able mabel

In the midst of the Holiday Rush

2011-12-23T20:04:00.001-06:00

I managed to find time to add two new products to the shop.

With cold season upon us, it's time to start carrying tissues. Why not dress them up/hide/camoflauge them with a tissue cover?

Tissue covers aren't just for grandmas anymore (as one person told me recently). They help keep your tissue clean and all in one piece. They are small enough to keep in your purse, backpack, pocket, in your car or wherever you may need to blow your nose. They are cheap enough to give one to everyone in your family!

I also added some diaper pouches with a zipper. I love these things!! As with the tissue covers, these keep the diapers in my purse free of "gunk and grime".

Talk about fun and functional!!

Passing the time

2011-09-28T13:30:00.000-05:00

At least once a month (but more often like a few times a month), Hubby has a meeting in the evening during the week. I've usually used that night to take the kids to the library. Last night was Meeting Night. The thought of taking Lou to the library again made my head spin. I'm still scarred from last time and I'm quite positive the Library Ladies are too. What a disaster. :)

I decided then that Meeting Nights will become Work on a Crafty Project Night. On my to-do list for last night was Pleated Headbands for my girls and a new ironing board cover for me.

While the kids were still awake, I tackled the clothes in their closet. Ugh. It's not a job for the faint of heart. In my 7 yr olds mess, I found this shirt.

It had a smocked top and the rest of it was A-line "white" cotton. There was a huge stain on the front of it so I never let her wear it, unless she snuck out the door without me noticing. Apparently she never followed my instructions to toss it. :)

I had an ah-ha moment to put ruffles down the front and maybe get a little more life out of it. If you know me well enough, you know I have a ton of ah-ha moments, but hardly ever follow thru with any of them.

Determined to accomplish something different I attacked the shirt.

Using the bottom line of the colorful zig zag on the top part of the shirt, I started adding a pink and white polka dot ruffle. (needing to rip out the first attempt and start over. Story of my life with projects like this.)

For the next ruffles, I dug thru my scrap bin and found other polka dots that were already cut 4" wide. I sewed the strips together until it was longer than the width of the shirt I wanted to cover. I then hemmed one edge and pinned it on, hand gathering it as I went. I simply zig zagged it to the shirt, leaving a raw edge on top. (note the stain on the shirt in the picture. hideous.)

Yep, not very pretty, scientific or complex. But since I have a history of not finishing projects like this, I didn't want to invest a lot of time or material into it.

Wonders never cease. I actually finished it. It's not perfect but it's done. My 7 yr old hasn't seen it yet as I had run out of thread on my bobbin when I was about 6" from being completely done, so I finished it fully this morning. (I take that back, I still have strings to cut.)

When I held it up, it looked like it'll hang well when she wears it but I'm curious to see what it looks like when it's actually on her.

Now that I know I actually can do something like this, I just might try some skirts or something on the next Meeting Night. :) Good one, right?!?

Patchwork Blanket

2011-09-24T11:33:00.001-05:00

I was going on evening # 8 of being a single mother. My nerves were fraying quickly. A teething 15 month old, a cranky 5 yr old, a glum 10 yr old and everyone else in between. Sensing we needed a distraction, we walked down to the neighborhood park to burn off some energy. It had been a week of late nights and early mornings, so I tucked the kids in early.

Now what to do with myself? Sit online browsing aimlessly? Read my scary books and dream scary dreams? Work in my craftroom? I was feeling pretty lazy and a bit glum myself, but not yet ready to go to bed.

A few years back I had bought a bunch of already cut squares from an Etsy seller but never did much with them. Earlier in the day, I had started sewing strips of fabric squares together, but was interrupted by boogers being smeared across my pant leg.

I looked at those strips that were already sewn, while it looked a bit overwhelming, I knew if I didn't do something with them right then, they'd sit for a few more years.

I started in on the rest of the stack, not bothering to see which squares I was sewing together. Once I got started, it was so much fun. Mindless, easy sewing. The only thought involved was making sure the seams were sewn right. In the back of my mind, I was remembering a quilt Kim had done.

Once the strips were done, I cut some strips of white cotton and sewed them between the printed fabric.

It helped the colors stand out. I then zig zagged some of the strips, leaving some to do when the minky was attached. All that zig zagging may have been overkill but sometimes overkill is a good thing.

At this point I debated between a border or no border. I was worried a border would make it look too busy, plus it was extra time and fabric and I wanted to keep the price down.

The no border thinking won and I grabbed the nearest pink minky, which happened to be hot pink.

Those who have worked with minky know it can be finicky to work with. As I was topstitching, I was worried I would have ripples on the backside, which is pretty common no matter how much you pin and how careful you are.

I was pretty impressed, I ended up with one little ripple. Hardly noticeable.

The final product. As I was sewing the squares together, part of me was wondering why I was even bothering to do it. It seemed like it would be pretty ugly because some of the fabrics were not my style. I do have to say, I like how it turned out. If it doesn't sell in 4 months, I am keeping it. Someone, somewhere will have a baby girl. :)

The listing can be found here.

Another view.

If I think of the time that went into this blanket, it was not "worth my time". However, for how much fun it was and how it filled my evening it was worth every minute. Sometimes I need that sort of project. Who knows if/when I'll do more of these, although I do have some charm packs (bigger fabric squares) waiting to be used. :)

Fun with Zipper Pouches

2011-09-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

I hate to admit this but in all the years that I've been sewing (which isn't that many), I've never taken the time to figure out how to do a zipper.

As my piles of fabric scraps grows, I knew I needed to figure it out. So following an easy tutorial over at Skip to My Lou, I did it! I had ordered up a set of 25 multicolored pack of zippers from zipit and had a blast digging thru my scraps. Talk about addicting!!

I did them all different sizes; from coin purse/credit card size up to a small cosmetic bag size. It all depended on the size of the scrap and zipper.

These will all go into our church craft sale. I do plan to add some to able mabel but am going to change up the design a bit. (tease, tease) I am still waiting for the supplies I need to arrive.

In the meantime, I will keep working on the ones for the church sale since I know once my supplies come, it'll be hard to focus on the church ones. (sad, but true. shame on me.)

The best part?! My pile of scraps is still huge!! I can a whole lot more zipper pouches! :)

Tic Toc

2011-08-03T11:59:00.000-05:00

In 2 more days our friends from AZ will be rolling into town. My house is in less than steller shape, no surprise there. But instead of cleaning and sorting piles, what did I do this morning?

I played in my craft room. It was way more fun!!!
I had forgotten about these fabrics until I started sorting my fabric bin. All good intentions flew out the window as I started cutting into it. :)

Remember that saying that goes, "If it weren't for the last minute, how would I get anything done?" That's me. I still have 2 days.

This listing can be found here.

Repeat Customers

2011-07-20T14:14:00.001-05:00

As a seller of primarily baby items, it can be tough to have repeat customers. Mostly because as babies grow older they need bibs and blankets less and less. Therefore, I try to get those customers who are always on the look out for baby gifts. I worked on a blanket this morning for one such customer.

This is the 6th blanket I've done for her. The first two she ordered, back in 2009, were for her boys and now she comes back whenever she needs another baby gift. How cool is that?!

{is it just me or does that pacifier clip look like a dog's tongue? How appropriate considering the fabric is a dog print. ;)}

Summer Vacation

2011-06-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

Why is it that when summer comes, it so hard to find time to work in my craft room?

Between camping and hiking,

Hanging out with good friends,

Swim lessons and the beach,

and Sprinkler Parks, it sure is hard to carve out work time. :)

I've been (making an attempt) waking up at 6 am so I have a few hours of quiet time in my day. It's amazing how much I can accomplish when no one is around to "pester" me. Then when the kids wake up, I'm back in full "Mom" mode.

Speaking of kids and summer, I am putting able mabel on vacation mode tomorrow morning so I can spend some quality time with my family. Any orders placed today will be shipped out tomorrow morning. The shop will be open again on July 4th. Watch for aprons to be restocked!!

What's new in able mabel land?

2011-06-20T17:54:00.001-05:00

What has able mabel been up to since I last blogged in February?

Create your own set of baby bibs. I also have a new bib model. Isn't she just the cutest??!

Limited quantity blankets.

I bit the bullet and am now buying my fabrics wholesale. I have some of the prints listed in my shop for anyone to buy.

Gift setsGift sets which are perfect for any baby! (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ablemabel/search?search_query=gift+sets&search_submit=&search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5223889&shopname=ablemabel)

(Seriously Blogger? Must you always be difficult?!? It won't let me link the last word. Sorry.)

Squeals of Delight

2011-02-15T11:02:00.000-06:00

Last week a deadline loomed to get a huge order made, packaged and shipped. As the week progressed, my craft room got messier and messier. On Friday afternoon, the toddlers were napping leaving Baby Lou awake. I took advantage of the fact that she wanted to play on the floor and started in on the next blanket. It wasn't long before I heard her squeals of delight. I turned around to find... an impromptu game of Peek-a-Boo with herself amongst the yards of minky. So sweet.

(The only camera within reach was my old one. Sigh. Not the greatest of shots, but you get the idea.)

Laugh or cry?

2011-02-14T13:59:00.004-06:00

A little background. When we have out of town guests, I like to try have my mainfloor in tip top shape when they walk in the door. It's fun for me to try see if I can do it because my house is rarely all clean at the same time. I clean daily but not for hours at a a time. I have my reasons for that but I won't get into it now.

My in-laws are coming to town today. I had my day all planned out; sew until noon, clean for a hour or so while the toddlers napped, sew again until my in-laws arrived.

It was 10 bells and I decided to give my MIL a call to see if they'd be here for dinner. "We just left Denver", she said. WHAT? Denver? Oh boy, they were only about 6 hours ahead of schedule. This'll be interesting.

Dashing downstairs, I grabbed my cleaning rag and started in on the mess, thankful Louise was asleep. In record time I had the floor washed, bathrooms cleaned and stairs vacuumed. Out the door we zoomed to the grocery store.

Returning home, I was feeling great. House clean, groceries bought. I was on a roll. Now all I had left was to feed the kids lunch, put them for naps, straighten up a tad and then I'd be able to sew until they arrived. Perfect.

As I sat down to eat my lunch, I heard my two year old say, "come here Lou, come and get it." and Lou giggle. I turned around to find an entire roll of toilet paper unrolled and what pieces Lou could get, she shredded into pulp after first smearing them in her boogers. Before I could blink, the 2 yr old passed the Tupperware cupboard opened it and swiped half of it onto the floor. Lou plowed thru it, scattering it in all directions.

Continuing their terrorizing onward, they overturned the baby toy bucket, yanked out a few diapers and tossed a couple books before I could stop them. As I reached down to scoop up Lou I realized "someone" had slipped her a piece of banana during lunch, which she promptly devoured, leaving her hands full of banana-ish. That banana-ish was now all over every surface she had just crawled across.

Laugh or cry? Cry or laugh? Not saying a word, I tossed my cleaning rag in the wash and decided I was done. Done cleaning. Done straightening. Done with it all.

Grandpa and Grandma will be welcomed by a tornado, one that was lovingly and happily created by their granddaughters. I refuse to stress about it. It's just a house. One that will get messy again anyway.

Sledding

2011-02-14T10:43:00.002-06:00

in the foothills of the mountains,on a Sunday afternoon.

What an awesome way to spend a winter day with family and friends.

Happy Friday

2011-02-11T11:01:00.003-06:00

and a challenge from embellish magazine. Click here to see the details.

Deal of the Week

2011-02-10T22:51:00.003-06:00

How about free shipping on any able mabel order? Enter "midfeb2011" at checkout.

