Christmas in July on Etsy

Having worked in retail half of my adult life, I have turned into one of those people that starts shopping for Christmas presents somewhere around the beginning of the school year.  I know, I'm one of those shoppers!  I promise, you can be prepared for the holidays early without busting out the Christmas carols and knit sweaters in July. 

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 All "Christmas in July" really means is that you can take advantage of some really great sales and start stocking up on Christmas gifts early.  If you do a lot of shopping online, it's always best to order early.  Businesses get backed up, and so does the post office, so Christmas in July is a great way to get rid of the stress of holiday shipping times.

So, for those of you like me that like to get some (or all) of your shopping done with plenty of time, or love shopping online, this sale is for you!

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 Many Etsy sellers are offering up Christmas in July sales this month.  Some of them have already started, and some will be starting shortly.

CUTEure Creations will be having a sale this week! Starting Sunday, July 10th, everything in my etsy shop will be 20% off for 2 weeks! Make sure you check it out.  I will have my fall line tentatively out for sale (all color options will not be shown but custom orders will be welcome) along with the products you already know and love.  If you are a fan of mine on Facebook you'll be able to see additional offers and ready to ship items throughout the time of the sale.

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 Make sure you come check it out!

'Tis the Season...For Gift Making!

It's that time of year again! Well...not really. It's not Christmas time yet.  After all, it's supposed to be somewhere up in the 90's again here today. So no, it's definitely not the season...yet.

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However, if you're anything like me-and I hope some of you are-you'll realize that yesterday was exactly 6 months until Christmas.  That's right.  Yesterday was 6/25.  So the count down has officially begun!

I know, I know.    Everyone is sick of hearing about the holidays earlier and earlier each year.  I promise I'm not going to start singing Jingle Bells and break out the decorations just yet.  In fact, I usually don't truly get into the spirit of Christmas until December.  Sometimes. The thing is, though, that for the last 3 years, I have sworn I would have a hand-made Christmas. Unfortunately, between running and online crafty business and keeping my daughter occupied, that has yet to happen.  Sure, I end up with a few hand-made gifts to give out, but nothing extra-ordinary.

I realized last night, that if I truly want to do this, I've got to start early.  You know, like June! So, here I am, compiling lists of crafts and fun ideas for everyone on my Christmas list.  I thought it would be fun to share as I go for anyone else interested in a DIY holiday.

Will you join me in planning a DIY holiday? I would love to hear about your adventure in handmade gift making!

I Have Some Resolutions Afterall..

In my previous post, 2009, An Overview, I mentioned only having one resolution this year. One that I didn't want to share.  After thinking on this for a couple of days, I have decided that this is not true.  I have several resolutions this year, most of which I would love to share with you all.

My first one is to be more crafty.  Willie bought me a sewing machine with all the accessories for Christmas (isn't he the best?!) , and my mother-in-law bought me a Dremel, so I'm learning how to use those day by day.  I'm almost done with my first real project, so I will share here when it's done. 

That's  my second resolution, by the way.  I am going to incorporate more of my interests (cooking, crafting, my ETSY shop, and maybe even some TV or movie "reviews" if I'm in the mood) and not only focus on being a mom, because I am so much more than that.  Be expecting my first ever giveaway this spring for my anniversary to Surviving Motherhood, too.  I'll tweet about it as the time gets closer, but I'm already brainstorming some great stuff!

My third resolution is the obligatory "work out and lose weight" resolution.  I know, I know. How unoriginal, but hey, it's something I need to do, so what better time to start than now?  Some friends and I joined up and we are participating in a WiiFit challenge, so that should be fun.  I'm also playing with the idea of starting up a brand new blog, completely dedicated to this journey.  I gained a lot of weight when I met Willie, more when we got married, and of course, even more when I had Addison.  I am now at least 20 pounds heavier than I was the day I met him, and would love to get back (or close) to that weight again.  I'll decide this week whether I have time enough for a second blog, and if I start it up, you'll be the first to know.

My fourth resolution I feel should be more of a warning to those of you in my personal life.  From this day forward, no longer will I rely on the internet and on texting to keep in touch with those of you important to me.  I feel we should bring back the phone calls and the personal relationships-you know, the face to face kind-so don't be surprised or worried when your phone rings.  It's only me, trying to bring back the old concept of actually talking to my friends.

