Happy Bird-day Mom....

No - I didn't misspell it, No - it is not my birthday, but ever since August when it was my birthday that is what my little princess says as her "I love you". She won't say "I love you"....and if you say, "I love you....do you love me", she says "NO....Happy Bird-day". It is really sweet and it makes me a little weepy when she says it, she is my last baby and the last one that I will hear talking to me in her cryptic little language. I really love it when she whispers it in my ear like it is a secret - that is my favorite! Some days we need somebody to whisper in our ear because the world is so busy SCREAMING at us about everything else.

So from me to you....."Happy Bird-day"

This weekend was absolutely BEAUTIFUL around here!! Perfect weather for a Fall Festival...little face painting, hair painting..hay ride and lets just throw in a corn maze to top it off. We were down one kid due to the opening of the NEW Target. It is HUGE and definitely had The Brains attention! He had made a date with my mother about two months ago when they announced the Opening date. So any-who....after my morning of serving Hot Beverages we headed off to the Fall Festival at our local and FAVORITE nursery. It was a lot of fun....except for the Princess who says that she "..no like Hay-o-ween, yit scare me". This being one of her few poses for the day......This pose being the reason why I won't have any cute pictures of her finding an adorable little pumpkin or riding on the Hayride...I think I am going to try and photoshop her in...as soon as I figure out how to do that! LOL!

Mind you there was NOTHING scary going on at this fun little festival - although she did find her daddy getting his hair painted Hot Pink totally terrifying! The poor girl doing the spraying found his look terrifying!! He forgot to ask how long the paint stays in the hair before she started spraying...."Couple of Days Sir?!?!"

THIS....was Hysterical in her opinion!!! A BIG Daddy trying to get into a LITTLE Cow car named "Bubba"...

He Made it.....

Good day - Beautiful Sunshine - Happy Family!!

Ahhh....I love my family...today..

Just kidding, I love them every day, but today I am feeling a little extra lovey!!They are a cute little bunch, have you ever met them?? They are my greatest accomplishment - my favorite Creation in this Crazy Place called Life. Before The Princess was born we used to laugh and say that we had the perfect combo...The Beauty, The Brains and The Brawn. Now we have the cute little Princess to complete our circle!

First we have The Beauty...

The Brains.....

The Brawn.....








And, lastly The Princess....




Pretty cute bunch, huh?? They each are so unique in their little personalities. The Princess is truly the boss and The Brains wants to be President, and I am pretty sure that it is going to happen. The Beauty is such a hard worker and awesome athlete...The Brawn, well he is stronger than any of us combined, and for as much of a fighter as he is, he is just as big of a lover.
They are all destined for greatness....

I know, I know, I am a little biased, but they are my story!!!

And my Great Big husband, well he is always working so there are not any pictures of him for you, at least none that I have on my camera! I have recently seen him on Utube and on CNN, but in the house...nope, lol. As important as that makes him sound...we really aren't! Just a hard working man in uniform! And, no....I never get tired of looking at him in his uniform!

Love to you all!!

Getting out of Town

Not really....but it sounded like a "nice idea". And really, it isn't quite as good as it might sound! Yesterday I took my oldest up to the mall - which seemed like it was a million miles away - did a little girl time and a little shopping. Then we went over to the craft store where I picked up my new BIG project!! It is one that I am REALLY EXCITED about!!! Yippee.... so so excited!! I am making a doll house for the Princess!! I have SO much extra time on my hands....not, but I really need to work on some crafty goodness for my own sanity. Ok, so my point was...we also slipped over to the Cow ice cream place (Maggie Moo's) - which we all LOVE!! Then tonight when I was standing at the register trying to buy some doggy chow I realized that I didn't have my credit card! YIKES!!! I quickly traced it back to the last place I used it, ice cream, so in the car we went back up to the "big town" to pick it up. Got it, and a little more ice cream just for our troubles, and on our way home my daughter said to me, "Mom - it feels like forever since we were out of Deale!" And you know what? She was right! We have become so centered around the shop that we rarely ever go anywhere. Except to the orthopedic....but that is definitely a different story!!

We need to try and "get out of town" a little more! We live in a pretty small area, it isn't like there is so much going on that we "never need to leave", quite the contrary, but I have also been really trying to "stay/shop/live local", I guess it is working!

All for now, I will post some pictures of my newest project. I am so excited about I hope I don't get carried away and forget to take pictures of my progress!!!

New meaning to an old saying

So, "Creating Life" and "Creating in this crazy place called Life" has taken on a new meaning for me in my new circle of what "everyday" life is!!! No more are my daily options about being able to "make stuff" and create new fun things. Now my days are about creating our life in my crazy days of life!! (AND NO, it doesn't mean that I am going to be adding any NEW LIVES to our family!!)

