Shows Over, Let's Have A....FALL Sale!

Whew!

The Ruffles & Rust Show is over! What a blast! Learned SO SO SO much about running a booth, swiping credit cards (the Square is AWESOMESAUCE) learning what sells, what doesn't, which fabric people gravitate towards, etc.

The final booth set-up:

I've never been a saleswoman....and I detest pushy salespeople so I was really trying to be a helpful and informative shop owner not a BUY MY STUFF!!! shop owner. We found that demonstrating how to put on, arrange and wear an infinity scarf allows folks to be informed about my products, but not feel pressured.

HUGEST downside to doing this show? Not being able to shop! I saw SO many awesome booths and just wanted to go and browse through and pick up some trinkets and treasures.

Oh I have so many more thoughts on this subject but it will have to wait for now as my laundry dragon has reared its ugly flaming head again.

Also, I now have 30 hours and 55 minutes in which to complete two handmade costumes for the littles. Superhero and a princess. Predictable? Yes. But they are so excited to dress up :)

However, before I ditch y'all, I'll leave a fall treat:

Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy Fall Sale! I am turning the BUY2GET20 coupon code BACK ON! That's right, purchase two scarves and get 20% off your total! * see details below*

THIS is the time to get your Christmas Stocking stuffers all taken care of. And hint? I've got about TWENTY new fabrics all made up into scarves that just need photos and to be posted. New items posted daily for awhile!

Some shopping suggestions:

The #1 selling Fall Burnt Umber Blossom Scarf:


A classy, longer and brown toned Zebra print scarf:


A classic plaid:


The Woodland Berries Fall Scarf:



A soft and elegant Ivory Fleece:


Happy Shopping!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

*Deal details: This coupon is to be used with the purchase of two regularly full-priced scarves. Cannot be combined with any other coupon code or use this deal on the sale/clearance section.*

Keep up to date with newest Etsy products on my Facebook page found here.

Ruffles & Rust!!!

OK folks, announcement time!
{deep breath}
I am so very honored to be invited to participate for my very first craft show! I am going to be a vendor at the uber-amazing, so-much-to-look-at-it's-dizzyin, handmade-heaven, inspirational Ruffles & Rust show! Eeek! If you've never been, it is HIGH time you go.

This HUGE 90+ vendor show, presented by Come Junk With Us, is a vintage market filled with antiques, clothing, home décor, handmade accessories and more…This show is very similar to the oh-so-sassy and fun Farm Chicks show. Uh huh. Wonderfulness.

The fun is happening October 22, 2011 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington (click for map and directions). Doors open at 9 AM, with an $8 entrance charge….but I've heard shoppers start lining up before 7 AM! Grab your gal pals and get there early with a Pumpkin Spice Latte in your hand to keep you warm while you wait :
Yesterday, I dragged my sis-in-law in with me to the recently opened Ruffles & Rust Square located in historic Snohomish, WA. We were both drooling over the fun items in there! I was able to pick up something wonderful for you…and to shop a bit, of course. I've got a COUPON for you folks! Ah yes, LOVE me a good coupon.

Present this coupon at the entrance and get $3 off your entrance fee.
$5.00 is much nicer to see than $8.00, right!? (Plus, it means you can spend moreJ). If you see me out n about, I've got one I can hand to you personally, or you can just print your coupon off right here:


I will have a LARGE assortment of my infinity scarves available to try on and purchase, with new styles and patterns I haven't yet listed in my ETSY shop.
Many of the scarves will be pre-folded and tied up with a ribbon and tag, PERFECT for gift giving. All you gotta do is throw em in a gift bag, stuff some crepe paper in and good.to.GO.
Course, I don't just plan on scarves, I've got some SASSY half aprons – Rows and rows of ruffles, each apron is one of a kind! Add in a lovely bunch of handmade earrings (from subdued colors and sizes to jaunty reds, oranges, and blues to STATEMENT earrings), some nifty, witty throw pillows and a few other secrets I've got up my sleeve and that will be one FULL booth.
I've been a busy little sewing bee, running my sewing machine, serger, and iron to their very limit. And having a MAHvelOUS time! Oh to have a maid to cook and clean so I could play all the live long day…ah yes, a lovely dream J
Click on the link for some handy hints and tips for shoppers from ComeJunkWithUs.com. Some really good info, ex. most vendors are CASH ONLY.
HOWEVER, I'll be accepting cash, paypal (if you have a smartphone with you), and Credit Cards through the tiny yet amazing and secure Square accessory for my iPhone. SO nice for shoppers who find stuff they just can't pass up! Christmas shopping 2011? Oh yes. I plan to be DONE with my shopping by the time the show ends.
I do hope to see you there, can't wait to chat with you! Off to sew again…
Amanda – Vintage Dutch Girl
Keep up to date with newest products and show updates on my Facebook page found here!

