vendors, and show organizers about something so simple. It really gives your booth a completely different look. A more inviting look, at that.OK, back to vertical space. And horizontal space. I have tons of these wooden crates that I stack my inventory in. I can easily "separate" my hat styles with the crates, putting certain colors in each one. I use crates to define boundaries and allow customers to more easily find what they are looking for. I stack them to give more height to the tables, instead of having everything laying flat. Not only is it more appealing, but it allows me to get way more inventory on the tables.

Speaking of tables...don't buy some cheapo table, just because you want to save a few bucks. I learned (obviously the hard way) not to get the 6' tables that fold down the middle. Sure, they make transporting a little easier. But putting tons of inventory on...not so much. Especially when they collapse...right down the fold. That's all I have to say about that.

Most people don't like to carry cash on them anymore. I certainly don't. I carry my check or credit card everywhere. And I charge it like a crazy shopaholic. No, I'm not a shopaholic. Ok...well, not entirely. I digress. At a show, you NEED to have the ability to accept credit cards. i take over 60% of my sales through credit cards. I use a JAK with my iPhone. I get automatic approval, the customer signs for the purchase right there on the spot, and gets an invoice emailed to them. In less than a minute. Beats a knucklebuster any day! Or taking checks.

Sometimes I've already sold what another customer wants. Or I don't have the size they need. Or color they want. Bring a ton of custom order requests from you. I made mine easy peasy in Word. I take custom requests at every single show I do.

I could not survive without my fabulous inventory management system. I came up with a workbook that has inventory numbers assigned to every single product we make. EVERY SINGLE one! When one sells, I write the number down. After the show, I subtract that item from my inventory. I know...to the penny...what sells, how much we made, and what we need to put back in inventory.

Lastly, inventory. OK...this seems no-brainer obvious. Take a look at some of the shows that you do and there will always be a handful (or more) of artisans and crafters that have one table sparsely filled with products. Or maybe that's you?

Open your eyes!!!!

Customers want choices. They want styles. They want colors. They want sizes. They want choices upon choices upon choices! The more they have to choose from, the longer they are in your booth. The longer they are in your booth, the more likely they are to buy. The more likely they are to buy more than 1 item if you have many things for them to choose!

The old saying is that you will typically sell 20% of your inventory at a very good show. The more you bring, the more possible it is to make more.

Of course, now you need to be smart about your inventory. I have doubles and triples of my best-selling items. But I don't put it all out on the tables. I have totes under my tables filled with extra inventory. Or inventory that won't fit on the tables.

Well, I hope that might help you in your shows. Please remember what works for me might not work for you. But I do hope that it might give you some ideas. Or inspiration. Regardless, happy selling to you and good luck at your next show!

Fishers Freedom Festival 2011

2011-07-06T10:30:00.000-04:00

Two Seaside Babes participated in this year's Fishers Freedom Festival. It was our second time being accepted to it. Last year didn't go as planned...it was over 100 degrees on both days and our booth was in the full sun. Full sun + wool hats = not many sales. So this year we asked for a spot in the trees and luckily got one. Luckily, it was also 20 degrees cooler. Couple that with an emphasis on our part to bring more warm-weather items, and it turned out to be a much better show for us this year.

It was our first outdoor show of the year. I always do enjoy setting up the canopy, hanging the sheers and buntings, and getting an overall "boutique" feel to the booth. It makes it seem so much more inviting than indoor shows where you can't present that to patrons.

Our onesies and headbands were well-received once again. The most popular color? As always, it's our Shades of Pink with the matching lace headband with Hot Pink flower. This time around, we managed to get all 6 color combinations done (we've only had 3 at the last few shows).

We really placed emphasis on our hair clips for this show. We made sure to have 6 deep of every single color combination. That's a LOT of mini flowers! They were very well received, so all the work was worth it. And don't you just love all the colors?!?!

Our cotton hats went over very well, as they always seem to in Fishers. Our traditional Flapper Beanies (there were oodles of soon-to-be and brand-new mommies!), Visor Flapper Beanies, Striped Flapper Beanies, and Striped Visor Beanies. We have hundreds of little girls items in our booth and the best seller overall was a boys style! Go figure right? We sold 4 of our Navy Blue, Ecru, and Chocolate Brown combination.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the company of Tag You're It Jewelry, KB Shimmer (I can't go to a show without getting some of her lavender sugar scrub!), and Addison Ava (I love, Love, LOVE her dresses!) too.

Our Office

2011-07-05T11:41:00.028-04:00

It only took 2 months (literally from start to finish), but it's finally done! And I could not be happier with how my office turned out! You see, I'm kind of the compulsive, neat freak, everything-has-to-have-a-home kind of artisan. And sort of a visual one at that...as you'll be able to see with the oodles and oodles of photos below:

Standing in the dining room, looking into the office.

Our business is Two Seaside Babes. We stick with a trendy (certainly not kitschy) "beach theme" to our shop. So of course I carried it over to the office. I like to call it Beach Chic. This color is called "Seattle Haze". It's the first time I ever tried the accent wall. I'm digging it!

The main wall color is a very light shade of blue with grey undertones called "Orchid Ash". Obviously white trim. White is clean and crisp. I like clean. And crisp.

The yarn area. Ummm...I might have a tiny bit of an addiction.

Yes, the compulsive neat freak in me color coordinates everything. EVERYTHING! But doesn't it look oh so pretty that way?

More yarn. And also our hair accessory area...headbands, hair clips, and buttons.

See what I mean about everything having it's own little place? I have individual containers for every single color and style of headband that Two Seaside Babes' makes. It takes up a lot of space, but it's much easier to see what I'm low on for re-ordering and to grab what I need when I have an order to fill.

The shipping area. Ideally, in the future, I'm going to paint the armoire white.

USPS must love me. Or hate me. I'm not really sure which one. I order boxes in quantities of 25...usually 2 bundles per size. Come fall and winter, they can't deliver them to me fast enough!

Hundreds of envelopes. Yes, that giant box has even more in it.

