Sorry I havn't updated this in awhile but life has been crazy. Dathan left for Iraq on Monday night, with the Lump in tow, and we pretty much spent the whole weekend getting together the last minute things he needed and just spending quality time together as a family. He's only been gone a few days, but it's been an interesting few days to say the least.
My friends Samantha and Randy found a poor kitten wandering around outside their barracks the night Dathan left. What idiot would just leave a kitten there, with a kennel, food, and toys? I would've kept her but she did not like Gandalf (my senior fur baby) and well, I just didn't want those sharp little claws around Schmooley. There was an issue with a puppy following kids to Xavier's school that I won't even go into details about because I'll start crying again. Dathan's Mom was in the hospital as the result of a nasty stomach infection caused by prescription drug interactions. And Xavier, Schmooley and I are all sick with a wicked cold. That's the part that just makes it more interesting I guess :-)
So that's life as an Army wife, I know. Believe me I am not complaining because I would rather give up my husband here and there to live in a country where I can have all the freedoms I have, then to be together all the time and oppressed by some tyrant. And I'm glad there are men and women out there who serve because I could never do it. Sometimes I just need to let it out, and truthfully I find it funny that life is always pretty dull until it's time for him to go somewhere.
So on to why my new favorite color is orange :-) Well, last night Ms. Cadence decided 11pm was a good time to wake up, after she'd been sleeping a few short hours. She stayed awake until almost 4am this morning. I got to a point where I almost couldn't take it anymore. I hadn't heard from Dathan since he left, and truthfully I wasn't expecting to hear from him until after this weekend, but I thought if I could just hear his voice for a few minutes and know that he was safe I would feel so much better. And so I prayed, which is not something I ever do being Agnostic, but I did. I didn't pray to God, but I did pray. And my prayer was answered. Sitting there in my dark living room, with Kleenex stuffed up my nose and a cranky stuffy Schmooley on my lap, I saw the orange light on the phone light up, and I knew without even looking at the caller ID that it was him. And it was. Who else would call me at 2am? We only got a few minutes to talk, but I got what I needed. And that's why orange is my few favorite color.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Sharing Schmooley
One last thing before I go off to do a little more sewing, watch an episode of House Hunters (I'm an HGTV junkie), and finally go to bed...here are some pictures of Schmooley showing off her new winter coat/sweater that arrived today. It's made by Gap, and I purchased it from Ebay so it's at least a season or two old, but I love it! And she looks so adorable, I just had to share...
The sleeves really aren't too long, she just has this thing with pulling her hands up inside her sleeves :-)
Shop debut is coming soon!
The adorable little birdie over there <<<---------------is my new logo! Thanks to Joan from Bitsy Creations I now have a logo I'm in love with. Thank you Joan, for being so patient and for taking my ideas and input into consideration during the design process. I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Guess the 3rd time is the charm. Hopefully my shop on Etsy will be up and running no later then the 15th of next month. I'm busy "creating" every spare second I get, which hasn't been a lot lately. I rethought my entire debut collection this morning and have decided to scale back a bit. I've just come to realize with the deployment coming up so soon I just won't have the time to go quite as grand as I wanted to :-( But I definitely want to be up and running in time for the holiday rush. I'll have more details soon, but during our grand opening you can expect giveaways and promotions galore!
Newest member of the Padget family
Look what arrived on my doorstep today! I was so excited I actually hugged the mailman, which I'm sure confirmed his suspicions about my mental state, but I was just THAT excited!
What are these little creatures you ask? They're Lumplings! What are Lumplings you ask? Lumplings are the sweetest handmade dolls, made by the wonderful Amy of Amy Rue. I was lucky enough to be able to adopt Bravo when the new herd was ready to go last week, and because she's a super special lady, Amy was also kind enough to send along a pint size Lump for Dathan to take to Iraq with him. I am so happy, as is Dathan, that this little guy will be his companion over in the sandbox. I have assured Amy he will be perfectly safe in Dathan's care, and I will make sure I keep you updated on their journey together over there. If you want to know more about Amy Rue and the Lumplings click HERE. She also has some fantastic handmade and vintage items in her shop that are truely one-of-a-kind. Thank you Amy for being so wonderful and generous!
