Halloweenies!

Last night was our Halloween trick or treat night :-) So happy Halloween from my Halloweenies to you and yours! - Anakin Skywalker and Elvis (who I'm going to have to set up on a hunka hunka date with Anne aka Casserole's daugher Liv -and together they can dine of PB and 'nanna sandwiches!)

Todays events include Brayden marching in the elementary school parade, followed by a party and then tonight we're going to kids Trick or Treat night at Toys R Us (where I'm sure in addition to the candy and treats the kids will get momma will be roped into buying something as well!)

Ahhh, but until then, I think I'm about to go and induldge in this!

Carve-fest 2008

What is it about the stinky, slimy, and stringy goo of a a pumpkin that seems to drive kids mad? After weeks and weeks of hearing my little guys beg, moan, and whine to carve their pumpkins I finally gave in and we busted out the newspaper and scoopers and had ourselves a big old seed-filled goo fest!

Gage was much more interested in scooping, and then flinging across the kitchen, the guts of the pumpkin. He absolutely refused to stick his hand inside of his pumpkin, but when the goo was in the bowl - it was game on!

... until he abandoned our family pumpkin carve-fest for a Thomas the Tank Engine book that is, making sure to smear lots and lots of orange strings all over the pages in the process.

That handsome pumpkin carving fool, finishing Gage's now forgotten about project, is my wonderful husband. He looks thrilled because he knows that I'm the one who will end up bathing the kiddos and cleaning up the horrific, but so worth it, mess.

Brayden in deep, tongue sticking out, concentration mode as he saws his pumpkin up, carving out the face that he drew on it all by himself. That would be my fat head in the corner and chunky hands holding it steady.

Brayden on the front porch and the fruits... err... vegetables of our labor

And totally unrelated, but this is what I woke up to this morning - 2 1/2 inches of snow. I wanted to cry. Where did the sun go?

Catching My Breath

When did the weather change? It seems like just the other day the sun was shining, the kids were running around the yard in shorts and t-shirts and my garden was lush and growing. Its snowing here today. Freaking snowing... with a little sleet thrown in for measure. - UGH!

I've neglected my blog lately - but the last few days have been a whirlwind. Last weekend started off with an oh so wonderful infection in my jaw from a tooth I had pulled (apparently incorrectly so) well over a year ago, followed a hospital trip, many pain killers and many hours of drug induced slumber. I'll spare you all out there in blogger-land the details because they are pretty icky, but I'm happy to report that I'm ok now :-)

Aside from all of that hooplah I did recieve some wonderful news last week! The city/town (I'm in the "burbs") that I live in has a local magazine devoted to nothing but the happenings and going ons of this town. All of the major businesses here carry it, the airport has it, resturants have it, doctor offices and so forth, not the mention a pretty large volume of subscribers that live here or once did all read this magazine. ... to the point... I recieved an email asking me if they could include an array of my items in their "Local Handcrafted Christmas Gift Ideas" article coming out in the December issue. Ummm YEAH! So on Thursday I get to go down to their offices and have a professional photo shoot for a few of my journals and jewelry! - amazing right?

Anyways, I hope that all is well and wonderful with all my blogger buddies! - Much Love ♥

Swinging and ACEO's

I'm knee deep in the middle of a Swingtown marathon (love this show! Fuels my love for all things 70's) and making some new ACEO's - gotta love those lazy Fridays!

Stop on by and check em out in the SHOP!

Christmas Cards Ahoy!

I'm a die hard paper fiend. That much is no secret. I'm afraid to say that the paper fiend-ness in me elevates extraordinarily when it comes to Christmas. Wrapping paper, cards, tags, you name it, I horde it all - and continue to buy more and more and more of it all every single year, much to my husbands dismay!

Well this year, with the economy being in the tank, I was wondering if anyone would like to participate in a handmade Christmas card swap with me. The idea is that you send me one or two, or however many you want really, blank handmade by you Christmas cards and I send the same amount of handmade by me Christmas cards to you. A fun, economical, and holiday filled swap! Whats not to love?

Soooo any takers? (and of course you can convo my through my etsy shop for more details!)

PS: Say yes or you just may find a fat chick from PA coming down your fireplace this holiday instead of Santa!

C'est La Vie

Bienvenue mes amis!

I have this sort of thing with anything and everything French. Not the pink fru fru, poodle loving, perfume wearing, French lady kinda stuff, but rather the archetecture and the language. I studied French for a few years in high school and in college, although admitedly all I really gained from it is a few abstract and off the wall words and phrases. - I suppose if I ever need to find the library or have someone pass me the greenbeans in France then I'm all set.

