Happy Day?!

Do you ever just have a really Happy Day and you can't figure out why you are so happy?  I have a bounce in my step and I can't give you a specific reason.

I had an amazing weekend.  I was productive and I rested.  I talked on the phone with good friends. I had beers with good friends.  I read with my babies and snuggled.  I put them to bed last night with full tummies, homework done, stories read and wet hair from the bath tub.  I fished a dead fish out of the fish tank before it turned into a science project.  My taxes are in the homeward stretch.

Yes, I am calling this a success and today a good day.  AND the sun is shining.  I truly can't ask for me.  I hope you have a great day too!  So... How was your weekend?

hump busting!

I have been busting my hump and makeing sure I have my things in line for the new Usborne Connect 4 Challenge.

Our Usborne Home Office offers us some amazing challenges to help get our businesses going and to reward us with fabulous prizes.  We have earned a 42" TV, an iPad2, and a free trip to Convention.

Here is what I am working on now:

I have completed the "Start Now to Earn More!" portion and the February Requirements.  I want the ENTIRE ENCHILADA!!  

On top of those cool things I earned the January Home Office Challenge I and II.  Yeah!  Who loves fun, free stuff!  Fun Flashlight and a Clock/Picture frame to put on my desk.  (I really need to clean my desk off!)

January Home Office Challenge I and II

AND February Home Office Challenge I and II.

A great wipe-clean book to add to my inventory and a $50.00 Land's End Gift Card for some new Logo Clothes!! :)  Some new Polo Shirts would be great!

Here is what I am working on for March.

  A $50.00 iTunes Card really floats my boat!  I want it! All of this just for selling the amazing books that I truly love!

Happy Valentines Day from the Crazy Book Lady!

Happy Valentines Day!

Finally.... Hemlock Ring

When Jerrod Flood published pictures of his Hemlock Ring Blanket I immediately knew I wanted to knit it.  I doubted my skills though.  I haven't done a ton of lace knitting.  I know I searched for it several times and had printed out the pattern more than once.

 

I took a break from knitting for about a year.  I have an addiction problem with projects.  Once I start something it is literally all I want to do.  That's it.  I think about it all the time.  Especially knitting.  I long to sit and knit.  I think it's the repetitive movement.  It is very calming to me.

I have started knitting again.  Sparingly.  Especially if I know I will have long chunks of time available to me.  Going to a Conference?  I'd never be able to sit still through long meetings without something for my hands to do.  Must stay busy.

I finally found the pattern I had printed and the yarn I felt would be perfect.  Here it is:  In it's glory!!

Pined out on the floor Blocking

Beautiful Center

All the pretty points

Getting Ready?

I love the holidays.  Each of them individually... Halloween... Thanksgiving... Christmas....  As much as I love the Holidays themselves.  I love preparing for them.  I love thinking about spending time with my loved ones and preparing gifts for them.

Amanda and I have started coloring Christmas Cards for her teacher and dance coaches.  I'm teaching her to think about each person as she creates their master piece.  What colors will they like?  Hope each master piece makes them smile.  

Hard at Work

Finished Master Piece

Maybe you'll be lucky enough to get one of her hand crafted Master pieces.

Pure Elation - New Titles

This is seriously how I feel every time Usborne announces new titles.  Pure Elation!!  Serious!  I'm not kidding!  When I browse through the new titles I instantly think of You Guys!  "Oh! I know, Nolan will love this sticker book!" or "This Dinosaur book would be perfect for Camden!"  Plus I instantly make a mental list of the books I want for my own kids!!

View all the New Titles here!! 

Some of my New Favorites are:  

Building your own Spaceships Sticker Book!

Lift-the-flap Colors

Secrets of the Apple Tree

Sticker Dolly Dressing Ice Skaters

There are a ton of other great new titles available so be sure to check them out!!  I have already placed my order and I can't wait to get them to show you!!  

We have a ton of great new Holiday Titles.  I will be highlighting my favorites soon!!

Stop the Ride...

Stop the ride... I wanna get off!!  Or maybe at least slow it down? 

 It always amazes me when I sit back and realize a whole weekend or even month has flown by in the blink of an eye.  I'm trying to worry less about the cleaning and busy work and make memories with the kids.