Gravity Defying Hair, A Dreamy Home and a Laugh...

No time today for a long blog post because...

I get to meet a new family member today :)

Let's do some link Love:

You need to go over and read a post my friend Tiff wrote over at her blog Still Seeking Sanity.
4 kiddos + a tightly packed Costco bathroom stall = THIS. Enjoy the laugh :)
........................
This Dream House Tour over at House of Turquoise is SO stinkin inspiring and well, dreamy. Meaning, my keyboard has drool on it. It's gorgeous. Check er out.
........................
Yup, I need to get back to sewing. This one would be a great pick. Love Grosgain Fabulous.
........................

oh, and I worked out with my sister late last night (P90X, arms n back, ab ripper). It was pretty late so I just decided to take a shower without washing my hair.

Bout screamed when I looked in the mirror this morning. It defies gravity.

Off to shower and retame my tresses....

Amanda

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A Chance to Bless Others... and a Giveaway!

Want to know what this is all about?

Have a heart for babies and Mamas? And would love a chance to randomly bless those babies and Mamas? Then click over to the Vintage Dutch Girl Giveaway Blog and see what's up!

Amanda

Seriously, go check it out, it's pretty stinkin cool :)

Unrecognizable Brown Blobs...for Breakfast. Yum yum!

I was going through all the pictures on my phone and came across this one:



I remember taking this photo because I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the shape was supposed to be. It's a holiday pancake mold, which makes me think it might be a snowman wearing a hat off to the side??!?

Seriously, what is it?

And furthermore, would you REALLY want a pancake shaped like that unrecognizable blog?

"Yeah, um, thanks for the....uh... long brown lumpy shaped blob on my breakfast plate. Super appetizing."

A

Facebook y'all.

Collage Collection....

Sandy beaches, sailboats, lobster shacks, snappy casual...Coastal Americana:

TL Anchor
TR Red Stripe
BL Teal/Red Trio
BR Sea Blue

Classic patterns. Understated elegance. Timeless style:

TL White Plaid
TR Zebra
BL Ticking Trio
BR Lace

Pretty much sums up a Pacific North West Winter, Spring and Fall:

TL Charcoal
TR Heather
BL Lavender
BR Plaid

We'll call this next set:

Go BRIGHT or go home...

TL Sassy Trio
TR Lawn
BL Fuchsia Leaves
BR Rufflyness

Amanda

Yuppers, I'm on Facebook. You to? C'mon over!

A Loooong Trip Home...

Hiya folks! In case you haven't figured it out yet, I was on VACATION!!!

Yep, kept it a secret.

I didn't want anyone breaking in and trying to steal my stash of spray paint or piles of old clothes waiting for refashion.

(Besides, if you came over you might have been attacked by the four raccoons that had taken up residence under my FRONT PORCH. Yeah, I live IN TOWN. NO, I was NOT ok with the situation. More on this subject later. )

Anywho, the amount of prep that it takes to pack up a family of four for a planned 11 day (actual: 14. Keep reading) vacation cross county with zero checked bags required a significant amount of time and organized strategy. Which is not exactly on my resume under the "positive qualities I possess" section. And seriously, when I say cross country I mean Pacific to the Atlantic. CROSS COUNTRY.

Four carry on suitcases
Two adult backpacks
One toddler backpack
One stroller
One Lil Chick
One Bubbalu

Huh, is that all? It seemed like WAY more when we were hauling it all through the airport.

