Updates for the New Year

I was just looking at pictures from Christmas and I thought I'd share some. I put most of them on facebook but I know there's a few of you who are still avoiding that sink hole (and if you're one of them, just stay away, it's nothing but a gigantic addictive waste of time-which I can't seem to pull myself away from).

So here goes, a little show and tell-

Rylie got some really cute outfits, Princess dress up set, and a new tricycle. She loved it all!

Hunter's big gift was a Nintendo DS. He has hardly put it down. Not sure how we'll top that one next year.

Hunter will be turning 5 next month. It's hard to believe. Soon he'll be starting kindergarten. It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital.

Then in April Rylie will be 3.

She acts more like 13.

I am definitely going to have my hands full with her.

She's just like me.

I wish that meant I would know how to handle it.

It doesn't.

I was just thinking....

(and I know, that's usually dangerous)...

I'm pretty sure that when people say that the National Enquirer has THE BEST crossword puzzles, it's not because they're more difficult than...say....a book of crossword puzzles. I'm also pretty sure that when someone hasn't gotten their NE for a couple of weeks and they're getting really pissed, they're lying when they say they're mad because they're missing their crossword puzzles.

Pet Peeve #127

This is probably going to make me sound really crazy, but just can't keep it quiet anymore.

I can't figure out why some people think it's ok to eat in some situations.

I took Hunter to the doctor the other day and when we walked in there was a sign on the door specifically stating NO food or drink. (of course they also tell you to turn off your cell phone too, but that's a different post and seriously, who can go without their cell phone when that's the relied upon source of entertainment for the waiting room?) This lady and her daughter came in and the woman sat down, put on her iPod, and sat there eating some kind of trail mix or something. I'm pretty sure with this particular woman that she's just rude and has no regard for rules. I also wonder what makes her think she should be eating in a room full of sick kids who've probably touched every single surface with their germy little hands. And the headphones.....why would you put on headphones when you're waiting on them to call you back? She actually asked her daughter to let her know if they called them. Her daughter looked like she was about 4. Responsibility anyone?

I was in Wal-mart (yech) and some lady in the chip aisle just walks up, snatches a bag of chips off the shelf and rips it open so she can eat while she's shopping. OMG does this crap bother me. It's just gross! I didn't come to the grocery store to watch people eat. I guess sample day is exempt from this complaint, because some people go just for the samples. (Sorry, you will not find me eating those either). I think it bothers me because I just don't get how someone can be THAT hungry and can't wait to at least get to their car before tearing into their snacks. Hunter is 4 and a half and even he understands that we don't eat IN Wal-mart (unless we stop at McDonald's on the way in).

This is going to sound really gross too and I absolutely would not mention it if I didn't KNOW people who do this. Do NOT eat in the bathroom! I mean come on people, it's for your own safety. I'm not talking about at home, do what you want in your own house, I'm not likely to be there. And yes, it makes it worse that I'm talking about a public bathroom. If you have to go that bad, put the food down, leave it in the breakroom or something, last time I checked half eaten food was pretty safe there.

Most of the time seeing people eating has no effect of me. Those few situations where it's just completely unhygenic and disgusting... yeah, it bothers me a LOT!

I keep thinking of things to blog about. Keeping a notebook wouldn't even help, I don't have the time to write in that either. I have so much going on these days. Busy is a good thing for me though. I barely watch TV, which means I also barely think to turn it on to keep my kids busy.

They are both getting better at playing with their toys (together at that). We recently decided it was time to teach Hunter about keeping his room clean and he's doing a great job...most of the time.

Rylie just moved up a room at daycare. They chance rooms at the start of the school year. Hunter would have moved up, but he was already in the room for the oldest kids. They had moved him up there shortly after they started at that daycare, so a lot of his friends left for kindergarten.

Just the other day Hunter found a piece of paper and wrote his name on it for me. It was very rough, but you could definitely tell he'd been practicing. I'm constantly amazed at how much he's learned in the short time they've been at the new school. They are very structured there, with the same teachers all the time, and they keep the same schedule each day.

Two weeks ago I traded in my embroidery machine for a brand new one. I bought mine in November last year and they give you 1 year to trade with a great deal on a new one. So I caved and traded a little early, but I knew I wanted to anyway, so I figured I'd just get it over with. If I had known last year how much I would be using it, I probably would have bought the new one then, but who knows, right?

