Rose Bush Designs

New Blog!

2011-02-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

I've ignored, kicked, and pushed this blog around for a while. Now, I'm just leaving it and starting a new one.

I'm not selling on Etsy any longer and having a craft-centered blog just didn't make sense since I'm not crafting much these days.

I'm just getting started so give me a little time, but you can follow me here: http://truthwithdirtontheirfaces.blogspot.com/

Bohdan at 3

2010-08-20T16:32:00.001-07:00

Zombies and Care Bears

2010-08-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago. Lauren went with me to get Stas at school. Since all three kids were across the back seat, the conversation got fun.

Lauren: I'm the Queen of the Care Bears.
Stas: I'm the King of the Zombies.

They got to gigging and being silly. Then from the backseat, I hear:

Lauren: Miss Beth, does Stas always pretend he's dead?

I look back and Stas is sprawled in his seat with his tongue lolling out.

Lauren: When you are my husband you will always love me but I may not always like you.
Stas: *huh*
Lauren: When we have a kid, we will name her Laura.
Stas: We can name the boy Boo Boo in case he says "boo" a lot.
Lauren: What about Monster? We can name him Monster Boo.
Stas: Ok!

The talk goes to making a party upstairs. While Stas and Lauren were making plans, Bohdan was trying to get their attention.

Bohden: Wo-Wen (Lauren), Wo-Wen, Wo-Wen!
Bohden: Me go party too?
Lauren: (in her best Mommy voice) Yes, Bohdan. You can go to the party too.

After we get to the house, they all go up to play. Stasiu said something about pretend play.

Lauren: That's a good idea Stas, I can be in charge!

Look Who's Six!

2010-06-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

I took cupcakes to his Day Camp Class today. He was very surprised!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-06-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've had the best of intentions to update here. I have pictures, events and such to post. But, things get in the way. Just since January we've had

surgery
er trip with baby
last day of school for Stas
soccer
real estate classes
Disney
real estate exam
crashed computer
job hunting
working (a.k.a. trying to get business)

Coming this month and next we have;

day camp
4 different sets of company
Stas takes a hike with Nana
Stas's birthday
my birthday
Father's Day
Bohdan's Birthday
Wok and Nana's birthday

You get the idea....

Just because I can't post without a picture I have this one. This is a field near my house. We drive past it every day on the way to school.

Dr Who Mr. Potato Head

2010-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you remember, I did a post a while back about Dr. Who and Thomas the Tank Engine and how my husband and oldest like to freak me out.

While at Downtown Disney, we went into one of the numerous toy stores there. They had these tables full of all kinds of bits and parts for you to stand there and make your own Mr. Potato Head.

What does my kid make?

Yes, that is a gas mask.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-04-26T14:08:00.001-07:00

It has been an exciting few months around here. I've been busy with my new venture. I am now working here:

Yes, I have taken my pre-licensing classes and have a few more to take, but am a working Real Estate Agent. I'm very excited about this venture for many reasons!

We took the kids to Disney, along with some very good friends of ours. The two big boys, Stasiu and Lucas have been best friends for years. The little boy, Bohdan and the girl, Marialice are sweethearts. We had a wonderful time with all of them. We did Disney, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney. I will post more pictures in the coming days.

Bohdan started speech therapy. That in itself isn't remarkable. What is remarkable is that he took one of his tools, his flute, and jammed it up into his soft palate. Yes, we had another emergency room trip. And yes, one of the on-call physicians recognized us. I wonder when we get our frequent trip punch card?

My oldest started soccer again and is about to finish kindergarten. How in the world did I end up with such a big boy?

This is his pirate pose, by the way.

Meet Super Stas

2010-02-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

After Stasiu got off the bus yesterday, he told me he was a superhero named Super Stas. I thought it was cute and thought nothing of it again until after the kids came in from playing outside.

Stasiu donned his batman cape, cowl and headlight and declared he had to go save Lauren. Next thing we hear is the front door opening. We get him back inside and this is how the conversation went:

Us: Honey, it's late, you can't go save Lauren now.

Stas: But she's in trouble.

Us: How do you know?

Stas: My big toe told me.

At this point Chris and I are trying really hard to keep a straight face.

Us: Your big toe?

Stas: Yes, it lights up when someone's in trouble.

Us: How do you know it's Lauren that is in trouble.

Stas: It told me!

He was serious. He was going to run super fast to her house and save her. Turns out, she was in trouble, she got her head caught in her nightgown. Maybe the toe knows....

Fast forward to this morning when we are all in my bathroom getting ready.

Stas: Duncun's in trouble.

Me: (forgetting the superhero thing) Why? What did he do?

Stas: He's in trouble.

Me: How do you know?

Stas: My big toe told me.

Then he walks out of the room and comes back in with his cape.

Me: Honey, you can't wear your cape to school.

Stas: Why not? What if someone gets in trouble?

Me: Well, another superhero will have to take over while you are in school.

Stas: What about Steven? (a school friend)

Me: That sounds good.

Stas: His name starts with an "s" too. I just don't know if he has a big toe that goes off.

I cannot make this stuff up...

Valentines!

2010-01-28T11:49:00.001-08:00

It's just around the corner, you know. Valentine's day. That sweetest of the sweet day. Have you purchased your card yet? I do have a few and will be putting more up in my etsy shop. Take a look at these two cute ones I have.

We finally had some sunny days for me to take pictures! You have to love sunny days.

Sunshine Blog Award from Leela Bijou

2010-01-20T12:35:00.001-08:00

"The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world.

I have been given the Sunshine Bog award by the lovely and talented Leela Bijou of A Little Bit of Everything. She has a wonderful jewelry shop on Etsy.

Look at this beautiful ring. I don't wear purple, but this I would wear. It is just stunning!

And you know my love of roses...

And green-with roses! Aren't these beautiful! Honey, are you paying attention here?

She has a great blog full of all sorts of tidbits and her blog is just fun to view. Check out her shop and her blog. Go on, click the above links, I'll wait.

So, the blog award goes like this:

The rules for accepting these award:-
Put the logo on your blog or within your post.-
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.-
Link the nominees within your post.-
Let the nominees know they have received this award."

Here are my 12...

http://balsamponds.blogspot.com/
http://tootsiegrace.blogspot.com/
http://happycloudmoments.blogspot.com/ (another great jeweler)
http://brodieandgirls.blogspot.com/
http://jennjunk.blogspot.com/
http://jenniferbirge.blogspot.com/
http://roseworksjewelry.blogspot.com/
http://simpledaisy.blogspot.com/
http://mostlyisaac.blogspot.com/
http://www.livitluvit.com/
http://nuvonova.blogspot.com/
http://pamperingbeki.blogspot.com/

Elegant Snobbery Giveaway

2010-01-17T15:01:00.001-08:00

You've heard of Elegant Snobbery, right? Oh, come on, sure you have. She has a wonderfully whimsical and very girly shop on Etsy.

Where else could you find a princess,

a monkey,
and frogs?

She is running a give away on her blog, Elegant Bloggery. Just go there and you will find out how you can enter to win this lovely print, Rapunzel.

Go on, you will like what you see there.

Heart Treasury

2010-01-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to find myself in this beautiful heart themed treasury curated by Cape Cod Jewel. She did a beautiful job, didn't she? My heart cards are the first set on the third row. Be sure to check out all the wonderful artisans in the treasury.

