The Greatest Day of the Year

Today is that day....it's opening day for baseball. I am one of the biggest baseball fans in the world. I have a serious love for baseball, not just the sport, but the memories of watching it with my daddy. My dad was beyond obsessed with baseball. Oh what it would have been like for him if he were still alive today. I know he would be totally into fantasy baseball, we would have had every baseball channel there was and I can only imagine the phone the man would have had to track baseball daily. To give you a bit of glimpse how big of a fan the man was, not only did he write a paper about being a professional baseball player in 8th grade that made it's way to the newspaper in Phoenix, AZ, he also created his own baseball game out of his cards and little pieces of paper. I also recently found a folder where he tracked pitching stats for every pitcher for a year and also a folder full of different possible scenarios. Oh and I can't leave out that when he died he was buried in his 85 I-70 World Series shirt and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was played at the end of his funeral.

So yay, baseball is in my blood. It is still as far as I'm concerned the American sport. I love that Dart is becoming as interested in baseball as I am. He loves playing baseball and I'm sure this year he will be more into stats than ever before. He is a stat fanatic for football and basketball and let's face it, baseball is a bit over the top when it comes to stats. He has an excellent arm and makes some amazing stops at first base. I think he will either be a first basemen or a center fielder. The only thing he lacks for center field is speed. He is not a short sprint kid.

I know many people out there say the game is too long and they need to shorten it. However, aren't some of the best games those that last hours? I know that when a guy is being intentionally walked, I would be fine if he just took the base, we all know he's going to be walked, no point in throwing all 4 balls. However, how can you speed up the game beyond that? Okay, so you limit trips to the mound and the length of time out there, but even that isn't going to shorten it much. You just can't speed up a game like baseball and that's what is so perfect about baseball. I love that even if you are down by 10 runs, come that 9th inning one swing of the bat can change it all. A baseball game is never over until that last out. Not like football and basketball where they can either take a knee or hold the ball as long as the shot clock is in their favor. Baseball has to be played out completely. A pitcher can't refuse to pitch simply because his team is winning. That's what makes baseball so exciting and yet at the same time, can be a very relaxing game.

Yes, I know the Royals are one of the worst teams in MLB, but I'm still a loyal fan. Have been for as long as I can remember. I remember going to see George Brett play in his final game at home. My grandma came and took me from tennis practice so we could go see it. I've stood in line for GA tickets many times and have many memories of sitting in GA watching the game. Something about being at a game that just makes it so real. Dart and I are still planning on hitting a Mizzou baseball game soon. I'd also love to go see a Mizzou softball game.

So today on opening day, stop for a minute and smell the grass, hear the crack of the bat and stand for the National Anthem, I get goose bumps just thinking about it. Baseball is back and the bases are placed in the ground, the fields are looking better than ever, the hot dog vendors are ready and the boys are back in town! PLAY BALL!!!

At the Moment

Listening: The silence actually. Everyone is in bed, so I'm hearing a fan and me typing. Kind of strange.

Eating: Nothing, time for bed almost.

Drinking: Water, with a bit of lemon juice. Yummy!

Wearing: flannel Owl pants my mommy bought me and my ES sister shirt.

Feeling: Sleepy, stressed, worried, excited, creative, sleepy

Weather: Cold again today, but supposed to be warming up soon. I hope it sticks around this time, because I'm done with the cold and snow.

Wanting: Lots of orders in my Etsy shop. A new bone folder because mine is about done, a new cutting mat because mine has massive cut marks in it, and some more greeting stamp sets.

Needing: Lots of orders in my Etsy shop. A new bone folder and a new cutting mat. Money! A day to stay home and not leave!

Thinking: Of all the things I want to make, ideas rolling around in my head for so many different things. I need to focus.

Enjoying: The kids being on spring break and getting to sleep in some. Although by the time we get up I feel like half my day is gone.