So there you have it. My resolutions for 2010.  What are your resolutions? Is there anything you (my readers) want to improve on in the upcoming year? Please share.  It's so nice to get it all down on paper.

2009: An Overview

The end of the year is upon us. It really has me thinking about this past year.

This year has been so incredibly different than any other year of my life.  I feel like I have changed, like I have become someone new. I've become a mother.  I've become confident.  I'm at peace with myself for the first time since I can remember.

Last year, Willie and I rang in the new year calming a colicky baby and watching fireworks out the window.  We couldn't see many of them due to our crummy location, but we craned our neck, opened the blinds, and looked at just the right angle to see one or two fireworks every few minutes while tag-teaming to try and get Addie to sleep.  That was a tough time.  I was pretty depressed last new year, thinking What a way to ring in the new year...holding a crying baby, sleep deprived, and irritable.  I remembered thinking They say that the way you ring in the new year is how you'll spend the rest of your year.  I guess that means I'll spend an entire year trying to calm down an inconsolable infant, arguing with my husband, and watching the party from the sidelines.  It really goes to show that a change in perspective can make the world of difference.

Instead of thinking I would be spending my entire year with a crying baby, arguing with my husband, and watching the party from the sidelines, I should have been thinking I'm going to spend the year with my family-all of us together-enjoying the view.  See what a difference that makes? And you know what? It's true.  I spent the year with my family-all of us together-enjoying life, enjoying each other, and enjoying the view.

The first half of the year is a blur.  It is marked in my memory as stumbling through the fog.  Despite the fact that Addie appears to be an "easy baby", the first half of her first year was probably the hardest time in my life.  Ever.  I think even Willie doesn't realize how hard that time was for me.  I hadn't started my blog at that point, although I know it would have been a tremendous help, but life was complicated.  Addie cried a lot.  I cried a lot.  It started before the breastfeeding issues though.  It started the day she emerged from the womb, so much in a hurry to get out that she ended up injured and crying for her first week.  Things settled down for a few weeks and it seemed to be smooth sailing until the colic started.  I feel like all I can really remember of those first few months is crying, and trying to cover it up with a sunny disposition.

In May, I started this blog.  It has been a tremendous help, an outlet for my anger, frustration, joy, and sadness.  It helped me open up about things no one knew.  In fact, it still does.  We discovered some underlying issues regarding Addie's crying, and found ways to fix them.  Life began to improve, the fog began to lift, and we were able to relax a little bit.

This summer was spent hiking, taking tons of photos, camping, blogging, and exploring Washington further than just Seattle.

This past fall was probably my favorite time of the year.  Addie had her first birthday, her last first holiday, and I developed my confidence in myself.

The holidays passed all too quickly this year.  Thanksgiving was spent with our friends-a relaxed affair with good food.  Christmas was a busy time for us, traveling, illness, and new traditions all rolled into one.

And now, here we are, back where we started.  The holidays have passed. The year is coming to a close.  It's New Year's Eve again, one year later.  It's been a wild ride, but I'm ready to welcome in a new year, a new season.  I'll be alone when the ball drops tonight.  Willie is working nights, and Addie should be asleep by then. So, I will watch New Years happen from the sidelines again, working on new projects for my shop.  Instead of thinking about how boring this next year will be, I am going to think of how productive it will be.  Willie and I will both ring in the new year working, earning money.  This next year will be fruitful.  It will be fulfilling. It will be peaceful.

Earlier today, I decided on my New Year's Resolution.  It's a personal resolution, something I'm not willing to share publicly, on my blog.  It shows a different side of me than the public face I prefer to show.  I will, however, stick with it this year, and you can know that it is not a frivolous resolution such as losing weight, eating better, or exercising more.  Those are all things I try to do year round.  This resolution will change my quality of life.  It will make me a better person.

Here's to 2010!!  I hope it lives up to everyone's hopes and wishes for the upcoming year.

A Christmas Story: 2009 Edition

Well, here we are, home from our holiday "vacation," otherwise known as "The Trip Where Everything That Could Go Wrong, Did."  I tell ya...this trip was something else!