My new machine has so many upgrades and extras. Wow, it's so nice. It plugs directly into my computer, no more dealing with 3.5 floppy disks. It seems to embroider faster than the old one as well. I have been having some issues with broken needles, so I think tomorrow I'm going to take it over and have them look at it for me to see if there's something wrong with it. I have a couple of blankets I need to finish, and some other stuff, but I don't think it's worth waiting because of the time and money spent on broken needles. Hopefully it's something easy to fix and they won't have to send it in to the repair shop.

Other than that the days are flying by. It's hard to believe that just a year from now Hunter will be in kindergarten. I am loving the fact that Rylie is getting bigger and more independent. It sure makes me think that all of the business of having babies is behind us, I can't imagine having another one at this point. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind.

Maybe I'll be able to work blogging back into my regular routine again. I have forgotten how much I liked it. Strange how you can let go of things without even noticing.

Wordless Wednesday - going for a ride

Somewhere in New Mexico

Snacks and movies- it's amazing what a difference this makes in the car. Hunter was wide awake at 3 am when we all got in the car, just so he could watch the same old movies in the car. He stayed awake ALL day. We drove 18 hours the first day.

They had a ton of fun at the children's museum in Iowa City. Hours there and we didn't even get to see that much because what they saw kept them so entertained.

Look who's in a big girl bed...

...after climbing into her crib to get her doll yesterday, then she figured out how to climb out and that was it.

Here's a look at my June special over on my other blog.

Nothing much going on here lately.

Hunter is starting to be a well behaved 4 year old. He's doing his best to get adjusted at the new daycare and it hasn't been too bad.

At the same time Rylie is fully into the terrible twos. I thought maybe we'd be spared some grief after Hunter and all of his climbing antics, and since Rylie is a girl I figured she'd just want to play with her baby dolls all the time. Unfortunately I was wrong. She's becoming just as bad as he was about climbing the counters. The bathroom counter, the kitchen counter, and always on the kitchen table. I just wish someone could explain the excitement of toothpaste, perfume, deoderant and hair brushes. We think she's also flushed something down one of the toilets. I'm just not that excited about dealing with all of the 2 year old nonsense.

As it gets hotter our days at work get shorter, so we have even more spare time on our hands. It seems like it's never enough to get things accomplished though, when you have kids around to "help" you do everything. Seth put down some pergo in the den because our carpet was beyond gross. It was so easy we'll probably be putting it in our bedroom and eventually the kids' rooms also.

I've been getting a pretty steady stream of orders, usually one right after another. I've also got some things that have been on the waiting list that I need to get started on. I put up a sale on my store which will run through Memorial Day. If you haven't been over there for awhile, check it out!

I finally figured it out...Mashed Potatoes!!!

Anyone in my family can tell you how much I love mashed potatoes. When I was in junior high I would always walk to my grandma's house after school. She always asked me what I wanted for a "snack" and I would usually say mashed potatoes. She. was. the best. She usually already had them peeled and ready to go on the stove.

I still like mashed potatoes a lot. I guess I would still call them my favorite food. I also have to admit that sometimes, I make a meal to go with my mashed potatoes instead of the other way around.

Since I moved to Arizona 11 years ago my family has always asked me to move back. I thought it was because I am so smart, cute and funny, you know, the life of the party.

If I moved back my mom could see her grand kids more.

My sister, well, we'd do sisterly things together. Things like fighting, shopping, pulling hair, doing each other's hair, messing up each other's house, helping each other with the kids.

I know my brother and my dad would love to go play golf with me and Seth. We'd make a great foursome on the course.

While I was peeling potatoes for dinner tonight I realized something.

They don't want me back.

They want their potato peeler back!

Out with the old....

...and in with the new.

We've had a lot of small things happen lately that have accumulated into a bunch of changes. I feel like I'm running in circles some days, drowning in paperwork, and trying to get things done.