A little updating
Well it's been a busy weekend and already a busy week...and it's only Monday. Our ant situation is now finally under control. There were a few projects this weekend that needed to be tackled. First and foremost was a yard sale. We moved into this house over the summer and ever since the move I've been putting together a pile of unwanted/unneeded items for a yard sale. The pile started to take over the living room, and this was the second to last weekend Dathan will be around to supervise the kiddos, so I had a yard sale Saturday.
The day started off with a woman who showed up 45 minutes before the sale was scheduled to start. We had a huge thunderstorm and a power outage the night before so I didn't go to bed until the wee hours of the morning. That and the fact that I'm not used to waking up to an alarm clock made it extra hard to drag my butt out of bed the morning of the sale. Then this woman shows up and starts asking the price of everything since I hadn't tagged any items yet. I was half asleep and giving her prices way below what I was going to price things at anyway and she wanted to haggle. Sorry lady, but I don't do a darn thing in the morning until I've had at least one cup of coffee. She went on and on about how she needed to buy things cheap for an Air Force wife whose husband is only and E-3 and they have 10 kids and he's deployed, yadda yadda yadda. I'm familiar with how the pay system works since it was only a few years ago my soldier was an E-3. But there are resources out there for lower enlisted families in need of household items and sorry, but I'm not letting go of a 12 pc. Pfaltzgraff set for $1.00.
There were customers who were chatty and friendly, those who scowled and seemed to think I should be damned for not having any lawn tools for sale, those who didn't speak English, and those who spoke proper English so well they also tended to turn up their noses and made me wonder why they weren't off shopping at Macy's. But my most memorable customer of the day was an older gentleman. Dathan belonged to a book club when we got married and one month when he neglected to return the postcard of the month's featured books we received an unwanted copy of "101 Greatest Sexual Positions." I honestly never glanced at it, or put it on my bookshelf for that matter (not because I'm prude, but because that's not something I want my parents looking at and wondering about when they come to visit), so it was put out at the yard sale. Anyway, the older gentleman browsed through the book for quite some time before he turned to me and offered a dime for it. I was charging $1.00 for hardback books but quite honestly just wanted him and the book gone so I accepted his offer. He then began to peruse the baby section where I had several unopened bottles of baby lotion and powder. His final purchase included the book, "101 Greatest Sexual Positions", a two pack of baby powder, and a bottle of baby lotion. Oh did Dathan have his friends rolling on the floor with laughter at work today, while I'm still cringing from the memory. The best part was he was carrying his money in one of those purple velvet bags you get with Crown Royal, and he kept offering me a dime for everything he picked up. I figured he was just carrying around a bag of change, and I wanted him gone, so I kept agreeing. When it came time to cough up the cash he pulled a wad of bills out of that bag so thick I'm surprised they even fit in there. Talk about getting suckered.
Other then my yard sale/creepy weird people magnet event, we did some home improvements this weekend. My proceeds went towards a new console table and mirror for our entryway, and mums for the front porch. I also got a plastic garden fence that looks like wrought iron from a distance that was on sale at Lowe's for $3. I was super psyched since I've been looking for something like this to be part of my Halloween decor (I'm the crazy Halloween lady on my street and have been thinking about my theme for this year since June!) and I couldn't pass it up at $3. Xavier had such a wonderful time helping me transplant the mums into pots. Of course now that I bought plants it's getting chilly. I hope the first frost holds out for at least a few weeks. I'll post some pics tomorrow of our improvements.
The day started off with a woman who showed up 45 minutes before the sale was scheduled to start. We had a huge thunderstorm and a power outage the night before so I didn't go to bed until the wee hours of the morning. That and the fact that I'm not used to waking up to an alarm clock made it extra hard to drag my butt out of bed the morning of the sale. Then this woman shows up and starts asking the price of everything since I hadn't tagged any items yet. I was half asleep and giving her prices way below what I was going to price things at anyway and she wanted to haggle. Sorry lady, but I don't do a darn thing in the morning until I've had at least one cup of coffee. She went on and on about how she needed to buy things cheap for an Air Force wife whose husband is only and E-3 and they have 10 kids and he's deployed, yadda yadda yadda. I'm familiar with how the pay system works since it was only a few years ago my soldier was an E-3. But there are resources out there for lower enlisted families in need of household items and sorry, but I'm not letting go of a 12 pc. Pfaltzgraff set for $1.00.
