Girly Things

I love love love FREEBIES! This link has actually been in my favorites for a long time. I don't know why I never shared it here before. Girly Things does not charge a cent for the bow instructions posted to her site. It is all there for every crafty mama to use. Yes, for real...no money needed for the instructions to make a cute little bow! Just visit the site and browse the many many bow instructions and make a few or even a hundred....you can sell the bows even! She even has advice and tips on selling the bows....I swear...this mama is NOT stingy at all! She learned to share her toys....SO go on...get to bow makin'! OH I have a GREAT idea...you make a Neon Green Leopard print bow to match this dress you need to buy from me....sound good?

What I did today...a thrilling post..um yea

Well our condenser coil on our AC froze up, so I just about died today. I needed to sew, but it was just way too hot and I didn't manage to do that. I talked to J about some things he wanted to pick up from the store. Something about clamps and other work holding thingamajiggers. Don't ask me...I have no clue. Only thing I know about clamps are what I use for piercing..otherwise known as forceps...oh yea and those things Jessica has in the back of her nightstand drawer, but we won't talk about that here..... Anyhow...this evening we had a field trip to a Photography studio for Morgan's 4H class. She enjoyed that and can not wait to get started on her assignments. This 4H thing really has been fun so far. The little ones have Clover Buds tomorrow, then it is Entomology, Drama (clowning) and Leadership for Morgan. 4H days are long but totally worth it.

Artists of Film and Music...check it out!

I just came across a new site called Unicorn Media. This appears to be a great new tool for music promotion as well as independent film promotion! I am always browsing for sites like this to help support my husbands band. This site is totally FREE for artists and the fans! Currently you can use the Artist Beta to browse and look at the developing features for this great new tool.

I went and checked out the blog for the site as well. They have a lot of tips and information for film and music artists and I will be bookmarking this! I especially liked reading the post about getting your band signed to a label. The blog posts are written in a way that makes it enjoyable to read instead of the typical droning you come across on other blogs of this nature. I was quite pleased. On the blog I also came across some posts of reviews. I will be spending more time there reading the reviews and checking out the music since I am always on the look out for new tunes.

One thing that impressed me is that Unicorn Media celebrated Earth Day and dedicated a post to recognizing musicians that helped make a difference.

Unicorn Media is for the Artist! They want to help get you noticed! So check it out, hook it up, then use your myspace and direct people to Unicorn Media to hear and view your hard work!
Unicorn Media believes that artists should have a place to showcase their music in the high quality they intended it, build a fan base, interact directly with their fans and make money.

Sponsor me at Out of the Darkness

As you know, our friend Ben Cooksey committed suicide in July. His family has set up a walk team and we have joined it.

My goal is only $100, I hope to exceed this. If everyone that reads my blog, or has me on myspace or in a yahoo group just donated $1.00 I would meet this goal of $100 and surely go over it.

http://afsp.donordrive.com/participant/stitchblade

I will be joining with thousands of people nationwide this fall to walk in AFSP's 2008 Out of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I would appreciate any support that you give me for this worthwhile cause.The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, education and prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With more than 32,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP's mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent.I hope you will consider supporting my participation in this event. Any contribution will help the work of AFSP, and all donations are 100% tax deductible.Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please click the "Support This Participant" button on this page.Thank you for visiting my fundraising page!

Sewing swimsuits

I figure if I want to have them done for next summer that I probably should start figuring this out now. Have any of you ever sewn swimwear? My idea is to sew the girls really cool 1950's style children's swimsuits, you know...ones that actually COVER. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. If you have a horror story and want to tell me just to forget it then that would be good too, I sure don't want to bite off more than I can chew!

Cool Kids

10 Random facts about me

This was assigned to me by Heather

I am a Tattoo Artist and Body Piercer

I have 3 daughters

I am learning to play the guitar

I am afraid of cats, birds, and spider monkeys

I am self taught in everything that I do and believe I can do anything!