Wondering: When Spring is going to come and stay? So many other things.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Hump Day! I love Wednesday because it means Modern Family. ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS ON TV!!

Random

Lots on the mind for today:

• My cousin's wife is having a boy! For so long girls ruled in our family, slowly the boys are catching up. Best news is all is well and healthy!
• My grandpa jacked up his thumb in his workshop on Saturday and decided today that he might need more than just the tape he had on it. Why do men do this?
• Listed a couple of card sets today, have another to list tomorrow and finally my rag quilt to list. 
• Working on an Easter card set now. Love the little bunny and chick stamps I have to use. Hoping to design a couple more sets as well
• I have a serious addiction to graph paper. I use it for almost everything. Very rarely do I use regular lined paper. Weird I know
• I LOVE Celebrity Apprentice. But I often wonder what else The Donald's admin asst. Amanda does other than let the celebrity's know they can go back in. Also why does she always answer him on speaker phone and then inform them they can go in, like they can't hear it for themselves. Yes, I'm weird like that!
• I'm declaring April use it or lose it on my cabinets in my kitchen. Why do we have 4 boxes full of Kool-Aid packets? Seriously we need to use them up. 
• We are on a Harry Potter kick in our house. We have never seen the movies(and I'm ducking now to avoid the objects being thrown my way). We have watched 1 and 2 and are getting ready to watch 3. We only have 4, so need to find the others. 

One of the card sets listed on Etsy today.

Unplanned break

So last week got a lot crazy and I ended up taking an unplanned break from my blog, facebook and even twitter some. We had some crazy PTA issues come up at the kids school that I was busy dealing with. I think we have the nitty gritty behind us and I'm so happy. 7:00 am emergency meetings and I do not get along very well. I also spent all day Friday at school. Science Olympiad in the morning, counting fundraiser money and copying homework and doing folders in the afternoon. I think I was there longer than some of the teachers were. At least we are now on Winter Spring Break.

I spent today CLEANING my work area. It just wasn't working for me. Got rid of a lot of stuff that I wasn't using. I LOVE how my area looks now. So much more functional and less cluttered.

I have 3 card sets ready to list in the store and at least 3 more ready to be put together. It feels so good to be creating again. Now if I could get around to actually scrapbooking again I'd be really happy.

I'm letting go of Make it Monday this week and just going to be creative this week. I'd like to get some more cards sets made, a few banners and possibly some sewing. With the kids on Spring Break this week getting stuff done is a little hard and we have a few things we'd like to do this week as well. Hopefully we can get to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 and maybe the park, that depends on mother nature showing up though.

I will be back to blog though!!

I LOVE this banner. The shoe is my favorite part.

 

This was a custom banner for a bachelorette party.

Hello Spring!!!

My windows are open and I am in flip flops. Spring is here and I'm happy. I'm also ignoring the evil weather people who keep saying the 4 letter s word is a possibility for next week. Next week is spring break for my kiddos and I do NOT want s@#$. Haha!

I don't know how much I'm going to think about trying to make this week as I'm working on some other aspect stuff for Pink Owl. I've had these little nagging things on my mind for months now that I'm thinking I need to get taken care of so I can feel free to create. Not that those things are bad things, they are really fun things, I just haven't given them the attention they need so they feel like bad things. They are things that I want to design and things like post cards and packaging stuff for the business. I just need to get them done.

I do have 2 rag quilts cut. I am missing 3 pieces for one and 5 pieces for the other. UGH! I am not a happy person when that happens. Hoping to pick those things up today so I can get them sewn tonight. I am also determined to get some graduation stuff at least sketched out so I can start on them soon. I am also going to get some Easter stuff made. I do have the designs in my head and a few sketched out, so I want to get them together to see what I like. I'm also itching to get back to making doll clothes. I think those might be great things for Easter baskets for little girls.

I have TONS of fabric I could use to make dresses like this for the dolls. They are so easy to make and just as easy for the little girls to get on their dolls. Wouldn't they be perfect Easter gifts?

