Latest Treasury West

Latest Treasury West
Originally uploaded by BackwoodSophisticate

I think these rainy days are getting to me. I have a nasty case of the blahs.
Check out this treasury on etsy.

Last minute toy shopping?

Here is an awesome bargain for you:
Go through ebates (you can use me as a referral if you are not a member richandmels@verizon.net) and link to the Scholastic store. That will get you 10% cash back through ebates. Then when you check out through scholastic, enter the code FNFAM, that code gives you another 25% off! They have a fabulous selection of toys, everything from eeboo to Leap Frog and of course tons of fabulous books.
I bought a ton of last minute gifts and the shipping was only $8.27 and my savings will be about $56 for a $173 order. Yay! I love to save!!

My exciting thing...

Here it is! This is what I was so excited about. I was OK'd to do an article for Etsy about shopping local in Virginia. Please check it out and check out the awesome etsy shops I featured.

AND... tomorrow is another thing I am sooooo excited about: Tomorrow I am going to a craft show in Richmond, VA.

A lot of the crafters scheduled to be there are etsy crafters, some are featured in my article. I can not wait to shop!!

Hanging in here

I am still waiting on my possible good thing...
But, on another note, I have been so busy with work, I have hardly had time to think about it.
Work has been crazy and life has been crazy.
I am organizing our Christmas pageant at church. Our kids are so fabulous. They really make me laugh. But, boy, do they wear me out.

So, have you heard about this crazy act that was passed by our government? They are requiring that all items manufactured that could be marketed to children 12 and younger must go through Government approved testing in order to be sold?
I absolutely adore buying handmade, especially for my children. Knowing where my children's toys are made and in what conditions is such a fabulous benefit to buying handmade. It is nice not to have to wonder if the item I am buying was made by a machine run by a child or an overworked, underpaid factory worker. It is nice to know that it is made with a joy of the art of making. But the government is making it nearly impossible for small business toy makers to continue. Check it out and alert your congressman or senator to how you feel about this.

As a consumer, this act infuriates me. I buy handmade, I love that handmade items are available to me, that I as a consumer, can judge a toy by it's original maker, is a right I believe I should have and the fact that the government is trying to block me from buying from those I wish to buy from by shutting them down with absurd laws absolutely infuriates me. Our government is OK with having toys made in sweatshops by impoverished people who are being taken advantage of by their governments, but it is finding a way to block positive, small businesses from being available to consumers.... I just don't get it!!

A flashback to my childhood

These videos bring back memories of my youth. My dad was a huge Ray Stevens and Jerry Clower fan. He used to laugh and laugh. He had a ton of Jerry Clower tapes and we would sometimes sit around and listen and laugh. Have you ever heard these?

I am so excited!

I am so excited about something, it is not that big of a deal but still exciting. But... do you ever feel like when you are excited about something, especially when it is something that seems like it may be a little too good to be true, you are afraid to talk about it because it may not come true. Even though I try not to be supersticious, I have this real difficult time with feeling like a lot of things in my life get jinxed. So, this thing, I think it is going to happen on Wednesday... and if it happens, I will tell you about it. And then you will be like...
"jeez, was that what it was... why in the world would you not talk about that?"
And I will feel silly.
But right now, I just can't talk about it, LOL!

Thinking Ahead is for Losers!

Umm... not really, I am just spiteful in my envy of those who actually pay attention to the calendar and realize that October means December is coming. Instead, I see October as just the beginning of fall and surely there is plenty of time before winter and I am sure if I started thinking of winter/Christmas things I would be totally crazy.... WRONG... LOL!!!
I will always be a last minute person. Planning just does not work for me. Which in some ways can be a positive, I tend to enjoy the minute and not worry about planning this and that only to have it interrupted by the unexpected. But, of course there are the cons, like running out to WalMart at 10pm on Thanksgiving eve to buy supplies for making that appetizer for Thanksgiving Day. Or realizing all my great plans for ordering fabulous presents for friends and family needed to be done weeks ago as opposed to right up to the last day to ship deadlines.
Well, I hope I can still find some items to purchase that are ready to ship. Shame on me for putting things off again.