A few weeks ago I took Hunter into the Dr. for his 4 year checkup. They asked me to pay a copay, but I explained that we've been with our insurance for 3 years and we don't pay for well child care. Then when I took Rylie for her well child visit they argued with me about it again. Having just been through it a month before I was really annoyed. This time the office manager told the receptionist to collect the copay anyway. Then a couple of minutes later she called me back to talk to her. After explaining how my insurance works, and how their billing department is so slow to refund money that is owed to me, I got my copay back. I felt really insulted because the office manager asked that I pay them in a timely manner if in fact we did owe a copay. Sort of like she thought I was going to stiff them on the bill.

The same visit Rylie was due for immunizations. The nurse said she had missed her 18 month shots. I thought that was weird because I always bring the kids for their appointments when they tell me to. I also found out that Hunter was not caught up, even though he had just been there for shots the month before. Irritating to say the least.

All of those things, combined with a new physicians assistant that my kids seem to be afraid of, contribute to my decision to take the kids to a new doctor.

Yesterday we got a letter from our daycare about tuition going up next month. We've been taking Hunter there since he was 6 weeks old. We've always had a really good arrangement with them since we work short hours we've been able to keep them on half days and we had a sibling discount. The new plan includes them getting rid of any sort of discounts, as well as half days. The result is for us to either pay more than double what we're currently paying and stay there, or move the kids to someplace else that still has half days. I gave our two week notice today.

I feel so torn about leaving the daycare. I know the teachers all love our kids, and the kids love them as well. Hunter has a friend who he talks about all the time. I'm sad that he will be leaving her behind because they've been going to school together for so long. That being said, we have to do what's right for our family. Doing what's right does not involve paying the equivalent of $14 an hour in childcare.

Going Green and A Giveaway!!!!

I've been trying to do my part to help out the Earth.



I bought about 10 of those reusable bags for shopping. I really like using them because they don't rip open like the plactic ones always do. Now I just need to remember them every time I go to the store.



We recycle. At least we do try to recycle. We have separate trash cans and as long as the kids don't get confused about which is which we do pretty well. I also use the plastic grocery bags that I wind up with as trash bags for the bathrooms.



We carpool. Why drive 2 cars to go to the same place of work?



Recently I was contacted by someone from Ecostore USA about doing a review and a giveaway. I feel terrible that it has taken me this long to get it up. Life has been really crazy lately, with a side of writers block.



They sent me a set of their Vanilla shampoo and conditioner to try. I love it! It has no nasty chemicals, and it leaves my hair just as soft as my normal shampoo.



They have all kinds of green products on their website, and if you live near a Meijer store you can get it there as well. April is Earth Month and as a special treat all orders on their website over $25 qualify for free shipping!



You can enter to win a set of Vanilla shampoo and conditioner! Just check out the Ecostore USA website and tell me which product(s) you think you'd like to try. Then leave me a comment and make sure I have a way to contact you.



You can get also get 1 additional entry for each of the following things, leave an additional comment for each.



Follow me

Twitter the giveaway and include the link in the comment.

Follow me on Twitter.



That simple.



Entries close at 5:00 pm pacific time on Sunday April 19th and I'll draw the winner by 9:00 pm. Good Luck!

***4/24- Clearly I cannot handle the extra work that is a giveaway. I finally got around to picking the winner, it was Cynthia. I used random.org, haha, for the whole 5 entries that I had. Thank you for you guys who entered. I've been so bad about not doing ANYTHING lately.***

Keeping the Doctors in Business

I didn't expect to be paying a Dr's car payment last week.

I took Hunter for his 4 year well-child visit 2 weeks ago tomorrow. He was completely fine. Doing great. No copay (which is MY favorite part). I think the doctor may have even made a comment like he's a perfect average child, percentile wise.

He got his shots. I'm such a bad mom, I forgot his shot record because I didn't think he even needed shots. He did great though, such a brave boy.

Saturday morning we wake up, and he's complaining about his tongue hurting. Just 2 days after the Dr. visit. I finally figured out that he meant to say he had a sore throat. And it was so sore he didn't even want to drink.

Back to the doctor we went. $20 copay. Strep test was neg.(bill for that to follow), but antibiotics were prescribed.

Sunday Rylie started grabbing at her throat. That night she didn't sleep well at all, and Monday she was definitely NOT feeling well.

Back to the doctor we went. Another $20 copay. Antibiotics wer prescribed.