I hope everyone is having a wonderful first FULL day of Spring. Now if only she sticks around!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

7 reasons I'm so lucky!
1. I am lucky because I get to be mom to Dart and Audrey and wife to Mark. Love them all and while they make me want to pull my hair out at least 10 times a day each, I can't imagine my life without them.

2. I am lucky because I have the most amazing friends. Friends that I know I can turn to whenever I need a shoulder to cry on, a reality check, a good belly laugh or just a smile, hug or buck up and deal! I get to see some of these girls almost daily whether it be school stuff or baseball.

3. I am lucky because I have the most amazing family. We may be totally crazy and loud and yes, we drive each other crazy, I am incredibly lucky to have all of them in my life.

4. I am lucky because I have been blessed with creative talents. I haven't done anything creative in a couple of days and noticed that my mood is kind of off, I know for certain it has to do with my lack of creating. I feel so alive when I am in the middle of a creative project.

5. I am lucky because I have 3 angels watching over me every single day of my life. All of them touched my life in different ways and taught me different things for which I am forever grateful.

6. I am lucky because I have the ability to make a difference, whether it be in a life of a child I get to come in contact by volunteering at my children's school, a difference for future generations by choosing to use a reusable grocery bag over a plastic bag, or a difference in my own child's life by encouraging them to go after their dreams, I know I can be involved in that difference.

7. I am lucky because I am alive. I get to enjoy basketball games(despite my bracket being a mess thanks to a few teams), I get to enjoy baseball games very soon and I got to enjoy the amazing weather we had in Missouri today. There was no snow on the ground and for that I am very happy!

I hope all of you had a wonderful and safe St. Patrick's Day.

Stories

"Stories are data with a soul" Brene Brown

I have been working on cleaning up my external hard drive for over a month now. It was bad. I had some pictures saved 3 or 4 times and there was no organization to it. I discovered a little over a year ago I am definitely a saver by date, it works for me. I still have other little categories I tag with, but for me date is the easiest way for me to find a picture. In doing this I have had to go through several years of pictures that were not saved by date and get them saved that way. I also have been going through and deleting bad pictures, pictures that I have a million of. Do I really need 500 of my brother running? I mean you see him run in 1 picture you've see all 500. Now of him getting his medals and all, that's different, but actually in running form, no, I don't need that many.

While going through this process I have come across so many different stories I can't wait to tell. Some that I forgot all about, some I've had in my head for a while and some that because of changes in life now need to be told.

This picture for instance, not the best quality picture. In this picture is my son, his best friend(his brother from another mother as Audrey says) and his best friends dad(or as my son calls him his other dad). However, at this time we did not even know them. How crazy is it that in 2 years time they became "brothers" and that it is only these 3 people in this picture. I have not cropped this picture or done anything to it. So now I am watching for other pictures of just the 3 of them so I can tell the story of how the friendship evolved.

How many times have we wished that we had recorded our grandparents or great grandparents or even our parents stories? What about our own stories from childhood? I used to think I didn't have much of a story to tell, not like I've gone out and conquered Everest or discovered something great, so what kind of story could I have that needs to be told. Then I got to thinking about things I wished I asked my grandma or things I wish I knew about my dad. And then I came across this quote by Brene Brown "Our stories matter because we matter." That is so true. Our kids stories matter. Someday they may want to know why they do a certain thing or why something matters so much to them. I wish my mom or my dad had done more to record stories about my dad so I could share them with my son. The 2 of them are so alike it is scary and my son never met my dad. I think it would mean so much to my son. I have given him a few things that were my dads and because of me telling him "that reminds me of your Grandpa Blair" they mean something to him, but I wish I could give him more of the story behind them. My son is obsessed with stats of sports I mean seriously obsessed. He can rattle off stats I had no clue he knew about, things that even I just don't get into. That was my dad so much.

