Thursday, December 29, 2011

Christmas Vacation

Things have been so busy here.. Lots of exciting things happening, of which I will share in the coming weeks, and NO I am not pregnant, in case your mind went there .. but for now, I will leave you with this: Emily on Christmas Morning. That face is just too cute.
Allison "enjoying some Christmas music" on the San Antonio Riverwalk, with my Mom.
Emily enjoying an ice cream cone, which is a must when it is 40 degrees outside.
Taking in a show at Sea World...
Walking around the zoo.. this particular trip lasted 25 minutes because the girls were too frozen to walk...
All in all.. it has been a wonderful vacation.. I will be sad for the girls to start school again next week! I hope you all are Great!!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Fun with Christmas

The making of sugar cookies - It is a Christmas Must!
I hope everyone is well! I have had a terrible head cold, I am now on the mend..thankfully, now just hoping the girls don't get it! eeek! I wish you all Happy Holidays! Much Love!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Christmas Angel

Emily played a Christmas Angel in her school play. She even had a speaking part! I am such a proud Mommy.

Savings Game

Savings Game

Post contributed by Hilton Miranda

We’ve turned saving at our house into a game, if you can believe it. The kids are supposed to bring home their spare change at the end of the day and I’ve been looking at all our utilities to try and find some ways to shave off costs. My daughter helped me crown a texas electricity champion last week after week looked at rates and even my son suggested he get a paper route to try and save more money. I don’t want the kids to think about money too much and they’re both so young to have jobs, I’m not sure if it’s what I want for them. But I do think it’s really good they’re learning these lessons at such a young age and that they’ll never wonder what it takes to save a dollar. That’s the position I was in after college and I think that’s why I’m still working to pay off student loans at 30 years old. Not exactly ideal in financial terms!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Her Ears are Pierced.

Before:
After:
She Did it! And she did awesome!

Gift of Scrubs.

There are a few important people in my life that are nurses; my mother, my mother-in-law, and a best friend. I have wondered if they would ever appreciate a gift of new scrubs from blue sky scrubs, here, http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original-Scrubs/. When I was working outside of the home, I always appreciated a new shirt or skirt for work, so, I would imagine that this is not too different. What are your thoughts? Does that seem strange to give as a gift?

I wonder if nurses feel that all cotton scrub uniforms are created equal, or if there is a preferred brand in terms of comfy-ness and general longevity. I would think so.. but seeing as I really have no idea, if there is a nurse on board reading this, I would appreciate your 2 cents.

Then there is also the matter of choosing a color. From what I understand, some hospitals like to in essence "color code" the various departments, so if I did choose to go this route as a gift, I would probably need to find out about the color my mother-in-law and best friend wear. I already know my mom wears Navy blue.
There are a few important people in my life that are nurses; my mother, my mother-in-law, and a best friend. I have wondered if they would ever appreciate a gift of new scrubs from blue sky scrubs, here,
http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original-Scrubs/. When I was working outside of the home, I always appreciated a new shirt or skirt for work, so, I would imagine that this is not too different. What are your thoughts? Does that seem strange to give as a gift?

I wonder if nurses feel that all nursing scrubs are created equal, or if there is a preferred brand in terms of comfy-ness and general longevity. I would think so.. but seeing as I really have no idea, if there is a nurse on board reading this, I would appreciate your 2 cents.

Then there is also the matter of choosing a color. From what I understand, some hospitals like to in essence "color code" the various departments, so if I did choose to go this route as a gift, I would probably need to find out about the color my mother-in-law and best friend wear. I already know my mom wears Navy blue.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Team Tuesday

I forgot to do my Team Tuesday post last week.. I forgot it because I failed to write it on my to-do list. I have really come to heavily rely on my to-do list.. so much so that I even write on it "Make Bed" or the bed would not get made! Or "empty dishwasher" or that wouldn't happen! Luckily there are still a few things I do without having to look at the list.. like, "pick up kids at school" and "eat" so maybe I don't rely on it as much as I think... Anyway.. have a look at this from a teammate of mine:


I am such a fan of these fingerless gloves by Etsy Shop, JustColor

I also LOVE the style of that picture.. it makes me want to be her!

Oh OH and Allison got her EARS pierced this weekend! My big little girl! It was her decision and she did amazing... pictures to come!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Customer Feedback

"I love this little vase - it's so Seussical!"