While you are at it, check out Cape Cod Jewel. This rose ring is one of my favorites in her shop. She has a nice selection of one of a kind jewelry as well as supplies.

Sick Days

2010-01-14T13:11:00.001-08:00

Both Stasiu and I are laid up today. I had surgery yesterday and Stasiu has strep throat. The poor thing feels just awful so we are couch buddies catching up on Dirty Jobs, Dinosaur Train and Bristol Bay Brawl.

Phoebe hasn't left his side. If he's on the couch, she's snuggling right up to him.

One of the benefits to being sick is being able to eat popsicles inside and in front of the tv. Not to bad, eh?

Twin Boys Card

2010-01-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

My neighbor is having twin boys soon and there was a baby shower for her yesterday. A lot of the neighbors came as well as friends of hers, her mother and mother in law. It was a wonderful turnout for the new parents.

I made this card to go with the gift I gave her. As you can tell, she's having boys.

Enjoy!

Pops, Stasiu and Birds

2010-01-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

While my dad was here, he took Stasiu out into the backyard and cleaned and refilled all my birdfeeders. I had three to clean and received a new one for Christmas. They had their work cut out for them since two of them were pretty bad.

They are pretty proud of themselves and they should be!

It took a few days, but we were rewarded with the return of birds in our yard. We have been unseasonably cold lately so I'm sure the birds need the food that's been put out for them.

For Christmas, my husband gave me a telephoto lens for my camera. I captured these pictures from the warmth of my sunroom. It's too cold for me to venture outside.

Cousins

2010-01-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

We had a ton of company for Christmas this year. We were fortunate enough to have nearly everyone come and visit us. This Christmas saw all the cousins together on Christmas morning. It was wonderful!

I took some time off from blogging and my shop to give myself a break while we had all our company and I'm glad I did. I was able to visit and enjoy myself with my family without feeling like I should be doing something else.

While all the kids were here, Mimi and I took them to Falls Park and took pictures of all of them together.

Here is my youngest, Bohdan.

My oldest, Stasiu.

My boys with their cousin, Isaac.

Little Juliet. Isn't she just beautiful?

All of them together. What a picture!

Tis' The Season Treasury

2009-11-20T07:25:00.001-08:00

Frosted Treats curated this holiday inspired treasury. These are all holiday items that cost less than $10. Good idea for a treasury! My Postcard From Santa card is on the lower right.

Enjoy!

Thomas and Dr Who

2009-11-19T16:21:00.001-08:00

We are huge Dr. Who fans around here. We are also huge Thomas the Tank fans. These two things go together, trust me.

During the second season (I believe) of Dr. Who there was an episode about a child going around London wearing a gas mask asking "are you my mummy?". Well, it freaked me out and my husband likes to tease me with that line.

One morning, my husband moved a Thomas train out of his way and said--in the correct British accent, "hello Thomas!". Stasiu is sitting at the table and says "are you my mummy?".
My husband thought it was hilarious.

More Christmas Cards

2009-11-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

It's freezing here at the North Pole where I am privileged to be working on some of Santa's cards. Ok, not really. But I am having a great time getting these cards done.

This one is one of my favorites--yes, I do like my cosmo from time to time.

You can find all of these and more in my etsy shop. Take a look!

Fall Treasury

2009-11-10T14:08:00.001-08:00

Handmade by Sandi curated this wonderful fall themed treasury over in Treasury West. It has items from our Etsy Twitter Team. My card is in the middle on the penultimate row.

Give it some love!

Keep an Eye on This One, Urban

2009-11-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Stasiu started football on Saturday. He has taken to it even more than soccer. He is getting the rules of the game and absolutely loves it!

He's number 96. They are getting ready to start the game after the practice.

He's taking off with the ball!!

He is weaving through the players...

He's ahead of them!

Touchdown Stasiu!!!!!

After the game, the team mom made this banner for the kids to crash through.

Naturally, Stasiu was one of the first ones through. Who could resist being allowed to tear something up that big?

Of course, they weren't finished. They had to completely destroy it.

This is going to be a great season. It's just his first game and he already loves it, participates more than in soccer and is paying attention and trying to learn the game.

Post Card Christmas Card

2009-11-04T10:31:00.001-08:00

I really like this Stamp set. I've been shopping around for postcard stamps and knew I had to have this one. This set has a funny story, though. Even though I bought it a month or so ago, I'm the third one to use it. Yup, I'm a stamp lender. I finally got it back, made this and off it went.

You can find this stamp in my shop.

Enjoy!

Another Treasury

2009-10-31T05:07:00.001-07:00

Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and find myself in another treasury. This one is curated by Salon D'Arte and features fellow Etsy Twitter Team members. My Rocket Man card is first on the second row.

Enjoy!

Orange Treasury

2009-10-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

This lovely treasury was curated by HuayruroPeru, a member of the Etsy Twitter Team. My card is the first one on the second row.

Enjoy!

Anniversary Photos

2009-10-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

My husband and I went to Asheville for our anniversary. Since I was gimpy from falling down the stairs a few days before, we didn't get to walk around as much. I especially wanted to walk the Biltmore grounds and gardens. We will try to go again closer to Christmas. We did make it to the farm on the grounds and I took some pictures there.

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

2009-10-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today is my seven year anniversary. I have been married to a wonderful man who loves me for just who I am, is a great father and just fun to be around.

We are spending the weekend in Asheville at our favorite B&B.

We are staying in their Turret Suite which has a sitting room with a fireplace. It is supposed to snow, so I'm sure we will use it.

This is the bedroom with these beautiful windows.

Seven year traditional gifts are copper or wool. Since we live in South Carolina, wool isn't all that practical. I found a beautiful Parker pen that is wrapped in a very thin layer of copper. Beautiful, isn't it?

This is the card I made for him. I actually made it a while ago at a Stampin' Up party that my friend, Molly, did. This is one of the demo cards we did. This is one of the benefits of having a stash of cards--I have a beautiful card to give since I can't sit at my desk for very long right now since I fell down the stairs on monday and sprained both my ankles.

Happy Anniversary, Tim and Amanda!

2009-10-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Tim and Amanda's anniversary and they have been married for six years. How do I know they have been married for six years? They were married exactly 364 days after Chris and I were. It was a wonderful wedding and Amanda was a stunning bride.

Now they have two beautiful kids, are set to take off on an amazing adventure courtesy of Tim's employer.

This is the card I made for them.

Have a wonderful anniversary and we love you guys!

Fall For Greenville

2009-10-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

Every year our city does a festival called Fall for Greenville. It's a festival of good food, music, rides and other things. The food is so very good.

This last weekend, Stasiu spent the night with his best buddy, Lucas. Lucas's mom was out of town so it was a boy's weekend with his dad. Originally, Lucas's grandma was supposed to go to help manage the chaos of three kids, but she wasn't feeling well, so I went instead. I had so much fun, too!

I couldn't resist this shot of the boys walking together after we parked the car.

The boys would yell "hi mommy, hi daddy" every time they went by. They got louder and louder with every pass. The people around us were laughing.

Lucas. He's a good looking kid, isn't he?

And he's down! Any surprise that Stas spent most of the time falling down in the bounce house?

Lucas's sister, Marialice. Isn't she pretty? She's also Bohdan's girlfriend, so hands off all you other toddlers.

