Author Archives: carrievoris

Crafty Tuesday

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So, we are going to do today’s Crafty Tuesday a little differently. Partly because even though our Crafty Party last week was totally fun, I didn’t get any real crafting done, and I don’t have anything to show today.  But mostly because I was reading Swistle last week and wanted to get in on her idea for some giveaways to raise awareness on the CPSIA issue.

The CPSIA legislation doesn’t directly affect me since I don’t sell any of my goods. But it could seriously hurt my Etsy addiction, and the world of handmade crafts in general. I know that many of you have already joined me in signing the petitions and writing your congressmen and women, I just ask that you continue your support. And proof that every signature and letter helps – last week the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to suspend the act for one year to review the rules and how they will enforce it. Good news for all crafty folks and hopefully a reasonable solution will be found.

So on to the giveaway! I will craft a custom bag for the winner. It can be a kidlet for your kiddie, or a reusable shopping bag for yourself. Leave a comment and promise that you will at least click the “Save Handmade” button over there on the right (see it?) and see if there is something you might be able to do to help.

That’s it! I’ll leave the comments open until Sunday, February 8th at midnight. Then I’ll randomly select a winner and we’ll collaborate to get you a sweet bag!

Fun Sunday Morning

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Here’s a tip for you.

Don’t figure that just because the water in the clogged toilet went down last night after you plunged away, that the “clog” was indeed gone.

Woke up this morning to a lovely 3 inches of water that had “drained” over the floor in the back half of our house, instead of down the drain, like it was supposed to.

Mmmm…nice. Ankle deep water before I’ve even had coffee.

The plumber is here now, so hopefully all will be fixed shortly.

And of course, to add insult to injury, all of our floors were nice and clean Friday night. After they get scrubbed again this afternoon, it will be the most action these floors have seen in months.

Projects ~ Theme Thursday (kinda)

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This is kinda what we all feel like around here…

dazed and a little confused

…dazed and maybe a little confused. We are all fighting head colds, stuffy, stuffy noses and chesty coughs.

When I found out this week’s theme was Projects, I decided that I really only had 2, okay really only had 3 “projects” that I wanted to get done this week.

1. Switch out some photographs in the frames around the house (mostly on the mantle – but really all over),
2. Get all of my news/RSS feeds moved over to NewsGator (so I can read them on my iPhone), and
3. Organize my scrap stuff in time for my Crafty Friday Nite Party (as in the Friday that is tomorrow).

So…how did I do?

Well, here is the before photo of the frames on the mantle.

project1

And here is the after shot.

project1

Stunning, isn’t it? Part of the problem is that I love all of these photos, but I have new ones I want to put up and I’m seriously running out of space for frames. I remember my Dad asked me when we lived in Chicago – “How did you guys ever decorate before you had kids?” It’s true…we have a lot of photos of the girls. I just need to part with some of the photos…but how do you do that? Another day, perhaps.

Let’s see. Second on the list?
project2

Well, I did start that project at least. See? Laptop open.  Coffee nearly gone. Newsgator account created. And a few feeds even entered before my head just had to lie down on the pillow. So heavy. (See first paragraph up there…see it? Stuffy head?)

Then I did catch a second wind and decided as long as Emma was running around (she clearly could have gone to school today) we were going to tackle the playroom/craftroom. I was going to attempt to at least get to that third bullet point on the list.

project3

So many stinkin’ little tiny Polly Pocket shoes, and Barbie shoes, and dress-up shoes! Honestly, do they reproduce in the middle of the night?

Hours later after we had rounded up a trash bag of toys to giveaway and another bag of junky stuff to trash, I decided it was a good idea to steam clean the area rug in the room. It does look amazing on the playroom half of the room.

Needless to say the scrapbook stacks of stuff are still sitting there on the desk (the craft side) beckoning me. But I just don’t have the energy tonight. I am pretty happy that everything is back in its’ place on the toy side, the craft side will have to wait for another day.

