Get 'Em While You Can

This week I've listed some OOAK and limited items. You can see all the listings HERE!

OOAK Sizes 3T - 5T

CUSTOM SIZES 18M-4T

CUSTOM SIZES 2T - 6 YEARS

OOAK 4T - 6 SLIM

Come ON!!!!

Remember THIS? And I don't even think I got around to blogging about when I was hit a couple months ago!

Anyway, today we were on our way to try and find a car to replace The King's totaled car. We come up to a line of cars at a stop light and slow down--just like you should. Out of nowhere--BAM!! We were rear-ended--UNBELIEVABLE. I just couldn't believe that it had happened and I bust into tears.

Up until about 2 months ago, I had NEVER been involved in a car accident! I believe the rest of my life will be accident-free as well!

So, my car went to the shop (who now recognizes my husband), and we had to get a rental. We are spending our Memorial Day finding a car to replace The King's and waiting for the assessment of my car.

COME ON!!!!!

Batter Up!

Here's my newest listing up on ebay! You can find it HERE!

First Taste of Home

I was raised in a SMALL (like 2000 people small) rural/farming community in Nebraska. One of my favorite things to eat has always been corn on the cob. Really, my mom has pictures of me eating some in the back corner of my mouth when my front teeth had fallen out--I HAD to have my corn.

So, with corn season pretty much here, we bought some at the store this week. I let the kids shuck their own corn--they were amazed by the cornsilk. Then they had their first corn on the cob. (Yes, they've eaten corn before, just not on the cob.) It was a HUGE hit--like, "Can we have this every night?" hit. I actually thought to grab my camera and take some pictures.

Meet Robert

I'd like you to meet Robert. Robert is a Webkinz chihuahua that The Prince has made his own. He's not really interested in the whole computer world of Robert--just the real world. Yes, Robert has his own collar and leash. Yes, Robert sleeps with him. Just when we start to get a little concerned about his perception of reality, he'll say something like, "You know, Robert can't really talk. He's just a stuffed animal." For us, this is the better option than a live dog--we've done that and we're just not ready for another one......yet.

Running Man

The King finished his 2nd half-marathon this past weekend. He got up early and started the race. I got the kids up and fed, then took them to see his big finish. He didn't quite meet his goal, but he was close--considering he had just been in a car accident 3 days earlier. He was in quite a bit of pain, but those endorphins kicked in, and he finished like a champ.

The race was sponsored by our local aquarium and the kids had some fun playing on a giant alligator.



There was a little "Crocodile Hunter" going on.

Wrecked

The King had a little car accident this week. We are VERY blessed that he wasn't hurt badly. He was in a parking lot when his foot slipped off of his clutch and he hit a concrete light pole base. His neck and back are a little sore (he's seeing the chiropractor), but he was well enough to finish a Half Marathon race today.

He thinks his car may have to be totaled--UGH! Here's a picture he snapped with his phone:

New Me (Kind Of)

After a long period of deliberation, I decided to go darker with my hair.....AND I decided to do it myself. It just got to the point that I couldn't justify what I was spending to have my hair done. I'll still go in to get a good cut, but to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at how my hair turned out. Here's a few peeks in some different light:

Oh yeah--did you see my necklace in the 2nd picture? Erin made it for me and I LOVE it! You can see a better picture of it on her blog HERE.

Newly Listed

Just listed this Ladybug set for the Lil Peas PICNIC launch. You can find it HERE!


Also, I listed some new things in my ETSY store. A bunch of baby items, plus a customized applique tank top. Click HERE to go to my etsy listings!

First K5 at 5

So, The King loves to run. Don't ask me why, it's just something that I don't understand, but he loves it. He's been training for a while now and has completed one half-marathon, and has another race next weekend. It's almost incomprehensible to me that someone would willingly run for that long, but I have to say that I'm quite proud of him!

Anything The King does, The Prince wants to do also. So, The King registered them for a 5K race last night (that's 3.2 miles). The ran with a training friend and his 5 year old daughter. I have to tell you that I was AMAZED, absolutely AMAZED, that at the age of 5, my son RAN the entire race--with no training--RAN it--as in no walking. I couldn't believe it and was so proud of him. More importantly, he was proud of himself. He zonked out last night and took a long nap, but wasn't at all sore today.

The runners meeting up and sizing up each others' gear.

A little pre-race stretching.

Some more serious stretching.

The Prince and his racing buddy.

Getting the official racing number just right.

AND THEY'RE OFF!!

I had called their name, but they didn't quite see me.

While we waited for them to finish, The Princess took in a little face painting.

Coming up to the finish!!

OK, so he's practically pulling him to the finish line, but STILL!!

When it was all said and done, they finished in under 40 minutes--which is probably better than I could do right now. He thinks it'll be a little while before he's ready for another race.

A GREAT Cause!

If you love Custom Boutique and would like your money to go to a special cause, check this out:

I have listed the following set. EVERY PENNY bid will be going to this precious family!