James, Lucas's dad, took Marialice down the big slide. It's hard to tell who enjoyed it more.

Telling secrets in the backseat.

Halloween Stamp Blog Candy

2009-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Cute stamps, aren't they? Head on over to Paper Fashions and enter to win them. All you have to do is leave a comment, but do it in a hurry--she will draw when she hits 75 comments.

Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells Jingling...

2009-10-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

It's Heeeerrreeee! Ok, so it doesn't exactly sound like the creepy girl from Poltergeist but you get the idea.

Christmas is just around the corner. A mere eight weeks away. I've started loading up my Christmas cards on etsy. I'm also going to have gift tags.

Enjoy!

Dreaming in Purple

2009-10-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

This beautiful purple treasury was curated by my fellow Etsy Twitter Teammate, Caelum. My card is first on the last row.

Check it out and give it some love.

He Loves Soccer

2009-10-14T16:47:00.001-07:00

This is Stasiu's third season playing soccer at our YMCA. We almost didn't sign him up for a second season because during his first he mostly stood around or bent over to pick up blades of grass. It also didn't help that he had a girlfriend, Amelia. You see, he and Amelia would stand on the field together and hold hands. They would giggle, chase each other and play--just not soccer. The coach caught on to those two and started separating them.

His second season he did better; except when it was too hot, or too close to lunchtime. He would get tired easily, not pay attention, or just not play. We did see some improvement and he played soccer instead of just playing so we gave it another chance at his insistence, to play again. He did like it, we just wanted to make sure he liked soccer and didn't see it as just a playdate.

This season has been amazing. Something clicked and he discovered he loves soccer. And he's getting good at it. The coach came over to me after the game on Saturday and said what an improvement Stas has made. He is understanding the rules, going after the ball and being overall agressive in his playing. He is no longer falling down because it is fun and when he does fall down, he gets right back up and keeps playing.

I told him that the coach thought he played well and he said, "yeah, I did! Did you see me mom?". We are so thrilled he is enjoying it and learning to play by rules, listen and all those other parenty things. But, he's also getting pretty good and the way his face lights up makes me so happy to see.

Birthday Card for Helen

2009-10-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

My mom is going to Georgia this weekend to celebrate her friend, Helen's, birthday. I offered to make her a card and wanted to try something I saw on someone's blog. "Gasp!" I know, I cased a card. In the card making world, casing is perfectly acceptable as long as you give the original maker credit. And, of course, I would never sell a card I cased.

I did this because I need to get more comfortable with layering and her card provided a great template for me to try. Her card is here and her name is Carolyn and she is part of the House Mouse blogging designers.

I think it turned out great and gave me a tutorial to get more comfortable with layering. What do you thik?

Phoebe Update

2009-10-10T04:55:00.000-07:00

Remember this sweet little face? She is nearly five months old now. At our first appointment, the vet told us she may be a pugle--a beagle/pug mix and would top out at around thirty pounds.

At five months she weighs twenty-five pounds. So, maybe not.

This was taken yesterday. When she saw me with the camera, she did her lurch pose.

The vet we saw a couple weeks ago laughed when I told her the other vet said Phoebe was a puggle. She thinks she's a boxer/shepard mix and will top out around fifty pounds. Here she is next to Puck, our boxer, who weighs around seventy-five pounds.

The entire time I was photographing the puppies, Bohdan was playing under the table asking me to photograph him. He's pretty cute.

Not that I'm biased.

He Caught It!

2009-10-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Stas's soccer game. This is his third season and he loves it.

The day started at an obscenely early 8:30 for pictures. This is Stasiu with his team and coach.

This was the first time he's worn the goalie's shirt this season. Daddy is standing behind him coaching him along.
He's got his game face on.

The other team brought the ball down the field and he caught the goal attempt!

Just look at that grin!

I love the sun behind the kids.

Halloween Cards

2009-09-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've been having a wonderful time making Halloween cards! I have to restrain myself from buying too many stamps, papers and such. I really do love the fall and the holidays that come with it.

You can find all of these in my etsy shop.

Going Mad Halloween Treasury

2009-09-28T08:09:00.001-07:00

This spooky treasury was curated by Siarh of Big Damn Crafters. Check it out, there are some great artisans in this. My card is the monster card on the second row.

Animal Magnetism You Say?

2009-09-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

No, it's just regular magnetism--as in magnets. Just put into the shop are these pretty toile magnets. They are about 3/4" in diameter and have super strong magnets on them. You know they are good because they are sticking to my refrigerator--not much does. Those cute little letters that kids play with--nope, won't stick. But, these hold up thick card stock.

Detash Etsy Style

2009-09-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Detash is Etsy-speak for "getting rid of the craft supplies you don't use". I have tons of things that I have never used. I bought them or got them in grab bags and just never used them. They are taking up valuable space and I could use the funds from the to buy more stuff. I know, it's a vicious circle.

Here's a sampling of a few of the items that will be in the detash section of my shop in the next couple of days.

I'll be listing more as I clean out!

Herding Cats

2009-09-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

That is the best description I have of Bohdan's Rhythm and Motion class for two and three year olds. There are a couple girls who are right into it and do what they are told. There are a couple that just stand there and stare and there are a few who get teary.

Last week, Bohdan just cried and hung on to me. This week, he did great.

He sat by himself at first but at least wasn't clinging to me.

They did a dance with sticks. Bohdan chewed on them.

He wasn't too fond of the scarf.

He did sit with the others and pay attention after a bit. I think he finally realized he was the only boy in the class.
He made his way to the front of the class to participate.

Here he is trying to do the hand motions.

He looks a little confused.

Overall, I think he is enjoying it. I'm really looking forward to the recital--that will be hilarious!

Sweethearts

2009-09-21T07:38:00.001-07:00

A couple days ago I watched my friends kids so she could get some things done. The oldest is Stasiu's best friend and the youngest is closer to Bohdan's age.

They are kind of sweet on each other. She tells him "no" a lot and makes him cry then they are snuggling. I think they have it worked out already.

But, can you blame him for being sweet on her?

We are encouraging this. We will have great looking grandchildren.

New Season, New Purse

2009-09-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

When there is a change of season, I crave a new purse. Ok, I often crave a new purse, but the change of season really makes me want one.

New Garden Blooms

2009-09-18T18:19:00.001-07:00

We have been in our house for just over three years. We have had these plants in the backyard in front of the Rose of Sharon and right next to the Lantana.

This plant has never bloomed. We would get buds and that would be all.

Now we have blooms. It's funny because the vegetable garden and roses have not done well this summer, but this plant finally bloomed.

They are pretty, aren't they? Does anyone know what they are? We have no idea.

Pumpkin Treasury

2009-09-18T10:45:00.001-07:00

PrettyCheap has put together this beautiful pumpkin treasury and included my Thanksgiving card--middle penultimate row.

It's here! We are going to my son's elementary school fall festival--if it stops raining. Or at least slows down enough. There are a lot of fun fall activities so get out and enjoy it.

Christmas Cards

2009-09-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Don't hit the back button. I'm not listing Christmas cards. Yet. Well, not today at least. These are for my son's school. This Friday they are having a Fall Carnival with raffles from each class. His class theme is Wrapping Up Christmas and needed wrap (duh), tape, cards, tags and such.

These will be listed in the shop in a few days.