I have a thumbprint shaped birthmark on my bootie

I love thrift stores

I have been nursing for 4 yrs, 4 mo, and 6 days straight as of today

I'm 33 but I think I am 21

I love my friends

Passing this on to 10 other people

1. 'Cuz I Felt Like It!
2. Just the 5 of us!
3. Hello Jobi
4. Late Mornin' lullaby
5. One Retro Mama
6. Giggle Talk
7. Primal Mommies
8. One tired mama and a 6 pack
9. Melanie's Closet Project Blog
10. Chasing My Tail

My Husband

Just wanted to post to let any locals that read my blog know that my husband is in construction. You know....framing, carpentry, decks, carports, remodeling, new construction, custom homes, doors, windows, trim and anything else that goes along with it. If you need something done get in contact with me and I will send you his contact info. He has many years of experience and is a perfectionist...like so much so that he drives me nuts when I am sewing with double checking my measurements and telling me something is 1/16 of an inch off center. So come on and get that deck you always wanted! It's nice outside and you deserve a nice deck to sit on and cookout!

What's new???

Well nothing in my shop is new at the moment...but there are some awesome goodies still in there so check that out!

What is new though is 'Cuz I Felt Like It's NEW look...yea a NEW look...cause I love her and she asked! Go check her out and show her some lovin' cause she rocks.

What else is new? Ok...I'm totally bragging here, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post......Yea I love it cause its all about me....how much radder could it get? This woman rocks and I thank her so much for the wonderful post she made! THANK YOU!

Help For Madeline

Meet Madeline, she was born on July 21st 2008. She has an extremely rare skin disorder called Congenital Pigmented Nevus (CPN).
This disorder causes some problems for Miss Madeline and she really needs this stuff removed!

Her chances of developing Melanoma (skin cancer) are much higher than with "normal" skin.

She has trouble with overheating - the nevus skin cannot sweat.

There are long term social and psychological challenges of living with the nevus.

She'll have restricted activity due to the structure of the nevus and UV exposure.

Guess what though....Insurance will not cover the surgery to remove it! So, Madeline needs our help! They have set up a fund to help Madeline raise the money she needs to get her surgery. Her little body is covered with this. She has one very large area on her back, and many many small ones all over her little body.

So what can we do? Well first of all you can help spread the word about Madeline! Secondly you can donate some funds, or you could arrange a fundraiser.

I learned a new trick!

Check it out! I learned a new trick and added a signature to my posts! Thanks to the tips I found at Jay's corner. They had a post up about adding a divider between posts. I took that info and was able to add in a signature to my own blog. The only thing I did differently is add the code in after Footer 1. Footer 3 is where the divider code goes as instructed on the blog post, I will add in a divider later. S0 thank you very much for the instructions! Go check it out and personalize that blog of yours a bit more!

Oh by the way...I was able to create my signature with coding included at My Live Signature! They have many fonts to choose from, colors, slants, sizes, etc! Coding included!

I was TAGGED!

I was tagged by Giggle Talk!
Favorite person (outside family)?
Jessica from 'Cuz I Felt Like it of course!
Favorite food?
Salad, specifically from the Olive Garden.
Quirks about you?
hmmm....I dunno?
Any regrets in life?
Yea, wasting time on people who made me unhappy
Favorite Charity/Cause?
Anything that helps kids in our OWN country.
Favorite Blog recently?
Rocks in My Dryer
Something you can’t get enough of?
Starbucks!
Worst job you’ve ever had?
Waitress!
What job would you pay NOT to have?
Anything outside in the Texas heat!
If you could be a fly on the wall, where?
oh I can think of a lot! heeeheee but I will keep them to myself.
Guilty Pleasure?
Dark Chocolate!
Got any confessions?
No not really
If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it?
A digital SLR fer sure!
Favorite thing about your house?
The old hardwoods, and the huge back yard!
Least favorite thing about your house?
No screen in the windows because they are the old tilt out windows.
One thing you are bad at?
Painting my nails, and putting on liquid eyeliner.
One thing you’re good at?
Tattooing, drawing, painting, sewing, lots of stuff!
If you could change something about your circumstances, what?
I'd be rich!
Who would you like to meet someday? Living or dead?
You know...I may be lame, but I just do not have an answer for this!
What makes you feel sexy?
J
Who is your real life hero?
These are hard....
What is the hardest part of your job?
finding time
When are you most relaxed?
In the shower
What stresses you out?
Everything! But I am working on that!
What can you not live without?
My Family and close friends. COFFEE!
Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists?
I don't get it...
Why do you blog?
just cuz