SOAP! A slight addiction...

I think I may have a bit of a soap addiction. I love handmade/natural made soaps and bath products. I have purchased from nine different etsy shops and also sampled a local soap shop and two popular big name, yet still small, shops. I just love handmade soap and bath products.
I would love to share some of my favorites with all of you and encourage you to try handmade bath products. Supporting small business is always a good thing, but also there is a lot less packaging which environmentally is a huge plus and the products do not involve a mysterious manufacturing process that could involve unknown chemicals, unknown labor conditions, etc.

Of my purchases, here are my favorites:

roseofsharonacres tooth chips:
If you want truly clean teeth, like after the dentist clean, I highly recommend you try toothchips. I am so lazy in the bathroom so I sometimes grab the toothpaste tube instead of these, and if I do that for a while and then go back to the tooth chips, I can actually taste all the gunk (gross, I know) that my toothpast has been missing. I thought the fowl taste was the tooth chips, but after using them for a while, you will find the taste improves as your mouth becomes cleaner.

This fabulous shave soap from Gudonyatoo:
I have the grapefruit version of this shave soap in my shower and I adore it. Works great for shaving but I also have used it for my body and hair with great results. This bar lathers easily, is nice and dense. It has lasted ages and I love it!


The best soap EVAH! This pomegranate soap by Old Dominion Soap Company:

These soaps nver get slimy, they lather really well, nice and sudsy and the bars are very dense so they do not wear disappear quickly.

And this massage bar from lush:
I use this as a lotion bar. I must admit, I haven't had it in a while but when I did have it, I loved it. The smell seems a tad strong at first but it grows on you quickly.

Ugh! SPAM!

Some spam creature took over my following list! Now I have to wade through a zillion posts about payday loans to see what everybody is writing about. I can't find it on my following list to remove it. UGH!!! Go away SPAM CREATURE!!!

Please watch this:

Who doesn't love a sale?

Have you searched "Sale" on etsy lately? It is a fun way to spend an evening Christmas shopping. So many fabulous deals on such amazing products! Check out these finds:

This fabulous pillow by floradora for only $10:


This gorgeous purse from ReFabulous on sale for $32:

And this stunning necklace by acornbeach, a steal at $20:

I hope you take a little holiday shopping time to browse etsy. The treasures are bountiful and well worth the extra effort to dig up.

Warning! Potential Cuteness Overload

Hey, I warned you, LOL. These are just the most adorable little faces!!! So much fun searching baby knit on etsy.

Links for images starting top, left corner:

• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17614996
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17614575
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17610118
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15889747
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17528547
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17603777
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17599784
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12824536
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16963845
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17484533
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17594980
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17294551
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17592672
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16608748
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17575413
• http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17177015

Yowza! It is COLD!!!

So, it has gotten downright chilly here in Virginia. So I fished out my fingerless gloves I bought from lazytcrochet last year. She custom made these for me and they fit... well... like a glove, LOL. These are fabulous for wearing at work where it is always chilly (or maybe that is just me) and because my fingers are free, I can still type. Also great when you are a mom, cause all moms know how hard it is to zip zippers, wipe noses and buckle carseats when you have your fingers covered with slippery, bulky material. I love these gloves and have decided I definitely need some more.
Etsy is a fabulous place to purchase knitted and crocheted goodies! So much to choose from! I have bought a purse (also from lazytcrochet) and also washcloths. Check out MFcrafts for more goodies made from yarn. I adore my washcloths/dishcloths and am planning to never purchase a manufactured wash cloth or dish cloth again.

Have you tried Ebates?