The bottom of the shipping armoire. I do other crafts besides crochet, you might know. I paint. And sew. OK...I TRY to sew.

My shipping table. Shipping is the least favorite part of my job. So I put my favorite, beach-inspired photos in front of me to calm me down during this tedious phase.

One of my very first purchases on Etsy. "Lonely Spire 2" by lafrenchie.

"Mist on the Columbia" by lucybirdphotos.

There's a short story about this one...when we came up with our shop name Two Seaside Babes in May of 2008, we used an image of Haystack Rock as a part of our logo. I had literally been searching Etsy for 3+ years trying to find the most perfect photo of Haystack Rock. No seagulls. No people walking on the beach. So I find it a ironic that my good friend Beth of bethjt was the one that I finally ended up buying that photo from. I love, Love, LOVE it!

I'm one of those people that can't sleep at night because I have a thousand creative thoughts running through my head. I always need to write things down...thoughts, ideas, projects, products. So I have an entire basket filled with notepads, notebooks, and sticky pads.

My desk. Yes, that's us on the desktop. And yes, that's 2 notepads you see there next to the keyboard.

Under the table covers...my scrap yarns. I totally use those to make other things! Also, add compulsive pack rat to the list. I never throw anything out. I can make something out of everything. I'm JUST like my mom!

My cotton yarn area. Cones on top and skeins in the baskets.

Ribbons for making hair bows and head bands.

The yarn for our mini flowers. I love how there is a little cubby for each color and/or shade of yarn. Looking at that colorful deliciousness just makes me want to be creative!

I think I may have been a little ribbon crazy before I found these life savers. A true crafter invented this. I hate those kind of ribbon organizers with the dowel rod running through the center. In order to get the spool you needed, you had to pull every other spool off the dowel. This one allows the spool to sit in its own little cubby. And the cubbies are perfect for organizing...polka dots, stripes, plaids. See...compulsive neat freak...I'm telling you! Get yours at organizemore on Etsy.

We went from 2200 sq ft down to 1700. Not only did we downsize in sq ft, but we also lost a number of closets. Closets which held toys. So I bought these inexpensive cabinets from Wal-mart. Did you notice that the only thing in this office that is really hidden from view are the toys? Toys are one of a compulsive neat freaks worst enemies.

One of my most favorite possessions...a hand-knotted rug that I got while deployed to Afghanistan. The colors don't really "work" amazingly well and doesn't seem to go with the "feel" of the office. But I love it. So there is stays.

That's is in a nutshell. One crazy organized, neat freak, everything-now-has-a-home, nutshell.

Our Mule

2011-06-23T18:01:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago we came to the realization that our vehicle was costing us more than it was worth. We had a 2000 Dodge Durango 4 x 4. Yes, that 4WD came in handy for upstate NY winters and the little bit of snow we get here in Indiana (since they plow the roads pretty much when they feel like it). It was a mule...it fit all of our show stuff. Stuff = totes of inventory, canopy, and displays.

It had become obvious that it was time for a new truck. We broke a ball joint last year...which in turn broke an axle. Don't ask. Of course on the day of a show. This year was a broken brake cylinder. Don't ask. Again, of course on the day of a show.

We're pretty loyal to the Durango, so again we choose to go with it again. This time around? A 2008 Flex Fuel. Again, a 4 x 4. Again a V8 (like we would really go to a V6 after having all that power...sheesh!). The nice thing about the Flex Fuel is that it takes both E85 AND gasoline. So while it's not really financially advantageous for us to use the E85 right now, we're glad to have it in the event the price per gallon is better in the future. And it's still a mule. We were super lucky to have found a gunmetal grey (our all-time favorite color in a vehicle) in our price range. Of course, driving 2 hours away could have something to do with that.

So why do we call it a mule? A mule is used to haul everything. Just like we do with our Durango. Don't believe us? Check it out...this is after loading our mule up in preparation for the Fishers Freedom Festival this past weekend:

So what does our mule haul?

~ NINE 30-gallon totes filled with inventory, walls sheers, table covers, and miscellaneous table displays.
~ 7 wooden crates. We have another 4 totes already in the inventory totes. It helps to cut down on setup time at our shows immensely and also saves room in the truck.
~ ONE 10' x 10' canopy with sides, corner pieces, weights, and stakes.
~ 1 bar-height directors chair.
~ THREE 3' tall headband towers.
~ ONE 20 - gallon metal beverage bucket with stand and THREE 1 gallon buckets.
~ 3 smaller totes holding our hair clips, headbands, and merchandise bags.
~ FOUR 6' x 2' grid walls with TWO 2' shelves, ONE 4' shelf, TWO 2' wire baskets, TWO 1' wire baskets, and 1 corner hanging bar.
~ TWO 6' tables (non-folding)

At this point, we could probably get 1 more tote of inventory in the truck before we need to pull out the truck topper. We're a little apprehensive about our fall inventory...we'll have another 3 - 5 totes and 1 more 6' table.

We might need a bigger truck.

Your Music and Your Personality

2011-06-22T17:22:00.005-04:00

I read this fascinating article today. Why I was reading "Psychology Today", I have NO clue! It was about how the type of music a person listens to is often a very good indicator of their personality. Or lack thereof. Whatever...I digress. A stranger can determine a person's creative level, their extroversion/introversion, and open-mindedness to the world around them...just based upon their top 10 favorite songs.

So this of course got me to thinking...what does my top 10 (most played on my iPod) say about me?

1. Raise Your Glass by P!ink
2. Just a Dream by Nelly
3. We R Who W R by Ke$ha (slightly embarrassed that this song is so high on my list).
4. The Catalyst by Linkin Park
5. Start a Fire by Ryan Star
6. Evacuate the Dancefloor (Radio Edit) by Cascada
7. Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns
8. Move Alone by the All-American Rejects
9. All I Want by A Day to Remember
10. Alejandro by Lady GaGa (totally surprised she's not higher on my list)

And the genres are:
1. Pop
2. Hip Hop/Rap
3. Pop
4. Alternative
5. Pop
6. Dance
7. Rock
8. Alternative
9. Rock
10. Pop

According to the article, "Easy Listeners" (Pop - Top 40 hits...really? Easy Listening?) are conventional, honest, and conservative. Which, I was far and away totally thinking is NOT me! But then I read further and it said that this simpleminded-ness is not really of being a simple mind, but more so of the avoidance to complicated things. No drama for me! Yeppers, that's me. Ok...I wish that was me.

