Good news! And bad news :-(

I'll start with the bad news because I know when someone asks, I'd prefer the lift of the good news at the end.

Bad news is DH had an interview. Super, right? Ya, maybe, until they divulged the pay rate. ~sigh~ How are people supposed to live on these rates of pay? Am I really out of the loop because he was a Teamster before? And then, to add insult to injury, you have to pay through the nose for health insurance, weekly. Um, ya, and how am I supposed to pay bills with that? Ugh. I dunno....

To the good news!! My etsy shop has started off with a *Bang*! I listed items on Saturday and, by Sunday, I had my first sale! Then, today, I sold another item. Oh, it's so exciting! And feels very rewarding to share something from my own two hands. And someone wants it! It's a lift, that's for sure :-)

Feel free to stop in my store! Anything you'd like to see? Or think I should have in there? Let me know

My Etsy Shop

Well, this is it!! I'm just finishing up a few more items and taking some pictures and then BAM! I'll be in the 'etsy' world! If you've never heard of it, it's a must see kind of place!

http://www.etsy.com/ is a website devoted to handmade items. Artists of all kinds sell their wares on this site. It's like being able to have your own shop without having to host a website!

Ebay just hasn't been as friendly as I'd like for my handmade ribbons and bows. I think the market is too saturated there, frankly. I've really enjoyed creating one of a kind ribbons and to watch the auctions close without bids, saddens me. I think I need a place that appreciates handmade quality work. Ebay is not the place for that. Ebay is a like the flea market of the net.

Etsy, on the other hand, is a site made for those of us who enjoy crafting with our hands. It's a location where people who are sick of crap from China can go to support others in their handicraft. That sounds rather redundant but I think it's worth stating. With this culture of WhoreMart shoppers, and I mean that in the "I'll sell it for dirt cheap just so I can sell it", handmade items have lost their sparkle. It's all about the bargain and not about the process or the quality or the love that went into making the item. So, with that, please feel free to visit my shop! It should be loaded with goodies by the end of the weekend.

http://www.tonyastemptations.etsy.com/

Tuesday Events

What a day!! We didn't have homeschool coop group today but we booked ourselves solid!

We started out at Tower Hill Botanical Gardens at a "Let Worms Eat Your Garbage" class. I forgot my camera all day today and I'm so bummed about it! The three kids all made a mini-compost heap for our home in large cool whip containers. It started out with a 'bed' of ripped damp newspaper and a spoonful of soil. Then, the instructor added the worms! Puppy Feet has already put in an apple core (not a big shock, the kid must eat 3 a day). I donated coffee grounds to the cause and part of an avocado peel. VERY neat, to say the least.

Then my sister came by with my nephew. The kids always love seeing him and he was such a little charmer. I made sure I saved her a piece of pumpkin cake (beyond yummy) that I made from the same recipe for her birthday and we, of course, ran by Duffy's for a quick baby food run. They didn't have any (always hit or miss at Duffy's) but there were other finds to be had!

To top off the day, tonight we went to the Worcester Public Library to see The Dragon King by Tanglewood Marionettes. I've never seen such a well performed show! The sets were magnificent, the puppets and puppeteers did a bang up job, and the surprises and extras were the topping on the cake! If you ever have the chance to see them, GO! I wouldn't miss a performance by them even if it wasn't free (like this time)!

Not bad for a Tuesday, I'd say :-)

Homeschool Days

After a particularly fun day at homeschooling coop group, a bunch of us toodled off to Old Sturbridge Village for Homeschooling Days. The boys were signed up for cooking and woodworking and Lil Lady was just tagging along. Firstly, it was COLD. You can't see from these pictures but there were icicles EVERYWHERE, even along this stream. What a view...

Before the scheduled classes, you could attend a storytime of favorite tales regarding George Washington! We meandered our way over there. First, we all had to stop at the mills and check out the amazing icicle structures. And boy, were there many! We got to the right building in due time but we had to leave early because of our class :-( Disappointing. However, the boys both had *great* products. "Puppy Feet", as my husband likes to call him, put together a DELICIOUS spice cake for Washington's birthday- that was cooked in an 'oven' by the fire! And my oldest made a 'dibble'. In case you didn't know (I sure didn't!), it's a tool used for planting seeds or young seedlings.