You can find my set HERE!

You can find all find all the listings for this family HERE!

Through New Eyes

Mother's Day is coming, and as a mom, the day has a whole new meaning than it did when I was just the daughter. Today I went to a Mother's Day Tea with my son's K4 class. It was sweet....it was precious....I wouldn't have ANY pictures if Erin hadn't brought her camera! UGH! I'm so glad she did! The kids went through their typical morning routine, and it's amazing how much can be learned in one year. I taught 2nd grade for 8 years, but viewing school through the eyes of a parent is a whole new ballgame! I'm so proud of my little guy--I'm so thankful that he LOVES school. It definitely helps that he got the PERFECT teacher for him.

His teacher told the kids to wear their "Sunday Best," so The Prince decided he needed to wear a tie. The King took one of his and pre-tied it for him. What really cracked us up was that he DID NOT want to take any of it off until it was time for pajamas tonight. He told me he looked "Just like Daddy."

His teacher also handed out class awards for the year and he received the award for "Leadership." She told him that was because he was going to be in charge someday (he'd like to think that day is NOW). :)

**I'm just too tired to mess with editing any of the pics, so here they are "raw."**

Me and my baby--I tell him that even when he's big like Daddy, he'll still be my baby.

The class doing Praise and Worship (yes, he goes to a private Christian School). He's over on the right, second one back. I was a little surprised (but pleased) at how serious he was.

With his buddies--Erin's son and another boy he's known since playgroup started when they were one.

Busy, busy, busy

That just about sums up my life: BUSY!

Beyond the typical day to day life of a family of four, we had our last soccer game of the season this weekend and our first dance recital. Practices, rehearsals, and boutique sewing orders, OH MY! Toss in a traveling husband, and you end up with a tad-stressed mommy who is lacking some sleep. Last night I stayed up to watch a movie that I KNEW would make me cry, just for the release. (Does anybody else do this? Please, say YES!) It works for me, and I feel much better. I don't cry easily, but sometimes I feel emotion building up and I've used the "Sure to Make Me Cry Movie" method before. Weird?

Anyway.....back to the kiddos and some pictures:

She doesn't take many naps anymore, but on this day she was SO tired. I had gone in to wake her up twice already, but she wasn't budging.....so, I snapped some pictures. She pretty much is as sweet as she looks in this picture (most of the time):


The last soccer game of the season. It's been a crazy spring. By this time of the year we are usually sweating at the soccer games, but on this day there was a mean north wind. I love these types of pictures of him kicking the ball, because we have a few of his dad at this age and they look SO MUCH alike!


AND....the dance recital. They asked for curly hair on all the girls. The Princess has STRAIGHT hair. However, by putting her wet/moussed hair up in these spiral curlers for the entire day, we were able to accomplish curls that lasted throughout the recital. We were a little too far away from the stage to get a really good picture, but here's one that I edited the best I could. Plus, a few from after the recital.





If I can figure it out, I hope to post a video of her dances, too. We were so proud of her. She really got up there and PERFORMED. We were a little concerned.....the day we got her costume at dance class, she tried it on and the class did a little performance for the mom's who were there. She just stood there, glaring at me and crying. I felt bad for her until she explained that she wouldn't dance because the costume wasn't her "Dance Clothes" (like the ones she had been wearing to class). Anyway, the worry was for nothing because she hit the stage like a star (well, a 3 year old star.....to her family.....). We were PROUD!

Do You LOVE Disney?

If you do, you MUST check out Kristen's blog this month. She is having DISNEY month with all kinds of give-aways and lots of information. She is the most knowledgeable (unpaid) Disney expert I know. You are sure to get tons of useful tidbits and having heard about some of her giveaways, you'll want to check back all month long!

To find her blog click here:

MELBY TOAST

Big Crumbs

Have you heard of it? It's a website called BigCrumbs.com. After hearing about it from a few people, I decided to check it out, and I liked what I saw. Basically, I click on there before I shop online (including ebay), and I make money back from my purchases. Believe me when I say I checked it out, and there is NO CATCH--you just have to remember to log into there BEFORE shopping.

The part I didn't trust, and had to look into some more, was the fact that I would earn money off of people that I referred there, too. Guess what? NO CATCH! So, skeptical ol' me decided to give it a try. Hey, I do MUCH (if not MOST) of my shopping online, so why not.

So, here' s the pitch--go check it out and see what you think--if you find a catch, LET ME KNOW!! I just couldn't find one, no matter how hard I looked. If you think it's something you'd like to try, please use me as your referral.

MY USER NAME/CODE/REFERRAL PERSON THING IS: cjmle

If you trust me (hee-hee) and just want to sign up based on my recommendation, you'll want to sign up as a CrumbEARNER (not CrumbSAVER), this way, you'll earn money off of people YOU refer.