Thursday I took them to the dentist. A shocking $75 copay. Hunter got his teeth cleaned and hooray for no cavities! Rylie was completely uncooperative, and the dentist counted her teeth and said it didn't look like she had any cavities. Yay.

Friday I got a call from daycare. Rylie hurt her arm and was inconsolable. I ran over there and checked on her (I was out on my route about 1/2 mile away). She was hurting so bad, it didn't appear to be nursemaid's elbow. I tried the trick to pop it back in and she just kept crying. I decided to leave work and....

Back to the doctor we went. Another $20 copay. She couldn't tell exactly what was the problem, so she gave us an order for an X-ray.

We get to the X-ray place and she's climbing all over the place like nothing ever happened (little stinker). I crossed our names off the list and left. I have paid my dues and I'll expect to NOT have to visit any doctors anytime soon. (Oh, except for Rylie's 2 year checkup next week............and it begins all over again.)

Wordless Wednesday

If I had a magic wand....

I decided to bring back an old favorite this week, and even if it's Wed, please feel free to join in.

The other night I was folding clothes and I was wishing I had a magic wand so I could just flick my wrist and it would be done. That got me to thinking (always a dangerous thing).

So this week's theme is "If I had a magic wand..."

The rules (there's gotta be rules):

1. You can only pick 5 things. You can use the wand for those 5 things no matter how often they occur, but only for those 5 things.

Ok, that's the only rule because I had another rule and even I couldn't stick to that.) Can you tell I'm struggling with my ADD today?)

So, anyway, here's my 5.

1. Laundry. I HATE folding laundry. I don't mind doing it or putting it away, I just hate folding it.

2. Washing dishes. Cleaning the kitchen for that matter, but mostly washing dishes. I've ALWAYS hated it, and I'm pretty sure I always will.

3. Pulling my route down. I don't really mind sorting it or delivering it, I just hate that it seems to take so long to pull it down.

4.Drying my hair. I usually don't dry it every day because, while I have really nice, thick, pretty hair, it takes forever to dry, and my arm usually falls asleep in the process. Most days I just let it dry. Who cares anyway, right? But I would really like to look a little bit more put together.

5.Putting the kids to bed. I wish it was as easy as flicking my wrist. Unfortunately lately it's been soooo difficult, and it will just get harder as the days get longer.

Now it's your turn. What would you use your magic wand for if you had one?

As always, if you don't want to blog it you can leave it in the comments.

Making Me Happy Monday!

I am finally getting a chance to participate in Making Happy Monday! Rachael started it and I've been wanting to for awhile but I just kept forgetting what has been making me happy. This week I tried to make some mental notes, we'll see if they stuck.

1. First and foremost- I'm so happy that it was just a computer malfunction and I still have my job.

2. Mail count is OVER! No more waiting for someone to count my mail, and no more being followed by a stopwatch!

3. My sewing machine is getting fixed. And, I'm really happy that I got my old machine back just before the new one had to go in, because I can still do some sewing!

4. I have gotten a lot of sewing done the past week, and I'm impressing myself with the quality of work, despite the old machine.

5. My kids have been really pretty good lately. Today Hunter told me, "Mom, Rylie's my best friend." How cute is that?

6. I cleaned out Hunter's room last week, and took a whole car load of toys and junk to Goodwill. He now looks like the most deprived child in the neighborhood. But his room is clean.

7. A friend gave us a twin bed for Hunter. He had our old queen bed and it took up the entire room, so now he's got extra storage, and more space to play!

8. I took the old bed to Goodwill! Makes me very happy to get rid of it right away, and for free. Plus it's nice to know we gave it to a worthy cause because it was really in decent shape.

9. My hubby has finally come around when it comes to watching movies. He used to give a movie about 5 minutes and if it didn't grab his attention he would leave. Now he'll stick it out to see if it turns out good.

Career Flash

I've never been fired before.

I have had exactly 4 jobs in my entire life. I've been working since I was 15. Nonstop.

Each and every one of those jobs included working on Saturday, so I guess that makes 15 years of working on Saturdays.

This Saturday was the day it happened. My career at the Post Office flashed before my eyes. All 11 years I think. Something so simple and yet so important.

The supervisor called me to the desk. She said "This sheet says you missed an Express mail scan yesterday."

