My Favorite Things

Hello!

2012-01-05T11:55:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post and for that I apologize. I have been super busy with a lot of new adventures heading my way.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season. We sure did. It's nice to get over the Christmas hump and move on. I hope Spring isn't too far away but I have a feeling I have a couple more months of cold, cold weather.

I have been working on a few new things and a few new goals for the new year. I hope you will all check back to see what I have been working on and know that I will work more diligently at keeping up with this blog.

Here are a few goodies to leave you with...

My First Blog Award!

2011-07-21T22:19:00.006-06:00

Yay!! I was chosen by the amazing Tiffany at My Lemonade Dreams, for this fabulous award!

The rules of this blog award are :
*I must share 7 things about myself
and
*I must share the love by awarding 7 other bloggers!

So here we go!

1: I adore Harry Potter! I have a huge collection of memorabilia including one of the original Hogwarts train sets, that I am very proud of. :)

2: I LOVE to sew. I adore it, find it so relaxing, and am happiest coming up with new outfits for my sweet baby girl, who is no longer a baby.

3: My celebrity crush is Gordon Ramsey. I think he is so cute and passionate about food. No wonder I married a fantastic cook!

4: I still call my mom, mama. I am 30 years old and get made fun of because of this but I will call her mama forever.

5: I love video games! I play with my husband all the time and my favorite games are Gears of War, Devil May Cry, and Resident Evil.

6: I watched the movie Cujo at the drive in when I was 5 and am still scared to death of St. Bernard dogs. Yep, can't even watch the Beethoven movies.

7: My super power is that I know where everything is. My husband looses a belt I know exactly where it is. My daughter leaves a toy outside and can't find it, I go out with a flash light and track it down. If it's missing come ask me and I'll locate it. :)

Now, here are my tagged blogs!
1: Pamela at batesmercantileco.blogspot.com

2: Jill at printasticdesigns.blogspot.com

3: Eva at eva-vintagedreamer.blogspot.com

4: Nicole at www.nicolelongphotography.com

5: Thespa at vintiquitiesworkshop.blogspot.com

6: Lauren at marie-antoinettequeenoffrance.blogspot.com

7: And the lovely Tobi at pinkpixieforest.blogspot.com

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-02T21:50:00.005-06:00

I hope everyone has a lovely and safe Independence Day!

Marie Antoinette Ornaments

2011-06-17T17:06:00.004-06:00

I decided to try a few Marie Antoinette themed ornaments. My fellow etsian Chic Decor Treasures is doing a FABULOUS Christmas in July sale and she inspired me to do a little too. You can check out her wonderful shop here.

Anyway back to it. I purchased these great Marie themed clips and have had these glass ornaments hanging around forever. They have a little sprinkle of glitter and are filled with pink tulle.

I really like how they turned out. Very Marie.

Well,I better get some things done around here but I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sunshine and Blue Skies

2011-06-09T22:01:00.005-06:00

All it took was two pieces of fabric that happened to be laying side by side to give me inspiration.

A lovely canary yellow and sky blue fabric is the reason for my newest creations.

I made a sweet rosette necklace and Miss M loved it! I helped her draw a sun to help me with my photo for my etsy shop.

This is a lovely statement ring that is complete with a vintage button.

And, finally here are a pair of chandelier earrings.

If you like what you see, these items are available at my etsy shop, Madi's Treasures. You can get there by clicking the store front to the right of your screen.

I hope everyone has had a good week so far.

Bubble Guppies Cupcakes

2011-05-18T12:43:00.006-06:00

Hello all! I have been super busy and it doesn't seem to slow down. I just thought I would pop in a share a little goodie with you.

Today at M's preschool was her Summer birthday party. So many kids in the class have summer birthdays and the teacher's thought it would be nice if they got a chance to celebrate their birthday early with the class. Well today was M's big day and I decided to make Bubble Guppies cupcakes for her, with help from etsy of course!

The Bubble Guppies is a newish show on Nick Jr. that M just LOVES! We watch it all the time and have all the episodes on the DVR. It's a great show that teaches them a lot and has some awesome songs.

I got these great Bubble Guppies images from this fantastic etsy seller nimsyky. Prices are great and they emailed them to me super fast. Check them out here. I used colored party toothpicks and glued the cutouts to them with hot glue. I cut off the pointed ends of the toothpicks to make them safe for kiddos.

Anyway, everyone loved them and I thought they were cute. :) I hope everyone has a great day.

Etsy Feature Friday

2011-04-29T08:55:00.007-06:00

This is a new segment for my blog. I am using this and future features to promote some great people and introduce a shop that you may not know about.

Today's feature is Jill with Printastic Designs! Here is a little about Jill.

What inspires you?
I find inspiration in many things, some of which are nature, art, animals, and especially my family and my faith in God. A lot of my wall designs are family and home oriented. For example, there is a listing in my shop now with a little girl blowing the dandelion flower. This design was inspired by my 4 yr old who loves to pick dandelions almost every day. I love the simply fact that she sees a beautiful flower, when most everyone else sees a useless weed.

How long have you been doing this?
I have always been the creative type, and I've wanted to run my own business for as long as I can remember. I loved art class all through school, and developed a major interest in computers in high school. Combining these two favorites, I went to college for Graphic Design. Shortly after I graduated, I started working in the Art Dept of a small plaque casting foundry, where I am still employed. When the economy slowed down a few years ago and our hours were cut back at work, I finally made the decision to start up a small graphics business from my home that consisted of reselling printed products (business cards, flyers, postcards etc.) with my designs. I have a website, blog, and a facebook page in addition to my Etsy shop which all enable me to sell online as well as locally through word of mouth. I still only work at it part time, but I have expanded into reselling small signage, and now do my own vinyl wall designs which I sell on Etsy.
As far as when I officially started my business, I set up my website the summer of 2008 and have been slowly gaining momentum ever since. There are several entrepreneurs in my family so I've grown up with some great role models and hopefully one day, like them, I will be able to break away from my day job and work completely for myself.

Do you take custom orders?
Of course! Although I have a good selection of stock wall art designs on my website, I love custom orders. I enjoy discussing ideas with a customer who is excited about the project and has a good grasp of what they want. I always learn something new when trying to come up with a design to match my customer's vision and this push to do more, and learn more in order to please my customer is one of my favorite parts of being a graphic designer.
Logo design, Vinyl Wall Expressions and the printed products that I sell all have one thing in common. They all require some kind of design intended to catch the eye and draw attention to the information being displayed, so in my opinion, the best kind of sign is a unique one.

Favorite things?
There are so many.....
My family scrapbooks, works of art, interior vinyl, computers, art pens and colored pencils, a warm fireplace and a good book, handmade journals, lazy summer days, home made ice cream, dogs, cats and almost any other animal you can think of, cabins in the mountains, and the ocean among many others.

Jill's Etsy Shop

You can check out Jill's fabulous designs here, at her etsy shop and be sure to stop by her blog here.

A little hiccup...

2011-04-29T08:03:00.004-06:00

As you can probably see I have no giveaway ready like I promised. The item is 85% complete but I am waiting for a crucial piece. It was supposed to be here on Tuesday and now it's not going to arrive until Monday, maybe Saturday if I'm lucky. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I will not be doing business with this company again.

Anyway, I figured I would do something fun and take a chance to promote a shop on etsy that I think is the bee's knees. I have met some lovely people and joined some fantastic teams and I think that may be one of the reasons my shop is getting some much needed exposure.

I think we will call my little segment Spotlight Seller Friday, creative huh?

So, stay tuned and I hopefully will have a seller ready to promote in a few.

jamie

Big News!!!

2011-04-25T21:42:00.010-06:00

Hello all!! Things have been going really well lately. I received my first custom order for a wedding, I am meeting some wonderful etsians, and Easter was fantastic!!

Speaking of Easter my sweet baby M has been talking about a rainbow Easter egg for over a week, thanks to Team Umizoomi. The Easter bunny ;) was able to get one for her! Made from a clay egg and crayola paint it was simple to do just a little frustrating at 2 am. I had one very happy girl on Easter morning.

So who else is excited for the royal wedding? I am!! It's my first and I love a royal love story. I made this lovely necklace in celebration of this event and inspired by the future Princess Kate's engagement ring.

Also here is another new item available at my etsy shop. It's a vintage glitter glass shaker. We all know that glitter glass in expensive and a little goes a long way so here is a nifty way to sprinkle just the right amount.

Well, I should be going so I can get to bed. Before I go I wanted to share a little treat with you. On Thursday I will be doing a special giveaway for one of my newest items so check back and be sure to enter! I am so excited about my first giveaway! I hope everyone has a great night!

Sweet Pea Garden Sprite

2011-04-06T14:01:00.003-06:00

Hello all! I have been a busy bee, working on my etsy, crafting, scapbooking, working, and getting over a flu bug. Yuck! It's nice to have a moment to put my feet up and blog.

I just wanted to show you all one of the newest things I have been working on. It's called mixed media art and I think it came out really cute.

Well I hope everyone has a great day and don't forget to to click on my etsy store front to the right of your screen and check out all of my new goodies. :)

Shabby Easter Banner

2011-03-31T13:33:00.006-06:00

I have seen some amazing fabric banners around lately and I have fallen in love with them. I decided to try my hand at making one for my mom for Easter.

I used some pink muslin fabric and a cute Easter print. I made two triangle patterns that were different sizes and sewed them together at the top. I made a total of six pennets and them placed them together with a strip of the pink fabric. I added some white satin ribbon on the ends to give a little give for tying. I think it came out pretty cute even though I didn't have any pinking shears.

I also have been working a lot on my etsy shop. I re-worked some of my photos so that my items stand out a bit and there isn't too much going on in the background.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for stopping by. :)

2011-03-10T09:06:00.006-07:00

Hello!! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile but I have been really busy. I have been planning Spring activities for M, trying to get her into a pre-k summer program ( I succeeded), and scrap booking. I am really behind on my scrapbooks and need to get moving. I have all the stuff to do it just not the time. Also, I have been thinking of ways to get my etsy shop to look more professional. I am working out new photo ideas to make my items appeal more to prospective buyers.

I have also been working on some new items for my shop. I decided to put more work into hand bags and have been sketching ideas for that. I made this darling owl tote for my shop but I decided to keep it for myself. I love it that much.

I used some cute blue and green spring fabric and made an owl applique. I hand stitched the owl together and used chocolate colored corduroy fabric for the basic bag.

Well, I better get off here. I have a lot to do today and I am burning daylight. I hope everyone has a great Thursday and I will try to update this weekend. I do have to make a St. Patrick's Day skirt for M for her school party and a few other crafts to do and hopefully I will get them on here for you all. :)

Love Is All Around

2011-02-07T08:22:00.005-07:00

This weekend I have been working on three sweet skirts for three sweet girls. My own bug and bug's cousins Miss R and Miss C.

I wanted to do something nice for my girls for their upcoming Valentine's Day parties at school so I decided to make them all skirts. I love Valentine's Day because of all the pink and red, a few of my favorite colors.

My bug is in love with Olivia the pig and her Valentines for school are Olivia themed. I wanted to make her a skirt to wear to her party out of this amazing Olivia fabric that I found on etsy. I used the last of my black polka dot fabric for the ruffles and I think it was a nice touch. I love the way it turned out and later I am going to make her some hair bows to go with it.