It all started a few days before we left for California to visit the grandparents for Christmas.We were peacefully chugging along, not a kink in sight until three days before we were scheduled to leave.  Addie woke up that Saturday morning and I could just tell something was wrong.  She was quiet, lethargic, and wouldn't drink her milk or eat breakfast.  All she wanted was to be held.  I picked her up and she was burning up. I got her one of the first appointments of the day with the on-call pediatrician, who also couldn't find anything medically wrong with her other than her 101.2 fever and her obviously sick demeanor. So, we brought her home to watch her and wait it out.  She slept almost the entire day-Willie's birthday-and woke up the next morning acting so much better, but still running a pretty high temperature-103.6 to be exact.

In a panicked frenzy I called the on-call pediatrician before he had a chance to get to the office and call to check on us..  He said as long as she was acting normally, to wait it out and if it didn't go down by the next day to bring her in again.  So, that's what we did.  By that evening, her fever had all but broke-down to 99.8-and she was eating and sleeping almost normally again.

We started packing Monday in order to have a smooth morning on Tuesday and everyone seemed to be doing great.  Addie was still sick, but I could tell she was recovering. For the most part her fever was completely gone. We had a great day, and started looking forward to our trip again.  We relaxed Monday night, knowing it was going to be a hectic week coming up since trips like this are always as stressful as enjoyable.

The alarm went off Tuesday after only a few hours of sleep and Willie and I pried our eyes open, struggled out of bed and loaded up the car.  All of a sudden Willie came in complaining that he had an upset stomach and bad cramping.  He got sick right before we left, but then he appeared to be feeling better so I thought nothing of it.  We got to the airport, checked our bags, and got through security just in the nick of time.  We were the last ones to board our plane before take off, but we weren't late.  We even got to California half an hour earlier than we expected!!  It was such an easy flight, Addie slept for half of it, and the other half she was a total doll for the flight attendants.  It seemed everything was going to go smoothly from here on out.

Unfortunately, Willie's stomach started acting up again as soon as we got to his grandmother's house.  He was sick the rest of the evening with a stomach bug, cramping, and fever.  I felt so bad for him since he was so excited about the trip and here he was laid up downstairs separated from everyone while we visited. Right before putting Addie to bed I checked on him and he said he was feeling better, and was even thinking of coming upstairs to spend the rest of the evening with his family after getting up and dressed.

That's right about the time that his dad fell down the stairs!!* I mean, are you kidding? His 60-something-year-old dad fell down two steps and busted his knee up.  He couldn't walk the rest of the trip.  It was awful.  I mean seriously. Can we not catch a break here? Sick kid, sick husband, injured father-in-law, and we're on vacation supposed to be enjoying our time?!

I vowed to make the best of our trip at that point.  I mean, Willie could do nothing but continue getting better, Addie was in a better mood every day since Saturday and other than a chest cold and being more tired than normal she was being very easy.  It couldn't get any worse, right? haha.  That's right about when I got hit with the stomach bug.  All I can say is that at least Willie recovered before I came down with it.  That made it so much easier.  He was a great husband and a great Dad.  He took Addie for the day and let me sleep it off just like he got to.  They went shopping and met some of his mom's friends, and hung out with his grandmother while I stayed in bed waiting for the bug to pass.  Late in the afternoon I felt well enough to get up and move around a bit so I joined everyone again.  Unfortunately, I was still fatigued and cramping  the rest of that night and the next day, but the worst had passed.

And the worst truly had passed.  From Wednesday on, everyone started feeling better and looking forward to Christmas.  Presents were wrapped and put under the tree.  Food was enjoyed.  Company was had. Plans were made to (gasp) leave the house and do some of the things we had hoped to do on our trip.  We were fortunate enough to enjoy the rest of our trip and enjoy our holiday after such a rough start.  I will say, traveling during holiday season is a totally different ball game than traveling during the spring or summer when there are fewer bugs to catch!



* For anyone wondering what happened to Jim-my father-in-law, he is doing much better.  His knee was very banged up and bruised, and he spent our entire trip in a reclining chair.  Willie's mom informed us last night that after we left he was able to get up and walk around using a walker, so he is definitely improving, just slowly.

It's That Time of Year Again

Well, it's that time of year again.  Lights.  Decorations.  Family.  Food.  Fun.  Oh, and there's also gifts, but I try not to focus on that part.