There were customers who were chatty and friendly, those who scowled and seemed to think I should be damned for not having any lawn tools for sale, those who didn't speak English, and those who spoke proper English so well they also tended to turn up their noses and made me wonder why they weren't off shopping at Macy's. But my most memorable customer of the day was an older gentleman. Dathan belonged to a book club when we got married and one month when he neglected to return the postcard of the month's featured books we received an unwanted copy of "101 Greatest Sexual Positions." I honestly never glanced at it, or put it on my bookshelf for that matter (not because I'm prude, but because that's not something I want my parents looking at and wondering about when they come to visit), so it was put out at the yard sale. Anyway, the older gentleman browsed through the book for quite some time before he turned to me and offered a dime for it. I was charging $1.00 for hardback books but quite honestly just wanted him and the book gone so I accepted his offer. He then began to peruse the baby section where I had several unopened bottles of baby lotion and powder. His final purchase included the book, "101 Greatest Sexual Positions", a two pack of baby powder, and a bottle of baby lotion. Oh did Dathan have his friends rolling on the floor with laughter at work today, while I'm still cringing from the memory. The best part was he was carrying his money in one of those purple velvet bags you get with Crown Royal, and he kept offering me a dime for everything he picked up. I figured he was just carrying around a bag of change, and I wanted him gone, so I kept agreeing. When it came time to cough up the cash he pulled a wad of bills out of that bag so thick I'm surprised they even fit in there. Talk about getting suckered.
Other then my yard sale/creepy weird people magnet event, we did some home improvements this weekend. My proceeds went towards a new console table and mirror for our entryway, and mums for the front porch. I also got a plastic garden fence that looks like wrought iron from a distance that was on sale at Lowe's for $3. I was super psyched since I've been looking for something like this to be part of my Halloween decor (I'm the crazy Halloween lady on my street and have been thinking about my theme for this year since June!) and I couldn't pass it up at $3. Xavier had such a wonderful time helping me transplant the mums into pots. Of course now that I bought plants it's getting chilly. I hope the first frost holds out for at least a few weeks. I'll post some pics tomorrow of our improvements.
Monday, September 10, 2007
The ants go marching
Last week I found a pile of fire ants in my laundry. Gross, I know, but also a sad fact about living in this part of the country. I called our housing office and they said they'd get the exterminator out within 72 hours. In the meantime they offered me some bait, which I promptly put in the garbage after my darling Schmooley almost had it in her mouth about a dozen times in the first 15 minutes. I'm still waiting on that exterminator. I used spray in front of the doors, inside and out, as a precaution and decided my idea must've worked since it's been a day or two since I've seen any ants in the house. WRONG.
Tonight Dathan put his pajama pants on and about 10 seconds later he stripped them off and started dancing around slapping his legs. I happened to be feeding Schmooley her nightcap (just a nice bottle of milk, in case you're thinking I'm one of those mothers) and could only hear the slapping and dancing, but I imagine it must've been quite a scene. Apparently his pajama pants, which I'm forever telling him not to leave on the floor, must've reminded the ants of their hills outside and they took up residence. He has I don't know how many bites on his legs, poor man. I guess I'm going back to get more bait tomorrow until the exterminator decides to show up. The funniest part of this ant thing is that I've found them in every single room except my kitchen. Wouldn't that be the logical place for them to head? I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight, thinking about ants crawling all over me, I just know it :-(
Tonight Dathan put his pajama pants on and about 10 seconds later he stripped them off and started dancing around slapping his legs. I happened to be feeding Schmooley her nightcap (just a nice bottle of milk, in case you're thinking I'm one of those mothers) and could only hear the slapping and dancing, but I imagine it must've been quite a scene. Apparently his pajama pants, which I'm forever telling him not to leave on the floor, must've reminded the ants of their hills outside and they took up residence. He has I don't know how many bites on his legs, poor man. I guess I'm going back to get more bait tomorrow until the exterminator decides to show up. The funniest part of this ant thing is that I've found them in every single room except my kitchen. Wouldn't that be the logical place for them to head? I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight, thinking about ants crawling all over me, I just know it :-(
Want to laugh?