Anyways, check out the new journal in my shop, s'il vous plaît.
♥

My Crackpot Friends ♥

I got this email from a friend this morning and just loved it to pieces! Hopefully you all see the beauty in it as well

My Crackpot Friends
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path! Pass this message along to YOUR crackpot friends too! ♥

Ghoulish Goodies

Its amazing how the simplest things can give a child so much joy. Ahh to be 5 again and find the immense joy that only some colored cardstock and a black magic marker can bring.... wait... I'm 25 and I STILL find that joy! Anyhoo, here's a peek and Brayden and I's Halloween project.

Every single year with out fail Brayden and I, and hopefully next year Gage too since this year he just wanted to take the marker and color on all of his little wooden Thomas the Tank Engine trains, break out the art supplies and have a spetacBOOlar Halloween colorfest.

Nevermind my horrible messy dining room, but check out the finished product. Now that's what I call Halloween decorating!

(HUGE thanks to Marisa of Elegant Snobbery who pointed me in the direction of quite possibly the most awesome photo editing software ever!)

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In other news, if you read this post of mine then you know that for the past 2 weeks or so I've been on the hunt for an awesome new etsy team that will hopefully suit my availability, my needs, and just have some kick butt people in it. Well thanks to the incredible resources from etsy admin sarawearsskirts, I found one that I think is incredible and that I can bring alot to. So now I'm officially a FAM (as if you all didn't know I was Fabulous, Artistic, and a Mom already!) - lets hope this one sticks!

Theres Nothing Quite Like a Pennsylvania Autumn

I have a serious and undying love for all that is fall, thus why I am devoting another blog post to it. Something about a Pennsylvania autumn puts my soul at ease. Maybe its the mountains with all their trees in arrays of colors, maybe its the crisp air and strolling through the perfect pumpkin patch, or maybe its chasing the kiddos through the corn mazes trying to find our way out. I can't decide, I love it all.

It stinks that we get robbed when it comes to Autumn and also Spring where I live. The snow here starts early and ends late, thus making winter seem like it goes on forever, and partially why I cherish the fall season so darn much. Mike and I took a Sunday drive this past weekend with no destination in mind, just the goal of admiring the changing of the leaves and to find some of the windmills that are being put up around where we live. Our Sunday drives are not exactly what you imagine when you hear the phrase "Sunday Drive" we took the Jeep out off roading and exploring various paths and trails on the very top of the mountain that seperates the end of our town and the low valley of rural PA below.

Get ready for a wonderfully picture heavy, autumn-lovin' post!


Driving along on a dirt path up the mountain and taking in the scenery.

The AMAZING view from the little tiny scenic overlook that we just happened to stumble upon at the very top of the mountain.

Same view, with the digital zoom on the camera on. It looks like a painting!

My red tree. If it wasnt humongous I seriously wound have dug this baby up and took it home with me!

Yay! We found the windmills. It took a little creative manuvering around a few closed gates, but hey... we made it!

They are so beautiful! And HUGE - you have no idea just how tall these things are until you are standing right at the base of one. Gotta love that clean energy!

Last picture, through the sunroof of the Jeep before the security guard came and threw us out. Ummm... dont drive over a hill on the top of a mountain and around a few closed gates in order to find windmills - even if it is state forestry land, you can apparently still get into trouble. :-P

Scrump-tiddily-umptious!

I dislike chocolate. In fact I may even go as far as to say that I hate chocolate. I know, I know, you're probably thinking "what's wrong with you?". I get that a lot. I just don't particularly care for it - minus the two exceptions to my no chocolate rule, Reese Peanut Butter Cups and Tagalong Girl Scout Cookies. I'm always on the hunt for a scrumptious dessert recipe sans cocoa and last night I made the most delicious, moist, little squares of goodness ever - and of course I thought all about my blogger pals while I was baking and then stuffing my face.

Decadent Blonde Brownies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 stick butter - softened

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

yummy toppings of your choosing

(if you're like me and have to compensate for elevation, an extra 2 tbs of flour does the trick)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan with Pam if you're lazy like me, if not feel free to grease it the old fashioned way.

Combine flour, baking power, and salt in a small bowl and set aside

Beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy

Beat 2 eggs in a separate bowl with a fork and then add them to the wet mixture along with the vanilla and beat at low speed until well blended

Spread batter evenly into your greased pan

Now comes the fun part - toppings! I used a cup and a half of walnuts and a handful of Reese Peanut Butter Chips - but you can put whatever you want on top of these bad boys. And yes, if you MUST chocolate chips are acceptable (but are heavily frowned upon from this chocolate hater!) Pecans are good too, unfortunately I didn't have any :-(

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown

Drool from the amazing smell and then cry because you can't have any yet - too hot.

After they cool off - stuff your face!

(Disclaimer: My brownies are extra huge because I doubled the recipe, if you do that too obviously baking times will differ - use the butter knife in the middle trick to see if they are done, mine took about an hour)

Trust me - my crappy photo taking skills does NOT do these babies justice!

Etsy Teams Drop Out

I'm just like Frenchie from Grease - complete with the failure of pink hair. - Enter Frankie Avalon singing Beauty School Drop Out.

