Today...and bedroom before pics.

still slumping it but other good things are going on. For example:
Moses is still really, really cute. He is learning to say his Aunt Carolyn's name (aah yin). He has also learned bag, and buh tuh (buster is the name of our friends dog who we stayed with in Radford-now all dogs are a buh tuh)....and uck (truck). :) I am thankful for him everyday. I also got some goodies from my SIL. I had ordered the satin hands kit from Mary Kay and SIL sent me some extra goodies because she is cool like that. It took me forever to buy this kit because I find it so much easier to buy for others and forget about me. You can go buy stuff from her HEREI also bought two of these sweet little birds from Pier One today. :) They may end up in my new room...that currently looks like this:
Don't you love how I have hardly hung anything and that the photos I did hang were covered up when I moved the bed and I have yet to move them. :) And yes, I almost always make my bed.

Homesick.

So, if you frequent my shop at all you will know already that I was out of town for the weekend. We finally got to go home to Radford!! We visited friends and went to our home church. This church is not just a church that we attended in Radford, it is a deep seeded part of who I am and how I have been shaped over the last eight years or so. I LOVE this church, the people, the worship, it is all wonderful. The teachings are relevant and real, dealing with human things and not far away ideas. It meets you where you are and I LOVE that. Since moving to Charlottesville we have had the hardest time getting around to visit churches and finding a place that is anywhere close to what New Horizons is. I have had a pastor from one of the churches here tell me straight out the we will never find New Horizons again. We finally got to visit a church, where we had been told repeatedly that kids/infants/toddlers were welcome part of service (meaning that Doug and I could keep Moses in service with us until we all got used to the people, place, etc) well the one time we got to go, I can't remember how many people reminded us where the nursery was. And they weren't all being polite. At New Horizons no one would blink an eye. And those of you who know Moses, know that he is not a loud child and this Sunday visit was not an exception. So anyway, just being there and seeing what we were not a current part of was really sad, but it reminded me of some core values that I learn and live by and needed to be reminded of.
One is TRANSPARENCY. If you are a friend, you know what is on my mind because I will come out and say it. If you ask me how I am doing, I will tell you and not just say fine. If I make a mistake I will apologize and admit it. I am as real as I can be. One of the things that drove me nuts about my stalker (Hi stalker!!)is that she would constantly flame me on her site, then go back and change it so that she could keep up her perfect Christian appearance. Never for a second being real. You won't catch me going back and changing something on here (except spelling or grammar-those things wrong drive me bonkers). I want to be a person who makes Christianity appealing. I don't want to be a person who walks around pointing my finger at others while I am tripping on the plank in my own eye. I might as well try to convert others to Christianity but throwing mud at them.
Another is LOVE. I am loved, even when I am not there. While living in Radford, I made friends for life. The kind of friends who I will be in touch with and close to 50-60-70 years from now. Friends who I can pick right up with where we left off. Friends who love me for who I am and nothing else.
Another is ROOTS. That church will always be a part of me. I was there from nearly the beginning of it and that church body and I grew together so much that it was hard to tell where one stops and the other starts. Loving God is that good.
So that is where I am right now...in a state of content meloncholy.

Oopsie Daisy...

So I made some fab cookies last night except for one thing...I failed to add the brown sugar. :( They are still very tasty but leave me thinking "what if". I was dying to make these gems at home since the other day when Doug and I had lunch at a local deli and had some of the best cookies of our lives. Oreo cookie cookies. Yum. Ridiculous yum.Like I said, they are still very good and there is no lack of sweetness, they are just a little crispy and go down well with a glass of milk. Here is the recipe for you to try: (I doubled this recipe).

Oreo Cookie Cookies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (8 1/2 oz by weight)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
10-12 broken (into halves and thirds) Oreos
Half a bag of chocolate chips.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and sugars until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, soda, salt, baking powder and cream of tartar. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until incorporated. Stir in oreos by hand.