Saturday night Jake and I sat and watched TV together.  It just floors me to realize how big he is now.  We were watching a real estate hunting show.  It was funny to hear his opinion on houses.  We enjoy looking at local properties online.  Especially farm sites.  I ask him what he would put in this barn or that building.  It's pretty easy to get silly.  Elephants here or there.  Once the giggling starts the answers get silly!!

Amanda is getting so big and learning so much these days.  She is her mother's child and loves crafts.  She has been making the Rainbow Loom Bracelets lately and I'm super excited because she can do them by herself.  Love that independence. Her reading is progressing each and every day.  Hope to raise a reader.

Sunday nights are always hard for me.  Back to the work week.  Back to school.  I came across this last night and it really hit home for me.  I was very frustrated with myself and what I had gotten done over the weekend.  I guess, it's really more of what I hadn't gotten done.  What I felt I should have gotten done but didn't.

It's so true!  I'm not in a competition.  I'm not trying to be better then anyone else.  I just need to get done what needs to get done and the rest can wait. It will have to wait.  I have spent entire weekends working like a complete crazy woman and gone back to work exhausted on Monday.  That is no good either.  I am at my best when I am rested and happy.  I am working to find the fine line between it all.  In the wise words of my Mother.  One day at a time, one foot in front of the other.  That's all I can do and it has to be good enough.

Hope you had a great weekend too!  Thanks for stopping to visit!

State Fair Bound

I am working until 3:00pm today and then we are headed to the Twin Cities.  Tomorrow we are going to the "Great Minnesota Get Together!!"  Yes, the Minnesota State Fair.  I am really looking forward to it.

The first place we will be headed is to the Dairy Show.  One of my favorite 4-H'ers is showing his cow.  I know Jasenko will do a great job!!

I am not looking forward to the crowds at the fair but I think it will be fun and a good learning experience for the kids.

More pictures to follow!!!

The 4-H'er in me

The 4-H'er in me is in heaven right now.  We are in full fair mode at our house.  We are getting projects ready for the County Fair!!  You might not know this but I held the "Blue Ribbon Plaque" for the most blue ribbons in one county fair for 3 consecutive years!!  That's right!  One year I had 21 blue ribbons.

Me with some of my projects

Me at Dog Training Class with Abby, my Springer Spaniel

I completely credit 4-H for helping me become the person I am today.  I learned how to speak to judges and to large groups.  I learned how to lead a meeting and how to take accurate notes.  I sent out invitations to our monthly meetings.  I learned project management skills.  Those 21 blue ribbons didn't happen by a miracle!  Although my Mom and Dad might disagree.  I remember several years when we were up until the wee-hours of the morning finishing projects on the night before entry day.

When I was 13 I stayed overnight in the dorms at the Minnesota State Fair.  I had earned a State Fair Trip with my Counted Cross Stitch.  It was an amazing learning experience.  It was the first time I was basically on my own with little supervision.  We had an 11pm curfew but before that we had free reign of the enter Minnesota State Fairgrounds.  I had an amazing time!  We sat with judges and worked on a needle point project.  I learned a lot.  Some of the things I learned I still use today. 

Now I'm creating new 4-H'ers.  Jacob and Amanda have enjoyed their time with 4-H so far.  Amanda is 5 and still considered Discovery.  She can take up to 3 projects to the fair this year.  She will be showing a Rabbit and taking two non-livestock projects. 

Jacob is in "the big group" now and can take as many projects as he wants.  We talked about how the more projects you take, the more ribbons you get.  With each project comes more work and expense though.  He decided his goal this year is 10 ribbons.  I think this is a reasonable goal and is do-able.

Jacob received a Volcano kit as a gift.  This has been a great project.  It is assembled and is ready to be painted.  

Jacob applying paper mache to his Volcano.

Jacob and John putting the finishing touches on the Volcano.

I will update you on our progress!! If you have interest in 4-H please reach out to your County Extension Office.  It truly is an amazing program!!

Bob the Unicorn

When I was at Convention I got to visit briefly with Michelle Nelson Schmidt.  She is the Author/Illustrator of Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster.  She came to introduce us to her new friend "Bob is a Unicorn".

Michelle Nelson Schmidt and Bob

Bob is a Unicorn is a great book for all the dreamers out there.  Here is a teaser video about the book.  I think you are really going to like it.  I do. 

Here is the story read by the amazing Author/Illustrator, Michelle Nelson Schmidt.

