Anticipation

Last year I learned about Etsy. Have you heard of it, visited the site, and/or bought anything? If not, let me give you a quick rundown (those of you who already know, bear with me). Etsy is basically like an online craft store where people list things they have made. The items vary as well as the prices!

After my hearing about it and visiting the site I took the notion that I needed a new necklace. Well, I sort of did. One of mine had broken and unfixable (see? I was in 'need'!). So I perused the site and found several that would fill the need. I decided upon this one:



But I was sorely disappointed. It turned out to be a cheapy piece and I was very unsatisfied. So I turned to Ebay and found a lovely necklace that is now serving me well.

Recently I came into need again when I bought two t-shirts. The neckline, color and style does not lend themselves to any of the necklaces I have. So I turn once again to Etsy to fill my need. After searching and searching for just the right piece I found this one:



I bought it yesterday. What do you think? I am telling myself that it won't turn out to be another piece of junk. But I suppose I'll find out in about a week. I'm a little excited and a little nervous. But, I only paid two bucks for it, so I suppose I can't be too disappointed.

A Tisket ,A Tasket, A Handmade Easter Basket!

I've been busy this last week or so. A dear friend was scheduled to come with her 3 boys this week while they had their Spring Break and I was preparing for their visit. Aside from the typical cleaning blah blah blah, I added to my list a craft project (because I seem to thrive on insanity). I saw on a friends blog how to make baskets with yarn and glue (go check it out!) and I decided to make one for each of the kids (that's a total of SIX baskets! see? I'm crazy!! ). The baskets were intended to be used for the egg hunt we had yesterday. Turns out that my friend was unable to come, but my kids had the cutest baskets ever!!! (and hers will too when they get them!)



After seeing the idea on my friends blog, I imbellished a little. First I added a ribbon handle, then lined each basket with ribbon (for reinforcement), then added an initial for each child. I am so pleased with how they turned out!






I think the kids liked them too....what do you think?

**thanks Cat for the great idea!!!

Another Reason to Love Costco

This is my newest love, meet Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich!


I can get a whole box of 18 of them for about eight bucks. Not bad. But consider this as well....each sandwich is 97% fat free, 140 calories, and ZERO trans fat! Can't beat that. Besides, they're just so stinkin' good!!!

I'm sure that they can be purchased elsewhere (like Target.....I know this because one night I had a hankerin' and was going to Target anyway, sure enough, they carry them! Thank you Target, I love you!). But why go somewhere other than Costco, if you can help it, when you can get them for cheap?!

So I have one more reason to trek down to my Costco, with a toddler who hates sitting in the cart, and stand in line at the exit for the person to (unnecessarily) recheck my receipt, and wait even longer for them to draw a ridiculous happy face on the back for my kids who can care less. But I digress, they have Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches! So worth it. So worth it.

Out of Contention

A couple weeks ago I lost my shot at the Mother of the Year award. How'd that happen, you ask? I dislocated Isabel's elbow. *hanging head in shame* It happened one afternoon in Target.......

I had gotten all the items on my list and was ready to head for the checkout lines when Isabel came into true toddler form. I had let her walk instead of confining her to the cart (much to everyone's delight, believe me!) when she decided that she would walk no further and certainly not toward the exit when the toy isles were in sight. No mam. So as she began to lay upon the floor I foolishly grabbed her arm and tried to pull her up. This did not work but was helpful in getting Isabel to a somewhat standing and walking position. After a little more struggle and grumbling (mostly on my part) we finally made it to the checkout and then into the truck where we promptly drove home.

On the way, Isabel was not quite herself but not really fussing either. When we got home all she wanted to do was for me to hold her. Something inside me told me that something was not right. I started testing her to see what the problem was. I quickly noted that she was not using her right arm. Not at all. My thoughts went back to our struggle in Target and I thought I had dislocated her shoulder as it is a common and easy thing to do. I took off Isabel's shirt but did not see anything out of the ordinary. But she still wouldn't use her arm when I tried to put her shirt back on.