We need to tell our stories. For ourselves and for our children. Whether it be in a "scrapbook" with pictures and pretties or just in a blog or journal our stories need to be told. Our children's stories need to be told. I so wish I had written down all the little things my son added to "Good Night Moon" when we would read it. It was a nightly thing for about 4 years. He could not go to sleep without Good Night Moon. As we would read it he had little things he added to it and he would always say those things when we would read the pages. I wish I had recorded that. It was to the point that I had the book memorized and even when it was left at home one time when we went to visit my mom instead of "reading" the book to him I simply "read" it from memory.

What stories are most important to you that haven't been told? What stories of other loved ones do you wish you knew more about? Do something to tell your stories. Start a blog just for stories, even a word document just to tell those stories. We all know the big ones, but what about those little ones, the ones you forgot, until something triggers the memory? Those are the stories that give us soul, those are the stories that matter.

DONE WITH WINTER

I will be the first to admit that I normally love winter and the snow. However after what I'm sure has been 40 inches this winter including around 8 yesterday I'm done.

This is what we woke up to yesterday morning. It was wet slushy heavy snow.

Woke up this morning and it was still there, not as much, but just enough. I went out to check the mail and as I was walking down the steps I hit a patch of slush just right and...well I'm sure you can guess where I went. I fell HARD! I saw stars just like they do in cartoons. I was pretty sure it would bruise. I however did not imagine the bruise I would end up with. It's just below my lower back and is about the size of a softball and almost black! I sat through a 2 and a half hour PTA meeting this evening in pain. Forgot to take more advil before I left. It hurts to sit down, it hurts to stand up and I don't even want to think about how it's going to feel to get out of bed in the morning. And I had on good shoes, not boots, not flats, but a fairly new pair of tennis shoes. They still have very good tread to them. Guess slush in March is no match for any shoes!

On a brighter note we are supposed to see 70 degrees on Thursday! I hope it comes and stays. According to the farmers almanac we are supposed to get another major round of winter weather sometime between the 24th and 27th. I really hope they are wrong!

Make it Monday

Here's the list this week:

• Graduation stuff designed
• Easter cards
• Easter banner
• Digital cards
• cupcake toppers
• cupcake wraps
• thank you card sets
• a new blog header
• a rag quilt(possibly 2)

Wow, if I get half of these done I will be happy. Mojo is flowing so that's good, just getting down to work and actually doing it.

This was a custom order for a bachelorette party. LOVE the shoe.

7 on Sunday

1. My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those effected by the tragedy in Japan. It just seems to keep coming for them. And my prayers especially go to those who have not heard from their missing loved ones.

2. Read this quote yesterday and it has been running through my mind all day today. "Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing ever. But to hold it together when everyone else thinks you'd fall apart is true strength." The Notebook. So many times this has applied to me, including now.

3. Anyone reading this that might be interested, my kids are selling Otis Spunkmeyer cookies for school. These are the kind you pull out of the tub and place on the cookie sheet and bake. No scooping, no measuring, nothing, just pull out and bake. The PTA at their school has had an amazing year, we were able to purchase a much needed new piece of playground equipment and a new set of desk top computers. Through the district we also had help in purchasing a mobile computer lab. With over 500 students in their building they really needed 2 computer labs. Because of these purchases, we are looking to rebuild our funds some for our budget next year. If you want to order some, just let me know. They are $15.00 for a tub.

4. I am seriously addicted to Pinterest It is basically an online pinboard. You can create various pinboard subjects and then whatever you find on the internet that interests you, you can "pin" to your board. You can also see what others are pinning. It even includes the links back to where you found whatever it is you are pinning, so you don't even have to remember it by the bookmark name. I'm going through all my bookmarks and pinning various things I had that I wanted to make or cook or bake, etc. I LOVE IT!

5. March Madness is here. This evening after baseball Dart filled out 2 brackets. 1 that he hopes will happen and then one that he thinks is more likely to happen. I will be filling mine out tomorrow. Love this time of year.

