Blizzard 2011!

I know it's been a while since I posted here (almost a month, wow). I've just been doing my very best to get caught up on orders. I'm still plugging away but I wanted to share a few pictures from yesterday's big Winter storm! This is the most snow I've seen since I moved here almost 6 years ago. I have been dreaming of snow like this! I LOVE IT! There are places in my front yard where the snow hits me at MID THIGH! It's so awesome! :) My kids went out to play (twice) and I walked around taking some pictures.

The snow plow left a MOUNTAIN of snow and the boys decided to dig through to the other side. They didn't actually make it because the center was solid ice, but they had fun trying. :)

this is the sidewalk right outside my front door. that ruler is about 14 inches and the snow is over the top of it! we did have maybe 4-5 inches already on the ground when the storm hit, but we definitely got a good 9 inches or so. and some of the drifts are WELL above this! 

 it was starting to get dark at this point so the pictures kinda suck, but they're so funny I had to include them. Connor came inside and told me to wait 1 minute then come down to the end of the field where the deepest snow was... and to bring my camera. when I walked out there (which was NO easy feat, this is where it's up to my knee and even my thigh at some points) I didn't see them anywhere... until I got closer. lol they dug these trenches and where just laying inside waiting for me. goofballs! they're actually deeper than they look here, I had to hold the camera up above my head to get this shot. but the next couple pictures give a little better perspective.

even thought this one is really blurry, I had to keep it. it cracks me up!

I just love how FAT all the birds look with their feathers all fluffed up in Winter! :)

you've got to click on this one and view the full size image. you can see a bunch of individual snowflakes along the top edge of that pile of snow. it's SO pretty!

Carter sitting on top of the snow plow mountain...  it was taller than my car!

Now the kids are back to school, much to their dismay. The snow looks GORGEOUS this morning in the sunlight, all glittery and sparkling! :) And I am off to get some more sewing done!

pause for music

Tonight I had to take a break from sewing as my youngest son had his very first orchestra concert. :) He was so excited this afternoon that he just had to try on his whole outfit an hour before it was time to go. ;) I had to remind him that he didn't want to be going to the concert with pants covered in dog hair so he, reluctantly, took it off. He's in 6th grade this year and this is the first year they are able to play an instrument in the band or orchestra. Both of my older sons played the trumpet and french horn in the band so a string instrument is a completely new thing around here. :) As the kids came out and got set up the parents all ran out to snap some pictures. When I walked over and Carter saw me, this was his spontaneous reaction to the camera...

ham

The orchestra did really well, I was surprised by how good they sounded in such a short time! After all, most of them have only just picked up an instrument for the first time mere weeks ago!! Kids are definitely little sponges. It helps that their teacher is really young (she barely looks older than the 6th graders!) and she looks like she really enjoys her job. Carter said she's a really fun teacher.:)

Now it's back to work for me... I have been trying to finish up a sock monster this week and I think tonight is the night. It should be super cute when I'm done and I can't wait to share.

Today's gratitude: I am VERY thankful that those first few days of living in the house with a child learning the violin pass quickly. ;) Before I knew it I could hear actual notes and songs coming out of the bedroom in place of that awful screeching noise that I first heard. ;)

Fall photos...

Today I went out with a couple friends to take some pictures for them for their Christmas cards. I *hope* we got some good shots, I know they looked great through the viewfinder. :) My kids were off school today so Connor and Carter tagged along (my oldest is in Indianapolis right now at Marching Band Nationals after they won FIRST place at the State competition a couple weeks ago) and managed to insert themselves in front of the camera a few times so I thought I'd share some of those shots. :) These were my favorites, they'd found this huge pile of leaves and buried themselves in it.

Shortly after we got home I was sitting at my desk sewing and I happened to look up and notice the sky. It looked kinda pink through the back door so I ran out with my camera and snapped a few pics like this one... Of course this doesn't even begin to show how beautiful it was. The pale blue against the pretty pink and the clouds making lines across it all (there were  a whole bunch of cloud lines behind those trees but they're kinda hard to see here). At any rate, it was incredibly cool! I love that we get to see such amazing sunrises/sunsets where we are! The only thing that could make it more perfect is if I could see  the view from the other side of those trees!

Today's gratitude: Mother Nature rocks my world! ;) The colors she paints with are always so beautiful and I'm so thankful I am able to capture even a tiny bit of it on camera.

Blogging Every Day???

GAH! I don't know if I can!!

So apparently November is National Blog Posting Month. Along with that a lot of people I know are posting something that they are thankful for every day in November. SO I was thinking maybe I would combine the two... and of course mix in shop talk. MAYBE those things all together will get me back to posting regularly.

