lackadaisical blogging

I have been remiss about posting here lately.  I have been CONSUMED by side projects.  One of the things I've been working on is the MOPS Holiday Bazaar and Consignment Sale.  My good friend, Kristen, and I have been working every day on this and we are pretty proud of it.  

The girls have started school so we've been adapting to our new schedule.  

I've been working more with Maddy Moo, hosting parties and organizing online parties.

I also have a NEW job!  I work about 3 nights a week and will begin to work on the weekends eventually.  I am baking, torting, filling and icing wedding cakes.  It's great.  I work with Debbie at Cakes By Design.  Her cakes are gorgeous.  It has only been a few weeks but I enjoy having a creative outlet doing one of my favorite things - baking.

Oh how you've grown!

My sweet sweet darling. I was fine putting you on the bus and being without you all day.  I was so excited to meet you at the bus stop to pick you up from your first day of Kindergarten.  What really chokes me up is looking back.  In just 3 short years you've grown so much.  You are still my dear, my darling, my little girl and always will be. 

Love, Mom

Sneaky Sophie

NONE of my hiding spots are out of reach. My 3 year old manages to outfox all of my baby locks and now this! She didn't think I knew but then I caught her with the camera.

And then there's this little angel...

What dress do you think she should wear?

Next Tuesday is the first day of KINDERGARTEN!! K. is my first child to enter the public school system; and the kindergarteners go all day. As happy as I am for her to go, I'll miss her during the day. (I needn't worry about being bored, I've got Little S. and D. to chase after.)

I'd like to ask your opinion on what dress K. should wear on her first day. I really want her to look cute and nice and I don't care if she wears it on the playground or whatever. You only have ONE first day. (in grownup terms, you get one shot at a first impression.)

Here are the options... so far. All of the dresses are a little big but the ones that fit well are just a tad too casual. She can wear them on the 2nd day and so on.

I've created a poll over on the side so you can vote but by all means, leave me a comment. I have to take K.'s opinions into this too so don't be upset if I don't choose your favorite or even the one that gets the most votes. Since I'm incapable of making a decision on my own, I wanted to see which way I should sway her.

Pink Daisies

Well, she did it. Awhile back I mentioned to K. that she could get her ears pierced. What I didn't expect was for her to take me up on it. So, a promise is a promise and she and I had a special day last week. We went together to swimming lessons and then headed to the mall. She had 2nd thoughts when the gals (yes, there were two there thankfully) got ready to go but she really wanted them so she regrouped. It was over before she knew it, all of the tears were in anticipation of what to expect, not the actual piercing (or "getting your ears pinched, as little S. says). She was so pleased!!

We went over to Silver Diner for a late lunch and K. got to order whatever she wanted. That could only mean chocolate chip pancakes. We had a lovely afternoon and she's been showing them off to EVERYONE.

LWV

I'd like to introduce you to my new nephew! Isn't he the cutest? I just can't wait to go see him and hold him. Sadly I don't know when I'm going to get to go visit and he'll be bigger then. Can I just mention that he looks so much like his beautiful big sister, LJV? Give him lots of kisses from Aunt K. will you Neenee?

Summer Vacation

We recently went to Tell City, IN on vacation to visit with the B.'s Our visit was during Tell City's Sesquicentennial Celebration and Schweizerfest. Grandpa G. is a big deal in town and basically runs Schweizerfest and Grandma C. ran the Quilt Guild Show. The kiddos had lots of time to spend with their cousins (I didn't ask if I could post their pix so you only get the back of one). We went to Holiday World over in Santa Claus, Indiana. Yes, that is really the name of the town. I think our favorite part was the Lazy River. I didn't really laze though because I was constantly *swimming* to keep up with one of my kids or their cousin K. It was fun, even though I did look undignified floating in my inner tube. We also were invited to take a cruise on the Ohio River on a Riverboat. Thanks Grandpa G.! It was a bit chilly when we started, which surprised us all, but soon warmed up and we really enjoyed our time on the River. I got to see all the landmarks that played a role in C.'s youth.

There was so much going on during our visit but we had a chance to relax and catch up with everyone.

well....