Happy shopping!!

Once upon a time

2011-02-09T22:47:00.005-06:00

Once upon a time, nestled in the mountains of Western Colorado, lived a happy little family on a pretty flat piece of land.

Early in February of 2011, it snowed a decent amount of snow for the first time that winter.
That afternoon, while the Mom was out shoveling the driveway, she had a brilliant idea. "I'm going to build my kids a sledding ramp. Maybe now they'll play out in the snow for longer than 2 minutes." So that is what she did.After school, the two boys tried out the ramp and the Mom was quite pleased with her creation.

As the boys came in for dinner, they told the Mom, "The ramp doesn't work. It's not high enough." The Mom replied, "See if you can talk Dad into making it bigger for you."

So that is what he did.

While Dad flung snow, the children

amused themselves by running and sliding across what little bit of ice was left on the ice rink in the backyard.

They laughed, giggled and had great fun!!

Soon, with the daylight rapidly fading, the new and improved ramp was ready for use. Over and over they slid, making certain their ski goggles were over their eyes as a whitewash was inevitable.

Meanwhile, indoors the Mom went about her evening activities. After a while, she realized the Dad and two sons were still outdoors. Peering out the window into the dark of the night she saw,

the ramp had grown and was still being improved. A grand time was had by all! And they all lived happily ever after.

Moral of the story: The Dad can build a much better sledding ramp than the Mom and the Mom very thankful for that. :)

Oh what a view!!

2011-02-08T17:03:00.002-06:00

While I'm turning a blanket right side out or threading elastic thru a bag holder, I can look out my craft room window in one direction and see this. Then I look the other direction

to view this. Unbelievable!

I am one lucky dog!

A quick shout out

2011-02-07T15:12:00.003-06:00

Man, do I have some talented friends! Every so often I hear of another one who has opened an Etsy shop. Here are two I just "found". leaandlars

cherrybranchboutique

I've already told you about these others, but just in case you forgot, here they are again:

Who did I forget? Kim? Have you opened shop yet? ;)

Norwex

2011-02-02T10:07:00.001-06:00

The idea for this post came to me last night as I was washing my floor with my Norwex microfiber cloth.

Norwex cleaning products are all the rage in my peer group right now. Here's their blurb taken from their website: "All Norwex products support our company mission to improve the quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning. With a commitment to effective cleaning, responsible care for the earth, and the power of information, together we can become a generation to leave behind a legacy of improved quality of life."

Disclaimer #1: I am not trying to sell you anything, nor am I getting paid to write this. No body has asked me to write this post.

The reason I bought Norwex is because with kids starting to clean bathrooms and floors, we were going thru cleaning products like crazy. 1 capful of Lysol quickly turned into "oops, I just dumped in half the bottle". If they could clean using just water, I was willing to try it to save a few bucks.

My Norwex products and I have gotten along great. I am one of those goofy people who like a nice cleaning rag. When I find a favorite rag, I use it all the time. Just trying to make a necessary, but sometimes unpleasant, task a bit more enjoyable.

However, I've noticed a drawback of cleaning with Norwex. There's no smell involved.

Scene #1: The kids walking in the door from school.
Pre-Norwex: First kid thru the doors, smelling the lingering Lysol, yells to the other "Take your shoes off, Mom just washed the floor." Or else "Hey Mom, I can tell you cleaned today cuz I can smell it."

Post-Norwex: Kids fly thru the door from school, drop their backpacks, race into the kitchen and hear me say, "Shut-the-door-and-take-your-shoes-off-can't-you-tell-I-just-washed-the-floor-ugh!!!"

Scene #2 Hubby walking in the door late at night after his monthly Board Meeting to a freshly cleaned house.
Pre-Norwex: "It looks nice in here!"

Post-Norwex: "Yawn, I should really hit the sheets!"

Now that I use Norwex, no one knows when I clean or that I even do it. There's no smell to alert them that I do more around here than hibernate in my craft room or wash an occasional load of clothes.

Disclaimer #2: I do not expect to be complimented, thanked or patted on the back for cleaning. The above statements were completely tongue-in-cheek.

My two other favorite Norwex products are;

the dish rags. These work awesome on my granite tile counter tops. They don't leave streaks. The kids can get the counter tops clean and shiny when using these rags.the de scaler spray. When we bought our house, it had sat empty for a couple of years. There were hard water spots on both shower doors and around the faucets. I sprayed this on there, let it sit for a bit, wiped with my rag and they're shiny as new. Mom, you need this for your house!

If you're looking for a consultant call; Brenda K in MN, Jenny K in AZ or Joan J in CO.

We have a winner!!

2011-02-01T09:46:00.003-06:00

The winner of the CSN gift certificate is....

Caroline!

"Caroline said...
I'd love to win!!
January 20, 2011 3:17 PM"

Congratulations! I'll send you your gift certificate and you can shop the day away!

2 yr old love

2011-01-31T18:36:00.003-06:00

Love it when they can do things by themselves.

Determined and triumphant when she can do it!

Inspiration Friday

2011-01-28T08:31:00.002-06:00

What a happy group of pictures! I found it here.

Deal of the Week

2011-01-27T08:38:00.004-06:00

How about a discount to able mabel for this week's Deal of the Week? A discount of 25% for my lovely blog readers. Take a peek at the key fobs.

Looking for a baby gift? Buzz over to the Lovies and Security Blankets section.

Or add a pop of color to your organization with a plastic grocery bag holder.

For the real bargain seekers, check out the Deal of the Week section of the shop.

To receive your discount, you must enter "BLOG012011" at checkout. The 25% will automatically be deducted from your purchase. This code will be good for only one week.

A little iffy

2011-01-26T09:27:00.002-06:00

I got slammed with orders, both on and off Etsy, this week. I didn't see it coming so I haven't had a chance to schedule posts for this week. I apologize. I do have a lot to blog about, including a birthday surprise, but it'll have to wait a week or two.

Had I been on the ball, I would have scheduled all my posts ahead of time. But alas, I didn't. We'll see how the rest of the week goes. We have out of town guests coming today so they do take priority.

Today is the last day to enter the CSN Giveaway. Click here to enter. I haven't been very good about marketing it so you have a great chance of winning. :)

A better way to toss

2011-01-21T08:55:00.003-06:00

Poor fabric scraps, threads, label stickers and other able mabel trash. They are sad because they are being tossed carelessly into an ice cream bucket. I mean, they have rights too, don't they? They'd be so much happier if they were being tossed into more "dignified" trash can.

I turned to the world wide web to look for ideas (for a quick 10 minutes this morning). By Googling "modern trash cans", here's what I found...

How about one that leave no doubt what it's for? Just look at the picture on the outside. Duh. ;)

Sleek, shiny and pretty cheap.

I love this idea. Just add a plastic grocery bag.

This one is such a fun modern shape. It makes me smile. I found it at stylehive.

I did find a few at Target that I also liked but I couldn't post the pictures. It didn't work to do it my usual way because they have the magnifying feature on the picture. Oh well.

Now the hard part will be trying to decide which one to get. Maybe I should ask the scraps. ;)

Deal of the Week

2011-01-20T13:32:00.002-06:00

How about a giveaway? Remember CSN? They'd like to give another lucky reader a $35 gift certificate.

Let's refresh our memories here. CSN is an online site that has hundreds of shops with thousands of items to choose from. The winner is may have a tough time choosing what to purchase.

I recently purchase a Moby Wrap from one of the shops. It was a breeze. The site is easy to use.

I'll share a few pictures from one shop. In this shop you'll find,
swingsets and accessories (I know $35 isn't going to go very far if you're purchasing a full swing set, but how about a baby swing?),fitness trampolines (remember those New Year's Resolutions? ;) ),

slides for all ages (able mabel is not responsible for adults getting stuck on a kid sized slide),

sleds, bikes and other outdoor toys.

I'll tell ya, the possibilities are endless.

Leave me a comment on this post to be entered into the drawing. (Comments left on Facebook or Twitter will not count.)

Once again, here is the fine print:

The $35 gift certificate applies to merchandise only, not shipping costs. (sorry, their rule, not mine)
CSN ships to the USA and Canada only. (again, sorry.)
Additional entries will be given for any links on Facebook, blogs, Twitter or anywhere else on the web. Please link the post back to the comment section so I know where you posted.
The giveaway will be open until midnight (MST) on Wednesday, January 26th.
The winner will be emailed a unique code to enter at the time of purchase.
The gift certificate is a one time deal. Spend it all in one place, please.

Good luck to all!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T17:10:00.001-06:00

I would love

2011-01-18T17:18:00.002-06:00

to decorate a wall in my craft room like this. It would be so fun to have the kids color, draw or paint me a picture or two.

(I found this image here.)

Have you ever seen

2011-01-17T22:52:00.003-06:00

the blog How About Orange? Talk about eye candy each and every day. JB clued me in on this blog about a year ago and it's one that I read faithfully. The blogger, Jessica Jones, is also a fabric designer. I love her designs.

One of my favorite parts of her blog is the fact that she has tutorials for useful, fun, creative ideas. This one is for fabric wall decals. Very cool.

It's impossible to read her blog and not be inspired. Check it out when you get a chance.

A Fun Little Project

2011-01-14T17:12:00.003-06:00

A doll blanket and cradle mattress for a customer. Something a little different from the norm.

Deal of the Week

2011-01-13T09:28:00.005-06:00

Like this bag holder? There is a minor fabric flaw on it's backside, close to the back seam.

Most people probably wouldn't notice but I don't feel comfortable selling it for full price. It can be yours for $9 instead of $11. Nothing else is wrong with the bag holder.

Find it here. (click on the word "here")

almost Wordless Wednesday one day late

2011-01-13T09:18:00.001-06:00

for you non-Facebookers. I had nothing to do with this picture other than to snap the pic.

Repeats

2011-01-11T16:45:00.004-06:00

Pete and Repeat went down to the lake, Pete fell in....

No, I'm kidding. I'll spare you the rest of the joke.

In the past few months, (or I should say when I started paying closer attention) I have had quite a few repeat customers.

I've noticed a little trend, for lack of a better word, among them. The customer will purchase one small item from my shop, a $5 key fob or $7 bib. Then a week or so later, they'll come back and place a larger order.

It just goes to show how important customer service is no matter how large or small the order, especially when selling online. When a customer can't physically handle an item before they purchase, you have to be even more on top of answering emails, questions and the like. It's easy to get lazy and think "it's just a small item, this customer isn't as important as someone spending $50."

As a seller, I have no idea what type of social networks my customers have. One buyer purchasing a $5 dollar item could be sending a lot of other customers my way via word of mouth. Word of mouth and referrals is also huge when selling online.

Want me to finish that joke? ;)

Merry Christmas to Me!

2011-01-10T17:19:00.003-06:00

One of my Christmas presents from my husband was a craft room. He started it after Thanksgiving and was done by the 23rd of December. Quite the guy!

Since then, I have slowly, very slowly, but surely getting it organized. It is definitely a work in progress.

I'll give you your first sneak peek. Three pictures, that's it. :) More will follow as I get more done. I promise.

On either side of my built in work table, there is a cabinet with open shelves. One side is for my sewing supplies. Over the last few months, I've saved glass jars to store stuff in. Snaps, key fob hardware, buttons, pom pom trim, etc. I love the look. Under the cabinet are my sewing tools that I use daily.

On the other side is my scrapbooking and paper craft supplies. (Can't forget the kleenex box!) Under this cabinet is some misc scrapbooking supplies that don't fit in my other organizer.