Place dough balls 3 inches apart (6 per cookie sheet) on parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheet and flatten tops slightly. You don’t want to flatten it too much, you just don’t want it to look like a ball. Bake for about 15 minutes or until brown around the edges. Cool slightly on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to set: remove from baking sheet. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 12 big cookies

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Signs of Hope, Following Directions and Pumping Up His Ego

Look what I found just outside my door today? My sweet little tulips miss me and want to say hello...what a tease! We all know how fun February and March can be, these poor little babies have some tough times ahead. Last year I got photos of snow sitting on the tulip blooms. :)
Moses is good at following (some) directions. :) The banana sticker (of course banana) says place on forehead and smile. :) What a good boy! ANd because I thought it was hilarious to do so, I let him walk around for quite a while with this sticker on his head...he had no idea even though I kept telling him "Moses, there is a sticker on your forehead"...I know I'm a nerd but I am ok with that. : )

And below, is it just me or is this shirt hilarious? I got it for Moses today at my favorite place to shop. Like my husband, I think my son will be slightly full of himself, a quality of Doug's that only a handful know of....but love about him. :)
Coming soon? The BEST cookie recipe EVER!

Funky Freebies and What Happens When Dad Chooses Your Jammies and Shamless Plug...

So as many of you know I have been in a creative slump. As a way for me to try to stimulate some creativity I am having a giveaway and cleaning out my shop a little. Yep yep yep...YOU can have your very own Funky stuff for free. I have taken a half gallon bag and run through the aisles of my shop and stock room and filled it to the brim with cards, barrettes, tags, goodies from other sellers and some other good stuff too. All you have to do to enter to win this beauty for FREE is leave a comment here telling me what you are dying to know about me but don't want to ask (now you have to). The most intriguing and daring question wins AND I will answer that question either here or through a personal email. So, it's on like Donkey Kong...I'll pick the winner a week from today. Here is a sneak peek (and please don't let this be a post NO one responds to). Bugs and cowboys. That is what happens when daddy picks your jammies out. P.S. I can't start my room redo until I get some sales! So...mosey on over....

Room redo...

So since we moved here in April, we have done something major and fun to each of the rooms in our home. Except our bedroom. I have been looking for months for THE color or THE pattern that would lead to inspiring me to redo the whole room. Well today we meandered into a fabric store and what do you know...I fell in love with these fabrics:
In my plan...the floral one will be used to make a duvet (remember I can sew straight lines), the chocolate one will be a valance, the white a curtain that hangs behind it and the fourth fabric will be pillows for the bed (along with some from the other fabrics as well). I FINALLY feel motivated to do something in that room. I will have to take a photo of the before to show you.

Also in our outings, I stumbled on these beauties for the 10th time...

It says birds AND nests...might as well have my name on them. They are perfect and I love them. Here is Moses, enjoying some freedom outside in the 70+ degree weather we had today. :) Today he learned the words Amen and shoes. :)

Where's my baby ya'll?

Seriously, almost every time I looked over at Moses today I was amazed at how BIG he is and how much of little man he looks like. How cute is he all kicked back like that? Today was a good day for Moses. I think he is finally back to normal. He was pleasant all day, played alone, patient and very sweet. Today he learned the words "nigh nigh" (night night) and bus. :) He has begun to use his sign language against us. Recently he learned "help" in sign language and he will ask for help to do things he isn't supposed to be doing...like climbing into drawers, opening cabinets, etc. Thats what we get for teaching him things.

As a side note to my last post about bananas...we think he may have a thing for them because I ate them daily when I was pregnant...out of fear. Seriously, I called them my fear fruit because more times than not, on the days I didn't eat a banana, I would get the mother of all leg cramps in my calf, in the middle of the night. Of course I would shoot straight up in bed, wailing on Doug to do something. He was worthless-giving me a leg massage that had less pressure than a 90 year old woman could do (granted I was waking him up from a dead sleep). I soon realized that he wouldn't help during these late night invasions but I kept waking him up anyway...why should he get to sleep through it?
Here are some more sweet photos for you to enjoy...

Two things...

One is-is it possible for a child to OD on bananas? Moses has used every opportunity he could to ask for a "nana" today. I think he likes that he can say something out loud and get it. He has eaten over two bananas today. At least he didn't learn espresso.

Two is-why is it so hard as humans to admit when we are discouraged? For whatever reason.

Good things...

