Wherein you remove me from the "Mom of the Year" ballot

***Note: I drafted this post 8 months ago. Eight months ago! But it gave me a chuckle as I read it today, so I decided to publish it.***

My two-year old, Jude, is a fairly good communicator. He started using sign language at a young age (8-9 months, or so), and had a great vocabulary by 18 months. Now that he's two-years old, he's stringing together some phrases. "I don't know," "More, please," and "Watch this!" are some of his favorites. But for some reason, if he wants us to push a button on something, he simply yells "Butt! Butt!" instead of "button." This could apply to his piano, the DVD player, the water dispenser on the fridge, the iPad, or any number of electronic devices.

One of the things I enjoy most about being a mom is seeing the world through my children's eyes, and  I've been trying to do a better job with that. From a two-year old's perspective, every puddle is an invitation to jump, every acorn deserves thorough inspection, and many problems can be solved by yelling the word "Butt!".

The Elmo DVD is stuck on the menu screen? "Butt!"
You need more water? Run to the fridge and yell "Butt!"
You need mom to input the passcode on the iPad? "Butt!"

Wouldn't it be great if most of our adult troubles could be solved by yelling "Butt!

When I left my full-time job to stay home with my kids, I had visions of us picnicking by the lake, happily playing in the sand, sun, and water. We would meet friends for outings to museums, farms, beaches, and playgrounds. After a fun-filled morning at the lake/playground/library/farm/beach, we would return home where the kids would nap and play quietly while I worked on jewelry/housework/whatever project I had going at the moment. We would read stories. We would sing songs. We would do some crafting. We would smile. Unicorns would prance through my living room.

Although many of the above things do happen, the reality is that we're often racing from one activity to the next and trying to fit in grocery shopping, errands, and appointments. Nap time allows me to get my work done (I work part-time from home, which is awesome), but rarely allows me enough time to do housework and/or fun crafting stuff. Simple errands take much longer with two children in tow.

A few weeks ago, I had a very simple to-do list for my afternoon:
- Unload dishwasher
- Take 5-year old to Taekwondo
- Go get birthday present at toy store
- Quick run to the grocery store (less than 10 items needed)
- Come home to start dinner

Easy peasy. I'm feeling good because I had managed some light cleaning, which included cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming, while Jude napped. Conor, my 5-year old, got off the bus at 3PM. I gave him a snack at the island while I unloaded the dishwasher and talked to him about his day. My dogs came to the door to come back inside, and before I could stop him, Conor let them into the house without wiping their paws. It's raining out, so they have tracked mud through the kitchen and living room. I abandoned the dishwasher to get the dogs and wipe their paws. I looked up from the dogs to find that Jude was standing on the dishwasher door wielding a knife. "I helping," he tells me. I confiscated the knife and decided to deal with the muddy floors later. I will also finish unloading the dishwasher later. I send Conor upstairs to put on his Taekwondo uniform. Jude has climbed up onto the island and spilled Conor's water onto the floor. That's OK. I needed water to clean up the muddy floor.

Jude runs to the TV and yells "Butt!" Great idea. He can watch Yo Gabba Gabba while we get ready to leave. I look at the clock. We're doing OK. We're going to make it to Taekwondo on time. Conor comes back downstairs in his school clothes.
"You were supposed to be putting your uniform on!"
"Oh. I forgot."
"What were you doing upstairs?"
"Uh. I don't know."
"You need to get dressed now. We're going to be late."

I run upstairs and bring the uniform down so I can coach him through this task. When I come back down, the dogs are outside ("They wanted to go out again."), and Jude is standing in the dog's water dish. He's going to need dry pants. I bring the dogs in (and wipe their paws this time), I change Jude's pants, Conor is in his uniform, and we're ready to go. Except that Conor can't find his shoes. The ones he just wore home from school. I remember seeing Jude stomping around in them, so we eventually find them in the toy room.

We are only 4 minutes late for Taekwondo. I consider that successful.

After Taekwondo, we go to the toy store to buy a birthday present for a friend. I know that it's a bad idea to take my two children into a toy store at the end of the day, but it's right next to the grocery store, and we need to buy a present TODAY. Because I'm a procrastinator and the party is 2 days away. It went exactly as anticipated. Jude wouldn't stay in the stroller, he topples one display, and Conor thinks we are shopping for him. The kind salesperson agrees to gift wrap our purchases while we run next door to the grocery store.

Since we're only getting a handful of things, we don't need a cart, and I can just put my purchases in the stroller. I grab soap. I use an all natural bar soap that you purchase by the ounce, so it doesn't come pre-packaged. I like the Oatmeal Mint and Cucumber scents. I grab a few bars and place them in my bag.