These cabinets will fill up more as I get more stuff moved into this room. This will probably get moved around, rearranged as I figure out just how I like to work.

My table is a lot of storage space under it. The grey tote is my Good Intentions Tote which houses half finished projects, misc supplies, "oopsies" that need to the seams ripped, etc. (Please tell me I'm not the only one with this type of tote.) I have most of my scrapbooking papers, rubons, stamps, and such stored in the black organizer. My key fob supplies are in the 3 drawer organizer. On top of my Good Intentions Tote is my little tote of light switch covers and behind that is my jewelry making supplies. Looks like I won't be reaching into the GI Tote anytime soon, it's pretty buried! Also under the table is my shipping supplies and totes of fabric.

On Saturday Hubby got our big, beefy desk sanded down and restained. Once it is muscled into this room, there will be more to organize.

I have most of the fun and easy-to-put-away supplies organized. Now I'm left with a bunch of odds and ends. Stuff I don't want to get rid of but I don't really know what to do with. Should I get another tote and toss it all in there? :)

2011-01-07T07:39:00.002-06:00

'Garnet ~ January Birthday Gift Ideas' by ablemabel

A gift idea for all those January birthdays! Happy Birthday to us! :)

GlassRiverJewe... $28.00	LilliansGarden $42.00	katylua $8.00	Ayca $48.00
hunterartist $20.00	Parsimony $76.00	alaparisienne $27.00	bayanhippo $44.00
allthatweare $15.00	lyoness8 $300.00	Raceytay $30.00	littlebugjewel... $83.00
SweetlyFallen $11.25	WallStarGraphi... $55.00	SewnNatural $54.00	NORIK $44.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Deal of the Week

2011-01-06T08:33:00.003-06:00

How about a new feature? able mabel has some "oldies but goodies" that we'd love to clear out. Before we go ahead a open a clearance section in our shop, we're going to let our blog readers have first dibs on them. None of the merchandise is defective or flawed, unless specified. Sometimes the deal of the week will be a certain item. Sometimes it'll be a coupon code to our shop. Sometimes you'll have to go thru Etsy to purchase the item, other times you can purchase it straight from the blog.

We'll kick off with this apron. Reg. price: $24.50 with $2.50 for shipping.

Now: $16.50 with free shipping.

Click here to purchase it.

Ready, set, go!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T13:28:00.003-06:00

Weeding Out

2011-01-04T09:45:00.000-06:00

When I first started Facebook, I had one goal in mind. To drive traffic to my Etsy shop. My name was "able mabel", instead of my real name. I added random people to my friends list, not caring whether or not I knew them.

At one point and time, I did start a business page for able mabel but quit it because it felt like I was doing the same thing twice.

As the weeks went by, I realized how many of my "real" friends were on Facebook. Yet, I hesitated to invite them to be my friends because I worried that they'd get annoyed at all my postings about able mabel.

I was also hesitant to share too much information about my family or to post pictures of them because I didn't really know my "friends" on Facebook. One can never be too careful on this World Wide Web.

In the last few months, I've realized the drawbacks of Facebooking in this manner. The amount of spammy messages and requests for all sorts of Farmville type games I've received has gone thru the roof. Annoying. Trying to keep up with my "real" friends is a joke (even when they're organized into lists).

Time for a drastic change.

I fired my business page back up. Click to become a fan. Most able mabel related postings will be done there.
I weeded out my friends list (from 2021 friends down to 160 friends).
I changed my name to my real name.
I updated my profile picture to a picture of Hubby and I. (slightly fuzzy but it's works)
I can now update my birthday and allow my friends to write on my wall again. (I had to take that off because I was getting so much spam on there.)

I'm loving the change! I spend way less time on Facebook now. (always a plus!)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T10:03:00.003-06:00

Yep, this picture, although taken at another time, pretty much sums up our New Years. Our plans to get together with a few other families got nixed when our household got hit with an unwelcome bug.

First, a low grade fever and chills set in, followed by a sinus headache, coughing and a double barrel snot gun (aka runny nose).

The bug got the best of me on New Years Eve. I was still able to function, but barely. I had to rely on sinus meds to keep me somewhat sane. At 8pm, I started doing the 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, but instead of joining me, everyone just looked at me like I had three heads. Come on, it was midnight somewhere, right? ;)

By 9:30 pm, my nerves were shot and I again suggested we put the kids to bed. Hubby looked at me and said, "I have a better idea. Why don't you go to bed and I'll stay up with the older kids." "Why?", I protested, "I'm not cranky, they are." His rely was a raised eyebrow. I got the hint and snuggled into the sheets, cranking my heated mattress pad on high. I gotta admit, he was onto something. Sleep was simply blissful.

I got the scoop on how the rest of the night went from my 8 yr old:
"First Dad started snoring on the chair. Then we sent Clay (age 4) to go check the what numbers were on the clock. '1-0-5-3' he said. After a long time we sent him to check again. '1-0-5-5. The girls decided to go to bed. Then I decided to go to bed. Clay was the only one who stayed up. I don't know what he did."

Hubby was awaken at midnight from his slumber by some loud noises. "Will you quit banging on the house?", he asked the kids, his eyes still closed. Clay answered him, "It's fireworks from the neighbors, Dad." Happy New Yearzzzzzzzzzzzz.

As the bug made it way thru most of the family, we relied on two things to keep us out of eachother's hair. The ice rink in the backyard (started on Friday, ready by Sunday thanks to some MN-like weather) and the game Apples to Apples Jr. First try out on the rink. He pretty much had the whole thing to himself, he just had to dodge a sibling or two.Later when friends were over. Can you say traffic jam on ice? :) They didn't care. The more the merrier!

Apples to Apples Jr. is a wonderful family game! Our 6 yr old can play, although barely, and it's priceless to see her face when she's playing. I'm trying to get it captured on camera and will post pictures when I do.

May you all have a happy and blessed New Year!

Let's get organized!

2010-12-31T08:38:00.001-06:00

'Let's Get Organized!' by ablemabel

It always feels good to start the new year off with a little organization!

bradensgracewa... $8.00	downstairsDesi... $28.00	WildWomanJewel... $13.00	seabreezestudi... $15.00
TRwoodworks $38.00	NottyPooch $18.00	redstarINK $10.00	SimpleShapes $74.00
Lindseyostafy $30.00	tannerglass $20.00	cleverhands $16.95	janesays $
DivideAndConqu... $27.95	FreestyleGifts $55.00	allisajacobs $	tagodesign $16.90

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Jumping on the bandwagon

2010-12-30T07:57:00.001-06:00

The P90X Workout Bandwagon that is.

I know, I know. I'm not a fan of fads in both exercise or diet, but let me explain.

P90X is a serious workout regimen that is pretty much guaranteed to change your entire body using a rigorous 12 week workout routine. If you follow the diet and workout plan, you're suppose to see amazing results and a whole new body.

That's not why I bought it for Hubby for Christmas. I do not have a Chubby Hubby. He does not need to lose any weight.

Back in June he had knee surgery where part of the meniscus in his knee was removed. Good-bye running. 40 minutes of pounding the pavement and his brain was clear. No more, quite the blow to his stress relief. His knee can handle about a block or two of running and then he's done. Now what to do?

Friends of ours and some of his co-workers have done the P90X workout and suggested he give it a try. They're not "girly" workout dvds, no threat to his ego there (I'm kidding.). Guaranteed to burn off some stress.

I decided to try it along with him.

Neither of us are interested in a body makeover. Both of us would love to be a bit stronger (but not ripped) and somewhat more toned. I'm thrilled to have some new workout dvds. He's thrilled to have a different form of exercise. (I'll admit it, I'm glad he's exercising too.)

We're planning on following the workout schedule as much as our lives allow. We eat pretty healthy already so I don't think we'll make much of a change there except add a protein shake or two. (maybe) We both have two workouts done and will do workout #3 today. I can't wait!

I honestly don't see us being too serious about this whole deal. It'll just be another way to stay active thru these winter months and hopefully emerge in the spring with our marbles still in place. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-29T23:52:00.001-06:00

Friday Faves

2010-12-17T13:32:00.004-06:00

the alyssa bag

The Kyra Hot Pink and White Tutu

Maggie Mixed Media Collage

Mini Cushion Mari

THE LOUISE Swirly Twirly Flower Headband

Abbey Rose Owl Earflap Hat

Two giveaways to get in on

2010-12-16T08:44:00.000-06:00

1crown3tiaras is giving away a $50 gift certificate for her shop. Enter here.

You can also win a $30 gift certificate to able mabel on Jessica's blog.

Gift Ideas from able mabel

2010-12-15T13:19:00.006-06:00

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Here are some quick and easy gift ideas from able mabel. A mini key fob makes a great stocking stuffer. Awesome as a zipper pull on backpacks. Works wonderfully for kids who seem to lose track of house keys.

Tired of all those supermarket grocery plastic bags? Hide them in this plastic bag holder and dress up your kitchen at the same time.

How about a darling bib for a darling cherub? (Model is not included. I'm keeping her.) These bibs will fit babies and toddlers from a few months of age up until a few years of age. How slick is that?

A decorative switchplate is an easy way to add pizazz to any room.

Snuggle time gets so much better with a cuddly blanket.

How about an adult size key fob for those of us who can never find their keys? You know who you are! ;)

(My shameless plug is done. Back to my worktable!)

Setting Goals

2010-12-14T16:14:00.003-06:00

As kids, Hubby and I both had horrible teeth. We're talking overbite, buck teeth, the whole works. We both ended up getting braces as teenagers.

While I can't speak for him, I can say that it changed my life in a big way. It made me more confident (I seriously thought twice before opening my mouth either to talk, smile or laugh), and more comfortable with myself. It sounds shallow, it sounds vain, but it's true. So many times since then I have very thankful for having braces. (Thanks again Mom and Dad!)

I would love to be able to do the same for our kids that need braces in a bad way. So far the oldest three need them, not cosmetically but for their bite. I had our oldest two girls in for their consultations this morning. We'll start our 11 year old with a "bite fixing appliance" while our 9 yr old doesn't need to do anything quite yet. She still has too many baby teeth.

Orthdontic work = a hit on the pocketbook. Yikes!

Even with insurance (a pretty piddly amount but still something) and interest free payment plans, it still comes out to be a decent amount every month.

This is where goal setting comes in. I would love to build on the success able mabel has had this year and make 2011 even better. I would love to be able to pay for my kids braces out of the "able mabel fund".

That means:

Getting off my duff and getting my listings updated, key words changed, tags added or subtracted. Things I've been putting off for a long time.
Creating, creating, creating new product.
Listing my link in various link directories. (free and easy backlink to my shop)
Work more on free advertising.
Blogging daily Monday thru Friday.
The list could go on and on.

I'm hoping with my new craft room (which is almost done), it'll streamline the whole creating process from start to shipping. I'll be able to spend more time working on product rather than setting up, cleaning up, re-organizing, etc.

Treasuries vs Collections

2010-12-10T10:08:00.005-06:00

First a little background...

I am completely wishy washy when it comes to ArtFire. (A well known fact) As I've posted before, I started up a PRO account over there (again). I then imported my entire Etsy store and then left the scene. I didn't "work it" and then wondered why I wasn't getting sales. (um, duh.)

It's been interesting to see the views and incoming URLs add up on ArtFire. So (once again), I decided to pay it a little more attention. I've been exploring their tools and handy dandy seller options. It's been fun. I do love some of their options they have that Etsy doesn't have.

Yet, sales continue to come in via Etsy and only one on ArtFire. Pretty typical.

With both sites, it's still up to me to get traffic to my shops. Backlinks to my shop is one way. Making a Treasury or a Collection is an easy way to get a backlink to your shop.