For Miss R. I found this great Littlest Pet Shop fabric on clearance at Wal-Mart. Miss R. loves the pet shop pets and I love this fabric because it is pink with yellow hearts all over. I added a little green ruffle on it to give it some twirl power.

Last but not least I worked on this cupcake skirt for Miss C. I have had this fabric laying around for a year waiting for the right time to use it. I love how it came out and the polka dot ruffle completes it perfectly.

I love how they all came out and the girls loved them too. I like making original skirts like this because in a small town with limited options you always run into someone else who has what you have but these are one of a kind.

Also, I wanted to share with you all my mom's Valentine's Day tree. She picked up this little pink tree on clearance last Christmas and every holiday it is decorated to the nines to celebrate the holiday. Here is her Valentine's one and I adore it. Mom has such a talent for decorating trees and wreaths. I love that lady!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great week and stop by later this week. I should have some new items to share with you. :)

Romantic Marie Antoinette Bottles

2011-01-05T12:45:00.005-07:00

I have been working on some Marie Antoinette bottles for the last few days. It's no secret that I love the notorious queen and I am inspired by her in almost all the crafts I do. Almost, the other inspiration is my lovely daughter.

Anyway, back to my newest items. I took a vintage bottle and added some terrific Marie clip art, lace, and a clay rose. My other bottle isn't vintage, it came from Michael's and is along the same lines as the first. It's filled with faux rose petals.

I love how they turned out. You can check them out at my Etsy shop, just click on my store front on the left of the screen.

My mom also has been working and made this darling Valentine's Day special delivery. It's a little pink mailbox, with rose decals, and filled with a sweet pink bird, feathers, and some green foliage.

So that's what I have been working on this past week. I also want to tell everyone Happy New Year! It's a great time to change your life. I have a few resolutions that will be great for my little family and will hopefully come to be this summer. Fingers crossed.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Dr Seuss Quilt!

2010-12-28T13:32:00.003-07:00

This Christmas I put together a quilt for my sweet daughter featuring Dr. Seuss characters. She loves anything Seuss and it was time for me to make her another blanket. The last one I made her was Blues Clues when she was 2.

I thought I would run into some trouble finding some Seuss fabric because they don't make it anymore but thanks to etsy I had no trouble. This lovely lady had some fabric that fit the bill and was reasonably priced considering the fabric is discontinued. If you need some cute fabric drop on by and give her a look here.

It took me a few weeks to put together along with all the other Christmas goodies I was doing but the look on my baby's face on Christmas morning was worth it.

I decided to use black and white polka fabric with solid red and yellow. I also found this great blue star fabric that matched Horton that fit in with the quilt perfectly. I am super happy with how it turned out. Quilts are not my strong suit which is why I don't sell them but I think that in 30 years my girl won't care how it looks just that her mommy made it for her.

Madi's Monkey Munch

2010-12-26T12:37:00.007-07:00

First off, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! It was certainly a nice holiday and I have one very happy girl.

Anyway, this Christmas Eve I made some yummy kid-tastic chex mix and I thought I would share my recipe. I'm sure everyone has heard of monkey munch. This recipe has been around for awhile and although I love it I can't make it with the peanut butter because of Mad and her allergies. So I kind of fiddled with it a little and everyone just loved it so I thought I would share it with all of you. So here we go!

Madi's Monkey Munch

Ingredients:
6 cups of rice Chex cereal
4 cups of pretzel sticks
2 cups of small marshmallows
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. When oven is preheated chop up the butter into four pieces and drop those pieces into a 9x13 pan. Put pan with just the butter in the oven until the butter is melted. When butter is melted add Chex cereal and pretzels in the pan. Mix the chex and pretzels in with the butter. Bake in the oven for 20 mins.
When there is about 5 mins left on your timer, put the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave in 30 seconds increments stirring the chocolate every 30 seconds.
When the chex mix in done in the oven, pull it out and give it a few minutes to cool. Then add your marshmallows, stirring them into the mix. Then, take your melted chocolate and drizzle it over your chex mix. Finish it off with a dusting of powdered sugar. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Break it apart, put it in a party bowl and watch your kids go crazy!

Handpainted Christmas Cards

2010-12-14T15:25:00.004-07:00

This afternoon I decided to get my rear in gear and make some Christmas cards. Madi wanted to help so I decided to do some finger paint trees made by little cutie.

We used Crayola finger paints, plain white card stock, glitter, and Modge Podge. Missy used her finger tips to make a tree, following the outline I drew, a finger print star, and my finger did the tree stump. We had so much fun and it was a great craft activity to do together.

I am working on a few more things before the big day, but my progress is slow. I hope to have a few more crafts together before the weekend.

I hope everyone is having a nice week so far.

Cyber Monday Sale!!!

2010-11-29T09:50:00.004-07:00

Hello all! I am having a Cyber Monday Sale at my etsy shop! Actually it will run for a few weeks. Save 15% by using my coupon code FROSTY15.

I will be listing new items all week so be sure to keep checking back!

Visit my etsy shop here

My first gift set! A Cuff Bracelet with a matching Vintage Glass Pearl Necklace

Pretty In Pink Statement Necklace

Victorian Christmas Cuff Bracelet with Vintage West Germany Brooch!

Traditions

2010-11-26T21:18:00.003-07:00

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la laaa! It's that time of the year again! My tree went up last night, or as my friend Nikki calls it, my triangle bush. My sweet child has been begging for a Christmas tree all week. "Mom, will it be green? Will it have blue, red, and orange? Is it time yet?" So sweet. My husband on the other hand has a standing rule that the tree should not go up until Thanksgiving turkey has been digested.

Every year when we have our tree talk, with me begging to put it up the week of Thanksgiving and him telling me not until after, reminds me of our very first Christmas together. We were newly married, expecting our first baby and I had my own tree that was meticulously decorated with matching burgundy and silver ornaments. After our first Thanksgiving I went to put it up and my husband gave me a look like "huh?" He thought a tree should be decorated for a child with every color and colored lights. I couldn't disagree more. Then came the compromise. A tree for a kid but with clear lights. So off we went to get a new tree.

It was hard for me to change my ways but as I look at our tree, five years later, I am so glad he pushed his opinion. Instead of having a tree out of a magazine I have a tree that is full of so many memories. I see our first ornament we bought together, Darth Vadar, who sits at the top and is extremely heavy, the ornament that my little sissy gave us to celebrate our first Christmas together, Mad's first Christmas ornament that I love so much, and the Blue's Clues ornament that made my little girl's face light up when she saw it when she was two.

As the years go by, with a new ornament every year, I can't wait for the day that I get to hand Mad's ornaments to her to decorate her tree and then maybe just maybe my husband will let me have a tree straight out a magazine again. Then again probably not, got to think of the grandchildren.

Working Like an Elf

2010-11-21T16:29:00.004-07:00

I have been working on a ton of new items for my Etsy shop. I plan on listing a few new things everyday, leading up to Black Friday! I will post a coupon code on Thursday, Thanksgiving, that you can use on Friday. Also, for all of my international readers, just let me know if you like something and we can work shipping out.

Vintage Cuff Bracelets

Classic Statement Necklaces

I hope everyone has a great week.

Snicker Who? Snicker Doodle!

2010-11-14T17:43:00.004-07:00

I made yummy Snickerdoodle cookies this afternoon. I love these cookies. I got my recipe from this wonderful website that used to be called Recipezaar but is now called Food.com.
Anyway, they are one of my favorite cookies to make this time of year. They are soft and full of cinnamon goodness. I thought I would share this amazing recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
3 Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
4 Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
5 Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
6 Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
7 Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
8 Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
9 Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.
10 Remove from pan immediately and take a look at your delicious cookies!

Wow...It's Been Forever

2010-11-08T18:38:00.008-07:00

Sorry I have been gone so long. I have had so much going on lately. My sweet mama had open heart surgery on Friday and the weeks leading up to it were nuts. She had a mild heart attack a little over two weeks ago and they found a tumor bigger that an egg in a valve in her heart. The scheduled her for open heart surgery which she had on Friday. Everything is so far so good. Mom is keeping her spirits up and hopefully she can come home on Thursday.

Halloween was great. Madi had a blast trick-or-treating and she was the cutest Cat in the Hat ever. (Ignore me, I'm biased.) It was chilly though. We only did it for about an hour before hot coffee was calling my name.

I have finished a couple of new handbags for my etsy shop. I love them. I think they are so sweet looking. I am a huge fan of pink and green and boy does it show.

So that's about it. Like I said I have been busy but with Christmas around the corner I should have more craft projects coming your way like handmade (by my kiddo) Christmas cards, handmade stockings, and a few ornaments.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Look Mom! I did it!

2010-10-06T09:22:00.005-06:00

Today is a happy day. I finally learned how to crochet a five petal flower. I have been trying to find a good tutorial to learn how to do this. I stumbled across this amazing blog that has a ton of information and tutorials. To my happiness they had a great tutorial video showing how to crochet a flower.

The blog is called Little Birdie Secrets and the tutorial was awesome, easy to follow and had clear pictures. You can find the video and referring page here.

After several attempts I finally got it figured out. They look pretty darn good but could use some improvements.

These little flowers are great embellishments for scarves, bags, head bands, beanies, and whatever else your heart desires.

So that is what I have been doing the last few days. I hope everyone has had a great week so far.

Coraline Inspired Button Earrings

2010-09-28T13:06:00.008-06:00

Our project today is a pair of "Coraline" inspired button earrings. Love the movie, the colors, and the ideas that sprang forth from my dear niece C. She LOVES this movie and wants to be Coraline for Halloween. I decided to make these earrings based off of what she has told me she wants.

First off: Supplies

Scissors
Needle & Thread
Hot Glue Gun
Buttons ( I used black based off the movie but you could use any color you wanted)
Earring Post with a flat base ( I got mine at my local craft store and used gold)
Earring Backs

Step 1: Free sew your button. I use this term loosely because I'm not sure if it's correct. You want to sew the button like you would if you were sewing it on a piece of fabric but you're not. If you know what I mean...

Step 2: Your are going to want to dab a little hot glue of the flat base of your earring post. Just a dab. Then apply your sewn button to your post.

Your finished project should look something like this:

I think it looks very Coraline like. I hope C loves them. Remember that you can use whatever color buttons you want to create the look you want. I think I may try them again with pink.

I hope you enjoyed my super easy, two step tutorial. Have a great day!

Marie Antoinette Art

2010-09-26T12:30:00.004-06:00

I am fascinated with everything Marie Antoinette. Her life, her style, and the work she inspires. If you search Marie Antoinette on Etsy you find the most beautiful and amazing things that she has inspired. It's quite amazing.

Anyway, I also am inspired by the notorious Queen of France and find myself using her as a muse. I came up with this Marie art piece after looking through some clip art I purchased of her. I have to say that I love it so much. The bright pink, her alleged famous saying, and of course a lovely, sweet cupcake. Yum!

My base if an oval piece of wood, decoupaged paper, lavender paint, rhinestones, and glitter. It hangs with a piece of sheer white ribbon.

