Well, I guess I got ahead of myself...

I was so excited to start my Etsy shop, and I have literally been buried in my sewing room from the time I get home until the wee hours of the morning...and I'm so proud of my stuff...but no luck :(

Okay, okay, I've only been live for 8 days, but still, I was so sure it would be a great place to showcase what I think is really great stuff. I get discouraged when I am doing searches and stuff on the site and see so many other vendors that have adorable baby stuff. And, they have lots of sales.

I guess I was just expecting it to happen fast. I feel like I've learned a lot, even in only 8 days. I've learned to write better descriptions, better titles, taking better pictures, etc., so I guess I shouldn't get so down. I'm just seriously neglecting other important tasks to go make baby stuff. I'm having so much fun making all the stuff though...so I guess that's another good thing.

I have said though, and putting it in writing will help, that I will finish painting the hallway on Saturday. It's 90% painted, but we've been living with a taped-off area for waay too long. And I want to hang up pictures again and get the paint cans out of the hallway.

I guess the next task is to tackle the organization of the loft. The 5 boxes of papers have got to be organized. I've been putting that off for way too long (waaay before Etsy came into play!)

And now it's 1am, and I need to go watch Lost before bed (I turn off all the lights and fast forward through the commercials, it's such a treat!) I guess I have a lot to say tonight (even though I'm not even sure if anyone is reading, lol!), I just keep thinking of more topics, like avoiding paying my bills, little man not walking yet (but sooo close), and other things.

Guess I'll save those topics for another night! :)

Time to start selling!

Well, I've been making baby things for as long as I can remember (I think it started when my first nephew was born). Since I've been quilting and sewing for almost 20 years, I'm just naturally hooked on any type of sewing project.

So, with the little man in my life, it's just natural for me to want to make baby stuff. When he was born, I made burp cloths, bibs, blankets, and all other kinds of toys. He's growing out of a lot of it now, so I just decided to keep making all the fun stuff and sell it.

That's where the Etsy shop comes in. Etsy.com is an online site that hosts merchants who are selling anything and everything handmade. Eventually, I'll get everything up on my own site, but I figure in the meantime, this is a great place to showcase the things I'm making.

I'll keep adding more, especially now that I have a great place to get my creations seen. Check it out - buy stuff, let me know what you think!

Where the heck am I?

Oh my gosh, I just realized today that I've been MIA for a while! It's been a crazy few months, serious highs and serious lows, and I think I'm looking forward to the spring being a little more mellow and even.

Well, I should run, hubby wants to play poker, and with one computer, I guess I have to go do something else for a while!

Now that I'm back, I'll be sure to keep everyone updated more often :)

I'm very lucky.

I take a lot for granted. Every once in a while, I need a swift smack upside the head to remind me how incredibly lucky I am. Stupid chick hormones are running high, and I'm watching 20/20 on tv tonight. It's an episode about Camden, NJ, apparently the poorest city in the country.

I think I cried for the whole hour. Granted, I'm so much more sensitive when it comes to stories about kids since my little guy was born, but these stories were just so heart-breaking. This little 4-year old boy was so excited to go to school so he could learn how to read. So simple, and something that I take for granted every day. I can read, write, and often like to correct how others write (it's an annoying habit).

These are the stories I need to remember on a daily basis so that I can become a better person, a person who will make a difference in the world. It makes me very incredibly proud of my dad, who is making a difference in kids' lives every day. He is a great example for me to live by, and I realize that I need to find something in my life that gives me some ability to affect change in others.

I'm young, I don't necessarily have a set career...I do have a college degree and a good job (not in my major, but how many people really do anyway?). I learned from both of my parents that the way to define success in your career is to be passionate about your job, and I need to find that passion. Kind of a tangent, but I guess the fact that I can search for a career that I'm passionate about is just another thing that makes me lucky.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that I'm so appreciative of everything and everyone that makes up my life and makes it what it is...

The big ONE is approaching!

It's making me kind of sad, the little man will be one year old in just 5 short weeks. Oh my gosh - FIVE WEEKS! I just can't believe how fast it really has gone...he's like this person now, that can do whatever he wants, he's independent, has likes and dislikes, his own personality...and I'm responsible for taking care of him!

Infancy was cake, it was mostly me controlling things. But as he gets older I feel less and less in control...and sad that he's getting bigger. I'm proud of him and enjoying the growing process, don't get me wrong. I'm just sad that this first year is almost over. (Getting teary writing this).

I'm going to be a big dork and throw him a big birthday bash - but it's my first baby, his first birthday - I get to have a big party for him if I want (and of course if hubby wants too...haha!)

I think people think I'm a little nuts, but with the combination of the little man turning into, well, a little man, and the baby fever hitting like I'm in the epicenter of a hot-zone, it's like babies are on my mind 24/7! Then reality, the lack of money, among other things, smacks me upside the head and reminds me to enjoy the MOMENT! (Something I'm not so great at).

Well...I guess I'm going to have to enjoy this "growing older" thing, because science hasn't figured out how to make it stop, and I don't think Botox will make a difference...lol.

It's been a while...

Hmmm....apparently I've been neglecting blog-land for a while. Real life just keeps getting in the way! And it's not like I'm not on the computer all the time either!

Well, it is late, and I should be headed to bed (gotta watch a Tivo'ed show first though!)

Had to check in though, for anyone out there that reads about my life and my Little Fur Family...

