Kids - A Blessing?

This week has been ... trying. Brooke (my darling daughter) has been testing her parent's patience these past couple of months. Most of the time she's an angel, but we've been having some issues with her in regards to using her listening ears at school. Both of her report cards have come home with exceptional marks, except in the paying attention and following directions category. We have had talks with her, spoken to her about it in front of her teacher at conferences, and had daily reminders before she leaves for school. These approaches have been falling on deaf ears. Because guess who got a call from her teacher today. Yup. Me. She knows what to do and how to behave, it's not like she's a belligerent child. I think part of the problem is that she's bored. She comes home everyday exasperated because what she "learned" in school is something she already knows.  She has her young scholars class (gifted program) once per week. But I'm sure that it's enough. So what does a bored child do? Entertain themselves. I guess I could also attribute it to her headstrong personality, her creativity, and her love of attention. However, Eric and I are now forced to come up with ways to "entice" her to behave. It irks me because we shouldn't HAVE to go to these extremes, but I also don't want phone calls from her teacher. Oh Brooke, sometimes your angel face is a little deceiving. I hope first grade will be a little more challenging. I also hope that Brooke can continue in the gifted program at her new school. She needs things that stimulate her. As one of my friends said, "Having a gifted child is hard, but rewarding." So much truth.

On the other end, work has been keeping me busy. I'm gearing up for a large sale in a couple of weeks. I was hoping to have my items pre-made so all I had to do was pack and ship. However, that's not looking too promising. I have some items that are almost finished, but I think the majority of orders will be made to order. This wil delay shipping a bit, but I hope that my buyers understand the time to takes to hand make these items. I am hoping for a good sale since this money will be going towards a our new house.

Speaking of the new house. They were supposed to break ground a couple of weeks ago, but the builder is so backed up, they were delayed for 3-4 weeks. This means it's going to be 3-4 weeks longer to move in. Boo. But, I will wait patiently, because it will all be worth it in the end.

I'm Back!

My last blog post was in December of 2009. My things have changed!

I have officially graduated and received my BA in Sociology. It was a five year journey and to have completed it feels amazing!

My business has also grown. Ridiculously. I have branched out into the wholesale distributor field, supplying high quality yet affordable craft supplies (geared mainly towards hair accessories and handmade boutique items). This has kept me extremely busy while also splitting my time with my handmade venture. My pacifier clips are still my best sellers. I have had to shut my shop down a few times because I simply did not have time to keep up with orders along with running the other parts of my business. Each time I shut down for a prolonged amount of time I get nervous that once I reopen, the influx of orders will be no more. But each time that fear is unfounded, I start getting orders right away! It's a blessing, to have something that started as a hobby turn prosperous. I am able to stay at home, make my own hours, take days off, and not worry about how my absence is going to affect my work. If my daughter become sick, or my husband has the day off, I am able to take a break. It's refreshing. But, it's still stressful. Some days I have a slow trickle of orders, other days I get bombarded. To say that I have had to learn time management is an understatement. Being organized has been the most important thing I have had to learn. And when I say organized, I don't mean my craft room. THAT looks like the craft tornado went through. Or, as I call it, organized chaos. I simply do not have enough room for all of my inventory!

The bright side, we're in the process of purchasing our first house! My husband has been in the Army for the past 12 years. We have lived in three different states, moved four times, and survived a year long deployment. Sadly, and excitingly, my husband has decided to close his chapter of being in the Army. He is close to receiving his BA and we decided that we would like some stability in our lives. Our daughter is young and resilient, but we want what is best for her. The idea of moving every few years is exciting and stressful. Yes, we get to move around the US to different bases, but along with that comes with the possibility of Eric being gone for who knows how long, leaving friends behind, making new friends, and learning new terrain. So, we have decided that we would like Brooke to stay in one place and keep the friends she makes. She is excited as well. I don't think she'll remember all of the moving when she gets older, but it was a fun adventure.