6. It is 17 days, 15 hours, 5 minutes and some odd seconds until the greatest day of the year. Opening Day of baseball. I LOVE baseball season. I'm a tried and true Royals fan, but also cheer for the Cards when they aren't playing the Royals. Am hoping the Rangers have a good season too. Let's face it the chances of the Royals making a run for October is slim, so the Rangers are my pick. I love Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler is a Mizzou boy, so I have to cheer for him. And he's a great player as well.

7. Hoping to get lots done this week for the Etsy shop. I am working on some graduation stuff, Easter stuff and hope to do some sewing as well.

A peek at a Graduation item!

Negative Feedback

Last week I received a convo on Etsy from someone wanting a custom order. She needed it this weekend and was great about explaining what she wanted. A brocade or paisley print in pastel colors for a birthday party. I found a gorgeous paisley print and emailed her the picture of it to make sure it was okay. I LOVED it and thought she would too. Her response was "Don't like, I would rather have a simple polka dot or swirl print in pastel pink, green, purple, yellow and blue." I had a feeling at this point that nothing I did from this point on would make her happy. I decided this time when I found paper I would only buy 1 of what I found and make sure she liked it and then go back and get the rest. I found 3 I liked and sent her pictures of those. She didn't like any of those 3 so she decided on a plain pastel background with pastel letters. Okay, got all that done and sent her the proof before sealing everything. She replied back "I forgot to tell you I wanted a layered background with scallop edges on each layer. I also want a spacer reading Aubrey and Sage turn 2 and another one with a flower stamp or something on it." Mind you this is now Tuesday evening and it has to go in the mail Wednesday.  Along the way she also added cupcake toppers. When she added the 2 spacers it put her into the next price range for the banner.  I got an email from her this morning, she received her items, but is very disappointed in the quality of them. I kind of knew that was coming. I knew after her changing her mind on her print that nothing I did would make her happy. I'm sure she will leave me negative feedback, which will upset me a bit, but I am taking this experience and learning from it and moving on. I have learned to ask more questions upfront to make sure I get a full picture of what they want from the beginning. I am going to learn to go with my gut when I feel like no matter what happens it will not make the customer happy. I haven't charged her the difference for adding more to her banner and now I won't. I am happy with the banner, I think it looks good and I know it was well made. The cupcake toppers I was a bit concerned with since they were a much larger size then I've made before. I will make changes if I make any that large again, but that will only be done on a custom order, other than that I'm sticking to the smaller size.

I hope this is my last experience with this sort of thing, but I'm sure it won't be. I really hope I am handling this the right way. I have not expressed frustration or anything but pleasantness towards her. I have been kind and apologetic to her for her disappointment. I will just see how she responds. I have asked her why she was disappointed in my banner, as I have never received anything but wonderful feedback on them. Do you think I am handling this in the right way?




My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the tragedy in Japan. I cannot imagine what they are experiencing right now. My thoughts and prayers are also with those who were affected here in the US.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday and don't forget to change your clocks tonight before you go to bed. Not looking forward to losing an hour of sleep, but am looking forward to more daylight!

Thursday 13

13 totally random things for this Thursday!

1. Happy Birthday to my sister. Last year on this day she got engaged, wonder if my future brother in law even attempted to top that.

2. Speaking of engaged, my youngest sister got engaged on Sunday. Her now fiance went all out. Had a car pick her up at their apartment, took her to the airport, where she flew to St. Louis. He had another car waiting to take her to the Botanical Gardens where there was a map waiting for her. She followed it around to a gazebo where he was waiting in a tux, with a pro photog and got down on 1 knee and proposed. And her ring is GORGEOUS!! When she texted me to tell me about it, she said "Since I know you will ask, yes I cried. I cried like a baby." She never cries at anything and I cry at commercials.

3. I'm trying my best at the moment not to have a heart attack. If I do, it will be brought on by Mizzou's basketball game. UGH!