I love it and I am thinking of selling it on Etsy. We shall see. Stay tuned...

My Favorite Things About Fall

2010-09-21T13:02:00.004-06:00

Autumn has arrived. This is my favorite time of the year. With the leaves changing, the days getting cooler, and the best holidays sneaking up on us; what's not to love? So I thought I would dedicate this post to all the wonderful things about fall.

Halloween

It's no secret that my family LOVES Halloween. Madi is more into it now and being more vocal about her choice of costume. This year she is going to be Cat in the Hat and ZK and I will be Thing 1&2. I can't wait!

Color Sunday

I love going up to Grand Mesa and looking at the painted landscape. You can see ruby red, bright yellow, and pumpkin orange colored leaves decorating every tree. So beautiful.

Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte

Need I say more?

Season Premier Week

No more re-runs! All your favorite shows are back. Yep, I'm a Gleek. I started watching towards the end of the season, got hooked, caught up over the summer, and I am so happy for it to start again tonight!

There are many more things I love about Fall but if I were to list them all I would be here forever. For instance, I love scarves, snow (to play in, not to drive), Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the smell of cinnamon, hot chocolate, and so on and so on.

I hope everyone is having a good week so far and if you live in Colorado get your butt up to the Grand Mesa and check out all the colors. Plus, the Cedaredge Applefest is October 1 & 2. Ah, so much to do!

I Fila Nice

2010-09-15T08:07:00.004-06:00

A few days ago it was my 30th birthday. Yep, 30...wow, I feel it too. My knee has been a little screwy for about a year. I feel off the step carrying some laundry and landed right on my knee and it hasn't been right since.

I have been wanting a pair of those shape up shoes but I am not a huge fan of Sketchers. To my delight they starting making them for the Fila brand. I LOVE Fila. Their shoes are so comfy and hold up so well. Well, for my birthday I got...wait for it. Fila Fit Shape Up shoes. I love them!

They are so comfortable and even though they take a little to get used to I am so glad I have them. It takes a few to get used to the balance but they are not at all heavy. They say they promote weight loss. I don't know about that but I can say that my knee feels great and my posture is better. Plus instead of being a $100 like the Sketcher they are only $60 at Kohls.com. Also the Sketcher shoes aren't true to size. If you wear a size 7 you need to buy an 8. With the Fila I am a 7 1/2 and bought and 7 1/2 and they fit perfectly.

So, I guess the purpose of this post is to let others know how much I love these shoes! They are working muscles I haven't used and I feel great. So check them out at Kohls.com. With all of the coupons for Kohls you can get online you can get them at a pretty decent price.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great day!

New Items at Miss Madi's Emporium!

2010-08-03T09:57:00.008-06:00

Hello friends! I just wanted to stop by and let you know that there are NEW items available at Miss Madi's Emporium. So come on by and take a look.
Miss Madi's Emporium

Simple & Elegant

2010-07-03T16:02:00.003-06:00

My newest project. It would compliment any simple tee or black dress. Totally vintage inspired made with black satin ribbon, pearls, accent button, and a pretty pink fabric rose. Simple yet elegant.

I just wanted to share this with everyone! Anyway, I hope everyone has a nice 4th of July weekend!

Collier De Fleurs

2010-06-29T14:01:00.004-06:00

Collier De Fleurs, or flower necklaces. This is my new project and I love it so much! It is frayed fabric rosettes gathered together on felt to form a necklace with ribbon, pearls, beads, silk flowers, and of course handmade rosettes. I think it came out beautifully and I am so happy with my final product.

Lots of Good Fun That is Funny

2010-06-23T14:10:00.005-06:00

My wonderful little daughter will be turning 4 here soon. Wow, 4 years since she came into our little family. Amazing. Anyway, she is crazy for anything Dr. Suess. She loves Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish, Mr. Brown Can Moo, and of course The Cat In The Hat.

So for her birthday this year we are doing a Cat in the Hat/Mickey Mouse theme. Should be interesting. I was trying to think of what I could make her for her birthday photo outfit and this idea came to me. A boutique Cat in the Hat set.

I have been working on it for a week and I finally got to finish it today and get some photos thanks to my sweet hubby for helping me out. I think it came out great and Madi absolutely LOVES it and won't take it off so that is why there are no pictures of just the set. It looks great on her and it makes me happy to make my little angel happy.

I did a twirl skirt with three fabric choices and an elastic waistband. The top is a halter with the Cat in the Hat iron on transfer on the front. I used my own pattern.

Well, I should go because I need to get ready for work. I hope everyone is having a great week so far.

Catch Up...

2010-06-09T09:23:00.006-06:00

This week I have been playing catch up. It has been such a busy couple of weeks that I feel like time just flies by. So I have been trying to capture time. That's right folks I am scrap booking and I am really far behind.

I started up again this week and I feel really bad that I haven't been keeping up on it. Although, it is fun to look at the photos of time gone by and remembering all the good times we've had so far. Right now I am on Christmas 2008. Yeah, you read that right. Here's how it's going so far...

Anyway, I am half way done with the 08-09 book and should be starting with 09-10 here in the next week.

Speaking of capturing time my friend Nicole, who does amazing photos, did our family pictures a few weeks ago. They turned out great and I love them so much. You can check them out here.

Anyway, I am going to get off here and get some laundry going but I hope everyone is having a great week!

Vintage Magnet Medallions

2010-05-10T14:08:00.004-06:00

My project for the day is vintage magnet medallions. You are probably asking yourself, "What exactly is a magnet medallion?" Well, it's a name I made up and after looking at several things to try to get some ideas these came to me.

I used those clear little circle, glass medallions that you can put at the bottom of a fish tank or in a potted plant, vintage inspired clip art, modge podge, and magnets.

I think they came out pretty cute and my mom really liked them.

Speaking of my mom, she is in the process of redoing her den. She is going for a sports/shabby chic design. I think it's coming out great. I'll post some pics when she finishes.

Madi had her first school program this last Thursday and I thought it was awesome! I was so proud of my little girl. She has come such a long way and I couldn't be happier.

Also, I want to give a shout out to my fellow mommies! I hope you all had a great Mother's Day. I sure did. Roses and ZK did ALL the laundry. It was glorious!

Well, I am going to get off here because it is almost time to get Madi from school but I hope everyone has a great week!

Appliques!

2010-04-30T17:28:00.005-06:00

Today I have been going between doing crafts and reading. It's quite effective. Not really. I am having a hard time putting down this new book I got yesterday. It's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I love it. It combines two of my great loves, Jane Austen and zombies. Anyway, good book but it is preventing me from fulfilling my chores for the day.

Well, lets get to it. I have been working on an owl applique to go on a tote bag pretty much all week. I made my own pattern for this. The basic design wasn't too difficult but the hand stitching around the wings, eyes, and such proved to be a pain. My hands were killing me by the time I was through. I think it came out pretty good and I like the array of fabrics.

The second applique I have been working on is a cupcake to put on an apron skirt. I love this so much because it is all my favorite colors. This one is also my own pattern.

Anyway, I better get off here and get some more things done like laundry. Man, I either need to finish this book or have someone hide it from me. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Long Time Gone

2010-04-17T22:03:00.005-06:00

Wow, I haven't updated in a loooong time. Ok let's get to it.

I have been super busy with Madi starting preschool, ZK getting a new job, Spring springing up, and all the wonderful things that family bring to your life. Although I have had some sadness I know that things are the way they should be and even though I don't like it some things are out of my control.

I have been working on some Mother's Day items based on my mom for inspiration. I think they came out pretty well.

Well I think I am going to call it a night but I promise I will return with even more goodies. Have a good night!

New Valentine's Day Items!

2010-01-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some new items I have been working on for Valentine's Day. I have a lot of new ideas and with all the new fabrics coming out for the spring season the idea are just flowing.

I am working on a couple of new things today and hope to have them done by the end of the week. I hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Boutique Hair Bows

2009-11-21T20:34:00.004-07:00

For the last few days I have been working on some hair bows that will be available at my upcoming craft show.

I was able to get these great Grinch bottlecaps to use on one set of hairbows. I added some lime green maraboo feathers to give a hint of the Grinch's fur. I think they came out really cute and I will be a little sad if they go because I love them so much.

I also made these snowflake hairbows that would be great all winter long. The center snowflake is glittered up and shines so neat in the light. I have never used such an array of colors in a hairbow but I think it worked out great.

Anyway, I better get off here because I have so much more to do. Remember that the craft show is December 5th and we will be giving away a door prize so stop by. I hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

Primitive Snowman Ornie

2009-11-16T22:57:00.003-07:00

This is a handmade snowman ornie I have been working on for my upcoming craft show. He is made with stained fleece fabric, gingham scarf, and twig arms. He is completely hand stitched by me using my own pattern.

I hope everyone has a good week!

Mitten Ornies

2009-11-14T18:01:00.005-07:00

Today I made some handmade mitten ornies. They are made with stained star fabric, terry cloth, jute, and a handmade tag.

This is just one of the many items that will be available at the craft show I am participating in on December 5th at the Bill Heddles Rec Center. I hope to see you there.

Christmas Tree Ornies

2009-11-10T15:43:00.003-07:00

Today I decided to try my hand at making some Christmas inspired ornies for my upcoming craft show. Ornies are something that you hang as an ornament or use in a bowl as a filler. I have made some hearts and chickies before but this was my first try at making a tree.

I started my project with some stained gingham green fabric, cinnamon sticks, stained cheese cloth, and some rusted hardware. I used my own pattern. The fabric used to make the tree is stained with my own recipe of coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon. I took some cinnamon sticks my mom had and cut them in half and used them as the tree trunk. I made some stamped tags and added some holly and a rusted bell and heart.

I think they came out really cute. They will be available at my craft show at the first of December.

I hope everyone is having a great afternoon.

Hit and Run

2009-11-03T09:05:00.003-07:00

Sometime in the early morning hours on Friday our lab, Cletus, was hit by a car. I had to rush him to vet on Friday morning. He had a huge cut down his back.

After having him all day they called us and told us we could come get him that afternoon. Poor Cletus. He was in so much pain and couldn't jump into the back of the truck which you could tell really threw him for a loop. He had a hard time for the rest of the day getting up steps and doing his usual routine. Thank goodness ZK was home so he could carry Cletus and pick him up.

I am glad to say that Cletus is doing really good now. He lets us clean his stitches and give him his antibiotic with no problems. I am so happy that he is ok. He has been with ZK and I since the beginning of us. He was so protective of me when I was pregnant with Madi, and him and Madi are thick as thieves.

On a side note when I took him to the vet they asked if it was ok if they shaved him. This was odd to me. I said I don't care as long as you save him, do what you must. Do people really care about this type of thing when their animal is hurt? Cletus is a member of our family and we will do anything to help him. Who cares if his butt is hairless as long as he is ok, right? Anyway, I thought that was odd.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-02T20:16:00.004-07:00

This last weekend was Halloween and we had a great time. Madi wore her Foofa costume and I wore the Muno beanie. Lots of fun and candy galore.

Muno Beanie

2009-10-08T12:40:00.004-06:00

Today I decided to make Madi a Muno, from Yo Gabba Gabba, beanie. She seemed to love the Foofa one for her Halloween costume that I decided to make another.

