I've been a little other-occupied...

...on getting pregnant.

And now I am. Just found out. A little freaked out!!

It still feels really surreal. It hasn't really sunk in yet.
And we're thrilled!! It only took one try so I'm happy to not have to stress out about it. Phew.
But, still. Not real yet.

I'm surprising my folks with the news tonight so that may help. I've been telling people all day. I sent out some announcements in the mail today. So, despite not really believing it--it's real! It's happening. Wow.

So that's where I've been. But I'm back and, no, this blog won't turn into a pregnancy journal! But be on the look-out for my ever-expanding belly! And possibly less blogging when the "night sickness" sets in.
Did I mention "wow?"
Here's that second pink line that changes everything (you gotta look real close)...



** {I labeled this post "miscarriage" for anyone wondering how my miscarriage story played out. Added 2-22-2012}

Pay It Forward

I found out about this "Pay It Forward Exchange" from Roseanne over at
http://rosannes-blog.blogspot.com/
It’s based of the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on.
So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, but it will be handmade and sent within the next three months and that’s a promise!
What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. Or if you don't have a blog you need to do an unexpected nice thing for a friend, family or coworker then add a comment here to let us know what you did.
Wanna play?? Leave your comment NOW! :)

unexpected delights

My college roommate introduced me to the word "delightful." Of course I'd heard of it but she used it to describe a cup of coffee, a pleasant outing with friends, a particular item of clothing--anything that brought delight. And it's a delightful word to use, too!

Well, the last 24 hours have brought many delights. A creamy milkshake and a chocolate chip cookie...a gorgeous spring morning playing with the kids outside...a luxurious nap in the middle of the day...roses from my husband...and freebies from my Etsy friend.
My hubby clipped these from the bushes where he works. Aren't they just glistening??


This particular one is called "double delight" and smelled AH-mazing.

I love roses, especially "wild" ones that aren't the perfect 12 that come from the florist. I'd much prefer this delightful little assortment!!!
Then my order arrived today and my friend over at Baffin Bags on Esty included these for free!! They are...well, delightful. The colors are wonderful and the stripes/floral combo is absolutely lovely.


I love them! What a nice surprise!! I hope you have some delightful moments today, too!

What's on my desk

:: The custom Mother's Day cards from "Lemon Tree Studio" at Etsy that just arrived and are ah-mazing
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5622688
I just like looking at them!!
:: My new checkbook cover from "Thirtyone13 Designs" at Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5196391
:: A favor from a baby shower I attended Saturday
:: Buttons in a pretty vase--I have big plans for them
:: A frame my crafty friend made for me, complete with buttons and polka dots
:: Thank yous and embellishments my Etsy friends have sent with their packages, to go on my inspiration board. They're too pretty to throw away!!

Mother's Day

...is just over a month away!! What are YOU getting your mom??
When it comes to birthdays and Mother's Day, I like buying things that the recipient wouldn't buy for herself. Something frivolous, pretty and maybe a little impractical!
I love what "headtotoe2007" has on Etsy. Gift baskets!! The contents are handmade and the basket is reusable.
Here's her site:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5250233
Here's what my grandmother in Florida is getting from my Mom and me. "Headtotoe" is shipping it to her directly--how easy is that??? Besides the beautiful basket and liner, it includes a pillow case for the travel pillow she uses with her favorite chair (the larger one is pictured, but I wanted you to see the print called "peony"), hand soap and a reversible tissue box cover WITH tissues.


In a word? Delightful. No, she doesn't NEED a pink tissue box cover or a fancy pillow case for her pillow--but won't she LOVE it?? What a treat, right?? I think she'll adore it.
There's also THIS basket available with kitchen items. How cute is this stuff??? It includes the basket the liner, the reversible tissue box cover, a kitchen towel and a pot holder. I love the polka dots!!


The BEST part?? You can purchase it and have it shipped--all for under $40. Go in on it with a family member!!
This one's for my mom. She had to OK it because I had such a hard time choosing between all the gorgeous totes from "baffinbags" on Etsy.
She's at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5119794
It's flip flops--perfect for my mom--with the matching mini-wallet. Her bags are amazing, with all these pockets on the inside. The quality is fantastic.