One other happy little outcome from this project. Emma really got into the cleaning and organizing. She was so proud and called me to come see how she had organized the play kitchen.

project4

If I had any voice left I would have surely gone on for a good ten minutes about how amazing it looks and how I couldn’t be prouder. But I fear I may have passed a little of my obsessive-compulsiveness on to her today.

When I grow up…

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We were lying in Addie’s bed reading books the other night and Em and Ad decided that they are both going to go to the University of Michigan, and they are going to go at the same time so they can be there together.

(So which of our relatives would like to take them in for a few years so we can get in-state tuition? Even then…times two…aye!)

And Addie wants to be a fireman (firewoman?) and Emma wants to be an “ambulance doctor.”

Look what great public servants we are raising! Although to be fair, Em also wants to be a teacher, a ballet teacher and an astronaut, and I’m sure it will change again within the next 24 hours.

Speaking of professions, while we were walking to pick up Addie from school today, Emma had her American Girl doll (Elizabeth) and we discussed parenting styles…

E: Mama? Don’t you think I am such a good Mommy to Elizabeth?
M: Yes, I do. Where did you learn to be such a good Mommy?
(Oh, come on! Of course I was fishing here…tell me you wouldn’t have said the same thing!)
E: From you!
(See! Absolutely the right answer! Good girl, Em.)
M: Hmmm…well, I’m not always such a good Mommy.
(Guiltily thinking back to about 5 minutes earlier when I was very impatiently trying to herd Em and all of her crap out the door!)
E: Yeah, well sometimes I have to yell at Elizabeth too!
(Fantastic. Yes, maybe this week isn’t going as smoothly without J. as I had imagined.)

Emmy

But at least Emma isn’t drawing pictures on her homework of me like this! (You have to read the description below the picture – I’m still giggling over it!)

Addikins

And, I know.  These photos have absolutely nothing to do with the post – they are simply gratuitous pics for Daddy.

We miss you!
xoxoxo,
-Your Girls

Crafty Tuesday

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Pink and purple and sparkles…that is what little girls’ ballet bags are made of.

I have been wanting to make a bag for her ballet slippers since Em started dancing, oh…three years ago or so. And now her friend has started dance class as well, and I thought a bag would be a good gift for her.  Finally I was able to find pink, purple, sparkly fabric with toe shoes on it.

So, bags were made yesterday!

Ballet bag

Emma’s face when I handed her bag to her was priceless. “OH, Mama! I really love it,” she squealed. And then Elizabeth and her ballet clothes were put into the bag within the first five minutes and we headed over to the park.

Em's bag

Perhaps, I’ll have to make her a bag/backpack to carry Elizabeth. I can’t even imagine the reaction I would get from that one.

How do we get the candy? ~ Best Shot Monday

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Technically, this was a horrible shot. That was indeed a very plaid sofa behind the girls. So I tried to tone down the colors by editing the photo and making it black & white. Plus the lighting wasn’t so great and it was what I imagine it would be like to be a member of the paparazzi at a Hollywood movie premier, with about ten moms and dads jockeying for position, trying to take photos, flashes going off left and right.

But all of that aside, I cannot stop looking at this photo and just smiling. My two princesses, (it was a Princess-themed birthday party for Addie’s little friend) anxiously waiting for someone to just bust open that pinata!

Such concentration and seriousness! How can it not be my Best Shot Monday for today?

Pinata Watching

Winter Wonderland ~ Theme Thursday

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Well, I guarantee our take on Winter Wonderland will be quite different than most of the other Theme Thursdays for today.

Instead of playing “king of the hill” on top of snowbanks – we frolic in great, heaping piles of leaves and at best hope for maybe a rainy day or two.

Playing in the leaf mountain

And this is our version of the “snow angel” -

Making leaf angels

We can visit the snow (about an hour away) whenever we choose, but…really, why would we want to?

Considering it is almost impossible to get them to wear long sleeves, I think these California girls would agree that snow is waaaay over-rated!

2 Monkeys in a Tree