4. I wonder how the person who discovered peanut butter gets gum out of hair discovered that? Why am I wondering that, because it was a great discovery that was used in my house tonight. Audrey got gum in her hair when Dart tackled her playing football in the house. I love my kids!

5. I have so many crafty things I want to make, I'm hoping this weekend I can knock several of them off my list. Of course losing an hour Sunday might not help.

6. I really wish when the dryer ate socks, it would eat a complete pair, instead of a sock of 2 different pairs.

7. I started reading "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown the other night. OMG! Seriously love this book. I checked it out from the library and it would be one I would buy. So many good things in it.

8. Speaking of books, I have also been listening to "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert while I work. I loved the movie and listening to her read the book is amazing. Thinking I need to get some more books to listen to while I work. My husband is baffled by my ability to listen to a book while I work. He doesn't understand how I can actually remember things.

9. I'm ready for the temps to get warm. I'm done with the rain, cloudy, coldy stuff. I'm normally a girl that doesn't really mind winter, but this winter has taken it's toll on me. Too much snow and cold.

10. I can spend hours browsing on Etsy. Tonight I started searching for robots for my mom to get an idea of something to do for my brothers robotics team and I ended up browsing a shop full of all sorts of cupcakes and that led me to search for cupcake wrappers. I want to make cupcake wrappers to go with my toppers and banners.

11. Pintrest is another site that sucks me in. So much inspiration and ideas in one spot. Can't wait to get my invite so I can start pinning!

12. This week my family has gone through 2 gallons of milk, 2 bunches of bananas, 2 bunches of grapes, and 4 containers of cottage cheese. I think my kids are growing. I'm afraid if my son does, he will soon be taller than me. He only needs 6 inches to be taller than me. Granted I'm only 5'2" on a good day, but he's only 9. Of course having great uncles on both sides of the family that are well over 6 feet, some pushing closer to 7 feet, I think he's going to be tall.

13. Only a few weeks until the greatest day of the year...Opening Day! I cannot wait for baseball season to start.

Pictures of a custom order banner I made a couple of weeks ago. She actually ordered 2. I can't wait to see what she does with them.

Busy Busy Busy

Not complaining at all mind you. I have had a rush of banner requests in the last week and so I have been busy. I love making banners, especially when they are custom orders. I've done one for a small crafty business who wanted it for her table at craft fairs, working on one for a bachelorette party, and one for a birthday party. Got one today for someone who wants to use it in their maternity shoot. What an awesome idea. The only downfall to all of these orders, more ideas for other banners. I have stuff to start making graduation banners. I'm also going to add cupcake toppers to the shop. Had a request for a few of them so I figure that will go good with banners. I can't wait to make some for Easter as well. I got the cutest Easter stamps that will be perfect on cupcake toppers.

When I'm not crafting I seem to be at a PTA meeting of some sort or baseball practice. Last night was our first practice outside and it was COLD!! I was smart and took my own chair and a blanket. Figured the bleachers might be cold. Even with those things I froze. Next time I'm taking hot chocolate too. The boys loved it though. They were so glad to finally get to play outside and not be stuck inside all the time.

A look at a set of cards I made a little while back. Thank you cards or any card sets are great gift ideas for moms and grandmas or any female in your life. We always seem to need a card at the last minute. And if you have a card on hand you are more likely to actually send it than if you have to go out and buy some.

Hope everyone is having a good Fat Tuesday. It is rainy and yucky and cold in Columbia, dreaming of sunshine and 70 degree temperatures.

Friday Favorites

Decided to post some of my favorite things as of lately.

First, I WANT this for my birthday. So adorable...

Would she not look adorable on top of a cake...Found in KidsCakes

These little cuties would be adorable for a birthday party.