Sorry I've been remiss about posting. We just got back from vacation (that was so much fun it deserves it's own post and photos) and now we are recouping. Let's see, I've been busy taking care of fevers, tonsillitis, strep throat, cranky kids. We had an awesome house sitter/dog walker! Thanks tons Lindsey. Little Miss S. looks so innocent BUT she got into my makeup TWO days in a row. Before you think, "why didn't you put it away somewhere safe?" I did! I hid it in the far recess of my bathroom and she still found it the next day. What you can't see here is the mess on the rest of her body, on the rug, on the bedding and you can imagine what else. Lest you think this is all she did, the little minx cut her own hair yesterday!! Yes, it's too unbearable to post a picture. The makeup picture is before this travesty. When I came downstairs from taking care of my feverish toddler and nauseous preschooler, I found huge chunks of 4-5" lengths of beautiful blond hair. Scattered all over the front room. Enough to build a bird's nest. Argh. And the start of school is just around the corner. So if you'll forgive me my lax posting, I promise I'll update on all of the wonderful stuff going on in our lives soon.

Have a great weekend.

drumroll please...

I'll get straight to it, the winner of the Design Your Own Travel Mug is.... Nicole.   I'm looking forward to working with you to design your custom mug.  A big thank you to EVERYONE who posted a comment and played by my rules. (wink)  I was excited to read so much positive feedback and hope that maybe I've introduced you to a new product.  If you are interested in placing an order, contact me or visit my website; www.maddymoo.com/kathieb.htm

Have a great weekend!  *hugs*

Mabel's Labels

Christine over at www.fromdatestodiapers.com is doing a cool giveaway.  She's offering an ultimate back-to-school combo from Mabel's Labels.  These labels are the real deal.  I'm hoping I win her giveaway but if not, I'll be placing an order before my big girl goes to kindergarten.  

Coach Bag Giveaway

Okay, as you may know, I'm a self-proclaimed bag lady.  I love totes and purses and handbag and tiny coin purses.  You get the picture.  And if you are here it's probably because you are interested in my giveaway (yea for you.)  Well here's another one you don't want to miss.  Laurie of LaVieDeLaurie.com is giving away a Coach purse!  Yup, you read correctly.  GIVING AWAY a COACH purse.  I don't want to shout too loudly because I don't want too much competition for my entry but I just had to share (well I had to share in order to get extra points.)  

Design Your Own Mug!

The goods:   Your very own custom designed 16 oz Travel Mug from Maddy Moo Creations! 

The hook:  Visit Maddy Moo and browse through their collection of Design Your Own products.  This is my way of helping spread the word about the fabulouso Maddy Moo handbags.

The method:  Comment here with your choice of fabric for the mug (don't worry, you can change your mind if you win) AND what style of handbag you'd carry with it.  

The fine print:  You don't have to be a blogger to enter but you must leave your name and email, I have to have a way to contact you, after all.

Only one comment per person, please.  Share the love.

You may enter between Monday 7/28 and Friday 8/1.  If the winner does not respond within 3 days of being contacted, the prize will be forfeited.

This giveaway is open only to participants with a mailing address in the USA.  

Good luck everyone and thank you so much for visiting my blog and website!

Now, get on back to the Big Bloggy Giveaway Carnival and check out all the other cool giveaways!

Online Bargains

I realized I had some Pottery Barn gift cards burning a hole in my preppy purse for some time now.  After browsing through all of their online stores, look what I came up with.

And at bargain prices!!  I ordered the pique Queen duvet cover in pink (see the sham for the color swatch) for $29!! I didn't monogram though because I wasn't sure which of the girls was going to use it and I didn't want to buy 2 of the same.  Then I bought golf course pillowcases for $1.99 for 2!!  I mean, come on.  They were out of the sheets but I'll just put them on when I have the khaki sheets on.  Too cute - DH is an avid golfer.  The jewelry boxes were inexpensive also.  I can't remember how much the large one was but the small one was $4.99!  I never get deals like this. Check out Pottery Barn Kids and PBTeen for your own specials.

Old Red Barn Co. Giveaway

I'll let you in on a little secret.  I love entering giveaways.  Mostly blog giveaway although I've been known to enter a few company ones also.  One reason I love is entering is that sometimes I win!!  I know, can you believe it?  And I am ever so grateful and my mood is instantly brighter when I find out.  And when the gifty comes in the mail.  Boy oh boy, do I love the feeling of submitting an entry and crossing my fingers.  It inspires me to give things away too.  Be sure to check back during the Bloggy Giveaway July 28 - August 1.

Another reason I love it is because I am often introduced to new and unique products (and lovely people) I wouldn't have come across otherwise.  I am now an Etsy addict.  I've purchased products recommended by others (when I didn't win =)  and am making my Christmas gift giving list right now.