Harvest Autumn Treasury

2009-09-14T13:58:00.001-07:00

This lovely treasury was put together by Verre Design. You can see my card on the bottom left. Enjoy!

Boo! Tags

2009-09-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Aren't these fun? These are spider webs on hand inked tags and embossed to look leathery. The back of the tag is plain for you to write your message on. These are great for adult parties and school parties. You can find them in my etsy shop.

Sick Days

2009-09-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Stasiu got off the bus with a fever and a stomach ache. Turns out there's a bug going around and three weeks into the school year, we catch the first one. He was feeling better today, but I kept him home just to be sure. We actually had a great day.

He made this mask in school. I put holes in it and yarn on it so he could wear it. He's had it on just about all day.

We watched Planet Earth, Dirty Jobs and Dinosaur Train. We learned that Buddy is a T-Rex and they handled the whole eating other dinosaurs thing pretty well for kids. I was kind of wondering if he'd eat one of his adoptive siblings. Apparently in Dinosaur Train land, the carnivores eat carrion. They don't say where it comes from...

We also built a fort. A pretty good one if you ask me. I had a blast with this. Phoebe liked it, too since that is where she took her nap today.

Homework got done, we've colored, played outside, and took some pictures. He' doing better so he's off to school tomorrow.

Labor Day Sale

2009-09-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning out the cupboards to make room for Holiday items. Until Monday evening buy any one item, get the second of equal or lesser value half off in my shop.

Stas the Barber

2009-09-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

It had to happen. Doesn't nearly every child do this?

A couple days later I found his hair. In the crayon box. Apparently he put the scissors and hair "away".

He has class pictures in two weeks.

Cards, Cards, Cards

2009-09-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of adding more items to the shop and gearing up for the Holidays. I know, it's here already! Here is a sampling of some of the items going in now:

Tomorrow: Stasiu cut his own hair. Pictures to come...

It's Just Around the Corner...

2009-09-03T10:31:00.001-07:00

Halloween, silly! Christmas is the next corner. There, on the left.

I'm starting to stock the shop with Halloween, Thanksgiving and autumnally themed cards. Go on, take a look. You know you love Halloween!

Bacon

2009-08-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

Makes everything better.

My husband wrapped asparagus in bacon then grilled them. Heaven!

A Monster Thank You

2009-08-28T12:11:00.001-07:00

Earlier in the summer, my son had his 5th birthday party. I'm just now getting his thank you cards out. I know, I know. I have a greeting card shop and I'm just now getting my personal ones done. But, I figure I have some excuse. Two out of town trips and three ER trips. That's what I'm sticking to here. Ok, on to the cards.

I figured this little guy would be fun for a boy thank you card.

Now, I just have to get Stas to sign them...

A Dentist, an iPhone and Laughing Gas

2009-08-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am afraid of going to the dentist for cavities and other work involving a drill. I'm fine to get my teeth cleaned, but start that drill and I shake so bad it is hard for the dentist to work on me. In 1987, I had my first experience with laughing gas and dental work. It was amazing; it made getting work done more bearable for me.

Since I've had my children, my not so good teeth have gotten worse and I need a couple of crowns. My sister-in-law recently went to the dentist with her iPod and I thought I would take my iPhone since I've not had the opportunity to actually listen to more than a few songs at a time on it and to distract me from the work. I learned 3 very important things during my recent work yesterday:

1) Apparently, even with laughing gas, my anxiety is so high (no pun intended) that I squeezed my iPhone so hard I turned the volume down just as the doctor was about to drill. I heard the drill, their conversation and my music was just in the background. I forgot the volume button was just on the side and couldn't figure out how to raise the sound. I eventually did.

2) Laughing gas and an iPhone, now with the volume turned up, still means I can feel it when the first novacaine shot isn't enough.

3) I distincly remmeber four songs. I was there for an hour and a half. Granted, there is an amount of prep time, oxygen time for coming off the nitrus and time to fit me with my temporary crown. I know he drilled for more than 12 minutes.

I guess the laughing gas works pretty well after all.

Conversations with a Five Year Old

2009-08-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

My son is pirate crazy. As in loves-everything-pirate. We've had a pirate birthday party, a treasury hunt, he has a hat plus tons of pirate legos.

Today, we had the following conversation:

Stas--Mommy can you make me a pirate costume?

Me--Today?

Stas--No, tomorrow while I'm at school will be fine.

Me--Really?

Stas--Yes. I'll remind you tomorrow so you don't forget.

Garden Finds

2009-08-24T12:18:00.001-07:00

A couple of days ago, the kids and I were out playing in the yard and came across some great finds.

This bee flew into the deck and knocked itself silly. We put it on a leaf on one of the chairs so the puppy wouldn't eat it then let it go. It is very cool looking, isn't it?

I thought my Rose of Sharon blooms were moldy. They aren't. As the blooms die they seem to get these fibers on them that are a darker version of their blooms. I have no idea what they are, but they are very cool looking.

I happened to catch a moth on one of my lantana as well.

Now if I could just get that hummingbird to hold still for a second so I could get a picture. I know, wishfull thinking.

Mornings at the Park

2009-08-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

Since Big Brother started school on Wednesday, my friend Jenn and I met at the park that morning to let the younger kids play and wear them out for naps.

Bohdan had a great time on the slides. He even learned to climb the ladder thanks to Jenn.

He followed Jaina around everywhere she went.
Putting some moves on her.
It's easy to see why; she's beautiful.

I hope once I get Bohdan down to his new nap schedule, I can post more cards and such.

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to meet Stasiu's Kindergarten teacher and see where his classroom is. The classroom is awesome! They have multiple cubbies for their things, a home center, a puppet theater, computers, tables, and a great floor rug for story time. The door you see in the picture below has a birdfeeder right outside.

That is his teacher, Mrs. VantLeven.

Bohdan had a great time playing in the home center and with the blocks.

This morning, Bohdan was not happy Stasiu was going off to school.
Stasiu loves his Lightning McQueen backpack.
I thought there would be tears or shyness. Instead, he went right in to the class, put his backpack and lunchbox in the correct cubby and started talking to his teachers.
They gave him something to do right away. As I said bye to him, I got an absentminded wave over his shoulder.
He's going to love Kindergarten.

New Blog Look

2009-08-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

What do you think? I finally figured out how to use a couple programs and with The Cutest Blog On The Block, I now have a header.

Do you like it? Is it too dark? That's my only worry.

And just because I can't do a blog post without a picture, I give you this:

The boys were playing with bubbles in the yard yesterday and this is one of the ones they managed to not catch. The reflection is my crepe myrtle tree behind me.

Send in the Clowns

2009-08-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

My firstborn, Puck, had his eye operated on today. He came home looking like this and all I could think of was the circus. I guess it's better than the old style gramophone cones.

No More Babies

2009-08-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my youngest turned two. I have no idea how it happened. It seems he was just a baby not too long ago. I can't say "baby" anymore since he is officially a toddler.

Here he is blowing out his candles.

He loved his cake. This is his "happy with the food" face.
At some point, the fork was just not shoving it in fast enough and he started using his hand.

He really does like his bike helmet.

It must have been a great party. He awoke with awesome bed head!

Now You See It...

