celebrating a new year clippie

I'm so thrilled to have some energy today! I got to work and finished an item that's been on my "to do list" for WAY too long. (Thanks mommab for your patience!) This little hair clippie was a custom order for a mom of a soon to be 3 year old. She's just going to look so precious showing off her newest number/year! :) The number "3" and all elements of this clippie have been hand embroidered.

treasury, blossom, volleyball, & olympics

I am so happy to have been featured in another Etsy Treasury today! Thank you so much storybeader for adding my Sushi - California Roll to this great collection... This treasury is available for viewing until 11:00 pm Saturday night... so check it out and look at all the beautiful items made by my fellow EtsyBloggers! :)

I worked on two of the new Blossom Card patterns today. I completed one that will be a birthday card for one of my friends. I love the pattern combination. I can't wait to get photos taken and the new patterns listed!

I was supposed to play in a Women's Volleyball Tournament tomorrow. I called last Sunday and let them know I wouldn't be able to play.... that S.U.C.K.S... I just knew that I didn't want to let the team down if I wasn't feeling well. I'm glad to hear they have enough players and I know they'll probably win the tournament. It's a bunch of women that I really LOVE playing with AND we won last year. I think I did the right thing though as my stomach is still giving me a very uncomfortable time and I really didn't want the pressure of trying to pretend that I was feeling well and that everything was OK. This way I can look forward to putting in a few games on Sunday with no worry of letting anyone down, plus knowing that if I end up not feeling well I can just take a break or head home. It's depressing.

I am SUPER excited about the Olympics starting today! I LOVE watching, it doesn't matter which sport is on, I will be glued to the television as much as possible over the next couple of weeks! I'm such a geek... I always wished I could be an Olympian.... (da, da, ta-da, da, ta-da, da, ta-da) Can't you hear that music... and wow... to hear the National Anthem play when one of our athletes takes the gold... it's the best! :)

in progress & volleyball recap

In progress... Those two words can really mean a lot! I have many projects "in progress", dinner is "in progress", my life is "in progress... see what I mean! :) It could make you crazy!

Today I worked on two items that are on my project list for this week. The embroidered clippie is on the left. The flowers are looking so cute... that's what made me think to take photos of it "in progress!" I have a few more flowers to add to this one before I start the next one.

The project on the right is "in progress" as well. I thought that it was pretty cool how the chocolates were looking three dimensional as they sat there on my desk. I actually cut them out (see all those tiny zig zag cuts!) of one of my chocolate truffle pincushion photos. I thought they would make super cute little chocolate bookmarks. I've made some chocolate bookmarks out of felt and I love how they look but I got a little bug in my head when I saw some cute little photo magnet bookmarks at the bookstore. I had to come up with my own! :) The next thing I'll do is make a base with my logo on it and then they'll be almost finished. I haven't decided yet whether I'll offer them in my shop or whether they'll be a cool little "extra" with a purchase. It did take me an awful long time to cut them out... (I know, I'm anal retentive and it had to be perfect... but look at them... I think it was worth it!)

Let's see... It's Wednesday! That means it's time for the Volleyball League update! (Hope you were able to find my blog Brian and Laurel!) All right... all I can say is that it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING team play tonight! Special mentions must be made though! First of all... OH MY GOSH! Brian was ON FIRE!!!!! Blocking like c-r-a-z-y AND hitting like it was nobody's business... I'd be waiting by the phone Brian, because I think that you might get a call about making a trip to China to play for the USA... Yes... it was THAT good! :) Another special mention... this is to.... (drum roll) ART!!! (You know it Art!) All I have to say is, JUMP serve! Your serve gave us a great start in the first game AND it brought us from behind and finished the game for us in the second game. Plus, I could talk about your defense, hitting, etc., etc. You know... you just might want to wait by the phone too! :) Now not to leave anybody out... I know how y'all like to see your names here... Brent! OK! WOW! Great cover, digs, and step-in setting! (Sorry I didn't get you many sets tonight... I don't know what was up with me!) Garrett! CONSISTENCY! You always know that you can count on Garrett in a clutch play! He did everything well! :) Dale! Talk about some smart shots and great hits! Even when I didn't get you an optimum set you made a play out of it! Some terrific defense too! ...And last but not least JULIE! She was all about hustle! Diving after those balls! Covering the blocks! She was everywhere! ..and the hands... like BUTTER! Team great job tonight! Super fun... I always love it when we play against Jared's team... and once again they gave us a run for our money! (We won two out of three.) Great competition!

