Bloggy Potluck Randomness

My mind has been all over the place lately with everything going on around here, with the kids, with my busines, etc.....  So why not share the madness and chaos with all of you.  I am sure you can relate...right?

I promise not to bore you to tears for too long.  I will just start with Friday and run through a little about our weekend and other random, silly stuff that either make me laugh or make me melt.  Kids are great like that.

So I am sitting in the carpool lane waiting to pick up Ethan.

Just your normal pick-up line I am sure a lot of you have to sit in E.V.E.R.Y S.I.N.G.L.E W.E.E.K.D.A.Y.

No biggie....I came prepared.

Yep, reading this great book with lots of eye candy pictures.  See, I really am trying to be a better and more interesting blogger.

This sweet, sweet little boy gets in the car and says.......

Ethan:  Mama, I am so ready for Summer.

Mama (that is me): What do you want to do this Summer.

Ethan:  I just don't want to miss you anymore.

Mama (who is hiding the "awwww" look from him):  Don't you like school?

Ethan:  I love school.  But I really, really don't want to miss you anymore.

I mean seriously...he melted my heart!  I love my sweet little boy. If he would have asked for a car at that moment, I would have bought him one.

Now on to the weekend....my oldest plays select (travel team) softball.  We are a sports family and softball is one of my all time favorite sports.  I think we enjoy it as much as she does.  Anyway, we spent the weekend in Houston playing in a softball tournament.  They did GREAT!!  Didn't place but slowly stair-stepping our way up the ladder.  We did get pretty beat up by the wind though.  I had a think layer of softball field dirt all over my face by the end of it.

Doesn't she look sharp in her uniform?

I have had a few people on Twitter ask to see my naturally curly hair.  So I snapped a quick picture (one of those mirror pics with my iPhone) before heading out to Houston.  And just so you know.....I do have a little more color in face.  Yes, I need a tan but it isn't quite this bad in real life.  Most of you only see me with my hair straight.  But here are my natural curls in all their glory.  My hair is really thick and sometimes it can get a little out of control.  Thank goodness for the Chi straightening iron.

And last (see....I told you I wouldn't bore you for too long) but not least....I saved the best for last.....Photo Booth.  What is photo booth?  It is a program on my Mac that my kids are addicted to.  It is like looking at yourself in a funhouse mirror.  Crazy, funny and the kids will crack up at it for HOURS.  Some of them are so dang funny that you can't help but laugh out loud.

Ethan

Baylee (she does the most creative ones)

Mollee

Aren't those funny?  I really had a TON more to share but I figured I might lose a few of you if I shared them all.  If you have a Mac, I HIGHLY recommend you try it.  Family fun for hours!!

Now how is that for some potluck blogging?  Did I jump to too many topics?? 

Stay tuned this week.  I have several tutorials in the works...one of which I am hoping to get out this week.

Just a quick note...

Good evening everyone. Thought I would pop on and write a quick little note before I crawl into bed to read and decompress from the busy day we have had here. AllStars for Baylee is over. Unfortunately we lost in Sectionals and didn't make it to the state play-offs. We are still holding our heads up high though because our girls had a blast and I think us parents had just as much fun. Even though it took up most of our Summer, I can honestly say that it was a fun and positive experience for all of us. We made lots of new friends....ones I can happily say will be friends for life and created lots of great memories for the girls.

What have we been up to since then? Well, we ended up taking a quick and spontaneous trip to Baton Rouge to have Baylee attend an LSU pitching camp. It was a whirlwind few days but one that was very beneficial and one she really enjoyed. For those that have never been to the LSU campus, I highly recommend checking it out. It is GORGEOUS! Lots of treelined streets and historical buildings and homes. I loved it!!

Other than that, we have been busy with swim lessons, relaxing and I have been working frantically to get all of my orders off my table before we head out for vacation. We are all soooo ready for some sand and sun.

I have been busy cutting out new projects. I will try and share a few pics tomorrow of some of those. They are still the "work" phase of things but you can get a sneak of the fabrics.

What has everyone been doing this Summer? Are you ready for school?

Til later.......

A Little Family Stuff

Looking back on my blog I have noticed that most of my recent posts were business, business, business. Nothing wrong with that but I thought it was time for some family stuff. Basketball just ended for Ethan and now we are gearing up for basketball for the girls, softball for the girls and Ethan starts baseball this year. With Troy coaching softball AND basketball and me coaching softball, I have a feeling my blog will probably take a hit. :( Just a head's up! Yesterday was our first basketball games for the girls. I would share some pics except that I didn't take any. LOL! I totally just got too involved in the games to stop and take some. I will take some next week though. Mollee and her team came back and ended up winning their game. Baylee and her team were not quite as lucky. Those girls fought sooooo hard though and ended up losing by 1 point! It was heartbreaking but man it was a ton of fun to watch!

I do have a few pics to share. Out of all three of my kids, only Baylee's class had a Valentine's party. The two little ones' school only allows a certain number of parties a year and Valentine's didn't make the cut. :( That is one of my all time favorite parties too. So I will only be sharing V-Day pics from Baylee's party.



This is Baylee with her teacher. We all just adore her!! Baylee is really thriving and enjoying school.



Baylee and some of her buds. I have no idea what Baylee is doing?? She gets that stuff from Troy. :)




Bay and another bud.

Ethan's little basketball team was so much fun to watch. There is nothing better in the world than watching 5 year olds play basketball. If you have any family members or friends involved in a program like we have here, I highly encourage you to go to one of the games. You will really enjoy yourself.

