What the.....?

I realized today I have no hobbies. I have no free time, either, I am either cutting labels, sewing, cross stitching or hanging out with the kids. Sewing and cross stitching used to be hobbies, they are now a business. So, in my infinite wisdom, I thought that picking up a new hobby was a good idea. I was at the craft store tonight, they were having a sale...so I brought home some yarn, a pair of knitting needles and a how to book. It took an hour or so to get 24 relatively uniform cast on stitches. Off to figure out knit and purl.........

It's the thought that counts

Okay, so it's Christmas and I'm beyond stressed out, frazzled and busy. Who isn't? Well, we got to church last week, it's the first Sunday of Advent. The kids get to go up front to bless the wreath and light the first candle. We come home, the house is all decorated, I have the 3 purple candles and pink candles, and I think, okay, I have a fake wreath and I know I have short taper candle holders somewhere. I hunt and hunt and discover that the short taper candle holders must still be somewhere in a box in the garage (the dining room as only been packed for 2 1/2 years..let's not rush into this) so I had to improvise. It is the thought that counts, right?????

Notice the layer of dust on the one candle holder in the picture!! Like I have always said, dust is a decorating style. The black cat bottle is an empty wine bottle...and I know everyone recognizes the other 2 "candle holders".

Dear Poor, Neglected Blog

I am sorry I have been ignoring you...I have been very busy. As soon as I can, I will tell you all about going to Maine to get our Christmas trees, almost rolling the truck off the side of a sandpit, details of Sarah's 5th birthday..I have pictures, too.......but I don't have time to get to them right now. If the laundry would do itself, if the house had a self cleaning feature and the kids had a pause button, I would have you all updated and current and spiffy!

Do not cry, I really haven't forgotten you!

Love, Pandys

Oh My

Holy hectic! I lived through the craft fair, it was fun, met BonnyJewelry and ThreadFed from etsy, both super nice......and had some great people watching. However, later that night, Michael and I went to the grocery store kidless (my parents had them in Montreal) and it was odd....we ended up standing in front of the beer cooler, staring at the Old Milwaukee, wondering where the O'Doul's went...and decided we were pathetic. It was a Saturday night, after all.......

Here are some pictures of my booth....

Craziness

Okay, so I have these 2 shops and I'm sewing like a mad fool, we had trick or treat, the hot water heater blew out and flooded the cellar-kids thought no baths for 2 days was pretty cool, our chimney tiles cracked, so no woodstove..it's been cold and I can't dry out the cellar, but it's getting fixed TODAY! and a switch went on the stove and a burner wouldn't shut off, so I had to flip the breaker and run up and down the stairs every time I wanted to use the stove or oven. The good news? extra trips up and down the stairs are great for the butt and it really make me think before cooking!

I am also a member of the New England Street Team, New Hampshire Street Team, Etsymom Street Team, Etsyskids Street Team, Lucky Thirteen Street Team and just joined Desiging Swanky Moms Street Team on etsy. Not sure how I am going to keep up with all of this, but I think once the house gets back together and I can get organized and have everything put away once and for all.......yeah, I know. Not going to happen. It's a good dream, though~if anyone has any great time management suggestions, or organizational tips, please feel free to post them in the comments.

New Shop!!

Okay, I must be crazy...I have opened a second etsy shop, http://GriffinGear.etsy.com which features little boys clothes. Right now I have flannel lounging pants, a fleece jacket, fleece pants and a fleece beret. More hats, jackets, pants and vests to come. I am learning how to do zippers....not easy, but I'm figuring it out. Fleece is a little tricky, but I have a pretty good handle on it.

Pandys is still going strong. I am making new things and trying to have something new to list in each shop daily. Not making that goal, but at least 2 new things a week is what I'm shooting for.

I also have a craft fair coming up in November and need to get some inventory ready for that. Did I mention I also have the 2 wonderful helpers, a house and sleep? Not sure how it all fits in a day, but somehow I manage....like my tagline for Pandy's says, where creativity and chaos come together!!!

Blue Ribbons Abound

I entered a quilted tote bag, lap quilt and small table quilt in the Deerfield Fair and got blue ribbons on all three! The kids also entered crayon drawings that they did and they each entered a painted pumpkin face....and got blues (but the placement of the pictures was such that I could only get glare when I tried to take pictures of the drawings and the pumpkings were behind wire mesh....)