As for my mother-in-law in another state, she's getting this mini-wallet and tissue cover in the "pink acanthus floral" fabric. Depending on my budget, I'd like to slip a gift card into the wallet as an extra treat. Somewhere she CAN'T buy something for her kids!! These are from "Sew Gracious" on Etsy and she has a lovely assortment of affordable items, many with free shipping!! She's at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5084340


For fabulous, CUSTOM cards--check out "Lemon Tree Studio" at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5622688
I ordered ALL my Mother's Day cards from her--and she can make them say anything you want!! Here's two examples:


I've purchased multiple times from all these ladies and they are wonderful. Hop on over and check them out!! Just tell them "Proudgrits11" sent ya! :)

This is...my jewelry box

This "This is..." orginated as best I can tell with
http://anastasiac.blogspot.com/
Check out lots more there.
On to mine...
HA!! One box???? Puh-leez!!! I am a very well-accessorized woman (thanks to my mom, grandmother and husband, plus my home-based jewelry business!) so my jewelry chest contains mainly my "fine jewelry." This is the earrings, bracelets and pins. Fifteen years worth. My birthing bracelet is in there along with pins from my great-grandmother, an ivory bangle my dad brought back from Africa, Native American pieces, stuff I made, a dragonfly pin from my mother-in-law...lots of goodies.


Here's just a small fraction of rings in a jewelry box my friend from fifth grade gave me several years back. Yes, K, I still have it! :)

I also have this wacky hand that holds my pearl pieces. They're pretty to look at, so why not??

The stuff I wear daily is kept accessible on this tray, where I can grab-and-go. It's all stuff I sell, so I'm advertising when I wear it. I sold a necklace off my neck just today!!

This drawer holds some of my very, very favorites--stuff I would never sell.

And this is the dish from France that belonged to a dear family friend who recently passed away--it stays by the kitchen sink for my rings and such when I'm working in the kitchen. I took my jewels out so you could see the dish.

in the skirt

Here's the ensemble I came up with for my new skirt. I got a lot of compliments--and felt very pretty--for a mere $3! :)

Saturday: Brought to you by the letter "T"

Today was my big chance to roll out of bed and head across town to my folks' house for a lovely breakfast by their pool. I left the boys snoozing in bed! The three of us had several cups of coffee, chatted and watched the birds. See the hummingbird?? Look right of the red flowers.

It was a lovely morning! First I was served coffee and a nice fruit cup, even with a little umbrella!!

The we had Mom's famous eggs with basil from her garden, cinnamon toast and bacon. I could smell the bacon cooking as I walked up. Yuuuummmmyyyy. I love the yellow against the turquoise plate! It pleases the eye and the belly.

Then my mom and I set off. I zipped into one store to make a return and bought a new pair of sunglasses and a super-cute hat. I'm wearing contacts now so I can finally wear cute sunglasses again!!
Then we spent about two HOURS at the half-price sale at Goodwill. Next time, we'll set aside the entire afternoon--holy mazoli!! I haven't "thrifted" in quite some time. I only went in for crafty items, kids books and skirts. And that's what I got. Well, plus a few extra goodies.
After that, I zoomed waaaay across town to a friend's baby shower. She's having a boy so it brought back a lot of memories. It was such a nice, relaxing shower--no games, just good food and nice music and a really fabulous breeze. I even won a mini rose bush for guessing her favorite lullaby correctly!! I love prizes!!

So for my son, I scored him these red pegs, plus a couple new coloring books. His room is blue, red and white and, though it would be cheap and easy to make my own, I never would so I'd much prefer to just buy it. It was like $2. I may distress it a little or even add some embellishments but for now, it'll do.

I also made out with some super-fun books!! I got one for myself about the royal family (it's a little fascination of mine), plus a neat one with reading games and activities. The rest were just pretty and/or cute--some for my son's room, some to possibly frame and display.

I love this illustration where the hip mom is working on her sewing! :)

As for skirts, I did well. These two were $3 or so bucks each. LOVE them!! The one has some beads and embroidery and the other is very fun to twirl in! I'm wearing it to church tomorrow.