This past week, I made a Treasury on Etsy and two Collections on ArtFire. (basically the same thing, just called by a different name.) Oh boy, did the differences in the sites really show.

Here is my Treasury on Etsy. Houndstooth Love

Here are my Collections on ArtFire. May all your days be Merry and Bright
Grab a cup of hot chocolate

See the difference?!

I did the Houndstooth Love Treasury first. It was hard to decide which pictures/products to use because there were so many great items to choose from.
I then tried to do Houndstooth on Artfire. I came up with 4 (seriously 4) pictures that were clear and crisp enough to use. Also they had to be sellers with PRO accounts, not ones with Basic accounts. (ArtFire will only use Collections for their front page and in their emails that have all Pro sellers in them.)
I then changed my search options to "hot chocolate" and "bright holiday christmas decor" and still had a hard time coming up with enough decent listings to use.

My conclusions

The actual process of making Treasuries and Collections is about the same.
ArtFire has a handy option of automatically letting sellers know they made it into a Collection.
You have to do it "manually" with Etsy, quite time consuming. You also have to make sure that each of your convos is worded a bit differently so it's not considered spam which will shut down your convos.
ArtFire gives you the option of submitting your Collection for consideration for the front page and in emails as long as all sellers featured are PRO. (Update: My Hot Chocolate Collection made it to the front page of ArtFire today. How cool is that?)
Etsy you have to cross your fingers it'll be seen or else promote the heck out of it.
It was much easier to find "decent" listing on Etsy, much harder to find on ArtFire.

Is one better than the other? I'm not sure. All I know is it's a long of fun making them and an easy way to backlink my shop!

Hello! Hello! Hello!

2010-11-18T13:33:00.003-06:00

Guess what?! I finished my key fob order. :) JB was giving me grief the other day, wondering if I was still working on it.

Now my latest project is a wholesale order for a shop in Australia. I'm almost done with it and my goal is to have in the mail by this afternoon. Good luck there.15 bibs, 15 key fobs and 10 blankets. It's been a lot of work but so fun at the same time.

Meanwhile in able mabel land...

I realized this morning that when I didn't blog for the last few weeks, I hardly took any pictures. Time to bring back the blog and some new pictures. I have two for you today... First off, little Lou doing a quick modeling stint. No worries about the blanket in her mouth, this one is hers and was only used to show the size. :) It was about impossible to get her to lay still. Notice her hand moving 90 mph. She's still our sweet happy go lucky dolly!

While Lou napped this morning and I puttered away on my order, here's what the other three did. Who knew crayons and old newspaper could keep them entertained for so long. It was awesome to see all three of them on their bellies, happily co-existing in the same area. This morning started out a big rough but got better as the hours passed.

Now to get them all down for naps at the same time so I can continue working...

Something has to give...

2010-10-19T14:10:00.007-05:00

It's been 9 days since this key fob was published in Lonny Magazine.

Since then I have sold 43 of them. (I've actually gotten more orders for them but am still awaiting payment.) Additionally, I received an order this morning for 35 for a shop in North Carolina. (My first ever "wholesale" order. I use the term loosely since I didn't sell them to her for 50% off)

78 total Leopard Print Key Fobs. Amazing!

(I still haven't counted how many other fobs I've sold in the last week. Nor have I gone thru all other requests I've received since then. Blog features, other product requests, etc. I've done some, but not all.)

As you can imagine, it was a much better response than I anticipated and could have hoped for. Therefore, something in my life has to be put on the back burner. (Let me clarify here...I am not overwhelmed or overly swamped and am keeping up just fine. It's just taking me a bit longer to get orders out the door and I'm not creating anything new product at this time.)

I'm not willing to sew every waking moment, I can't ignore my family, I can't ignore my house (anymore than I already do), I can't give up exercising, I'm not devoting my entire life to able mabel (This is suppose to be a "hobby that supports itself", not a job that takes importance over everything else.)...

So my dear friends, you drew the short straw. Until I get things back under control on this end and feel like I can take a breath (which I selfishly hope is a good long while away. I am enjoying the busyness while it lasts! ;) ) my blog will not be updated.

Unless, of course, I get a wild hair or have something pressing to say...

:)

Until next time!

I've been MIA

2010-10-08T08:43:00.003-05:00

because I've been too busy smooching and snuggle this little dolly! Isn't she just squishable?!? She is, by far, my chubbiest baby and it is so fun to cuddle a "butterball"!

It's hard to believe she is 3 months old already! Where has the time gone. Gone also are the days of napping her on my bed. She's starting to "swim" and wiggle all over the place. She laughs, coos and giggles much to the delight of the entire household.

She is a sweetheart and we're very thankful to have her!!

Pretend Play

2010-10-02T16:21:00.004-05:00

It's Saturday afternoon in able mabel land. The little are sleeping. The bigs are playing house.

First though:
9 yr old daughter and her friend: "Hey guys! Wanna play house?"
7 yr old son and his buddy: "Naw. Sounds boring." (play house? they're way too old for that!)

9 yr olds beg and plead, until finally...
7 yr old, "Okay. Fine. But I get to be the dad and leave to work right away in the morning." "No, I get to be the dad!"

After much debating back and forth, it's decided that one boy will be a dog and one boy will be the dad. The girls will be the mom and kid.

All is peaceful in the playroom, a serene happy "family" goes about their day.

The "real life" mom continues about her Saturday chores, playing Suzie Homemaker, thrilled that all is well above.

Meanwhile, a little wakes up and goes to join the "family".

All of a sudden the "pretend family" upstairs erupts into chaos!

The baby bawls nonstop.
The toddlers are owly, saying "no" and "don't want to" over and over again.
The dog howls constantly.
The mom is grumpy and cross. (I wonder where they learned that behavior from?! Must be from one of the friend's houses.)
The dad bolts for the fishing hole. (Ditto above. Hubby hasn't been fishing for a good long while.)

The "real life" mom sighs. This is too much like everyday life. Why the need to act it out all over again?! She climbs the stairs to calm the masses and suggests the "family" breaks up and a game of "school" starts up. Eyes light up and off they go.

Please let this be a good day in school and not one where:

The students won't listen.
The teacher loses control of the classroom.
The principal gets called in.
The buses stall on the side of the road.
A goose gets loose in the hallway.
The dog eats the homework.

Or this "real life" mom will have to think up a new game, a quiet one, for them to play. A game of "Church", perhaps? At least all chaos there gets taken care of in whispers and the naughty ones get hauled out to the back. (in theory anyway.)

Cat got your tongue?

2010-10-01T09:57:00.002-05:00

Throw on a pair of cat eye glasses,or a blue cats eye beaded bracelet around your wrist.

Better yet, pin a cat on your shirt.

Afterall, some think black cats are good luck!

Happy Friday! Wishing all a delightful weekend!!!

What I'm working on

2010-09-30T21:07:00.002-05:00

Lately it seems like my plastic bag holders sell as quickly as I can get new ones listed. So today I decided I better make some more. However after I got this one done (in addition to the 9 I completed earlier in the week)... I decided I wasn't really in the mood to work on them anymore. So I didn't. Sometimes it's hard to get motivated and inspired when it feels like "production" instead of play.

I then pulled out another hot seller...key fobs...

Same thing. After getting two ready for hardware, I was bored. What is my problem?! :) Two items that sell quickly, yet I was so uninspired to restock them. What up with that?

Glancing at the baby monitor and the clock, I saw that my short window of sewing time was quickly closing. I scanned my fabric stacks and had an "aha" moment. Patchwork blanket tops, just what the doc ordered. Something I've been meaning to work on but they always get put on the back burner.

I spent the rest of my sewing time working on them. Oh happy sigh. Just what I needed. "Free form" quilts. No patterns or themes, just whatever my little heart desired. It brought the "play" back into my afternoon!!

Going back for more.

2010-09-28T16:51:00.002-05:00

Remember this giveaway I had? Just last week, CSN contacted me again to ask if I'd do a review of one of their items. For those of you who don't know about CSN, it's a website that has over 200 stores and everything from soup to nuts, wardrobes to sweet lighting options!

As soon as I get my item for review, I'll let you know all about it. Trust me. :)

(That's a promise, not a threat!)

Should vs Want

2010-09-27T14:33:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel like life is just a big choosing game between what you want to do versus what you should do? (Notice I didn't say have, but instead should. A person doesn't have to do much in life.)

It all starts at 4:30 am, when Hubby's alarm goes off. While he wants to stay sleeping, he rolls out (after hitting the snooze button at least 8 times, until finally his wife yanks off all his covers causing him to instantly turn into an icicle) because he should get to work on time if he wants to keep his job. I, his spoiled wife snuggles back under the covers because I want to get more beauty sleep.

When the kids' alarm clock goes off at 7 bells, I want to keep sleeping but I should make sure the kids catch the bus because I don't want to bring them to school and I don't want to homeschool.

I trudge down the stairs watching my step as I don't want to fall down the steps and decide what I should do for the day and what I want to do.

Laundry? (should I wait another day or does everyone still has a few clean outfits left?)
Cleaning? (do I want to waste my time washing the floor when it's raining out?)
Baking? (would anyone appreciate it, should I make something? do I have the right ingredients for what I want to bake?)
Sewing? (are there any orders I should get done today or do I want to make new product?)
Read to the kids? (are they going to want to sit down long enough to listen to a few books?)
Exercise? (I'm lazy, so I want to do yoga but I should take a break from yoga and do cardio.)
Talk on the phone? (I want to, but it's hard to talk over the noise so I should hang up for the sake of all our ears.)

So I putter until lunchtime mixing our wants with our shoulds. Then I put my kids down for naps because they should get some sleep if we want to have a less chaotic household come evening. Life is all about compromise!

Now I should quit blogging because I want to sew before I should make dinner. My family will want to eat tonight. :)

Four Fun finds for Friday

2010-09-24T11:42:00.003-05:00

Daisy Necklace from penelopepiper

Vintage Metal and Button Bracelet from autena

Rosy Pink Sparrow Necklace from barberry & lace

Scrabble Tile Jewelry from WildStitches

Peanutty Gooey Bars

2010-09-23T09:30:00.002-05:00

Any harried mom, racing thru the grocery store with four kids trying to get finished before the baby wakes up hollering, would see this package on the shelf....

toss it into her cart, narrowly missing beaning the 3 yr old in the head, and reasonably think she purchased butterscotch chips, right? Wrong.

I was disgusted and bummed out when I got home and realized that instead of butterscotch chips, instead I bought a mixture of peanut butter and milk chocolate chips. So much for those 7 layer bars I was craving.

Come on Nestle, get with the program!! Help us frazzled folks out and don't make similar packaging for different products. Who has time to sit and study the packaging, it's all about grabbing what looks right and tossing it in. No need to spend any more time than necessary in the grocery store. (Have you ever stopped to think about how much time a person spends grocery shopping? Don't, it's not worth it.)

Alas, it's all ends well. I pulled out the chips today to make cookies, but instead the Peanutty Gooey Bars caught my eye. Sounds deadly, doesn't it.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (the original recipe calls for chocolate graham crackers but the thought of that gives me a bout of the dry heaves.)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

Mix together and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Mix:

1 cup morsels

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Microwave 1 minute. Stir until smooth, microwaving an additional 15 seconds at a time if needed. Pour over crust.Chop up 1 cup peanuts. (This picture is to console myself that I can't get a good picture of the finished bars, but heck, I can take a close up of peanuts. So there.)

Mix peanuts and remaining morsels and sprinkle on top of bars.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until edges are bubbly.

