Almost Wordless Wednesday-My Fall Flower

We have had this plant since February and it has never had this many blooms at once! I think it likes fall :)

Happy Anniversary

I would like to wish my parents a Happy 36th Anniversary today :) In today's times, this is such a wonderful thing to celebrate! I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite photos of them with you :)

I just love to see them smile :)

And in this one we were making fun of their matching shirts...it's so good to see my dad with such a huge laugh!!!

Etsy Bloggers September 28 Edition

I finally hosted my first ever blog carnival for the EtsyBloggers :) I'd like to thank all of you who participated! And I recommend all of you stop by these wonderful blogs and see the artists' faces and/or studios :)

Welcome to the September 28, 2009 edition of etsybloggers.

Lois presents Monday Morning Musings - A Twitterview with Foxy G. posted at Foxy G's Den of i-KNIT-quity.

Alison DeCamp presents This Is The Ugly Truth... posted at Glass Ali

Elise presents Musing about me, and what I'm about posted at Inside Betani's Bureau.

agoodwitchtoo presents A Bit of Silliness Really posted at The Copper Cauldron.

Cheryl Patterson presents My Work Space posted at FeltSewGood.

CREATEaTHOUGHT presents The face behind the art posted at CREATEaTHOUGHT.

maryeb presents Studio Peek posted at Colorless Green Ideas.

storybeader presents Etsybloggers Carnival - interviewing the storybeader posted at Stroll Through Storyland.

BeadedTail presents Behind the BeadedTail... posted at beadedtail.

miesmama presents Miesmama posted at miesmama.

Sumiko Shop presents A day outside posted at Sumiko*Handmade Creations*

Syrena Edmonds presents Etsy Bloggers September 25th Blog Carnival!!! posted at Scrapbooking by Syrena.

dizzydragonflies presents Got gauge? Or I hear voices in my head posted at dizzydragonflies.

Brittany Wende presents Show Your Face! posted at - B.W. SILVER -.

Mary Ann presents My Workspace... posted at Morning Sky Jewelry and Creations.

Alicia Mae presents Behind the Blogger posted at Crafts and Cooking.

Two Zany Zebras presents *Love*Sew*Create* posted at Two Zany Zebras.

Laurie Jackson presents Where I Create posted at Indulge Your Shelf.

Sykin presents Etsybloggers Carnival Post posted at Sykin's One Stop Etsy Shopping Guide.

Jen presents Etsyblogger Carnival -- Mama's Studio and Mama's Face! posted at Mama's Magic.

Beth presents Who am I? posted at Sunshine Daydreamz.

jbEbert presents EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival Entry posted at jbEbert - pearls, gems and a little bling.

Andrea presents Hello World! posted at Rock-a-Baby Clothing Co..

lazytcrochet presents Yarn, Yarn, Everywhere Yarn... posted at LazyTcrochet.

Heather presents My Sewing Room -September 25 Blog Carnival posted at Heather's Custom Sewing.

cupcakedalink presents Etsy Bloggers September Carnival No. 2—Who are You and Where do You Create? posted at Cupcakedalink's Etsy Blog!.

Linda Pruitt presents Studio to work? posted at Pruitt Handcrafts.

Melissa Sinisgalli presents Show Your Face!! posted at Made By Melissa.

Patti presents L.........onging for a studio posted at peacoxcreations.

Kathy Johnston (Cozy) presents See Me If You Must posted at A Cozy Life.

BunnyKissd presents Blog Carnival: Sept 25th posted at Diary of a Crazy Rabbit Lady, Too.

Sandy Simpson presents In The Studio posted at Punky Jane.

A Keeper's Jackpot presents My Home and Studio posted at A Keeper's Jackpot.

Judy Nolan presents First stitches, first steps posted at Word Walks.

Sarah Wagner-Ranes presents Show Your Face posted at Sweet Sally's Soaps News.