New Year's Resolution

I finally got one!

I'm going to stop cursing! It's gotten so bad lately...so many bad words...and I don't want Adin to say a bad word as his first word! (How awful would that be?!?)

So, hubby agreed to give me $2 in a fund for every day that i don't swear. At the end of like 6 months or something - I get to spend the money that's in the fund :) How fun! It's like being a kid again...

So, it's the end of day two of the resolution and guess how much money I've made?

$0.

It's like the swear words just fall out of my mouth. Tomorrow is a new day though.

I'm out of things to say!

Ha ha...I keep thinking that I need to write a new blog post, but I just have nothing interesting going on in my life. It's busy, just boring.

We spent Sunday cleaning, mopping the floors, since Adin kept picking up random "things" (i.e. uncooked macaroni, old pieces of fruit, etc.) and putting them in his mouth. It's not like the house is dirty, it's just that the kitchen floor can get a little ewey when you have a kiddo around. So, we cleaned...very exciting, then we watched some football and ate steak...very us.

I made food tonight, yummy stuff...a roasted turkey breast with sweet potatoes (my favorite), and a new meal for Adin...pasta with cheese sauce and broccoli. He loved it, and fed it to himself. He's pretty much off baby food now and even had a cup of milk with dinner last night. (he's getting so big!) It was fun to cook, it's been a while...I baked a lot of stuff over the holidays, I just didn't spend much time cooking. (There is a difference - I swear!)

Well, guess I did have stuff to say...even if it is boring. I'll have to think of something more interesting for next time, but my brain is being withered away while I'm watching tv with hubby (WWE Raw is doing a wrestling match with a fake Rosie O'Donnell and fake Donald Trump - it's slightly embarassing that hubby still watches this - but I guess we all have our guilty pleasures!)

Where did the title come from?

I just realized that I never really explained my blog title..."Little Fur Family"

It is the title of a book that I remember fondly from growing up...we all used to read it, and I remember my parents referring to us as a "fur child" from the book. It's by Margaret Wise Brown - she wrote "Goodnight Moon" as well as other well known children's books.

It's random, but thinking about the book gives me warm fuzzies...I guess I should buy a copy so I can actually own it!

I guess I just like to think of our family as this cozy, fuzzy family, aka "Little Fur Family"

I ***never*** thought I'd say this

Me, of ALL people...the girl who LOVED living in Maine (winter from September to April - no joke).

Me, the girl who HATES summer, and would rather be cold than hot any day.

Me, the girl who loves the cold weather, the snow, the storms, everything that winter brings with it...

I never thought I'd say it in a million years, but I'm offically sick and tired of the snow.

It makes me sad to be sick of the snow, but I just want the gross, crusty, dirty snow to melt so that the 4"-8" we're supposed to get can actually look like a pretty winter wonderland instead of the ickiness that comes when you add a scoop of ice cream from a new container on top of a whole bowl of ice cream that is from the container with freezer burn. Ew...it's just not appealing.

I actually miss the 37 1/2" tall electrical box that sits in our front yard...it's 100% covered by snow. I miss being able to leisurely pull out of the driveway in the morning, rather than having to shimmy through a space just barely wide enough for one car while trying not to back up into one of the 2 foot high snow piles on either side. I'm getting a little annoyed about having to four-wheel it through streets and parking lots because of the snow ruts and random snow piles everywhere.

It's like a whole new world of blind spots has popped up, since they've plowed the streets (which is really nice), and plowed the snow into 6 foot or higher piles on the corners of all the streets. Our house faces south, which is nice, but it means that the north facing backyard might not actually melt until late Spring (since in Colorado, March is our snowiest month). Snow sticking around for months on end just doesn't happen here...clearly we're not in Kansas anymore.

So, there, I've said it...I feel like I've made my confession. I love the snow and will continue to favor fall and winter over all other seasons, but for now, as a result of Blizzards #1 and #2 and the impending snowstorm (which may bring up to 10" where we live), I'm SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THIS DAMN SNOW!!!!!!!!!

The Kitties are in the City!!

So, one of my "Blizzard #2 Goals" was to finish the Kitty City quilt by Amy Bradley. I worked my hiney off, but got it done on Tuesday night, before heading back to work after the blizzard/vacation.

I was so excited, I made hubby hold up the quilt so I could take photos of it right away. (It needs a binding, the part that "seals" the layers togther, but that's a minor finish).

I bought these patterns almost 3 years ago...it's nice to have it complete.

Ahhh...the New Year...

I'm not huge on the New Year, I kind of always celebrated with hubby and myself, since it's the night we first smooched (waaaay back in high school, lol).

I had a discussion with my family and friends about resolutions, realizing that I don't make them. I guess it's just not for me. I couldn't even think of a resolution I wanted to make (although I did say, "shop less", but hey, that could mean spending $1 less than I did last year. That wouldn't be bad...

2006 was a great year. I am just blown away at how fast Adin has grown and how big the little guy is. Especially since we were so worried about his being born early and then whether or not he would keep growing. Oh, he's so great - truly the absolute highlight of our year.

Suddenly, I've lost the typing bug...my craft room keeps calling my name. I have projects to finish and less than 4 hours left on my vacation. Ugh, I so don't want to have to go back to work tomorrow - especially for an early meeting. Oh well, I'm off to enjoy the last few hours of freedom.