"Fruit pop!" Jude says, reaching for the bag of soap.
"No," I tell him. "It's soap."
"Pop! Have a bite!" he insists.
"It's not a pop. It's soap."
"FRUIT POP! FRUIT POP!" Tears. Screaming. "OUT!" he yells, as he begins to squirm out of the stroller.
I offer my phone as a consolation.
"NO iPHONE! WANT POP! POP!"
I give in and hand him the soap. He licks it. He scrunches up his face, and then looks at me pointedly. "YUMMMMMMM," he tells me.

I stood in the middle of the produce section and yelled "Butt!" but no one came to my rescue.
Whatever. It's organic. He takes another lick. He's happy.

I look up and see that Conor is grabbing handfuls of crackers from a samples stand. I realize it's almost 6PM. My poor kids are hungry. Time to finish our shopping and get home for dinner. We proceed with the rest of our shopping. I stop every 15 feet or so and wait for Conor to catch up to me. I grab some more samples to hold them over until dinner time. Jude prefers the soap. I go to the express lane. I explain to the friendly cashier that whenever he's ready, I'm going to hand him the soap, he'll scan it quickly, and then hand it right back to me to give to Jude. He gives me a funny look, observes my toddler licking the soap, and sort of shrugs. I take the soap from Jude, and he begins screaming, "POP! POP! FRUIT POP!" The cashier quickly weighs the soap, rings it up, and returns it to me. I give it back to Jude. He licks it again. He's happy. "YUMMMMMM!" he tells the cashier. The cashier laughs. I shrug and say, "It's basically oatmeal and mint. It's organic. There are no chemicals in it. Don't judge me." He really thinks this is hilarious. I'm guessing he was about 18-years old and doesn't have any kids yet.

We stopped back at the toy store to pick up our purchases, ran through the rain to the car, and made it home for dinner, which was probably scrambled eggs that night.

My updated to-do list:

- Unload dishwasher - Fail
- Take 5-year old to Taekwondo - Check
- Go get birthday present at toy store - Check
- Quick run to the grocery store - Check
- Come home to start dinner - Check, sort of
- Clean mud off of floor and rug - I think that's still on my current list


I'm sure most parents can relate to the above events. It takes much longer than it should to complete simple errands, and it takes ages for me to complete simple projects. I have been working on a duvet cover for my guest bed for well over a month now. I was working on it last weekend, and was about 75% finished when I realized that I had goofed on one of the critical measurements. I am hoping to go back and fix it some time this week, but after spending so much time on it, only to realize that I had to rip out all of my work, I needed to step away for a while. I am so upset that I wasted my precious project time, and now I need to find a few more hours to redo it. BUTT!!!

***Additional note: I did eventually finish that duvet cover. I'll share pictures another day.***

Slow Down, America!

There are always a few days every year that make me question my sanity for choosing to live in New England. Today is one of them. It was 3'F when I woke up this morning, and -10'F with the windchill. Single-degree temperatures and sub-zero wind chills (Wicked cold, as the locals would say) just aren't fun for anyone. Even if you are a skier or snowboarder, or one of those weird people who simply enjoys the cold, you've got to admit that this weather isn't fun for any type of outdoor activity. I could hardly stand to pump my gas this morning. (Kudos to New Jersey for getting the full service gas station thing right.)

But here's the thing that really gets me. I was in a big box store the other day, trying to find a warm winter hat for me, and slippers for my boys. Sadly, the selection was poor because these things went on clearance weeks ago. It's January. In New England. We have at least 3 more months of winter ahead of us. The store had no less than 150 bikini choices though. And I should probably grab a swimsuit now, because if I wait until May, they'll be stocking the fall clothes, and there won't be any swimsuits left. Why are we in such a rush to move on to the next season? The next holiday? The next big event?

Slow down, America! Let winter have its season!

I've found myself thinking a lot about the pace at which we live. I am not big on new year's resolutions, but I do usually set a few goals for myself sometime in January. (Or February. I'm a procrastinator, remember?) This year I want to focus on being present. That's it. I need to learn how to appreciate the moment. I want to stop planning out my next 10 steps and making mental to-do lists while I'm playing with my children. I just dropped my toddler off at the babysitter's, and I have to volunteer at my older son's kindergarten class in about an hour. I would normally be out for a quick run right now, but hello?...it's -10' outside. I should also be checking things off my to-do list right now, but I'm sitting here with a cup of tea, writing a blog post. A long overdue blog post. (More on that in a separate post.)