Sandi Myers presents Ok, So you want to know what I look like? posted at The T-Shirt Lady

PatchFirstShop presents Me and My Workplace.. posted at PatchFirstShop.

TiLTcreations presents Etsyblogger Carnival: Me posted at Crafts, kids, home and life.

Jordan Pulliam presents Meet ME! posted at Jordan.

Jimena presents Show yourself... posted at Panoptica.

Edi presents Friday Features-The Cat's Meow posted at Memories for Life Scrapbooks.

cindy devine presents Etsy blogger's September 25 Blog Carnival posted at Devine Designs Jewelry.

eileen presents Dorset Hill Beads: Take a Look...Here we are... posted at Dorset Hill Beads.

Ellen Behm presents This is me... posted at Down the Street Creations.

Linda B presents Linda B Crafts Here, There and Everywhere posted at Linda B's Blog.

Linda Wheelock presents Spotted Cow Soaps: Welcome to My Mess(es)! posted at Spotted Cow Soaps.

shellmitchell presents It's Me! posted at Shell Mitchell Accessories and Design.

Margaret Freije presents my "studio" posted at Splendid Little Stars

Mysie presents Blog Carnival 09.25.09 - Show Yourself posted at Miao Miao by Mysie.

Paper Fields presents EtsyBloggers - Welcome to my World posted at Serendipity Collections.

Carapace presents All About ME! In Watercolor! posted at Cara Makes.

Now let's go visit our teammates blogs and read this edition of the EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival!

Technorati tags: etsybloggers, blog carnival.

Scrappy Time :)

In between going back to work (and working 10 hr. days) and working on our house...I was still able to find some time to get crafty this week :) I made three Custom Baby Girl Name Albums and tried to make each one unique and special since they were all going to the same buyer. I used a mix of light pink, bright pink and white and used a different mix of patterned papers and embellishments for each one also. This album is also a Custom Baby Name Album, but not in the traditional baby boy colors. The nursery will be decorated in red, black and white...so I made the album to match :) The last one is a Custom Wedding Name Album and I really love the colors they chose! They blend very well :) Currently I'm working on some custom layouts for a local client and hope to show them to you next week...stay tuned :)

House Update-Part 4

Slowly, but surely we are getting there! And we've decided that if we ever do work like this again...it's getting hired done! The good new is...Jesse and I haven't killed each other through all of this...LOL! I guess that shows that we must have a pretty good relationship :)

We finally got all of the windows in! This part makes me SO happy! We needed new windows so bad! You can see here the damage we were dealing with. The bottom of all the frames were rotten and had to be replaced...not fun!

This big window in our living room was very time-consuming because it came out in three separate pieces. And the middle was very heavy and very stuck! At least we got some hunky help...too bad he's Jesse's brother...Just Kidding!

And just to show you that I've been helping through all of this work...here's the proof! I got the super fun job (insert sarcasm here!) of scraping paint, repainting and caulking all the windows! A job I hope to never have to do again!

We also got all of the insulation blown in as well :) We'll be so toasty this winter! We only had one minor mishap with the insulation. I walked into the kitchen and wondered why it was so foggy/dusty. I saw a line of dust on the floor in front of the cabinets and opened them to find this mess! All I could do was laugh. There was a hole from where we installed the dishwasher and we'd forgotten about it! What a mess. I wasn't laughing so much when I had to clean it up the next day!

All in all everything is going okay. And our insurance agent came down the other day to see if we were going to meet out deadline (which we didn't). But he said they were going to go ahead and give us the rest of our money anyway because he could see the obvious work being done. I guess I could have left the insulation under the cupboard for him to see...LOL :)

Friday Features-The Cat's Meow

Since I featured dogs last week, I wanted to make sure I didn't make my kitties mad...so this week it's their turn to shine :)

These Light Blue Kitty Cat Earrings by BeadedTail are just so cute :) What better way to show your love for your furbabies than with jewelry!!!