I could have cried tears of joy when I read that feedback on this little vase.

Dr. Suess has always been a huge inspiration to me. And without even saying that in this listing.. the customer got that vibe from my work, and I am so thrilled.

Happy Monday, everyone!!

Zaarly It

I have never heard of this website until today.. It is called Zaarly. To me, it seems like an upscale Craiglist. I say "upscale" because the site looks cleaner and I don't know.. more high-tech I guess? Craiglist looks more like the classified section of the newspaper, and this site looks more searcher-friendly, to me anyway..

It is a buy and sell website.. anything you want to buy, anything you want to sell, you can post or search for. You can even name the price of what you want to buy something for. For examply, say you live in New York City and you want an Ipad 2, well, here ya go - new ipad2 new york city.

And it seems that zaarly has become quite a succesful venue for some. Have a peek and see what you think...

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Handmade for the Holidays



Allison and Emily painting birdhouses for grandparents!

My hope is that they will never stop giving their art as presents...
They really do put love into everything they do.

Hope you all are well!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Family Picture Redone and A Little Etsy Love

We re-took our family picture this weekend.. and I snapped a bunch more of the girls and Jack too... I put a few of those pictures on our Christmas photo card this year!



AND, if you have not entered yet.. please run right over to a little etsy love blog and enter their holiday give-away!

My purple glitter vase and ornament set is one of the prizes! Check it out.. the winner will get LOTS of really cute stuff!

Bye for now!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Team Tuesday Bunny Love

Bunny Love Charm Bracelet



I had to put this bracelet up on my blog in honor of Emily. My little 4 year who is asking for a Bunny for Christmas. She is not getting one. I told her that elves do not make Bunnies and her response was, "Elves can make anything, Mommy!" and well, I can't argue with that. I will just risk her disappointment on Christmas morning, but I am sure she will be plently distracted.

Anyway, so this bracelet spoke to me, on this day being Team Tuesday, Etsy teamie, Jennifer of grey girl designs made this bracelet. She is a lovely person and I am glad to know her and her shop. Please go visit it today!

Have a good one, everyone! I am off to take the girls to their dentist appointment, fun fun! :)

Shopping for gifts

If you are looking for some inexpensive gift ideas then canvas craft bags may be just the thing. There are many choices available to you. Some that already have their own design, or some that you can add your own design to by painting, stenciling, or stamping. There are so many ways to make it your own.

If you are in the market for making a gift to give then craft rings are also a good purchase to make. There are many things you can make with them and they come in a variety of sizes. I even saw a ring-making kit that I know, would be right up Allie's alley. Ba bum bump, lol, that is funny - Allie's Alley. Anyway, a gift any 6 year old would love.

My nephew would not enjoy a craft ring kit, but he might enjoy something made out of some captain america fabric. Now.. if only I could learn to sew. Actually, that link will take you to many options available for the little boy on your list - costumes, accessory kits, superhero clothes. I actually find my nephews the hardest people on my list to buy for. I have been a notoriously bad gift giver for all of my life. You would think I would get better as the years pass. I don't. My husband is not any better with his gift-giving skills. One year, he got me a hair toolbox. Yes, he did. But, that story is for another time.

Maybe I don't give myself enough credit. I do give my girls good presents,and they don't have to be expensive or one of the "hot" toys of the season either. Anything and everything is a good present to them. I wonder how long that will last?

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Gray, White, and Yellow Striped Variety

Hi Everyone!
I was asked whether I was able to do more of the gray, white, and yellow striped design in various sized-vases. And I, in fact, already had them made. This design and color scheme are an obvious favorite of mine. They were at the Brick and Mortar store that I sell at, so I picked them up this morning.

The 2 on the right are the most similar in color and shape, the gray I used is called "dolphin gray", the vase on the left was painted in a slightly darker gray, called "Country gray".


These are the 2 same-gray vases. The vase on the left has an interesting octagonal shape and is a little larger than 8.5 inches tall. The slender vase on the right also has a unique shape, fluted and round, and it measures about 9 inches tall.


View from above.


Slender on its own:


Octagonal on its own:


Octagonal from above.


"Country Gray" on its own.


In other news, I found my Fluted Blue Vase in the Etsy Blog Get the Look Post, you can click HERE to be taken to the article. It was so very exciting!

And ---- I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful weekend! We put our tree up yesterday... more on that later!