Try not to devour the whole pan in one sitting. ;)

The "yeah" girl

2010-09-22T13:09:00.003-05:00

As any mother of a toddler will tell you, the "no" stage can be maddening, frustrating and everything in between.

In the able mabel household, we don't have a "no" kid, we have an "okay" and "yeah" kid. (not "yes", but "yeah") No complaints here. She answers all questions, statements and comments with an "okay" or a "yeah".

"Hey Mar! Wanna go play outside?" "Okay."
"MarMar, should we go to bed? "Yeah."
"Sweetie, want your diaper changed?" "Okay."
"Should we go canoeing down a raging river with 6 foot crocodiles snapping at the boat?" "Yeah."

She's a very agreeable child, indeed.

These answers are throwing her sibling for a loop though. Several times a day one of them will come tell me that MarMar wrecked something of theirs; a fort, a coloring picture, a game, etc. I give the standard reply, "Did you see her do it?" and I get the standard answer, "No, but I asked her if she did it and she said 'yeah'."

I gave up on giving my standard lecture; "She's too little to know what you're asking her and she says 'yeah' to everything." since they always insist she said she did it so therefore she did. Sigh. Useless, pointless arguments with kids is not my cup of tea. We could go around and around for hours!

I have since come up with a new standard reply when they come tattling on her; "Hmmmm, that's what you get for leaving it where she can find it." That usually sends them packing.

So Mar, what do you say if I ask you to unwrap yourself from around my legs so I can get sewing?

"Okay."

Thanks Sweetheart, I knew you'd go for that idea.

The difference between boys and girls

2010-09-15T09:39:00.002-05:00

My kids love to pick out outfits for Lou. It's always interested to see what they come up with and how they do it.
The girls study the stacks of clothes before carefully choosing what she should wear. My 4 yr old, on the other hand, grabs the nearest outfit and brings it to me. He chose what Lou wore yesterday... Now this outfit is happenin', at least visually. Makes my eyes go...well...buggy with all the prints and patterns. I'll give him credit for both the top and bottom being in the same color family, although I think he just got lucky. Could be worse.

Wanna see some pictures?

2010-09-14T22:15:00.005-05:00

Utah, on the way down. The lighting was unbelievable. I just shot as we were driving instead of making the carload stop.

I've never seen Utah so green! It was incredible! Flowers blooming, mountains rising in the distance, sun streaming thru the clouds.

The start of Monument Valley. This is the only picture I took. Shame on me. It's so desolate, yet so beautiful.
On Thursday Lou got to meet Grandma for the first time. She was immediately smothered in smooches. Do you blame her? :) She also got to meet Grandpa but in the only picture of them I have, Grandma doesn't look very flattering. I'll keep the Family Peace and not post the picture. ;)

We went on a walk on Friday morning. I forgot Lou's sunhat at home so I made her a makeshift one.

Our crew trudging down the road.

The desert in these parts is so amazing! I love it! (not enough to move there though.)

My sister and her fiance came in from California. We threw them an impromptu engagement party. So fun to see them!

Lou, loving the attention she got from Auntie!

Now at camp.

I busted someone sleeping with her camera! Can you guess who it was? (Did you actually sleep with it or did it just "happen" to be on your bed all weekend?)

The setting of the camp was beautiful! Unfortunately, this is the only picture of the outside I took. Pictures were hard to take with Lou on my hip all weekend long.

She did get a bit of tummy time in but only for a short while.

The view from on top. This was a pretty funny presentation, complete with cartoon pictures. Too bad they didn't show up. Love how the first few rows are empty. Typical.

Vacation by the numbers

2010-09-13T11:10:00.003-05:00

1 Suburban
4 ladies
3 babies
10 hour drive south to Phoenix
2 stops to refill gas tank, bellies and empty bladders
2 days of shopping, relaxing, laughing, eating

2 fulls days spent at Mother's Camp at Prescott
100+ Moms gathered; laughing, visiting, reunited with old friends, simply enjoying life
untold number of calories consumed
1 empty stroller being pushed around by me
1 Loulou perched on my hip more often than not
2 hands occupied by stroller and Lou
0 hands empty
2 tired shoulders by the end of the weekend

11 blankets filled with Lou's spit up
22 soiled diapers
11 outfit changes for Lou
15 total cat naps taken by Lou
4 good naps taken by Lou

6 or less hours of sleep each night
12 pictures taken

1 Suburban
4 ladies
3 babies
8.5 hours heading north towards home
3 stops to refill gas tank, bellies and empty bladders
untold number of laughs and stories

174 emails waiting
5 sales on Etsy
1 clean house
1 empty pantry
1 tired baby
1 refreshed mom
3 happy toddlers, glad to have mom home again

Taking the week off

2010-09-06T18:32:00.002-05:00

I'm taking this week off for a little "me" time.

No creating will be getting done for able mabel this week as I get organized to host our first craft night for church on Tuesday night.

Wednesday afternoon, Lou and I will ride into the sunset southbound for Phoenix. There we'll meet up with my parents, who will get to meet Lou for the first time, before heading off to Mother's Camp for the weekend.

Thanks to my wonderful Hubby, sister-in-law and friends, I'm leaving footloose and fancy free, all the worries of every day life gone with the wind. (with the exception of my darling little baby doll) What would I do without family and friends?!

I'll catch up with you all on Monday. Behave and be good! ;)

and so...

2010-09-02T20:36:00.002-05:00

we move onto Phase 2 of our yard... with a load of manure from Tim's Turds. Ah! The sweet smell of Dairy Air! (as my dad loves to say.)

I'm making a list

2010-08-31T20:43:00.008-05:00

I'm checking it twice.

Custom orders are so nice.

Who wants what and what goes where?

Polka dots head Down Under.The key fob to New York.

The birdie to the Midwest.

This, a mom awaiting the stork!

Oh, Lou better watch out!

Lou better not cry!

Lou better not pout, I'm telling you why!

Custom orders piling up fast!

(Good luck and dream on with the Lou part huh? Good thing I have a week to get them all done. Two done, two to go.)

Grandma sent

2010-08-30T17:37:00.006-05:00

a pair of felted booties that she made. Absolutely darling! I put them on Lou and they fit perfectly. I decided to send Grandma a few pictures of her wearing them.

Do you have any idea how hard it is

to photographwiggly baby feet?

Will you please

hold still for

just one moment??!!

76 pictures later (seriously) I give up. Good enough. Here you go, Grandma.

I've mentioned my

2010-08-27T13:31:00.002-05:00

local "Sewing Partner in Crime" before. Well now, I've twisted her arm enough so that she's finally opened up her own Etsy shop, amylisa

It seems like she can't keep things in stock. She's only just started listing items but keeps selling them. That's not a bad thing. Here's a sampling of what she does have... The baby is not included, although she's adorable. Okay, I'm biased. She's our godchild. But will you check out those eyelashes?! To die for!! Oh yea, the blanket is cute too.

She has decked out each of her girls in their own patchwork skirt. I think her mom was lucky enough to get one too, and a couple teachers at school, and...and...There is only one size 4 girls skirt listed. First come, first serve so get a move on it!

Make sure you check her shop daily (no pressure, Amy!) to see what else is new. She'll also do custom orders so keep that in mind.

2010-08-25T17:19:00.002-05:00

I only had a few items that I wanted to accomplish today. See, I'm learning. One was to get started on these boxes of peaches taking up prime real estate in my kitchen.

After settling the Littles down for their afternoon naps, I rolled up my sleeves.

The jars, washed and ready to go.I blanched the peaches (so the skins would come off easily), pulled out my handy dandy food chopper and was on my way.

The first batch of cooked jam was taking it's bath when I started in on a batch of freezer jam. The timer beeped alerting me to the fact that bath time was over. I ambled over to the stove and started taking the hot jars out of the boiling water. All was well until...

I went to take the one quart jar out. It slipped, fell to the counter and shattered, sending a spray of peach jam all over! I stood there momentarily stunned as I surveyed the scene. Jam dripping off the counter, down the side of the stove, under the stove, under the toaster...Ugh, double ugh, googleplex ugh. (couldn't resist throwing that in there. It's my kids' fav number.)

I heard the second timer beep. The freezer jam was ready to mix up. Then I heard a wail from the baby monitor. Lou was ready to eat. Eeek! Now what do I do?! What "fire" should I put out first

I stuck my tongue out at the jam spread to the ends of the earth and back and went to get Lou. With her draped over my left arm, I got the freezer jam mixed up and put into containers.

When I finally made it back into the kitchen to clean up the jam, it had gelled. I briefly thought about having toast for dinner and having each kid scrape their own jam off the counter. ;)
The mess was much easier to clean up than I thought. Just a constant rinsing and wringing of the rag.

JB had just been teasing me about my lack of canning tongs when she was here. She's right, again. I'm not doing any more canning until I get a pair.

Now I can't get the stove back into it's slot. Whoever tiled the kitchen had to do a patch job under the stove so instead of sliding nicely back where it belongs, you have to lift it over the hump as you slide it. For the life of me, I can't get it. Looks like I'll be cooking dinner in the middle of the kitchen. Literally...

I have to learn how

2010-08-24T17:17:00.002-05:00

relax when Lou goes down for her naps. It seems like these past few weeks, I've found myself dashing around this place like a headless chicken, trying to see how much I can get done while she sleeps. I'm feeling like I hardly have time to catch my breath.

I was telling a friend the other day that I need more selection in my shop amongst each section. Like 20 or more items for each category. I was saying that I can't keep my shop stocked. She kindly pointed out that it's because I keep selling items. Oh. Ummm, yeah. She's right. What am I complaining about? How about taking time to enjoy able mabel instead of feeling pressured to do more, more, more.

Enough is enough. Life is short. I might as well enjoy these days while they last. The housework can wait. (unfortunately it won't go away on it's own) The sewing doesn't all have to get done in one day.

It's time to go back to living life a day at a time and each day a moment at a time. Puttering away at my to do list slowly, but surely. Yeah, it won't get done all at once, but it'll get done....I'll enjoy it and like it. :)

It's been 7 weeks

2010-08-23T11:37:00.004-05:00

since little LouLou joined our family. I'm still having a hard wrapping my brain around the fact that she runs the show. Although, not in a bad way. When she is sleeping, I sometimes forget that she's here. For example...

In the pre-Lou days when I would sew, I'd sew like crazy, making a huge mess, until about 4:00. Then I'd scurry to get my mess cleaned up before starting supper. Last week as I was a few hours into my sewing mess, I remembered I had a peacefully slumbering newborn nearby who would be making her presence known shortly. A quick glance at the clock warned me that I had very little time left to get cleaned up and dinner started before she'd wake up and need complete attention. Looks like my sewing routine has to change.

I took off to the grocery store this morning with Lou sleeping in her carseat. As soon as I put the first items into my cart (2- 20lb boxes of peaches and a case of canning jars.), she woke up hollering. Sigh. I knew and expected it, I had just hoped she's make it thru the produce section. I dragged my heavy cart around the store with her hanging over my arm. At least I was smart enough to leave the toddlers at a friend's house. Now about those peaches and canning jars...Let's hope she'll give me a few uninterrupted hours of peace and quiet sometime this week. I must be a glutton for punishment. ;)

On the way home from the store, I was mentally making a to do list for today; clean up from the weekend, organize my pantry, do a few loads of laundry, make a baby gift for Hubby's co- worker, pack up orders, exercise, vacuum out the 'Burb. Lou stirred from behind me and then I remembered she's the boss. I revised my to do list; hold Lou, feed Lou, change Lou, tend to the needs of the other kids. Anything else accomplished will be a bonus.

