I don't know if I can make it through the weekend

Both my laptop battery and charger are dead. I got a new battery yesterday but it's useless without the charger which won't be here until next week. We still have the desktop but you have to walk a full 25 steps to get to it and you don't get to sit in the recliner while typing so it sort of takes the fun out of the internet. I don't know if I'll be able to pull myself together for "Friday Favorites" today but you guys should still do it. Oh, and I don't have any of my links on this computer so I can't check out my regular blogs...Jona, Tonya, Marie, Shanna, Kristi, Jenni, Portabello Pixie Sandi...don't post anything interesting until Wednesday.

Before I go, can someone tell me why sales are so slow for me the last 1-2 weeks? I thought I had listed some really fabulous bags. I mean, I thought for sure the black and turquoise one would go over night. And this one I listed yesterday features a fabulous brooch.


















Maybe I have too much in my shop? Maybe I should take a little break?

I've been tagged.

I was tagged by Jen from roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com. So here's what I need to do:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog .

7 Facts

1. I'm very much a creature of habit. I do everything the same exact way every day. In the morning: Get out of bed, open kitchen blinds, make coffee, drink coffee while surfing the web and neglecting the children. Shower: Always wash hair first, then face, body scrub, shave, rinse. Grocery shopping: Start in produce, end in bread. Even with my sewing, I do everything the same way, every time. For instance, when turning a strap inside out, I must be sitting. If I happen to be standing, it feels completely unnatural and I have to go sit.

2. I frequently stand with one leg bent, foot resting on the opposite knee. I mostly do this while prepping food, etc. in the kitchen. I look like a flamingo and it bugs the crap out of Bella and Matea.

3. I'm a HUGE fan of "The Office". I own seasons 1-3 on dvd and watch them while I sew. I log a lot of sewing time so that means I've seen every episode at least 30 times and I'm not exaggerating. And I frequently quote the show in conversation with Crafty Papa. Yesterday I said to him, "Well, maybe next time you'll estimate me, Jan!" and it was totally relevant to the conversation. And it made Crafty Papa laugh which isn't an easy achievement.

4. I cycle through extreme motivation and absolute laziness very quickly throughout the day. For instance, right now I'm being totally lazy, drinking my coffee and blogging while in the recliner with heat on my troublesome back. In about five minutes, I'll get up and blow through the house like a tornado making beds, doing dishes, prepping breakfast, cleaning counters, etc. in about a 10 minute time frame.

5. I'm known as "the healthy mom" at school and among my friends which is pretty funny since I was raised on a diet of pizza and diet pepsi (my mom is so going to be pissed if she reads this but it's true). I'm not exaggerating at all when I say I had never had broccoli or asparagus until about three years ago. Never. Now I'm growing my own broccoli and asparagus is one of my favorite veggies. I still love me some diet pepsi but we eat a lot of whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, organic, grow our own herbs and veggies, eliminated chemical cleaners and make our own instead, eat hormone free dairy, poultry, meat, etc. We rarely eat things from a can or box and never as the main part of meal. I am regularly horrified by the crap the other moms bring for school snack (except for Lena who is fairly healthy too - except that she does let her kids drink soda - but she knows I would never judge her - actually I totally do judge her about the soda and lots of other stuff - Lena, lets discuss this on our weekend retreat:) )

6. I'm a pretty open and honest person. Maybe you've noticed? There aren't really any topics that are off limits for me. I think it's good to talk about things and good to have friends who you can be yourself with. Shanna, Keels and Lena can verify that I seem to be missing my self-censoring valve. Honestly though, I'd much rather have a friendship where you walk away thinking, "Did she really just tell me about _____?!" than "Man, I wish we could talk about something other than the weather". I think hiding your experiences and feelings just takes too much effort and if you're offended by my sharing, maybe we shouldn't be friends. See, I was just open and honest and shared my feelings right there.

7. I have known my husband since I was 9 and he was 10 years old. I still have moments where I look at him and wonder how in the hell we ended up married. I think we have a really good marriage and have no doubt that we'll grow old together (if he doesn't get annoyed with me and kill me before then) but I just can't process how we got here. We were complete opposites growing up and I had absolutely no interest in him ever. We rarely even spoke. I broke up with a long term boyfriend on a Tuesday, went out with Crafty Papa on Saturday and we've been together since. Actually, 13 years this month. It's funny, I would have laughed my ass off if someone told me I'd end up married to Steve Gonzalez and be a very domestic stay at home mom. But now I couldn't imagine life any other way.