We had quite the adventure getting home.

6 AM EST: Wake up, pack everything, say goodbye to Charleston and my Brother and Sis in law for the 5 hour drive to get to the airport.

4 PM EST: Getting ready to board.

7:45 PM EST: FINALLY boarding.

9:30 PM EST: an emergency medial related landing due to strange odors coming from the back of the plane making people sick (My very first thought was: "A strange odor? WOW that must be a really severe case of Montezuma's revenge.")

10:00 PM EST: Deplane...with all the above mentioned stuff

11:15 PM EST: a cancelled flight (insert two completely exhausted and overwhelmed children)

2:00 AM EST: FINALLY arrive at a hotel for an unplanned overnight stay. We are now further east (and farther from home) from our departure city (insert two sobbing children who BOTH just want Mommy to carry them...OK, I wasn't exactly holding it together like a mature adult at that point.)

2:01 AM EST: *zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

1:30 PM EST: Check out of the hotel to hang out in the armpit airport of the country. Sorry, it just wasn't particularly awesome.

7:15 PM EST: Take off for puddle jump flight

9:45 PM EST: FINALLY on the next plane to head home! YAY! Only a four and a half hour flight to go....and The kids are SO excited to be strapped into their seats and be flying! Sweet! (sarcasm font)

12:00 PST: Seattle. Home sweet home. More crying all around (OK, Lance was the champion who held it ALL together. Roses* and poems? No thank you! A husband that can carry a 4 yr old on his shoulders, wear a heavy backpack, pull THREE roller suitcases, a toddler backpack AND my backpack so I can carry my barefoot, Dr. Seuss look-a-like screaming like a banshee 2 yr old child? YES MA'AM. LOVE him.)

(*Hydrangea bushes please :)

Oh yes, and a 2 + hour drive home. (THANK YOU DAD!)

3 AM PST: Finally home, crashed into bed.

Yes, that is a 48 hour trip home. Could be worse (um, Ethiopia anyone?) but let's just say that we arrived home last Thursday and I am STILL trying to catch up on sleep.)

The progeny post-vacay reprogramming has been rather, uh, CHALLENGING. Lil Chick's jet lag is now a 10 PM PST bedtime.

But you say, "Hey, that doesn't make sense!?" I know, right? She should be used to 3 hours EARLIER for bedtime...5 pm ish. But, put a 2 yr old down to sleep at 2 and then 3 am EST two nights in a row and BLAM! 1o PM jet lag :) Weird, I know.

I've got some stories to tell, pictures to share and a new airline policy that went into effect on the 2nd half of our return trip to annihilate all coming up. Sounds FUN, huh?!

Missed you all...

A

Yuppers, VintageDutchGirl IS on Facebook!

Chevron Gray and Yellow...

Anyone else digging the gray and yellow trend?

How bout the chevron pattern explosion in decor?



I am :) However, I am not allowed to use gray in my house. No, not one of our neighborhood covenants, its one of MY covenants. At least not on the walls. Been there, tried that. Dungeon anyone?

However, there is a place that I can use gray and yellow freely and without fear of clashing with orange-ish trim and a yellow-mustard-beige-gold ceiling:



Yuppers, another blog makeover. The last one really didn't feel cohesive and, well, ME, so I changed it up a bit. Click on over and see whatcha think.

Amanda

I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK...

Gotta love a lumberjack:



While I was sleeping last night my Red Plaid Infinity Scarf made it to the FRONT PAGE of Etsy! SO excited :)

OK, who will sing this one with me?



A

POOP is off my list...

For the greater good off all mankind, I have decided to put a limit to my use of the "p" word. (Insert massive cheering) You know, that word that is used a couple billion times during the potty training process.

The one that can make or break ya. Who really cares about a bunch of urine anyways? After working in hospitals for over 9 years it will barely make me lift an eyebrow. It's the OTHER STUFF that is the issue here.