I'm up late tonight. I had to eat a big meal at midnight. I had some ribs, chicken, half a sausage, mashed potatoes, and the rest of the fixings. (I was instructed to eat lots of protein.) It felt very odd to eat that late and it was really difficult for me. Now... I have to stay up a little longer, I'm hoping to avoid being sick. Why did I do this, you ask? Tomorrow morning is my EGD. We're trying to find out what's going on with my stomach. Hence, the big meal at midnight. The doctor wants to see if my food is digesting properly along with some other fun and not so exciting things. I just want to start feeling better. The medication the doctor put me on for the past few weeks has made a HUGE difference. The nausea has stopped and I have made it through the night without having to get up and be sick. I only have had one small episode since I began this acid reducing medication. I am so happy to not feel seasick anymore.

I've been feeling a little anxious and nervous about the procedure for the last couple of days. I don't think I'm as nervous about the anesthesia and actual procedure as I am hoping that they are able to pinpoint the issue. I had so many tests done a couple of years ago and it was frustrating when nothing could be determined exactly. It made me feel like I was making it all up or being a hypochondriac or something. That's one of the reasons I went so long without following up about it again. I also tried to pretend I had it under control by never eating late, going to a bland diet immediately upon feeling the discomfort begin, and ignoring it the best I could. It finally got to the point where my dear husband had to tell me... enough is enough. And he was right. I was really starting to become a little depressed to be feeling like that more and more often. Keep your fingers crossed for me... maybe this time they'll have an answer.

I guess you could say that my health is also "in progress"...

f r u s t r a t i o n

I've been having trouble with my stomach again... I had another episode (this means vomiting... I know, YUCK!) in the middle of the night Sunday and I've been feeling kind of nauseous with my upper abdomen area kind of tender ever since. It's time to actually follow up and get to a specialist. I thought I was keeping it "under control" but the reality is I'm not. I've had a couple episodes in the past two weeks and it worries me.

A year and a half ago I had multiple tests done and it was very frustrating to not have specific answers... the only thing we knew for sure was that my lipase levels were high for a few days so my doctor thought that my pancreas must be involved somehow, possibly pancreatitis. So I was put on a "bland diet" for a couple of weeks and then my levels evened out and I began to feel better. Every time I see this doctor (general practitioner) he has me do lots of blood work but I don't see how this has helped as I'm not always feeling the discomfort when I see him so then the blood work results are in the normal range. I'm tired of paying more than $500 to have blood work that isn't really telling us what's going on. I'm not going to mess around with my family doctor on this anymore. I became so discouraged because I had an ultrasound and other tests done, and there were no real findings... he made me feel like I was dreaming it up. Very depressing.

So... today I decided it was just time to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist. I have an appointment scheduled for June 9th. I feel a little better that I've taken some action toward trying to figure out why this keeps recurring. I guess the thing that I'm afraid of is that I'll go through a battery of new tests and still not know what's going on. Not to mention the cost... (sigh) I feel like crying.

OK... I have to think of something good now... Let's see... I worked on a couple of projects today! :) I cut out a new Blossom Card using some of the Amy Butler paper I bought over the weekend. I also made a new Blossom Clippy that should be ready for it's photo shoot and possible listing tomorrow.

I am ending the night on a good note... Paisley Skulls Blossom Card sold! I'll get it ready to mail to it's new home tomorrow in Glenside, PA! I love the message they are requesting... "hello sunshine"... It will be the perfect thing for me to start my day off with tomorrow... for now, goodnight moon.

clippy & dance

Earlier this year I created a bunch of felt flowers and have been wanting to use a couple to embellish a clippy... today I finally did it!

It was a so fun to sew together. I am going to make a little bunch of them... they are so happy and summer like! (I plan on making a few to list in my shop!) I wish I had made these for Cami when she was little, she would have been soooo cute with the little clippy in her hair! :)

I guess I have to admit that this is where my ACADD (Arts & Crafts - Attention Deficit Disorder) came into play today. I had every intention of getting the purse ready to list but got distracted by the "bright lights" and had to make a clippy instead. (Oh... I did cut out some pieces for a new blossom card too! That IS on my project list for this week!) Stay tuned... maybe tomorrow will be the day I FINALLY list the purse!