I am a member of a web site called ebates and it is totally been awesome! I have been a member for a little over a year now and have earned $146.35 in cash back since joining. The hard part is I always get self concious when trying to convince folks to sign up, because there is a referral bonus so I have a feeling a lot of people push it to try to make money that way. But I have only referred a handful of people. But my experience with ebates has been such a positive one, that I decided to at least share it once on my blog to give others the opportunity to at least check it out.

If you shop on-line, then ebates will work for you. You just link to stores via ebates, the stores are willing participants, then ebates tracks your purchase at the store and you get a designated cash back amount. Also, it has tons of store coupons and deals available. I shop kohls on line all the time so I get cash back from that purchase. I have also gotten cash back from stores like target, officemax, J Crew, Old Navy, etc.

I really can't say anything bad about the site. It is so easy, I haven't gotten any spam, just the requested emails, and getting cash sent directly to my paypal account every three months just for shopping online is awesome. And, like I said before, you just shop as usual at the store, except you click through ebates, no forms to fill out, not records to keep.

And, once you sign up, you can refer friends and earn cash back that way too. If you have a lot of friends to tell, it is a great way to make some extra spending money.

Thanks for checking it out.

I hope everybody who shops on line checks it out because the cash back is there waiting to be taken.

Happy Birthday to My Little Man

Nov 2004


Nov 2005

Nov 2006

Nov 2007

Nov 2008

My little guy turns 6 today. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. He is such a small little guy and so sesitive and talkative. I am so proud of how he is doing in Kindegarten. He is so laid back and totally takes things as they come, no worries. He has had a fun birthday today with dinner at church and ice cream sandwich sundaes when we got home. Tomorrow we head to the mountains, to Massanutten for the weekend which is a fall tradition for us. The kids are so excited.

So Sweet

So Sweet
Originally uploaded by BackwoodSophisticate

The little ones had a blast this Halloween. As usual, our street was absolutely swamped with trick-or-treaters. I love it! It was like one gigantic neighborhood Halloween party. All the kids were super sweet and we had so much fun handing out candy. One year we are going to have to count the trick-or-treaters o find out how many we actually have, but I know it is definitely over 100.

She does scary good

She does scary good
Originally uploaded by BackwoodSophisticate

Megan loves to dress scary. This year she was queen of the dead and I think it turned out awesome. She loves to be dressed up, but she is kind of funny about things feeling strange. Getting her to hold still for the makeup is always a chore. And it took a lot of convincing to get her to wear the necklace I made but she was very happy with the final result.

Shame on Leapfrog!!

I am at a place in my life where my main focus is on simplifying and going back to the basics. So, maybe that is what has made me a tad overly sensitive to this commercial. Cause let me tell you, it really gets my blood to boilin'! For real... this company that is supposedly all about education is bashing a book on TV? See, as a kid, I would have thought that giant encyclopedia of amphibians was awesome. And here is this idiot, dressed as a frog, all happy that these kids would prefer to have a book read to them, a book that is Spong Bob Square Pants that reads to them.... No Parent Needed, No Imagination Needed, heck.... basically No Brain Activity Needed.... AAARRRRRRRGGGHHH!!! OK, I have let myself get wrung up again.

See, I see it on Wednesday nights at church. I work with the kids, grades 3 through 7. I asked these kids to play charades. The influence of video games and the lack of cooperative problem solving was almost painful to watch. They can not think of things on simple terms. Everything was like video and TV today, ultra complicated and blown way out of normal perspective.

Anyway... I could go on. But I think you get my gist.

PS I do not think this is a bad thing for kids to have as long as it is part of a varied experience with books. I just think bashing a "plain ol' book" was the wrong approach for leapfrog to take and it got me a little tiffed.