2009-08-14T04:41:00.000-07:00

My hair. Fuzzy, damaged and very stay-at-home-momish. If I can't fix it--assuming it will stay fixed--it just gets pulled up in a clip. I was ready for a change--and healthy hair. How was it damaged, you ask? Well.... I tried to lighten it myself. I know, I know, not the smartest thing to do.

So, here it the "before"

And the "after"

I really like it!

Crayons vs. 97 Degree Heat

2009-08-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

Heat wins!

Grocery Game Bonanza!

2009-08-12T12:05:00.001-07:00

Late Monday night and Wednesday morning I did my shopping. I know some of you have read my past posts on The Grocery Game and how I use it to lower my grocery bill. I won't go into it again, just click the link if you want basic information about it.

My latest haul was great! Here are my totals:

Walgreens
OOP $4.17 Saved $2.98 $3 in RR (they are doing the same thing that CVS is doing with the ECBs)
CVS
OOP $28.57 Saved $$24.44 $8 in ECBs
BiLo
OOP $38 Saved $64.55
Publix
OOP $19.34 Saved $20.79
Bloom
OOP $19.48 Saved $48.04

That's right I got $270 worth of groceries for $109. For this I bought

4 cases of diet coke
2 packages of huggies diapers
3 cases of bottled water
2 bags of goldfish crackers
2 3pound bags of white rice
12 yoplait yogurt
bread
orange juice
milk
3 hamburger helpers
2 frozen pizzas
bananas
apples
8 bags of knorr side dishes
2 large jars of Helmans' mayonaise
3 bottles of Dawn
3 boxes of cookie crisp cereal
6 boxes mueller pasta
3 tins of pillsbury biscuits
2 french's mustard
plastic cups with lids
6 boxes of pop tarts
3 bottles of All detergent
4 packages of kraft cheese slices
8 eggo waffles
15 pounds of chicken breasts
2 tins of altoids
colgate toothpaste

I've not shopped like this in a while. Usually I spend about $50 a week getting milk, juice, fresh fruit and veggies, cheese and a few items we are low or out of. But, with these deals, I just couldn't pass them up.

Some of you have asked how I organize my stockpile, but blogger isn't allowing me to upload pictures at the moment. I'll do it as soon as it lets me.

Etsy Twitter Treasury

2009-08-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

This beautiful treasury was done by HuayruroPeru, one of my Etsy Twitter members. She has done a great job, hasn't she? After you visit the treasury, go on over to her shop and take a look. It is beautiful!

My birthday card is the top middle one.

Julie, Julia, Butter and Waistlines

2009-08-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

I love food. So does my husband. We are what people call "foodies". We dislike chain restaurants, with the exception of a handful, and prefer the independently owned restaurants where there is someone cooking, not following a corporate recipe. One of the things we do when traveling is trying new restaurants and visiting old favorites.

I also love food. I love how it smells, I love the different flavors and textures, I love trying new things and going outside of my boundaries. I love learning about new foods and new ethnicities of food. Recently, for example, we had sweatbreads. We have some friends that we go out to eat with when we can and they were trying to find a place to go. She said, "do you think Beth and Chris will like...?". He said, "there isn't anything Beth and Chris don't like.". And that's true.

I also enjoy cooking. When we moved to Canada, I wasn't working then, when I found work, was only working part time. One of the things I did was cook. A lot. And from scratch. But, kids came along and I didn't have time to spend hours in the kitchen and my cooking took a back burner.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing Julie and Julia. What's not to like? Julia Child, cooking, Meryl Streep and an afternoon with good friends. It's a wonderful story based on blogger Julie Powell's year of cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook. It was an hilarious, stomach-rumbling, sweet story. And, it made me want to cook again. I'm not talking about taking up the mortar and pestle and journeying through Julia Child's cookbook, I'm talking cooking a fabulous meal when I can, saving the leftovers, then cooking again a few days later. I'm a realist. Between school, soccer, dogs, housework, my business and everything else I do, cooking A Meal every night is not attainable at this point.

Now, here is my problem; I started Weight Watchers a few weeks ago. I haven't seen my waistline since the birth of my first son. You know what I'm talking about; the subtly feminine curve that starts just beneath the ribs, goes in, then comes out again just above the hips. I said curves, IN, not OUT as mine does. And if you read Julie's blog, she says she gained weight during her year of cooking. As I'm contemplating French cooking a la Julia Child and Weight Watchers, I realize those two things do not go together. Has anyone ever put Julia Child and Weight Watchers in the same sentence? Without their computer imploding? Probably not.

So, what is a food loving, waistline desiring, middle age ( I can't believe I just typed "middle age" in reference to myself) woman to do? I have a plan. It's a multiple step plan, but we will see how it works.

1. Dust off the wii and get back onto a exercise regimen
2. Buy Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
3. Buy butter. Lots and lots of butter
4. Hope that Cooking A Meal two or three nights a week while exercising ( literally, I hope) my butt off works

I'm sure my husband's heart just leaped for joy. He reads my blog, you know.

And So It Starts...

2009-08-09T17:45:00.001-07:00

Every Mother longs for this. A child's first unprompted word. A word uttered on his own without Mommy saying "say momma" a hundred times. Tonight, my youngest said his first unprompted word to me.

Can you guess what it was? I'll give you a hint; it wasn't "momma".

I told Bohdan to stop doing something and he looked right at me and said "no!". Daddy and Wok were no help. They were laughing to hard.

Wok's Card

2009-08-09T06:34:00.001-07:00

Today is Wok's birthday. Wok, in case you didn't know, is my mother. Once my husband and I settled down and quit moving around, she packed up and moved to our state and bought a house on the next block. We love having her so close. The boys get to see her all the time and have a really close relationship with her.

I've been asked about her name. We aren't sure where it came from. My oldest named her. We think it was because when he was around two, she would come over and ask if he wanted to go for a walk. We think "Wok" may have been his two-year old way of saying "walk". He would say it every time she came over and it stuck. And she absolutely loves having a special name that the was chosen for her by her grandson.

I made this for her today. Her friend, Helen, is up and we are going to cook out tonight after they are done doing girly things.

Happy Birthday, Wok!

Testing, testing...

2009-08-07T06:27:00.001-07:00

I wanted to see how my images would look on my blog at full size. Feel free to ignore this post.

Kids and Gardens

2009-08-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

We had high hopes for our garden this year. We watered, planted, tended and the like. It's not doing so well. My husband thinks it's us. We just can't grow a garden. I'm willing to try again. Maybe next year when the baby is a bit older, I can spend more time and attention on it.

In the interim, our lantana grows like a weed. These are blooms the kids brought me. Nearly every time we go outside, the boys bring me blooms.

My roses aren't doing well either. I only have myself to blame. I haven't given them the attention that they need. They are still producing a few blooms. My Falstaff rose produced a beautiful bloom a couple days ago. The smell is just divine!

We do have some tomatoes coming in. These may make it into the house if the kids don't pick them and eat them right away.

Our tomatillo is blooming. My husband is hoping for a good crop for cooking. I'm hoping for salsa!

This is the baby. Naughty, cranky boy that he is. Good thing he is cute and sweet also. Daddy helped him climb a tree. Basically, he puts him up in it and holds him there. He is very pleased with himself when this happens. You can see his boo-boo on his chin. It's much better now although he keeps pointing to it as if he still has the steri strips and band-aid.

This is how I love him and his brother; sweaty, dirty and happy.

