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!!