So, why all this background into how I while away my time?  Because I have stumbled across the most beautiful giveaway.  Ever.  And I have to share it with you.  Well, I don't really want to because I want to keep it all to myself but given the number of other entries, my chances are slim.  Still one of us might be the lucky winner and you owe it to yourself to go check out this quilt.  And I get extra entries for telling ya'll about it.  It is downright fantastic.  Dana has some beautiful pictures on there and I haven't even had a chance to browse her whole site yet.  I just popped back to my site to share the news.  I am thinking this may be a case of my having to buy something instead of just wishing....

I've put her button below or click on any link in this post to see for yourself.  So, if you win, will you give the quilt to me?  Pretty please?

Now THAT'S a big jellyfish!

It could be photoshopped for all I know but I don't think so.  There was an article about a man who is hunting for the world's largest fish.  There were photos of other large sea life including a ludicrously big ray and a giant squid.  That said, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near this fella.

Wordless Wednesday

All Star Athletes

The girls played tennis for the first time today. They really enjoyed it and want to add it to their other favorite sports; golf & swimming. The Olympics are very inspiring and they've been talking up gymnastics...

Happy 1st Birthday!

I can't believe my wee one is now ONE.

It happens when you aren't looking.

Here Comes The Bride!!!

My girlfriend, Miss S., is getting married next year and she just received her dress!! It's so beautiful I just had to share it with you.  (Not much of a chance of her betrothed reading my blog.)  Notice all the lovely beading.  It's spectacular and she's going to make a divine bride.

furball

look at this guy, isn't he cute? I could use him around the house when it's time to dust :)

Tutu cute!

I just won a bow holder (maybe it will keep the bows out of D.'s hair!) from Bambina Ballerina. Tricia does such great work and we had a hard time deciding which style to get but this is the one that appealed to all of us. It doesn't match a thing in either girls' room but it's so pretty. I found out about the giveaway at Bloggy Giveaways. If you haven't seen her blog, get over there quick. You might just be a winner like me!

All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go

Look what happens when my back is turned!!
The girls decided to dress D. up.
They will only be able to do this while he is smaller than they are...

new edit: at least I know everything is fair game to them.

My wish list

Isn't this lovely?

I think I have to have one of these prints.
After all, I have three little darlings...

le papier designs

And while I'm making a list, here are a few others.

I like the Lily Pulitzer pink enamel cuff because it has a little bee on it.
And as my kiddies know, I am the Queen Bee!

Self Feeding

Okay, I would looooovvee to keep a clean house. But how can you when you have children and dogs? D. is intent on feeding himself. And I suppose in the grand scheme of things, I have to let him do it. It's just that every meal ends up like this.

la dee da dee, it's birthday time

Sweet little S. just had her 3rd birthday! It's been stretched out to become her birthday week - I don't blame her. Heretofore, she's only had 2 in her lifetime. She had a little party at school on Tuesday and a few of the girls in her class come over on Wednesday to share in S.'s princess tea party. We had such a fun time, it was very low key and all the girls had fun. I really enjoy their mother's company also so it felt more like a big playdate rather than the party anxiety I usually get. The girls decorated paper plate crown, paper plate purses and fans. They each took home a little porcelain tea set whose cups are as big as thimbles. It's probably a big choking hazaard and I'm sure they'll break a piece before the month is out but it was amusing for them.

I invited Polly Pocket and all of her accessories into our house so D. has his choice of choking hazards now. Still, the girls are happy and like to spread out ALL of the toys so they can see them in one fell swoop. They have the nerve to complain when D. bear crawls over to take a look. He can only withstand the temptation for about 30 seconds.

This morning we have 25 balloons who've lost their helium lying on the floor and the detrius of a child's birthday party scattered about. For those of you who wonder what I do while both girls are in preschool, the list varies between laundry, vacuuming, mopping and dishes. :)

Congratulations to.....

Aimee, #102.
I used a random number generator and it was her lucky day. She won a gift certificate to be used to design her own accessory or towards a purse. I'll be sending you an email to discuss the finer points. If I don't have a response to my email within 3 days, I'll pick a new winner.

Thank you to all who participated in the carnival and to those of you wonderful folks who left such glowing comments on my blog. I really appreciate the feedback you gave me on your favorite styles and fabric choices. Maddy Moo takes customer input very seriously and hopes to cover the range of tastes.

For those of you who didn't win, thank you for looking through my Maddy Moo site and keep us in mind for future gift giving occasions or just a special treat for yourself! If you are interested in earning wonderful hostess gifts, consider having a Maddy Moo party. We could do an online party, it's so simple. Contact me if you are interested.