Such is life with a newborn. I'm not complaining one bit. It's just a matter of strategically planning what I should accomplish while Lou sleeps. The newborn stage passes so quickly that I have to remember to take the time to enjoy her fully.

Late Night Visitors

2010-08-18T16:03:00.002-05:00

Last night, or technically this morning, at about 2 am, a car pulled up in front of our house and stopped. I peeked out our window and saw that the people had gotten out of their car and walked up to our door. All the doors of their car were wide open, lights on, including the back hatch.

I was baffled. There is nothing in our house that anyone could want that they'd be so obvious about coming to get. I racked my brain to think if we had left anything outside they could possible "use". I debated about waking up Hubby.

As a man walked down our front steps, I swallowed my fright and called out, "Can I help you?"

"Fed Ex delivered a package to our house for you. Some sort of little kids seat." he replied. His female co-hart added, "Whew, it was heavy!"

I sleepily thanked them, chuckling to myself. In the busyness of the weekend, I had forgotten that the fourth seat for our Suburban was suppose to be getting delivered sometime this week.

Sure enough, when we woke up this morning (late for school. Day 3 and we're already oversleeping) there it was on our front step. Why they felt the need to bring it to us at 2 am is beyond me, I'm just thankful they were kind enough to haul it over to our house. Someone is already dreaming of all the places this seat will take her.

Fed Ex showed up on my doorstep today with another package from the seat company. As I signed for it, the delivery guy commented that it was funny that package #1 didn't require a signature but package #2 did. His partner said, "It did. The housekeeper signed for it yesterday."

"Actually," I told him. "You delivered yesterday's package to the wrong house." They looked a bit sheepish, as well they should. It all turned out. Now to get this seat into the 'Burb...

In Limbo

2010-08-17T15:52:00.002-05:00

When I checked my email yesterday morning, I saw that I had one from Etsy Transactions, letting me know I had a sale. Sweet! I love those kinds of emails! I did a double take and gasped when I read the actual email. 24 items, all to one customer?! Are you for real?!

My elation turned to dread and doubt as the minutes passed and still no email from PayPal telling me the customer had paid. I had a feeling it was too good to be true.

About 15 minutes later, she emailed saying she was having trouble paying. Being that she was international, I wasn't too surprised. Occasionally that'll happen, although most payments will go thru eventually.

Needless to say, we're still trying to get the payment to happen. It may take a while with the time difference.

In the meantime, I'm not sure what I should think. The thought of possibly having to relist all those items and cancel the transaction is overwhelming. Those items are essentially "on hold" for her until we figure this out and my shop is feeling rather bare. Yes, there are still 120 some items but within each sections, the selections are pretty limited.

I know she really wants the products so I'm trying to think positively. I'm having a hard time getting inspired to make more product though until I know for sure. It's such an odd feeling.

Granted, I haven't even had time to pull out anything able mabel related, so I'm not sure why I'm feeling this way. Maybe I just know that I should be getting my house in order instead of "playing". Maybe it's a post vacation funk. Maybe it's the fact that I'm still sleep deprived from the weekend (the lack of sleep was well worth it.).

Whatever it is, it needs to take a hike quickly. I think I'll clear my schedule for the next two days and try get back in the groove. As long as Lou cooperates... :) She's worth it. I promise I won't get fuzzed up if she needs to be held for the next two days. She's way more important.

I sometimes forget to take out my camera

2010-08-16T16:23:00.004-05:00

when I'm having so much fun. Truth be told, my arms are usually full of Lou, so it makes it even more difficult to snap away.

This past weekend was a total blast!!! JB and one of Hubby's sisters made their way down from MN while two friends made their way up from AZ. My house was the perfect location for a slumber party! Right in the middle of both states.

Hubby took the boys off to camp and us girls stayed home and had a wonderful weekend of laughs, chats and good times.

Here are a few pictures I managed to take... Heading up the hill on a hike on Friday morning. JB is pleased she's making it up the first hill. It was my first time out hiking since Baby was born and my 3 yr old was walking, so JB and I didn't make it all the way to the top. We perched on the side of the trail with my little girls and visited while the others kept trucking up. We then headed to the beach for a dip in the cool water.

Saturday found us wandering around Glenwood Springs. We had a delicious lunch at the Daily Bread Cafe, followed by browsing in the shops. (although there aren't that many.) I forgot to take my camera along.

Sunday we headed to Rifle Falls with the kids. These next two pictures are courtesy of my oldest daughter.

While the other hiked around the falls, I stayed in the shade with my two youngest. Can you see me? It's like "Where's Waldo?".

Jessica and her girls. I'm counting on her to have taken some sweet pictures since she is magical with a camera.
In fact, I put her to "work" trying to get some pictures of Lou. It was quite a production as I held Lou and tried to keep the "backdrop" in a semi-normal position against the wind.

The good times ended with a bang as the kids headed out the door to school this morning looking pretty tired.

Someone is still able to smile even though she was pretty sleepy. I still can't believe I have a middle schooler! Crazy!!

So now life returns back to "normal". Hopefully we can get back on a schedule (slightly impossible with a newborn) and a routine.

And the winner is....

2010-08-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

Jenna!!! (Thanks ClayClay for drawing the winner.)

Jenna said...
I'm desperately wanting a new espresso machine and this would be the perfect way to get me on my way!
August 12, 2010 3:02 PM

Congratulations Jenna! You've won a $50 gift certificate to CSN!! Send me your email address so CSN can email you the moola.

A few reminders

2010-08-12T11:37:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to CSN. The winner will be drawn tomorrow.

If anyone is still interested in ordering anything from Pampered Chef, you have until tomorrow. Orders will be shipped directly to you. Go to: www.pamperedchef.biz/chefsmith
1. Shop Online
2. Option #1 - order as part of a show
3. Enter Leann Jurmu as the host
4. Shop :)

I love that Pampered Chef has the option of order and hosting online. Super slick.

The process was a joke but...

2010-08-11T10:57:00.003-05:00

I had the brilliant idea this morning to make a double batch of monster cookies. I haven't baked much since Lou was born.

I was off to a great start, until I pulled out the sugar tub. It was empty. So I filled it up, only to realize when I was done that part of the bag was out of the tub.

and my phone was buried under a neat little pile of sugar.

Never attempt to mix a double batch of cookies with a hand mixer. Not a pretty sight. Mission Impossible. Note the paper towel on the counter. That was an attempt to clean up an exploding egg. Ugh.

It wouldn't have been so bad had I not had to dodge a Little Blue Princess (I bent down to get a measuring cup and accidently elbowed her in the gut.),

a pajama clad, pacifier sucking toddler, (I only knocked her over twice as I backed up to get things out of the drawer. Where can I pick up one of those beeping noise thingamabobs that buses have when they back up?) and utensils strewn across the kitchen floor.

No adventure is complete without little Lou hanging over my arm, making life a little more interesting. (After feeding #1 of 1298 today, she douced my leg with a huge river of spit up. Now I smell like milk. Yum.)

The cookies did turn out decent and some were quickly devoured by all.
Delicious and messy! (Good thing I didn't wash my walls yesterday.)

Who are these creatures

2010-08-10T16:16:00.001-05:00

and what are they doing on my front steps?

The "twins"

2010-08-09T17:22:00.003-05:00

Two sweet girls. Born on the same day. Born a few hours apart. Mistaken for twins many a time. Not even related. Same toothy grin. Same bubbly personalities. Same love of life. Same rays of sunshine.

Best of friends. Chums. Pals. Giggling girls. I love these two. I'll claim the one on the left as my own.

On Friday they celebrated their 6th birthdays (for the second time. Round one was on Thursday at the park with their friends.). A golden birthday for two golden girls.

(J was staying at our house because her mom had just had a baby.)

They giggled, shrieked and plotted how to get out of getting birthday spankings when Hubby got home. They didn't put up a fight at all and squealed with delight as soon as he pulled in the driveway.

Right before having cake, they dunked their heads in the pool. Makes for some nice pictures. ;) They giggled and grinned as we sang to them.

As is tradition in our house, the birthday kid gets to cut their own piece of cake. Gulp. They did end up putting their bowls in the freezer to finish later. Birthday celebration complete, they dashed off saying, "We should be sisters. We should be twins." With a hug, a squeal and a skip they went out the door to play with their gifts.

It's Friday so how about a

2010-08-06T10:03:00.004-05:00

giveaway from CSN?

CSN has over 200 online shops where you can find everything from dinnerware

to wall art,

housewares

to baby gear

and travel.

The generous folks at CSN have given me a $50 gift certificate to give to one of my lucky readers. Think you could find something to spend it on? Did I mention that shipping is free on most items? How sweet is that?

Putting your name into the hat is easy peasy. Just leave me a comment here on this post before next Friday. That's it. Simple.

You can get extra entries by blogging, tweeting or Facebooking the link for this post. You have to make sure you leave me a comment here with your link though so I know you actually did it. (Just trying to keep honest people honest.)

Now for the fine print:

Only comments left on this post will be counted as an entry.
CSN only ships to the US and Canada. I apologize for that. There's nothing I can do about it.
Entries will be accepted until Thursday, August 12 at midnight MST.
The winner will be drawn by one of my little cherubs.
The gift certificate will be e-mailed to the winner.
The gift certificate is for a one time use for any of CSN's shops.
Selma, even though you won the gift certificate on Jessica's blog, you can still enter this one. If you win, you'll have to rethink your statement about never winning anything. ;)

Who needs a horse

2010-08-05T13:29:00.000-05:00

when you have an older brother?

A little of this, a little of that

2010-08-03T09:13:00.003-05:00

Good intentions seem to fly out the window rather quickly nowadays.
On Saturday I had good intentions of getting some cleaning done when a friend told me she was running to Glenwood. I couldn't resist hopping in her ride. I finally bought some decorations for my living room. I'll post pictures when I get them hung up.
When JB and Mom (note I said "when" not "if") come visit, they'll be so impressed. I've hardly ever decorated my house. Sad, but true.
My good intentions of getting organizing done yesterday took a hike when I found a mountain bike on craigslist for our son. It was in Aspen, which is about a hour from here. Instead of organizing, I spent all afternoon in the car.
I did buy the bike. I told Hubby it was in very good condition. After his inspection, it turns out it needed a bit of work. What do I know? It still was a good deal, although I probably could have talked the guy down further had I known exactly what to look for.
He is usually the one to go look at those things but he was working two hours in the opposite direction. I had to be his "fill-in". Pathetic as I am when it comes to that.
I have good intentions of getting the house spotless today since Hubby is hosting a meeting here tonight. I have a sneaking suspicion that the floors and bathrooms will get done and that's about it.
It's just a bunch of guys, they'll never notice. I think and hope. Hopefully they'll pause to admire the coloring all over the wall at 3 year old height. :)
Just in case you missed out on the giveaway on Jessica's blog, I'll be doing it on here. Just working out the details. Stay tuned.
Aunt Selma won Jessica's giveaway. I'm still waiting to see what she's going to buy me with her winnings.
Lou has been waking up and staying up for two hours at some ungodly hour for the past two nights. Yawn! She sits there and grins at me. I almost hate to "encourage" her by grinning back. ;)
Last night she had an outfit on that said "positively perfect". I couldn't help wondering if that was true at 4:00 am. It's true. She is perfect.
I was so exhausted by the time Hubby left for work at 5:00 am this morning. Lou was showing no signs of going back to sleep so I laid her down, shut the door and let her cry herself to sleep. Bad Mom, I know but I really needed the sleep so I can deal with the riff raff today. I really don't think she cried for very long.
Still, I have a hard time letting newborns cry. Even ask Hubby. He told me the other day that I fuss with her too much. That I can let her cry a little more. Hmmm...
I wonder what my chances of sneaking a little sewing in today are. Sigh. I better just wait until tomorrow when nothing else is hanging over my head.