Okay - rules:
1. Answer the questions
2. Link back to whoever tagged you
3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same, 2 from each category.

• New/newer bloggers -
• My Kind a Rain
• Hello, Jobi
• Bloggy friends —
• Christi's Creative Side
• Late Mornin' Lullaby
• Bloggers you’d like to get to know better –
• One Retro Mama
• ABunchAKidsInc
• Bloggers you are not sure will respond, but you hope will—
• Granola Chicks
• Mommy Matters

Organize, declutter and more.....

I am on a message board and one of the hot topics right now is decluttering! I have come across a blog with some more tips to help us all get organized and declutter. It is called Home Organization Solutions . They cover everything in the house! Kids, Clutter, Organizing, Holidays, Paper....just about anything you can think of you could probably find an idea or a solution here. For those of you trying to declutter I suggest you read this post called Top 3 tips to declutter your home. There are also links to other blogs about decluttering. I know one specific mama who said PAPER was her problem. TONS of paper and she had no idea what to do. Here is a post about controlling paper clutter so mama you KNOW who you are....check it out! Tons of info here to get you started in organizing your home. Now get off the computer and declutter! As for myself...I am off to check out the Holiday tips! Christmas is right around the corner and I need to get a jump on it!

Just about Anything

Just About Anything is the blog I stumbled upon today. A blog written by a mother of a girl named Sam living in Japan. I do believe she lives in Tokyo (but is originally from the Philippines), I searched for an about me page...but did not find it. It could be there...I just may not have enough coffee in my system to find it! She writes about ...well....Just about anything as her blog title suggests. I was browsing through I came across this post called Celebrating the Ten Years. She discusses the long distance relationship with her now husband. She is a first time mother and talks about that as well as food, travel, her personal opinions and thoughts, world news, other blogs and much more. I hope she will post some recipes of meatless (like ZERO fish or meat) Sushi. I want to make some but I have a total mental thing and I will not eat fish...especially not RAW. I wonder if she does Bento?

I can make $7.50?

So, I was reading a blog post today by i.do.blog. Lately it has become a quest of mine to check out as many blogs as I can. This post caught my eye because...well to be honest it was about money. Now I am a frugal mama that looks for some extra cash wherever I can find it. The blog post was about a newer program by pay per post where you review the posts made by the poster. Sounds pretty simple. I did click the link to sign up, but there seemed to be a little technical difficulty on the websites end, so we shall see if it worked and if it is indeed a money maker.

There are quite a few reviews of other bloggers on this blog, so after I post this I am going to look through those and see what other goodies I can find! If anyone has used the pay per post review program I would love to hear what you think about it. I have seen Pay Per Post before, but never the review option.

Speaking of Vegas...

Check out laughlin hotels! I just came across this and you can find excellent rates all on one site. The site is easy to navigate and offers a lot of information. Check out the Aquarius Casino Resort or the Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino. There are so many different ones to look at with tons of information about each one. Definitely a starting point for a Vegas Vacation! A lot of these resorts seem to have something for the whole family.

Vegas Baby!

Vegas....one of those places that seems like I should go to, but will I ever? I have friends that plan and take Vegas vacations every year. I used to have this dream of going to Vegas and getting married in a drive thru by a fat Elvis. I didn't scrap the dream, but I just don't ever see it happening. Maybe when I am like 50 or something. I should put it on my list of things to do before I die. I've been to Atlantic City once. Gambling is FUN...maybe TOO fun to me. I was a good girl and walked out being $30 ahead. It was hard though....very very hard. They stuff you full of free drinks so that you sit and play and play.....its so fun. Yea I think I need to go to Vegas!

Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus

I can remember it like it was yesterday! The clowns, the animals, the trapeze artists! It was so exciting as a child and it still gets me all excited as an adult! I remember once getting to ride on the Elephants! It was so amazing to be so small and be up there on that gigantic creature!

My oldest daughter Morgan has been to the circus, the little 2 have yet to experience it. How exciting to have two little ones see it for the first time. The looks of pure amazement on their little faces!

Ringling Brothers Circus with the help of Mom Central has given me a special coupon code to share with you!

The code is MCC

This code is valid for the circus shows in the following cities:

Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008

Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008

Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008

Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008

Boston, MA – Oct. 8-13, 2008

Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2

Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008

St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008

Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008

Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009

Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Please spread the joy of the circus by passing this coupon code onto your friends and family!

They can go to ringling.com and type in their zip code to find the shows and purchase tickets online with the code.

Oh and don't forget about the Baby’s First Circus program! This program allows babies to receive a free ticket voucher that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date! How cool is that!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
Tuesday: Chicken and Rice
Wednesday: 4H day so pack some sandwiches
Thursday: Hot dogs and Baked Mac & Cheese
Friday: Crock pot Beans and Fried Cornbread
Saturday: Homemade Pizza
Sunday: Leftovers

Friday Stocking!

I have added some new items today! Previews are up and they will be available for purchase tomorrow. Please stop in and check it out. I also added 4 custom Tutu slots! Christmas is coming and it is time to start thinking about gifts! Tutu's make great gifts, and are wonderful for pictures! Aprons are excellent gifts as well. Don't forget that tutus are awesome for Halloween and can continue to be used for dress up and make believe! Grab a spot while you can. I also can offer local pick up if anyone in the area wants anything. Just let me know!

**Tutu bootie photo courtesy of customer Erin....thanks girlie!

hmm is it me?

Christmas ideas for MEN??

Here I sit at my computer with a runny nose, shivering bones and I think I may be dying.....However I have to think about some things. These things involve ME needing YOU people...yea YOU. The people who read but rarely comment. I need you. I am near death and this is my request, have a heart. I need some ideas for Christmas presents for the Man. So far I have come across the bacon of the month club. What man wouldn't want to be a member of a club that sends him bacon monthly? I could truly see this being a hit, but I am still looking for more ideas before I decide on one. There are those beer of the month clubs...but he only drinks Texas beer such as Shiner Bock, so that would not be good. Give me your ideas....Please! I beg of you to have a heart and help a girl out.

Check it out!

Ok so I finally bit the bullet and opened my own Hyenacart. It opens TODAY....like really soon. 11 am EDT, so less than an hour now. I have a pretty good variety up at the moment and look forward to adding more next week. I am always up for a custom, so if you are interested let me know. I even added a new style of Apron, so occasionally you may find some of the full lengths as well....Please leave me a comment and tell me what you like best from my shop at the moment. THANKS! OH AND HEY>>>>>>There is a Free For Shipping Lottery up too!

Sneak Peeeeekin...

Another busy day!

I don't think I will ever get caught up. I still haven't posted about the weekend, and will not have time tonight either. Today was filled! We took Blue to the vet and had some running around to do. Looks like tomorrow will be filled as well. I know I need to go look at faucets because the kitchen faucet broke! I also have a whole lotta sewing to do! Customs, trades and stock! I need to get myself back on track this week fer sure.

Drained

I'm drained from the weekend. I'm not even going to attempt to talk about the weekend right now, besides to say I really can not wait til I can go to sleep tonight. I'm just kind of vegging at the computer waiting for the kids to finish eating so I can clean up after dinner. Surfing the net looking at home theater lighting. They have these Star wall sconces that would make awesome nightlights for the hallway near the girls room. Anyhow....I need to not be on here right now because I am too exhausted to think straight and type right.