1. Growing up, what was one favorite item that you had to have with you at all times?
I don't think I always carried anything around me 24/7.  But I was very attached to a blanket and pillow set.  It was a quilted white satin blanket with matching pillow.  I think it was given to me as a newborn.  But I loved that blanket it was so silky and I loved the way it smelled.  I still have both but they are a bit worse for wear.

2. Being an adult, what is one favorite item that you have to have with you at all times, and what happens if you do not have it with you? Do you lose your sanity or just go back home to get it?
I like to have my iPod Touch with me all the time.  Then I can check email or Facebook if I happen to be somewhere with wifi.  Plus I can listen to music or play a game of solitaire if I a have a few free moments.  If I happen to leave it at home I just go on with out it but I end up thinking about it or missing it.  If I happen to remember it and I haven't left the neighborhood I will go home and get it.


3. Where is your favorite place to be to just hide away from everything and breathe for a moment?
My craft room.  It can be closed off so my children can't come in and bother me.  Not to mention it's not child proofed so Marley really shouldn't be in there anyway.  Plus just getting in there and being creative or just puttering is relaxing for me.

4. What is your favorite thing about your partner? (If you don’t have a partner, then someone who is very close and will always be in your life)
James is genuinely funny and caring.  He is always making me laugh which I need (I tend to take thing too seriously).

5. What is your favorite thing about your job? (If you don’t have a job, then what is your favorite thing that you do during your day?)
I have two jobs.  All week I am home with my kiddos and I love being with them and knowing what their day is like.  And knowing when they need me I am here.  My second job is as a photographer at a large chain portrait studio on the weekends.  My favorite thing about working there is meeting new people and playing with itty bitty babies.  But overall it's just fun to give people great pictures they will have up in their house.

6. What is your favorite lesson that your parents taught you growing up? Looking back, is it something that you want to use to teach your children when they reach that age?
My mom taught us how to be polite and appreciative to EVERYONE.  And I still to this day say thank to you people who wait on me weather it's the cashier at the grocery store or my waitress at a restaurant.  I don't think enough people are polite anymore and it's annoying to me.  So I make sure my kids say please and thank you to everyone that helps them or gives them something.

7. What is your favorite song, that will always bring a smile to your face and make you think of something happy?
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.  I love Bob Marley (and Ziggy) and have always liked this song but when I was pregnant with my first child Noa I read somewhere that playing music to the baby through your belly was good for brain development.  So I started playing music to him.  Mostly classical because I had read about the benefits of it but I just randomly put on Bob Marley's Legend album and Noa started kicking and "dancing" way in my belly!  So that became a regular staple.  Then after he was born I would actually sing Three Little Birds to him.  In fact if he had been a girl his name would have been Marley.  Well then I got pregnant again and it was girl so guess what her name is Marley!  She also got Bob in the womb and I sing it to her as well.  So anyway every time I hear this song I think of my wonderful babies.



8. What is your favorite things about being an American? (If you not American, what are you proud of in regards to your country)
My favorite thing is that we live in a country where we have the freedom to say what we want and practice what ever religion we want.

9. What is your favorite meal that reminds you of being a child?

Tortillas with cheddar cheese that have been broiled in the oven and served with lettuce, tomatoes and my mom's homemade guacamole.  I remember this being a very special treat for dinner and sometimes we got to eat it in the living room watching TV.

10. Name 3 things that other people would say are their favorite thing about you.
My brownies, my dependability, and my ability to listen.

Ten on Tuesday

 

1. What’s the one thing you always do when you’re stressed?

I freak out for a little bit.  I cry and play the worst case situations in my head.  I just sort of let the freak out happen then I feel better.

2. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done for a friend?

Huh I don't know.  I really have to give that one some thought....  and I'm still blank.  My friend Jennie once made me (I know she couldn't make me but she pushed me till I relented) run through the sprinklers on the baseball field at our high school.  She really wanted to do it so I ended up going with her.  And that's pretty much how it goes with Jennie :).  It was a lot of fun but we froze after.

3. What cleaning supply could you not live without?

My vacuum cleaner.  I actaully like to vacuum and with my dog we NEED a good vacuum cleaner.

4. How long do you plan on living where you currently reside?

A long time!  I love my house and we have plenty of room so I see us here until we are old and gray and can't get up the stairs anymore!

5. Do you usually vote straight party, a mixture, or not at all?

Usually straight party but I have been known to mix it up if there is a good candidate not on my side.  It happens once in a blue moon!