Here are the pictures of my quilted items.

New Adventure!

Okay, like I need to have one more thing on my plate, right? Well, stay tuned, because coming soon to etsy....GriffinGear....Great Gear for Pint Sized Guys. I'm going to be starting with flannel lounging pants, fleece jackets, vests and pants and then hopefully migrating to jammies, robes and dressy vests and neckties.

Girls have it easy..there are always cute and adorable clothes. Boys, not so much, so I decided to do something about it.

Stay tuned for opening information!

Where did the Weekend go?

Okay, so yesterday my husband takes the kids to my parents while he cuts wood. I had all day to sew. I made 3 beer quilts-pink kitties, dog bones and skull prints, 2 fabric gift bags, a wine bag and, the best part? I sewed the lining of a small handbag in wrong, not once but twice! Trying a new style and winging it isn't working. I left it for a few days. Today, we did church, I cleaned the cellar--chimney sweep is coming on Tuesday and he can't get to the woodstove and chimney, so how can he clean it? I ran some errands and made Chicken Pot Pie from scratch...even the crust and Apple Crisp from scratch. However, I forgot to take the Cool Whip out of the freezer, so I had to run out for whipped cream in a can (not my favorite).

Now it's after 8:00 on a Sunday night...house isn't exactly clean, laundry isn't all folded and put away.....where did the time go? I still have a few things to finish up to take the Deerfield Fair on Tuesday...judging is Wednesday and we go to see our stuff on Saturday. Each kid painted a face on a pumpkin and drew a picture. I am entering a quilted bag, a lap quilt, a small quilt and quilted tote. Hopefully I will do well.....and I'll at least get some helpful pointers. I love the fair..it means it's fall.

Schedules and Routines

Both kids are in preschool, so we have to be up and ready at the same time every day. We do the same routine in the morning...get up, eat breakfast, dishes to counter, clean up kitchen, get dressed, make beds, brush teeth...a little PBS if there is time then grab the backpacks and head out the door. Usually there is a battle or two.....yesterday, I went upstairs to get the kids dressed and my daughter had made her bed and mine...and replaced all the pillows I keep on the bed. It looked like I had made it. She was so proud of herself. I never even asked her to do that! What a difference two weeks of routine makes!

My arms are soooooooo tired

Yesterday was my first day of solo chainsaw work. My husband decided I was proficient enough to go solo, without him standing next to me, guiding and supervising. This oak tree was really big. I worked on cutting off the leafy part of the branches, then cutting the limbs to size. I could only cut for about 15 minutes at a time, my arms would get tired and I'd have to stop and lug brush for a bit. My left bicep is very sore today, but it is loosening up. I hope to be able to cut longer next week and not be as sore the next day. Looking forward to keeping toasty warm this winter with the wood we cut.

Ah, Fall

Now that crazy summer is over, I realize how much crap we lugged around all summer. I'm still trying to unpack this bag, empty that suitcase, figure out what got crammed under the seats in the truck....and don't even get me started on the laundry!

I know it's fall, I am getting my entries ready to mail for the Deerfield Fair. I am entering a small quilt, a lap quilt, a quilted tote and a cross stitch. The kids are each going to enter a picture they drew and they are going to paint a face on a pumpkin. I love the fair, it has the best fair food around.......and it's such a fall tradition. It may be raining, windy, chilly or hot, but it's always a ton of fun.

Check out Etsy on September 13th-there will be a scavenger hunt for Etsyluckyday....celebrating Lucky 13!!!

Summer is almost over, swimming lessons are almost over, it's been crazy and hectic! Sarah still won't put her face in, but she will swim with her life jacket, Griffin will do whatever the instructor asks him to do.

It's almost Labor Day, and time for the Deerfield Fair. Crisp mornings, warm sunny afternoons......I love fall.

okay, I'm an idiot..her name is MARCY, not Mandy...maybe because one of my babysitter's names is Mandy, who knows. Anyway, I am furiously trying to whip up a few more beer quilts so that I can drop them off to her either tomorrow or Monday......cross your fingers, guy...and Jodi's (Happy House Quilts) has some of her great items there, too.....

Oh my..........