I have to stop and remind myself that in normal, adult conversations poop (whoops, broke my rule) is not usually an appropriate or classy subject to discuss. HOWEVER, in the Mommy conversation world (which really is limited to a maximum of three exchanged sentences before you have to run off to rescue, relieve, save, comfort, cajole, intercede or discipline your child.) it is near the top of the:

Most Frequently Discussed Topics of Conversation (Mommy of kids under 5)

A few others that make the list:

1. Sleep - Lack of napping, night sleeping, swaddling, lack of or (rarely) excessive, nightmares, jammies, bedding, snoring, crying, bedtimes, best nap times, one or two naps, length of naps, getting your child to sleep, too early wake times, perfect nappers, nap avoidance, sleepwalking, sleep talking, sleep books, sleep studies etc. Sleep is also a make or break ya subject.

2. Eating - Everything from breastfeeding vs bottle feeding, issues with breastfeeding, colic, allergies, lactose intolerance, feeling guilty of no veggies in toddler diet, whole wheat vs. white, bottles/sippy cups/regular cups transitions, late night snacking, making/buying baby food, milk, toddler picky eating, silverware amounts of meals, day snacking, organic food, desserts, soda, etc.

3. Discipline/Behavior - bragging of perfection, commiserating about defiance, ideas or tactics to try, ages and stages, tantrums, strong willed children, passive behavior, aggressive behavior, sweetness, sullenness, shyness, caring, sharing, politeness, anger, parenting skills (including judging other parents' tactics - a big no-no in my book), etc.

Then of course, my current top topic:

4. Elimination - brand of diapers, E C ing (potty training from birth), cloth vs. disposable diapers, diaper wipes, soaps, creams, diaper rash, diaper rash and some more diaper rash, unscientifically proven but believed by Mamas worldwide: TEETHING DIAPERS, potty training, lack of or early potty training, potty seats, potty chairs, accidents, purposeful elimination in relation to #3 listed above, lack of aim (boys boys boys...*shaking head*), night time elimination, tactics for potty training, swim diapers (folks, please use them if you are not certain of your child's ability, no one likes floaters in the pool), use of regular diapers in the pool (largest and messiest things you've ever seen - yes they will explode), smells, shapes, consistency, frequency, colors...you get the idea.

But really, I'm purposefully trying to NOT DISCUSS THE POOP (Last time, really, just had to fit it in one last time). If I slip up and start off our conversation by emotionally vomiting poop (whoops, LAST time, promise.) stories all over you, please kindly and gently remind me my new Poop (oy, this may be harder than I thought) free discussion resolve.

What is your current fave (but possibly overdone) topic of choice? Any subject you might need to talk about a wee bit less like I do?

A

Facebook y'all.

New Mothers: Stuff you REALLY need on your Registry

It always makes me laugh to see the ‘suggested’ necessary items and products that baby stores tell new mothers that they need to be an awesome, properly correct and latest-article-in-a-mother/parent-magazine-following Mama to their new bundle of joy.

Ya know, let me give you some advice. Some real Mom, in the trenches, advice.

Register for stuff you REALLY need to survive the icky parts (potty training, the flu, motion sickness, stomach bug, teething diapers, acid poo blowouts just to name a few) of having a child:

1. A hand held shower head thingymajig. Something like this:




Seriously, save the money you were going to spend on: (…fill-in-the-blank…) that stores want you to believe you need…and get a hand held shower device. Believe me. Trust me. You will unfortunately get far more use out of it rinsing the poo, pee and puke out of clothes than you can even imagine. Seriously, trust me.

2a. Lots of buckets. For use in conjunction with #1. Also used for holding large quantities of bleach water for washing vomit off the floor. (This is a rough walked off estimate, but the puking episode that occurred in our house last night created a 10 x 11 foot rectangle of splattery yuckyness. This doesn’t include the walls and baseboards.) You COULD purchase a bunch of brand new cute buckets, but I prefer to use Dutchware: Gallon Ice Cream containers. They are AWESOME.

OR.

2b. You could use bright blue plastic surgical rinse basins like I use.