It was a nice time. I was glad Daddy was there because Lil Lady was a fadin' fast between the cold, the tired feet, and the long day we'd already had. He stayed back with her while we did the majority of our walking. Looks like he caught a pretty cute picture of the four of us.. see below..

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My Creation for Valentine's Day

I don't typically allow jumping on the furniture but what a great pose! LOL This is *the* dress. The one I've posted about, how many times now?, in my newbie blog. I got the fabric from JoAnn's and simply love it. "I" "Love" "You" lollipops in a light pink and white polka dotted background. I even put in the hidden zipper!

I started out on *fire* but attaching the sleeves was a b*tch. Sure shattered my image of being a decent seamstress! :-( No matter though. My lil lady pulls it off! She always does.

Saturday's Stampin' Up!

Today, one of my girlies (short for girlfriends) was having a Stampin' Up! show at her house. Well, life happens and when it's vomit, no one wants at your house! So I offered my house to her and she left the sick chitlin home with Dad.

There were a bunch of women, laughing, eating, all the stuff women do, at my house. We did two samples, as you can see! What fun! I, of course, made my candy stuffer thingie backwards but, hey, it's still cute, isn't it?

Do tell me though. What's all the rage with stamps anyway? My girlie asked me what I liked (probably to make a kind gesture) and I said, eh, I'll come to your house to stamp! I guess, truly, a person can have only SO many hobbies! The next post will debut mine.

Some Things are Better Left Unsaid

Life is a wild ride, isn't it? Mine is anyway.

Ever think about yourself and delve into what you've learned along the way? I am *such* a talker. I've often left conversations and gotten the feeling "Sheesh, I talked too much again." I work daily to try to maintain a balance LOL Those who know me are laughing, I know they are, and with good reason. The fact is, though, that I, under certain circumstances, can relish the moment when staying quiet is the strength at that time.

One thing my mother taught me was regarding motherhood. She said that when I was a teenager, she'd just listen. She found if she just listened, I'd divulge more and more and then she'd have a grasp of where I was at the time.

It's something to consider. Both in motherhood and outside of motherhood

Our trip to the local science museum was a relaxed one.

Here are the boys watching a video of what's going on in the tidal pool tank.

You can scroll back and forth and see what's been going on and who's been moving. We looked and found a sea star took 12 minutes to go over a rock. It was pretty cool. What was even cooler is that .. look there.. do you see it? They *are NOT fighting*. ~Sigh~ Such sweet delight...
And speaking of sweet delight- here's Lil Lady with an eye ball ring pop.

Yes, you heard me right. Ew.

I feel the need to catch up!

Now that I've delved into the 'blog' world, I feel the need to catch up a little!
Today we went to a local science museum out here. We even went for free with our First Night Buttons! Gotta love that.
Well, upon further investigation, uploading pictures to my blog is a PITA, sadly. The server saves them in MUCH too big of a format for me to post. I'd have to adjust them first.
Which isn't fun. And I don't feel like doing. Blah.
So I can't share pictures with you at this point, just yet. But I can tell you, this is a lovely Sunday, with just enough snow falling, just enough activity for the chitlins. I will get back to my Valentine's Day dress creation and, hopefully, finish it today! I *will* adjust settings so I can post pictures of that though~
However, I *am* excited about the next venture I would like to tackle. Ever seen Sew what! fleece? We got it from the library. I drooled over it while I was attempting to complete mega amounts of Christmas gifts. Then, it was misplaced. It ended up in our trash compactor but we only use it for paper recycling so it was safe! There's a shirt in there that I'm dying to create. For me. For a change.
Anyway, I digress. And I am procrastinating those dress sleeves.
Until later....

I have arrived!

I have arrived! To the wide world of blogging! I've been wondering what all the rage is. Not to say that i've not gone blog surfing myself, I sure have~! And I've had oodles of fun doing it. I've learned so much and created so much.
I think, mostly, I saw so many having fun with it and wanted to hop on the bandwagon. And, I, gratuitously, wanted to share some of *my* own fun creations. I'm making a Valentine's day dress for my lil lady and it's coming out smashingly! I should give myself a tiny shred of credit.. maybe I'm becoming enough of a sew-er to accomplish 'easy' patterns with a minimal amount of swearing!
Well, welcome aboard to me and happy blogging!