There are so many pressures placed on us today, by both society and ourselves. Pressure to be successful. Pressure to look great. Pressure to have a clean house. Pressure to be the best mom, dad, friend, sibling, grandparent. (No one will ever accuse me of being the best housekeeper in the world, so at least I haven't caved to that pressure.) Pressure to cook the best, organic, free-range, grass-fed, sugar/preservative/sodium/dairy/gluten-free meals for our families. It's no small wonder that we often multitask. I was waiting at the bus stop with my kindergartner the other day. He was happily kicking a snow bank. I was rocking my toddler back and forth in the stroller with one hand, while updating my grocery shopping list on my phone with the other hand, and answering the occasional question from my 5-year old. I realized that I needed to plan one more meal. I looked up a recipe and added a few things to my list, then mentally planned out the rest of my morning...Clean up breakfast dishes, go to gym, go to grocery store, go to post office, home for lunch, put my toddler down for his nap, work while he naps and maybe clean a little bit if he naps long enough for me finish working before my kindergartner comes home, etc. Do you know what I should have been doing? I should have been playing in the damn snowbank with my kindergartener. Instead, I was a million miles away until the bus pulled up.

I do this all too often. I fold clothes while I'm playing Goblet Gobblers with my kindergartner (which is a great game, in case you're looking for game recommendations), and I make shopping lists while playing ball with my toddler. Incidentally, "ball" with my toddler involves repeatedly blowing up a small beach ball that he catches and immediately deflates, and then hands back to me saying "blow up." Again and again. I check email while I'm on the phone with people. There are so many people and things that deserve my complete attention, and I rarely give it to them.

Anyone who has kids will tell you that time goes by too quickly. At the risk of sounding cliche, I can't believe how quickly my kids are growing up. I'm afraid that I'm going to look down at my phone one day to check messages, and then look back up to realize they're teenagers. And that they no longer want to play ball or Goblet Gobblers with me. I don't want to wake up someday and realize that I'm old, and wonder where all the years went. If my life flashes before my eyes, I don't want to see clips of me looking at a shopping list while my children play at my feet.

I am going to slow down. I am going to be present. I am going to live in the moment. Who's with me?

Still Alice (book review)

I just read this book for my book club.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish this book in time for our next meeting, but I stayed up late reading every night and finished it in 3 days.  I don't remember the last time a book sucked me in like that.  If my children didn't require so much attention during the day, I probably would have finished sooner, but my reading time is generally limited to after 10PM when I get in bed.  Since the baby still isn't sleeping through the night, it's rare that I'll stay up super late to read.

Still Alice
by Lisa Genova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Alice, a 50-year old professor at Harvard, who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.  The story is told from Alice's perspective, and that is what drew me in.  I felt completely connected to Alice, and I was frustrated right along with her when she struggled to find the right words, or follow a conversation, or remember what she was supposed to be doing.  The story was heart-wrenching and heartwarming at the same time.  I could. not. put. it. down.  I cried through a good portion of this book, and when I finished it (at 1AM), I cried myself to sleep.  There was so much tragedy and beauty in the way her relationships with her family members evolved throughout the course of her disease.  The book was also educational for me, as I previously didn't know a lot about Alzheimer's.  The progression of the disease, especially in an early-onset case, is frightening.  Put this at the top of your "to-read" list.

Breaking Night: A Memoir (Book Review)

I think I'm going to begin sharing some of my book reviews here.  I don't write a book review on everything I read, but I'll try to be better about that and at least write a quick paragraph.


Breaking Night: A Memoir
by Liz Murray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars on this one.  I wish I could give it 3.5 stars.  I really enjoyed the book, but a 4-star book usually has to be gripping, and I don't know if I would call this one gripping.  Nevertheless, the author's story is certainly inspirational.  I struggled with the first half of the book, because it was hard to read about her living conditions.  I question how a situation like this can slip through the CPS radar, and it saddens me to think that there are probably many children in similar situations today.  She went through so many details of her childhood that, at times, I wondered how she could remember so many details.  I felt like the story became a bit rushed once she went back to high school, and it really had a different feel.  I preferred the pace of the first half of the book.  Overall, a great read, and I sincerely admire the author's courage and determination.

Final Kitchen Pictures

In hindsight, it was was probably a bad idea to paint my living room, hallway, and kitchen in December.  If not a bad idea, it was at least a selfish one.  My Christmas shopping has taken a back seat to my decorating.  My Christmas cards have also taken a back seat.  Like a way-in-the-back-of-the-van seat.  In fact, I don't even think that back seat is even in the vehicle, because they're just not happening this year.  A wise friend suggested New Year's cards, and I might do that, but everyone will know that I'm only doing it because I missed the Christmas deadline.  Especially now that I've announced it on my blog.  I do have 15 followers, after all.