I started my project with red, black, and white fleece. I used my own pattern to form the beanie. The hardest part was making his teeth. Lots of trial and error. I love that Madi was right in the middle of this project like she was when I was making her costume. She was handing me his eye, mouth, and teeth while saying all the parts. She is so smart. (excuse the cluster of toys. My life is surrounded by toys.)

My nephew Zac was over while I was making it and he wanted one too. I had some John Deere and Thomas the Train fabric and asked him what he wanted. He said John Deere so off I went.

The inside of the hat is white fleece and the John Deere fabric is sewn into it. He really likes it and said it keeps his ears warm.

That's it for today. I am working on more items for the craft fair and getting laundry done because ZK might be home tonight. Yay! So I'm going to get off here. I hope everyone has a great day!

Costume Time!

2009-10-02T17:48:00.006-06:00

It's that time of the year again, Halloween! This year I was in for a great surprise though. Madi picked her own costume. I had thought about making her a witch costume and when I asked her about it she said, "no thank you." At least she was polite. As we were going through costume ideas on eBay, she saw the Yo Gabba Gabba costumes. I asked her who she wanted to be and she said "Foofa.".

I have been brainstorming all week about how I was going to do the costume. I wasn't going to purchase it off of eBay because it was $45.00 and I think that's ridiculous.

I went to the fabric store today to get my supplies. I got a dark pink fleece, light pink fleece, and white and black felt. All together it cost me $13.00.

Madi was very involved in the process. She helped me construct Foofa's face, even telling me what the body parts were, i.e. eyes, nose, and mouth. I made the hat into a beanie because I figured she would keep that on. I made the body of the costume like bean bag with arm and neck holes.

I think it came together really well. Madi didn't want to take it off. I promised her she could put it back on when ZK comes home later tonight.

I hope everyone had a great week and has a great weekend.

Angel Christmas Ornaments

2009-09-28T17:29:00.003-06:00

I tried my hand at vintage inspired angel ornaments tonight and I think they came out pretty nice. I really like them and the vintage angel clip art printed out great. I used glass ornamentes, Mod Podge, angel clipart, pink glitter, faux snow, and ribbon.

I am going to sell them at the craft show this December. I am pricing them at 2 for $5.00.

I hope everyone has had a good start to their week.

Busy Bee

2009-09-18T23:06:00.006-06:00

Where has the time gone? September is almost over, Halloween is fast approaching, and the leaves are changing. Before we know it Christmas will have come and gone and Spring will be around the corner.

I haven't had much time to work on crafts but I hope to change that this weekend. My little part time job turned into more hours. I am cleaning operating rooms at a local surgery center. I am doing a complete clean which means I thoroughly clean everything. It's not too bad, just meticulous. I have to wash the walls and ceiling and all of the equipment. I have some experience from washing and preparing surgery trays so I know what to do but it just takes forever so my nights are long. I have been having serious mommy guilt because on Wednesday night Madi was asleep before I got home and last night she cried for me and her daddy for 30 minutes before I got home. I hope this gets better before it eats me alive. The only bonus is more money coming into the home for when the oil and gas industry craps out again in the spring, (just a prediction.)

Other than missing me yesterday, Madi is doing great. She is singing and dancing all over the place and bringing a much needed smile to my mom's face. Grandma just gets a kick out of her little red headed angel. Madi finally got her new guitar from her other Grandma today and that is one happy child. She is so musical which makes her Daddy so happy. She plays the guitar, piano, and harmonica. She actually does very well with the piano and sits at it like she is an old pro. She fell asleep tonight playing her guitar and I couldn't help but take a picture of her.

Tonight the rain came. I walked outside to greet my dear husband and the sky was hot pink. The sun was setting and the sky was dark. You could see the rain all around us and a rainbow to the east. Just amazing. I took the most amazing picture of the sky tonight. It was just before the rain came. I can't believe how well it turned out.

I guess I should get off here and try to go to bed. I hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully this weekend I will have some crafts to post.

Another Year Older...

2009-09-11T12:02:00.003-06:00

...none the wiser. Isn't that how the old saying goes? Anyway, yesterday was my birthday and I am now in line, knocking on 30's door. I had a great day. Madi was the perfect angel, brushing my hair and putting makeup on me. ZK came home a day early to be with me and was able to spend the last few hours of the day with me. He passed out right at midnight from exhaustion. All in all, good day.

In case you haven't heard I am a working woman now. I started a part time job to help save up some money. It's only a few hours a day, four days a week which is just perfect. I am now with Madi 20/7 instead of 24/7. I had a hard time Monday because I have never left her but I survived and so did she. I like my job. It's one of those "do your work and leave" kind of jobs.

I did get the most wonderful card in the mail yesterday. It was from my MIL Rhonda. It was a thank you card and to my great surprise and joy it was written by her. This is a great step in her recovery. The fact that she can write, make her own food (she only needs assistance when she gets tired), brush her own teeth, and kicking butt with that wheelchair is nothing short of amazing. We are so blessed that she pulled through this and is thriving. There was a time that walking again was nothing but a dream but it could very well become a reality.

Nothing else really going on. Just trying to get used to my new schedule and get items ready for my craft fair. I plan on working on Madi's Halloween costume this weekend and I should have photos by Sunday. I hope. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Angel Art

2009-08-15T20:14:00.003-06:00

The idea for this project came to me after looking at the Earth Angels website. They have the most interesting, extraordinary items there. The ladies who participate on that site are so unbelievably talented.

Anyway, they do this cute 3-D art work that I just love. I wanted to try something like it but aim it more towards my target audience, (ladies like my mom.)

I started my project with a 4x6 shadow box frame, a vintage angel cutout from one of my favorite sites, and many ideas coming from my overactive brain.

The background is the sheet music for "Angels We Have Heard on High," one of my favorite Christmas songs and a sprinkle of glitter. I used those scrapbook photo sticky things, (the actual name of these escapes me) to make the angel image stand out.

Overall I think she turned out great. I am really happy with the final result and she is one of the items that I will be selling at the craft fair in December.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Craft Show

2009-08-14T15:00:00.004-06:00

Exciting news! I just signed up for my very first craft show. I am so nervous.

It's in December here in my hometown. I know that December seems far away but with all the projects I will need to do to fill up a whole booth, I have a lot of work ahead of me. My mom is going to do it with me.

I have so many ideas my brain will probably fizzle out by October. Plus, I have so much to put together before then like a display, getting my sales tax license, and making a sign.

Anyway, mark your calenders and remember to come by and see me there. I will have more info the closer we get. Plus, I will give sneak peeks of what I plan on selling here on my blog.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

P.S. Congrats to the Raider's for whopping the Cowboys last night! Now if they can just keep it up.

Good Morning, Good Morning!

2009-08-10T07:19:00.004-06:00

Man, it is chilly this morning. When I was outside at 5 a.m. I had to wear a jacket. Haven't had to do that is awhile. Maybe this means we will have an early fall. I hope so. It is my favorite time of the year.

I took a walk through my step dad's garden this morning and thought the sunflowers looked so beautiful in the morning sunshine. I ran back inside to get my camera to capture it. I sank in the dirt from it being watered last night but I still think I got a good shot.

Not too much excitement going on this week. I have plans to work on a few projects. I really need to get my rear in gear. I am also considering taking some online classes. Should be interesting. I am excited about it, then I think: I am too old for this. What if I have no idea what they are talking about? What if I fail out and waste our money? I guess I won't know til I try.

Anyway, Madi should be waking up here in a little bit and I have a few more things to get done this morning. I will do a few more posts this week about my projects. That is if the internet decides to cooperate.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Changing of the Seasons

2009-08-08T09:15:00.006-06:00

I have been working on this prim all week and I think she turned out great. I just love her and she smells so sweet.

Her name is Opal and she arrived just in time for the season change. She is made with stained,(coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon) muslin fabric and harvest fabric. Her hair is in kooky pigtails and made with chenille yarn. Her face is completely hand stitched.

Quiet

2009-07-30T23:14:00.005-06:00

My house is sleeping soundly so I thought I would take this time to do some scrapbooking. I'm glad I did. I am so far behind with my scrapbook. Usually at this time I am done and starting a new one. Not so. I am still working on my one for the last year, beginning and ending with Madi's birthday, and I am still on Halloween. Almost done with that section and then I will move on to random family pics, then Christmas.

I am not as good as some of the pages I have seen on the internet but I have fun and I know that Madi will cherish these when she is older. I imagine her sitting with her children and sharing all the great memories and fun we've had.

It's hard to find time to get most of my projects done. I start them, have my plan to finish them, and then time gets away from me. These last few months have been quite hectic with ZK's mom, moving, job issues, and other not so fun times that I have just been pooped. But with all the fun holidays just around the corner (can you believe it?) I suddenly have inspiration again.

ZK surprised us tonight by coming home a day early. Madi was so happy to see her daddy. He pulled her right out of her funk from being sick. And I got to have a little time to myself.

Well, I guess I should call it a night. I have to color my sister's hair tomorrow and get to work on a petti-skirt. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

No Rest for the Weary

2009-07-28T11:13:00.005-06:00

Wow, what a rough couple of days. I am running on a few hours of sleep and Madi is coming out of the flu. I have never had such a sick baby. She had a really high temp and suffered from some nausea. She seems to be doing well today and is eating so I think we are getting over it.

I finished another beanie and I am quite proud of this one. It's for a baby and has bear's ears on it. So cute. Anyway, I am proud of it because I was able to add the ears. Took me a bit to get them just right, one kept coming out bigger than the other.

As I said I have had hardly any sleep, 8 hours in 2 days, and with Madi being sick she has been sleeping a lot so I have had some time to work on other projects. I checked out eBay to see what other people had been working on and am shocked to say that there is already Halloween boutique items out. Crazy, didn't we just celebrate the 4th? Anyway, I dug out my Halloween fabric and I am coming up with some new ideas. I am also working on a pumpkin beanie. Should be cute if I can figure out how to get the vines and leaves on it.

ZK went back to work full time and I couldn't be happier. It seems like things are finally starting to look up. Hopefully we will be able to move into town in a couple of months. I love being out here by my family but I am sick of the dirt roads, they are reeking havoc on my car, and I need high speed internet. Plus Madi needs her own room and a bigger bed. She has grown out of her toddler bed and she wants a bed like mom and dad. Plus, I miss my stuff. About 80% of our things are in storage and anytime we want something we have to go down, dig it out, and hope against hope that we don't break anything. So I hope we will be out on our own again by September.

Well, I guess I should get my rear in gear and finish up my laundry. I hope everyone is having a good week and special congrats to my friend Nicole.

My Leap Into Crochet

2009-07-22T14:53:00.007-06:00

I decided to try something a little different today. I want to start making hats for children but I wasn't sure where to start. You see so many adorable hats that people have made on Etsy and eBay and I thought maybe I could do something like that.

So this is my finished product. I like it. I need to go over the flower with clear tread so that is doesn't flop over and have my mom show me how to do the edging but pretty good for my first shot at it.