Kinda weird? Yup, but that’s what happens when your Mom is an O.R. Nurse. Unusable medical disposable products are the way to go. I keep two at all times in my stall shower for emergency soiled clothes soaking purposes. Pour in some of bleach, fill with hot water from your handy dandy hand held shower head and soak those clothes.

3. Bleach. Lots of bleach. It’s cheap and effective.

I’d rather smell some bleach in my house than the other stuff I’m talking about. Of course, open the windows so you don’t get lightheaded and fall smack in the middle of the splattery yuckyness.

4. Stain pre-treaters, preferably in a spray bottle:

That way you can keep your hands FAR away from the goo on the clothes. I buy it in bulk. Clothes with any sort of food (or other substance) on it gets a good dousing. IT WORKS FOR ME. Which is why Lil Chick can own and wear an off-white jacket that has survived an entire winter stain free. You can send notes of congratulation on my off-white stain free jacket success to my email.

5. A box of disposable gloves. For when you can't avoid touching the yuckyness. Trust me. WELL WORTH paying for these to deal with all of the above:

(Is it just me or does this picture look like a game of guess the wall shadow animal?)

You don’t want those yellow non-disposable gloves that you have to wash out and reuse. You WILL remember what those gloves touched and it WILL make you gag. Besides, I always got water up the loose sleeves and then had pooled icky water on my fingertips. Yech. I buy disposable gloves tight enough so water can’t get in.

6. Old t-shirts. Excellent floor/wall/child scrubbers. You can use em and toss em.

7. Air Neutralizer Spray/Febreeze/Air Freshener. Unless you think the smell of acid poo is a lovely odor to be inhaling all day long.


8. Coffee. Directions: Administer liberally and frequently:



This is just a short, off the top of my head, list. Have something to add? Shout it out in the comments!

Let’s talk Awesome Mama skillz, shall we? In my kid clothing tote bins I still have nearly full sets of (almost!) white onesies in every size*. That’s what I call awesome. (Not that I’m proud of it or anything...Totally lying. I’m ridiculously giddy about it.) That’s my life now, feeling extremely proud of clean onesies and the ability to clean up poo and vomit efficiently and effectively.

Awesome...

A

*(Disclaimer: There HAVE been times that I’ve tossed clothing that is soiled beyond recognition. Cause sometimes you are just plain sick and tired of scrubbing poo. Just keeping it real folks.)*

Vintage Dutch Girl is on Facebook. See new blog posts in your news feed!

Fabric Flower Tutorials...

So, you wanna make some fabric flowers? And you need a tutorial? Well, happy day, there are TONS of tutorials in craftyblogland. (A truly magical place. You really should visit. Plan on an extended stay if you go.) Anywho. Flowers. Of the fabric variety. I found a great list containing over 30 different fabric flower tutorials. Where? Click ---> HERE <--- Happy Fabric flower creating! A

Vintage Dutch Girl digs facebook. Come dig with me.

Super Mommy Eye can Hypnotize...

I've long used Picnik.com for editing photos, especially for my Etsy shop to best represent my creations.

I uploaded a pic today to try out a bunch of the fun effects.

I discovered what I'll look like when I'm 75....Hello undereye circles:



Meet Naraama, my Avatar:



(singing) Rudoloph the peach nosed Mommy, had a very shiny nose, and if you ever saw her, you would even say it glows:



Now, I realize my current favorite teal and red color combo may be awesome for home decor and fabrics but this....this just is taking it a few steps too far:



Peekaboo! I SEE you!

This is what my kids see when I come to check on them in the middle of the night.

And this is the Super Mommy Eye. The Super Mommy Eye sees EVERYTHING that goes on, nothing escapes her sight. She knows who hit who, who ate spoonfuls of chocolate milk powder for breakfast hiding in the pantry, she knows who didn't wash their hands or brush their teeth, she even knows if you are even thinking about talking back. Don't mess with Super Mommy Eye:

This is me if my gray spray paint nozzle is pointed the wrong way:

And this is me trying to hypnotize you, "You WILL bring me chocolate, offer to babysit my children for free, offer cases of Diet Coke, clean my house and encourage me to sew during ALL my spare time."

Did it work? Hope so.