6. What’s something that you love to do, but seem to never make time for?

Lately it seems to be reading.  I typically finish a few books a month but not for the last couple.  I seem to be so tired that I just head to bed instad of reading.  Or there is my Dexter obsession which has been having a major impact on my reading time as of late.  

7. What’s your favorite store to buy things for other people?

It depends on the person.  I always love Target and can usually find something for anyone there but I also love Barnes & Noble and Pier 1.

8. What’s the weather like around you today?

We are finally cooling off here!!  It got up to about 85 today and it wasn't too humid either.  So a really nice sunny day.  I just can't wait until we get to the time when the highs are in the 70's and I can open the windows for a little while!

9. What’s the worst book you’ve ever bought and read?

The worst book I bought and read is Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon.  It was badly written and I had the whole mystery/plot sloved by page 50.  I will never pick up a Sidney Sheldon book again.

10. What’s the closest thing to you that is yellow?

Some yellow origami paper sitting on my lap desk next to my laptop.  I got my first custom order on Etsy last night!!!!  Yep someone is ordering one of my Origami Flower Mobiles but in her daughter's nursery colors!  Yellow being one of the colors.  I will be sure to post a picture of it once it's done.

Babies, Babies Everywhere!!

Being a stay at home mom can get very lonely and boring.  I found this out very quickly after my son was born.  So I joined a local chapter of the MOMS Club.  It's a national organization for stay at home moms.  It is really a great group and I have now been in my chapter for almost 6 years (I joined when Noa was 8 months old).  So being a club with many moms you can imagine there is almost always at least one pregnant lady in the bunch!  And as these things tend to do they go in spurts.  So I had two baby showers in the last few weeks.  I was unable to attend them which really sucked because James was working or I was working and I really wanted to attend but I guess that's life.  But of course I got gifts for the babies and their mommies.  I just wanted to share them because well I think they are too cute and I wanted people to see what kind of personalizations I can do with my frames on Etsy.

 

So this one was for a friend and her daughter and my son are in the same class this year at school.  She was having her third baby who's name was Emmett.

And then there are the the twins!!!

 

And another member is having twin girls named as you can see Charleigh & Ryleigh.  With names like those it will hard for her to come across anything with their names on them.  I am in the same boat with my kids (Noa & Marley).  But do my kids have frames with their names on them yet??  Nope.  But I will do it one day!!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Favorite way to travel (plane, train, automobile, etc.)
Plane simply because it's faster when you are going long distances.  I used to love to fly when I was younger but with all the cut backs and changes it's not so fun anymore.

2. Where’s your favorite place to travel to that you’ve been to?
I loved NYC the one time I went and I really want to go back.  But my most favorite city is London.  I've been 3 times but I would go again in a heart beat. 

3. Where’s the place that you want to go but have never been?
Place? How about places!  I love to travel and I have so many places I want to see.  My short list is Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, South Africa, Spain and Portugal.

4. Do you deal with traffic well?
No.  My husband should answer this question because he just loves to deal with me and traffic!  I stress out in traffic.  First off I just don't like to drive and I have been in enough accidents (NONE of them my fault thank you very much) that I am kind of a nervous driver in heavy traffic or bad weather.  I tend to yell and freak out very easily.  It's really no fun for anyone in the car.

5. Ever had an emergency while traveling?
In college I got flat while driving home for the weekend.  I was all of 18 and traveling alone and didn't have a cell phone.  Of course the flat happened after all the main exits on I-40 between Wilmington and Chapel Hill.  So there I was stranded on the side of the road with no cell phone and no knowledge about how to change a tire.  Lucky for me a really nice man stopped and put my spare tire on for me.  If he hadn't stopped I don't know what I would have done.  Most likely walk to the nearest phone and that would have been really safe!

6. Do you have a passport? What countries have you been to?
Yep I've had one since I was 16.  I'm not sure you guys really want me to list ALL the countries I've been to but I think it will be fun so here goes...
Canada
Mexico
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Aruba
Curacao
Grenada
Venezuela
Jamaica
Bahamas
Kiribati
United Kingdom ( I've been to England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland & Whales)
France
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Italy
Luxembourg

7. Are you’ve light packer or do you pack everything but the kitchen sink?
I am a light packer unless I over think things.  When I over think I tend to add crap thinking I will need it and then I never do.

8. Do you take the fastest route or the road less traveled?
Depends.  If I have to be somewhere by a specific time then the fastest but if I've got the time I like to take the road less traveled.