Me:" I don't remember having an express. Oh, yeah I did. It was a signature waiver so I signed it and left it in the box. I didn't scan that?! Holy crap!! I can't miss an Express! I missed one in October for the first time in 11 years! I've got a letter in my file! They'll fire me for this!" And that's when the flash started.

Every day is the same...but different. 3000+ pieces of mail to sort. 500+ customers to remember. 20-50 packages. 4-10 certified letters, express mail and various signature items.

Turns out I did scan the express, and it was delivered on time. The scanner didn't download into the computer the night before.




Don't forget to enter my giveaway over at Krystyn's blog. Ends Wed.

The giveaway is up!

If you want a chance to win a custom made monogrammed caplet (size 18 month), or a lovey for a baby boy, go on over to Krystyn's blog and enter in her giveaway.

I think I was sleep blogging...and..I need some help.....

Wow, that last post.....how could that be called random? It was intended to be random. I guess I had pretty much one thing on my mind.

After that post I got to work on my other blog. I opened up an etsy site back in Dec. but I haven't really been able to devote too much time to the listings. Plus it just doesn't have the personality I wish it did. After awhile I decided to just set up a blog to say more with my descriptions. I've been pretty lazy with that too, but today I saw something that made me check on paypal to see if I could set up a shopping cart on my blog. It was really easy and I gave myself a blog makeover and turned it into a store. So I have 2 stores now. Lots of people have bought things before on Etsy, but I know a lot of people who are turned off by the prospect of having to sign up for another new username and password (even if it's just the thought of it and it's not really required). In the age of eBay who doesn't have a paypal account?

So I've spent way too much time on that blog today. I'm happy that it seems to be coming together, but I could use some help. Please visit over there and leave me some feedback. If you don't want to leave it in the comments, feel free to e-mail me at the address listed on the top of the page.

Some specific things I'm wondering about are:
Do you think the pictures adequately show the item listed?
Do I need to take better pictures?
Are my descriptions too long, or am I leaving out important details?
Is my shopping cart easy to understand? (you can put things in without buying)
Is there anything else you'd like to see or not see?
Since you have the choice, which place would you more likely order from, blog or Etsy store?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to help me out. I'm not trying to get you to order anything, I'm just looking for the feedback. Thanks again!

It's a random world....

...when you have so many things going on it's hard to focus on one thing to talk about. So here goes. (formatting is NOT working for me at this point, so forgive me however this turns out).

Life has been pretty busy around here, as usual. This week I finally got my sewing area organized and I am LOVING it. It's still in the corner of the kitchen and I'm still using the kitchen table for sewing, but just having the basic things I need to have out organized is helping me get back to where I like sitting there. I guess I just have a personality that hates clutter and I do my best to avoid it.

Seth has been making some towels for people at work. He came up with a design and everyone loves it. He's still a very manly man ladies. He still likes woodworking and things like that. How many couples out there have similar intrests like we do. He's taught me to use his tools in the garage so I guess we're even. Sort of. I could never make something with wood as beautiful as the cedar chests he's made.

I have been getting a slow and steady list of things to make. This week I made a set of monogrammed bath towels for a wedding gift. They turned out really nice. I also went shopping for fabric with my MIL. I'm making a blanket for her and a bag as well.

I have been working on things for my giveaway that Krystyn is hosting. She hasn't gotten it going yet, but I will let you know when it's up. I made her daughter a caplet with her name on it, and I also sent her one of these fancy monogrammed burp cloth's I make.

I also had a request for a blanket this week. It turned out so well. Unfortunately, I think my machine is needing a rest. The little piece that winds the bobbin is broken. They sell a bobbin winder at Wal-mart, but it won't work for the bobbins for my machine. I'm going to have to send it off to get fixed which is a bummer. I do have my old sewing machine as a back up. It works ok. I have had to use it a couple of times this week and I realize just how spoiled I've been with my "new" machine. I had to use the old one to finish the blanket the other night. It still turned out really nice. It was for a little girl turning one, her name is Maiah.

