How I know I live with a preschooler Tuesday...

I was pushing and pushing him (while reading my Kindle...) and he stopped squealing with delight and my arm was getting tired so I stopped... I went to sit down at the table and saw a very sleepy monkey.

How do they not fall forward instantly?

He was not happy when I woke him and he saw me taking pictures of him!

Giveaway over at B is for...!!

My friend, Summer, is hosting a giveaway from Love Erica over on her blog b is for... brownie, breathe and believe. Erica makes some very sweet jewelry at her etsy shop. Check it out here. You can win 3 different items. Head on over there now!

Aventurine Earrings

Rhodonite Earrings

Sweet elephant necklace

(that's mine- don't get any ideas!!)

I love her starfish necklace. I might just have to get that. I am kicking myself that I didn't buy a starfish necklace while I was in Florida. I was even thinking about it when I was in the airport.

How I know I live with a preschooler Tuesday...

He talks to all animals! :)

Talking to Fred. Fred didn't talk. There was a bird at the end of the cages that said 'Hello' and 'How are you?' so that was what AJ kept saying to him. Then when we were leaving, he turned around and ran back to say goodbye to that bird. He just said 'hello' again.

Quacking at the ducks.

Talking to the gecko. He talked to all the geckos he saw hoping that they would talk back.

Ethel Mermaid

I was asked to do a piece for an art auction at the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau. I sell my cards in the gift shop there. It is called Just for the Art of It! and every artist is given a 12"x12" canvas for the Art by the Foot grid (last year's grid is on there). You can do whatever you want so I had a mermaid in my head. Before you think 'Wow, Ethel Mermaid is so clever! How'd she think of that?' I didn't think of it... Sesame Street did and I thought it was too funny to pass up.

My parents were on Sanibel Island, FL (the shelling capital of America) about 2 months before we were so I asked my mom to look for some purple scallop shells for the bra top and some other small shells for the base of the painting. So I used sandpaper along the bottom, found sea glass and tiny shells, acrylic paint for the water background and plants, glitter paper (yes, I punched out all those holes and glued them on... it took me around 4 hours!!) for the tail and other little fishies, paper for her body, a real starfish that my mom bought while in FL, seed beads for the necklace and fishy bubbles, embroidery floss for her hair and small silk flowers for her hair and for the plants. Overall, I thought it was pretty fun. Very kitschy! I almost didn't want to give it up!!

The auction was this past Friday night. However, I didn't post about it until now because all the pieces are supposed to remain anonymous until after they are auctioned off. I didn't go because I didn't want to see how much my piece would go for. The women that run the event (Katie & Jessica from the CVA), said that my piece was 'so you' which is really true, so anyone at the event who knows me would have easily picked out my piece. I had fun making it and pretty much did it the day before and day it was 'due'. Good thing I knew what I was doing in my head!

Mother's Day Gift

One thing you might hear me complain about is that I never get a handmade gift from my kiddo because I am always there helping him with it... Well, while we were in Florida we stopped (my mother in law, AJ and I) at a little shop that we thought was going to be a gift shop but it was a craft/quilt shop. They had containers of mixed beads and were doing make and take bracelets. We helped AJ make one for me which I absolutely adore! He chose and threaded most of the beads on himself (which is very tricky for a 3 year old but he has pretty good fine motor skills) and I am so proud of him! He enjoyed making it too. I have been wearing it everyday since he made it. Isn't it just too precious?


My parents just got back from a 3 week trip to Europe (Barcelona, cruise to Greece, Croatia and Italy and then another week in Italy) and they bought me this gorgeous purple glass bead pendant from Venice that I absolutely LOVE! These pictures don't do it justice!

How I know I live with a toddler/preschooler Tuesday...

We went to Captiva Island, FL this past week. We left on Friday, April 30th since we were flying out of Minneapolis and stayed over night. This was Friday mid morning (yes, he is still in his jammies in the mid morning...). 10 minutes before? All of that 'stuff' was packed in the suitcase. I go downstairs to check my email and come back up to unpacked and he is wearing Daddy's golf shoes that were on the bottom of the suitcase. Maybe he just didn't want to go... The day before? He did the same thing when I had just made the bed. I came back into our room after making his bed and all the sheets are in a pile on the floor. How do I get anyhting done when it just seems to get undone??

Crafty Swap!

So I am particaipating in another swap and I am sorry that I didn't get to blog about it before the deadline but I pretty much found out about it a day before it and I was on vacation all last week. Like vacation where you don't check your email. Yeah, a little fun in the sun with my family at the beach. It is from Andrea's Originals and it basically involves a small, flat rate box and any extra crafty supplies that I have stashed around the studio. Which are A LOT. I have extra stuff up the ying-yang! So this one was up my alley. I am excited to see what I get from Cathy (who coincidentally has the first name of one of my SIL's and the last name (well, her maiden name) of my other SIL. Weird.) from Psychic Mama * Indigo Child and Ladyhightower's Meme Castle. I will post pictures of sent and received soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you very much!

This picture just warms my heart of my mom and AJ- the little guy that makes me a momma!