Off to sew and eat lava cakes. Wait a minute, did I just hynotize myself?

Awesomeness...

Amanda

***Yup, I'm on Facebook. Whoop-de-doo!***

Just A Smidgen...

I've been too busy doing important stuff like eating and vacuuming to have time to blog.

Also, I may or may not be suffering from a smidgen of writers block.

Ok, maybe a tad more than a smidgen.

I mean c'mon, do you REALLY want to hear about my new haircut, the Ruffles and Rust show I attended or the number of eye twitches I have? Nah.

Oh wait, I do remember a story to tell yall. A Mama embarrassment story.

Phew! At least I remembered SOMETHING! Will get that one written down soon.

In the meantime, help a girl out and please tell me what you would enjoy hearing me blather on about!?

Cause seriously. I need some inspiration. Don't leave me hanging folksies...

Amanda


***SERIOUSLY? New posts in my Facebook news feed? That's a R.A.D!!! .... A Really Awesome Discovery ***

Frozen Pink Pants...

It's been super rainy and dreary here. No snow for us.

I can't imagine what would happen if this much rain would have been SNOW. We'd be buried. It would be AWESOME. Lots of tomato soup and hot chocolate, reading by the fireplace, losing Lil Chick in the drifts and making a 14 foot tall snowman. Or snowlady. We're an equal opportunity snowperson building household.

The kiddos have been braving the drizzle and playing outside. Of course, I strip em down to their skivies out on the porch before allowing them reentrance into the house.

Too bad I forgot about Lil Chick's pink fleece pants out there. Fast forward a few days and some cold weather and you have pink fleece pants FROZEN to the deck. SO charming.

Next I left their shoes out. Once again, drenched in rain then FROZEN to the deck. Good thing I buy el cheapo shoes.

So much for the predicted horrendously snowy and freezing winter. Meh.

As for the rest of you who are buried in snowdrifts, what do you do to stay warm? Tomato soup and hot chocolate like we do? Fess us, I KNOW some of you are wearing a snuggie right now!

Spill it...

A

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*** Didja know there is a Vintage DutchGirl Facebook page?! Coupon Codes for the Etsy shop, random postings and new posts in your feed. Don't be shy, join the party...

I USED To Have A Job...

Back when I used to have a job (that gave me things like checks that I could cash for money and self-confidence that I was an educated and appreciated member of the labor & delivery world) I would work three twelve hour shifts three days in a row. 36 hours.

With a half an hour lunch break (often eaten while staring at fetal monitors) that makes it 12.5 hour shifts so that makes 37.5. Oh wait, don't forget you need to get their early to park, walk in, change into scrubs, report to the floor and be good to go by 7. That makes a respectable 40 hours.

WHY does that matter? It doesn't. I'm just rambling.

I always took a day to "recover" after those tiring three 12 hour shifts in row. After that recovery day I was up and running again, back to normal and ready to attack life.

This December my Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop went bonkers. In a bonkery GOOD way :) Turns out people LIKE infinity scarves, and especially plaid and fleece ones:

Purple Buffalo, Brown Plaid, Red Plaid, Teal Plaid

I must admit, I'm partial to them too. If you were one of the reasons I was busy filling orders, THANK YOU for shopping my Etsy shop.

I had a superdupercrazybusy month. The Etsy wonderfulness, my two beautiful children turned 2 and 4 and also there was this little thing called CHRISTMAS! Think: seven family parties in four days. Yowza.

I'm a bit worn out. However, I've been taking a recovery-month-of-sorts and can sense the normal returning.

I've got a bunch of sewing ideas, decor ideas, furniture makeovers, upholstery redoing (*Ahem* learning) and then normal jib jabbing coming up this year.

Stay tuned my lovely readers!

A

P.S. For all you delightful lovelies, I have decided to have an indefinitely active Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop coupon code for 15% off all orders. Cause you are delightful. AND lovely. Your 15% off coupon code is: FOLLOWLOVE15 . Happy Shopping!

I'm BACK...Jiggity Jig!

Egads December was one stinkin crazy month!