I received an email from Mandy at NH All Natural in Henniker, NH yesterday...she is interested in having me consign my beer quilts. Pick me up off the floor! I am very excited, okay, bouncing off the walls, about this...these are an original design of mine! Wow. Also, Henniker is a college town. I am going to try to stop by and check out the store, talk about what she wants.......then again, I am nervous, too. What if these really sell? Will I be able to keep up? Is this really happening? I know this isn't a super huge deal to some, but since Pandy's of Lake Sunapee is still a fledgling shop, I am ecstatic, to say the least. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Very busy but fun weekend this past weekend....Lake Sunapee Open....a sailing regatta, Star boats, to be exact...an Olympic Class boat. I didn't sail, but I usuall do. My husband did, he got a second in one race, he was very happy. When he went up to get his trophy, we all clapped, then when he was walking back, the kids yelled, Yay Daddy, we love you. That made his day...and made everyone else chuckle. As a Fleet fundraiser, we put on a wonderful steak dinner. Lots of hard work and running around, but great fun. Of course, the crude jokes were flying as my husband was slicing the meat and keeping us all supplied with small bits as we ran by with pans of food.

It was a hot weekend, after the sailing was over, we all went back to the house and floated, swam, and generally hung out.

On Saturday, my sister in law and I took the 4 kids, ages 1, 3, 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 to a little town carnival/fair, complete with parade...they all went to bed with no problem Saturday night.

That's it for now, have to go spend some quality time with the sewing machine....Christmas is coming, so flock to ETSY.COM for wonderful, handmade gifts....

Til the next random post....have a good one.

Okay, trying to stay current with this blog....can I just tell you how crazy it is trying to keep up with the garden, rather the weed bed, the lawn that hasn't been mowed since July 1st, running up and down the road to the lake for sailing, swimming and other enjoyable summer activities. Add to the mix an Etsy shop with all the street teams and promotional work, a blog and a Flickr account.......then bills and other mundane household chores......anyone ever sleep?

I did take time off and read the last Harry Potter book.....I am not going to spoil the ending for anyone, but the actual ending (who lives and who dies) really wasn't that important.....the entire ending was so much more complex and very well written and thought out. I was sad that the books are done, but was very pleased with how well all the loose ends were tied. So, that leads to the next question...what to read next. I will take suggestions from anyone!

Crazy Busy Summer

Okay, I have not had time to update this in over a month. Summer is so nutty. Going to the lake, sailing, the kids' swimming lessons....I live in my car and drive all over during the summer. It is nutty, but I miss the lake, too.

The kids are learning how to swim, my house is staying relatively clean, since we aren't there very much, and it is fun to see the friends I only see in the summer....so I am going to try and keep this and my new flickr account updated a little more often....

Getting the hang of it

Okay, I think I am getting the hang of the blogging, it's just finding the time.....I have been working in my garden and have gotten the "something blooming all the time" thing figured out for spring...now I have to work on summer and fall!

Rags to Riches

Oh My Goodness......

Rags to Riches becomes the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years.......it was an amazing race.....she won by a head! I had tears in my eyes and was jumping all over the house.....I normally don't yell quite that loudly at a horse on TV, but this particular instance was just so amazing.

Sunday

Well, we had one heck of a thunderstorm with hail and high winds yesterday......my vegetable garden is destroyed. Took pictures of the gardens yesterday morning....then took some "after" pictures. My goal for the week is to try and get the pictures up to show.

It's supposed to rain for the next few days, guess I have no excuse to not finish urethaning my new dining room table, cleaning out closets, all that fun stuff that the kids like to help do........

Tuesday, Day of of Blog life

Okay, here is my second posting---I should be sewing right now, or doing laundry, but here I am trying to keep up with technology instead......oh well. Trying to figure out how to add pictures....that is my goal for today.

Please check out my etsy shop, there are lots of great things, beer quilts, some Christmas decor, jewelry, quilted tote bags, lap and wall quilts....and even a festive fowl!

Check out all of the other greatshops by other Etsy Mom's...we are all just as frazzled as the other, but very creative as well.

Monday!

Welcome to my new blog! It is not even 24 hours old! With a very active 3 and 4 year old, my time is limited, so bear with me. Now that I'm a stay home mom, I am really enjoying having the time to design and create with fabrics.

Keep checking back....I will be updating and improving my blog as time permits.

Please check out my Etsy page and all the Etsymom shops!

Have a great day!