Also, I wanted to let you know that I am revamping Miss Madi's Emporium. I want to do more children's things but find a way to integrate that into my mom's vintage items. With help from my nephew, Zac, I am working on creating more items for boys. So check back for my new creations.

Happy Birthday Angel!

2009-07-17T09:48:00.004-06:00

Today my dearest is three. I have mixed feelings. I am so happy that she is growing into this amazing, curious little girl, who has her her mind, sings, and plays the piano like a mini Mozart.

On the other hand she just doesn't seem to need me anymore. She can dress herself, pick her own movies, put her own shoes on, get her own food, and pretty much take care of herself without the help of mommy.

So, today is a celebration of Madi. My lovable, sassy three year old. Love you sweetie!

Vacation

2009-07-14T09:12:00.005-06:00

Well, we're back from our vacation. We had a great time. We got to spend some time with ZK's mom, take Madi to the zoo for her birthday, drop by the Disney store, and I went to a Coach store and got to actually touch one. Ahhh, someday my little handbag...someday.

Anyway, we took Madi to the Disney store and zoo for her birthday. I love the Disney store and it seems Madi does too. She ran right for the stuffed Nemo and Squirt. I got her a few more things for her birthday and then called it a night before we were broke.

On Saturday we went to the Denver Zoo. Fun, yes. Extremely crowded, definitely. We decided to get a wagon for Madi to ride in and it was a good decision.

Her favorite area was the tropical fish. She just loved them and they had ones that looked like the fish from Finding Nemo. She also loved the seals, polar bears, and the orangutan that looked like King Louie. All in all good day but it was hot.

We did get to spend some time with ZK's mom and got to meet her nurses. She seems to be making a lot of progress. She is now eating solids, brushing her own teeth, and learning how to operate her chair. She is in good spirits and is progressing well.

All in all it was a great trip. Madi was so glad to come home though.

Next up, my dearest turns three! I can't believe it. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Project of the Day

2009-07-09T14:44:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow we are heading off to Denver to visit ZK's mom. I wanted to bring her something that she could put in her room and make her feel good. I decided to make a photo board.

Ok, so here is what you will need:
2 pieces of cardboard, whatever size you desire
Fabric of your choice. Make sure you have enough to fit over both pieces of fabric
Batting, enough to fit over the front of one piece of cardboard
Ribbon
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Buttons, charms, anything else you would like to add to it

First you are going to want to fit your batting to your first piece of cardboard, (your front piece). Hot glue the batting to the cardboard.

Next fit your fabric over the top and the sides of your cardboard. Tuck it around the back and glue it into place. Tip: When working with hot glue use gardening gloves. They fit tighter that other gloves and keep your fingers from getting burned. Then do the same to your other piece of cardboard just leave out the batting step.

Next, place your ribbon over the top of your front piece. Glue it into to place. Then, take your front and back pieces and attach them with the cardboard sides together and the fabric showing like so:

Ta-da! You have a wonderful picture board for a fraction of the cost if you went and bought it at like Walmart. The great thing about this project is you can make it character or color specific to match any room in your home.

July 4th

2009-07-04T22:20:00.005-06:00

What a great day. Lots of fun, laughs, and family. Unfortunately our celebration ended at dusk because our dear child is afraid of fireworks. Like serious freak out. So we called it a night.

Anyway, Bobby and Merced dropped by for the afternoon. I got some great shots of ZK with his brother and sister for the family scrapbook and to put in Rhonda's room when we go to Denver next week.

Madi played in the pool until the afternoon rain came. She just had a blast and Uncle Bobby is the perfect water playmate for her. I went into the house and all I heard was them laughing and Bobby asking Madi if she was ready and Madi yelling, "Ready!"

Anyway, we had a great day, which was much needed. I hope all of you did too.

A Week Of Thrills

2009-07-02T15:01:00.007-06:00

Hello. I know it has been awhile since my last post but I have been crazy busy. I went to Utah to see ZK because he has been working nights up there. He pulled 120 hours in a 8 day period so he has been exhausted. He just got home on Tuesday afternoon. I went up with my mom to see him and my aunt Kerri Ann. It was a nice visit but we did have a scary moment.

Madi is really allergic to almost everything it seems. She is allergic to dogs, cats, hay, lavender, gourds, carrots, raw eggs, any type of body lotion and soap that isn't hypoallergenic, and now it would seem that she is seriously allergic to strawberries. She had some up in Utah and her throat started to close up and she got hives all over her body. Super scary. Something about that little reaction has now made it to where she can't have anything with strawberries in it. She used to have strawberry yogurt drinks, granola bars, and juice but now it just makes her break out in hives, vomit, and makes her butt breakout. So, I guess that's just one more thing we cross of the list of things she can handle.

ZK's mom is doing really well. They moved her over to the rehab clinic and she is just thriving there. They are going to remove the ventilator on Friday and she has already started her rehab. She really likes it there and seems to be in better spirits.

We plan on going to Denver to see her next weekend. The clinic she is at said that they have lodging for out of town visitors. This is great because we had been staying at ZK's aunt Barb but Madi can't go there because Barb has cats. We are taking Madi this time and hope to visit the zoo. Plus, I want to hit the Disney store and get some birthday gifts for Madi.

I have been working on lots of crafts but I get distracted and they sit half done. I have all these great ideas but it's hard to find time to get them done. I just completed a few bottle cap necklaces today. I made a Tinkerbell one for Madi and another one to sell.

I am thinking about selling them for $5 for the basic ones and on up for the ones that I put a lot of work into.

Not too much else going on. I have lots of work to do and not enough time, 4th of July is on Saturday, Madi's birthday is in 2 weeks, and my high school reunion is on the same day as Madi's party. I am still debating on whether or not to go. Anyway, I will try to get some more craft items done and up so you all can see them.

I hope everyone has a nice, safe 4th of July.

My Little Fairy

2009-06-17T10:20:00.004-06:00

Hello and good morning. Madi and I have been up to no good this week. Seriously, we haven't done too much. I did finish Madi's birthday outfit, so that rocks but we have just been hanging out, waiting for ZK to come home.

Speaking of Tinkerbell, I have watched that movie everyday, about three times a day, for a week. Madi is in love with Tink and insists that she wear her fairy wings at all times. It's really cute. Madi flies around all day going, "Swish", and she thinks my craft glitter is fairy dust and wants me to sprinkle it on her. Adorable. I'm glad ZK and I decided on a Tinkerbell theme for her birthday.

Yes, I did finish Madi's birthday outfit. It's Tinkerbell of course. I should be going out next week with my sis to get some pics of her at the local park. Fairy wings and all.

ZK's mom was put back on the ventilator yesterday morning. She has some fluid in her lungs, which is not great, and she was having trouble breathing. It kind of sucks because she was doing great this weekend, talking on the phone, and then boom. I guess what they say is true...two steps forward, one step back. We hope that she will be moved out of Critical Care by Friday.

In other family news, Bobby has to have surgery on his shoulder and possibly his back. I guess he tore the major muscle that holds the shoulder together during the wreck and it needs to be repaired. He is going in for a MRI later this week and then we will find out about his back too. Good news though, Merced is doing great. Her bruises have gone and she seems to be doing really well.

Well, I should get off here. I need to get to work on my yearly scrapbook. I start the book after Madi's birthday and finish it with her birthday party. I am still on the pumpkin harvest pics, so as you can see I am super behind.

Have a great day!

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

2009-06-15T14:05:00.007-06:00

Well it's that time. Tessa's puppies are almost ready to find new homes. They are so cute and it's going to be hard to see them go but they must.

If you are interested at all just shoot me an email. They are all girls, pure bred, papered, and very sweet. Their eyes have already been tacked and they are ready to go.

This is Ming-Ming. She is so gentle and when the light hits her just right she looks like she has lavender highlights.

Sweet little Zen. Pure white with blue eyes. Her name fits her perfectly.

China is one of the twins. She is so sweet and loves toes.

Last but not least is the littlest one of the bunch, Karma.

Prayer Does Wonders

2009-06-13T23:50:00.006-06:00

Some of you may know, others not, that my mother in law, Rhonda along with my brother and sister in laws Bobby and Merced were in a roll over accident on Monday morning. They were on their way home from Kentucky and got in the accident in Kansas. They rolled their vehicle on I-70 by the Colorado border.

From what Bobby can remember he heard a scream and his mom cranked the wheel and then they were airborne. The blazer rolled three times before coming to a halt in an embankment. Around 6:30 in the morning ZK called Bobby on his way to work and was told they had just gotten in an accident. I can't even think when we would have found out about it if ZK hadn't taken that time to call them.

In the rush to find out where they were, what their condition was, and me yelling at the EMT to tell me about Merced, because he didn't know if there were two others in the other ambulance, we found out that they were in Goodland Kansas and that Rhonda wasn't in the best shape. We were told that we needed to come to Kansas to get them and off we went.

When we were in Gunnison they called to tell us that Rhonda was being airlifted to Denver and that Bobby was still in Kansas. We left at 8 in the morning and got to Bobby by 6 that evening. What a relief to see that he was okay. He told us that Merced has a few bruises on her head but otherwise okay, he had a concussion, dislocated shoulder, and his back was killing him. Then we were told that Rhonda had a broken neck and wasn't doing very well. Off to Denver we went.

We got to Denver at about midnight and headed straight to the hospital. After a few terse words with the security guard they let us in to the Critical Care Unit. I can't tell you how awful it was to see Rhonda just laying there with all these tubes and monitors. They woke her up for a few minutes to see us and then put her back out because of the pain. Then they told us that she had broken C5, C6, and C7 vertebrae in her neck.

The next day we went back to the hospital to see her before her next surgery. When she had gotten to the hospital they had preformed surgery to remove a piece of metal from her forehead so they could do a MRI. This surgery was to repair the vertebra's in her neck. At about 6 that evening we heard the surgery was a success but that Rhonda would be paralyzed from the waist down.

After many tears and prayers to God we are just happy that she is here. That she is going to get to see Madilyn grow and to see Bobby and Merced's future children. They have found her the best rehabilitation clinic in the country which happens to be in Denver so we have hope. The people that she will be working with have taken others that were in the same boat she is in and they walked out of there.

She had her breathing tube removed this afternoon and we got to talk to her on the phone. She was so happy to talk to Madi. We will be heading back to Denver next week to see her.

It is just amazing to me that the power of prayer and hope got us through another difficult time. We could have lost more than we could handle but our family is still together and strong. Rhonda has quite the haul ahead of her but that woman is strong. Her children are strong and that has been passed to my baby. So any prayer and good thoughts you have send them our way.

Miss Madi's Emporium

2009-06-07T21:54:00.003-06:00

Miss Madi's Emporium is open for business. Please feel free to stop by and see what we have in store. Just remember to keep coming back because we will keep adding more and more great treasures.

"Miss Madi's Emporium"

Faux Cupcake

2009-06-06T22:55:00.004-06:00

For the last week I have been attempting to make faux cupcakes. I have seen them all over the web and fell in love with them. After searching forever on how to make them I came across some instructions that I thought were pretty good. Seemed easy enough, just use plaster of paris. Soooo wrong.

I have been trying to get these damn things "iced" for a week. I just could not find a spackle that worked right and didn't just slip off before it could dry. So, after asking my hubby, who was a professional painter, he suggested a drier spackle.