The holidays have always been my favorite time of year.  We just have so many family traditions that bring us all closer.  We didn't grow up with very much, but we sure felt rich.  I hope to instill the same ideals into my daughter.  The holidays should be about who you are with, not what they give you.  In these economic times, I feel that lesson is even more important than it was before.  It seems that most families have cut back this year.  The stores don't seem as crowded as before.  I really hope we are swinging the pendulum back away from this insane materialistic culture.

I really hope people are re-discovering the meaning of Christmas.  I really hope they are remembering the small things.  The things that really matter. 

I can still remember all of our traditions growing up.  Can I tell you what I got for Christmas every year? Not even close.  I can remember a few very memorable years-like the one where we woke up with a note from "Santa" telling us to look outside where we found our trampoline.  I can also remember a Christmas where we got the original Nintendo gaming system and two games.  Mario, and The Little Mermaid.  We never received any other games for that system, but we didn't know any better.

What I remember from Christmas are the little things.  Our traditions that we kept up each year as we got older.

I remember getting a new personalized ornament for the tree every year.  Putting out Christmas decorations as a family with the Christmas music on.

I remember wrapping coffee cans with Christmas wrapping paper.  I remember spending hours baking home-made Chex-Mix for all of our friends and family.  I remember delivering those Christmas-wrapped coffee cans to everyone special to us, and seeing their face light up with excitement.  What beats home-made Chex-Mix?!

I remember opening one present on Christmas eve every year-Christmas PJ's that we wore to bed, so our holiday videos would be festive.  I remember waking up before the sun to start Christmas day, and then somehow still running out of time and rushing to my Granny's to eat and spend time as a family.  I remember there being years where 30 people came over to Granny's to celebrate with us, and years that there were just 10 of us.  I remember everyone in the kitchen helping cook.

I remember that no matter what, my uncle would make fun of whatever my mom brought.  He always made fun of her rolls saying she didn't make them right.  They were store bought!!  All you had to do was remove them from the package, put them on a baking sheet, and bake them until they were lightly browned!!  It became quite the little game that everyone (except my mom) looked forward to come dinner time.  I remember the year my mom decided No More Rolls! and asked Granny what else she could bring so "Reid would stop making fun of the **** rolls."  That year, Granny gave mom the recipe for pecan pie, and swore that if she followed that recipe exactly, she would come out with the perfect pecan pie to bring to dinner, that Reid would not be able to find anything wrong with.  Sure enough....the pie came out burnt.  In my mother's defense, though, Granny's recipe was less than perfect!  Silly old Granny wrote down the wrong temperature to bake the pie! So, despite her best efforts, my mother received the teasing of a lifetime at that Christmas dinner.  Pie slices were dropped onto the plates to see how loud of a clunk it would make each time.  My poor mom.  I don't think she brings anything to Christmas anymore.

I also remember the gift-giving at Granny's house.  I remember we would all fight over who got to be "Santa" and hand out the gifts to everyone.  It was usually whoever was learning to read at the time-at least until we got older.  The present opening was a huge ordeal as you can imagine with 30 people in and out of the house, but it was always so much fun. 

As I said, Christmas is my favorite time of year.  Reading through this post makes me realize how long it has been since I wrapped coffee cans and filled them with home-made Chex-Mix. Maybe next year...

Other than that, and going to Granny's, the rest of my holiday traditions are right on par with how I grew up, except they are scaled down for my tiny family up here in Washington.  Somehow, picking out Christmas PJ's, hanging personalized ornaments on the tree, and re-creating the Christmas dinners of my childhood make me feel close to my family again.  I think of them all, gathered around Granny's big table with their wine glasses raised, toasting Christmas, toasting each other, maybe even toasting us. I will then turn to my small little family and toast us, toast Christmas, and toast our extended family back in Texas doing the same thing we are, maybe even at the same time.

This year will be a completely new experience for me.  This year, we will be spending the holiday with Willie's family in California.  I will keep the little things as close to tradition as I can, all the while opening my heart and my mind to new traditions.  Traditions Willie may like to pass on to Addie.  Traditions that we can mix in with mine, and make them completely our own.