I finally saw Despicable Me not to long ago and these little guys were too adorable in the movie. Found in EntirelySweet

I absolutely love this pendant. I have been stalking Etsy for pendants a lot lately, but there are way too many cute ones, I can't decide which one I want. This one was found in TightlyWound

I have this fabric, I just can't decide what I want to make with it. I love this bin. Found on Google Images.

I have been reconnected with my colored pencils the last couple of days and I am really enjoying it. Found on Google Images.

And on to cupcakes. I have a major craving for chocolate cupcakes right now.

 Are these not the cutest cupcake wrappers! I really want to figure out the pattern for making cupcake wrappers. Found in ThatsaWrap

The following are amazing cupcakes I found on Google Images. I am loving Google Images lately.

I don't think I could eat these. WAY TO CUTE to even eat!!!

These make me think of my mom, who loves cows. These would be so cute for Mother's Day.

Audrey would love these for her birthday. These wouldn't even need cupcakes to go down in.

I'm off to find something chocolate, need to give in to this craving, hope ice cream will work.

Have a Great Weekend!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." Dr. Seuss

That is one of my favorite quotes by the master of rhymes. I love Dr. Seuss, always have!  In honor of his birthday I'm doing a post about books. Only seems fitting to honor him this way.

I am currently reading Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally and am loving it. So many things I have written down and want to remember. I checked it out from the library, but this is one I would own.

I have Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia ready to start also. My awesome sister Leslie bought the movie for me for Christmas and I LOVED IT! I know everyone who read the book said the movie was not as good. I can't wait to read it.

Next on my list is The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story I absolutely love her blog and can't wait to read her book.

Now if you are looking for a series or 2 some of my favorites are:
The Alphabet series by Sue Grafton. I just finished L is for Lawless and while it wasn't one of my favorites it still kept my attention and had me reading way past bedtime. Start with...A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mysteries, No. 1)

On a lighter note I love the Number series by Janet Evanovich. I usually read these in one day. So funny. I literally laugh out loud and sometimes to the point of crying. One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, No. 1)

Also a bit lighter is the Cookie Shop Mysteries by Joanne Fluke. Hannah Swensen is a cookie shop owner who always is coming upon dead bodies. I will warn you that reading these always makes me hungry for cookies. Wonder why??? Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)

I'm also a fan of the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. I loved the show when it was on too. These are a lot more intense than the previous 2. 1st to Die (The Women's Murder Club)

All of these links are to the traditional paper books, but I would imagine most of them are available for the e devices as well.

Have you heard of goodreads.com? One of my favorite sites when it comes to books. You can't buy them there, but create lists of books want to read, currently reading or have read. Great way to keep track of that. You can also friend other people and see what they are reading and read their reviews. I have added many books to my list because of that. My to-read list is sitting at 640 books right now. WOW!

What are some of your favorite books? What are you currently reading?

Have an avid reader in your lift? These are great for them to put inside any books they might loan out to friends. 

One can never have too many book marks can they?

Update Day

A new month and a new update on my 34 before 35 list . I'm only going to update those that I made progress on, so if you want to read the entire list check out the original post.