Fabulous 2009 Calendars

As December apporaches, now is the time to start calendar shopping for 2009. Calendars make great gifts and calendars from etsy are an awesome way to dress your space up with some gorgeous art. Just with a quick search, I found some amazing calendars. Check out some of my favorites:

Calendar 2009, 11x8.5 by Olga Cuttell:



Lauren Alexander Art Calendar 2009:



2009 Calendar - New Modern and Contemporary Calendar - Three Trees - Chubby - Talisman:

2009 gorjuss Calendar:

2009 Screen/Gocco Printed Botanical Calendar:

Calendar 2009 - A Year of Photos:

Have you found your perfect calendar yet or have one you would like me to check out? Please post it in the comments.

New Finds: Colorful Art

Check out these recent discoveries of colorful stores in the world of etsy:

VintageNiki

givingtrees

deniseart

CutNGlue

Birthday Goodness!!!

Well, my birthday was on the 16th so I think it is high time to give a report of the birthday goodness that took place. I do believe I had a fabulous birthday! I mentioned in the post before this that I got an awesome CD from hubby and kids, but I did not mention I also got cheesecake... yum!!! As for my picks on etsy:

I got this beautiful necklace from the fabulous accessoryalamode

I am getting it stamped with "Trust in the Lord" and a pink pearl in the middle.





I also bought myself this cute tote from Midnightcreations









And, one of my favorite gifts was from my mom, BUTTONS!!




And I used those cool vintage beads to make these earrings:




which can be found in my etsy store.

Sunday Night Inspiration

I adore Alison Krauss. My hubby gave me a CD, Max Lucado 3:16 Songs of Hope, for my birthday that has Down to the River to Pray on it and it got me surfing on the internet, searching for more Alison Krauss. I came across this Jay Leno clip and thought it was very beautiful and wanted to share with others who might enjoy it.

Why Not?

Why not switch to a vegetable protein deodorant such as this wonderful deoderant by GudonyaToo? I know there are plenty of reasons out there on the internet to doubt there is any danger of using aluminum based deodorants (because I searched) but I also know there are some out here who believe there could be links between deoderant and alzheimers and deoderant and breast cancer (because I found those too). So, I guess my thought is: Why even risk it when there are fabulous, handmade, awesome working deoderants available on web sites like Etsy? I have been using deoderant from GudonyaToo for at least a month now and I LOVE it. I sweat a LOT (embarrassing!) because when I get anxious I sweat, and since I have a little issue with anxiety, I get anxious a lot. So, I figure if this stuff has me still smelling not stinky after 36 hours (which it does) then this is such an awesome alternative to that harsh chemical stuff that is mass produced... and where exactly is deodorant made....? Oh, but I digress. My point is, this stuff really works, it is great, so why not try it?

WooHoo! I won something!

Yay! I am so excited to win something! I won an awesome key fob from Sew Much Detail.
There are lots of awesome shops being shown off on the Fabulous Fun Finds blog. I highly recommend checking it out.

Really! You got to try this!

So, I have a bit of a mission in the bathroom... to find the ultimate in hygiene/skin care products.

I have done a lot of testing and trying of different hand made soaps. Many I have loved... some... not too impressed by, but one soap has stood out above and beyond the rest. I was surprised by the one that impressed me so much because I bought it at a local soap shop. I have ordered handmade/all natural soaps from the big names, the little names, the much bragged about and the stumbled upon and this is the one I reccommend.

SimplyPom

Old Dominion Soap Company is a great little shop. I blogged about one of my visits to the shop a while ago. Since the purchases that day, I have made an internet order to purchase 6 more bars of the soap and have been using them. I have very dry skin and eczema so I was ecstatic (can you tell?) to find a soap I loved.

It is snowing in Idaho

Holy cow! I knew this was going to happen. Winter is going to totally sneak up on me. I just came across this photo in miss courageous' photos in flickr and it really kicked my butt into gear. I am the type who buys a cute beach print fabric and plans to make a cute tote for the summer. I miss the first summer, and decide I am definitely not going to miss next summer. So, I keep seeing the fabric during the winter, and think, as soon as it starts getting a little warm, I am going to make somethig beachy... but surely it is too early now... So, now it is fall, the fabric is still in my stash pile. Why? Because darn if the summer did not come and go like a flash again. I really just need to flip my creating schedule and make summer stuff in the winter, fall in the spring, winter in the summer and spring in the fall. LOL!

