What I've Been Doing.....

Some of you may know that I like to make things. Lots of different things. And I have a bad habit of starting things and not finishing things, but that isn't the point :)
But anyway.....
I have been making things here and there and I have decided to open an Etsy shop. Cause ya'll know how much I love Etsy! Getting this started is slow going for me. I am trying to get things made in advance and I am selling stuff as fast as I am making them! Which is good, I know, but it has taken me a little longer to get this thing started. Here are a few pictures of things I am making and selling. I have some ideas for some other items, too. I will keep you posted when the shop os up and running and when there are new items listed! Please remember my photography skills when you are looking at this. I am trying people! ha ha!

Tissue Holders

Tissue holders with tissues in the front one! That's how I will sell them. Unless people want to buy their own tissues....
Some more prints that I have made...

These are the same as the ones above, I just turned some over so you could see that some of the backs have different fabrics.



Zebra print tissue holder and matching bookmarks! Aren't these cute?


and for you die hard Auburn and Alabama fans......I thought I had an Alabama tissue holder, but I already sold it. Don't worry! I have more Alabama fabric! And the hounds tooth bookmarks.

Alabama Roll Tide thumb tacks. I haven't made any Auburn ones like this yet. I can't find any fabric that the print is small enough.....unless I just use solid blue and orange.

And here is what you do when your washing machine breaks and you can't wash clothes...you make a lot of bookmarks.

A close up of some bookmarks....

And the crayon rolls! These are great. And these 2 are already sold. But I have a lot of fabric to make more. I even found Dr. Suess fabric last week on his birthday :)

This is what the inside looks like. They each hold 16 crayons. Crayola, I might add. I am a total art supply snob, if I must admit. No cheap crayons for me. They are not the same!



Thanks for looking! I know it was a long post. Tell me what you think.....just be nice :)

Sara

Bryson is 4!

3 months old and sucking that thumb!
6 months old in your "I'm not a girl" shirt. People would still tell us, "She's so pretty!", even with that shirt on! This photo was taken 4 days before your first haircut.
You and your brothers at Thanksgiving time.

Bryson,

Today you will turn 4 at 9:50am.

Some fun facts for you on your BIG DAY!

~You have grown up so much since your last birthday. You have outgrown all your winter clothes and I have had to go buy 4Ts to get you through until spring! When you turned 3, you were wearing a 2T!

~You are becoming more and more independent every day.

~You play well by yourself.

~You still play with your trains but you are getting more and more into Hot Wheels.

~You went to your first skate party a couple of weeks ago and you wore your little skates that strap onto your shoes. You skated and skated around that rink and wouldn't let anyone help you cause "You could do it!"

~You are a night owl, which isn't working to well for the rest of us!

~You have gone through a crying phase the last couple of months when I take you to Bible class and when I take you to Paw Paw's house everyday. It's getting better....as long as I honk the horn 5 times (seriously that exact amount) while pulling out of the driveway.

~You start preschool this next school year. I hope I don't have to honk 5 times when I pull out of the parking lot.

~You have learned some not so great words from your big brothers....you also have your own bar of soap next to the sink as a reminder that those words aren't nice to say.

~You still drag that nasty blanket around with you and 2 tissues. Has to be 2. You really like the tissue that come in the little travel packs. You call them "fancy tissue". When you carry your blanket I can see the little cartoon "smell" that follows Linus around from Snoopy.

~We have noticed in the last couple of weeks that if you hear Brayden or Blaine tell me that they love me, no matter where you are you will yell, "I LOVE YOU MORE, MOM!!!!" Whether you are in your bed, on the toilet or right next to me. So now your brothers tell me all the time that they love me just so they can hear you yell that. Then they giggle like girls. I'll take what I can get, I guess.

~You think you always have to have a snack before you go to bed. You can get up from the table at dinner time and if I tell you it is bed time, you will reply, "I'm not sleepy! I need a snack." You are getting really good at stalling bedtime....once again the night "owlness" is not working for us.

~You whine and complain when your brothers have to go to their dad's house, even if it is for one night. You miss having them to fight with when they are gone.

~You picked Casa Blanca for your birthday dinner tonight. Your a kid after my own heart! We ate there so much when I was pregnant with you that we joked about you being born Mexican. And if you didn't look Mexican when you were born!

I can't believe you are already 4 years old! I know it won't be long before I am walking you to your first day of kindergarten *sniff sniff*. You are such a sweet and snuggly little boy. You have (one of the three) sweetest giggles I have ever heard. You make lots of friends, but honestly I am afraid next year your teachers at preschool are going to call me to come pick you up and not bring you back. Hey, a kid has to learn young how to fight when they have 2 big brothers!