OK, so I'll start with a review of the past week. I was sick. ICK, ick, icky. Fell behind on sewing a bit and now I am playing catch up. If you're wondering where an order is please don't hesitate to contact me, I'm always available and I generally answer pretty quickly when I'm not on the couch dying. ;) You can find all my info on the contact tab at the top of my blog here. :) 

Halloween... me being sick put a bit of a damper on festivities. We didn't get to carve pumpkins this year :( and I had to alter my Halloween menu a bit. BUT I was well enough to take my boys trick or treating by Sunday night thankfully. And for anyone who might be interested... here are some pictures of the fun!

quickly improvised dinner.... mummy dogs

jumbo brain cupcakes for dessert

mmmmm brains, nom nom nom! zombie in training ;)

Agent Seeley Booth (ala 'Bones') minus his sport coat. I altered the paintball vest with a handmade felt FBI patch on the front. :)

goth boy... who is apparently too emo to smile. ;) lol and wants to dye his hair this color permanently

last minute ninja, who spent the night handing out candy (and probably gorging himself on it) and scaring all the bigger kids before going to hang out with friends for a couple hours. declared it the best day of his life!

Usually I dress up as well, just because I think it's fun and my kids get a kick out of it. :) but it was WAY too cold this year. Instead I'll share a picture of myself in costume from last year...

Etsy shop update: Today I added the first round of ready to ship 'Chilly' Lens Pets. Tomorrow and the next day I will be adding the rest of the cast of characters. ;) So keep your eyes peeled. I'm only making/posting one of each design at a time so if you see one you want, grab it when you see it. They'll ship withing 2 days after payment is received. I also had an exchange recently (size issue) so I have one large blue and yellow fish with a squeaker ready to ship in the shop as of today. I know a lot of people aren't patient enough to stick it out with my wait time so here are your opportunities to get your own Lens Pet lickity split! :)

And last, but of course not least... today I am thankful that I am able to support my children, not only doing something I love, but something that gives me the flexibility to be able to stay home with them while they are all home from school tomorrow. :)

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Here's to a wonderful November and hey... only 53 days until Chritmas!!! :)

Erwin's Apple Orchard

I realized yesterday that I missed doing Friday Finds AND CIC Saturday this past week.... I've just been really focused on trying to catch up with orders and knock down my current wait time. In addition to that I try to spend some time with my boys every once in a while so they don't forget who I am. :)  Yesterday we made our annual trip to the apple orchard. My oldest decided he didn't want to go this year so it was just me and the younger two. Unfortunately the apple harvest was all but destroyed this year due to the frost and freeze back in the Spring. There were only TWO kinds of apples left to pick (both red, not my favorite. bummer) and there were about a gazillion trees with NO apples at all on them! It was so sad. :( BUT even with all of that, the day was GORGEOUS and we still left with a huge bag full of apples... plus cider and donuts and I even sprung for caramel apples this year! ;)

I actually didn't take very many pictures at all because I was too busy picking apples myself, but here are a few that I did get.

hmm... think my kids know Mom likes Twilight?? ;) completely unprompted, Connor was all... "MOM! You have to take a picture of this!" lol

cheeseball

I have NO idea what's up with Carter's crazy eyes... but he was giving them to me all day

yeah, um... I really don't know. It was demanded that I photograph this

talented kid, eh?!

as we were leaving the sun was setting and it looked AMAZING! the sun rays coming up from behind the clouds were shooting off in every direction! (even though you can only see a little here) this doesn't even begin to show how awesome it looked but it was the best I could get because the damn wagon was bouncing all over the place!

the end... :)

a short break from sewing...

I took the boys to see some fireworks last night (not sure why they did them on the 3rd instead of the 4th). After living here in Michigan for 5 years this was our first time seeing a fireworks show here! For the last few summers they've been in Colorado over the 4th of July with my ex in laws and before that we were in Ohio celebrating with my sister and her kids. But this year they were home and we weren't going anywhere so I looked up the nearest display (you can seriously find EVERYTHING on the internet) and off we went. The boys bickered and fought pretty much the entire time (there must be something in the air the last couple weeks) but the show was good. Here are a few of my favorite shots... (the colors look much nicer when you click the image and see it in the larger size)

this one reminds me of a flower. so pretty!

and even though this one might not be the most exciting or colorful shot... I love that it looks like a dandelion! :)

Back to the sewing table now...

family pictures!

Last month Becky Higgins did a huge photography giveaway on her blog where photographers from all over the world gave away photo shoots and picture packages. I entered for the Michigan photographer nearest to me, and although I didn't win she did offer everyone who wasn't chosen a discounted sitting. My boys and I hadn't had pictures taken in EONS so I made an appointment and we met with Jody Sebring last week. I've been dying to see if any of the pictures turned out and today I received the disk of pictures in the mail! I loved a lot of the shots she got of the boys, together and individually. :) Unfortunately my shirt looked like a circus tent and effectively made me look about 100 pounds heavier than I am. note to self: do not wear baggy shirts on picture day no matter how cute they look on the hanger or in the mirror! It was also INSANELY windy that day so my hair is a massive disaster in most of the shots I was in. I didn't think to bring a mirror or anything so once it was blown around there was pretty much no fixing it. AND even though the boys bickered pretty much constantly, we did end up getting ONE shot of all four of us that I really like...

Thankfully this one was early enough that my hair wasn't a completely horrifying mess yet. Carter has decided this is his "new smile" because he doesn't like his 'old smile' anymore. He made this SAME face in every single picture. I love having stubborn children ;) Cameron and Connor were practicing the forced fake smile most of the day... but they actually look almost real in this one.