So yesterday while trying to get dinner started, I had an epiphany and brought Moses' high chair into the kitchen where he could both eat and watch me cook dinner. Usually I am trying to hold him while doing all of these preparations and that just doesn't work because one hand can't do much to food. He loved munching away from a safe distance and I got dinner done just as Doug got home! YAY! I also made these yummy oatmeal bars...I added a cup of chocolate chips to make them extra yummy...You should try them:Moses also started asking for bananas by name today (nana) and in minutes I taught him to throw his hands in the air (touchdown style) when I said "Go Giants"...Doug will love that. :)

Go Giants...

Though I must say that if I were a single person I wouldn't care less about football or sports in general, I am pretty sure that somewhere in my marriage license I am obligated to say "Go Giants!". After all, things in my household are a lot happier when they win. :) So here is to the Giants!

Surprises, sweet things and thoughts...

First, I got a super sweet surprise in the mail from one of my favorite people... How sweet is that? It was a totally unexpected surprise...my favorite! I am not sure why she sent it to me but it makes me happy that she did. My day has been a little fogged, not bad but fogged and this was a wonderful thing to find in my mailbox! Thank you wonderful friend!! :)

Also, before I left on vacation I ordered another (yes another) box of scraps from a great seller on Etsy...see HERE.
It is an amazing deal and there are lots of really great scraps in there...most of them a pretty good size and from great designers...Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, etc. I used some of them already to make my new little critters, which don't seem to be going over as well as I had thought they would...hmmm.
I have still, for the most part, been completely worthless today. I did run out to get some errands done and it was good to get out of the house a little. I had to reinstall Moses car seat in my car and I feel a little guilty about installing him forward facing. Statistically speaking he is 4X safer in the rear position until he weighs over 35lbs (per the weight limit for rear facing on the seat) but it is so nice to have him forward facing and he seems to like it better...I'm still not sure if I am convinced enough to keep it the way it is.
Moses has had a little difficulty transitioning back to real life from vacation. He had a fever for a couple of days and was a little cranky but he seems to be normalizing. I think he got a little used to us sleeping in the same room as him so there is that too. I am still amazed at how well he traveled. While we were in Florida he learned some new words including -bye bye, bop bop (bop-o aka grandpa), hiss, keys, fish and he will try to wiggle his nose like a bunny. :) He is precious and wonderful!
I had some more thoughts to share but they have escaped me for the moment...so for now I am off to get some coffee and wander around looking for my creative juices. :)

So here we are...

at the moment I am feeling completely uninspired to do anything creative. I am not sure what is going on but it does happen from time to time so I just try to ride the wave and wait for the creative juices to return. In the meantime, I have had several people ask me in the past how I find the time to put so much effort into my Etsy shop.

The answer mostly lies in Moses and Doug. Since we started the sleep system we use, Moses' sleeping patterns have been wonderful. If you haven't read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child you should. It changed our lives and brought me back from the edge of crazy. It is a "cry it out" method but for us, cry it out only meant one night for about 30minutes. Since then he almost always goes to bed/nap, on his own, without so much as a peep. We went from him waking 8-12 times a night to 1-2, OVERNIGHT (though he has slept through the night for months now but at the time of starting this system 1-2times was age appropriate)!! He now naps for about 2-3hours and sleeps from around 7pm to 7:30am. That right there gives me a lot of creative indulgence time.
For those who do not know, I am a full time stay at home mom. I am also pretty traditional in that, with that role I take on almost all of the household duties and don't really expect my husband to do much around the house. In my opinion, his job lies outside the home, mine is in it. This doesn't mean that he doesn't help, or isn't willing to do anything I ask him, but generally, I take care of all the household duties so that he doesn't have to worry about them. And I do it gladly, with only the occasional grievance. :) All of this to say that I try to get as many of the household things done while Moses is awake and we can do them together...you would be amazed at how fascinated he is with unloading the dishwasher or loading washing machine. He even does his best to help---(saying "he" (sound like the he in hey and means "here" in Moses speak) as he hands me laundry to put in the washer or fold.) By doing these things together, I am free to do what I want with my "free time" during his nap.
Doug is a big part of my success because he supports me in this Etsy effort. I don't think he cares if I make a dime, as long as it is making me happy. Without his support I wouldn't be a stay at home mom and without his support I am sure my Etsy adventure would be long over by now.
So, basically, the short answer to "How I find the time?" can be summed up with "time management and support". Does that make any sense to anyone? Thoughts?