We love you Bryson Kade and happy, happy 4th birthday!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Brayden and Blaine

Conversations With Bryson

I know it seems like I never post here anymore (because I hardly do) and when I do post, they are conversations with Bryson. But seriously, that is about all the excitement going on around here right now. Well, except for the addition and I will tell a little bit about that soon.

One day last week when I had on my flip flops.....

Me: "Get off my toe, get off my toe, get off my toe!!!!!"

Bryson: "Oh. Sorry. I thought that was a mosquito."

WHAT?

Me: "And how many times have you stepped on a mosquito and it screams?

-----------------------

Another night last week when it was time for bed....

Bryson: "When I grow up, call me Bert, otay?"

Me: "BERT? You want to be called Bert when you grow up?

Bryson: "Yeah.

Me: "Like, how grown up do you need to be before we should start calling you this?

Bryson: "Ummm......15."

Me: "Okay. Bert it is. When you turn 15."

Conversations With Bryson

Last night I watched The Grinch with Bryson while I was catching up on my ironing. I haven't been able to get him to watch it because he says it looks scary. So last Sunday when the boys came home from their dad's, Bryson said he would try to watch it with them so he wouldn't be scared. He lasted a few minutes but was too busy playing basketball. This is the conversation from last night:

Bryson: "Mom, did you know the Grinch is naked?"

Me: "Well, he has fur, so I don't think that would count as naked."

Bryson: "Why is he eating glass?!?

Me: "I guess because he's weird."

Bryson: "NO...cause he's a PUNK! Dat's what he is!!!"

Conversations With Bryson

This is the conversation I had with Bryson this morning:

Bryson: Can Pop and Gran come today and take care of me? Just for a little bit?

Me: Well, they can't today. They are at school, remember?

Bryson: Awwwwe! Well, then....can JaneClaire come over and play?

Me: Not today buddy. She is at school, too.

Bryson: Awwwe man! Ever'body is at school but ME!"

Let's hope he keeps up the enthusiasm when he does get to go to school!

Sara

Thirteen

I prayed for you before you ever existed. We pray for you daily as a boy, for the man you will be, and for the woman you will one day marry. I knew the first time I looked into those navy blue eyes that this day would come. I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. We only have about 5 years left with you "under our roof". How did this happen so fast? Although it did seem like all those nights of getting up with you in the middle of the night as a baby that this day would never come. But it has!

I think of all the times as the first born child, we couldn't wait for you to start talking and walking. We were so excited when we watched you hit your first baseball (at 2 years old). We celebrated your first foods, your first Halloween and all the other things that are so exciting as parents. Now if we could only slow it down a bit!

Some fun facts about you on your thirteenth birthday:

~You are 5'7" (same as me) and weigh in at 130 lbs. (5 pounds less than when I went into labor with you *sigh*)

~You wear a size 10 1/2 shoe

~You wear a men's small in shirts and pants size 29x32

~You learned to tie your own ties this year (that is a funny story I will have to share here later)

~You will pretty much eat a large amount of anything that doesn't eat you first; although, you say corned beef with cabbage is your favorite and you love double stuffed Oreo's

~You are playing basketball on the 7Th grade team at your school but you are counting down the days until baseball tryouts

~You are kind and considerate

~You crack me up!

~You really know how to aggravate your brothers

~You don't have to be told to do your homework anymore...you just do it.

~You are in advanced classes and know better than to ask me to help with homework!

~You are always smiling and laughing

~You have a BIG heart

~You seem to make friends with and get along with anyone you meet


~You are still allergic to peanut butter

~When you were a baby and your eyes started changing to brown, you had a 1/4 of your right eye that stayed blue. Now it is gray. ~You're brothers are your biggest fans, even though they won't always admit it

And like my mom always told me, "You may be taller than me, but I can still stand on a chair and slap your face!"

We love you Brayden and are so proud of you! Always remember to put God first in your life, no matter what, and you will do amazingly well! Happy Thirteenth!


Love,

Stephen, Mom, Blaine and Bryson

Don't Throw That Ball In the House!

I can't tell you how many times a day I tell my boys, "Don't throw that ball in the house!" Let's just say if I was given a penny each time that phrase came out of my mouth I would be a rich woman.

Wednesday night after we got home from church, while Brayden and Blaine were at the kitchen table finishing up their homework, that phrase was said several times by me. To Bryson. And every time I say it, he assures me he won't break anything. He doesn't understand yet that I am telling him not to because he will accidentally break something.

"I won't break stuff mom, I promise." Famous last words.

We were sitting in the living room talking when we heard the crash in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom!" Bryson shouted.

I replied, "Stay in the living room so you don't step in glass."

"I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry mom!" He said again.

"It's okay, Bryson. It was just a mug and I have more. But this is why I tell you all the time NOT to throw balls in the house."

"It's okay mom! You and daddy will save the day!"