I'm still working on a lot of finishing touches with the painting/redecorating, but I think I'm ready to share pictures of the kitchen.  If you missed the FULL kitchen renovation, you should look at this post first, so you can fully appreciate the transformation.

Here is the renovated, but unpainted, kitchen.  (If you look carefully, you may spy Artie the elf, who made snow angels on the island the night before.  Anyone who is familiar with the "elf on the shelf" will understand why I could not move the elf, or the snow angel he created.)

And here are the "after" pictures.

I was hoping that the color would be a bit more butterscotchy (yes, I made up that word), but this color is really growing on me, and maybe it's best that it provides some contrast to the floor (which it wouldn't do if it was butterscotchy).  Painting the trim and door white really made a big difference too.  I have a collection of vintage plates that I'm planning to display on that far wall in the second picture.

In my (Nearly) Final Kitchen Redo post, I mentioned that we still needed to install a backsplash, and then I never shared pictures of it once it was installed.  Here is a close-up of the backsplash, which is travertine tile.

I probably won't share pictures of the living room until after the Christmas decorations come down, and my curtains go up.  Of course, I have to make the curtains first.  The fabric just arrived on Monday, and I'm not sure when I'm going to sew them.  I'd love to work on them this weekend, but I have a feeling that Christmas shopping, baking, wrapping presents, and regular errands/chores are going to consume all of my time.  Fa la la la la, la la la la.

On the 9th day, I rested

I mentioned in my last post that I was itching to do some home re-decorating.  Well, I have been a busy girl ever since I posted.  Sometimes, I am a major procrastinator, and other times, I jump in with both feet. Without looking.  And without a net.  It's quite impressive, really.  This doesn't always work out well for me, because I sometimes find myself in over my head after it's too late.  Therein lies the reason I have so many unfinished projects around the house.  I am happy to report, however, that this is not one of those instances.  Starting with last Wednesday, this is what I have been doing...

Day 1:  Chose living room paint color, purchased paint and supplies, did some prep work (removed pictures and switch plates, washed walls, taped ceiling and trim, etc.)
Day 2:  one coat of tinted primer applied to living room and hallway
Day 3:  first and second coat of paint applied
Day 4:  touched up crown molding, trim, and doors in living room and hallway, put furniture back in place, completed 2 jewelry orders
Day 5:  chose kitchen paint color, shopped for fabric for living room curtains
Day 6:  purchased kitchen paint, did prep work in kitchen, ordered fabric for living room curtains
Day 7:  applied 3 coats of paint to kitchen (the third coat was really light and mostly a touch-up), applied 1 coat of paint to kitchen trim
Day 8: 2 more coats of paint on kitchen trim and door (to garage), painted 2 picture frames (I purchased a collection of picture frames at Savers and plan to do a shabby chic collage in the living room)
Day 9:  applied a fourth (!) coat of paint to the kitchen trim and door

So now, on the evening of day 9, I am doing absolutely nothing.  The prep work and clean-up that goes along with painting is more exhausting than the painting itself.  I should really try to hang some of my pictures, and clean a little bit, but I just don't have it in me tonight.  Instead, I'm sitting here watching DVR'd episodes of Ellen and Christmas movies on TBS.

I'm really pleased with the painting results.  Oh, and my wonderful husband patched the hole in my kitchen ceiling, so that is a big improvement as well.  I will share pictures after I finish some of the final details...hang artwork and curtains, etc.  My curtain fabric is arriving next Monday, so I will have to wipe the dust off my sewing machine, and see if I can still remember how to use it.  We're hoping to get our Christmas tree this weekend, so the holiday decorating may delay my home decorating projects for a while.

It doesn't look like I will be creating and listing any new jewelry before the holidays, but I have a few orders to keep me busy.  I am thankful that the baby napped well for me most of the week, which allowed me to accomplish as much as I did.  But now, I'm tired and I don't want to see a paintbrush or blue tape for a while.  And at some point, I just want to sit back and enjoy my newly-decorated home.  I didn't make it to the gym as much as usual over the past week, but I'm pretty happy about everything else I accomplished.

You may have noticed that I changed the design of my blog a little bit.  (I'm changing everything this week.  I just had my hair done a few weeks ago.  Otherwise, I'd be changing that too.)  The truth is, I was playing around with the layout and colors, and then I couldn't figure out how to get it back to the way it was.  I also added the new "follow by email" feature.  What do you think of the new look?