Extroverts are those that lean towards music with heavy bass lines (Hip Hop/Rap).

Fans of Alternative music (especially those with parental advisories) are more "timid and shy". Now, while I like to consider myself an extrovert, I do immensely enjoy my own time. Perhaps I'm an introvert with extroverted tendencies? Hmmmmm...

Lastly, fans of energetic music like dance are more likely to say what's on their mind. And for anyone who really knows me, I really do speak my mind, often blurting out my thoughts with the utmost of abandonment.

So...in conclusion (like this is my thesis or something), this article says I'm simpleminded, extroverted, timid and shy, and unabashed with my words.

Either I'm really eclectic in my music, or I think this article just implied that I have multiple personalities.

**As a little side note, there was an ad for "Find a Therapist" on the left column of this article. THAT could not be more fitting!"

Child Essence Photography

2011-06-21T18:32:00.018-04:00

You may have noticed some amazing photos popping up in Two Seaside Babes lately. The fabulously talented Alexi Killmer of Child Essence Photography has so graciously taken these for us. Alexi is a child and family photographer working out of the Chicagoland area. The first photos she sent us were of the absolutely adorable Macie...seen below modeling some of our goodies.

6 - 9 Month Flapper Beanie - Lavender and

Soft and Fluffy Photography Prop Blanket - Ivory Cream

Striped Flapper Beanie - Lavender, White, and Pink with Chocolate Brown Flower and

Soft and Fluffy Photography Prop Blanket - Ivory Cream

So of course, after receiving these photos of our crocheted goodies, we asked her to take some of items in our shop in dire need of new photos. The first were our Flapper Beanies in the newborn sizes. This is by far our favorite one!

Preemie/Newborn Flapper Beanie - Pink

We would totally be remiss not to mention our newest product that we asked her to photograph...our Crocheted Flower Onesies and matching Stretchy Lace Headbands. She used her own stinkin' cute daughter, Ellie, for the photos. And we just went ga ga over them!

Crocheted Flower Onesie - Shades of Purple - XL/18 Months and

Crochet Flower White Lace Elastic Headband - Dark Purple

We cannot thank Alexi enough for the fabulous work she has done for us. We are so grateful that her work graces our shop!

flowers, Flowers, EVERYWHERE!

2011-06-20T15:37:00.036-04:00

3 flowers on each hair clip trio card x 24 color combinations x 6 deep = 432 flowers

2 flowers on each gingham hair clip card x 11 colors x 6 deep = 132 flowers

1 flower on each stretchy lace headband x 6 colors x 5 deep = 30 flowers

3 flowers on each onesie x 6 color combinations x 6 sizes = 108 flowers

432 flowers for hair clip trios + 132 flowers for gingham hair clip pairs + 30 flowers for stretchy lace headbands + 108 flowers for onesies = 702 flowers (now if my math is off, get over it...seriously...there's a reason I'm an artisan and not an accountant!)

702 flowers = flowers, Flowers, EVERYWHERE!

And that's only the mini flowers! Don't even get me started on the cotton flowers for our Flapper Beanies. Or the single, double, and triple-layer flowers for all of our headbands.

Why are we surrounded by flowers you ask (because seriously, we're talking about important stuff here babes!). Well, you see, our summer shows last year were hot. HOT. No, not even HOT...scalding! I'm not exaggerating either...I was sunburned each and every show. We're talking 100+ degrees every single day. Not really the best weather for trying to sell wool blend hats. No one would even try them on. The only thing that saved us was our hair clips and headbands.

So we came up with a new booth design that would allow us to display our hair clips 6 deep (as opposed to singles with our old setup). And we came out with a number of new designs...our onesies and matching stretchy lace headbands. So really, that's a LOT of mini flowers I've been making lately.

And while that may FEEL like a lot of mini flowers that I've been crocheting...it doesn't really LOOK like that many when they are all out on display (excuse the poor photo...it's raining out right now and the light is pahooey in the house right now!):

So, now I'm not sure if I'm impressed with all the mini flowers or a little disappointed...

Or, maybe just crazy.

I guess I'll find out this Saturday and Sunday at the Fishers Freedom Festival!

What's New with Two

2011-06-19T16:01:00.039-04:00

It's been quite some time since our last post. With being a single mom, raising two daughters, running my own business, and trying to get settled into our new home, can you really blame me? Time is a precious commodity...and when someone can bottle it, I'll start buying it by the jug!

So what have we been up to? I know you are asking yourself this.

For Two Seaside Babes, we've begun to really take a new direction with our business. Not only did we get a new logo "look" a few weeks back, but we also received a totally new (and equally fabulous...if I can say so myself) look to our boutique. Deb of Lilac Ave pointed me in the direction of This Chick Designs a few weeks ago when she made a massive change to her online site. I checked out This Chick's Designs and fell in love with a particular one. And after many (and I mean MANY) emails back and forth regarding color changes, fonts, and logos, with the ever-patient graphic designer Jennifer, this is what we have:

And boy, do we LOVE it! It is exactly what we are looking for in the "feel" of our shop. We always try to stick with that beachy feel...the blues, greys, and white. Jennifer made a wonderful suggestion with adding a beach glass green, and it couldn't have come out better. We're so pleased with her work and we're hoping that it takes us to that next level we're eager to hop to!

We've also been working on a number of new products for our boutique and our local shows. One of our favorites so far is our Crocheted Flower Applique Onesies. Each onesie is made of 100% cotton jersey and features lap shoulders, short sleeves, and bottom snaps. 3 crocheted flowers have been firmly sewn to the onesies with coordinating buttons. Each flower is accented with lime green polka dot ribbon. So far, we have 6 different color combinations, with each available in 6 different sizes (Newborn - 24 months), for only $14 each. And...we have matching headbands too! Made of 100% white lace elastic (with the same matching crocheted flower and polka dot ribbon as the onesie), they are available for purchase for $5 each.