Have a great day!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Give Thanks

I am thankful for my silly little daughters. (Vase available here)(Shameless promotion!) I couldn't help myself!

This is Allison, she took a picture of herself.

And Emily..I'm holding her pigtails up and Bobby snapped the picture.

I am wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Much Love,
Kristin

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Team Tuesday

Snowflake Sequin Hair Pins


What a beautiful way to add some sparkle to your hair. These pins
were made by Kimberly from Etsy Shop, Embellishing You. She has quite an extensive selection with nearly 100 items in her shop. Her pins are popular with brides and bridesmaids, but they are also great for dressing up everyday outfits.

And cute presents for the girls in your life!
Check these pins out!


Now.. I am off to clean. We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year!!
eeeeek!

Have a Great Day, friends!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Perfect Gift Under 20 Dollars

I love these coasters.

Made by Michele from the Etsy Shop, OneDecember.

In case you are looking to buy me something, this would work!

:)

Happy Saturday, everyone!!

Friday, November 18, 2011

And She was a Turkey

Now.. you didn't think I would leave out Emily, now, did you?

Gobble Gobble.

My head looks HUGE!

Have a happy weekend.

Oh Oh: And P.S. This was also yesterday... in case you were wondering if that sweater looked familiar...

:)

Thursday, November 17, 2011

She was corn.

Today was Allie's school Thanksgiving play. There's my little peanut, all the way on the end.. she's tiny, can you see her?

I'm such the proud mommy.

And Emily is clearly - a proud little sister.

Pop Pop Pop! (That's what the corns said..)

:)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Team Tuesday

Welcome to my first installment of Team Tuesday!

Team Tuesday is where I will be featuring a shop from some of my favorite shops within my teams on Etsy.

My first Feature is Lily, from MyHobbyShop! She is a leader on the Beautiful Home Team, a team that I just adore.

I am already filled with the Holiday Spirit, so these beautiful coasters are singing to me! Priced less than 10 dollars, they would make for the perfect One-of-a-Kind gift for a co-worker or someone you love.

And I am so in love with this Yellow Cowl. It looks so cozy and snugly.. and the color is bound to cheer you up on those cold dark winter days...

I invite you all to stop into MyHobbyShop! It is a shop you don't want to miss!

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, November 14, 2011

November Family Picture

Every year, I replace our family picture on the wall, that we take every November. It has been a nice way to document all of our growing and changing, as the picture is replaced with the previous years behind it. It is one of my most favorite traditions that we started.

We took this on Saturday on our front steps. I think we might try it again this Saturday. I think my smile looks a little fake.. honestly, I think I was saying.. "Allison, Put your arm down!" right before the picture flashed..
lol...

So, if at first you don't succeed - try, try again!

Happy Monday to you all!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Just Listed



Another set of Ornaments! They are so much fun for me to make. This one is listed in my Etsy shop, but I also want to make a few sets for my display in the store. It just seems I am running out of time!

Are you all ready for Christmas? It will be here before we know it! YIKES. (Yikes is code for I am NOT ready.)

:)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Happy Halloween!



From the Witch and Rapunzel!

:)

Friday, October 28, 2011

New listing



I made ornaments! In my stucco-ey style. Yes, I realize that is not a word.

This is my first Holiday season on Etsy, so I have no idea how they will do. I have no idea how my vases will do. If I had to guess, based on my experience thus far? I would say not well. Even saying that, I am still hopeful.

There is just this invisible wall up. I can not translate hearts into sales. I love my vases. Obviously, I am a bit biased... but I just need to get other people to love them too. And that is proving to be a hard nut to crack.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Stamp It.

I hope this post finds you all well! It has not been the greatest week here. Emily was sick with a stomach bug for the last 2 days. Then, last night, she seemed to be feeling even worse, so we all hopped in the car to head to the urgent care. In an effort to be sensitive to what does or does not gross you out. Let me just say, that Emily got sick WHILE we were driving there. All over herself, in her hands, hair, lap... She sat there stunned, and Allie sat there screaming. I have never heard Allie scream like that before. Well, Emily feels a whole lot better. And I am sure that smell in my car will eventually go away....eventually....