I called Ryan for his opinion on the matter, 'cause who wants to waste time at the ER when it's not necessary? However, that is exactly what he suggested (told me!) to do, go to the walk-in clinic. So I did and he met me there a few minutes later.

After waiting for about an hour, we were seen by a doctor who concluded that Isabel had a dislocated elbow, also known as 'nursemaid's elbow'. Once it was determined that that was the issue, he quickly set it right. After a few minutes of crying, Isabel was back to her happy, cute little self.

I was assured and reassured by the doctor and nurse that this sort of thing happens often and that I should not feel terrible about it. The weird thing is that I don't feel bad about it. I would have liked that it never have happened, that Isabel never be in that pain or discomfort, but it really is an easy thing to have happen (especially at this age when their little bodies are growing they way they do).

So, I don't feel guilty but I have certainly learned that I need to deal with my stubborn toddler a little differently, even if that means picking her up and carrying her like a sack of potatoes through a store. However, it also means that all the other moms in the world now have a better chance at wining that ever-elusive goal of Mother of the Year.

Total Recall

Amanda had this fun little movie-quote-quiz thing going on over at her place and I decided to take her lead and add some of the fun over here!

Everyone loves movies and one thing we love from them are the great one liners! Let’s have some fun with them.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. No Googling or IMDb-ing. That’s cheating and that’s no fun.

So get your thinking caps on and think MOVIES!

1. "People always live forever when there is an annuity to be paid them."Sense and Sensibility - my good friend Teresa - she commented via email (Hi T!)

2. "Why can't a woman be more like a man? "My Fair Lady - my big bro -who 'doesn't read my blog'

3. "The one ring to rule them all. "Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - my big bro -who 'doesn't read my blog'

4. "As my grandpappy, Old Reliable, used to say... I don't recollect if I've ever mentioned Old Reliable before? " Lady and the Tramp - Bethany

5. "When your wondering what to say, or how you look... just remember... she is already out with you. That means, she said yes, when she could've said no. That means she made a plan... when she could've just blown you off. So that means it is no longer your job to make her like you... It’s is your job NOT TO MESS IT UP." Hitch - Bethany

6. "Give me a word, any word, and I show you that the root of that word is Greek."My Big Fat Greek Wedding - my big bro -who 'doesn't read my blog'

7. "Another thing I got is a sensk of humiligration. Now, maybe you swabs can pool your intelligensk and sees that I'm axking you for an apologeky. "Popeye - my big bro -who 'doesn't read my blog'

8. "You're U.S. Government property. You're a malfunctioning $30 million weapon." The Bourne Identity - Jenn

9. "I say staircases, for there are several." -OR- "She's not handsome enough to tempt me." Pride and Prejudice (the A&E version....the only real true version) - Rachel!!!

10. "Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple. " Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- Bethany

Have fun guessing and thanks for playing! Oh, and if you have sooo much fun that you decide to host your own quote post, then please leave a comment with a link so we all can have a stab at guessing yours! Ok, now go forth and, well, um guess!

Merry Christmas!

I know, I know, Christmas was like 3 months ago (or only 9 months away...how many shopping days is that?). But really this post is long overdue. This just means that I'm lazy, that's all. You'll see what I mean.

When Ryan and got married the bed we had was a double size mattress set and a hand-me-down from my brother. The bed was only a metal frame with the box spring and mattress stacked on top. There was no fancy headboard or foot board to dress it up with. In fact, the mattress wasn't in the best of condition either. It sagged to one side. Not the best for starting a life together with, but it was what we could 'afford' being the young-married, college-age couple that we were. Affordable meant 'free'.

Here we are today married for over 11 years and I have yet to have a fancy, put together bed. Granted, we did buy a new mattress set seven years ago (queen size, thank you very much! Oh, and pillow top too....I love my bed, even seven years later!). So this past Christmas Ryan gave me a new bed! Well, essentially he gave me 'bed bucks' to buy a new frame. Whatever. I was thrilled!