Many thanks to Alexi Killmer of Child Essence Photography for her uber adorable photos! All photos are copyrighted by Child Essence Photography...please do not copy or use without permission.

Neapolitan (left) and Shades of Pink (right) - our Best Seller locally!

Shades of Yellow (left) and Shades of Purple (right) - my personal favorite!

Shades of Blue (left) - My daughters' favorite and Shades of Green (right)

Personally, we've been doing a lot of painting around the house. A LOT. We've been working on each room little by little. Instead of smartly doing one room at a time. The girls rooms came first:

My oldest daughter's room. Originally dubbed "the Bug Room", it is now the Blue and Pink Horsie Room. Yes, she picked the colors. And yes, I painted the mural. Can you guess what is her favorite movie of all time? ("Spirit"!)

And my youngest daughter's room. "The Dinosaur Room". She's a little sad to see the dinosaurs go. Although I'm really not too upset...seeing those things in the middle of the dark night...kind of creepy (even more so with the bugs!). But she's quite happy with the colors that she picked for her room...purple and yellow. We're waiting for her to decide (with 100% certainty) what she wants her mural to be. She's leaning toward giraffes right now.

That's it a nutshell. One CRAZY nutshell. We're loading all of our products into our boutique (to concentrate more on that as opposed to Etsy), creating new products, painting our house, and working on inventory for our next show. Which, by the way, will be the Fishers Freedom Festival on June 25 - 26. We would LOVE to see you there!

Half Off SALE: ALL Hair Accessories

2011-05-17T07:28:00.015-04:00

In an effort to streamline our Etsy shop more, we will be moving our head bands and hair clips to a second shop. Currently, we have less than 1/4 of our show inventory listed in our main shop and feel as though it's making it very cluttered. So, to get them out of the shop very quickly, we are offering the remaining 5 dozen or so at 50% off! The prices have already been changed to reflect this sale. Once they are sold, they will not be relisted at these prices.

Gingham hair clip duos Was $4, now $2!

Rhinestone-look Crocheted Flower Headbands Was $5, now $2.50!

Hair Clip Trios Was $6, now $3!

Stretchy Crocheted Flower Head Bands Was $14, now $7!

Silk/Bamboo Crocheted Flower Head Band Was $18, now $9!

And be sure to stay tuned in about 1 week for the launch of our brand new hair accessory shop on Etsy.

Zionsville Brick Street Market 2011

2011-05-15T16:32:00.002-04:00

Two Seaside Babes participated in this year's Zionsville Brick Street Market. It was our second-best show last year for sales, so we were very eager to be a vendor at it for our second time. We had the same spot, the weather was virtually the same, and we went there with almost $4000 more in inventory. We were prepared! And totally stoked!

But it was a different year. And while we didn't do nearly what we did last year, we were still pleased with how many sales we got. Regardless, a giant show like this is fun to do...hundreds of vendors lined along the historic brick street in Zionsville, quaint shops lining the street, and giant tents to stay out of the rain (READ...vendors don't have to worry about their own tents!).

About 30 minutes before the "start" of the show.

Our brand new onesies and matching headbands went over very well again for the second show in a row. Stay tuned...we'll be listing them on Etsy in about 1 week!

Our new grid walls. They allow us to get so much more inventory in our booth. Our old setup only allowed 1 set of each hair clip style that we had. Now we can get about 12 on each peg. Our American Girl doll hats also went over very well again...we contribute those sale to this new and better display.

Full tables. They don't ever stay that neat and tidy for very long. The compulsive freak in me goes crazy on show days with messy tables!

Our cotton hats went over very well this show.

Pretty In Pink Giveaway Winner

2011-05-14T21:00:00.009-04:00

Congratulations to Megan Martin of Spice of Life Designs for being the lucky winner of our $224 Pretty in Pink Giveaway. This tweet by Megan, "I just entered the Pretty in Pink Giveaway by @TwoSeasideBabes! http://www.twoseasidebabes.blogspot.com/", was the winner! We received almost 800 entries...most of them new "likes" to our Facebook page, but also a large number of Facebook "shares", tweets, amazing appreciation photos, and blog entries.

Also, as a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, we also decided to draw another winner for a $25 gift certificate (our way of saying "thank you" for helping us to get 700 new "likes" on Facebook). Becky Marchback Hartong won that gift certificate with this uber adorable appreciation photo that she posted on our wall.

Many thanks to all of our fans and customers that helped to spread the word about our giveaway. Your support and kind words are truly appreciated. Stay tuned in the future...we're hoping to hold a few more big giveaways like this one!

Pretty in Pink Giveaway

2011-05-08T09:00:00.045-04:00

Two Seaside Babes will be turning 3 years old on May 14th! It's been a long, and often trying and tiring road, but we've made it. And to say thank you for helping us to build our business from the ground up, we are having a Pretty in Pink Giveaway. Yes, yes, yes! One lucky winner will get all of these 14 crocheted goodies (valued at UP TO $224) from our shop. There are 20 chances to win. Only one is required. But the more you enter, the more likely you are to win!

The Goodies:

Entry #1 (required):

"Like" Two Seaside Babes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TwoSeasideBabes and leave a comment under this post letting us know you have liked our page (and what name you liked us as). If you are already a fan, just post a comment letting us know.

For ONE more additional entry:

Post a link on Facebook to all your friends, family, and fans (yes, you can do it from your business page too!) letting them know about this giveaway. To let us know that you have done so, just @Two Seaside Babes (you must type the @ to have our fan page pop up on your list of pages...and also to directly share on our wall). Come back here and leave a comment letting us know you have posted on Facebook (and what name you posted as).

UP TO FIVE more additional entries:

Post appreciation photos of our products being worn or used on our Facebook page directly to our wall. One entry per photo. You can post as many photos as you like, but we will only give 5 entries maximum. You do NOT need to come back here to leave a comment...we will automatically county the entries from our Facebook page. If you've already posted appreciation photos, those will count as your entries (just make sure to post up to five photos to get all five entries!)