9. Do any activities on the road? (like road games, reading, sleeping, etc. )
I wish I could read in the car!!!!  I have always wanted to but I get really car sick when I do.  So I just listen to music or deal with the kids.

10. Use a paper map or GPS?
I haven't used a paper map in ages!!!  Once Mapquest or Google maps came along I just started getting turn by turn directions from them and printing them out.  Then I got my iPod Touch which has a mapping app I used. But now thanks to our recent acquisition we have a GPS in our new mini-van.  It's not a brand new van (thanks to my mom who sold us her old Honda mini-van) but a nice used one!

Excuses

OK I know I am not the best about posting blogs often.  I try I really do.  But seriously life just gets in the way.  I will not be doing a Ten on Tuesday this week because the lady who runs that fun little deal just a had a brand new baby!  Congrats Chelsea & family!  Anyway she is understandably taking a break this week.  Which is actually fine because as you are reading this my life line (aka my MacBook) is in a mail truck somewhere on it's way to get fixed and thanks to auto post feature you are reading this now.  Anyway my laptop will be gone anywhere between 7 to 10 days :(.  We do have other computers in our house (don't ask how many it's obscene) but I HATE PCs so I will only use James' machines when I absolutely HAVE to and my old desktop Mac is well old and slow and I will use it when desperate or when Noa isn't on it.  But I will be for the most part only using my iPod Touch to go through email and keep up with things.  Which basically means I will not be posting a new blog, Facebooking, or Twittering much while my beloved MacBook is gone.  I still have a bone to pick with Apple but this is not the time or the place right now.  I have less than 20% power left (and that is part of the issue and why it's being worked on ... thank god it's still under warranty) and I need to finish this post up and do my last back up before I pack it up and ship it out!

Labor Day Weekend, Work, and Potty Training....

So yes it is/was Labor Day weekend.  Yay a 3 day weekend!  Sort of.  I had to work Saturday and Sunday.  Now I grant you I don't work during the week .... umm let me rephrase that I don't work a PAYING job during the week.  In some ways my stay at home mom gig is far more time consuming and frustrating but also the most rewarding but I'm off on a tangent.  Anyway my hubby was home for 4 days which is really nice.  So even though I didn't have a long weekend off it's all good.  Work is good.  I am enjoying it more and more even though Saturday I was mentally and physically spent by 9PM (I literally passed out sometime after 9PM Saturday night).  I did a lot more photography sessions by myself which included doing all the posing of the subjects, the shooting and then the selling.  It was so much to remember by myself.  I will get the hang of it but man just remembering to try and get kids in all these different poses is tough!  Sunday was better because it wasn't as busy and I felt I wasn't as rushed and I had more help from the other employees.  That's the other thing I really like about my new job is the people.  I can honestly say they are all really great people and I like working with them.  Now if I could just wear knee pads (I spend so much time on my knees shooting kids it's ridiculous!) and sneakers to work it would be perfect! 

So the way the schedule at work is done I never know if I am working Sunday until the day before.  So I for some reason didn't think I was working Sunday this week and had planned with James that we would take all day Sunday and Monday to potty train Marley.  She has been peeing on the potty a couple times a day for the last month or so and knows full well when she has to poop because she says she's poopy when she's not then runs to a corner and poops.  So I figured it was about time not to mention diapers are just insanely expensive!  Well when I found out I had to work Sunday that kinda threw a monkey wrench in the potty training plans.  James didn't think (aka want) to do it by himself on Sunday so we started first this morning.  I must say it went a lot better than I expected.  We only had one pee accident (and that was totally mommy & daddy's fault) and one poop accident!!  She pretty much went on command every time we put her on the potty today.  The one poop accident happened while we were outside playing down the street with the neighborhood kids.  I think she was just too excited to stop and tell us not to mention we weren't at home.  And the one pee accident happened while we were all watching a movie before dinner.  I kept asking her if she had to go but of course she said no.  We had been setting a timer all day and making her go when the timer went off but we had forgotten to reset it and we just all got engrossed in the movie....  and of course she was sitting on me.  But all in all she did really well.  Noa wasn't potty trained until he was just weeks shy of 3 and she is still a few months away from being 3.  But she is a girl and girls are supposed to be easier.  But Noa was easy but he was also older so really I have no clue.  The test will be tomorrow when I actually have to go run errands and leave the house with her!!  Wish me luck and dry clothes!