Our new house is a new construction. We're building in an outer suburb of the Twin Cities here in MN. It's the perfect house for us, one we can raise our family in and make a home of it. We have settled with every house we have lived in since we got married, so now we get to be picky and have everything we want. The greatest part? I get the whole basement as my workspace studio! It's large, over 800 sq. ft. and has everything I need. I am contemplating bringing in a professional organizer to help me set it up. I want it functional. I want a space that I love and can keep organized (or so I tell myself). There will be plenty of room, I just need creative ways of organizing my inventory with enough room to sort orders. I will be sure to post pictures when we're all moved in! Right now it looks like our closing date will be in September. All of the developers are extremely busy, hence the 5 month wait (we signed our PA in the beginning of February). Now that we have a "home", we are impatient to move in.

So that's a small summary of what has been going on. I will try my best to update this regularly. :) Have a happy Friday!

School is DONEZO!!!

Well, until Jan 11. :) My classes went well. I was worried about my grades, especially for two classes, but I have already gotten one of my grades back for one of those two classes, and I got a B. I am so relieved. Now I am just waiting on one other one, and even if I pull a C, I won't be too upset. My English class was probably my hardest, and I worked really hard in it. I had this same professor for a class last semester and really liked her, so I decided to take her again. Turns out I didn't even have to take this class, but I'm glad I did, especially since I got an A in it. :) It will help me in my major, so I'm not regretting taking it at all. I'm just waiting for two more grades, I hope my GPA stays up. Right now I'm at a 3.6 which I think is pretty impressive given the fact that I have a two year old and my husband is gone!

I had a wonderful mommy daughter day. We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond because I had gotten a 20% your entire purchase coupon in the mail, and I wanted to use it since it was a good deal. I have wanting to get a new cookware set since the one I have is coming apart. I mean, the pieces are holding up, but the non-stick is coming off the pan, and I don't think that's too healthy. My dad had sent me a generous gift for Christmas, so I decided to use part of it on new cookware. I did some research online and found that the Calphalon line was pretty nice, but a little spendy. But I figure if I want something that will last, I better be prepared to spend. So picked out the 10 piece, since it came with a good sized stock pot. Brooke and I go up to pay and they tell me that the set comes with a Gift With Purchase. Heck yeah! So I'm figuring it will be something small, boy was I wrong. It was a $160 dutch oven. I don't even know what a dutch oven is!!! But I am thrilled non the less! I am super excited to use my new set, and I figure this is an investment for Eric as well, since I cook him food. :)

I'm planning on opening a new store. Yes, my THIRD Etsy store. But I made a mistake with my first two, I named them so that they were very exclusive to other products. And I have so many new ideas. So this one will be called KBJDesign. That way, I can list anything I want to without feeling like I'm not staying true to my shop name. I will be carrying fabric covered button magnets, fabric covered button pushpins, fabric covered button earrings and swarovski earrings like the ones I posted pictures of below! I am super excited since I have four weeks until the new semester starts.

Other than that, I don't really have much else to say. My shops have been doing fairly well, but that's due to the upcoming holidays. :) The mail person must think I'm crazy and a shopaholic. I get about 3 packages a day in the mail...haha!

One more week ...

I have been busy!!! School is coming to an end so I've been super busy studying for finals. I have been scrambling. And the past month or so, both of my shops, Bows for Baby and Pacify Me are doing really well!!! My Pacify Me store has really picked up, I'm super happy!! It's always nerve racking to open a new store up, you never know if it's going to take off or not.

Once school ends next week, I will a lot more time to devote to filling my stores with items! I have to pay for daycare so I might as well use the time and work. :) I'm actually super excited to start building inventory. I have a lot of ideas!!!

Below are some of the things I've been working on. I have been working on the flower clips and they seem to have a lot of interest. I also have headbands now as well. My Bows for Baby Bundle seems to be popular!!! I have also made some earrings, but am still deciding on if I want to list them. What do you think?

And the Winner Is...

Ashley Culbertson!!! Congrats!!! You have won the giveaway! Please check your email, I have sent you instructions on how to claim your prizes!!!

lil miss' mama said...

I like the Retro Flower Pacifier Clip!
email in profile.

Pacify Me GIVEAWAY!!!