A couple of other things you might want to know:

* They do NOT ask for any kind of financial information from you.
* You do need a PAYPAL account--this is how they pay you.
* They only ask for your e-mail address--and this address should be linked to your Paypal account.

Here's a quick link for you. I've put it on my side bar, too.



Happy Shopping! (Isn't shopping always a happy time?)

Playing With Photoshop

So, if you didn't get it from yesterday's post, I am so excited about Photoshop Actions! I also wanted to add that while Pioneer Woman has Photoshop CS3 (latest and greatest), I only have the very old Photoshop CS--and most of her things still work for me!

Here's a picture of our Easter lily from this year. My mom bought this for us, and it was so amazing that it opened up ON Easter morning.

Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC):


After adding some "actions":

New Love

PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS!!

Just today, I have discovered how to use Photoshop Actions! If they scare you, I highly recommend this user friendly site to get you started. I am an avid reader of The Pioneer Woman's Blog, and she has a special Photography page. I have gotten so many ideas in just the short amount of time that I have been reading!

Anyway, the other day, she offered a set of FREE Photoshop Actions. Find them HERE. Once I figured out how to download them, and use them (it was SO EASY), I got to playin' around. Here's a collage of photos.

The first one is Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC), and the rest of the pictures were created using her actions. Really, I clicked ONCE and got a different photo each time.

I know, I'm a little excited, but for someone who loves nice-looking pictures--who doesn't have the computer knowledge--this is BIG STUFF!!

New for You

Last night, I spent quite a bit of time working on my website. First off, it seems that if anybody has tried to contact me through the website, I wasn't getting it. I still can't access the website e-mail, but I've fixed it so that when you do contact me, it goes straight to my regular e-mail. Took me FOREVER to figure that one out! But, I guess the important thing is that NOW it works.

Next, I added some items to my website. N0w that I have the thing figured out, I hope to keep adding to the inventory. Soon, I'll add a baby section, where you can buy things like burp cloths, bibs, hooded towels, etc. It's just a matter of finding the time to get IT ALL done!

You can get to my website by clicking on this picture:


Today, I just listed this for the Lil Peas EXPLORE launch (you know, explore the ocean--it works, right?). I went with a fairly simple dress, because Isabella has entered the "I NEED TO WEAR A DRESS" stage. I heard it was coming, and IT'S HERE!

You can find the listing HERE.

Crazy, Busy Week!

There were so many things going on this week--I can't believe I got them all done! I am doing one long post, but am breaking it up into sections for easier reading.

THANKFUL

This weekend my nephew had a seizure. His mom blogged about it HERE. In a family where everybody is healthy--all the time--it was a pretty scary thing. It makes you stop, take a breath, and be thankful for the people in your life--especially your family! Little things that seem so big just melt away and you are so grateful for every good thing in your life. I am thankful that my nephew is whole and healthy, with nothing but good reports from his tests!

I am thankful for The Prince, who is working on LOOKING AT THE CAMERA when I take a picture of him. I had to take 5 pictures before we got this one.

I don't have one of The Princess, because she wasn't in the picture-taking-mood.

FIRST BOWLING TRIP

The Prince had a field trip to the bowling alley this week and The Princess and I decided to tag along. Neither one of them have been bowling before, and they had a blast! I was thinking about my life in a small, rural, mid-western town, where one of the only thing TO DO was to go to the bowling alley. I was part of a children's league and (a-hem) my mom and I even won a bowling tournament when I was about 10. Anyway, back to the kids (because I can't bowl worth anything, anymore).

THIS BALL WASN'T DOING EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED IT TO:

SHE WAS EXCITED ANY TIME HER BALL KNOCKED DOWN THE PINS:

THE PRINCE IS IN THE SAME CLASS AS HIS COUSIN, AND THEY LOVE IT!

FRESH-CUT BABY GIFTS for a BABY SHOWER

Erin had her baby shower this weekend. I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone (yeah, for me! I'm not pregnant)!! She has been telling about things she has found here and there that she liked for the baby, and I was determined to try and make a few for her. I had some of the gorgeous Heather Bailey Fresh Cut Fabric and used it to make and embellish many baby things: hooded towel, burp cloths, bibs, heart onesies, pacifier clip and a small wipes/diaper bag.

HERE WE ARE:

BIRTHDAY SKATING PARTY

My husband's niece is turning 3 and her birthday party was at the skating rink this weekend. This was another first for the kids (and another thing that I used to enjoy as a child--no tournament winnings here, though). The Princess had fun in the little Barbie skates they had available. The Prince was as determined as could be to skate like the big kids were. He wanted to go out there over and over again to get it right. I was actually quite surprised by how far he came in such a short time.

YEAH, I'M COOL:

I CAN DO THIS, I CAN DO THIS!

THERE WERE ONLY A FEW SPILLS, AND THEY WERE MORE FUN THAN PAINFUL:

THE KING OF THE RINK (Yes, I put skates on and wobbled around the rink 2 times, but *huh* no pictures--oh well.)