Training Wheels - Just Say No!

I honestly believe this is a must have for every child wanting to learn how to ride a bike. We bought our daughter a Strider Running Bike for her birthday when she turned three. It is an adorable pink bike. Well, my girly girl, who is not a big fan of biking quite yet, was more interested in her princess stuff and it wasn't long before her big brother had swiped her new bike out from under her.

His bike was a John Deere bike with training wheels and it had been a struggle to get him to ride it. He just did not feel comfortable with the tippy feel of it and constantly turned back to the little kiddie tricycle we have. Well, it was not long before he was zipping around on this pink Strider Running bike. He would build ramps and little bike trails all over our backyard. The thing weighs barely anything so it allowed him total control. He would even ride it over the compost heap. So, not too long ago, my husband went ahead and dug out the John Deere bike and took the training wheels off, put my son on it, and he was riding a two wheel bike in two days!! I don't mean just going straight, he could make a U-turn in the street, I was floored!

My best friend in town bought one for her kids (she has 4 kids aged 5 and under) and within a few weeks the two older ones were riding their big kid bikes and the 2 year old was riding the strider.

And.... even cooler, the customer service rocks!!! My son somehow broke the seat on ours. I emailed the company and they were sending out the new seat within that day!!! So cool!

Thoughts on Made in China

This post mainly inspired by this documentary I saw on Discovery channel:
Koppel: The People's Republic of Capitalism
I do not like posting controversial thoughts, and I am not sure if this is going to upset anybody, but I have had some thoughts rambling around in my brain and I feel like I want to think it out via blogging. So, this might ramble a bit.
I have been trying to support the shop local concept. I like the concept of supporting local businesses. I switched my prescriptions from Rite Aid to the local pharmacy, owned and operated by one of our local guys. I have been anti-buying mass produced items from foreign countries.
Then I saw a documentary on China and the economy in that country. That really tore me up, seeing how poorly that country lives and how much some of those girls depend on the meager income (and I am talking meager as in $20 a week). So, I was feeling bad thinking I should only buy local when they rely so heavily on their factory jobs.
But now I am getting upset. My thought is this.... all this talk about raising the minimum wage here in the US and other things, like the vast amounts of Made in China items lining the shelves... are we not as a country condoning the mistreatment of chinese citizens and other cultures who are similarily underpaid by importing from them. If I go and take advantage of that super low priced electronic gadget at WalMart, am I just as responsible for the way those individuals are having to live? I feel like we are taking advantage of every one of those people working their tails off, making next to nothing and here we are, as a country demanding more money for jobs that are exactly the same. Which means employers will continue to move their companies to other countries to take advantage of a Government that does not give its citizens much protection from being taken advantage of. I get the feeling that as long as we are doing OK (which I do realize, our country has plenty of problems, I just mean relatively), then we are fine with taking advantage of the cheap prices produced at the expense of other humans.
Isn't there a middle ground?
What are your thoughts on all of this? Any thoughts on a solution? Are you for a rise in minimum wage? I just want to think this through with you guys.

WooHoo! I have been tagged!

I have been tagged by Stephanie, check out her awesome blog: Three Loud Kids

Here are the details:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 random facts:
1. I can never stick with one thing. I get obsessed with a hobby or idea, spend all my time doing that thing for a while, then get bored and move on to something else.

2. I adore fall, it is my favorite season.

3. I just started a new job as a church secretary.

4. I have been to three different colleges and am still never got a degree.

5. I am a huge chicken when it comes to conflict and am always second guessing everything I say.

6. I love taking pictures of nature.

7. I love my cat, Greta, but I am pretty sure she does not like me, LOL!

Here are the 7 people that I am tagging!