Happy Birthday, Whimsy Design

It has been one year since I opened my Etsy shop.  And while it hasn't gone gangbusters, I really enjoy having a shop, and occasionally listing items.  Most of my jewelry sales are local custom orders, and my customers find me through word of mouth.  But I love the Etsy community and wish that I could spend more time on the forums and wonderful resources that are available to Etsy shop owners.  The beauty of Etsy is that it allows you to be as active as you want.  If I ignore my shop for a month, it still sits there online, and doesn't cost me a penny.

I would like to get a few pieces listed for the holidays (Hey, it's only November 29th.  I have plenty of time, right?), but I also want to paint my living room and potentially my kitchen, before the holidays.  Which means I should start, um...tomorrow.  I've mentioned before that I enjoy rearranging and redecorating my house...

Six years ago, I stripped the wallpaper in my living room and hallway (and kitchen and bathroom, but that's another story), and painted it red.  By the way, if you ever have to strip wallpaper, I highly recommend Wallwik.  I tried various methods that included steaming, DIF, scraping, screaming, and crying, and the Wallwik is just amazing.  It saved my marriage, but that too, is a story for another time.  Anyway, I have enjoyed my warm, rich, red living room for six years, but now it's time for it to go.  And I mean now.  I'm over the red.  I'm looking at a nice neutral, like "Latte" from Restoration Hardware.  However, I'll probably end up getting a similar color from Sherwin Williams, because, 1) it's less expensive, and 2) I won't have to wait for shipping (our local store doesn't carry the paint).  If I don't paint this week, it will have to wait until January when I take down the Christmas decorations, and I really don't want to wait that long.

I recently started collecting some vintage pieces to add to my home.  Most of my decor is fairly modern, and I decided that I want to infuse some fun vintage pieces into the mix, and just make it a bit more unique.  I want to start with a fresh color palette, and then I'll feel like I've completely made-over my living room.  I picked up a few things at a huge antique store last weekend, and I will be receiving some exciting packages in the next week.  (Ssssshhhh...don't tell my husband -- I'm hoping he won't notice.)

So, I want to redecorate and make some new jewelry all in the next week.  Sounds rather ambitious, huh? Wish me luck.

Imagination

Creative block.  Probably something like writer's block.  I sometimes fiddle with beads, wire, and chain, and just can't come up with anything that makes me happy.  I'll start a necklace, realize I don't like where its headed, take it apart, and start over again.  Sometimes it all just comes together.  Other times, I spend more time ripping things apart than putting them together.

I realize there are many factors affecting my creative flow (lack of sleep and lack of time, to name a few), but I wonder if there is an art to being creative.  Is using your imagination an art in and of itself?  I look at Conor, my 4-year old son, who is wonderfully inventive and imaginative, and I think that most parents would say the same of their young children.  So, do we lose the ability to be creative as we age?  I hope that I can always foster and encourage creativity in my children.

A recent conversation with Conor went something like this:
Conor:  When Friday comes into my room, I can fly.
Me:       Friday comes into your room?
Conor:  Yeah, Friday is a boo-yak.
Me:       What's a boo-yak?
Conor:  It's a kind of a thing that turns into a ghost.
Me:       The boo-yak's name is Friday?
Conor:  Yes, Friday comes in and we fly all around my room.
Me:       That's pretty cool.  I didn't know you did that.  Today is Thursday, so tomorrow is Friday.  Will Friday come into your room tomorrow?
Conor:   No, he only comes on Tuesdays.

I can't make this stuff up, people.  I struggle to keep up with his creativity at times.  Like when we're playing trains and he wants his train to talk to my train.  I mean, other than introducing our trains to each other, and saying "Hey, let's pull some freight," how much does a train really have to say?  I do my best, but it's a struggle for me.  I realize that this type of pretend play is different from artistic creativity, but I think it all comes from the same general area of the brain, right?  Perhaps more train-play will be good for my creative juices.

I finally sat down and made a bracelet this week.  (Actually, since I started this blog post 2 weeks ago, it has now been 2 weeks since I made the bracelet.)  It will soon be for sale in my Etsy shop.  Ideally, I like to wait until I have a few pieces ready for sale, and then do a photo shoot for them all at once.  I think it's a better use of my time, and it helps to give my website a cohesive look and feel when my photos are all shot in the same light.  I made an exception this time, and just took a few photos of the bracelet today, so I can share them with you.