So, here's who I'm tagging:

1. Tonya
2. Marie
3. Jona
4. Jenni O.
5. Lori
6. Shanna
7. Lena (go ahead, update your blog)

Baby Steps

I don't know what's going on with my back. Just when I think it's starting to feel better, the pain flares up again. So needless to say, I'm really limiting my time in the sewing chair. The doctor was happy to prescribe heavy duty pain killers but to be honest, I'd rather deal with the pain than all of the side effects from medicine. So hopefully, I'll be back to my regular schedule soon.

I've been feeling pretty uninspired lately, I think partly because our house is still in construction chaos and partly because it's been a while since I bought new fabric. Even though I have a ton of fabric in my closet, I don't have a coordinate for everything and some of the pieces are too small for the style of bag I have in mind for the particular fabric. I'm thinking about putting together some scrap packs later this week and listing them in my Etsy shop so if you're a crafter/seamstress, watch for those.

I went to my local quilt shop this morning (and got recognized from the magazine article-thanks Jenny!) and picked up a few new fabrics that I think gave me just the inspiration I needed. I'm so pleased with the result, I can't wait until tomorrow morning to list it so I'm off to add it to the shop now.

Go hug your husband. Right now.

When we moved into our current neighborhood, almost four years ago, we couldn't believe how nice some of our neighbors were. We had never lived in a neighborhood where people actually said "welcome" and introduced themselves. Four years later, we've made some great friends.

We went for a walk this morning, stopped across the street to visit our neighbors, Dave and Sharon, and return some foil they let us borrow last night. Three hours later, Dave was gone. The details don't really matter in terms of this post except that he died very suddenly and no one expected it. I'm still waiting for Sharon to walk up my porch steps and tell me it was all a misunderstanding and he's fine. It's been a hard day, thinking about how different the neighborhood will be without Dave here to keep us up to date on all of the gossip, showing up at my door with sweet treats and yard sale finds for my girls, and just being the kind of neighbor everyone wants to have. He was a good neighbor, a good friend, and a good man.

Spending time with Sharon off and on today has made me realize how suddenly life can change. My heart hurts for her. She's such a good person and a wonderful wife, I'm sick to my stomach tonight after seeing her in so much pain today. I don't know what the next few days, weeks, and months will bring for our close-knit neighborhood, but I do know that I love my husband more tonight than I did this morning.

Spring (almost Summer) Cleaning

Be sure to check out the items in my "Sale" category. I just added a bunch of new stuff at rock bottom prices!

It's gonna be one slow weekend

Listing wise, I mean. My back is still really hurting and it's just too painful to sit long enough to sew anything. I made this funky owl bag this morning and am now lying in the recliner with heat on my back while cursing all of you in my head.

On a happier note, most of the home repairs from the tree damage are finally complete. Monday will bring clean up and tying up loose ends and then hopefully, we can go back to a normal life.

Friday Favorites

I've made an executive decision. My friends will tell you I'm really good at making executive decisions, even when there really isn't one to be made. Anyway, I'm officially declaring Fridays to be "Friday Favorites" blogging day. Every Friday, I'll post some of my new favorite things and all ten of you who read this blog should do the same on your blog. As a mom and crafter, I love hearing about new products, techniques, etc. that other moms/crafters have come across. I would really like it if a few other bloggers would participate in sharing your favorites and if some of your favorites happen to be products from other Etsyers, even better!

My first fave is this new skirt I got from Kohl's. I'm usually not a skirt person, partly because I'm tall and have trouble finding skirts that are long enough. Also, a lot of skirts just feel too formal for my mommy life but this one is like wearing a tshirt so I feel really comfortable in it. I got a bright green tshirt to match it and really like how it all looks together.














Next is my new "Mom" pillow from fellow Etsy seller, Marie (bellamariedesigns). It's really well made and looks so cute sitting on my big comfy chair in my craft room. I have another pillow with Bella's name on the way and think it will be the perfect finishing touch for her bed.
















And lastly, my new, absolutely adorable wood family painted by Lena. I saw this listing on Etsy but the seller wasn't listing them anymore. Asked Lena if she'd be interested in a trade and lucky me, she agreed. She spent way more time on them than I wanted her too and I think I said the word "obsessed" to her one more than one occasion. But I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. They're so cute and personal and I think they're even better than the original listing that inspired us. And you have to admit, I look pretty damn good in wood form:)