Alright, so now I have to say that I am EXTREMELY happy about something... what could it be? OK, don't laugh... but I am absolutely ADDICTED to "So You Think You Can Dance!" It was the first night of auditions tonight. Cami and I had a BLAST watching it. It's especially cute this year since Cami is SO into her dance classes and has decided that one day she wants to try out! I wouldn't be surprised. Once she puts her mind to something she works at it until she masters it. What a nice way to spend the evening... laughing together and enjoying the talent of some amazing dancers. I can hardly wait for the next episode! :)

Leila called today for my Caramel French Toast Recipe... She and a group of her friends are planning a breakfast potluck tomorrow and then they are heading to Six Flags for the day. They'll have so much fun and I know that her breakfast dish will be a hit! That french toast is one of Leila's favorite things for me to fix for breakfast when she's home.

Thinking of going to Six Flags makes me think that summer is almost here... Every year Cami and I go during the summer with a couple of our longtime friends. It's a tradition we've been doing since the kids were in kindergarten! Every year they're ready for another roller coaster! I love that summer is just around the corner... we have some great things planned! :)

a NEW...

Here's proof... I worked on my sushi pincushion today! YEAH! It felt good to sew all the "rice!" My sewing machine was pretty happy to see some action once again. I really want to finish it tomorrow because I can HARDLY wait to take photos... why? NORMIE BOUGHT ME A NEW CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh! I can hardly believe it! He got me a nice Canon Rebel XSi Digital SLR... I feel so super spoiled. The pressure is on... now I really have to take nice pictures! :) (This photo was with my old camera this morning...) The camera was a gift for our anniversary (on Sunday), I was lucky to get it a few days early. ("So you can play with it all weekend!" he said.) Did I tell you how lucky I am? WOW! It was the most super, thoughtful thing ever... thanks! :)

I've spent the last couple of hours reading the manual (yes... I am one of THOSE people) while I waited for the battery to charge. Once it was finally charged I tortured Walter a little bit by taking photos of him while he tried to nap. I'm so excited I just want to stay up all night and mess around with it, but I know that's not a good idea... that 5:15 alarm rings pretty loudly.

I'm off to dream of my husband (he had to be first, considering...), a beautiful new camera, photo opportunities, art, projects, and just how fortunate I feel right this minute...

sneak peek

My purse is ALMOST finished! I have a few more inches of hand sewing the binding. I was so excited about the progress I had to take some photos to post as a "sneak peek!" I love items that are convertible or "2 in 1." This purse has a couple of two in one features...

1. Handle can be long (top left photo) or can be a double short handle (bottom right photo). These two images are showing the back of the purse... (looks good enough to be the front!) :)

2. Purse "jewelry". Feel all summery and flowery? Attach the daisy... or in a simple bow mood? Attach the ribbon! Don't want anything? Then use the back as the front! :)

This bag is nice and roomy. It can hold almost anything you can imagine! Laptop, water bottles, beach stuff, purse stuff, yarn, etc. This bag is so sturdy and well made it will stand up on it's own! I have lined it with a COUPLE layers of fleece as well as buckram (a nice sturdy canvas type material). The handle is even lined with fleece! Material is a nice heavy weight cotton. I have spent lots of time on this bag and I hope it shows! :) It has a beautiful coordinating fabric lining with 3 pockets. I plan on spraying the bag with scotch guard once it's done for a little extra protection. This purse is dry clean only.

I plan on making this bag in two sizes... the one shown as well as a smaller version. I have had sooo much fun working on this and I am thrilled with how it's turning out!

Last night I mentioned that I was making some cards to give to the neighbor with the beautiful flowers. I finished a set for her this morning and I packaged them up for her. It made me feel really good to be putting together a gift that would be such a thoughtful surprise to the recipient. I was doing something nice for someone without being expected to or asked. (Not that I don't ever try to be nice to people... this was just different. It may be because I knew how much she loves her gardens and now she would have little memories of this season even after the last petal fell.)