Today I accomplished...

2010-07-30T16:33:00.003-05:00

Fed Lou.
Burped Lou.
Laid Lou down for a nap.
Less than two minutes later, Lou squalled.
Fired up the morning addition of the LouLou 500 (which requires more laps than the Indy 500 before a winner is declared.).
Convince son he really does want to take 19 month old outside to play.
Lou finally falls asleep.
Laid Lou down.
Start in on breakfast dishes.
Less than 3 minutes later, Lou squalled.
5 yr old offers to take next trip around the track.
Quickly finish dishes and made a lovie for able mabel.
Dodge dead bugs 19 month old brings me from outside.
5 yr old is tired of Lou.
Fed Lou.
Burped Lou.
Lou falls asleep.
Laid Lou down for a nap.
Less than 4 minutes later, Lou squalled.
Hit the track again.
Lou falls asleep.
Laid Lou down.
Less than 5 minutes later, Lou squalled.
10 yr old offers her arms.
Quickly take a few pictures of lovies and one bib for able mabel.
10 yr old passes Lou back to me.
Repeat steps 1-8, trying to contain my frustration with Lou.
Pass Lou off to 9 yr old.
Quickly make one more lovie.
Repeat steps 1-8 two or three more times, taking deep breaths. My arms are getting tired of her. The time is pushing 2 pm and she still hasn't really slept.
Lou finally sleeps longer than 5 minutes.
Dash to Wal-Mart to get sand for retaining walls, canning lids for a friend and snaps for able mabel bibs.
Wal-Mart doesn't have any of them. (Don't let me start venting.)
Wal-Mart does have some school supplies. Make a dent on the lists.
They do have corn on the cob for 10 cents a piece. Send my helpers over to get 24 ears.
Pay for 24 ears of corn.
Return home.
Start to peel corn. There are only 15 ears. Sigh. That's what I get for not double checking. Try not to get too upset over 90 cents.
Lou still sleeps. It's a record for today. 1 hour and 53 minutes straight and counting.
Take more deep breaths and start to feel blood pressure lower.
I will survive this day.
I thank my lucky stars that she is almost 4 weeks old and this is the first day like this.
Life could be much worse.

What should I do with her?

2010-07-29T17:46:00.003-05:00

My 3 yr old, that is.

She's sweet. ("I just love our new baby!")
She's sassy. (Hands on hips is a favorite pose.)
She's a jokster. (I asked her to get my cell phone for me. She comes back with a spoon and a huge cheese on her face.)
She's bossy. ("Say 'Hi Sweetheart' ", she tells me she guides her little sister who is fresh from her nap down the stairs.)
She's a parrot. ("MarMar is so stinkin' cute!", I heard her say the other day.)
She's exasperating. ("I want to eat, I want to eat, I want to eat, I want to eat...")
She's a graffiti artist in training. (Nothing and no one is off limits when she wields any sort of writing utensil.)
She's a songbird. ("Should I put the pretty music back on?" as soon as the cd is done playing.)
She's a total girl. ("Look at Mom's new shirt, Dad! Isn't it so cute?")
She's a sponge. ("This is your noggin", she tells her siblings the other day as she points to her head.)
She's a complete shoe freak. ("You should buy me more shoes, Mom. I don't have enough.", as the rest of us trip over her 145 pairs of shoes that she leaves scattered in her wake.)
She's a keeper.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T17:34:00.001-05:00

You know you're living with a newborn when...

2010-07-26T14:43:00.002-05:00

Instead of racing the clock, you race to get things done while Baby sleeps.
Every meal time Baby wakes up requiring immediate attention just as you dish your plate.
Your coffee is cold and your milk is warm.
Your shoulder contains a permanent Badge of Motherhood, aka spit up.
You turn into a nocturnal critter, complete with dark rings around the eyes.
You find yourself resisting the urge to "moo" as you nurse every few hours around the clock.
As you attempt to get a stubborned burp out of Baby, you end up belching yourself. Baby still doesn't burp until many minutes later.
The hems of all your shirts are stretched out due to lifting it up to your chin as you perform your Milk Maid duties. (Maybe it's just easier to go topless?! Just kidding.)
We won't even talk about other areas that are stretched out. Ugh.
If you try to run errands during naptime, there will be no naptime. You'll end up attempting to maneuver a full cart one handed while holding Baby. Watch out all store displays!
When in places requiring silence, like church, it's guaranteed Baby will load her drawers at full volume and velocity causing all around you to attempt to stifle, unsuccessfully, their giggles.
Baby's outfits get changed more often than you change your underwear, due to loading of the drawers every hour, on the hour.
Baby has perma smooch marks on her cheeks from all the love she gets.
When she sleeps, Baby has an adoring audience watching and reporting her every move.
The said audience also watches when she's awake to see what funny face she'll make next.
Baby clutches your finger so sweetly as you feed her, instantly melting your heart.
Baby snuggles into your chest, with her little butt in the air, causing you to become rooted into the chair as you don't want the moment to pass.
She gazes at you so adoringly, although cross eyed, you find it impossible to break the gaze.
Your life is so crazy busy and out of control but one peek at your Baby, you realize you'd rather not have it any other way. This stage goes by way too quickly.

All Over the Map with Pictures

2010-07-22T16:20:00.005-05:00

When the kids saw Lou like this today, they were convinced she was starting to crawl. I love the look of concentration on her face, complete with the crossed eyeballs. She gets cuter and cuter everyday. So far she has been a very good baby. She does need to be held when she's awake but then she'll sleep for hours on end. We lucked out again and got another precious baby!

The kids were also convinced they found a "snake" this morning. When I suggested it might be a caterpillar, they said, "Nope. It doesn't move it's body like one." Poor thing was probably so traumatized, it couldn't/wouldn't move.

It's a good thing this girl is still so darn funny because she sure has been naughty lately. Terrible 3's in full force here. Each day she asks if Lou has teeth yet. I'm not sure what the hang up with teeth is but when I told her Lou was going to church last night, she gasped and said, "But does she have teeth?" Whatever.

Last night Hubby came down dressed for church. She was on her way out the door when she caught of glimpse of him. She came back in, tracked him down and told him, "Oh Daddy! You look so cute!" Melt my heart. How right she was!

Don't you love it when you're digging thru your fabric stash and "discover" fabric you forgot you had. Case in point here. Along with about 5 other pieces.

This leopard print one is another forgotten piece.

This little Dolly is reminding me more and more of my youngest sister when she was this age. Everything about her. Her body shape, her few little wispy curls, her personality, her grin. She is my "little girl with the curl", if you remember that poem. All of my other girls have been little birds so it's so fun to have one with a bit of meat on her bones. I love watching her cheeks "bounce" when she runs. I love the dimples in her elbows. I love the creases on her wrists. I love her chunky little legs. I just flat out love her!

What you don't see

2010-07-21T15:55:00.001-05:00

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

Good thing for photo editing programs!

Here is the listing for the lovie.

An Ol' Standby

2010-07-19T18:41:00.001-05:00

Do you have a supper favorite that you tend to turn to when you've run out of ideas? I do. So much so that I'm almost getting tired of it. The kids all still love it, it's quick, it's easy and I always have the ingredients on hand. Therefore, it makes it's way onto the menu at least once a month.

Swedish Meatballs

1 lb hamburger
1/2 onion, finely chopped (or be lazy like me and use dried minced onion)
3/4 cup or so oatmeal
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix altogether. Form into balls. (I use a small cookie scoop that I bought from The Pampered Chef. Who has time to stand there and form a bunch of little balls by hand? I suppose I should call mine Swedish Meatlumps instead of Meatballs.)

Brown over medium high heat. Remove from pan after they've been browned.

In the same pan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbsp butter. Add 1/2 cup flour. Add 4 cups water and 4 tsp beef bullion, or 4 bullion cubes. Stir constantly until it boils. Cook for one more minute.

Put the meatballs back into the gravy. Turn heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Note: The gravy part of the recipe is actually doubled. We like ours to be saucy, feel free to half it.

Eating Crow

2010-07-19T17:08:00.002-05:00

or should I say I have to eat my words.

When I realized I was due in the smack dab middle of summer
I whined,
I complained,
I fussed
about having a baby when the kids were home for the summer. I only thought about
the noise level,
the mess level,
the laundry level,
the boredom level,
the chaos level all being thru the roof and into the next galaxy.

What I didn't realize were the perks that come along with a summer baby. Willing arms to burp her.
Willing friends to haul my troops to the beach with them.
Willing Bigs to make the Littles lunch ("Restaurant" is a favorite game around here. I think I've made lunch a grand total of 5 times so far this summer.)
Willing friends to come play or have my kids over to their house.
Neighbors close by so I don't have to play "soccer mom" as they go between houses.

Willing bookworms wanting to put Baby to sleep.
A library within biking/walking distance.
Not-quite-so-willing troops to help with the cleaning and laundry.
Older kids who can entertain themselves in the afternoons, with minimal interruptions to my naps.
A pool to keep kids occupied and cool.

Eating crow never tasted so yummy! :)

It's what I get

2010-07-16T11:49:00.002-05:00

In an effort to fight the post baby boredom I decided that while Lou takes her morning nap today, I was going to ignore everything and everyone (nice aren't I?) and sew like a mad woman.

She surprised me and was sleeping by 8:30 am. Forgoing my shower, with my ancient fogs (aka glasses) still perched on my nose, bedhead in total disarray, I scrambled for my sewing machine.

While I talked my 7 year old thru the steps of washing laundry (his wife will thank me someday:) ),

I sewed another one of these bag holders.

While the younger kids spread books out all over the living room (as they pulled books out it caused an avalanche of stuff to fall out of the front closet), I worked on restocking the shop with this bib.

While my 5 yr old made an "attempt" at doing the breakfast dishes but ended up making a bigger mess,

I whipped out another set of these washcloths.

And so it went for a few hours this morning. I continued to sew as my little Tornados made their way thru the house. In an effort to get as much done as possible, I didn't clean up my mess as I went. (at least they come by that trait honestly) Soon my table and chairs are heaped with fabric, scraps, tools, etc. Dolly had spread key fob hardware across the whole dining room. Whatever keeps her happy.

At one point I was ready to change my shirt to a black and white striped one and scrounge around for a whistle to wear around my neck but then I remembered my vow to myself to let the kids figure out their own squabbles.

At the first squawk from Lou, I had three concerned faces at my elbow letting me know she was awake. I nestled myself onto the couch to feed and surveyed the mess, refusing to sigh. (Sigh.)

As I filled Lou's little belly, my sweet Displaced Princess (the new term for my 19 month old, coined by my dear aunt) kept swatting at her brother (who told her in not so nice terms to knock it off at which she's burst into tears only to repeat the process), a figure appeared at the open back door. I frantically looked for a blanket to cover my midsection (I never did find one) as she made her way into the house, stepping carefully over the graham cracker crumbs, around the pile of shoes, and peered between stacks of fabric at me.

It was a census worker looking for information on our neighbors. You have got to be kidding me. Now I sighed and sighed heavily, as I viewed the chaos thru her eyes. As all the action stopped and all faces stared at her (I give her credit for not staring back), I patiently told her that I didn't know anything about them except that they're gone all day.

She politely thanked me and gingerly made her way out the door as fast as she could.

I can only imagine the story she'll have to tell...