Andy Mathis

The Peach Tree

Little Peanut

retro mama

Valerie at Felted Treasures

Twiddlestix

Lisa from Teddy29

Child Led Play

So, I have recently read that child led play is becoming a thing of the past. This makes me sad. Kids are getting involved in more sports at earlier ages, replacing the much needed and beneficial child led play with adult led play which is much more about the rules and much less about the imagination and the ability to create and work together without adult rules. In my opinion, it is important to encourage child led play as much as possible in all ages, including the older ages, as high as 6th and 7th graders, not just in pre-schoolers and elementary ages.

I love the web site hearthsong.com. It has a lot of toys and activities that encourage creativity and imagination. One of my favorites are play silks. These can be bought on a toy web site or a web site that sells dyed silk scarves. These scarves open up so many opportunities for role playing and creative play.

Another fun addition to the toy closet are a good set of stilts, especially fun for the older kids. These help with developement of balance and motor skills. And they are great fun for kids when they have more than one set. They can have obstacle courses or races.

Stacking toys are also tons of fun. Another that my kids have is this Star Stack Ups set. They have had so much fun seeing how high they can stack them and then knocking them down with the ball included.

I LOVE Etsy!!

I made this treasury this morning. I want to show my support for etsy. I love the site and I love shopping on etsy!!!

Working on my Birthday Wishlist

So, I am really doing some heavy duty window shopping on Etsy. I have a birthday coming up in mid-October and I want to send everybody to my favorites for some birthday ideas. But, I almost feel overwhelmed trying to make decisions. I LOVE etsy!! The talent on there is amazing. And having it all so accessible, it really is a wonderful thing. Some of my favorite things come from etsy, and I am talking everyday type things. Some may think Etsy is only for high dollar specialty/boutique type items since it is all handmade, but oh contraire.
For example, the shirt I am wearing right now is one of my favorite shirts:

I got this shirt from maryink and I adore it!! Even cooler, I got another shirt free, she was having a sale, and that one is another extreme favorite. Make sure you check out the Saturday Night Specials on the Etsy forums to catch awesome deals like that.

And this butter dish is something we use everyday:


I got this from utilemud and it is so beautiful yet totally functional.

And this is my favorite washcloth:

I bought this from MFCrafts and have since gone back for more to give as gifts.

So, after seeing all these fabulous things I already own... and they are only a very teensy percentage... I bet you are dying to see this fabulous birthday wish list. Well, I will share as soon as I can narrow down some of my choices. I have such a hard time just picking one or two items from each store. I want it all... LOL!

Learning to Say No

I think this lesson can be applied to everybody's life. It was part of my Bible Study I taught this weekend, but I think one of the main concepts could be used by everybody and I think it makes decision making a little bit easier. First, know your priorities. And my sister made a good point that it is best to have three or four priorities. If you find you have like 20, then you need to work on narrowing that down first, before yoou even worry about this step. Then, base your decision on those priorities, if it is something that will bring you closer to fulfilling your priorities, then say "Yes" but if you find it goes against those priorities, then be strong and just say "No".

Today was my first day at work. It went well. I did not have much to do, because I not been trained on the main tasks, but I handled the phone and worked on my Happies. I got 50 nearly completed. WooHoo! Now, I need to figure out what to use to punch holes in the corners. They won't fit in a standard paper punch and I don't want to spend $15 on a jumbo paper punch at Wal Mart. Maybe my leather phunch will work... or maybe I need to pull out my drill... that could be a disaster in the making.

I am Proud of a Local Business

This morning I heard a truck backing up in the street outside my house. No big deal, but I peeked out to see if it was our gas guy and realized the neighbor was getting gas delivered. Then I noticed the truck and it made my heart swell. This is a local Virginia gas company. They could easily go about their business delivering gas and not worry about the world. With gas prices as high as they are, I am sure their budget is just as tight as everybody else's. But sitting outside my house was a shiny pink truck making a statement that could very well save a life. I am tickled pink that they have taken the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness this far. No little bumper sticker here... the whole truck was pink, even the underside. I called the office and she was delighted that I noticed the pink truck and said a second one was soon to hit the road. Yay for them!!!