The boys had their awards ceremonies. Their trophies consist of bobble heads which seriously fits them to a tee. They are just a bundle of energy. Here are a few pics from the awards ceremony.



The boys patiently waiting to get called up for trophies.



In line for their trophies.



Troy introducing the boys. Can you tell which one is Ethan??

Talking to Myself!

Do you ever feel like you are just talking to yourself? LOL! I have been feeling like that lately. At home (with the kids....in one ear and out the other), on my blog, etc...... Is anyone else having this issue (echoo, echoo, echooo)? I am hoping it is just a phase that I snap out of soon. In the meantime, I will be working on some customs for some fabulous customers plus some new stuff that has been specifically encouraged/requested and some new stuff that has been on "the list" for a while. In between orders I am trying to work on some new patterns for a few new things. Then I get to sew them up, figure out what I do and don't like about them and sew them up again before I put them in the shop.

I am also considering doing another give-away. Just trying to decide if it is something I want to host here or hit up one of my fabulous friends to host for me. I need to mull that over a little bit and decide. Either way, you will hear about the give-away here. I am also trying to decide WHAT I want to give-away. Reversible camera strap?? A new little project in the works?? Lens cozy?? Not sure yet. I will have to see how this week progresses before I decide for sure. Anyone have any suggestions? What would YOU want to win for free (echhoooooo, echooooo, echhhoooooo)?

I am done rambling for today. I have laundry and dishes calling my name.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Amy

Randomness and a Sneak Peek

I am still trying to catch up on some more customs and really enjoying myself. Below is one that I did for a sweet customer that I will be listing soon in my Esty shop. Miss Patty's fabric is a HUGE hit. It is one of my most requested fabric lines when doing customs. I am totally loving how this one turned out. I am going to offer up a Andalucia custom over the next few days and you can choose your own combination. Or, you can let me pick the fabrics and it be a surprise!! :) Now wouldn't that be fun???

Now the little beaut below is one of my ALL TIME favorite bags. It is by far my most popular bag. Especially with these fabrics. I will be listing this one as well in my Etsy shop within the next week. I will also be introducing a new product this week that I think will be a big hit! :) I have been brainstorming for something new and fresh and I think this may be something that all of you will really enjoy! I may even give one away upon it's debut. So stay tuned!! I am going to be mean and not even give you a hint.

Now for the random stuff.....I was outside rounding up the girls to come inside (as you can see it was dark outside) and I looked up and this is what I saw:

Isn't it gorgeous? Make sure you click on the pic to make it larger. I just couldn't get over how bright it was.

And this one was taken seconds before the one above. Very cool how the clouds bounced the light off.

It is going to be a busy weekend for us. Ethan's first basketball game is tomorrow. Can't wait to see how that goes!! And then Troy and I will be remodeling the bathroom. We had a leak that had to be repaired and ended up ripping out our old tub and installing a new one. Now we need to add the tiled surround, tile floors and a new toilet. FUN FUN!! I will try and get before and after pics to share.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Amy

Frustrated & Should Be Sewing

Why you ask? Because the dang insurance company keeps blowing us off. Our damage assessment adjustor came out over two weeks ago and we were told it shoudl take 10-14 days to hear from the adjustor regarding our damage and claim. Well, more than two weeks later and I still have not even had a phone call from our adjustor. I have called several times and I don't even know IF we even have an adjustor. Come on people! I realize that you have other people that also has claims, but if you just work your way down the list in order of claims placed, it shouldn't be that hard. We were claim #5 according to our damage assessment adjustor so I just don't get the hold up. Some of our repairs can wait but I don't like having no back fence when it backs up to a busy street with two dogs and three kids. I have decided that I will call them twice a day until I get some answers. I hate being pushy but I hate being blown off even more. So, instead of sewing like I should be doing, I am sitting here posting, listening to "Dangerous" by Kardinal Offshall on iTunes and obsessing about the dang insurance. Ok, done. I am trying to keep my twitching finger from dialing them again. Ooooh, better plan. I will call Troy and have him do it. Then if nothing, I will call them AGAIN this afternoon. Thanks for letting me rant.

UPDATE: Troy didn't answer so I called again. :) This time I at least got the name and extension to our adjust. Called him and left a very detailed, but nice, voicemail asking for a return call. Keep your fingers crossed that he calls me back SOON!

Random Ramblings....

I am sorry that I have not been around to post much. I have been busy busy with orders (thanks everyone....my Etsy shop sale was a big success), back to school shopping and home improvement junk. School starts very soon and I am not ashamed to say that I am READY! My kids are just as ready. They claim there is absolutely NOTHING to do around here and hearing "I am bored" is getting really old.

Anyway, I do have lots of new camera straps in the works. I am trying to get caught up on orders so that I can get to making those. I have been hoarding lots of new fabrics just waiting for me to cut into for new projects.

My design group on eBay, StudioE, is gearing up for a launch that will start with week featuring Erin McMorris' Park Slope line. I will have a new design plus I will re-list a few faves. That starts on August 21 so be sure and search StudioE on eBay to sell of the great stuff!

I am also working on some new camera accessory items that hopefully I will debut in the next week or so. Keep an eye out for that!

I have reached my 100th sale on Etsy and in celebration, I am giving away this FREE camera strap!!





All you have to do is leave me a comment to be entered. Also, if you post about this giveaway on your blog, I will give you an additional entry. All you have to do is post the link on this post to where you advertised the giveaway and you will receive your additional entry.

Have a great week!!

Amy