This bracelet feels like autumn to me, with the amber and brown tones.  It was made from a mix of new beads, and some that I repurposed from consignment store pieces, so I will be making them in limited quantity.

I'm Still Here and I Still Love You

I have been receiving emails from concerned individuals wondering where I am.  I'm here!  Right here in my house!  Between the pile of laundry and the baby swing.  Can you see me now?

Seriously though, do you really want to hear my long list of excuses for why I haven't updated my blog?  You do???  Good!

This is my number one reason:

Meet Jude.  Isn't he cute?  He's the newest addition to our family.  He is quite possibly the happiest baby on the planet.  He doesn't sleep very much, but he's so cute that we forgive him for that.  And actually, he is finally starting to sleep a little better.  (knocking on wood)

Here is proud big brother Conor, who also keeps me very busy.

As many of you already know, I left my full-time job in May to stay home with my boys.  It has been a big, but wonderful, change for our family.  We are having a fabulous summer, and I'm so fortunate to be able to  stay home with them.  For some reason, I thought I would have more time for jewelry/blogging when I left my job, but I am not finding that to be the case.  My 4-year old hasn't napped since the baby was born, and the baby likes to take 15-minute naps.

Shortly after Jude was born, my computer crashed.  That certainly put a damper on my website updates and blogging endeavors.  I just got a replacement a few weeks ago, so that is a relief.  And I switched to Mac!  I really like it so far, but I'm still working through the learning curve.  Earlier ,when trying to add a photo to this post, I accidentally opened Photo Booth instead of iPhoto.  And when I tried to close it, I instead took a scary picture of myself.  Scary because I'm still in my jammies and wearing a dumbfounded expression and yesterday's eye make-up.  No, I'm not going to share that picture with you.  Are you crazy?

We traveled a lot in July.  And I mean a lot.  For 2.5 weeks, we traveled via car and train from Massachusetts to Florida and back, with stops in Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  In case you're wondering, I highly recommend travel via the Auto Train from VA to FL.  The vacation deserves its own blog entry, but I will just say that the boys were superstar travelers, the weather was amazing, and we saw tons of family.

We celebrated my grandmother's 100th birthday in Florida.

The boys enjoyed the Carolina beaches.

We have also taken a lot of little day trips and have just been generally enjoying summer and everything that New England has to offer in the summer.  We have to live it up now and make the most of the summer, so that when we're having a Nor'easter in January and I question why in the world we live here, I can reflect on the fabulous summers we have.

I'm really flattered to know that there other followers who look forward to reading my blog.  I didn't realize that I had more followers beyond those who follow me publicly.  You know who you are, and I love you!  

Since I'm such a procrastinator, I kept telling myself that I would get back to blogging and jewelry-making after the baby was born, after I figure out a new routine with the boys, after I get a new computer, after vacation...and before I knew it, six months had passed.  It's really kind of ridiculous.  I know you're saying, "How long does it take to write a simple blog entry anyway?"  The answer is 6.2 days.  That's right.  Because I start it, and then the baby needs to eat, or Conor wants to play a game, and then I forget about the blog until the next day, and I pick it up again until someone needs help on the potty.  You get the idea.

So for now, I'll say that I should finally be able to post more regularly.  You know, after I get back from my trip to PA next week, and as soon as Conor starts preschool again...

Another reason to wear your baby

When my oldest son was a baby, I used to make slings.  I even thought I would start selling them, but then the CPSIA came along.  While its intentions were good, it made it nearly impossible for a small business, or work-at-home-moms (WAHM) to make and sell children's products.  So while I couldn't sell them, I still enjoyed making some for myself. 

I'm a huge fan of babywearing, and I buy baby carriers the way that some women buy shoes and handbags. OK, so I buy a lot of shoes and handbags too. (I told you I love accessories!)  The other day, I was wearing my little guy in a "Bali Baby Stretch" wrap, which is snug and warm and perfect for New England winters.  We were at "Ring a Ding Sing Thing" at our local library, which involves stories, music, motion, instruments, dancing, and general chaos with toddlers running all over the place while enjoying these things.  The wrap is the perfect solution for keeping my little guy cozy and happy while keeping both hands free so I can chase my toddler.

Another mom commented on my wrap and asked some questions about how to use it.  She asked how old my baby was (3.5 weeks), and then she paid me a lovely compliment by saying I looked fantastic and she couldn't believe that I just had a baby.  I thanked her, but explained that by wearing my baby in front, and covering the rest of my torso with a wrap, I was able to disguise my problem areas.  (And just so you know, I am trying to cut myself some slack, and I know I will bounce back to my pre-pregnancy weight with time, but I have a long way to go.  I've had a few people tell me that I don't look like I just had a baby.  I know I should just take that compliment at face value, but I can't help but wonder if all these people think that I just looked this big all the time?!?!)