Some of the individual shots of the boys...

This last one is my absolute #1 favorite shot of the day! Totally cracks me up. The photographer told them all to jump on 3... she counted, Connor and Carter both jumped... and Cameron just stood there, looking at her like she was absolutely out of her mind. Seriously, what was she thinking asking a teenager to do something so completely uncool like that?!?! rofl I just love the look on his face while he stands there NOT jumping. ;) lol

 Looking forward to getting some of these printed... I think I'm going to blow up that first one with all four of us. :)

In other news... still plugging away on orders. I'm looking forward to getting caught up so I can start working on some of the new designs and some promotion ideas I have in my head. :)

the end of an era!

My youngest son graduated from 5th grade tonight! After tomorrow I will no longer have ANY children in elementary school! No more walking them in on the first day and taking pictures at their new desk. No more picking them up on the last day and taking pictures with all of their friends and favorite teachers. I'm SOO sad to see it go. We LOVE this school. As a mom, I am SO thankful for every single person who gave my son everything they possibly could, as if he was the only kid there. He's gone to this school since 1st grade. It has ALWAYS been a challenge, Carter has some issues and some quirks that aren't always fun to deal with. And even still, EVERY teacher, social worker, counselor, even the principal ... has given Carter 200% at all times. They honestly LOVE him, as he does them. He's grown by leaps and bounds in the past 5 years thanks entirely to THEM! In first grade he spent more days in the office curled up in a ball crying than he did in the classroom. In first grade I was OFTEN called to the school to pick him up because he was inconsolable. In first grade when he got upset he would completely shut down and there was no getting through to him. But NOW, he can usually talk through his frustrations... he can walk away from things instead of letting them upset him to the point of no return. He never gets sent to the office (though we did still end up with a pink slip or two. *OOPS*). While he has always been very smart, his own behavior and emotional issues were holding him back academically. This year he got the highest MEAP grade (state testing) IN THE DISTRICT! This year he got the highest grade in the whole 5th grade class on his 6th grade placement tests. Next year he'll be in advanced English AND Math! Today at the graduation he was one of only six kids to get the Presidential award for academic excellence! He got a certificate, a letter from President Obama and a little pin (which he proudly told the waitress all about at dinner after the ceremony). All of these successes are thanks to the teachers at this school! I have no idea what we'll do without them! Thank goodness for email! lol

 

The end of every year has always been tearful and sad... but underneath the blow was softened with the knowledge that we'd be back in a few months so it wasn't goodbye forever. But NOW it is! :( I know Carter is going to be heartbroken tomorrow when it really sets in that it's the very last time he'll walk through those doors. I will be shocked if I get out of there without sobbing like a fool. Just writing this is bringing that tell tale lump in my throat. 

How do you even thank teachers like the ones Carter has had??? There are no words! No end of the year gift that shows them how very much they mean to not only your child but to you! Everything I've come up with just seems inadequate.

Carter, receiving his graduation certificate from the principal, while his VERY proud teacher looks on. :)  
side note: though you can't see really it here, Carter chose his own outfit this evening. a tuxedo shirt (complete with pleated front and left untucked), black dress pants and a vest... that just so happens to be about 2 sizes too small, buttoned all the way up. VERY stylish ;) the brown belt and brown shoes totally completed the outfit too. lol

Memorial Day with the family...

Both of my parents, my sister and her 5 kids all came to visit for the long weekend. They all live in Ohio and normally we try to see each other at least once a month, but money has been tight since I lost my job so we haven't seen them since Easter. It was a fun weekend for everyone. I didn't get any sewing done but as always, the kids had a great time playing together... ghost in the graveyard after dark, frisbee, card games, video games, the park, camping out in tents in the front yard, a parade and all sorts of other made up games. Hopefully it won't be such a long time before we see everyone again. I thought I'd share some of my favorite pictures from the weekend here.

my oldest son Cameron (who is a goofball teenager, hence the face) and his friend Gabe at the playground

my niece, Kaileigh, with the frisbee on her head

my youngest niece Kamryn playing hopscotch on the playground

my youngest son Carter hanging from the monkey bars

my nephew, Kurtis, playing in the front yard

my middle son Connor finds his own way across the monkey bars

my oldest niece, Kiera, learning how to skateboard

another niece, Kierstenn, scaling the climbing wall with ease. ;)

in addition to a fun weekend I was surprised with not one, but TWO mentions on websites in the last few days. SO flattered and excited. :) First, this past Saturday, One Pretty Thing chose me as one of their Flickr Friends Roundup picks for my sock monsters. My friend Martha posted on Facebook to let me know. :) THEN, just a few hours ago, a friend of a friend posted on my FB that she had shared my Lens Pets™ with photographer Erin Cobb and Erin liked them so much she posted a link to my Etsy shop on her 'Ten on Tuesday' list today. I had 8 sales in 30 minutes! I'll be sewing like a mad woman tonight making all those Lens Pets™... and I couldn't be more excited! :)

Between the Michaels contest and my recent Etsy success I am totally floating on cloud nine these days!