Buyer Show and Tell in Virtual Labs

I attended a virtual lab yesterday that was a Buyer Show and Tell. It was great fun to talk about wonderful finds I have found on etsy but I was upset more people did not show up. We created the above treasury by showing off favorites... which I love to do. I am finding it difficult to find a place to talk shopping on etsy. Things get buried immediately in the promotions forum. I can post finds here but I like to "talk" about things. I find that it is fun to make treasuries to show off my finds, but these days, with well over 1000 treasuries out there, it is difficult to even wade through that area of etsy.
I am definitely more of a buyer than a seller, but the etsy community seems to be mostly for the sellers.
So, if you like to talk shopping on etsy, and you have found a fun place to do it, let me know. Also, if you are a buyer, please check the virtual lab schedule and check out the next buyer show and tell. It is tons of fun to make a treasury and show off the really unique things you have found while shopping.

One Hundred and Fifty Happies

That is what I am working on right now.

So, I am thinking you are wondering what the heck a happy is... cause I didn't know myself until recently. A happy is a little gift you get in your program package at a women's seminar my church is hosting on the 20th and 21st of this month. Every year, this group of ladies puts together a seminar hosted at a local church. This year, the seminar is at our church and we are pitching in. Usually the happy is donated, this year, no happies. I could not sit idly by and let that travesty occur, so up went the hand and in the second, I became commited to making 150 happies to give out at the seminar. So, I am making little scripture books. I designed the above cover in photoshop. Inside the mini book are scriptures associated with a time of need, for example: When you need courage for a task.... Joshua 1.

So, now these need to be printed out on card stock and stapled/tied into little books. I think they will turn out cute.

That Crazy Lady with the Camera

I am pretty sure my neighbors think I am some crazy woman. I think they probably can figure out I am taking pictures of the flowers when I am outside with my camera but I think they probably start to question my sanity when I am laying on the ground under a bush or hiding in the azaleas. Then they see me in my compost pile taking pictures of the rotten pumpkin. And then, to top it off, I am in the front yard taking pictures of some weird thing propped on an old wooden ladder... LOL! I am sure I am a sight! None of them have ever asked me what I was doing. And when we talk they never bring it up... that makes me pretty sure they think it is something unspeakable. So funny!!

Above are some recent butterfly shots I have taken in my yard. Check out my flicr site for more photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/backwoodsophisticate/

Looks Like I am Going Back to Work

At least part time. I talked to my pastor on the phone tonight and he offered me the church secretary job I applied for. Kaileigh will spend the mornings, Monday through Thursday, with a very nice lady who I have known for a long time and babysat my niece. I am really just going with the flow on this and seeing where it all leads me. I am hoping to use my gifts to serve God the best I can and I think this position will give me that opportunity. I am also still planning on working with the youth, especially on Wednesday evenings.

Still waiting and S-P-U-D

Well, I still have not heard about the job at the church. I am really feeling that I would be fine either way, whether I got it or not.

The two oldest have started school this week. Ryan is struggling with the exhausting schedule. He is so cranky by the afternoon, I can really tell it is tiring him out. I am sure that will improve with time but I do see now that pre-school could have helped with that adjustment.

Megan is loving middle school. I am so happy with her teachers and the fact that the school has been newly renovated. I really believe this is going to be a great year for her.

Kaileigh is enjoying being home alone but I am finding that she has a tendency to want to watch movies all day. It is hard not having Ryan here to play with her. He always was so good at convincing her to go play outside.

Tonight was the start of our Wednesday dinners at church. We take a break during the summer. I went ahead and took care of the kids during the bible study. We made cards for some of our church members who were recently in an accident. Then we went outside and played a ball game called S-P-U-D. It was fun but boy am I tired and sore now, LOL. I am no spring chicken.