UP TO TEN more additional entries:

Refer your friends to "like" Two Seaside Babes on Facebook. One entry for each fan...up to 10 fans. Your friends MUST post a comment to our wall letting us know "Such-and-such referred us". You need NOT come back her and leave a comment...we will automatically count entries from our Facebook page.

For ONE more additional entry:

Post a link on Twitter: Simply @TwoSeasideBabes at www.twitter.com/TwoSeasideBabes with something like, "We just entered the Pretty in Pink Giveaway" with @TwoSeasideBabes! http://www.twoseasidebabes.blogspot.com". Only ONE entry, no matter how many times you tweet it. Come back here and leave a comment with your twitter username letting us know you have tweeted.

For TWO more additional entries:

Blog about this giveaway. Come back here and leave a comment with the link.

The nitty gritty:

~ The giveaway is open from May 8th, 2011 until May 14th, 2011 at 9 PM EST.

~ All entries will be pooled together and the winner will be picked using Random.org

~ There are no substitutions or trades. What you win is what you get. The winner will be allowed to pink SIZES for the Striped Flapper Beanie (preemie - adult), Shades of Pink Stretchy Headband (infant, toddler, or adult), and Shades of Pink Onesie (newborn - 18 months).

~ This prize package has no cash value.

~ All 13 items will be mailed to the winner...the items will not be split up and delivered to separate addresses.

Our New Look

2011-05-05T07:50:00.001-04:00

Yes, that's right. Two Seaside Babes has a brand new look. We've been looking for something new that was modern and very clean. We didn't want kitchy. We wanted to stay true to our "beach" theme so stayed with our light blue. But instead of doing black, we choose to do grey instead, since it's so much less harsh.

After months and months (literally) of tweaking, we're finally 100% happy with what we've created. We've received our new business cards, hang tags, and brand new hair clip cards already!

We would love to hear your thoughts on our new look.

Orchard in Bloom

2011-05-04T12:13:00.005-04:00

This past weekend Two Seaside Babes was a vendor at this year's Orchard in Bloom, which is set in the prestigious Holiday Park in Indianapolis. We were lucky enough to be in the very first tent next to the north entrance. And even luckier enough to be next to ReFind Originals and Frangipani Body Products, who totally kept us company during those long 4 days.

What can we say? It rained. A bunch. And was windy. A bunch more. Our products were well-received with oodles of wonderful compliments. But sadly, our buyers just didn't seem to be at this venue. While we still did over 4 times our booth fee (for those who know, it's pretty darn hefty), we're taking this as a sign that we won't be participating in Orchard in Bloom again.

Unlike our typical shows where our Buckle Beanies, matching Textured Scarflettes, and cotton hats are super popular, our lesser-priced items took off at this show. This probably had a lot to do with having a somewhat-new booth layout. We had purchased grid walls that allow us to display our hair clippies much better. Instead of having 1 each, we can now have between 6 and 12 deep in each style or color. As always, our best-sellers continued to be best-sellers at this show.

The grid walls allowed us to display our felt purses with crocheted flowers on them. We sold all but 2! And we're excited about having more color combinations for our future shows. Our American Girl doll hats also went over very well.

But most importantly, we had been using Orchard in Bloom as the testing launch for a brand new product. We were very excited with how well it was received, and how many were purchased. In about 1 more week we'll be launching it on Etsy and in our online boutique...so stay tuned! **if you take a look at the photos, and are familiar with our product lines, you'll be able to see the new crocheted goodies!**

Now we're prepping for one of our best shows last year, the Zionsville Brick Street Market which will be held this year on May 14th.

We're Back!

2011-04-24T17:41:00.006-04:00

Yes, it's been a LONG 2 months, but we're back. So what's happened in the 2 months since we last blogged?

We sold our old home! Whew! **wipes brow** One (beyond) difficult buyer, one nuisance of a septic pipe, one problem after another. After another. After another. It took what felt like forever to close. Really, it was 59 days from initial offer to closing. But when you have 2 monkeys going through it with you and a business to run, it felt like forever.

We were in "limbo" between homes. Yes, we were that lucky family that had to close on our old HOME before our new home. Everything had to get packed up and put into storage. No beds. No toys. Just the basics...living out of suitcases for a few weeks.

We closed on our new home this past Thursday! We love, Love, LOVE it! It is just what we needed to fit our lives at the moment. The girls still have separate bedrooms, because gosh knows they don't have the ability to sleep in the same room. I have my own office! Yes...my own dedicated business space! **jumping up and down with joy** A fenced in back yard. A lovely community within walking distance to the elementary school (okay, it's kind of a little hike. But on gorgeous Spring days it will be fabulous!). A super duper short drive to all of my supply shops.

City water! EEEEEeeeeee! We (okay me..the girls are too young to care) cannot even explain our animosity towards well water. At least, Indiana well water. To have chlorinated, non-stinky water without iron deposits is fabulous. For our skin. For our clothes. For our general sanity!

City sewer! EEEEEeeeeee! Did you see ever read any of our posts about having a septic system. You should. You'll totally get why this is SO exciting for us.

We've also been accepted to a number of shows this year. We'll be at this year's Orchard in Bloom for the first time. And also again at the Zionsville Brick Street Market...one of our most favorite shows last year. We're eager to hit our show season full force and introduce some new items, which we're hoping to introduce online in the next few weeks.

We've been working with some amazing photographers to redo a number of our online photos. Angel of Angel Canary Photography and Alexi Killmer of Child Essence Photography. Their work is absolutely amazing and has already done wonders for our sales. We're so honored to have their work grace our shop.

We've got a new "look". We'll be introducing our trendy and modern look as soon as we get our business cards (any day now!).

We've be doing a BIG giveaway. And by BIG, we mean GIANT. One winner. Over $200 worth of our goodies. So stay tuned for that one...we'll be doing it right around our 3 year mark (May 14). You know you so want to snag some of our goodies for FREE right?