With that being said, today not much of anything useful created. lol! I swear this entire day just FLEW by!! I got up - got the one beauty off to school, got the two gents out of the house and then the princess and I went about a few little errands before going to the shop. Even got to attend story time. The Princess looked around at the other kids like "what are you doing here??"

The shop was BUSY today!! And the Princess was on a roll - she was a terror in a crown! Man, I don't know what to do with her!! She refuses to go to "Playschool" AKA - daycare or pre-school. None of my kids have ever gone to daycare before and I hate to start now, but she won't use the potty so NO pre-school! She is however a good warning bell for when a customer is at the window or about to come in the shop. She is so stinkin' cute, she says in her softest little voice - NOT, as LOUD as she can..."MOM...CUT-A-MER". That translates to "mom, customer".

Before I knew it it was time to get back to the house and collect my little people. Make dinner - get some off to practice and then get them to bed. I don't know how in the heck working moms do this everyday! But, now that I am doing it seven days a week I am sure that I will get the hang of it superfast!

The Superman is getting nightly feeds through an NG tube so that is always a pressure to get it set up early enough....if not it starts the whole day off on the wrong foot. He is such a trooper. Speaking of foot, I think that tomorrow when I get my cast off we are going to need to have his cast looked at because he feels like their is a blister in there. Ouch...

OK, that is all the daily nonsense for today....However, I will leave you with this little tidbit...I am thinking about becoming a vegetarian and changing religions. What do you think?? My mother thinks I am CRAZY!! Whatever!

PS: I was happy to read that Stephanie of NieNie made it through her surgeries today. What an unbelievable event this family is going through!

No shop pictures for you today, just this little Princess....

For the love of a Stranger...

Yesterday I was trying to rest my foot (broken foot - week 2 with a cast....I tell you about the rest of my cast wearing family members tomorrow) after my fun filled day at the coffee shop and I started surfing through some of my favorite blog ladies when I stumbled upon this story....you can read back through her sisters blog to get more information. I was unbelievably touched by this story - I read and read all about them. I can't get over how tragic and beautiful this is all at the same time. I am adding the donation button to my blog.
Go through and read about them, I know times are tight but if you can even donate a single dollar, please do it. We have medical bills because of my Superman, but they are nothing compared to the medical bills that this family is going to have! I pray that whatever the outcome is for this family that they have peace. I do believe that this families amazing Faith in God will carry them through. I can't even imagine the recovery process that they are going to have to go through. I burnt myself a few weeks ago on the espresso machine - scalding hot water and skin, bad combo - and the pain was horrible, and that was only my arm! I can not even imagine over 80% of my body! Modern medicine and her spiritual strength will need to come together here. Well, I am going to go cuddle with my children for a few minutes.....In other news....I actually went "into" my craft room today, shuffled a few things around and was very excited at the "thought" of being able to do a project. Completing a project might be a different story.....lol. I think I will start with something simple...like a bow or a bracelet!

Hey there stranger!

Oh...My....Goodness!!! It is now the 12th of September and I just realized that my last post was in April...exactly 2 days before we opened the doors to our very own Coffee Shop & "store"....it has been a complete roller coaster and seems like years since May 1st! Let me give you a brief re-cap!!
1. I haven't done one complete "craft" project since April!!
2. My daughter has 6 unfinished "spring" outfits....good thing that Fall is just beginning, guess I have a jump start on next spring!!
3. 3 - yes 3 members of my family have broken bones! All one week apart we have broken two left wrists, and one left foot. Thank you very much, I will be seeking damages from the moo-cows!
4. Our shop is super cute and growing every single day! We started off with the notion of having an antique consignment and vintage boutique "store" and have since decided to have a retail gift/home decor & accessories store. It is so much more fun!! We have several lines that are made right here in the U.S.A - Love that!!

5. The list goes on and on!! But, I am going to make sure that I keep up with my blog and my crafts. I hate that some days I am so tired my poor little brain can't be creative!!

I have once again discovered that the only form of sanity in a family with kids/school/jobs, etc is ORGANIZATION and PLANNING!! There is going to be time spent this weekend planning dinners & lunches for the next two weeks. The farmers market only has a few more weeks left so I need to stock up on all our fresh homegrown produce. The squash is starting to become more plentiful, apples are ready to be made into applesauce, and the potatoes are HUGE this year!! Because working 80+ hours a week is just not enough to keep me busy, I have it set in my mind to make applesauce and sweet potatoes to be canned and saved for Thanksgiving and other dinners this fall/winter.

OK, off to try and get some sleep - that darn coffee doesn't make itself!!