Warmest Regards,
Kathie B

Bloggy Giveaway!!

It's Here!! It's Here!!

Leave your comments for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate to be used for designing your own purse or accessory at Maddy Moo Creations! These are amazing purses that give you a chance to create a unique, one-of-a-kind handbag. All purses are created in the USA by a team of talented seamstresses and are customized just for you! These purses are lovely and reflect your personal sense of style.

This gift certificate is transferable if you wish to give a great Mother's Day or graduation gift, etc. I will contact the winner by email and you can tell me at that time.

Here's how you can win...
Please go to my Maddy Moo site and browse through all of the lovely design your own purses. Come back here to leave a comment about:
1) Favorite bag styles
2) Favorite fabric or fabric combination

Be sure to notice all the fun options you can do to make your bag more unique and personal.

You don't have to be a blogger to enter but you must leave your name and email.
Only one comment per person, please.

I will be using Violets are Blue's random number generator to pick a winner at the end of the carnival. You may enter between Monday 4/21 and Saturday 4/26 at noon est.

This giveaway is open only to participants in the USA. Good luck everyone and thank you so much for visiting my blog and website!

Now, get on back to the Big Bloggy Giveaway Carnival and check out all the other cool giveaways!

Spring is here

It's been so lovely outside. All the flowers are starting to bloom and the trees are unfurling their leaves. Another hallmark of Spring, the parks are filling up. I was at our Tot Lot the other day and saw 3 other families from the neighborhood. Usually it's just us and the kids get bored easily. We've got loads of parkdates on our calendar and allergies are in full swing. :)
Ahh... sniffle sniffle

I Want This

Isn't this great? I think we need one of these.

Time flies...

Has it really been over a month since I last blogged? I am so sorry to those of you (okay, my Mom and my best friend. I don't even know if my Mom really reads this though.) who diligently check to see what's new over here in our corner of Virginia.

As you can tell by the links, I've gotten very busy with my Maddy Moo Creations business. March was the first month I started having home parties and I've done really well. This is turning into a very fun hobby - I get to help women create all kinds of neat purses. They are lovely and I'm constantly rotating through my selection.

The kids are awesome. The baby isn't so much of a baby anymore. He has 6 teeth and I think there are more on the way. Since Daylight Savings Time they've been staying up later - how can they pack so much play into one day? D. is crawling like a little bear, it won't be long before he starts walking. Oh, but he keeps ME running.

I am trying to teach myself Adobe Photoshop. If anyone has tips, let me know. I really want to become more adept at digital scrapbooking and making other cool things.

We finally have a fenced in backyard! Yea! Of course we are just becoming good friends with the family directly behind us. Now we have to walk all the way around the block to go play in their backyard. go figure. We are considering putting a gate in the back but the fence is too new and I don't want C. to cut it. C. has been busy with projects. He is refinishing a farmhouse table that belonged to my family when I was growing up. It has a lot of character and it's going to be very sentimental to use it with my family for our meals and daily life.

Well that's a brief surmise of the past month. I won't let too much time go by again.
Thanks for staying tuned.

snow day

Sooooo. School was canceled today. Although we didn't get the snow predicted it was very icy this morning. I made up my mind last night that we weren't going to school, regardless of what the county decided. I had high hopes that I might get to sleep in (this is a relative term in our household. I mean that I'd like to get to sleep until around 7:00 am)

Alas, not to be. Lilydog wanted out at 5 and then D. was up by 6.
I won't even mention the number of times I got up through the night - that'll have to be another post. And I'm off rambling again.

What I wanted to discuss was how creative I have to be to keep my kids entertained. They are all still wearing pajamas which is fine with me. Any day that I don't have to get everyone dressed and out the door is a good one. We've cut paper dolls, put up a tent in the living room
complete with 3 blankets to make a beach. We've played with toys, games and snacked to our hearts content. I just made chocolate play clay and they are currently occupied with making cupcakes and other chocolate goodies. No, you can't eat it. Go through the My Preppy Purse link to the Fun Stuff page for the recipe.

Our next project is to make Key Lime Cooler Cookies because DH likes key lime pie. I had wanted to do these for him for Valentine's Day and here it is a week later. Actually they are called Lime Meltaways and Martha Stewart was kind enough to share her recipe with me (via her website).