May 2008

November 2009

March 2011

So, baby-wearing makes you look thinner -- just another reason to wear your baby!  ;)

P.S.  If you don't understand the term "babywearing," you can learn more here.

Preparing to Reopen

You may have noticed that my Etsy shop has been in vacation mode since late January.  I closed my shop for a mini maternity leave.  My beautiful son was born on February 7th, and we are adjusting to life with a 4-year old and a newborn.  I could dedicate an entire blog post to that alone, but overall, it has been much easier than I thought. 

So now that I'm getting into the swing of things, and even getting a few hours of sleep here and there, I want to reopen my shop.  I need to update some listings and change some of my policies (like turnaround time, which may be longer initially), and of course, list some new pieces.  I'm toying with the idea of a grand reopening sale, once I can get some new pieces designed, completed, and photographed.

I hope to reopen in the next couple of days.  Stay tuned!

My Etsy Shop is Open for Business!

A week or so ago, I hinted that something new and exciting was about to happen.  (By the way, congrats to those who knew that the title of my last blog post was a reference to West Side Story.  You're my favorite followers!  ;)  Have I ever mentioned that I love musicals?)  Today, I am happy to share with you that I have officially opened a shop on Etsy and I couldn't possibly be more excited! 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been very busy designing, researching, making jewelry, and setting up my website.  I'm thankful to have a forum such as Etsy on which to launch my site.  The fact that there is already a shop format and built-in customer base certainly makes things a lot easier for a newbie.  I worked with a fellow Etsian to design a banner/logo and business cards.  You may have noticed the new banner at the top of my blog -- didn't she do a great job?!  She was so great to work with, and she's a great example of why the Etsy community rocks.

Even with all these great resources, it's amazing how much time it takes to work out the details of a shop launch.  Perhaps I'm just a perfectionist, but I wanted to decide exactly how to package an item before listing it for sale, and of course, find the best deal on those supplies, and it's time-consuming to research those things.  Then there's the matter of researching and determining how to price my pieces.  This should have been the easiest part for me, since pricing is what I do for a living, but I found it to be extremely difficult to put a price on my time.  And don't get me started on the time I've spent doing photo shoots.  With an online shop, the photography is so important, as the potential buyer isn't able to touch and feel the jewelry, so I sincerely think it is time well spent.  . 

It has all been very fun and exciting, and I'm happy that the shop is up and running.  I have just a few items listed so far, but I will be adding more in the upcoming weeks.  You can visit my shop here or use the links at the right-hand side of my blog.  I also set up a facebook page so please visit and "like" my page, if you haven't done so already. 

Many thanks to those who have been encouraging me to do this for quite some time.  I truly appreciate your support.

Requirements for November photo shoot in New England

I am committed to doing my photo shoots in natural light, even when it's 20 degrees out.  And windy.  Though this poses some challenges with jewelry (e.g. Earrings keep swinging in the wind, making it difficult to focus.  Eyes fill up with tears, also making it difficult to focus.), I have discovered one thing that makes the blustery photo shoots a bit more tolerable -- these gloves!

I can tuck my chilly fingers into the mittens between shots, and remove the mitten part when I need to change settings on my camera or adjust jewelry.  I guess my thumb is always cold though.  In addition to my jewelry shoot today, I tried to get a few pics of my son to use on our Christmas cards.  We had to do this very quickly because a) It was cold, and b) I didn't put a coat on him.  I know, I'm a bad mom...but I did let him wear his mittens.  Don't worry, he ran around the whole time and worked up a sweat, so I think he was warm enough.  I can't decide if it's more difficult to photograph jewelry and correctly capture the color of the stones/metals, or to photograph a toddler who just wants to run and look everywhere except at the camera. 

He's pretty cute though, so I guess we'll keep him.  By the way, he's crafty too.  This is a cool bird feeder that he made at preschool.  Doesn't it look yummy?

So, back to jewelry.  What do the following items all have in common?

They were all used as props in today's photo shoot.  I think I'm finally discovering ways to take better pictures of my jewelry, although it is still really challenging and requires a lot of patience.  It certainly helps to have a good camera again!  I probably throw away 10-20 pictures for every one that I keep.  Ah, the beauty and luxury of digital photography.  Of course, there is still room for improvement, but I'll share a few favorites from today. 

I'd love some feedback.  What do you think of these photos?  What kind of feel do they have?  What do you think of the jewelry? 