And these three were $2.50 each. Comfy, cute, EASY. Throw it on with a tee and flip-flops and I'm good to go.

I also got some odds and ends...a wooden soap dish, some sewing hoops, thread, an album, envelopes and a "fun fur" scarf. All dirt cheap, of course.

Then I got some linen napkins (hopefully to practice embroidery on!!) and another embroidered piece I may cut up and frame parts of...

...plus a fun little dish towel that I added to my tea shelf in the kitchen.

I was thrilled with my finds. Mom and I are going back at least once/month, especially when I get a few projects going and know what I need. It's a treasure trove!!
So! That was my Saturday--how'd you spend yours???

photo op

So I take a lot of pictures and I'm really good about uploading them, e-mailing them and printing them--even mailing them to distant relatives! Ocassionally, they even make it into albums. BUT--I'm afraid they're quite predictable. Even boring. I need to improve my skills, experiment, get creative. So I'm trying.
We spent about four hours at the zoo today with my nephews--here are some of the more "interesting" shots (ie, NOT the subject centered and smiling). The one tip I read recently said to simply try to capture what you want to remember. So when there were moments today that I wanted to remember, I tried to capture the details. Here are the results.
Being a boy in the stream...

peeking down from the tree house (the only reason I knew he was up there was because he was chattering at me)...

checking out the fish...

the cousins trying to spot a turtle...

and a gorgeous rose I couldn't resist.

I had a lot of really boring shots, too. Those are for the grandmas.

Brought to you by the letter "C"

My Monkey son and I hit the store for a few essential items today (aloe, chicken, coffee creamer, M&M cookies...necessities!!) and spent a while at the park before I drug him home, literally kicking and screaming!! We had to get ready for the carpet cleaning guy (his name is Al) and I was suffering low blood sugar because I was too cheap to spend my precious cash on McD's and wanted to eat a turkey sandwich at home instead. He wasn't thrilled (my son, not Al) and didn't seem to get the idea of "Mommy's got the shakes and we've got vacuuming to do." Hmm.
So the carpet look A-mazing!! Like new. I spruced up the house a bit, too, so it would all look good when my hubby got home. I even made dinner--and a cake!! Dinner was my famous chicken/mushroom/tomato concoction in the crock-pot. We ate it over whole wheat pasta. The tomatoes had green chilies so it had a little ZING. The cake was just a mix but since my hubby is watching what he eats, I made it with applesauce instead of oil. Cut the fat in half! And it was sooooo moist and delicious!! I enjoyed mine with a glass of milk. Mmmmmmmm.
So a fairly productive day. I feel better about tomorrow since we're going to the zoo first thing, then going to a friend's for dinner. At least the house is in order for the weekend, so the rest of the fam can destroy it properly. It'll keep me busy next week! It never ends.
Here's a random shot from today of us holding hands in the park. I'm trying to be more artistic with my photography. I like this one!

P.S. For the chicken recipe, see comments.

Aaah, spring!

This morning, I woke up to the sounds of:
birds chirping wildly
the wind chimes blowing
a weed whacker in the distance &
a dog barking playfully.
What a lovely serenade to start the day!!
I've got a guy coming to clean the carpet this afternoon...better get on with the vacuuming.
I've got BIG plans for crafting this weekend--including some fun thrift-store shopping for inspiration!! I haven't done that in AGES.
All the new blogs I'm finding really INSPIRE me to create!! I've barely made a darn thing since Monkey was born, back in November 2005!!! YIKES!!
Now that my desk in in shape and usable, I have no excuse not to "work." Well, OK, I do have a Monkey on my back every time I try to sit down--but that's what Daddy and Nana are for! :)
I should get my coupons together for the craft store, too, and my to-do list going...phew! Sometimes fun is hard work!!