And if you're going to be wearing some jewels...why not let your kitty too :) These Hand Stamped Pet Tags by tinytokensdesigns would be purrfect!

I love that this Kitty Love Print by PurrPrints is custom so you can choose any colors you like!

Of course my favorite would have to be this Cat Brag Book by 2PawPrints :) I love to make scrapbooks for my furbabies!!!

Blue and Chevy say: Have a Purrrrfect Day :)

I Am...

As the host of this week's EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival, I chose these two choices for the themes:

1) Show your face! I love to know the artist behind the work. Show us a picture of yourself and talk about your work, life...whatever. Interview yourself if you like.

2) Okay...so you don't want to show your face...show us your studio instead. Where do you create? Do you like it/want something different? What is your favorite part about where you create?

I like to see who's behind the art. I like a face to go with the person I'm talking to online :) And I liked SunshineDaydreamz's post so much that I thought I would use the same idea for my posting :) Thanks Beth!

I Am...

*a daughter/sister/granddaughter/niece/cousin

*Jesse's girl

*Mama to my furbabies

*Creative/Paper Crafter/Scrapbooker/Artist/Etsian

*Outgoing/A People Person

*A Type-A Personality

*Don't Watch TV...But Listen to the Radio All the Time

*An Internet Addict

*A Factory Worker/Machine Operator

*A College Graduate/MBA Student

*A List-Maker/Planner

I am unique. I am an original. I am just me :)

Almost Wordless Wednesday-Scrapbook Room Under Construction

I'm not liking this scene at all!!!

Happy Fall Y'all

Fall..really...already! But what if I'm not ready! I guess mother nature and the seasons don't care what I think! I'm a summer girl at heart, but I guess it is nice living in Iowa and having all four seasons :) Our mornings have started to be chilly, but the days are still in the 70s...so I guess I'll survive!

I thought I'd share a layout I did a few years back about my thoughts on Fall in Iowa :)

Happy Fall Everyone :)

You've Gotta Check This Out!

Do you like to look at gorgeous jewelry? Do you like to win gorgeous jewelry? Than you've seriously you've gotta check out this site! Fabulous Chic Designs features a new item each week and you have a chance to win a pair of her beautiful earrings!!! Here's what she says about her giveaway: I'm looking for handmade lovers to participate in a focus group to give their opinions on Fabulous Chic pieces. Every Sunday I will post a picture of a Fabulous Chic Design on my blog at http://fabulouslifeonabudget.blogspot.com/ and would like your opinion on the item. Of course there is a pay off for participating in the focus group. When you post your opinion in the comment section, you will be entered in a give away drawing. A focus group member will randomly be selected to win a Fabulous Chic Item. I want to hear your honest opinion, so please feel free to say if you do not like an item. Items will be posted every Sunday and the winner will be announced on Sunday at 9 am EST. You've already seen one pair of earrings I've won from her, now check out the rest: So what are you waiting for...get on over to her blog and check out the great giveaway :) Note: I just read her blog and the giveaway will be suspended this week...but stop by next week for more goodies :)

Designs by Vanessa-Featured EtsyBlogger

Welcome Every Birdie...as Vanessa would say :) DesignsbyVanessa is our Featured EtsyBlogger for the month of September...congrats Vanessa :)

I love that Vanessa has a nice mix of greeting cards and jewelry in her shop...all of which are adorable!!! Let's check out some of my faves...

Of course I was drawn to these Pretty Birdie Cards...they are pink after all :)

Her jewelry showcases birds too...and more pink :) These Song Sparrow Earrings would look great with any outfit!

Vanessa also makes super cute items without birdies...like these Hello Cupcake Greeting Cards!