Anyway, so, I found a site where I can purchase self ink stamps. I was originally thinking about purchasing stickers with my shop name on it. However, I have not found any within my budget. Then someone had suggested using stamps, and I found that this is much more economical. There are also date stamps available. Date stamps excite me (Yes, I am a nerd at heart.. well, probably a nerd in plain sight as well..) But I can think of a thousand uses for date stamps. One use, is when I get a bill, I write the date that it is due and then file it in the date-due folder. Well, if I had date stamps, I could just stamp them!

And in the future, when my vase line takes off, I can use inspection stamps on the boxes ready to be shipped.

Ok, well, maybe I am getting ahead of myself. But, one can dream.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Carriage Oak Cottage

(Fluted Blue Vase)

My new shop name is Carriage Oak Cottage.
I have been thinking about this for a while. I really wanted to sound more shop-like. And I wanted a name that had meaning to me.

We currently live on a street with Carriage in its name.. And I love this house.. just renting, yes, but I love it.. and I love the street name. Oak because the street that I lived on while I was just dating Bobby, was called Oak Forrest.. and now, the subdivsion we live in, is called Heritage Oaks.

And cottage, because, it holds memories from when I was a child.
My Nana and Pops had a cottage on a beach in Connecticut. We spent many days and nights there. That cottage now, only exists in my memory. The cottage, along with all of the other cottages on that beach, have since been demolished. It is really a sad story, but you can read about it here, The beach was called, Pleasure Beach. I can cry when I think about it for too long.

Californication

Californication

Thanks for the article from Robin Woodard

I love cable since it supports my tv watching addiction. There seems to be a proliferation of men-children these days, but in tv and movies, and in real life. It's like a new male archetype. But there is one man child who I love. It's the character of Hank Moody on Californication. The show recently had its series finale (which was pretty well done, by the way). That character is someone who I would love to meet in real life. Totally flawed, but has so much heart and is so funny. A lot of the characters on that show are hilarious, actually. I'm sad the show is over, but I'm looking forward to seeing what David Duchovny does next!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Etsy on Facebook

I could not have been more surprised if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet...Christmas Vacation, anyone anyone?....

....when lo and behold this vase was on Etsy's Facebook Page!
The views and hearts it brought me were insane..I got a few inquiries for custom orders, and I am hopeful that those that have found me on Sunday, will remember me in the future!

In other news - Allison goes on her first field trip tomorrow! My Big Little Kindergartner! She is so excited!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Lone Star Gifts.



Not the best picture - but that is the store where I moved some of my vases into this week! I am not setting any expectations for what I hope to sell. But, I am excited that I am stepping into the world of retail sale with my creations. I will keep you posted on this new venture!

Friday, September 30, 2011

She is 6.

I could say a million things sappy right now.


But instead I will just say three.

My life changed 6 years ago today.
It would never be the same.
It could never be better.

We love you, Allison. Happy Birthday, my sweet girl.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Pumpkin Muffins!

I did it, I finally tried Pumpkin! Yay!
Thanks to a comment on my last post left by Rose, of the Blog - The Beadings and Buttons of Randomcreative, I actually went to the store this morning, determined to have the ingredients I needed to make these delicious muffins she posted earlier this month. To get this recipe, click on THIS, it will take you to her blog post for this muffin recipe. I even did what she did, left out the nutmeg, I am not a nutmeg fan anyway.
Here is the photo of the batter. YUM. yum.

The easy bake oven was in use as the muffins were baking. The girls and I also made a peanut butter fudge. They turned out sort of edible. That is what the chocolate remnants on the small plate to the left of the bowl was. The girls seemed to enjoy it well enough. But back to the muffins - we loved them!
Allie loved it!

Emily loved it!

Thanks, Rose! You made our Saturday full of pumpkin-ey goodness!
Happy Saturday, everyone!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

5 Fall Goals.

Alright, my dear sweet Abby friend.. Here goes..

You see, Abby tagged me. Good Old Fashioned Tag- You're It! bloggy style -
so, now, she made me turn inward and think about some fall goals that I need to be setting for myself. so.. what are they?

1.) Remember to set the coffee pot every night. This is a real treat for Bobby. You see, I am not a huge coffee drinker. But, he is. And he sure does love to wake up to a freshly brewed pot of coffee. I have one cup and I am done. I still like it. But, all I need is one. And he appreciates it more because he is always the first one up. So, I would like to do this for him.