What life is supposed to be like...

We learned this in Florida...Feed Geckos...

Run around in grass so thick that you lose sight of your feet...

End each night playing cards and being entertained by random comments...

Marvel over amazing creations by God...look at all those roots on that FICUS...

Play at amazing free playgrounds...

Take your first ride on a carousel...

Slide down a slide...then see a fox...

More huge tree marveling...

Go on long walks...
Eat...
Swim...repeat. :)

Some photos and words...

As you can see, we are back from our wonderful vacation...more refreshed and relaxed than we have been in a while! I can't remember ever having a tan in January!! Boca Raton is wonderful and we can't wait to go back again and again! We are so thankful to Doug's grandma and grandpa and parents for keeping up such a lovely condo there for us to use! The whole area is relaxed and just amazing! Moses ate twice as much as normal and slept really well! He did SO well on the plane!!! He slept on the two longer flights and would get so excited for take off!! We were able to spend some good time with Doug's family and have a few heart to hearts about what was going on with our life and things we have been dealing with. It was like every earthly worry was lifted and God could speak clearly to us. I have a new and refreshed look at many things, including some changes I want to make. :) I'll share more later...off to unpack...it is good to be home. :)

Wish you were...

...here. See you in a few...we are off to sunny and warm places. :)

Here is a cute story to make you smile while I am away. We took Moses to his well baby Dr visit this morning. He has to be naked to be measured and weighed and he really doesn't like it. After that we go back to the room and they do more routine checks on him. Well like one or two steps into the checklist, Moses starts to give the nurse the sign for "all done"...as in "I am all done with you poking around on me". He then did the same thing to the Dr when she tried to examine him. At least we can be assured that he knows what "all done" really means. :)

We LOVE our doctor here, she is so great and seems to be in step with the kind of parents we are. She is encouraging in areas that we find many are not such as the fact that we never give Moses juice, fast food of any type, candy, junk, etc. He only eats whole foods and organic when possible. We are working on not having anything in the house that he can't have, which forces us to eat better too. We aren't the type of parents to force him to eat either, we really want to teach him to listen to his body and know when he is full (this is where is usually does the "all done" sign. A visit to the doctor always assures me that I am on the right track as a mom in so many areas. We are so blessed to have a doctor that fits our family like she does.

Alrighty folks, miss me while I am gone. :)

Cute things...

Just some cute things that Moses has been doing...first he has started to say Jesus (pronounced gzzzt)...he will already reach for my and Doug's hands to pray at meals. :) He has also recently added cheese (chiz), hot, moo, baa, arr(the sound a lion makes...duh!) and he will do a certain sound for all motorized vehicles, especially trucks and motorcycles. He will shake his booty aka dance on command. The boy lives for music and insists on hearing it at all meal times, my kind of kid. He will also mimic me if I make certain random noises. : ) and just when I put him down for his nap he learned how to stick out his tounge...so he did so...repeatedly.

I am busy packing for Florida. Moses has a ped appt in the AM tomorrow then we have a mad dash around town to get things done. :)

Ahhhhh.....

God is too good to me. :) FINALLY we all seem to be on the mend, even I feel 85% better than I did yesterday. Moses is back to normal and to top it off God has been showing me lessons from the last week. Most of it has to do with patience. I am not the most patient person but I am so growing and stretching in that area. The song above has been in my head and playing on my iPod a lot today. I LOVE the lyrics...sweet and with an awesome reminder..."I will know my Savior by the mark, where the nails have been, by the sign upon His Precious skin". When I really stop to think about it it really takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes...I will know Jesus when I see him by the mark...