As I was getting ready to go to the grocery store I saw Eva getting ready to leave. I caught her attention and asked if she could wait a moment. I ran in and grabbed her little package. You should have seen the surprise and delight on her face when she realized what I was giving her. It really made my day!

The photos were really beautiful... I may have to add a set to my etsy shop in the future.

OK... I better finish up that purse...

flat tire and flowers

My day started with a flat tire... so I walked Cami to school today. It gave me time to admire the beautiful flowers blooming across the street at my neighbor's house. I had to take some photos! They were magnificent!! I'm so glad I took the time to do more than notice them in passing... I'm going to make her a little set of cards. It will be my way to thank her for the beauty she's sharing with all her neighbors. I guess I'm also glad (in a VERY broad way) that I had a flat tire... it made me stop to smell (photograph) the flowers...

I did have time to take the photos and list the chocolate magnet set with altered tin. I think it would be such a great mother's day gift. I know I love little chocolate magnets holding things on my fridge! :) I'm so happy with how the tin turned out... it's perfect packaging for the little faux chocolates. (Yeah! One item on project list complete this week.)

I worked on the purse a little today as well. I was able to hand sew another 3 or 4 inches. It's slow work but it sure is looking nice. I'm going to have to decide whether I'm going to list it or not once it's finished. I'm struggling with that one right now... keep it for myself or list, keep it for myself or list... hmmm... what should I do?

Norm is in Seattle on a business trip. Cami and I miss him already. The house seems very quiet right now, I miss hearing his laugh while he watches some goofy show before bed. Speaking of bed... I better get going, that alarm rings pretty early!

(maybe I'll just put together a couple of the flower cards first...)

a c t i o n

I really enjoyed putting together a "bunch" of my chocolate magnets to use in the promo packages for UniquelyPampered. I really hope that it will bring me some business.

One of the great things about doing this project is that it pushed me to solve an issue I've been having with chocolate magnets that I've been including with orders. The problem was I didn't like handwriting my shop info on the back... The shape and the foil made it difficult to get a nice consistent look. I solved it! I designed a sticker with my tag line and shop info! It looks sooo much better! I'm glad I had to do so many chocolates, it really forced me to take the time to correct the issue. While I was at it I created another round sticker that includes my logo in the middle. Yeah! Now I had a sticker for the front of the promo bags as well! :)

I've been thinking about my "to do" list of projects. One of the reasons I've been thinking about it is due to greenbean baby art's spring clean-a-thon. I really wanted to participate but didn't get my butt in gear to get sponsors. (I was actually afraid to ask anyone... I want to feel more confident in my art and work, I hope by doing this that it will help.) I'm not going to just let it slide though. I want to create my own accountability by listing here every week what projects I plan on accomplishing that week. (I'm going to shoot for Sunday or Monday posting the week's goals and recapping the past week's list.) I need to do this! I have so many projects I want to get to and I think I sometimes need a little push. I think I'm my own worst enemy. I spend too much time "thinking!" It's time to DO!

I love to create... it's time to stop being afraid. It's time to stop worrying that it won't be perfect, or about what other people think (although I do hope people enjoy my creations!). I am excited and a little nervous. This will be a new adventure... It's time to take action!

volleyball week

Yesterday I mentioned that it was a very busy week.... Looking forward to this week I feel like I'm going to be saying the same thing! This week is the Vegas volleyball tournament. I'll drive to St. George, Utah on Thursday to spend a couple of days with family and then drive down to Vegas on Saturday with my mom and sister, Heather. (It will be Heather's birthday, too!) They'll do some shopping as well as hang out for awhile as our team's fan club. (We play all day Saturday and Sunday.) I booked a room for that night so we can enjoy a nice dinner and have more fun celebrating Heather's birthday AND just hanging out. (Of course, I really won't be able to tell you all about what we do, because what happens in... you know the drill! :) ) I go to Vegas twice a year for volleyball tournaments and every time my mom, sister, and I make a girl's weekend out of it. It's just the best! :)

My Wednesday night volleyball league won in playoffs... so we have the finals game on Wednesday! (Definitely a busy volleyball week... I also play tomorrow night!)

I've been busy tonight making up more of my paper chocolate promo magnets. UniquelyPampered asked if I wanted to participate in her raffle. I was so pleased to be asked! I'm trying to get it all set to mail off tomorrow. I also have a couple of orders to mail tomorrow as well.