Whether or not you have kids, you have to check out this blog by Dawn, a Mom of six. I was up until 2am reading this blog, trying not to let my laughter wake up the entire house. Anyone who knows me will tell you that it takes a lot to get me to laugh out loud. Not that I don't think a lot of things are funny, but I have a really annoying mad-woman snorting type of laugh :-) and I just don't laugh out loud often. This blog had me rolling on the floor! I only have two Schmoolies of my own, but I could totally relate to almost everything this woman was saying. I know I'll be reading it daily from now on and it surely will help me get through the times I want to hang the kids by their toes while Dathan is gone.
So Tweet!
I said I'd be sharing some of my favorite finds from the web, and here's one of my absolute favorites! This "So Tweet...Sweet Pink Sparrows Lounge Set" is made by DillyBopDesigns on Etsy. Made with beautiful Alexander Henry fabric, the set can be custom made in sizes 3 - 6 months to 10. I've been eyeing this set for a few weeks now and come payday I am definitely ordering one for Schmooley! It would be perfect for those days when we're just bumming around the house, although this set is is so cute I'd take her out in it. She also has sets for boys in her Etsy shop.
Have something nifty you want to share with me? Send an e-mail to inspiredbymyschmooley@hotmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
And so it begins...
Well here we are, two weeks away from Dathan leaving AGAIN. This time he's headed back to the big sandbox. I've decided to start keeping a blog while he's gone because there's so much I want to accomplish during this deployment and I figure this is a good place to keep track of it all. Aside from trying to save what's left of my sanity and take care of the kids, I'm starting a business. Crazy, I know, but it's been brewing in my mind since last year and at least it'll keep me busy during the next 15 lonely months.
So what started this crazy idea? Well shortly after Schmooley (AKA my daughter Cadence) was born, I decided I needed to have a shopping cart cover. Not because I'm germaphobic, but because I wanted something super plush between her wobbly head and the shopping cart. I shopped around and found the kind I wanted was selling for $80 or more and just couldn't justify spending that amount. So instead I convinced Dathan to let me spend $100 on a sewing machine, and I don't even want to think about how much on fabric and what-not, and I created one. Instant hit with family and friends!
Things just took off from there...burpies, bibs, painted wall letters, hair accessories, blankies, you name it, I was sewing it into the wee hours of the morning. You see, I have been creative ever since anyone who knows me can remember. I sewed, drew, painted, played with clay, and aspired to be the "starving artist" type all throughout my childhood (well, after I got over my ambitions to be a trapeze artist for Ringling Brothers) and well into my high school years. Circumstances in my life pushed me in another direction after school and it was sort of like someone just put a stopper in my bottle of creative juice. After Schmooley came into my life the bottle broke open and I havn't been able to stop since!
Aside from sewing, painting, and crafting I have an obsession with http://www.etsy.com/ (where you will soon be able to see my handcrafted goodies...more on the shop debut coming soon!) and finding unique and charming goods on the Internet. You will see many of them featured in my blog and if you have any suggestions or want to share a nifty product with me, shoot me an e-mail inspiredbymyschmooley@hotmail.com More to come soon!
So what started this crazy idea? Well shortly after Schmooley (AKA my daughter Cadence) was born, I decided I needed to have a shopping cart cover. Not because I'm germaphobic, but because I wanted something super plush between her wobbly head and the shopping cart. I shopped around and found the kind I wanted was selling for $80 or more and just couldn't justify spending that amount. So instead I convinced Dathan to let me spend $100 on a sewing machine, and I don't even want to think about how much on fabric and what-not, and I created one. Instant hit with family and friends!
Things just took off from there...burpies, bibs, painted wall letters, hair accessories, blankies, you name it, I was sewing it into the wee hours of the morning. You see, I have been creative ever since anyone who knows me can remember. I sewed, drew, painted, played with clay, and aspired to be the "starving artist" type all throughout my childhood (well, after I got over my ambitions to be a trapeze artist for Ringling Brothers) and well into my high school years. Circumstances in my life pushed me in another direction after school and it was sort of like someone just put a stopper in my bottle of creative juice. After Schmooley came into my life the bottle broke open and I havn't been able to stop since!
Aside from sewing, painting, and crafting I have an obsession with http://www.etsy.com/ (where you will soon be able to see my handcrafted goodies...more on the shop debut coming soon!) and finding unique and charming goods on the Internet. You will see many of them featured in my blog and if you have any suggestions or want to share a nifty product with me, shoot me an e-mail inspiredbymyschmooley@hotmail.com More to come soon!
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