It didn't take very long to find one that we both agreed on (amazing, actually, since we both had different ideas on what we wanted.....ahhh, isn't marriage exciting?). We bought a bed frame but the headboard was on backorder. While waiting for the headboard to complete my long-awaited finished bed, I got a new duvet cover and shams (great deals are awesome.....I love Ikea!) After a couple of weeks we finally had it all together and set up.

So, without further ado, here is my newly put together bed!




























Here's the lazy part - it's taken me almost 2 whole months to take these pictures....and they aren't even that great! And these pictures really don't do the bed or my fabulous new red duvet cover justice. *sigh* Oh well.

Maybe for our 25th annivesary we'll get some matching side tables (do you like how uneven it is?!) Oh, and the lights....another great purchase from Ikea (2 for $12!)

So there you have it, my new bed with a glorious headboard and fabulous red linens! I love red, can you tell? *wink*

She Made My Day

Recently, I was given this award from Wendy (my good ol' bloggin' buddy!). Now it's my turn to pass it along!

For my recipient I choose Kim! She was the one who so graciously made my new template. Isn't it pretty? It makes me smile, and consequently she has 'made my day' and many more to come! Thanks Kim, you rock!

**for those of you who are interested in a new template of your own, go check out Kim's new blog, Template Tweakings.....she has made some pretty cool templates, and if you're real nice she may even work with you to custom design one. See, I told you, she rocks!

Dear God.....Love Caleb

Ryan tucked Caleb into bed for the night and then came to tell me about Caleb's prayer. This was the prayer he said tonight:

Please God, help me not to say bad words and not to call people potty names like; toot, pee, poop, and potty. Please help me with all those sins. Jesus name, Amen.

Party Over Here!

If you're visiting from The Ultimate Blog Party then I welcome you to my little spot in blog-land! Or if you're a 'regular', then I thank you for coming back! (just don't forget to comment! wink wink!). Whichever you are, sit back and enjoy a little read from me, The Fragile Flower.

I have had my blog for almost a year and half and I got started when I was reconnected with my childhood friend Wendy. You see, Wendy had a blog and that is when I was introduced to this wonderful world that is blogging. I was drawn to the journal aspect of it, the preserving of memories. And because I am not a scrapbooker but feel guilty for not being so (but not guilty enough to break down and do it), I had to get my own blog and that is when Fragile Flower was born (or should I say bloomed?).

At first I thought it would be a way for me to write down silly or memorable things that my children have done. I had started a journal for each of my kids but I thought that blogging would be easier for me to actually sit down and document these times. And it has been. I also thought that having this blog would be a neat way to share these daily memories with our family since we do not live close to them. And, again, it has been. But I have found that blogging has grown into something much much more than I ever anticipated. I have actually 'met' new friends and been able to reestablish old ones. And it's been great!

As a side note I have to share this little story with you; one of my new (blog) friends, Becca, sent me a Christmas card this past year. Since meeting her through her blog (and because she is a friend of another friend of mine, Chris) I have felt that she really is a friend even though we have never actually met face to face, so I proudly put her photo Christmas card on our fridge. Then one day my husband sees the picture and asks me 'who are those people?'. I just had to laugh and say 'It's Becca and her family. She's one of my blog friends!'. He just sort of smiled and shook his head. What else could he say?

So there you have it! I blog for the preservation of my family moments, to stay connected with far away family and to meet and share encouragement with 'new' and old friends. Of course, too, there is always that small amount of gratification when one leaves comments!