My oldest. He will be starting kindergarten this year. How did I get a five year old? He is so sweet, tender hearted and a lot of fun. He looks like such a boy here; the baby is gone.
Our newest family member. She would spend all day outside with the boys if she could.

The Wonder Pets Save the Day

2009-08-04T04:50:00.001-07:00

My youngest son is crazy for the Wonder Pets. C. R. A. Z. Y. On Sunday, he had Daddy singing the theme song to him over and over again. By the end of the day Daddy had used up so many animals that he was on to saving the baby giant squid and the baby Sasquatch.

That night, Bohdan just would not go down. He was fussing till after 9. I thought maybe his molars had started bothering him again and was going to snuggle him and give him some Tylenol to help. Daddy said I had to go up because he'd have to sing some more and he was done for the day.

Sure enough, I got up there, snuggled him and he wanted me to sing. I sang a verse then told him that Lenny, Tuck and Ming Ming were all asleep so they could get up the next day to save another animal. I asked him if he was ready to go to sleep like the Wonder Pets. Yup, sure was. He laid down, stuck his thumb in his mouth and was out.

We told him that again last night and it worked like a charm. Genius!

Learning About My Camera

2009-07-31T10:25:00.001-07:00

I was able to get my camera replaced. If you remember, my wonderful husband gave me a new one for my birthday. Two weeks after that I took it to Ohio for my family reunion. About an hour into it, it stopped working. Completely stopped. My cousin, Holly, had that particular model for a couple years and took a look at it. I assumed I had done something to it. No, she said, it is just broken. I took it back to Best Buy and they replaced it with no problem.

So, I'm back to taking tons of pictures of the kids, dogs and yard. I'm learning about the camera and about editing as well. While I'm learning about the more advanced programs like paint.net and gimp, I'm using a simple one for day to day editing.

Earlier in the week, we had a nice rain storm and I had been looking at a lot of photography online and getting ideas about editing, subject matter, unusual methods as well as composition. There were several pictures out there of single drops of water. One had a reflection in it and another photo managed to catch one popping. It gave me the idea to take pictures of raindrops after our storm.

Cincinnati Zoo

2009-07-30T10:16:00.001-07:00

While in Cincinnati, we went to the zoo. It's not just any kind of zoo; it's a zoo and botanical garden. It's really something to see. While there, we got caught in a downpour, saw lions, baby tigers, rhinos, bears, giraffes, manatees and bugs. This bug is a dead leaf bug. As in it looks like a dead leaf.

Stasiu and Pops (my dad) had a great time there. I think Pop's enthusiasm was exceeded only by that of a five year old.

There were also the most beautiful peacocks roaming around the entire zoo.
Remember the botanical garden part I mentioned? I thought this decorative grass with all the colors was just beautiful.
On our way out, there was a zoo keeper holding a scarlet hawk. She had her on her arm and stood there with her and answered everyone's questions about her. I thought she was beautiful.

If you find yourself in or near Cincinnati, you need to visit this zoo. It's not just for kids.

I'm Going to Start an Ambulance Service

2009-07-29T13:55:00.001-07:00

In the last six weeks, I've made 5 ER runs. The first was in the beginning of June for Stasiu's first set of stitches. Good thing he did that, because he prepared me for the following weeks.

On the very next day, I took my good friend, Molly to the ER for what turned out to be a stomach virus.

And, of course there is the concussion two weeks ago. A week later, I took my mom in for severe hand pain which turned out to be either lupus or carpal tunnel.

Now, the baby is getting in on the act. He jumped off the subwoofer and hit his chin on a toy. We didn't even realize how bad he cut his chin until he walked past me bleeding. He cried for a few minutes then noticed that daddy had a yummy lunch and got distracted. We got lucky. The slice started healing up on his pudgy little chin and the doctor ( who was the same one with my mom, by the way) decided to use steri-strips so I can keep it clean.

My mom's parting words as I went to the ER? "Get used to it." Thanks, mom.

Cincinnati Aquarium

2009-07-28T11:39:00.001-07:00

We did do other things in Ohio besides go to the emergency room. We actually did touristy things too ( although for some the ER may be touristy). On one of the days, we met my cousin Dana and her beautiful daughter, Grace and went to the Aquarium. The aquarium isn't actually in Cincinnati; it's in Kentucky.

The kids loved it. There were sharks, jellyfish, turtles, gators and all sorts of creatures.

This is a poison dart frog. I just liked the picture.

Beautiful Grace at Johnny Rocket's after the aquarium. One of the fun things about the restaurant is that for some songs that come on (in our case Respect, by Aretha Franklin), the music gets turned up and the entire staff dances-even by the grills.

My son got to "pet" a crab.

The kids played in a mister out on the boardwalk.

The Cincinnati skyline from Kentucky.
Yeah, I may be biased--but aren't they sweet?

Meet Phoebe

2009-07-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't been listing, editing pictures from my Ohio trip with Stas, twittering or blogging. I have a good excuse, I swear!

Her name is Phoebe and she is 2 months old. We adopted her form our local Humane Society a few days ago. She is part Boxer and something and all cute.

Concussion Boy Strikes Again

2009-07-24T05:39:00.001-07:00

My oldest and I were in Ohio last weekend for a family reunion. We went to see family that I hadn't seen since I was a kid. While there, Stasiu made fast friends with all the other kids there and was on the swingset, playing with the dogs and in the tree house.

We told the kids several times to close the trap door so no one would fall out. Well, true to kid's nature, someone forgot. True to Stas's nature, he didn't realize it and backed into it and fell out of the tree house. About 8 feet.

I wasn't there, but my brother was and took him to Gary who is (thank goodness) a pediatrician. Stas managed to not even break a bone or scratch himself up too much. A minor miracle for him. We thought he was fine. He was a little whiney--but I think that's because he got the scare of his life.

About an hour later, he got sick. Gary took a look at him and said it's time for the ER trip. Gary called the ER to let them know we were comming and to order tests, my brother drove while I sat in the back with Stas. Thankfully, the ER was about 5 minutes away.

The triage nurse said we'd be seen when it was our turn and I was fine with that. Then Stas got sick again. She grabbed him and my brother and took him back. The ER doctor had already heard from Gary, saw Stas and ordered an x-ray and some anti-nausea medicine. All this before I finished registering him. Thankfully, there were no broken bones and the cat scan showed no internal bleeding. It was a concussion.

A few hours later, the nurse brought Stas a popsicle which he ate with enthusiasm.

The doctor had us wait a little to make sure the vomiting was over then discharged us and gave us permission to drive home the next day. By Monday, Stasiu was jumping off couches and playing in the backyard like nothing happened.

His local pediatrician wanted to see him and said angels must have caught him for him to take a fall like that and not get hurt worse than he was.

Thankfully, we had about 40 relatives there willing to drop everything and help. Holly, Gary's wife offered to take us. Gary called and took care of things. Aunt Patti cleaned up the mess after Stas got sick. Aunt Joyce kept tabs on us so everyone would know what was going on. Uncle Rob drove us to the hospital and stayed the entire time-then took us back to the hotel.

We were far from home, but never alone with all the family supporting us. I was very thankful for that.

Wow! Cards.

2009-07-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have cards to post--can you believe it? My wonderful husband gave me time on Monday to get these finished before my oldest and I left for Cincinnati.