Wednesday...What's on my desk

This is my fist installment so I admit, YES, this is the best it will be! It's like prettying the house before company comes over. BUT, I assure you, now that I cleared off my unused computer and have my craft supplies close at hand, it WILL be getting used--and future weeks should be much more interesting!!
First of all, this is my desk at home, in my husbands "man cave." I plan to move out eventually, but not any time soon. That'll be a major project. I'm on the hunt for a big desk, though, for under $30 (Goodwill, I hope) that I can paint black and relocate to my front room.
So in the meantime, this is where I craft (or WILL craft--I haven't done much lately) and run my two home-based businesses. I do a lost of list-making here, too.
Here's what we've got:
:: files for my businesses, church, Bunco calendar, etc.
:: my brand new "Wildflowers" Gold Canyon candle, which smells like the inside of a florist--YUM!!
:: the Tinkerbell poster my hubby bought me for Christmas (I love Tink!)
:: my inspiration/dream board where I post images that inspire or soothe me
:: my purple and white lamp
:: my brand new "The Complete Encyclopedia of Stitchery" book that I hope will help me start a new hobby (Michael's, here I come!!)
:: a framed photo of our son at 8 months (drooling, no less) and mine and my husband's engagement portrait (we were babies then, too!)

:: other random pictures and bobbles
:: a Peter Pan mug full of writing utensils
:: a magazine file full of my current catalogs and orders
:: my fun "ideas and correspondences" notebook and feather pen
I hope you liked the tour!! I'll be updating it every Wednesday! Let me know if you're posting a photo of your desk so I can bee-bop on over and see it!! :)

7 random things about me

Yep, found this floating around in blog world, too. Since many of you are new, it'll be a nice "get to know you."
1. I bite my fingernails. Especially when I feel stressed. It's one of my few OCD tendencies.
2. I've kissed over 35 guys in my life, mostly from when I was age 16 to 23. The irony? I didn't kiss my now-husband until we said "I do." I kid you not. God has a weird sense of humor.
3. I spent my first twenty years living in Florida and the last ten living in Arizona. I say, "I traded the humidity for a dry heat." But, hey, let's face facts--hot is hot.
4. I am 5'9" tall. That's a little taller than average. I think tall = power. I married a man my height and often wish I could wear heels more often. I dream about wearing high heels, like some kind of subconscious wish. Which brings me to...
5. I dream a lot. In color. And I remember them quite often. I have hundreds of dreams I could recount to you right now. My husband and I spend a lot of mornings reporting our dreams to each other. I get it from my grandfather. He's a dreamer, too, and so is my mom.
6. I am very sweaty. Most of the time. My ayurvedic dosha is 'pitta' so it makes sense--we're "fiery." It's mostly my hands and feet so growing up Southern Baptist, I spent a lot of time praying that the pastor wouldn't ask everyone to join hands for prayer. Sometimes it worked. This is also partly why I kissed so many boys--we couldn't hold hands!!
7. I've been told I have cute feet. I'd like to believe that. I do my own pedicures and often get compliments. Good thing I live where it's flip-flop weather year-round.
I tag...anyone who wants to participate!! :)

This is...the contents of my handbag

The "this is..." meme originated (as best I can tell) with http://www.threebuttons.blogspot.com/
I love these!!!!
Here we go.
:: striped Ralph Lauren cosmetic bag full of all my "looking good essentials" (I hope you didn't want to see what's in there--WOW, it takes a lot!!)
:: samples of my new blog banner to show my mom
:: two tiny hair clips
:: nylon footies from trying on shoes at Naturalizer, oh, a month ago??
:: my name badge and my son's name badge from church--oops, we're supposed to leave those!
:: six pens
:: my checkbook (it needs an Etsy cover, preferably Amy Butler fabric, huh?)
:: my striped notebook--I always have a notebook with me
:: a lip gloss sample
:: Fossil zebra-print wallet
:: two Dove dark chocolates (I was going to give them away at church a while back)
:: a roll of film, I have no idea of what--I haven't taken non-digital pictures since 2005!
:: two orders for my jewelry biz customers to fill at the showroom this week and deliver to Chandler
:: oh, and the bag itself is the one my jewelry biz gives us when we sign up to display the jewelry--I added pretty paper to jazz it up
Anyone who reads this who wants to participate--go ahead! Just leave a comment so I can check out YOUR handbag! :)