Thank you for stopping by my humble little blog. I always enjoy 'meeting' a new friend!

~~~~~~~~~~

Part of the party fun is the prizes!!! The Ultimate Blog Party has a fabulous list of prizes to choose from for those who win. I've perused the list and came up with my top 3, which are:

• A fused glass pendant from Lucky Girl Trading Co.
• Neat personalized lunch box from Girl, That's Cute
• $50 gift certificate to Paperlicious from Paperlicious.com

And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference): 86, 61, 102, 135, 59, 60, 20, 129. I prefer things that are not related to babies since I am finished with that stage in my life (phew!). So, anything crafty, relaxing or just plain fun would be great! Of course anything for kids between the ages of 3 and 7 would be fun too!

Mae's Picture Puzzle

Mae loves to do puzzles and mazes and word searches. Whenever we get a kids meal, she does all the puzzles that she can that are printed on the bag or box. And she does all the puzzles in her activity books too. It's been fun to show her how to do a maze or puzzle and then sit back and watch her complete them. This is one of the fun parts of being a parent and watching your children grow and learn new things.

Since Mae is our resident crafty girl (she takes after her mother) she has made many a drawing and art to grace our fridge. Just the other week Mae showed me her latest creation. She made a picture puzzle, complete with objects hidden inside along with a list of what to find. Mae promptly set me to work on finding all the objects she hidden in the picture, and I did a pretty good job of finding them, save one. I have to admit that she stumped me and it took her pointing it out to me for me to see it. I tell ya, she's one creative girl!

Can you find all the objects in the picture?

February Movie Review

It's that time of the month again! Here's our list of movies that we watched last month. Enjoy, but don't forget to leave a movie suggestion before leaving. (hint hint!)

1. December Boys - One of those coming of age movies that takes place in the 60's. I liked it. it had the feel of a true life story, but it wasn't, but still good. I would recommend it.

2. Vitus - Foreign film (French?) about young prodigy boy who rebels against his talent and parents will. It was a bit slow in the beginning but it picked up and was an enjoyable movie. Again, I'd recommend,

3. Love's Unending Legacy - This is a low budget film based on the novels by Janette Oke. I read these books yeeeears ago and have watched the first few movies of this series. The acting isn't great but it is neat to see a movie from books I've read. This one was like the rest, just ok.

4. Rescue Dawn - Based on the true story of Dieter Dengler (played by Christian Bale) who was a fighter pilot that was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War and taken as a POW. The movie tells of his attempts to break out and his rescue. It is unthinkable that men have endured and survived such experiences. The movie was hard to watch at times but it is hard to ignore the reality of what many men have had to face in similar situations. They are to be commended for their service and endurance.

5. War of the Worlds - We had seen this movie at the theater when it first came out (2005). Even though I had seen it before, it was still intense to sit through. We enjoyed it this second time around.

6. Music and Lyrics - This was a fun romantic comedy. Ryan and I enjoyed the 80's music video as well as the other humorous bits. Overall it was good, but still, why can't they have a fun movie like this without the couple sleeping together or end up living together?? It is totally possible to have a movie be funny and fun without these things. It really is.

People Watching -or- Just Plain Weirdness

We recently went to a local mall and saw some strange behavior. People were walking around with a banana held up to their ear as though talking on the phone with it. At first Ryan and I just looked at the person and the banana trying to determine if it really was a banana. And it was! Then we looked at each other with expressions that said 'what is going on?'. After sighting the first person with their banana phone we quickly saw another person talking on their fruit, then another and another. It was clear that these people were all unrelated to each other. The individuals were too diverse from one another so it was no way just a group of friends spread out throughout the mall just having fun.

But what the heck was going on??!

These people were pretty good at whatever it was that they were doing. I would say that 95% of those I saw with these funky (fake) phones were really talking and achieving the appearance of having a conversation on a phone. A few, however, will miss out on the Oscar. As I walked past one guy on his fruit phone, I heard him say 'Can you hear me, you're breaking up!'. But he wasn't believable as he was smiling as he said it. Clever though, I'll give him that.

After a while I gave up trying to figure it out and started watching people who were watching the banana talkers. That was much more enjoyable. I love to watch people watching people!

In conclusion, is has been decided that the whole thing was a marketing stunt, to be sure, but not an effective once since we are still at a loss as to what it was actually for. It did, however, have entertainment value.