2.) Try to look kinda pretty at least once a week. Usually I am in sweats with my hair pulled back and hardly a hint of make-up. I must look atrocious. I would like my kids to remember about their mother when they were growing up... just how beautiful and put together I was... ha ha ha.. ha ha ha... ha ... oh.. ok, that had me laughing.. ha ha.. ... ok.. well, realistically that will not happen. once a month. look kinda pretty once a month. :)

3.) Make something with pumpkin in it. Is that weird? that I have never made anything with pumpkin in it? Pumkin Pie.. pumpkin bars? is that something..pumpkin bars? Pumpkin muffins.. ? I don't think I like pumpkin. Yes, I said, "think"... how can I expect my kids to try something new.. when I don't. I was recently given a yummy sounding recipe - WITH pumpkin in it - and I really will try it!

4.) Get outside and walk more. When we do this, I think.. we need to do this more! And, we don't. We are outside a lot.. But I am talking about, walking in the neighborhood, exploring our surroundings.. we need to get out and walk more.

5.) Stick with my schedule! I love writing them - love the notebooks that I have for list keeping. And when I stick to them.. I feel accomplished at the end of the day. I love crossing out what has been done! It feels rewarding. SO, why don't I do it?

Well, I will. Starting this fall. (which officially starts TOMORROW!) yay!

Call in the Experts.

By Now, You probably heard about the devestateing wildfires in and around Austin over these past few months. In the recent Bastrop Fire, there were more than 1400 homes destroyed or damaged. If your home has ever suffered fire damage there are services available to restore your home to pre-fire conditions such as
http://www.thesteamteam.com/austin-restoration-services/smoke-fire.shtml. The smoke from even a small fire permeates surfaces in rooms that didn't even suffer from the flames directly. You really do need to bring in professionals to help with cleaning up the damage.

I also might be needing to schedule some home carpet cleaning service austin because our lease for our rental house ends in March. We will need to get the carpets professionally cleaned as per our lease agreement. I can't believe we potentially only have 6 more months to live in this beautiful house. We will have to assess our situation when the time nears. Is this still a good location to live? Will I want to live a little closer to the school? Oh, but we love this house. Jack loves this yard. I love the deer. I don't want to move again, so soon. A lot to think about.

Monday, September 19, 2011

What's been going on and a Happy Anniversary!

We visited Bobby's grandparents who live in Arkansas a couple of weekends ago. We love going to see them, we always have such a nice visit. They love the girls so much and the girls adore them. We took a special trip to the top of the mountain, near their home, which was neat because they used to take Bobby there, when Bobby was a little boy. There is a little train to ride and here is Bobby and Allison before the train took off.

And Emily, during the train ride.

And back home in Austin....
The owner of the house we are renting gave us permission to use the tractor that was left at the house. After some needed repairs, Bobby got it running. We bought a trailer and we have been enjoying tractor rides all around the property. I don't know who has the most fun - me or the girls - I think it might be me! ;)

Bobby and I celebrated 11 years married this past Friday. 11 years. Wow, does time fly. We went out for a nice anniversary dinner, on the lake in Austin. Then, we watched the bats. Austin is home of the largest urban bat population in America.

What a sight to see. If you ever make it here, it is a must-do.
The picture does not do it justice!

Share your Zenni Story

Did you know that I wear glasses? My current pair looks most like these, which I found off of a website that has quite the fashionable and attractive glasses for your choosing.

I only wear my glasses for about 2-3 hours at night, after I take my contacts out. It is shameful that I do this. I know that my contacts are not ideal for my eyes and I do need to take them out more to let my eyes breathe. Well, this just so happens to be the time of year that I think about getting new glasses. My yearly eye exam happens around this time and every year, I vow to take better care of my eyes. First, I need to find an eye Doctor and make an appointment. Since moving here 6 months ago, I have yet to do that. Every year, I cringe that my eyes have worsened, but for the past couple of years, they seem to be holding steady.

Glasses can be very expensive and who knew that you can actually get $6.95 prescription eyeglasses. Sounds too good to be true. It is true and there are some cute glasses that you can find within this price range! This website even has a try-on feature, where you can choose a face from a box on the right hand side of the webpage, and click on the frames and voila - how neat! Choose a face with a similar shape to yours and you are good to go!

If you choose to go this route with your next purchase of eyeglasses, you can even Share your Zenni story on their blog.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

New Used Car

Another angle!

I couldn't resist.
I love you, dear sweet car.
xoxo
Kristin


:)