This is for my Secret Sister, Angie. I'm in an online local online group of paper crafters and we did a three month secret sister exchange. On the 15th the girls met for the reveal and we were to make a card to give our identities. This was for mine.

My Dad's wife will have a birthday next week. Since we are seeing her in Cincinnati, we brought a blue and white bowl for her to go with her collection and I made this card for her. She likes to garden and I thought she would enjoy this one.

My aunt's 87th birthday is the same day as my step mother's. We will be with her on Saturday for a family reunion. I wanted to give her a card from us when we saw her and I thought she would like this sweet mouse.

Asheville-Birthday Continuation

2009-07-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said I'd do better keeping up with my blog. Uh-yeah. It's been a week. Okey dokey.

Over last weekend, Chris took me to Asheville for a continuation of my birthday. Nice husband, huh? You bet! On our first day, we went back to the Biltmore and did a behind the scenes tour. It was so fun! There was a group of about a dozen of us and the tour guide took us to areas that aren't on the main tour. We also had a great tour guide with a lot of fun information about the house and the family.

This is a koi pond just outside the house. I love the reflection of the sun in the pond.

Wok stays at our house and takes care of the kids. Last time, we bought her a chicken. We decided to continue the tradition. This is Chris holding our purchase and wearing a goofy hat. No, he did not buy the hat.

Chris took this of the beetle on the flower. He did a great job, didn't he?

I have no idea what this flower is but thought it was cool looking.

There were tons of bees pollinating while we were there. They were all over the flower gardens.

After we hit downtown Asheville, we came across an impromptu drum group. There seemed to be a total of about 9 people with drums. It was great! The crowd dancing near them just got bigger and bigger. There were people that brought their kids and were dancing with them. It was really fun!

I've got more Asheville pictures then pictures from our Cincinnati trip-which is where I am now!

Hurricane Lauren

2009-07-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Molly came by with her daughter Lauren. Molly was dropping off my Stampin' Up! order and brought the new catalog for me to drool over. While we visited for a few minutes, the kids all went upstairs to play in Stas's room.

If you remember, Lauren and Stasiu are engaged. She's good for him. She gives him orders, to which he usually listens and keeps him in line.

The two lovebirds.

Now they were here for about 3o minutes, tops. Molly had more errands to run and I was busy cleaning the house trying to get ready to go out of town today. At one point, we hear Stas holler down that his camera didn't work. This was after the door slammed and the baby started crying because he was shut out of the room. We just had to laugh at that one. We should have known better.

I had just finished cleaning his room. I even ran the roomba.

Nearly all of the stuffed animals are in the tent. The tent that was in the playroom.

We have no idea why there is a chair on the bed. I'm sure Stas was on it at some point. Probably standing.

He has a floor, I swear.

After I discovered this, I asked Stas; was this your doing or Lauren's? He immediately said "Lauren". Keep it up, buddy, that kind of talk will get you in trouble.

Beth at 40

2009-07-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I turned 40. I have no idea how it got here. This is similar to the " I have no idea how my kids got to be 5 and 2" feeling I have.

It was a great weekend! I had a wonderful night out Thursday at the Melting Pot with some girlfriends. I was under the assumption it was just a girl's night out, but it was a surprise party for me. How nice! The girls even got together and bought a massage for me at a local spa. I am really going to enjoy that!

Carol and a good view of my tonsils.

My good friend, soon to be in-law and fellow wine drinker, Molly and me.

Susan and Jessica also came out to celebrate.

Kim, who organized this, and Katie.

On Friday, Chris kept the kids and mom and I went to The Beaded Frog. It is our local bead store with thousands of beads and ideas to choose. I made this. The pewter charm at the bottom is a mass of frogs.

That night, Chris arranged to have Wok watch the kids and took me to one of our favorite restaurants, Saskatoon. We had a wonderful, kid-free time.

That next day, I slept till 10:30! I haven't done that since before kids. Chris entertained the kids outside and upstairs so I could sleep as long as I wanted.

Later that day, Wok and I ran to the mall with Stasiu to do a little shopping. We then came back to an amazing steak dinner Chris prepared. I received all kinds of wonderful gifts from friends and family. Molly gave me awesome wine, my sister in law gave me a beautiful bud vase to use with my roses from my garden, I received gift cards to further my shopping habit and my mom gave me a beautiful glass necklace. But, the ultimate gift came from my husband....

Yup, you saw that right, a Nikon D40 camera. Nice, huh? Great hubby, huh? Lots and lots of points for him, right? You betcha. I've been playing/learning all weekend and am loving it.

It allows me to take beautiful pictures of the baby, like this one.

And gorgeous close ups of lantana in my garden like this.

He did good, didn't he? Well, he's not done. This weekend he is taking me to Asheville for a long weekend. I. Am. A. Lucky. Woman.

A Triple-A First For Me

2009-06-30T15:15:00.001-07:00

Wow. Three treasuries at once. Here is how my Adjix page looks. Nice, huh? I know some of you are used to it, but I'm not and I like it.

This Green treasury is done by Mikiye. My monster card is featured on the bottom right.

Whadayaknow? Two posts in one day.

2009-06-30T08:52:00.002-07:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I just noticed that I've been so busy I haven't updated in almost two weeks. I think that may be a record for me. In the last two weeks we've had company, gotten rid of company, had a birthday for a 5 year old, had more company, got rid of more company and have been dealing with a 23 month old who has decided sleeping in the middle of the night may not be for him.

I opened up my computer yesterday and, to my surprise, find myself in not one, but two treasures! These are both done by members of the Etsy Twitter Team. This is by far the most active team I am on. How the leaders do all they do and organize all the events is beyond me. I clearly cannot even keep up with my blog.

This first one is called Shades of Pink and is curated by Sumikoshop. My beaded pen and note holder set is on the bottom right.

The next one is Shades of Orange and is curated by Cape Cod Jewe l. My Rocket Man card is on the left, third down.

Well, on to a crazy week. I have a birthday Saturday--(the big 4-0!) and then my husband is taking me away for my birthday the next week. We get back, then my oldest and I are going to Ohio for a family reunion. My youngest turns two shortly after then my oldest starts kindergarten. And just like that, summer will be over. It goes fast, doesn't it?

Red Treasury

2009-06-17T18:56:00.001-07:00

How fortunate am I? I'm in another treasury this week. This one was put together by my fellow Etsy Twitter Team member Huayruro Peru. I am on the right on the third row. Don't forget to click and comment.

Dazed Treasury

2009-06-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

I'm in another great treasury done by Pretty Cheap Jewelry. I'm in the middle row, second down. She made a great collection, didn't she? It's only up for today --I'm a bit late on the posting here--so go on over to it and give it some love.

Conversations With An (almost) Five Year Old

2009-06-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

My two sons and I were on our way to run a couple errands when I get this question from the oldest:

Stas: Mommy, do all people have children?

Me: No, not everyone, honey. Your Uncle Todd doesn't have any children, right?

Stas: All people in our neighborhood do.

Me: No, not all of them.

Stas: All people in our state do.

Me: No, not all of them.

Stas: Why not?

Me: Some can't have children, some don't want kids, some don't feel they can adequately provide or care for kids.

Stas: What is marriage mommy?

Me: When two people love each other they decide to spend the rest of their lives together. Like me and your Daddy.

Stas: Macaroni and cheese is my favorite.

I guess the conversation was over.