The video below that is just a mellow song that I love. It is so peaceful,romantic and calming. And yes, my music taste does range from blue grass gospel to Damien Rice and beyond. :)

I even managed to come out ahead of the sicknesses in the house. I have most of Moses' items piled up and ready to pack and have started making list of things to pack and do the day before we leave. I have my custom orders ready and listed also. :)

It feels good to be back to normal. :)

Ambition...POTD

So, here is my latest crush...this Amy Butler book/kit I bought a couple of weeks ago. I promised myself that I would not buy ANY(more) fabric until I completed the project that they provide the materials for...a hip little tissue box cover...bet you never thought you would hear those words together. :) I have somehow found myself buying fabric when I don't really sew...do I have a sewing machine?...yes but it has never seen more than a straight line. So as if I needed one more project to take up time with, I am throwing sewing onto the pile.
On the home front...I am once again optimistic that Moses is on the mend, even though he did throw up twice during his dinner last night...a couple of things are making me hopeful-he made it through the night without throwing up or exploding his diaper, he is asking for snacks again AND his poop has resumed "normal" color and smell (can you believe I am typing that??? I am such a mom...typing about poop). So keep praying that he is on the mend. :) We fly out to Florida next Wednesday morning and I really need a well baby. :)

Look what we got...

Yay!! We got some snow today! :) In a couple of these pics you can see my resident cardinal, who happens to be a bully. :)

Also, Moses has eaten two FULL meals today and has not thrown up yet!!!!!! This is the most he has eaten and days and the longest he has gone without puking. I am hopeful that despite the rough night and morning, we are on our way to recovery. :)

Thoughts and things...

So Moses is still making himself puke and still has diarehea. Today I plan on not offering him any foods with texture (which seems to make him gag) and to get through the day with NO VOMIT, which will hopefully help the pooing problem. Last night I went in to check on him before I went to bed at 10 and found him snoring away....in a pile of his own vomit (we had heard him cough and gag minutes before) and his diaper filled with poo. Please pray for this boy to get better!

I am also reading an amazing book called "This Beautiful Mess". It's all about how to experience the kingdom of God here and now. It also talks about how there are NO levels in Christianity, and how our pursuing of levels is actually toxic...you become more concerned about reaching the next level as if "you will get a gold star at the end". God has been doing amazing things in my life these last few months, growing and stretching me in ways that I never would have volunteered for. Some people talk about becoming a "student of life" and I just want to be a student of God. Part of what made me so defensive with my stalker is that she assumed to know just what kind of life I was living and what my relationship with Christ is like, stating how much better hers was, regularly doling out her prescription for my life...a real "holier than thou" type. I never want to appear that way. Each persons journey is their own and no path is created the same. If non-Christians are reading my blog, I want my words to be edifying to Christ and I want them to wonder where that joy and light come from, you know? I don't want to be another one of those Christians who try to squeeze you into a predefined path towards Christ or makes you feel less than worthy because I am so busy bragging on myself and how perfect I have it. My sister in law said it well when she said "my life is just as hard and blessed as the next guy's".

Coming later on today...my first "wonderful people: Etsy edition". :)

I have a problem...

and that problem is that I can't seem to stop buying paper!! Or stamps or crafty things in general!! So many cute things out there...I have yet to meet a bird or polka dot that I don't love. Got some cute things when I was out with my honey today. :) You will see them soon. :)

As a side note...I am completely and nerdily stoked for American Idol tonight. I am also excited to watch our DVRd Prison Break.





I am also counting the minutes until LOST comes back. Did I mention before that when I was pregnant with Moses, he was due right around the season premiere was to air, I prayed that he wouldn't come until after the premiere? Wouldn't you know it that I had contractions all through the show (though I thought there were faux) and he was born 6:20am the next morning. God is funny. :)

How to cut a toddlers hair...

First. Do not attempt alone. At least two adults are required. :) My husband held Moses the entire time, despite back breaking aches. Last time we sat Moses in the high chair but for some reason he was not having it this time.
Second. Insert lollipop. Moses NEVER gets candy so this is indeed a very special treat. The one photo with the close up is basically how he stayed the whole time, virtually still and cooperative. Occasionally Doug would switch arms and take the lollipop out so Moses could catch his breath. Note drool all down the front of Doug(from Moses not Doug). Also shown is a shot of the floor. Those wet circles are the pools of slobber that Moses would drop each time Doug would remove the lollipop from Moses mouth. All in all it was a good haircut. I can't believe how many of them he has had since birth. Everyone tried to convince me that all his hair would fall out but I knew better.






Here is a before and after from his first hair cut at 6 months.