After my trip to the local hardware store I think I found the right stuff. Anyway, I attempted again tonight and all I can say is at least the "icing" stayed on this time. I think it's going to be a work in progress but I thought I would show you all my first finished one.

Well, I am going to call it a night but I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

My Little Water Baby

2009-06-04T21:36:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love this picture. It captures Madi perfectly. As you can see she loves the water. Always has. She gave us her very first smile while she was taking a bath. So sweet.

Anyway, we went out to play in the sprinkler with my nieces and nephews this afternoon. My little sister had got this Little Tykes beach ball sprinkler for my niece Reese for her birthday and decided to pull it out this afternoon. It's a pretty cool little toy and all the kids had a blast playing in the water.

Rooster Mailbox

2009-06-03T13:45:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my older sister commented that she hated her drab mailbox. It was beaten up, faded, and just blah. So, my mom and I decided to make her a new one.

We started our project at Walmart to get a basic mailbox. The color didn't matter because we were going to paint it anyway. We decided on a pretty pastel green paint and got some rooster rub on transfers.

First we painted the mailbox which was quite the task considering the wind we get out here. Then we put on our transfers and numbers. Finally we applied a sealant to make sure none of our decal came off and Ta-da! A new custom mailbox.

Tara really likes it and had her husband put it out right away. They used a cedar post to hold it and it looks great.

I hope everyone is having a great afternoon.

2009-05-31T10:00:00.005-06:00

Wow, what a great weekend so far. Bobby came down to hang out and enjoy a few drinks with us, we grilled, and Madi played so hard that she just passed out from exhaustion last night. Tons of fun.

My store has been postponed until Tuesday because the lady doing our layout is super busy right now. She started working on it yesterday but it's quite the process. Ah, well...more time to work on crafts to fill the store up.

This weekend I pulled out my camera and got some great shots of my mom's rose bush. Plus, there was this super ugly, yet fascinating bug on one of the buds that I got a shot of.

Madi is doing so well being closer to the family. She wasn't much of a talker before we moved here and her vocabulary has just sky-rocketed. I told her that she has to start using her words because in this house, with so many kids, she was going to have to talk to be heard.

(Don't you just love her new shoes. Converse...she is her father's daughter.)

Not too much else going on. I am starting a new project today that could either be really cool or crap out. We shall see. I may just end up ripping my hair out. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great afternoon and I will keep you all posted on my shop.

Ta-Da! I'm On Facebook

2009-05-29T09:39:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to let you all know I am now on Facebook. I didn't want to do it, I resisted...but Myspace is pretty much dunzo. Anyway, check me out there because I will seriously be promoting my new shop and new creations. Don't worry I will still be talking about my projects, sales, and promotions here.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Handmade Surgical Hat

2009-05-28T10:51:00.004-06:00

As some of you may know my mom works at the Surgical Center in Montrose. She is the person who sterilizes all the surgical equipment and makes sure the trays are together for the surg techs. Anyway, she has to be in total sterile gear and she also has to have her head covered. She and the other employees there get these handmade hats to wear that way they don't have to wear those ugly disposable green ones all the time.

Last night she asked me to make her a few of them. I had an idea of how they were made but not having ever made one I thought it would be a great project. So, I picked out some fabric out of my container and got to work this morning. It took about an hour to complete and I think it looks pretty awesome. When my mom gets home tonight I will have her try it on and see if there needs to be any adjustments.

FYI: Just so you know these hats are sterilized before they are allowed into the clean room.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great week. Only two more days until our store is open for business, (cross your fingers).

Long Time Gone

2009-05-24T19:45:00.006-06:00

I'm back! Sorry for the lull in posts but I have been crazy busy. With the move, working on my new store (yay, I am so excited), and my family drama I have had no time. So let's get on with it shall we?

So, my nephew Zac is the source of the family shake up here. He had a seizure last Tuesday and his dad and I had to rush him to the ER. Talk about scary. I have never drove so fast in my life. He is ok so far but they are taking him to the Denver Children's Hospital to find out what happened. The doctors are predicting that he will have another seizure in the next 6 months so we are all on watch. It's just terrifying. This little boy went through such an ordeal and he's only six. So any good thoughts or prayers you have please send them my sister's way.

I am still sifting through the rubble that was our move. I keep having to make a trips to the storage shed. I can tell you that our little shack at my mom's is filling up fast. I keep having to move stuff around to accommodate our growing pile. The bright side is that I have a roof over my head and I am here by my family, which during this time really is good for my sister. She is just a wreck and I need to be here to help keep her smiling and taking the load from her every now and then.

My mom and I officially opened our new store last night. It will take a week for the host to get all of it together and our person that we bought our layout from to get it on there but I am so stinking excited. We changed the name to "Miss Madi's Emporium." I love it. Anyway, I am working hard to make my things to put in it so I will have more info for you when that comes to pass, hopefully this next weekend.

Madi's birthday is approaching fast and I finally settled on a theme. She is digging Tinkerbell right now so we are going to go with that. I really think she will like it and there is so much Tinkerbell stuff out there that it should be one heck of a good party.

ZK's grandma and Aunt Tina came for a visit this weekend and it was nice to see them. We haven't seen them since ZK's dad passed last year. They were so excited to see Madi and they spoiled her rotten. About half way through the visit Mad warmed up to them and I got some great pics.

Well, I guess that is all for now. I will be posting my new creations throughout the week so keep an eye out. Also, look for my post about our new store. Hope everyone had a great Memorial day and have a wonderful week.

Beautiful Butterfly

2009-05-10T21:33:00.003-06:00

I took this picture yesterday afternoon. I saw all these butterflies and bees flocking around my mom's lilac bush and I ran to get my camera. Even though I paid for it the end, I got the shot. I am severely allergic to lilacs but with my zoom I was able to get close enough without succumbing to a fit of sneezes. I had to take 15 shots in a row until I got one with the butterfly's wings down. I thought everyone might enjoy it.

Happy Mother's Day!

New Additions

2009-05-06T21:27:00.003-06:00

On Monday, my little sister's Shar-Pei, Asia, gave birth to her first batch of puppies. I am not a big fan of animals (I only like a certain few)but I have to say these are some dang cute puppies. There are four of them and they are all girls. There are black twins, a brown one with some stripes on her back, and a pure white one which is very rare. They are full blooded Shar-Pei. So cute.

Anyway, I just thought this was a little exciting because Tessa has been waiting patiently for these pups to arrive. Well, I hope everyone has a great evening.

Vintage Inspired Handbag

2009-05-05T12:57:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was craft day at my mom's so we all gathered at her house to work on some new items. I picked up this awesome western style toile fabric at the local craft store and thought it would make a great handbag for my older sister.

It only took a few hours to complete and I have to say I love the finished result. I used a basic handbag style and lined the inside. I used these great wooden handles that I picked up at Joann's and I finished it off with a vintage broach that my mom had that is a horseshoe with a rose in it.

Tara really liked it and my mom tried to steal it from her so I think it's a hit over here. I also started work on a vintage inspired clutch but I lost momentum and gave it a rest for the day. I hope to get it finished and crank out another one before the weekend is out.

Well, I have to get my rear moving so I can help my little sister get ready for my niece's birthday party. I hope everyone is having a great afternoon!

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-27T16:15:00.003-06:00

We have arrived. Finally. I feel like I have been preparing for this move forever, actual time 2 weeks. We are settled in, Madi is becoming accustomed to her new enviroment, and I am so happy to be around my family. The only down side is ZK had to take off to Utah this morning for work. I miss him like crazy but hopefully he will be back in a few days. Keep your fingers crossed.

Not really too much to report. My whole body hurts from moving and I am just all around exhausted. We only lost one thing in the move. It was a pretty important thing too. ZK has been collecting Star Wars stuff for years, like since 1978. Well he kept it all in this old suitcase. It fell off the truck because my darling husband didn't tie it down tight enough. Then, it was run over by my sister and finished off by my step-dad. That poor suitcase was totaled and there is vintage Star Wars items shattered all over Hwy. 50. Millinum Flacon..gone. Star Fighter...gone. Various Star Wars charcters...gone. Oh, what can you do? It was pretty shitty at the time but now we can laugh about it.

On another note, my mom and I are opening up our own store online. It's called Madi's Cottage and should be up and running by the end of May. We are going to sell vintage items, handmade crafts, and wreaths. Also, we plan on having a place called "Kids Corner" that will feature my handmade Moose A. Moose and Zee, and my dresses. I am really excited about it. I will put the site address on here when we get it up. So, keep an eye out for it.

Well, I'm going to get off here and get ready to help my mom with dinner. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Monday Morning Blah...

2009-04-20T07:53:00.004-06:00

Wow, it has been a whirl wind weekend. We took 3 loads down to a storage shed this weekend and all I can say is those things are a ripoff. They want a ridiculous amount of money up front and the one we got looks a little shady. But the location seems secure and my BIL, Bobby, got a lock that puts all the other locks to shame, so, we are set.

It felt good to be driving there and see the San Juan's in all their glory. It felt like going home again. We have always wanted to move back to my hometown, it's just this isn't the way we wanted to accomplish it. Ah well, the end game will be the same.

We dropped Madi's sandbox, bike, and four wheeler off at my mom's. We are trying to keep things as normal as possible for Madi because she doesn't much care for change. I figure if she is still surrounded by her toys and keep things out that are familiar to her, she should be ok.

On a lighter note my shoulders got sunburned yesterday and it hurts like the dickens. I know it sounds dumb, I do have sunblock but I am more concerned about Madi and making sure she is covered than myself. Story of my life. I care about the comfort of everyone around me but always seem to forget myself. Live and learn.

I don't have much time for crafts lately or for anything other than packing for that matter so this will probably be my only post this week. I have to keep on packing, sending out resumes, and all that jazz. When you hear from me next time it will be from a different zip code. It feels so good to say that.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Ready, Set, Pack!

2009-04-15T14:29:00.003-06:00

And I'm off! I started packing yesterday afternoon and now I remember why I absolutely hate moving. It's just a giant pain in the ass. I am having the hardest time getting motivated. It's even harder this time because I have to decide what goes into storage and what we take with us.

I decided to start on our bedroom today. I already have five boxes packed, two loads of laundry done, and a bag full of trash. How do we accumulate so much crap in such a short time? Seriously? Why do I have five bottles of nail polish that look a little old and that I haven't worn in years? Why do I hang onto all this jewelry that I'll never wear, clothes that I haven't worn in so long they are out of style, and just crap in general that I don't use and don't need? Because I am a pack rat. I need to change my evil ways and the best way to do that is to just start chucking out the junk. So, that's what I'm doing. I already have three garbage bags full to take to the Goodwill.

I need to simplify things. My life, my possessions, my bills, everything. I think I make things too hard and get stressed over stupid stuff. I figure we are starting new life in Delta so I might as well play along and change myself too. So, I am not taking anything that we don't use and giving it away to people who will. Plus, I like the Goodwill. The one down here is actually really nice and clean and I have found a lot of Blue's Clues stuff there that was in great condition.

Anyway, I think I better get my rear moving again. I am about to hit our closet and I'll need all my strength for that disaster area.