What are some traditions you have for the holidays? What are some of your favorite memories? 'Tis the season to share them all!

Gobble Gobble...Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving dear readers!!  I thought now would be an appropriate time to give thanks in the form of a blog post.   I think this year it is especially important.  I think it is time for everyone to realize what truly matters and get back to the heart.  It's not all about money and buying things.  Not every family is sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast this year thanks to layoffs and a bad economy. Those aren't the things that truly matter.

I am thankful for so many things this year.

First off, I am thankful for my baby girl.  Addie has brought so much joy to my life.  I can't imagine my life without her...and she's only been here one short year.  I am thankful for the way she makes me laugh when I'm stressed out.  I am thankful for the way she makes me notice the little things again.  I am thankful for how she has opened my eyes to the world we live in-the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I am thankful she has changed me in so many ways.

Secondly, I am thankful for my husband.  Willie has been there for me through a lot.  I guess you could call him my knight in shining armor.  I give him a lot of grief and he still sticks around through it all, loving me and reminding me every day of that.  I am thankful that he is working so hard to provide a better life for us.  I am thankful he is willing to sacrifice now to make our future brighter.  It has been a rocky 2 years with a lot of life changes all piling on top of each other.  I am thankful he can keep his cool under stress.

I am thankful also for every person I have met here.  I would be so lost without my new friends.  From showing me around the city, introducing me to new ideas in parenting, babysitting trade offs, girl's nights out, play dates with the kids, and sometimes just a a shoulder to cry on.

I am thankful for my very supportive family-immediate and extended.  My parents and in-laws have been a great support through our move, through my first pregnancy and dealing with it away from home, through caring for a newborn on my own, through Addie's growth issues, through it all.  They may not always understand my decisions, but I have always gotten support.  I do have an aunt and uncle in the area that have been a huge help with the adjustment to our new life.  It is great to have family away from "home".

I also have some more frivolous things I am thankful for.

I am thankful that House is on every Monday night.  With Willie working nights, the evenings are quite lonely.  At least I have something to look forward to on Mondays.

I am thankful for discovering the blogosphere.  I have gotten so much off of my chest with this blog.  Maybe not many people read it, but that's not what matters to me.  What matters is that I have an outlet.

I am thankful for gDiapers!  Without them we would have been up a creek without a paddle tonight!  I guess this is the first step in the full transition to the cloth side.

So, that is what I am thankful for.  Have you thought about what you are thankful for?  Remember to hug your families this holiday and let them know how much you appreciate them!!

Happy Halloween!

This won't be a long post as I've been hyped up on sugar and can't sit still long, but we wanted to say Happy Halloween!  Just to forewarn you, I am 2 weeks from my due date (last year) and from Addie's first birthday, so you're going to see a lot of reminiscing these next few weeks instead of current news.  To hold true to that, here I am last year celebrating Halloween without Addison.

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Me and my lopsided pregnant belly, Halloween 2008

And, here we are today, as a family, celebrating this holiday yet again.

 

 

From all of us, Happy Halloween!

Let Freedom Ring

Happy (belated) 4th of July, everyone! Boy oh boy did we have a good time yesterday! We visited with some friends, whose daughter shares a birthday with Addie. They have become such great friends, so young in life! It was, I dare say, the most fulfilling summer holiday I have had since I left home 4 years ago. The kids played, the grown ups played. We all ate our fill of all sorts of goodies. The girls got to swim splash in the pool in the early evening, which is apparently way more fun than a regular bath. They were both pretty wiped out by the end of the day and hung out with the adults, toasting marshmellows and enjoying smores for a couple of hours killing time until dark. Addie drifted off to dream land sometime around 8:30, but was startled awake sometime around 10 as the fireworks started. I was able to get her back asleep, but for fear of her startling again, but me being outside and unable to hear her, I let her rest in my arms while we watched the show over the water. She was a little angel. She slept through the entire show, including the explosions closest to our viewing site. I was able to keep her asleep during the transition to her car seat once the fireworks died down some, and we headed home without a kink in the evening. Once we got home, I was able to gently place her in her crib, still asleep, and we were not disturbed 'till morning, where we blissfully slept until 8:30 in the morning-1 hour later than normal. I hope everyone is just as happy with their holiday as I am.