I am having my first GIVEAWAY for my Pacify Me store on Etsy!

Pacify Me carries the most fashionable pacifier clips! There is a wide variety of prints to choose from, definitely something for everyone! My pacifier clips are high quality, durable, fashion forward and can be used as more than just a pacifier clip! I also offer MAM (button) adapters as optional add-ons. You can also purchase a separate suspender clip to turn the clip into a bib clip! These clips are sure to grab attention in all the right ways.

So what am I giving away?

I am giving away THREE pacifier clips from my store, YOUR CHOICE! You read it right, the winner gets to choose any THREE clips from my store! And there's a bonus, you can choose an additional add-on for free! I will include either 1 MAM adapter OR 1 suspender clip.

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry

1. Head to my store www.pacifyme.etsy.com, and tell me which pacifier clip is your favorite!

Additional Entry (You must leave separate comments for each entry)

2. Become a FAN of Bows For Baby on Facebook. (My main store is Bows For Baby, but I have also incorporated Pacify Me into updates and pictures)

3. Follow my blog!

4. Blog about this giveaway! Make sure to leave the link of your blog post in your comment.

5. Follow Bows For Baby on Twitter!

6. Tweet about this giveaway! Remember to leave me a link to your Tweet!

7. 10 entries if you buy something from either Pacify Me OR Bows For Baby!

**PLEASE LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS WITH YOUR COMMENT ENTRY SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOUR NAME IS CHOSEN!**

Contest will end November 30, 2009

Below are just some EXAMPLES of the type of clips and prints I have! There are many more in my shop!

I'm having issues...

I've been wanting an SLR camera for a while. But now I've really started to look at and compare them. I take a lot of pictures. Between taking pictures for my stores, my daughter, get togethers and random scenery, my point and shoot is constantly going. I love taking pictures and then seeing them upload onto my laptop. I love getting great pictures of my daughter because she will carry them with her for the rest of her life. I know I either want a Nikon or Canon. The Nikon D3000 is a great camera, but so is the Canon Rebel XSI. DECISIONS! I've already talked to Eric about it, and he said I could get it as my Christmas present under one stipulation. I have to camping with him. Not my kind of camping (a 5 star hotel), but his kind of camping (out in the wilderness with no running water, toilets or electricity). So I've been hesitating on getting one. Now don't get me wrong, I love my husband. But he's crazy. He knew that I was not a camping kind of woman before we got married. And he was fine with that. So now, he's BLACKMAILING me. Turd. And I really, REALLY want one of these cameras. I mean, covet with all of my being. (I'm a sinner, I've already come to terms with this.) The no electricity, running water and no toilet doesn't deter me as much as the MOSQUITOES. Yes, you read it correctly. I am scared breathless of mosquitoes. Want to know why? Because I'm allergic to them. I can see you scoffing right now and saying, "She is so full of B.S. No one is allergic to mosquitoes!" But I tell you, I am. When most people get bit, they get some small swellage and it itches of a couple of days. Not me. When I get but, it swells to the size of a quarter, at minimum, and then itches for two weeks straight. I swear I am not being a drama queen. I am also allergic to bees, deer flies, horse flies, and anything that bites and leaves venom. I have been diagnosed. Eric had to take me to the ER the first summer we were here because I had a huge swellage on my thigh with the circumference of a football that was raised, hot, and itched like a BIATCH. The ER doctor took a look at it and gasped. Yes, gasped. Then he drew a circle around it and said that if it got any bigger, to come back IMMEDIATELY. So, I tell you, I am allergic to all things that bite. So is spending the night in the wild wilderness getting eaten alive worth a fabulous new camera? The jury is still out on this one. What I may do is tell Eric we will go look at the beautiful wilderness, but I am not camping. We can stay in a hotel and go day exploring. Or I may just pout and he will be a puddle at my feet. :)

But I think that I am going to get my dream camera. But which one? Nikon or Canon? Leave your thoughts. I have had the majority of my friends say Canon and I am almost in agreement with them. I have a Canon ELPH and love it. But Nikon seems to make a pretty decent SLR as well. So, HELP!