Vanessa's Shop: http://designsbyvanessa.etsy.com/

Vanessa's Blog: http://designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com/

Work Update

Yay! I survived my first week back on night shift! Some nights weren't easy, but it was kind of nice to get back into that routine. Overtime has already begun. Which I guess I can't complain about because the money is nice...and that's why I'm there after all. I volunteered to work ten hour days to help out in hopes to have the weekend off. That plan kind of backfired as I got mandated to work on Saturday...Welcome back to the corporate world! At least they let us go in early and leave early :) On a great note...they decided to call 45 more people back to work!!! We knew they were going to be calling some...but that amount is awesome. This will allow them to start up a second partial shift on the assembly line and alleviate some of the overtime that department has been working. I haven't heard whether this will affect me or not. I am in a temp. position and the person who has that job full-time will be called back in this group. So I may have to learn a new machine again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe this will get me back to my old permanent job! Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday...I'm off to work on windows all day. Of course...more pics to come :)

Friday Features-Going to the Dogs

As many of you know...my furbabies are my kids :) So I thought I would feature some great Etsy finds on dogs today!

Since Harley is a Pomeranian, I had to feature a great find on poms :) This Needle Felted Custom Dog Sculpture by gfelted caught my eye right away! The attention to detail is amazing!

Our angel furbaby Sidney was a Rottweiler, so I wanted to find a great rotty feature too :) This Handpainted Rottweiler Christmas Ornament by whitedogart is a good way to remember Sidney around the holidays. Or anytime of year...hang it in a window to see all year-round :)

My parents have two Rat Terriers and both are getting older. The mama dog is 17! And her baby is 12! So I thought this Custom Painted Wooden Keepsake Box by JudyCootie would be a nice gift for them to put the girls' collars, tags, and other mementos in after they pass. Mom...what do you think of this?

I also love this Custom Order Memorial Stone by dogsteppingstones! I would love to have one to place where Sidney rests! I just love custom items and this one is very special :)

I hope you enjoyed today's features. Don't worry, the cats aren't getting left out...we'll feature them next Friday :)

House Update-Part 3

Slowly but surely we are making progress on our house. We have run into a few snags here and there, but hopefully it will all be done soon!

Our house is at its "ugly stage" right now. I guess we knew it would look worse before it looks better. Without the siding, it really looks terrible!

And all of the windows are torn out with just the storm windows left in. Here is where we ran into some trouble. The base boards for the frames are all rotten! So now we get to rebuild them all before we can put the new windows in! YUK!

We did get one window put in though. At least one frame was still solid :) It looks so nice...I can't wait to get the rest put in! I painted around the outside of it last weekend. Now all that needs done is the caulking.

We've also gotten all of the holes drilled for the blow-in insulation. But we have to wait to actually blow in the insulation because of the windows! The insulation will just fall out when we pull the frames out! So we are kind of stuck until we can get all the windows done.

Very soon this work will all be behind us...and we will have a beautiful house to look at everyday :) It will be so worth it!!!

Wordless Wednesday-Kitty Lovin'

Found-Handmade

Thanks to a couple of great EtsyBlogger teammates, I was introduced to Found Handmade today! A special thanks to Sweet Sally's Soaps for featuring me and thanks to Sparkly Park for showing me the feature!!!

Here's a screenshot of the feature. Don't you just love how she arranged my items :)

Found Handmade is a really cool site where you can submit your byhand.me spotlights of your own items or items of your favorites. You can feature items from several different venues all in one place!

I will definitely be checking this site out more to see all the cool features! Thanks again ladies for introducing me to this awesome site!

Catch of the Day

We had a great time air boating yesterday with Jesse's brother and his family :) The kids are always so much fun to watch!!!