I won't try boring you all with writing out in detail all that commenced in December 2010...instead I'll bore you all with giving you pictures.

Skadoosh! Here we go:

My itty bitty baby turned TWO. To celebrate we made her some mini cupcakes with pink frosting:


Um, I got more powdered sugar on the floor, counter and in my hair than in the mixing bowl. The Birthday Girl was frightened by the sound of the EVIL, MONSTER MIXER. Sheesh. At one point she laid her head down and sobbed. Drama queen. Bubbalu is...well... he just does that a lot.

Bubbalu (who also turned FOUR in December) was in our church's Christmas Program. Yes this is blurry:


But it's HUGE I tell ya. See that little boy? Here, let me point him out to you:


Yes, that one. He is actually ON the risers during the Christmas program! That's a first for our household. Pretty sure the Sunday School teachers were on to him and boxed him in on all sides with compliant, obedient children who wouldn't let him escape. He DID do some pretty intense head and upper body dancing but BY GOLLY he was ON the risers!

At the invitation of our Bro and Sis-in-law we dragged out rears off the couch and ran the jingle bell run. Yes, I actually ran it. Yes, it hurt. Turns out taking a four month leave-of-absence from running leaves you with zero lung capacity and shriveled, uncooperative muscles. Who knew!? Good thing I had a superb running coach that sweetly and kindly made me run the whole thing:


Isn't she cute? Yes, I'm wearing a Santa hat. Stop laughing.

The kiddos came along for the running ride and Uncle Shane and Daddy traded pushing our "city on wheels". Of course, I had to Christmasify the stroller too:


Yes, Bubbalu is wearing green light-up antlers and Lil Chick is masquerading as the tiniest Santa you've ever seen. You can't see it but their stockings are hanging from the handles in the back. Just wait til next year. We have HUGE plans. SUPER festive.

Had to share this one:


I LOVE Lil Chick's pink hat. She's giving Grandpa a nose Eskimo kiss!

So, didja get what you wanted from Santa? NO?
That's too bad, all (S)he has left is scrambled eggs:


Hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our King!

A

P.S. For all you delightful lovelies, I have decided to have an indefinitely active Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop coupon code for 15% off all orders. Cause you are delightful. AND lovely. Your 15% off coupon code is: FOLLOWLOVE15 Happy Shopping!

Just Some Blabbing...

I'm sitting here thinking, "huh, I really should write a blog post" but have a big ole blank for a subject. So I'll just blab a bit. It works for me.

- I have two kiddo birthday parties coming up in the next month. I will be a Mama to a 2 and a 4 yr old. That's weird.

- I have a coffee creamer addiction. Seven creamer bottles in my fridge at one time may be a few too many. However, I need to offer my guests options, right? That's what a gracious hostess should do.

- Queso and tortilla chips with a side of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies does not a weight loss diet make. This lady will be hitting the gym with renewed vigor.

- We're reading 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan for our ladies bible study. It rocks your Christian world. In a good way.

- Parenting is hard.

- Um, PARENTING IS HARD.

- I'm blessed to be close to my family. That includes my in-laws. None of the negative connotations that the "in-law" term usually conjures. Family is a blessing. Trying to juggle four family thanksgiving meals and six family Christmas parties is truly a great problem to have. Blessed beyond measure.

- I'd rather sew than do housework. Shocker.

- My list of home upgrade projects is getting mighty long. Hardware and lumber stores are quickly rising to the top of the My Fave Stores list.

- Well, almost. You can never beat Costco.

- And TjMaxx. Because I AM a Maxxinista.

- Are you cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving? Might want to get that bird starting the defrost process!

- My frozen turkey floats. Didn't expect that one.

Be back soon to regularly scheduled programming...

A

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NIKE Travel Rule and Airportin It...

Wonder where I was? Yeah, I know I shoulda set up some posts but I decided to instead pack our bags, do laundry and not leave our house in shambles.

Yup, we are freshly back from a family vacation.

And I cannot, CANNOT leave my house for a vacation with dirty dishes in the sink, junk on the counters and dirty laundry. Just can't do it. It's my opposite NIKE Travel rule.