This book will be available soon!  I can't wait to bring it to all the kids in the area.  I know they are going to love it. It will definitely be my new book of choice for reading to the Preschools and elementary school's in the area.  

Birthday Boy

It was a very busy weekend at our house.  Jacob turned 9 last week so we had his birthday party with my Parents and our Siblings/Nieces/Nephews.  It was a great time.  I can't believe he's 9 already!  Wasn't he an infant yesterday?!?

My cute little 8 lb 13 1/2 oz infant

My 9 pound grown up little man

We ate, we visited, we watched and we sang. He had a great time and that made all the cleaning, baking, cooking, wrapping and more cleaning afterwards all worth it!!

Everyone needs a personalized License Plate!!

A Snuggly Rabbit Puppet

Blowing out all those candles!!

Happy Birthday Jacob!!  I'm so proud of the boy you have grown into.  You are so smart and caring.  I can't wait to see what the next 9 years has to hold for you.

I really enjoy watching the kids all play together.  All the running and laughing.  It all makes it worth it.  I hope they enjoy the time with their cousins like I did.  I remember all the fun at my birthday parties.  The ended up being like a big BBQ Party and were so much fun!!

Whooo Whooo

My Grandma Rist loved owls.  I remember her having lots of owl wall hangings in the upstairs when I stayed with her.  I'm sure I rolled my eyes at them then and took them down.  Hindsight is twenty-twenty, right?!?  Oyiii if I knew then what I know now.

Owls have come back into fashion it seems and you see them everywhere.  I just feel in love with this fabric when I saw it at Joanne's.  John and I made a trip over to Mankato on Valentines Day.  It was fun looking through all the fabric.  I am so tired of Winter and I long for Spring.  This fabric is SPRING! 

I am learning how to quilt.  In my daily conversations this topic has come up.  I've gotten some very interesting reactions.  My co-worker Victor looked at me bankly and said "why?"  I took this as him thinking I was nuts.  I also found out some of my friends and coworkers know how to sew and some of them want to learn.  It was interesting to hear what people have made in the past.  Also, why they do or do not sew anymore.

It has been fun to share my experience with my Mom too.  She is a very skilled seamstress.  She doesn't sew as much as she has in the past.  Last night her and I were at the fabric store together.  I showed her the squares I had done so far.  She commented on how night they were.  I have to admit my heart swelled. 

 Here is what I have accomplished so far.

 Are you working on any projects?  I would love to hear about them.  Please leave me a note in the comments!!  Thanks!

Sewing for Sight

On Saturday I participated in a small vendor event in conjunction with Sewing for Sight.  This is an amazing group of 48 quilters that got together for an amazing cause. This group sends two doctors to Guatemala to provide eye/vision care.  This is such a worthy project.  They each paid $50.00 for a day of Quilting with meal, snacks, games, drawings and other fun.  They quilted from the early morning until 11:00 pm.  There was a Quilt Show in the afternoon from 1-4 with vendors included.  I put 10% of my sales towards their amazing cause.

A lot of these Quilters are Grandma's and they love to shop for their Grandbabies.  They picked out some great books!!  The wipe clean books were a hit as well as the farm/machinery books. :)  We know how little boys love farming and truck books!!

Quilters working and visiting with Beautiful Quilts on display around the outside of the room!

More Quilters busily working!  It was fun to watch them sew between helping customers.

My display of wonderful books.  I had lot of the new titles in stock.  There are some great ones!!

This lady holds a special place in my heart.  Geri my Daycare lady!!

 When we moved to New Ulm I was still working in Mankato and drove the 30 minutes back and forth.  I was thrilled that I could drive through Courtland and drop Jake and newly born Amanda off at Geri's house.  She is an Amazing daycare lady and friend.  It's always great to see you!!  She is an amazing quilter and was working on a beautiful project.

My new Cart!

Most of the time my BHH (Book Hauling Husband) carries my boxes and tubs out for me but this time I was on my own.  I love my new little cart.  It works so well.  I love my new tubs for sticker and activity books.  The middle long bin holds all my booth supplies.  Apron, cash box, receipts, pens, door prize slips, bags, hostess packets, literature, book easels, etc.  I can pull this behind me and have my racks in my other hand and make it in with 1 trip.  Can't ask for anything better!!  Got mine at Ace Hardware on sale for $20.00.  Best $20.00 I've spent in a long while!!

Do you have something that makes your life easier?  What is it?  Love to hear any suggestions you might have!!