We're most likely forgetting another dozen amazing things that happened to us the past 2 months. It's pretty hard to keep it all straight when things have finally begun to fall into place. It's been a long 29+ months and we're truly touched that so many of our fans and customers have continued to follow us, buy our products, and show us all of the support that we needed. We would not be where we are today without you all. Thank you to each of you.

Custom Granny Square Crazy Quilt

2011-02-07T15:43:00.005-05:00

Two weeks ago, we received our largest custom order ever...a custom Granny Square Crazy Quilt. The customer wanted the blanket solely in earthen, neutral colors. So we used cream, wheat, linen, oatmeal, grey marble, taupe, barnwood brown, and wood. We absolutely LOVE how this one turned out...and we're dearly hoping our customer loves it as much as we do!

What a Crappy Day (pun totally intended!)

2011-02-07T07:41:00.006-05:00

I apologize for my blogging hiatus this past week. Things have been pretty crazy lately around the personal front. We've been trying to sell our home for about a year now. The housing market sucks...and I apologize again if that word offends you, but there doesn't seem to be an appropriate, non-cuss word that I can use to describe my annoyance and anger over it. We've received 2 verbals and 1 written. The 2 verbals walked before touching pen to paper and the written walked after we wouldn't concede to their ridiculous demands upon inspection.

We received another written offer on our home last week Monday. It took us a long time to get over the shock of the ridiculously low amount offered. But the counter was reasonable to work with and we ended up agreeing. So then came the inspection. And more worries about the septic.

12pm Sunday the 6th
The septic.

Ugh...those 2 words make me cringe like none other as a homeowner.

We moved into this house in July of 2007. We had actually purchased it in June of 2005 but couldn't move in until after military-service obligations came to and end. The house sat for those 2 years. AND since this house was a foreclosure, it sat for another 3 years BEFORE that. 5 years of a home sitting, unoccupied will do a number on it.

Within the first 9 months here, the water heater and main furnace (there are 2 in the home) broke and needed to be fully replaced. A water softened and in-house water filtration system needed to be installed because the water was so horrible. The well tank burst and needed to be replaced. The well pump froze and was rebuilt. The toilet sprung a leak and was replaced.

My checkbook was not a happy camper that year.

But my checkbook probably cussed me out with the NEXT big expense that put the icing on the cake to our very first year there. The septic started to back up. Now, up to this point, besides the home I grew up in, I always lived in the city. So I knew nothing about septic systems.

OR the costs to repair them.

To make a long story short, the old saying about a "septic system never needs to be maintained" is a lie. The person who first said that should spend the rest of their lonely days inside a septic tank. The system in this house had never been maintained. Never. The bill I got proved that. First, they needed to find the tank...and since there was no riser, they had to get a backhoe to dig it out. A riser was installed. The tank was pumped. The fingers were cleaned. The gray water line had cracked and was leaking into the back yard by the house. The incompetent contractors that installed the back patio had drilled a rebar through one of the fingers and...well...you can guess what was leaking under the house. The entire system needed to be inspected and repaired. It cost almost $2500.

So when this current inspection comes back and the buyer is freaking out about the septic, I start getting mad....because I KNOW it's in good working condition. For the record, if you're going to buy a home that has a septic system, you might want to learn about septic systems BEFORE you buy. Might save you a lot of money...a wonderful bit of advice I wish someone had told me.

7am Monday the 7th
Today is the day that the septic guys come over to the house to try and ease this woman's concerns. I'm a pro at this. I know the system. Know exactly where it's at. What everything does. That it's in full working order. How to maintain it.

Yes, how to maintain it! I get it pumped every year. So if you're that "inspector" that tells a potential home-buyer that a system does not ever need to be pumped, don't look at me like I'M the idiot for shelling out $170 a year to do preventative maintenance on my system. I'd rather shell out that $170 a year for 15 years than shell out $2500 at one pop.

10 am Monday the 7th
Just as I already knew, there's nothing wrong with the septic. Big surprise there! So here's hoping this woman is "comfortable" enough and is willing to proceed with the sale. Wish us luck!

Crazy Bat Lady

2011-01-28T21:33:00.006-05:00

I bought a Sentry Safe a few years ago. I big one. Heavy. Expensive. About a year ago, the thing wouldn't open. So I kept inputting the code over and over again, for what felt like forever, and it finally popped. Thinking nothing of it, I closed it, blowing the incident off to something other than a worthless safe.

I was wrong. So of course, I don't remember this incident as I go to open the safe the next time. This next time was 2 weeks ago. I had been trying every single day to open the darn thing. And as each day passed, I was going more and more mad. Not upset. MAD.

So I'm laying in bed last night, thinking about how I need to do my taxes, but cannot because vital information I need is locked away in the safe. At 11:45 pm, I decide to get out of bed and finally get that safe open. I'm determined.

And MAD.

I pull the thing into the middle of my bedroom...for the record, it's heavy. Very heavy...about 150 pounds. So now I'm every more MAD because I'm breaking a sweat trying to get it into the middle of the room. I spend the next 30 minutes plugging the code in over and over again. And yes, it's the right code...the green beeping lights lets me know so. And yes, I have fresh batteries in.

**insert appropriate curse word**

I began to think, perhaps if I tip it on its side, it will work. So I'm rolling my safe onto its side, over and over again, trying the code over and over again. And still nothing. So I pick the safe up and drop it on the floor. Hernia waiting to happen. But it doesn't pop open.

**insert appropriate curse word**

After that 30 minutes, I decide to Google the problem. And I'm totally blown away with how many people have had this same EXACT problem! Thousands upon thousands of sites saying they are plugging their correct code in, but the lock won't "unlock". I stumble upon one...quite entertaining actually...where this guy calls customer service and they tell him to bang the top of it with a rubber mallet. So he does, and lo and behold, the stuck safe pops open.