Jesse caught a really nice catfish too! His brother and I were both getting good bites, but Jesse was the lucky one that got the catch of the day! I must admit that I'm a tad jealous because I still have yet to catch a cat! I guess that means we have to go out again, right :)

Here's the fight:

And now trying to get the hook out:

Look at this guy:

And I know you can't tell it from Jesse's face in this photo...but he really was excited to catch this fish...LOL :)

The Night Shift

Sunday already! Gosh...these weekends sure do go fast now that I'm back to work! And I start back on night shift tonight, so I have to go in to work at 11pm tonight! But I'm prepared :) I've got all the laundry done, I've got a roast in the crock pot, I've got the alarm set and the coffee preset ready :) Night shift has its perks. It's nice to get off work on Friday morning and be done for the week :) Plus, it is the shift that Jesse is on and I've missed him this week while being on day shift. It's hard going from seeing each other every day to not seeing each other until the weekend! So I will be happy to spend more time with my man :) Plus, night shift is a quieter shift. There are less people and less management in the plant at that time. We currently don't even have an assembly line running on the night shift...which makes it a lot quieter. So I'll have to do some changing around of my schedule and get used to a whole new one, but it will be worth it. And it's a schedule that I was on for over 6 years, so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to get back into the swing of things. On another note...I did apply for another job with my current employer. Hopefully I will hear about that on Monday or Tuesday. It will put me back on day shift, but it will be a less physically demanding job. It's an office job, but on the shop floor. So I get a little bit of both worlds. This job will change my schedule again...but I'm ready for whatever this life has to hand me :) Hope you all have a great Sunday and get to relax before the week starts. We're goin' airboating :) Catch ya later!

Be Proud-Blog Carnival Entry

One of our blog carnival options for the EtsyBloggers this month is to: Brag on yourself. What are you most proud of in your life?

I had to think long and hard about this one. I feel I have accomplished a lot in my 26 years and am proud of so many things. It was actually pretty nice to think back on all of my success and pick that one proudest moment :)

I would have to say that my proudest moment is actually a time in my life...not just one moment. I am proud of myself for working full-time, going to school full-time, and running my scrapbooking business! Yup...I'm a multi-tasker :)

I started working in the factory when I was 19 years old! Not one's ideal job, but it is one of the best paying jobs in my area...and they paid for my schooling! Definitely a bonus! And along the way, I have proven myself as a hard worker and have shown that I can do any job any man in that factory can :)

School was not easy while working full-time! I started out at a community college and had to drive an hour each way to class. I would work at night, drive to class, be in class for 4-5 hours each day, drive the hour back home...and do it all again the next day! Luckily along the way I found online classes :) They were a life-saver! I was able to do my work when it fit best into my schedule and get more accomplished this way. I earned my bachelor's degree on an accelerated program :) I have also started taking some MBA classes. Education is important to me and I enjoy learning new things. I may only be 4 classes into my degree...but it feels awesome!

And yes, I was running my scrapbooking business all along! I attended craft shows when I was able. I scrapbooked every spare minute I had. I made time for the things that were important :) Not only was I running my business, I was growing my business! It was during this time that I found Etsy and became an online seller!

I hope to add the accomplishment of MBA degree holder to my list some day. And the whole time, I will continue to work full-time and continue to run my Etsy shop :) I am a very goal-oriented person...and I am proud of that :)

P.S...Look for the Friday Features tomorrow :)

Friday Features (on Saturday) Back to Work

As many of my blog readers know...I just returned to work this week. So what more appropriate category for Friday Features (on Saturday) than work!

This No Coffee No Work Pendant by glasstilependants caught my eye right away! I'm a coffee drinker through and through. I have to have my cup in the morning and in the afternoon. And it comes in pink!!!

This College Degree Magnet by mindseyecards is so fitting for the job I am currently doing at work! I will not complain and I will not be negative about having a job again...I just wish it was a little more challenging.

I thought this Teamwork T-shirt by jamjamtees was pretty funny! You've gotta have a sense of humor at work, right :)

This Rubber Stamp by ThePaperLoft speaks volumes about the working world. We all want to be told Great Work now and then :) Maybe I should buy this stamp for my boss so he can start stamping this on our pay stubs...LOL :)

No matter what task I am doing...I am grateful to have a job and be back to work :) Happy Saturday :)