Wishing everyone sunny skies.

beachy cool bike

Yipee,
I'm getting a new bike! We went down to Virginia Beach this past weekend for a whale watching trip. We started talking about how cool all the beach cruisers were and on our way home we made an impromptu stop at at bike store. We walked out of there with 2 custom beach cruisers on order. We have to go back anytime after 2 weeks to pick them up. I can't wait. Fortunately they will accept my road bike as a trade in towards the new cruiser. I'll keep my mountain bike as it is older and probably isn't worth as much. After investing in a racy road bike I discovered (quickly) that it wasn't for me. It's just been taking up space.

Back to my new bike. It's apple green and I am gussying it up. I've ordered the saddle seat you see here and I'm getting new fenders. DH is going to paint them pink for me and I'm going to paint the baby's bike seat blue and sew new padding for him. He needs something flashy too. I have a wicker bike basket I bought in Amsterdam a few years ago. I plan to make a basket liner for it - I've got the cutest green/white hawaiian floral pique just sitting in my fabric bin.

Once I get the bike I'll be sure to show ya'll. :)

has this happened to you?

We went to the church pancake supper last night with all the little chickadees. The girls had already eaten some pancakes and now I was in line. Knowing how anxious my lasses were for more chocolate chip pancakes (imagine!) I was not surprised to hear them whining, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mooooommy. Mind you, it had been a long day already and I had just finished feeding my fidgety baby (held him in a restraining pose on my lap - his legs wedged between my thighs, both of his hands in one of mine).

Slightly annoyed that they were shouting their requests across the room I turned and said, I'm coming! Problem was, it wasn't my child! Ooops.

Normally I can distinguish their whisper in a crowd of crazed Wiggles fans but not last night. I hope I'm not losing my Mommy Mojo. Whatever will I do without those eyes in the back of my head?

too tired

I'm sleep deprived,
I've been up all night.
The dog can't wait
for morning light.

Once we're back
and settled down,
the baby wakes up
for another round.

His sister hears
wakes up too,
she wants water,
the other wants
juice.

Tuck everyone in,
reset the alarm,
keeping everyone
safe from harm.

I drift into sleep
by morning's light,
the kids are up,
they're done for the night.

I sigh and get dressed
get them ready for school,
for me there's no rest
this seems the rule.

shopping at Costco

Today I picked up a little friend from preschool and took her with my 3 chickies to Costco. As I pushed the cart with the youngest two in the front and the two 4 year olds in the cart I was asked no less than 6 times if they were all mine and were they twins and other such comments. Come to think of it, it was more than 6 if you count the man who told me the kids were cute and which aisle did I pick them up on.

As we strolled the wide aisles the kids sampled everything within arms reach. It was a buffet of chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, pizza squares, yogurt and at just the right time - organic apple juice. It was a lovely sightseeing trip for them as I stocked up on paper napkins, diapers and baby wipes.

We decided to have lunch at their food court (great pizza if you haven't tried it) so I parked the cart by a table with an umbrella. The kids insist on sitting at the umbrella tables although I have no idea why they are even there. Since my pockets were full of the fluted cups and toothpicks from the kids samples I threw them away as I stood in line for food. Just then I realized I still had the trash in my hand but my credit card, costco card and receipt were in the trash. No one was going to help me so I took the lid off and went digging through the trash. Yuck! But I got my cards back.

As I stood in line again the kids were goofing off, as they do. Not a real problem but they were pushing the cart with the baby in it! Stage whispers and frantic gesturing were not getting their attention so I resorted to *loud talking*. They still didn't behave so I said, quite loudly, " Can you hear me? I know everyone else here can." They settled down amidst laughter from the other moms and a few understanding nods from the other dads.

All was well until it was time to leave the store. Babyboy had reached his limit and was ready for his nap so we hightailed it out only to be put in purgatory since I didn't have my receipt. They have to check your receipt against the items in your cart before you leave. Yup, mine was still in the trash and I was NOT going back. We were able to get a replacement receipt but babyboy was not happy about it.

All's well that ends well.

cup of coffee?

If I haven't told you already, let me tell you now. Babygirl S tried to make coffee for me the other day. Yes, that's right, my 2 year old dumped a pound of coffee into 2 mugs, tore open about 25 packets of Splenda and stirred it all up. She even used the filters as coasters. I found her just as she was carrying the GLASS carafe to the table. Did I mention this was in my bedroom? On our new carpet?

She's my little mischief maker. I never know how she's going to surprise me. She is so smart. and so clever. and so darn cute!