It was so awesome to sew again, I don't even care. Now the kids and I will face the music and get this place back in order...whatever that means...

I think I'd rather not know...

2010-07-15T16:53:00.003-05:00

Can you see that? As I was glancing out the window this afternoon, I spied a perfect imprint of a dirty foot on the side of the window seat.

Here...have a closer look. It's not very dark.

Honestly, I think I'd rather not know how it got there. I'll just assume "someone" (do you have one of those "ghosts" around your house too?) was sitting sideways on the window seat and propped their feet up.

A peek at life in able mabel land

2010-07-14T10:18:00.006-05:00

As you can imagine, life is a tad bit busy around this house. Naps have become my newest best friend. Even if it's only for 20 minutes. It makes a difference.

Little Loulou is starting the funny faces stage, much to the delight of her siblings. I swear she smiles too. "People" say newborns can't smile, but I beg to differ. There is no way she has that much gas. :)

This little girl is feeling a bit out of sorts. We try to keep her reasonably happy with little activities, such as swimming with Dad. She is determined not to get lost in the shuffle. As I type, she's pulling out the wet wipes one by one while saying, "No no." Oh well, I have bigger battles to fight.

This is one of the reasons I've been MIA from this blog so far this week. My SIL is in town. It's so fun to have her here. She's been keeping the kids out of my hair. Today she brought the oldest three kids hiking, meaning I'm flying solo with the toddlers for the first time. (See why I'm letting the wet wipe flinging festival fly?)

Lou is growing like a weed! I bought this outfit before she was born, thinking she was going to be a smaller baby. She proved me wrong and now the legs are capri length. Good thing it's summer! She is taking her role of newborn very seriously. Without fail, as soon as I sit down to eat a meal, she squalls. Thankfully, the talent of eating one handed comes back to a person rather quickly. Also as soon as I change one diaper, she fills up the next within minutes. I've been able to sneak in little able mabel doings while Lou naps. Short little spurts here and there such as retaking pictures.

And a quick custom light switch cover.

I woke up this morning thinking that while Lou takes her morning nap, I'll work on more light switch covers. So far, Lou is proving she indeed is the boss and isn't sleeping yet. Sigh. So goes the life with a newborn. She'd rather snuggle than sleep. I'm willing to indulge her as I love this part of a newborn! :)

I'm starting to get restless

2010-07-09T16:35:00.002-05:00

and with Baby only being 5 days old, that is not a good thing. I am tired of sitting around on the couch, yet I know if I take it easy it'll make my life easier in the long run.

This morning, I decided I can start doing little things around here as long as I'm still sitting down when I'm doing them.

For example, my fabric pile upstairs is out of control. I sat on the floor and refolded and reorganized. No different than sitting on the couch, right?

I also decided that photography is a sit down job, once I gathered all the necessary props. I've been wanting to monkey around with the staging for my diaper changing pads. Hmmm...Not sure what I think of it but it's better than what I had. I'll start here and see if any other brainstorms come to me. Anyone have any ideas? Jessica?

I also finally got the plastic bag holders photographed. Again, not super thrilled with how they turned out, especially this one. Leaning Tower O' Plastic Bag Holder. Do you have idea how hard it is to get them to hang straight?! Maybe if I had filled them up...Now there is an idea.

As I was writing up the description on these, I was trying to come up with other uses for them. So far I've gotten: washcloths, diapers (I tried a few in here and it's slick!), tissue paper and extra toilet paper rolls. What else?

I keep hearing

2010-07-08T17:17:00.002-05:00

there's a new boss in town. Say wha? Huh? I don't get it. I'm still here! I haven't gone anywhere.

I did get lucky this weekend and got two new "toys".

The first one is my new baby sister. I love "hugging" her and "holding her". I still can't figure out why my mom has to be right next to me when I do. I'm very "careful" with her.

One of my favorite games to play with her is putting her pacifier in (or mine, she's not fussy) letting her suck on it and then I yank it out. Hahaha. Good times! I do it over and over until Mom interfers. Spoil sport!

I would hold her all day if they'd let me. They try to distract me with my doll, giving it to me to hold instead of LouLou. They think it works but I've got them fooled. Ha. Go me!

My other new toy is this handy dandy swing. It fits me perfectly! All I have to do is walk up to it and say "open it". One of my servents, aka siblings, comes running to put me in. They'll even fetch me a book if I screech....I mean ask for one. I settle in, rock myself and read to my hearts content.

Yep, life is good for the boss of the house!

The Name Game

2010-07-07T14:14:00.002-05:00

about drove us insane! Who knew it could be so hard?!

Both of us come from large families. We love it.

Until it came time to find a name for our baby.

We knew we were having a girl. It felt like I spent hours searching the 'Net, looking at names. I wanted something that wasn't so "out there" but not too common. Nothing that hit the top 10. After a while, all the names sounded the same.

Just as I was ready to settle on the name Kate, Hubby's sister had a Kate. She had no way of knowing we liked that name. Snooze, we lose. First come, first serve.

I just about had talking Hubby into Tasha. Then we realized there is already a Sasha in the family. We still could have used it but I didn't like it that much.

He wanted Makayla. I didn't. (My sister has a Kayla)

Mckenzie was a possibility.

I wanted Alayna. He didn't. (Too close to one of our other names)

He wanted Kathryn. I didn't mind it but I'd want to call her Kate. (See above.)

Josie, Casey, Grace, Tessa, Claire, Clara...The reasons for not using them kept piling up.

Ugh. Can't we agree on anything?!? Can't we find a name, any name? :)

We let the subject rest for a few months.

Last week I appealed to my Facebook friends for help. My friends were very helpful; Ruby, Anne, Nora, Cassidy, Penelope, Jane, etc. But nothing that caught my eye.

When I found out I could get induced on July 4th, I again returned to the Internet to see what Patriotic names were out there. Liberty, Freedom (I'm not into those kinds of "names"), Ruby, Julia, Bella. Hmmm. Nothing doing here either.

As of Saturday night, we still hadn't come up with one. I kept tossing Louise out there this whole pregnancy but wasn't really getting anywhere with it. I would love to have a LouLou.

Sunday morning, ditto. Still no name.

Sunday afternoon, while in labor, I finally told him that I was too "busy". The ball was in his court. I'd go with whatever name he wanted. I had other things to think about, namely getting this baby out.

When she was born, it was decided that she was a Louise. It's the perfect name for her, especially since I think she looks more like my family and both of my grandmothers have Lou in their names.

The best part? We're both still sane....I think...

Crash Diet

2010-07-06T19:48:00.004-05:00

I went on a crash diet on Sunday, July 4th when we welcomed little Louise to our family. A healthy, happy baby. What more could a person ask for?! She tipped the scales at 9lbs even and is 21" long. Both of us are doing well.

She has already cemeted herself into the center of our hearts.

How could we resist her pouty mouth?

Her wisps of blond hair, with a bit of a dark streak on the back.

Her perfect fingers that clasp ours when we hold her.

Her many silly and sweet faces that have her siblings (and parents) in stitches.

We love her. We'll keep her. She's all ours.

A Tale

2010-07-03T09:15:00.003-05:00

There once were three sisters.

Living in three different states.

Each sister was expecting a baby.

Each sister had a different due date.

Each due date fell in the same week.

The oldest sister was due first.

The middle sister was due second.

The youngest sister was due last.

Together they waited, growing bigger each day and compared notes via phone and computer.

Each sister thought she had the biggest belly.

Each sister thought her toes were the fattest.

Each sister thought her other sisters' belly and toes were tiny compared to her own.

Because the sisters were never all together in the same place, there was no way to confirm who was bigger than who.

Each sister pondered names, bouncing ideas off the other sisters.

Each sister didn't settle on a name until the their due date loomed.

The youngest sister delivered first. A healthy baby girl.

The middle sister delivered second. A healthy baby boy.

The oldest sister still waits for her Princess to be born.

Humph.

That's me.

The oldest sister.

The one due first.

The one who went overdue.

The one with the biggest belly.

The one with the biggest toes.

The one who still doesn't have a name "set in stone".

The one who waits all by herself. (without her sisters)

2010-07-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting on the back patio with my cup of coffee and laptop, wearing my ancient glasses, my bedhead is out of control and the only noise I can hear is the chirping of the birds. All the kids are still sleeping. Bliss. I'm enjoying every moment of it because I know it could be my last quiet morning for a good long while. I wish there was a way I could bottle up some of this peace and quiet for later.

I'm heading into the doctor this afternoon. I'm hoping to I get a sympathetic midwife, one who will agree to induce me sometime this weekend. I'm trying to get my list of reasons down pat so she'll agree to sometime tomorrow or Sunday but not get her too freaked out that she'll want to send me straight to the hospital from my appointment. I feel like I'm back in speech class again, practicing a two minute speech over and over again in my head.

While I watch the hours on the clock go past, I have a lot to get done. Pictures to take for able mabel, my hospital bag to pack, cleaning to do, errands to run. Whew. Will I be able to get it all done before this afternoon? I excel at "performing under pressure" aka procrastinating, so I'm hoping to make the best of this trait today.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday

2010-06-29T09:35:00.001-05:00

to little Miss KyKy. My big 3 year old! (one who would be content to stay in her jammies all day long!)

Ever try play

2010-06-28T09:15:00.004-05:00

croquet in a yard that is unfinished...

full of ruts, uneven spots and contains obstacles like...little feet in flip flops...

while the grubby, scabbed spectators feast on ice cream sandwiches?

It's a highly recommended way to pass a gorgeous Sunday evening!

A letter to Baby June

2010-06-25T08:38:00.002-05:00

(as we've been affectionately been calling our soon-to-appear Precious Bundle)

Dear Baby June~
As your date of appearance nears (4 days and counting), your father and I have it all figured out. We would like to request that you stay happily swimming in-utero until next Friday evening. (This will require us to change your name to Baby July) You should then make your appearance sometime next weekend. We have most of the details in place (including approval from the midwife) so how does that fit in with your agenda? :)

Speaking of happily swimming...I understand your need to practice your acrobatic moves especially since you'll need them when it comes to protecting yourself against the "hugs" of your two baby-loving sisters. But do you really have to practice your moves just as I'm trying to fall asleep at night? This tired mom needs all the sleep she can get. We both realize that space in-utero is slim to none so maybe we can work out a compromise. You can hop around all you want as long as you're done by 10 pm. Sound good? Thanks! You're so agreeable!

Your brothers and sisters cannot wait to meet you! (Neither can Dad or I) Everyday I'm hammered with questions and comments, "When is your belly going to pop?" "How many more days?" "Can we please have another boy?" "You should call the doctor and see if you're having a boy." "Whoa! Your belly is huge!" These are mixed in with kisses on my belly from your sister. Our current "baby" just stares at me as she tries to sit on my lap, only to be nearly booted off by you. She's pretty much given up trying to sit on my lap.

Seriously though, Baby June. We'll take you whenever you come. We'll love you no matter what. You already are the sweetest, cutest, most precious Baby June (or Baby July) there ever will be!

Love,
Mom

Progress Report

2010-06-24T18:08:00.002-05:00

I've spent most of the last two days sewing. So relaxing! Here's a sneak peek... Plastic bag holders. This will be a new product for able mabel. Note the strings still attached. That is my project for tonight when I have my feet kicked up. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?!

Two different types of changing pads. One that is more deluxe with the pocket and the other just a simple pad for those that don't want/need the pocket. More strings here to cut.

I also made some key fobs and one lonely pouch.

Tomorrow I HAVE to get my house cleaned, closets shuffled, baby clothes washed, etc. If I'm fast enough I'll hopefully have time to pull the sewing back out again.