I hope everyone is having a nice day!

At Home Salon

2009-04-13T13:13:00.003-06:00

My sister came down to Junk-town today to go to a doctor's appointment and brought my niece Braydon and my nephews Spencer and Zac with her. She came with a mission. She wanted me to cut Spencer's and Braydon's hair. I need the money and I think it's fun so that's what I did.

Braydon has always had super long hair. I think she gets frustrated because there isn't too much you can do with really long hair so what we did was give her a nice trim and added some carmel color highlights. I also did a side bang for her to give her a little something different.

She likes it and I think she looks so pretty.

My nephew Spencer has had his mom shave his head for like three years now and he wanted an actual haircut. So, that's what I did. I think he looks so handsome.

I learned how to do hair when I was in high school. I went to the Delta Montrose Vo-tech during my senior year and I'm glad I did. It's a pretty useful skill and it's helped me financially over the years. Plus, I get all of my professional supplies like shampoo, scissors, color, and all that jazz for half what consumers pay. It's only $50 every other year to keep my license active so it's a win win. I would pay more than $50 every other year if I had to pay full price for stuff and have my hair colored at the salon every few months. If I could cut my own hair I would be completely set.

Well, I'm going to get my rear moving. I have the Dell repair man coming this afternoon and I have to figure out something for lunch for Madi and me. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather.

Twitter

2009-04-13T09:46:00.003-06:00

Here I am, signing up for another networking site. I decided to go with Twitter over Facebook. I already have a Myspace so I don't think I need a Facebook account too. Plus, all I ever hear about is Twitter, the world is a-Twitter, and so on.

I hope I can meet up with some of my friends on there. I have the app applied to my blog so you can follow me there.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T09:52:00.001-06:00

Moving...Again

2009-04-08T10:51:00.007-06:00

Well, I just mailed off our 30 day notice to vacate our apartment here is Mesa County. There is a mixture of dread and excitement balled up in the pit of my stomach.

We are moving back to my hometown, out by my mom and my sister. It'll be good for Madi I think because she will be around my nieces and nephews. Plus, they have a really good pre-school down there that I can enroll her in. Also, I'm going to try and enroll into the nursing program at the technical college in town. I need to do something with my life that I can use to take some of the pressure off of my sweet husband who is about ready to have an anxiety attack.

Things just went from a hundred to zero too fast here. We were riding high and doing pretty good for ourselves then it all came crashing down. When you see this happen and there isn't much you can do to stop it, you feel pretty helpless. I could go and get a job but I have no money for daycare and by the time I pay that and all the money for food and gas for me, we wouldn't be left with much. So I am moving closer to family so I have someone to take care of Madi that I trust. My awesome sisters love Mad and Tara in particular has offered to watch her while I work and go to school.

In times like these you think, " My, how can this get any worse?" ZK and I have been asking ourselves that everyday for the last three months. It hit me last night that it could be a lot worse. We have many things to be thankful for. Our marriage is solid. Money is the number one reason why families separate and we haven't argued once about it. Madi is in great health and happy. What more could you ask for?

I know it will be hard but I am so lucky that I have the family that I do to help keep our heads above water. We will bounce back from this stronger than ever.

Easter Dress

2009-04-07T17:03:00.003-06:00

Today I finally finished Madi's Easter dress. It is so cute and I love it. I purchased my fabric at Hobby Lobby. I got a yard and half of it and I'm glad I did because I used all of it.

We went out this afternoon to get some pics of her in it. The weather finally perked up and it is a lovely 70 degrees out. Madi enjoyed going out and running off some of her never ending energy and I got my money shot.

You know at $5 a yard making Madi clothes has really saved me money. Plus,her dress is one of a kind and made just for her so it fits perfectly. When you have a child who is almost 3 and wearing a size 4 already that comes in handy. Madi is really tall so it's hard to find dresses and pants that are long enough.

I started sewing almost 2 years ago and I have come a long way. At first I had no idea how to gather, sew a button hole, attach a zipper, or put on an applique. Thanks to You Tube and a few magazines I think I do pretty good work. Plus, it's fun and relaxing.

Well, I'm going to get off here and figure out what to make for dinner. I hope everyone is having a good week so far.

Littlest Pet Shop Dress

2009-04-03T20:45:00.009-06:00

All day today I have been working on a birthday present for my niece, Reese. She is such an insightful little girl who is going to be five tomorrow. When I realized she was going to be five it kind of hit me like a ton of bricks. I can't believe how big all my little babies are getting. One minute they are spitting up on you and the next they want to wear makeup. Where does the time go?

Ok, back to Reese. She is very hard to shop for because she only likes Hello Kitty and the Littlest Pet Shop toys.

I purchased my fabric at Wal-Mart because they were the only ones who had it if you can believe it. I decided to do a twirl skirt and attach that to a t-shirt. Ta-da...a t-shirt dress. I did the kitty cat applique on the front of the dress myself. It is made with a character that I cut out from the fabric.

Overall I think it came out really cute. My mom loved it and assured me that it will be a hit at the party tomorrow.

(Please excuse my pics, the lighting was awful)

Primitive Easter Bunny

2009-04-01T21:19:00.003-06:00

Here is my newest prim. Her name is Jilly Bean and she is making her debut just in time for Easter.

I have been working on her since last Friday and I am glad it's done. Her face took me five tries before I got it just right, kind of a pain in the rump. She is completely coffee stained and smells to sweet. Jilly comes complete with a chick-a-dee ornie that I think is so adorable.

She is my Easter gift to my mom. I really hope she likes her.

A Day In The Life...

2009-03-30T23:38:00.003-06:00

It's 11:30 p.m. and I am pooped. It seems like I have been going non stop since Thursday. The last four days have been a blur. ZK is traveling all over the Four Corners, Madi got the flu, family is visiting, Xbox takes a shit, and I have zero energy. The only bright side is my mom took pity on us and got us a new Xbox. Love that lady.

We had a puking rally over here this evening. Madi just projectile vomited all over my living room. There was nothing I could do to stop her, so I just watched in shock. Madi has never vomited. When she was an infant she spit up but never anything like I witnessed tonight. I have never had to deal with a baby who had the flu so I was completely unprepared. All is well though. A little Pedialyte and some Ritz and now she is sleeping like the angel she is.

ZK has been traveling a lot lately for work so I've been on my own. It sucks. You don't really realize how much you depend on a person until they're not around as often as they used to be. Hopefully this is just temporary and all will be back to normal soon.

Well I think I am going to call it a night. The carpets are cleaned, dishes are done, and Madi is still sleeping so I am going to take that cue and shut this circus down for the night.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Red Rings Of Death

2009-03-27T11:26:00.006-06:00

Last night, while my hubby and I were kicking some zombie ass on our Xbox 360 the screen went blank. While hubs was trying to figure out what happened the dreaded red rings of deaths (RRoD) flashed. Damn.

For any gamer those 3 flashing rings signal the end of your 360. I just cried. It's not like I am a serious gamer but I do love to play my Guitar Hero and ZK just got me into the new Resident Evil 5. Plus, we watch our DVD's on there. I cried because ZK isn't working a whole lot right now and money is really tight. We just don't have the money to go and purchase another one. Since we don't have money to go out and see a movie or go out for dinner, this is what we do. We play video games. ZK has always been into games but I am a newbie. I wanted something that we both had in common when we first started dating so I got into video games. We have so much fun rocking to Guitar Hero, racing on Need for Speed, and my down time is spent playing Tomb Raider.

After searching on the internet, trying to find what we could do, ZK found out how to fix it on You Tube. So that is what he is working on today. Trying to see if we can salvage our beloved Xbox.

I hope it works out and I will keep you all updated. Just keep your fingers crossed for us. I want to say thanks to my mom who offered to buy us a new one. I really appreciate it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

**EDIT @ 2:57 p.m.**
No such luck. We are S.O.L. I'm going to stand on the street corner with my begging canister now.

In Like A Lamb, Out Like A Lion

2009-03-26T10:26:00.005-06:00

When I woke up this morning it was raining. When I was making my morning coffee it was hailing. Then I made Madi breakfast and it was snowing like crazy. Now, as I am writing this the sun is shining and the skies are clear. What they say is true. If you don't like the weather in Colorado wait five minutes.

I took the picture at the top of my post this morning after the snow had calmed down. I thought it was interesting to see the green grass with snow on it.

This weather is so odd. It was 80 degrees on Saturday, then on Sunday we had 66 MPH winds.

Well, I'm going to get off here because I have a lot of stuff to do. I am working on a couple of projects right now and as soon as I get them done I will post some pictures.

I hope everyone is having a good day.

Sweet Italian Pasta Bake

2009-03-18T11:07:00.004-06:00

I came across this new recipe on a child nutrition website. It was a big hit with my family. Very delicious and a new twist on a old favorite around here, (baked ziti).

Ingredients:
1 pound of Barilla Rotini Pasta
3/4 pound of Sweet Italian Sausage (We used Johnsonville)
1 Sweet Red Peppers
1 Zucchini
1 Large Onion Diced
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 jar of marinara sauce
2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to directions on the box
While pasta is cooking slice sausage into 1/2 inch slices. Saute sausage in olive oil over medium heat. Slice peppers, onions, and zucchini. When the sausage is near done throw in your veggies. Cook for another ten minutes until sausage is crispy and veggies are tender.

When pasta is done, drain and return back to boiling pot. Add sausage/veggie mixture, jar of sauce, and a cup of cheese. Mix together.

Move mixture to a casserole dish. Spread remaining cheese over the dish and place in your oven. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Enjoy with bread sticks. Feeds about 5 people with some leftovers.

This meal is great and takes about 30 minutes to complete. The original recipe called for only the peppers and onions but by throwing in the zucchini you add more I think.

In A Funk

2009-03-17T11:15:00.003-06:00

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I have been in a serious funk. I don't know what my issue is but it's hard getting motivated to get out of it. I really need to though. I have to finish Madi's Easter dress, make my niece's birthday presents, and get ready for my MIL's visit. She'll be here in a week and a half and I am so not prepared.

Spring is officially upon us though. I need to get some spring cleaning done. I already did Madi's bathroom and bedroom but there is still a lot to do. Mostly dusting, I hate that chore, so I am putting it off as long as possible.

This last weekend my little niece Fruit turned thirteen so off to my sister's we went for the party. It was fun and relaxing. I can't believe Fruit is already a teenager. It's just weird because I think of her as a little girl.

On that same note my ten year reunion is coming up. Ten years! You don't really feel your age until things like this happen. I really didn't think of myself nearing thirty until I got the bulletin about this shindig. I'm not going though because it's the same weekend as Madi's birthday and I already have plans. Well, I guess I'll just have to go to the twentieth.

Well I am going to get off here but I just wanted to leave you with this great pic of Madi that I took yesterday. My sister gave her a whole bunch of books this last weekend and Madi has been in love with them ever since. Anyone who knows her knows how much she loves her books.

Hope everyone has a nice week.

Bathroom Renovation

2009-03-02T17:13:00.002-07:00

The shower curtain that I won on eBay finally arrived today (it took 3 weeks!) so I redecorated Madi's bathroom today.