I have been a very busy girl, and I will have a lot more to share with you soon.

Something's coming, something good

Bonus points to anyone who knows the song I referenced in the title of this post. 

I have been a jewelry-making fool this week.  Given the demands of my full-time job and family, I really only have nights and weekends to work on my projects.  So, I'm not getting a lot of sleep these days, but that's OK.  I have a bunch of new beads and fun chains, and I'm having so much fun designing new pieces.  It certainly helps to have semi-permanent workspace set up.  I'm working on a combination of Christmas presents and a few other surprises to be revealed...very soon.

I have completed several new pieces, but I won't be able to photograph them until the weekend.  Again, the weekday job and daylight issues, but I won't go into detail because I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that before.

The necklace below was a gift for a crafty friend who had given me a bunch of beads.  I figured the least I could do was make her a necklace using some of those beads.  This was kind of an interesting challenge for me.  Usually, I have a vision, and then I select beads/metals to work with that vision.  With this piece, I was given the beads first, and tried to create something with what I was given.  Just a different design challenge, I suppose.  These pictures were taken a few weeks ago (yes, with my old camera) but I had to wait until she received it before I could share the pictures.

Stay tuned to learn what's coming.  ;)

They're crafty (and they're just my type)

A while back, some friends and I were commiserating about how we never have enough time for our crafting hobbies.  Someone came up with the great idea to get together for a "craft night" wherein we would each bring our respective crafting projects and we would be able to socialize while we worked on them.  I excitedly told my husband about this plan.  Unfortunately, he has been witness to our "book" club meetups where we rarely discuss the book, so he thought "craft" night would pan out to be much the same.

Undaunted, I packed up some supplies and a necklace that I had been working on for a few weeks, and went off to join my friends for craft night.  Yes, I admit that we gabbed for a good hour before we sat down at the craft table.  BUT, I did finish that necklace and was able to start another one.  So there, hubby.  My crafy friends all scrapbooked, and they are all quite talented.  Someday, I may pay one of them to organize my photos in a scrapbook.

The necklace was a gift for a special cousin, and I can share the pictures with you now that she has (finally) received it. (Please ignore fuzzies in second pic.)

We don't yet have another craft night on the calendar, but I hope we can do it again soon.  In a completely unrelated project, I decided to make some earrings inspired by fall.  I think they're kind of fun.  The earrings in this picture were made with a silver crafting wire, just so I could test out the design.  Sterling silver wire is very expensive, and I have learned the hard way that I should practice on (less expensive) crafting wire. 

Case in point, this was my first attempt.  Although I didn't have an exact shape in mind, this definitely is not what I was going for.

The final result was a bit better. Keep in mind that this is my "prototype" and the finished earrings would be in sterling, so they will have a much nicer shine to them.  I bent the wire into the leaf-like shape, and then hammered them to give a textured appearance, but I don't think this shows up well in either picture. 

In other wonderful news, I am excited to share that I have a working camera again!  I have missed my camera terribly, so I am super excited about this. However, the above pictures in this post were all taken with my crappy camera before I got the new one, so please don't judge me. 

I have one last item to share with you today.  I initially made this necklace close to a year ago, and I just wasn't thrilled with the result.  I reworked it a bit the other day, and the final piece is much better.  I love the mix of wooden and glass beads, different shades of blue/turquoise, with a few silver pieces thrown in. 

I was going to share a few other things with you, but that's probably sufficient for this post.  I have to keep all thirteen of my followers coming back for more, you know.  And now, I'm off to work on some jewelry while my son is resting. 

The (nearly) final kitchen redo pics

I sincerely apologize for my delay in posting the (nearly) final pictures of the kitchen.  The backsplash was just completed last week, and I had been holding out hope that I'd be able to get my camera fixed before the kitchen was finished.  No such luck.  It turns out that the nearest Nikon repair shop is an hour away from me (with no traffic) so I just haven't made it there yet.  The other option is to send it out to Nikon and be without a camera for 6-8 weeks.  So, for now, you're just getting more crappy pictures taken with my crappy old camera. 

Granite and sink installed (obviously, backsplash not yet installed)

View of the island

View of the sink

 Backsplash going in (travertine subway tile)

 Almost finished

The flash on my crappy camera really washes everything out, so I don't feel like this gives a good color representation, but I can't do anything about that.  So now we just need to do some minor finishing touches...change the switch plates on the backsplash, purchase bar stools for the island, repair the wall (above the sink) and ceiling, and paint.  We haven't chosen a paint color yet. Any suggestions?