I miss my car... The latest is that the repairs will take a couple of weeks... So I have probably another week and a half without it. I'll miss not being able to drive it to my tournament, I'll be driving Norm's car instead. His car is very nice and comfortable... but it's not my MINI... (sigh)

where did the week go?

Wow! This week has been a whirlwind!!!

Gigi and her family came for a few days to visit... We had such a great time! Cami LOVED playing with her cousins. I allowed her to stay home from school on Friday so that she could spend as much time as possible with them. They spent the afternoon in the pool... it was a perfect day! They left this afternoon, it seemed way too short! Gigi and I had fun "talking etsy" and crafts! It's always fun to hear about her new ideas and projects. She's so creative and talented!

Leila brought her boyfriend, Mike, home today. It's the first time we've had an opportunity to meet him... and it was a pleasure. It's so nice to see Leila happy. Hopefully we didn't scare him off! :)

PURSE UPDATE: ... oh sooo close! I only have to finish doing the hand stitching on the inside of the binding. I've worked so hard on it I didn't want to finish that part with machine stitching. I feel with the amount of work I've put into this project the extra time to make that finishing detail look consistent with the rest of the purse will be well worth it. (I did have fun showing off the purse in it's almost completed stage to Gigi! Her reaction made me feel very happy! Thanks Gigi!)

jet lag

I think that jet lag has caught up to me... I'm feeling very tired (and a little depressed) right now. Besides my body clock adjusting it probably has lots to do with my car being wrecked, lots of expenses, and frustration of not being able to do anything to help Norm get a break from work. Although we did get away for a few days, he really needs to take a vacation that is more than just a day or two.

I did have a chance to work on the purse a little today. (Of course I ran out of thread, which put a sudden stop to my progress!) I hope to have it complete in the next couple of days...

Cami was so excited about a book she got at the school book fair today. It's called, "The Girls Book - How to be the Best at Everything." She has been reading little hints and facts all afternoon. Super cute! :) I love it when she gets so excited and just chit chats... It reminds me to take a minute and just enjoy. Time goes way too quickly to be rushing it along.

I'm going to try for an early night and look forward to an early morning walk to get me started in the right direction tomorrow...

on the road again

It was misty and foggy this morning on my walk. I love walking when it's still dark and I have the roads to myself and my thoughts (and music). I get all bundled up (Cami says I look like a burglar) and I enjoy not worrying about dodging traffic as I go up and down the hills in my neighborhood. It's good to be back... on the road again!

I was able to work on the purse today. I fused the interfacing, sewed the front panel and back panel pieces together, and sewed the ribbon on the panel pieces. (I also got Norm's ironing done in between fusing the interfacing!) Tomorrow I'll fuse the fleece and layer the buckram to the panels. Hopefully I'll have time to do that.... I have trip preparation to do tomorrow as well!

Norm and I went over the itinerary for our trip and he helped me choose the outfits for the two evening events. It's a relief to have that part done. Tomorrow I'll head to Target (I have a return) and the mall (I know, AGAIN!). I plan on getting some nice looking flat sandals, maybe a black jacket or wrap, and maybe a somethin'-somethin' at Victoria's Secret.... :) I also need to make sure that I have the groceries that Leila and Cami will need, plus instructions, emergency lists, etc. I hope all this won't take too long... my purse will be waiting... :)

summer preview

Cami had her friend, Alanna, sleep over last night. Today they swam and played in the jacuzzi for HOURS!!! Here they are showing me how "old" their feet and hands are... don't they look like they're having fun! :)

It was so nice to hear them chit-chatting away and just messing around. It made it feel like a summer afternoon... so relaxing and satisfying. It was so wonderful.

I was able to get all the pieces for my purse cut out. It took quite awhile! :) I had to cut the fabrics, interfacing, fusible fleece, buckram... I thought it would never end! Tomorrow I hope to get started by at least getting the interfacing fused to all the pieces...

I have volleyball in the morning! Yeah! I've been in withdrawal... both of my leagues have been off for a couple of weeks... I NEED exercise! :) I am happy that I have officially started back on my walking routine (began again yesterday)... I had stopped when Norm had his surgery. Cami reminded me of that. It's amazing how so many things in our life stood still for awhile.