Busy Moms: Colorado Babies

If you love adorable crocheted animals and elegant baby blankets, then you need to visit Colorado Babies' shop! It's full of sweet things like these.

And don't forget to go here to read an interview with this fellow Busy Mom.

However....

We went to visit my brother and his wife in Boston for Memorial Day weekend. We haven't been there since Labor Day, although they've been here to visit a couple times. Daniel had a lot of fun in Boston -- we walked pretty much everywhere on Saturday and Sunday, and he loves walking, so it was like the perfect Daniel mini-break. And they introduced us to Lost -- they have the first season on dvd, so we watched the first 5 or 6 eps with them, and I'm on my way to being hooked.

When my dad joined us there Sunday night, then we did more riding in cars, but we still walked most places, or rode the train. And if there's one thing Daniel likes better than taking walks, it's trains. Days later, he's still saying, "Four trains and a bus!" when he remembers what he got to ride on Tuesday.

While my husband had to drive home on Monday night so he could work Tuesday, Daniel and I stuck around until Wednesday and then drove back here with Dad. My brother's done with school for the semester, so he got to hang out with us on Tuesday, although his wife had to work.

So it should have been a super-fun little vacation. However...

I got food poisoning.

Sunday evening we all ate at a Brazilian steakhouse, where they bring you all kinds of different meat that's been roasted over an open fire. And it was super tasty. But I had one kind of sausage that no one else tried, and when I woke up Monday morning... it was like having morning sickness plus diarrhea plus a fever. I spent most of Monday in bed, except for sudden trips to the bathroom. Even now, I'm still not back to normal.

However, I did find time to crochet eight pretty washcloths as a custom order for my shop. Good thing I got six of them done early during the weekend, so I just had to make the last two once I was feeling better. I love how cheery they are! Made from cotton yarn, they're soft and durable, and they're sure to brighten up a kitchen or bathroom. If you'd like some too, I'm going to be adding a few to my shop soon, or I'd be happy to make a custom order for you. Providing I don't get food poisoning again, of course ;-)

Busy Moms: Baby Jayne's

Today's featured Busy Moms store is Baby Jayne's. From baby quilts to tooth fairy pillows to beaded socks, Baby Jayne's has lots of cute stuff for cute babies. Go take a look for yourself, and read an interview with this busy mom here.

Busy Moms: Echo Endeavor

Our next Busy Moms team member to get featured is Echo Endeavor. All the proceeds from lovely jewelry like this go to the ECHO charity for things like breast cancer research. Follow the links to this shop to learn more!





You can read an interview with the busy mom who runs this shop here.

Busy Moms: Piou Piou Kids

The Busy Moms Team is doing a marketing blitz over the coming weeks. Those of us participating are going to be promoting each others' shops in our own shops, on our blogs, etc. So now you know why I'll be posting about a whole bunch of other people's shops for a while :-)




First up is Piou Piou Kids. She makes really cute baby clothes and tote bags like these ones. Click on either image to see more!

And if you'd like to read an interview with the mom behind the store, click here.

Instant Canteens

I'm adding a new product to my store: instant canteens. All you have to do is slip in your plastic 20 oz bottle, and voila! You have a canteen! It's a hands-free way to carry your water or other beverage without putting it in your purse or backpack and letting the condensation ruin your other stuff. Just think -- no more forgotten bottles left at the playground, zoo, or park!

My instant canteens are made from cotton fabric and cotton straps, with a plastic strap adjuster that lets kids or adults use them. So far I've only listed this Coke-themed canteen, but I've got three more made that I'll be adding to the store over the next few days. And I'm always happy to do custom orders!

And the Day's Not Over Yet

This has been quite a day! Started out fairly well -- although my sciatic nerve has been flaring up again, I did some different yoga poses this morning that helped a lot. And Daniel didn't make any giant messes during breakfast or lunch, that's always nice. After lunch, we went to the playground a block away like we do every day that it isn't actively raining or snowing. All was well.

Except, when we got home, I discovered I'd locked us out. Argh. But I didn't panic -- we live over an optometrist's office, and the doctor is also our landlord, so I knew he'd have keys to our apartment and could just let us in.

Except, everyone was out to lunch. So Daniel and I hung out outside for half an hour, waiting for them to return. Thank the good Lord I'd brought my water bottle along, so we didn't die of dehydration even though today it was suddenly 84 after weeks of temps in the 60s. When the doctor and his staff returned, we had a good laugh, and he scrounged around and found the keys to our apartment.

Except, none of the keys worked. It seems he had the locks changed before we moved in, and never got a copy for himself. So he called the locksmith. The locksmith was an hour away. And it was already past Daniel's nap time.

One hour, one popsicle, a bottle of Snapple, a little bag of mini cookies, one issue of Highlights for Children, and three Disney books later, the locksmith arrived, picked our lock, and let us in. Whew. Daniel got his nap, I got my keys back, the locksmith made a copy for the doctor/landlord, and all was well that ended well. So far, anyway.