Ok, so my metaphor isn't exactly head on, but that's a bit how I feel today. I, as I live and breathe, am an etsy teams failure. Yes folks, its true. I have been in, and also kicked out of, not one, but 3 etsy teams for non-participation. I tried to use them as a tool to gain some exposure, meet new people and make friends, and just have another online etsy related outlet, but the truth is I just couldn't keep up. With 2 children, I just didn't have the time to participate in etsy team, although I think that they, and the idea of them are both absolutely wonderful.

So where does that leave me? Now that Brayden is in school and I finally have a twinge of free time on my hands, I was thinking about re-joining an etsy team. But obviously I need one that's flexible on participation. So any suggestions for an Etsy Teams Drop Out?

One Busy Bee

I've been one busy bee lately! Here's a sneak peek at a few new jewelry additions that are coming to my shop over the next few days (journals to come soon - need a sunny day to photograph them!) - enjoy

A Little Rest

Best Forture EVER! (Crappiest pic ever -again- thanks to my crapola cell cam)
"Rest has a peaceful effect on your physical and emotional health"

Fall Foliage Fun

What a fabulous autumn weekend in Pennsylvania! Mike and I went on a sort of date on Saturday and took a lovely drive down over the mountain about 45 minutes away to the Bedford Fall Foliage Festival. And boy did we need it!


I often talk to the husband about us moving somewhere new. Really, theres not alot where we live - small town America at its finest. I'm a city girl at heart. I grew up in Virginia Beach and sometimes I still long to be just a small person on a sidewalk surrounded by big, beautiful, tall buildings. But the truth is I wouldn't give up a Pa autumn for anything. It makes the lack of things to do here, the often crap-tastic snow-filled winters, and the semi-but-not-really-because-it's-still-snowing Spring all seem worth it. The trip to the Fall Foliage Festival is beautiful, and my favorite autumn journey by far, complete with a long winding drive down a mountain with nothing to look at but the cliffside full of lush color changing trees all the way down to the bottom where you are greeted by the simplicity of sweet Pennsylvania farmland.

Bedford, Pa is a quaint little town full of antique shops, apple orchards, campgrounds, and farmers markets. Their only real claim to fame aside this festival, which closes the majority of the streets down in order to line the town with craft vendors, is a giant coffee pot shaped old time lunch stand from 1927, which Starbucks tried to buy but failed because they wanted to move the building, and you just don't move a giant coffee pot, particularly when its a historic landmark! Anyways, the Fall Foliage Festival is HUGE, with hundereds of crafters and artisans - basically my kind of heaven, although I admit its all mostly country/primitave in style.

The pics (which pretty much blow because I only had my cell phone camera) are of an old time "apple smasher", as my dad used to call it when I was a little and he used to bring me to the Fall Foliage Festival. Its a BIG machine, from the 1800's I'm guessing, that smashes apples down and makes the best fresh apple cider that you have ever tasted in life! Its that good! And there is also an amazing picture of some wonderfully handpainted wooden Russian Matryoshka dolls that I had to sneak and take because the lady had a No Pictures sign up - see crappy cell phone cameras are awesome for those incognito photos, even if your non-observant husband blows your cover by saying "Hey, I thought you weren't supposed to take pictures." But its ok, I have no intention of ripping her idea off, I just thought the dolls were precious and reminded me of the Matryoshka nesting dolls my Grandmother gave me when I was a little girl.

All in all it was a glorious autumn day - the kind that makes it all worth while. The crisp chill in the air, the beautiful colors of the leaves, the small town charm, and being able to share it all with someone that I love. Now thats living ♥

When Life Hands You Lemons...

I've been a bad bad blogger this week! Truth is, the economy is in the toilet and as a result my sales have pretty much been non-existant so I really haven't been in the mood to make anything new or even really renew that frequently on etsy.

But of course, you know me, I'm making the best out of a crappy situation! So just what have I been doing? I've taken the time to step back away from my desk and this computer and do somethings just for me. I've been sewing alot lately, mostly pillows because I find that sewing a square is pretty unintimidating to a newbie sewing such as myself. I've been spending alot more time with my kiddos, and really enjoying their little personalities. Gage ran over to the television today to give LuLu (the hippo from Nihao Kalan - whoa I spelled that wrong!) a hug, which was SO cute, and I've been spending alot of time with Brayden working on his penmanship and just plain old coloring. You never ever get too old to color! I've been just laying in bed with my husband and watching television at night and we've been going for drives to see the start of the leaves on the trees changing their colors. I've been collecting cool rocks with Brayden from our driveway in the mornings while we wait for the school bus to come. I've been reading alot more too. Its refreshing to pick up a good book and travel away from yourself for a bit and into the life of someone else.

Its been nice to step back for a little while. Things are crappy in terms of the economy and sales for the majority of us, but rather than let it get you down, find joy in the other important parts of your life that maybe you've been overlooking. ♥