Which of course sets of a giant red flag right there. I'm thinking to myself, "Why would a $250, 150 pound safe be able to open with a rubber mallet?" So I try it. Only I don't have a rubber mallet. I use my exercise ball. Over and over again, I smack the thing on the top. Harder and harder I drop it. But then I panic, thinking I'm going to break the ball and sand will be all over my carpet.

**insert appropriate curse word**

So I grab a screwdriver. I figure the safe is beyond saving, so I start prying the sucker in the crack, knowing darn well it's not going to pop it open. But of course, there is that glimmer of hope, since the other guy popped his open with a rubber mallet.

Obviously it's not working. This is 40 minutes after I start. So I go and Google again. And I search the videos. I watch one about a bunch of safe-crackers that whacked the back of the thing with an ax...four whacks and they were in.

Alas, I have no ax.

But I have a bat. That should work, right? Nope...I'm whacking this safe like a crazy bat lady at the Whack-A-Mole game. I'm surprised I didn't wake the girls up with the racket. And now I'm beyond MAD because I'm totally breaking a sweat trying to get into this thing.

**insert appropriate curse word**

Now I'm thinking every crazy thing in the world. Wrap a tow strap around in and haul it behind the truck at high speed. But I can't once I realize the safe would pop open and all of my important papers would just fly out. I'm thinking of buying a blow torch, but my history with fire isn't so good...so that idea passes as quickly as it came.

45 minutes into this maddening endeavor, I run out of ideas. And curse words. So I start kicking the bejeebers out of the keypad. Over and over again. Curse word after curse word.

And guess what?

THE SAFE FINALLY POPPED OPEN!

Moral of the story? If all else fails, kick the bejeebers out of it. Kicking really does fix stuff.

Anyone want a 150 pound Sentry Safe. I'll totally give it to you for free!

We Won a Gift Certificate from Camillam!

2011-01-27T22:15:00.007-05:00

About 2 weeks ago, I was the lucky winner of a $25 gift certificate from Camillam on Etsy. Cami makes the most adorable bears and other irresistible animals. A few years ago, I had ordered my girls custom bears, doll blankets, and purses from her. They still love them just as much as the day the got them. And they still in fabulous shape...made amazingly well!

I had "liked" Cami's page on Facebook, Bears and More, answered a poll that she was having, and won. We were so excited. You see, there seems to be something in the water lately. All of my friends have been having babies left and right. During a 1 week period, I had 5 friends on Facebook that gave birth.

So this gift certificate couldn't have come at a better time. I was dearly in need of baby gifts. What did I get you ask? Two burp cloths for mommy and bunny for the big sister. She shipped the very next day and the items were just as well-made and adorable as the other items I had purchased from her. I will always recommend Camillam to those in need of cute baby and children's gifts. For I know they will never be disappointed.

Tooting Our Own Horn

2011-01-26T20:41:00.007-05:00

Yes, we're going to take a moment to toot our own horn.

We received our very first order in our online boutique Two Seaside Babes today! Considering we've only been promoting our site for 10 days, were extremely pleased with that. We thought it would definitely take months to get to this point.

1T - 2T Buckle Beanie - Raspberry Pink

$29

We have yet to load all of our products. Currently we only have 16 categories listed...we have another 10 to go. It's a long process...re-sizing every single photo, descriptions, photo descriptions, in/out links, sizes, colors, styles, wholesale costs. Whew! It's a LOT of work! We think it's worth every second though.

We are really stoked with how it's looking so far. We love the ease of shopping on the site...so much easier than our Etsy shop. We love the colors. The layout. The direct contact we get to have with out fans and customers...we've received oodles of emails today alone!

We foresee amazingly big, beautiful, and better things for Two Seaside Babes the next few months.

OK...thanks for letting us toot our own horn. We're done now ;-)

Photos from Child Essence Photography

2011-01-25T21:01:00.005-05:00

Today, Two Seaside Babes received oodles of absolutely adorable photos from Child Essence Photography. The photos were exactly the style that we are looking for in our boutique...minimal use of props, casual/every day outfits, natural lighting, high saturation of colors, and an uber cute model.

We sent Macie and her mom (the uber cute model) our Soft and Fluffy Baby Blanket - Ivory Cream; our newest Striped Flapper Beanie - Lavender, White, and Pink with Chocolate Brown Flower; Flapper Beanie - Lavender; and Flapper Beanie - Cream.

The photos we got in return were more than we could have asked for. Many thanks to Alexi for her fabulous photos!

3 to 6 Month Cotton Flapper Beanie - Lavender with White Daisy Flower

$19 and

Soft and Fluffy Baby Blanket, Wrap Swaddler - Ivory Cream - Great Photography Prop

$50

3 to 6 Month Cotton Striped Flapper Beanie - Lavender, White, and Pink with Chocolate Brown Flower

$23

3 to 6 Month Cotton Flapper Beanie - Cream with Pink Daisy Flower

$19

Hostility Towards White Walls

2011-01-24T20:26:00.007-05:00

I HATE white walls. Hate is such a horrible term. But it so aptly applies to my animosity towards white walls. This is my 7th home since I moved out of my parents at 18. I actually wasn't allowed to paint the first 5. I stretched with that last one and ended up getting my security deposit taken from me when the landlord found out I painted his walls bright, cheery yellow. Whoopsie.

So when I finally moved in here, these stark white walls were screaming, "paint me! Paint Me! PAINT ME!" And the only way to shut them up was to cover them in paint. Ahhh...it's so wonderful how a room finally feels "lived in" once you slap a coat of paint on the walls.

I read somewhere that your choice of color when painting your home is an indicator of your personality, sort of like how your favorite color supposedly does the same. True? I don't know. You tell me.

Our living room. It's bright. It's blue. VERY blue. I love it! Blue is supposedly serene and tranquil, the color of peace and contentment. Perhaps, since it also serves as my "work" room, this is quite true. I enjoy crocheting, and hardly consider it work. However, the living room also serves as the main play area for the girls. Serene and tranquil when the monkeys are awake and swinging from the curtain (yes, I totally scold someone at least once a day for doing it)? I don't really think so.