The Square Grammy -- Take Two

I blogged about my mom's store back when it first opened, and today I felt like updating you on her progress.

She's really been enjoying being a part of the Etsy world, and is having fun trying out new patterns and making some different items that she'd never tried before. She's starting to make Amigurumi like this cute ladybug, and she just listed this lovely crocheted tote this weekend. But she has yet to make her first sale, which I think is ridiculous, because she has really cute ideas and very reasonable prices. And besides, she's my mom ;-)

So click on over to thesquaregrammy.etsy.com and see what she has to offer.

I'm in a Groovy Treasury

One of the members of the Busy Moms of Etsy team that I belong to made this cool treasury and included my new Aragorn mini-notebook in it.

I'm actually trying to come up with a better name/title for that notebook. Anyone have a good suggestion? I'm calling it "Aragorn at War" right now, but that's just sort of boring, I think. I thought about "End of an Age," but that sounded sort of depressing. Hmm. Maybe I should say something about the king returning? If you've got a better title for it, post it in my comments, please! If someone comes up with one I like, I might just reward them with a little surprise!

Pizza Penne

Here's a quick recipe that's been one of my favorites since the first time we made it. My hubby knows not to gobble up the leftovers the next day unless he wants to risk incurring the Wrath of Rachel :-D It has just the right blend of salty, meaty, and cheesy that makes my taste buds rejoice.

Pizza Penne

1 can spaghetti sauce
2 cups water
2 2/3 cups penne rigate
1 pkg (3 oz) sliced pepperoni
1 cup shredded Mozarella

In a large skillet over high heat, stir together one-half of spaghetti sauce, water, and penne; heat to boiling. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through.

Fairy Tales Can Come True

I love fairy tales. The heroics, the romance, the shiny armor and pretty dresses. Good triumphing over evil. I practically wore out my copy of Grimm's fairy tales when I was a kid. And so I've created this finger puppet playset that includes the classic fairy tale trio: a knight, a princess, and a fire-breathing dragon. Like my other finger puppets, these are small enough they fit on my 19-month-old's fingers, but they stretch enough to fit on mine too. These are great for imaginative play -- your child can make up their own narratives and act them out with the puppets -- even put on a play for Grandpa and Grandma!

I'm dreaming up other finger puppet sets too, so stay tuned to see what else I come up with :-D

The Winner is...

Congratulations to Leslie of Live, Love, Laugh with Leslie! She won the giveaway sponsored by Ozark Scents in connection with their interview of me. Leslie, I've already shipped the journal you won, so you should receive it in a few days! Thanks for entering the giveaway, and I hope you enjoy the journal :-)

Milestones and a Weekend Recap

I made my tenth sale yesterday! Sold my baby sun hat pattern again. I'm thinking offering a few more patterns might be a good plan. For my finger puppets, maybe? I'm working on some new ones, and have a set almost ready for a photo shoot.

The weekend was awesome. Saturday, I got to meet one of my favorite authors, Laurie R. King. She writes great mysteries, and has a whole series about Sherlock Holmes and a character she created named Mary Russell. They're my faves, though I've read a bunch of her other books and like them too. If you want, you can read about my experience at her book tour here, on my other blog, "Inscriptions."

Saturday night, we hung out at our local library for a while, listening to a Beatles tribute band. While my hubby and Daniel were off running around, I got hit on by a guy almost as old as my dad. I'm still not sure if I should be flattered or frightened....

And on Sunday, I went to see Wolverine with a friend. I loved it. I want to see it again. Before it leaves theaters. Enough said. Mmmmmmmm. Posting a random pic from it just because that means I'll get to gaze at it every time I bring my blog up for a week or so.

And finally, I just found out that one of my favorite current TV shows, NCIS, is spinning off a new show (as yet unnamed). And that new show will star... Chris O'Donnell. Yes. The same Chris O'Donnell I have been madly in love with since, what, 1995? A really long time. Here's a pic from the recent NCIS eps that set off the spinoff, because that means I get to gaze at Chris (and Mark Harmon) for a while too. As do you.

Oh, one last thing. Happy birthday, Rudolph Valentino!

Friday? Really? Already?

How did it get to be Friday already? Man, this week just flew past. I think it was the nice weather -- it went from the 40s to the 90s last weekend, and Daniel and I spent lots and lots of time outside. Until today, when it started raining again. I did manage to upload a few new things to my site this week, like a scrunchie and a Wolverine-themed mini-notebook. And I'm clearancing out some old journals and address books to make way for new stuff. Our apartment is pretty small, and my Huggermugger stuff is starting to take over a lot of our not-so-spare space.

I've got a crazy weekend coming up -- going to meet one of my favorite authors tomorrow, and then going to see Wolverine on Sunday with a pal. And there's also a Beatles tribute band playing at the library on Saturday that my hubby wants to go see. Gonna be quite a weekend!

Any way, check out my clearance section and see if there's anything you like :-D And don't forget to enter the giveaway of one of my journals here! It ends on Wednesday, May 6.