When I first started thinking of doing this as a business I was a little apprehensive. I've tried things before that didn't really work so well. Things like making my wooden books, selling scrapbooking and stamping supplies, and I'm still a consultant for Mary Kay. I think one of the main reasons for that is because I was broke back then (and with Mary Kay I'm just not willing to have tons of inventory sitting around in my closet for years). I really didn't have the money to be spending on the things I had to buy to get the business's going, and therefore I just had too much pressure to do well. This time it seems like I am just focusing on one thing at a time, and I don't feel like I have to "sell" anything. I have been buying fabric and things as I make money, and I'm perfectly happy to make things as gifts. If I was broke right now I probably wouldn't be quite as willing to just give my things away.

There are also a few things I learned from listening to Dave Ramsey talk about how his company grew from nothing. Starting small and growing steady was really the way he did it. I truly believe that he's one of the smartest people on the planet. Who else can file for bankruptcy and become a millionaire a few short years later without borrowing a penny for his business?

Trying to get organized

While I was not completely lazy during my time not blogging, there were a few things that were running away from me. You know, the normal things like laundry, cleaning, dinner, that kind of stuff. Probably one of the funniest things is that while I haven't been blogging much, I have been on the computer a lot. Probably a lot more than I really should have been, given the number of things on my to-do list.

So the last couple of weeks or so I've had this feeling of being completely unorganized and it's very unsettling for me. I can't stand it when I have to search through piles of clean clothes to find an outfit to wear because I didn't make myself just fold the laundry as it was removed from, the dryer.

There's also the fact that we never knew what was for dinner until about 20 minutes before we should be eating. Some nights the "What's for dinner?" discussion would actually make us not even want to eat. Usually it wasn't the discussion itself, it was the lack of either one of us actually making a choice in what we'd like to have.

The dinner problem seems to just compound the other issue of our budget lately. We've both been really bad about not discussing the budget at all. The paychecks come in, he pays the bills, I have my allotment into my grocery account and that's it. I was spending most of the grocery budget on eating out. Most times we would have to use some of the money in the regular account because the grocery money was either gone or getting close to gone.

Last week I made a menu for a month. Nothing fancy, just meals we like and haven't had lately. Some nights are easy like hamburgers, grilled cheese, steaks, things like that. Most times if I have a larger meal that takes more work I schedule the next day as leftovers. Seth will eat leftovers 2 times at the most, and usually only if it's lunch and dinner the next day. I tried to keep that in mind while I was making the schedule.

Even though most mornings the kids can eat breakfast at daycare, a lot of times we are running late, so I just went ahead and planned breakfast as well. After I started following the menu I realized that if I get up and have breakfast ready before I wake the kids up, they eat right away and the morning goes so much smoother than usual. Go figure.

It took me about 3 hours to actually come up with the schedule. I also made a list of things I knew I had to buy. I pretty much knew what we have on hand (which was getting pretty close to nothing). Having the list and shopping without my kids was the best thing ever. I can't speak for anyone else, but having kids when you're doing serious shopping (even with a list) just drives me crazy and I wind up forgetting too many things.

I still have a few things that I couldn't get at one store, so I'll have to make a quick stop at my other store for those things, but overall I am digging the menu. Since we were sick we already deviated a bit, but it was easy enough to just switch with another day and I knew I had what I needed to make the meal. Plus I scheduled a couple of repeats, and 2 nights of ordering pizza.

I also found a helpful blog in the process. It's called http://unclutterer.com/ . I found one of their older posts where they had a meal planner pdf, or excel sheet you can use for your weekly menu. It looks great, and I've printed it out to copy my plan down since I was just using a montly calendar printout from outlook. Give it a try if you need some extra organization, it may save you some sanity and a litte cash as well.

Coffee break in the middle of the street...probably not a good idea.

Being on the road for work makes for some interesting conversations once in awhile. This world is just jam packed with crazy drivers.

One example could be the people who pretty much decided to stop and have coffee in the middle of a busy 4 lane street today. I turned and was going down the inside lane with a small blue truck in the lane to the right of me. The speed limit is 40mph on this particular street. The blue truck pulled over in front of me and slowed down to about 30mph. Just then a white minivan pulled up on the right and slowed, rolled down the driver's window and started talking to the people in the truck. As they were talking the truck and the van each moved left one lane, so that the van was now in front of me. They pretty much cut me off, and proceeded to stop in the middle of the road so they could figure out where they were going next. Apparently the world revolves around them and we are all just supposed to watch and make sure we avoid their stupidity.