Just Can't Do It!

I know how yucky I'll feel coming home from vacation with tons of luggage spewing forth their dirty contents all over my already dirty house.

Then the producers of Hoarders start leaving me messages.

Not good.

So, in an effort to avoid being on a reality television show highlighting my extremely messy ways, I decided to clean, do laundry, wash dishes and pack instead of blog.

Forgive me?

OK, let's do some quick vacay recap posts.

First day: We woke up our lil firecrackers before the crack of dawn, force fed them some breakfast and got to our local airport by seven AM.

We hauled everything in and got in line to check in. And by "we" I DO mean Lance. He's such a great hubby:



Yes, that would be TWO Britax car seats (Oh my GOODNESS they are heavy) one medium size suitcase and a stuffed to the brim backpack with Bubbalu's pillow strapped to it. And he didn't even break a sweat.

I chose to help by filling out eleventy hundred of those little name tag thingys that make me slap myself silly for not taking address labels along. Or for having permanent tags. I purchased a new set of luggage a week before this trip so I didn't have a chance to do that at home. Hmm, future craft project idea brewing...

COULD NOT BELIEVE how zany this child was at SEVEN in the morning:



I was slightly concerned how this whole trip was going to work out.

Bubbalu wore his adorable froggy backback stuffed to the, well, what USED to be gils when he was a baby tadpole backpack,with match box cars, stickers, crayons and other random kid diversionary items.

Being that this was the kiddos first time flying they were super excited to watch airplanes take off and land:



However instead of boarding our flight....they canceled it. Excellent.

We frantically called my Dad to last minute drive us the 2.5 hours to SeaTac and recollected our substantial luggage which we threw into Lola the second Dad rolled up and tore outta there trying to make it on our connecting flight.

Which we missed boarding by one minute.

Yep, ONE MINUTE.

They will not allow check-in within 30 minutes of the flight's scheduled departure. We arrived 29 minutes til flight departure.

The next flight was only SEVEN hours later....so we booked that one then settled in to spend the day in SeaTac.

SO thankful for the childrens play area they have at SeaTac! Bubbalu ran around and played for a good three and a half hours making tons of friends:



I also walked Lil Chick to sleep in the stroller touring the entire airport...three times. Good think I burned some good calories speed walking because I had a delish seafood fettuccine alfredo lunch at Anthony's that isn't exactly diet food.

Funny thing is, you ask Bubbalu the best memories of the trip and he includes playing on the airplane with the kids at the airport in the top three.

Enough for today. That's right, we haven't even left our state and I've already finished one recap. This could take longer than I originally thought...

A

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Costco....Thumbnail....Poffertjes....

Let's do some housecleaning!

Nah.

Let's do some cleaning out of the draft folder instead. That's WAY more fun:

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Saw my kids excellent pediatrician at Costco today but hid from him so he wouldn't see the 10lb bag of chocolate chips, sweet potato fries or hot n' spicy wings packages in my shopping cart...

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I'd completely forgotten how messy a twenty month old can be while eating.

You know it's getting pretty bad when instead of choosing foods based on their nutritional value I'm choosing foods based on their "scratch off the wood floor with a thumbnail" rating.

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My take on the annual, held-in-my-small-town Fair:

I don't love crowds. I get crabby at people who walk slowly and then stop in the middle of a walkway forcing everyone to walk around them. However, since I am now one of "those Mom's" who push a gargantuan double-wide Bob stroller around I fully realize I am now part of the crowd problem. My penchant for speed walking and whipping around people with the double-wide Bob doesn't help. I'm pretty sure I startled eighteen or so peoples, whom surely though that there was an emergency or free Poffertjes giveaway that I was rushing towards.

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Not in the draft folder but blogworthy news: Christmas has arrived at Costco. Yes, I already purchased a roll of sassy Christmas wrapping paper. I'm thinking this might be the year that I actually have all my shopping done and wrapped before December. 

Anyone with me on this one???

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Thanks for providing me with an excuse to ditch the housework. Blogging is much more exciting than scratching crusty dried food off my wood floor with my thumbnail...

A

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