Here is my list of 34 Things I want to do before I turn 35!
4. Have 100 sales in my Etsy shop. I've got 2 so far! Another order this month. 2 banners in the order.
5. Have 75 followers on my blog. Working on some fun things for the blog this year. 1 more follower this month. It was a rough blogging month though.
6. Maintain 50 items in my Etsy shop. I have so many things I want to make and hopefully it will be hard to have 50 items in my shop all the time because hopefully things will be selling! I have 21 items in there now and 2 that are ready to go up today or tomorrow.
7. Do more sewing. I want to make doll clothes, clothes for Audrey and lots of stuff to put in the shop. This was probably the biggest thing this month. I made 3 blankets(2 doll blankets and a rag quilt), 1 rag quilt burp cloth, and lots of doll clothes(3 shirts, 2 dresses, 1 pair of pants, a skirt and a headband). I have major sewing fever. Rearranged how my fabric was stored and can't wait to get back to sewing.
9. Create digital cards. Think the cards you get at Christmas. Great for birth announcements, birthday invitations, Graduation open houses, wedding save the dates and more. Got them printed this month and discovered some things that needed to be fixed so I got those done. Have a couple in the works.
10. Declutter. I am tired of all the junk we have. I have started with my scrapbook stuff and actually look forward to creating because I don't get caught up in the stuff. We totally emptied our storage unit and have gone through a ton of stuff. 6 bags to goodwill so far and will probably have a few more.
11. Be proud of me. I have always had a hard time when someone tells me I create beautiful things and I'm talented. Need to learn to accept it.  Going to be an ongoing thing.
12. Do more reading of creative/business books. I have a massive list of them to read. Reading Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally Which is so far really good.
14. Drink 3 bottles of water daily. Mostly to drink less pop each day. I am a huge pop drinker and need to cut back. Doing much better with this. On my 2nd bottle for the day. Still having pop some, but not like I used to.
16. Have 10 custom orders. I would love to have more, but I really want to make more custom items for people. Be it banners, cards or scrapbooks, bring it on. WOW! This has been a huge change from last month. Already mailed 2 banners(1 person ordered 2) and have 2 that I need to finish(both orders came right at the end of the month so they go in that month). On my way to reaching this one.
17. Really learn the ins and outs of PSE. There is so many things I could do that I just haven't taken the time to learn yet. Another one that is going to be a constant ongoing thing.
18. Procrastinate less. I have been working hard on this. I am horrible at procrastinating and then doing everything at the last minute. My timer has become my best friend. Also picking out 3 things that I will get done before I go to bed each day has really helped.
20. Menu Plan. I HATE going to the store constantly to get stuff for dinner. I also would love to see us eat a little better and know that will help us with that as well. Yes and no. Having a blizzard at the beginning of the month, I planned well for that. Done a lot of lets see what we have on hand type thing so that's helped a little.
22. Add photo editing to the business. This one may not happen until later in the year, but I want to figure out how to do this at some point. Hope to have this finalized this month. Working on the nitty gritty details.
23. Clean up my external hard drive. It is a mess. So many things on there that are horrible pictures and on there multiple times. Makes me dread having to look for anything on it. We had a weekend where our internet was out so I attacked my ehd. It was a mess, but I have made huge progress. All pictures are sorted into the correct month, just need to go through them now.
24. Stay better caught up on pictures, editing and uploading. Upload to Shutterfly, Flickr and other spots. Also be better about backing up. Winter pictures on dvd this morning and in external hard drive already. Did better uploading things I made to Flickr and Facebook.
27. Read 1 fun book a month. I love to read, just have a hard time making time for it. Hopefully this will force me to read more. Read L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton. Not one of my favorites of hers, but it was still good.
30. Send more cards. I really want to do more with giving friends birthday cards and just send cards in general. Imagine how much happier we all would be if in the midst of bills and junk there was a card just to let you know someone is thinking about you. Did send a couple.
34. Do more to encourage Handmade Items!! I don't care if it's jewelry or cards or what, I just really want to do more to encourage buying handmade. Had a couple of friends husbands who I encouraged them to check out Etsy for the wives Valentine's Day gifts. Both found something and ordered from there and their wives were very happy with what they got. Both said it was a million times better than flowers or chocolate. 

Another update I wanted to do last week, but was waiting for the final letter to come. My brother is FREE TO RUN AGAIN!!!!! He had his stress test last week and when they were there he was told all looked good, but Friday they got the final letter saying he was released to run. Track practice starts today! Thank you for all the prayers and good thoughts.

He is pretty proud of his scar. He said that next year when he's at Mizzou and the guys are painting their chests for games he will be the exclamation point since his is built in. It goes up pretty high on his chest too. At the top you can feel the metal they used to close his ribs up.

Throwing this one in just because it's so cute. They both think the other is pretty much the best thing in the world.