New Card in the Shop

2009-06-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

I have three new cards I am putting in the shop today.
This one is blank inside with a periwinkle base for the card. I think it would be great to give to someone who has helped you out.

I'm very pleased with how this turned out. The card base is ivory and I hand inked the front of the card with two different colors to produce an antiqued look.

I just love the bird image sitting on the watering can with this one. This would be great for a man or woman.

Caffeinated

2009-06-11T06:39:00.001-07:00

If you are like me, you can't do anything until you have at least one cup of coffee. Preferably more. I made this card with that in mind. You can find this in my etsy shop.

Cards For Teachers

2009-06-10T12:03:00.001-07:00

This was to be one of my planned posts from my Florida vacation. It's not timely, but I wanted to do it anyway.

For Stasiu's teacher gifts at the end of the year, we put a card set together. I pulled a couple cards from my stock then made two others.

This one is obvious; we live in South Carolina and I had been wanting to do one with the symbol from the state flag.

Everyone needs a birthday card ready to give.

These are the ones my son made. He made each one for a specific teacher and wanted to be sure they got the intended ones.

I finished them with some additional paper and we chose the card base to match the bears.
I think he did a wonderful job!

Green Treasury

2009-06-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to MainLeeCrochet who included me in this beautiful green treasury for the Etsy Twitter Team. Go on over and check it out!

Fun in the Sun

2009-06-05T05:10:00.000-07:00

Today is a rainy, yucky day here. Yes, yes, I know "we need the rain". But it gets hard being cooped up in the house with a 21 month old child.

I decided to post some pictures from our Florida trip when we went to the beach.

My boys and myself. The baby preferred to stay right in this spot instead of actually going in the water.

Once my oldest realized there was a ducky float, he never let go of it.

The baby held on very tightly to Nana's hand when testing out the waves.

He's not sure he wants to go in. After a bit, he decided sitting right there was just fine.

My oldest, on the other hand, loved the water. He's a real water baby.

Nana and Baby trying to decide if they are going in. He was just fine right there holding Nana's hand.

Lavender or is it Purple Treasury

2009-06-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

MinnieMaes put together this lovely spring treasury based on purple. You can find my card on the lower right side. Isn't it beautiful? She has a lovely shop of her own with handmade quilts, teddy bears and totes. Be sure to check out all the lovely artisans in the treasury and MinnieMaes' shop as well!

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary...

2009-06-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is how my garden looked before I left for Florida last week. After a week of rain every day, we are now looking at a wonderful season!

This is Stasiu, posing as usual. My husband built the containers and the soccer nets at the back are for plants that vine such as tomato and beans.

These may not make it into the house. Stas eats them right off the vine and I'm sure Bohdan will follow suit once he sees what his big brother is doing.
Especially the grape tomatoes. Just too easy to pick and eat.
My son's cucumber. He picked it out, planted it and is caring for it. I just hope he eats it too.
One of our two squash plants. If they do as well as they did the first year, we will get sick of them by the end of summer!
This is my jasmine as seen from my craft room window. It covers the side porch that is off my craft room and is giving off the sweetest scent.

I finally have hydrangeas! The last two years have not produced blooms due to late frosts, but this year all three plants are doing well.

No Pictures

2009-06-02T08:24:00.001-07:00

While I would really like to post the 4 or so planned blog posts today, I cannot. Blogger isn't uploading pictures. No matter what I try, I can't get them onto my blog.

Anyone else having the same problem?

Birthday Card for a Guy

2009-06-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a week with the kids and with no wifi access. I had planned several posts, but couldn't do anything about it! So, I hauled my laptop all the way to Florida for no reason. Back to the usual routine now with lots of planned posts.

My brother-in-law just had a birthday and we sent him a gift along with this card. I like the stamp, but it took a long time to color it in!

Now You See It, Now You Don't

2009-05-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

It was time. The baby had flowing hair that made him pretty. I even had to cut the bangs a few times so he could see. We tried to go to one place on Saturday, but the wait was 30 minutes. We went back to the same place on Sunday and the wait was now 45 minutes. The baby isn't good at waiting. So, I held my breath and took him to Great Clips. I know, I know, a cheap place for baby's first hair cut (and you never know if you are going to get someone who can cut hair), but at this point I didn't have much of a choice.

Just before we went, he decided to put some "texture" in his hair using yogurt. And no, I didn't wash it out.

We had a great stylist. He started getting fussy right away and she gave him a sucker. Worked like a charm.

Notice anything different? Yup, a purple sucker. He started fussing, she broke out another one and he was very cooperative. Sticky, but cooperative.

All finished!
He looks a lot like his older brother now, doesn't he?

Shifting Rooms

2009-05-15T05:55:00.001-07:00

I have this wonderful sun room. Well, it is now. Up until Wednesday it was the kid's toy room. And a disaster. You had to kick toys out of the way to get to the back door, which was a pain for playing outside, letting the dog out, grilling and such. It wasn't even very pleasant to sit in because of the mess. I know what you are saying "make them keep it clean". Uh-huh--that's realistic.

Cue the bonus room. Up until Thursday was my craft room/guest room/overflow library. It's a spacious room. With no light. I have that one window, a pitiful overhead light and that torchiere. And it gets H-O-T. When I would try to craft at night, and the boy's bedroom doors would close, most of the air flow was cut off to that room. It's a bear to craft at 11pm sweating.
The baby now goes up and down the narrow, carpeted back stairs by himself. I would have never let the oldest do this at nearly 2 years old, but the second child learns things so much quicker. Wok took the kids Wednesday night and fed them and entertained them for a few hours so Chris and I could start switching stuff.

By the end of the night, we had this

and this.

Thursday morning, my oldest and I finished putting the new upstairs toy room together. Yes, that is Gator paraphernalia hanging up. The oldest wants to paint the room orange--we are trying to talk him out of that.
By the end of yesterday, this is what the sun room looked like. It's getting there we still have the gentlemen's chest to move. We are getting some friends over to help--more than just one other person this time--and offering nourishment and adult beverages. And advil.

So far this is what I have. The chest is going to go where the yellow chair is and the chair will go--somewhere.

Last weekend the husband and I were talking about switching the rooms. He says "do you think you can get a piano in there?". Uh, sure honey.

The youngest, smiling instead of hollering at me. He's kinda cute.

Roses Treasury

2009-05-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

I'm in this beautiful roses themed treasury put together by Pretty Cheap. Right up my alley since I just adore roses! Take a look and give it some clickable love!

Mother's Day Brunch

2009-05-09T07:14:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, Stasiu's preschool had their Mother's Day brunch. The teachers and students went all out.

We sat down to a beautifully set table.

The kids painted pots and planted flowers in them for us. The teachers had them sitting at our places with name cards.

One of Stasiu's teachers, Mrs. Allesnbeck, made the banner.

We had a lovely lunch. My girlfriend got a muffin at her school's brunch. Ha!

That's Stasui in the light blue shirt heading out.

This is a video of the song they sang. Stasiu is in the back row, upper side on the far left. They put him there because he is such an animated dancer. Yes, that is me laughing when he goes down. He didn't sing; he mouthed the words in an exaggerated manner. When his teacher asked him why, he said he didn't want to sing.

At the end of the luncheon, Miss Cindy, read this poem to everyone. There were a lot of dabbing of the eyes.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,

the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

Happy Mother's Day!