I didn't want to put a lot of money into the project so I looked around my craft room for some items that I could use. I found some frames that I put Dora pics in and tied with a pink ribbon and I already had a faux plant in there that I really liked so I just added some fake pink and white gerber daisies to it. Also, I put a purple curtain over my built in shelving unit in there. It hides the clutter and stuff that guests don't really need to see.

Overall it was very low cost to do and the whole thing went pretty fast. I love the final result. When I showed it to Madi she gave me a high five and said cool, so I know it's a hit with her.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

My Future

2009-02-20T15:05:00.002-07:00

When ZK came home this afternoon I got a shocking preview of what my dear hubby will probably look like in 15-20 years. After the initial WTF moment I couldn't stop laughing. The best part...he didn't even know he had all the paint in his hair so he couldn't figure out what I was laughing at.

For your viewing pleasure:

Hey J!

2009-02-19T11:00:00.005-07:00

As you may know Girl Scout cookie time is upon us. I absolutely love the Thin Mints and Samoas. Yum.

This post is deticated to my Uncle J. J, where are my cookies?

blah...

2009-02-17T10:23:00.005-07:00

I know that I haven't updated in a few. That's because there hasn't been much going on.

I am redoing Madi's bathroom though. When I think she might be on the road to being potty trained I come across dirty unders. So my new plan of action is to completely redo her bathroom in Dora decorations and hope for the best. I think if she feels like it is her bathroom then maybe just maybe she'll go potty in there all the time. I let her pick her own potty, (one of those that just goes on the toilet) and she picked Dora so I thought I could do a theme. I got a new Dora shower curtain and hooks from eBay for $.99 and a rug for $10 at Big Lots. Then I have just been buying towels and other decor that matches the color theme. So far so good. Just waiting for the shower curtain to arrive and that should be today. I'll post a before and after picture when I'm done.

ZK has been home a lot more often these past couple of weeks so we have been getting to hang out. Yesterday we watched 3 movies that we have been wanting to see. Fool's Gold was pretty good, I recorded that off HBO. I like Kate Hudson but that movie was totally predictable. Green Street Hooligans was an awesome movie. If you haven't seen it I suggest you do because it is great. We finished our afternoon with Boondock Saints. That movie is so good. I love it. The rule is that if you watch that movie you have to be drinking Irish beer. So that's what we did. Drank some Killian's ( no Guinness ) and watched Boondock Saints. Great evening.

Ah, yes I almost forgot that Valentine's Day was Saturday. I hope everyone had a nice one and got some chocolate. That's what Valentine's day is really about...chocolate.

Anyway I am going to get my butt moving. I am going to try and get caught up on my scrapbooks and make Madi's Easter dress. I know I still have a couple of months until Easter but I bought some adorable fabric and I can't wait to see what a dress will look like made with it.

I hope every one's week is off to a good start and remember to think spring.

My Sweet Baby Girl

2009-02-05T21:22:00.003-07:00

Today I decided was a good day to take Madi's pictures for Valentine's day, which as you know is next Saturday. She was so cute jumping around and singing for me. The best part was when I said, "Smile Madi" and she said, "Smile Mommy." Man, I love that kid.

Punxsutawney Phil Says 6 More Weeks of Winter!

2009-02-02T11:31:00.005-07:00

Punxsutawney Phil the official ground hog who lives in Pennsylvania has seen his shadow. So according to him we will have six more weeks of winter.

This is such malarkey. I am so sick of the cold. I am sick of my heating bill, wearing sweatpants, and eating soup. I want sunshine and above 60 degree temps.

I started to wonder if ole Phil was ever right then my senses came back to me. Of course he's right. It's February 2nd. There will definitely be six more weeks of winter. But I'm hoping that those six weeks will have no snow, above 40 degrees temps, and a lower heating bill.

On a side note, my boyfriend, (wishful thinking), won the Superbowl last night. But man, was that a boooring game. Is it just me or did it just seem to drag on until the last quarter. That's when things got exciting. I can't believe they didn't review that last play. It was hard to see if it was a fumble or pass interference on the replay. I can't believe that the refs called it from the field. Plus, coaches can't challenge because it was in the last 2 minutes.

All in all I'm glad the Steelers won. You know what's cool? In my "Playoffs Baby" post that I wrote on January 4, I predicted a Steelers/Cardinals Superbowl. I really need to start placing bets on these games because I am right a hell of a lot more than I am wrong.

Well, I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Now that's it's February it's tax time so my life will be just a little more stressful than normal. Ahh, what can you do? What's that old saying? Something like, " Only two things in life are certain. Death and paying taxes."

Tweet Tweet Tote

2009-01-22T18:05:00.003-07:00

Here's my newest tote. I'm not sure if I'm going to sell it yet because I just love it. Decisions, decisions.

Anyway, it is made with a chocolate brown corduroy and vintage bird fabric. I hand stitched the bird and added a pocket to the inside.

Ghost Adventures

2009-01-18T10:41:00.005-07:00

I have gotten hooked on this newish show that is on the Travel Channel. It's called Ghost Adventures. You can check out their show link here.

Anyway, these 3 guys, Zak, Nick, and Aaron, go to the most haunted places in the world,just the three of them, get locked in for the night, and try to get proof of ghosts.

I can't decide if they are really stupid or really brave. Being a believer in ghosts myself I would never mess with some of the stuff they do. They try to antagonize the ghost that have harmed people. They went to the place called Bobby Mackey's in Kentucky. The locals said that the "well to hell" was there. Well Zak being the idiot that he is went to the well and said, "If this is the gate to hell, why don't you come on out and get us." Anyway later that night he pissed off some spirit and had three long scratches appear down his back. He felt this burning sensation and felt sick to his stomach and he told his friends it was on his back. They put the camera on his back and you could see three long scratches by his spine that went like 8 inches down.

They go armed with infrared cameras, static cameras, EVP's, and a digital recorder that can pick up noises that human ears can't hear. They have these ghost voices on tape laughing, crying, singing, and telling them to get out.

My favorite guy is their camera/tech guy Aaron. He is so funny. The other two wanted him to stay in a room by himself and try to make contact with spirit. Aaron was like, "Screw you, I am not doing that." He's just funny.

If you don't believe in ghosts, you will after watching this show. Definitely spooky.

Check out parts of my favorite episode, "Bobby Mackey's".

Nothing Exciting....

2009-01-17T10:09:00.004-07:00

My title says it all. I haven't done anything too exciting this week. Unless scrubbing the shower for 30 minutes is exciting. Seriously, 30 minutes!! I think I may invest in that Scrubbing Bubbles automatic shower cleaner.

I have been on a cleaning kick all week. I even cleaned out our hall closet that holds our coats and shoes. I'm just sick of all the crap that's just laying around. I ended up taking two bags of trash to the dumpster just from that little closet. I am a hoarder and I married a hoarder so there is literally crap that we don't need and don't use just laying around. We still had our Guitar Hero boxes from last Christmas. I even threw out shoes. My shoes. I had to be cut throat. It killed me but I have to say that I love the fact that I can now open the door and shit doesn't fall out on top of me.

I also did our bedroom. Man, do I have a lot of clothes. Man, I threw out a lot of clothes. OK, I didn't throw them out...I gave them to the thrift store. I got rid of almost all of my pre-Madi clothes. They just make me bummed because I can't fit into them anymore. I am on the road to feeling better about me.

I lost 2 pounds this week by sticking to my resolution. I have been exercising every morning and eating only fresh fruits and veggies for breakfast and lunch. I also traded in my tea and one Pepsi a day habit for just water. Plain old water. It takes some getting used to when I all I want is a Pepsi with three maraschino cherries in it. Oh, that sounds good. OK, I'm done dreaming. I saw this tip that you should drink a full glass of water before dinner to help fill you up so you eat less. It backfired on me a couple of times this week. I eat less at dinner but by 9:00 p.m. I am freaking starving. So I drink more water and have a piece of fruit. Nobody says change is easy.

So that's my week. Today I am heading to my mom's to get a bookcase to hold all of my fabric so I can get my craft room organized. I hate not being able to find my fabric and supplies. Pretty exciting.....

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Vintage Inspired Toile Tote

2009-01-11T19:34:00.008-07:00

My project for today was to make a tote handbag. I had no idea what I was doing so I did a google search to see "how to make a tote?"

There were a million instruction but I opted to look around on eBay and see what other people had done. I do that. I just look at something I like and attempt to imitate it. I never use patterns, unless they are ones that I have made myself, and just go to work. Sometimes it works and others it doesn't. I'm told that my Grandma S. used to do that. Isn't it crazy what gets passed on through genetics?

OK, so I started my project at Joann's. I love it there, they were having so many sales. Anyway, I went to get my fabric. I picked 2 coordinating ones that I thought would work and I got them in 100% cotton canvas so that it would be a little heavier and I wouldn't have to do a lining.

When I got home, I got to work. While the Steelers whooped the Chargers(YAY!), I worked on my tote. The whole project took about 2 hours total. I'm pretty happy with the overall finished product.

I think it's cute. Also, I don't plan on selling it. Tomorrow I'm going to ship it off to my mom. She adores toile fabric and I know that she would love this bag to take to work. So, here you go mom!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and GO STEELERS!

Special Delivery

2009-01-08T17:12:00.005-07:00

For Christmas I wanted to get Madi these Yo Gabba Gabba figurines. They only had them available at Toys R Us and they were sold out...for months. My mother in law checked out the Toys R Us in Detroit and came up empty handed as well. I gave up, accepted that it wasn't going to happen, and moved on.

Well, for Christmas my MIL gave Madi a $50 gift card to Toys R Us. Last week I went online and low and behold they had the Yo Gabba Gabba toys in stock. I quickly put them in my cart and kept shopping. Not 10 minutes later, as I was getting ready to check out, the Yo Gabba Gabba toys were sold out again!

Pissed off, I called Toys R Us customer service to see when they would have them in stock again. They said not until mid to the end of February. I was mad because I feel that if they are in my cart that should mean that they are spoken for. Anyway, defeated I went back to shop.

I remembered that Madi really liked this stroller for baby dolls that my nieces have. So I got one of those and as I was searching for a baby doll to go with it I came across the 25th year anniversary Cabbage Patch dolls. They had one that was reminiscent of the one I had when I was 3. Same red hair, blue eyes, but different clothes. Mine had a black and red dress and this one has blue overalls.

I am proud to say that Valerie Ida was delivered to our doorstep this afternoon. Madi loves her! She kissed her and said, " My baby." So sweet. Anyway, she has been playing with her new toys all afternoon. Thank you Grandma B for such a wonderful present!

I hope everyone is having a good week.

Busy Bee

2009-01-05T16:16:00.004-07:00

I have been working like crazy again today. I just finished some shabby chic, heart, bowl fillers for Valentine's Day. I really like them and the front of them was completely hand stitched by me. It took some time and my hands are killing me but I love them.

I want to get a few more things done to put on eBay. I have a couple of Valentine's Day outfits from Gap that Madi wore last year that I can sell and some other stuff and I feel like I will have a good haul before the week is out.

Anyway, I better get dinner started and call ZK to see when he will be on his way. I hope everyone is being safe because the snow is really coming down out there.