The dining room. Yes, again, it's blue. But I decided to go with a "beach" theme here...light blue, sand, and white. I think it pops very nicely with the 300+ pieces of cobalt blue glass that I collect. Brown is supposedly the color of stability and reliability. I don't really know how this applied to this room in the least.

The front entrance. A deep purplish/brown. Yes, I love purple...it's my favorite color! Purple is often associated with royalty and riches. Which is the furthest thing from the truth when this is the first room you enter the home in. Royalty? Riches? I'd paint my whole house purple if it brought me this!

Guess who else loves purple? Yeppers, that would be my youngest. And since she couldn't pick a shade...she went with 6 of them. This is my favorite room in the entire house. So fun, bright, and cheerful. Yes, I hand-painted those bugs and flowers on the white strip.

And yes, the other 3 walls are blue. Here other favorite color. But not subtle like me. She likes bright. Bold. Electric Blue!

One of my favorite paint colors ever. I had this in my last house too. I don't remember the name, but I can pick this shade out everytime I go the paint section at Lowes. Something about Mark Twain. Green is calming. The color of fresh beginnings and new life.

OK...maybe not ALL shades of green are calming. **ahem** Case in point...

And last, but certainly not least, my oldest daughter's room. The brightest one in the house. The one that makes me cringe thinking about what buyers (we're selling our home) are thinking evertime they see THIS room. I'm not painting over it. If someone can't see past the colors, then they're obviously not the kind of people that would like any color that I personally picked out for the wall.

So she picked out the very same colors that match her comforter. That wall took an eternity to paint. Stripes and textured walls...not good bedfellows.

I'm curious...what color walls do you have in your home? What do you think those colors say about you?

Bath Loofah - FREE Crochet Pattern

2011-01-22T19:43:00.013-05:00

I have a "thing" with that plastic loofah in my shower. I LOVE how it exfoliates, but hate how it felt so germ infested. And if you try and wash it, it just falls to shreds. And having to buy a new one each time I feel as though it was grody (which pretty much within the first week) or when it got torn to shreds, was not being to kind to my wallet.

So I started crocheting my own. Some of you might remember that I used to sell them too on Etsy. But once I realized the amount of time it took to crochet one, and my inability to provide myself an hourly wage with them, I stopped making them. For business at least. I still make them for myself. And I still get requests about them. So I'm going to tell you all my pattern.

Really? Free? Yes, totally. Go ahead, make what you sell. I hope you sell oodles!

Materials:

~1 ball 100% cotton (washer and dryer safe)

~Size G hook...or any size you prefer. The smaller the hook, the smaller the loofah. The smaller the hook, the more sturdy the loofah also is.

~Tapestry needle.

Abbreviations:

ch chain

sc single crochet

sl st slipt stitch

st stitch

sp space

Bath Loofah:

Ch 5, join to form ring.

Rnd 1: (Ch 5, sc in ring) 25 times

Rnd 2: Sc in first ch-5 loop, (ch 5, sc in ch-5 sp) 10 times. Ch 40 (to make hand loop). *Sc in next ch-5 sp, (ch 5, sc in ch-5 sp) 10 times. Repeat from * around. Join in first sc. Finish off and weave in end with tapestry needle.

Enjoy with a super luxurious soap or bath wash...I highly recommend Lilac Ave on Etsy:

Basil Citrus scented Olive Oil Soap SLS Free Paraben Free

$3.50 each

And be sure to stop by our online boutique Two Seaside Babes. We will soon be listing all of our patterns there (they'll be up in a few days!)

The Sounds of Silence

2011-01-21T08:50:00.004-05:00

Most people don't know it (including my parents), but I suffered from insomnia for probably a decade. I would lay awake for hours each night, tossing and turning, never able to fully fall asleep. My cure for it? The Army...well, Basic Training to be more exact. I was cured of my insomnia within a week.

I still have problems sleeping. I need background noise. A fan or noisy air purifier is most likely my security blanket. I turn the furnace fan on to sleep at night. It drives some crazy...when I sleep at my parents, I pull their colossal air purifier down the stairs and turn it on full-blast, sighing in bliss at its jet engine roar. I've passed this need of background noise down to my own children...the each sleep with a noisy air purifier in their room.

So last night, as I was having a sleepover with the girls, I'm laying in bed (of course in utter silence) cursing at myself for not bringing an air purifier. And I'm going more bonkers at the minutes pass having to listen to their whispers and giggles, instead of them falling asleep. And I'm about to go off the deep end listing to my beau silently breathe. It's driving me crazy.

I'm crazy, yes I know.

So I get up around midnight and finally plug in his fan. I don't care that it's in the negatives outside right now. Or that the fan is going to make the house freezing. I turn it on full blast and bask in the sound that will soon lull me to sleep. But before I fall asleep, I start thinking of how silence means something so different to me than it does most people. Silence to most, I would assume, would mean solitude. Calmness. A chance to finally relax, unwind, and let your mind wander.

My mind wanders to places I don't want it to go when I'm surrounded by silence. Maybe it's a touch of my PTSD, but silence reminds me of Afghanistan. It was only silent right before a mortar or rocket attack. Silence was never good in combat. When UH60's and Chinooks were taking off and landing, things were safe. That deep whoo whoo whoo of the rotor blades was my security blanket.

Now, as a mother, silence means that my girls are in trouble. They're doing something they're not supposed to, getting into something they shouldn't, or making a mess they have no intention of cleaning up. When they swing from the rafters like monkeys spoon-fed crack for breakfast, I'm actually less stressed than when things are quiet. When things are quiet, I have to drop everything I'm doing to go find them...usually hiding in one of their rooms, surrounded by literally every single toy in the house. Or sitting in front of the heat vent farthest away from where I am, shoving light bright pegs into it. Or emptying an entire dispenser of soap in the bathroom sink just to clean their hands.

I could go on and on. Silence in this house means someone is most likely getting a serious time-out. My point? Silence is NOT always golden.

"That buzzing-noise means something. If there's a buzzing noise, somebody's making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee...And the only reason for being a bee that I know of it making honey...And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it." So he began to climb the tree."

~ Winnie the Pooh