The Train is leaving the Station

Last night I was in my son's room. We were just catching up on his "life" and all that has been happening at school.. Jake is 11 1/2. So as we sat there in his room, he said to me "mom, do you think we can take all the train stuff down and make my room, more grown up?" I almost fell over. This child, has loved trains, since he was an infant. His first birthday cake was a train, and almost all his childhood photos he has some kind of train in his hand. The facts he knows about trains is amazing. He had a ton of movies, had to watch daily, and before bed. He had train sheets, clothes and back pack. Paul's parents lived on a street where the local train here in Madeira would go by daily. We can hear the train perfectly from our house, and at the end of our street, you can see the train. Jake would call Paul's mom and ask her to tell him every train car, she could see,when he hear the whistles blow. His first pre-school you could see the train perfectly out one window.. Jake would jump up and run to the window, with a following and she to this day, has a bench that sits by the window and it is called the "Jake Bench". Everyone who knows Jake, knows his love, passion of trains.

So you see where I am going with this.. although I know he is getting "bigger" for him not to have trains all over his room, is more hard on me, than on him.. obviously. (sigh)

His Magazine subscription and Train stool.

So I guess I will be shopping for grown up bedding, and take all the train things down and pack them away.. maybe he will want them again.. maybe he will ask me in 10 years or so, why I kept all that stuff, or be really happy that I did. Either way, the trains are leaving and my boy is getting bigger, right before my eyes. He is such a wonderful kid.. He is kind, thoughtful, helpful and always thinks of others. He has a kind heart and a smile and laugh that touch me really deep in my heart. He is my first born :)

Today, as I was cleaning his room, and just looking at all the train stuff, and dreading taking it all down and thinking how empty his walls and shelves will look, and just where am I going to store all this stuff.. I was dusting and what did I find?

These little army men.. All lined up, ready for battle.. It melted my heart.. Guess even if the train has left the station, he still has some "toys" that he is keeping and playing with, when no one is around :) That made me happy.. He is not growing up too fast. there is still some little boy in there.. I love you Jake, you are one of my greatest achievements!

Etsy up and running

Well I finally got around to listing some new bags on Etsy and getting that site up and running. I am almost finished with my site. I have had some technical issues with that site and my picutres so when that is done, I will let you know as well. So in the mean time, I will be offering my stuff on etsy. If you do not know what Etsy is, then click on the link to the right, and you will see my things.

Etsy, is a place where handmade items are sold, and now some neat vintage items as well. It is like ebay, but easier to use, in my opinion.. And cheaper for us sellers to use!

So check out some of my new bags.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5349724

I have a sick one home today, so I am off to tend to her, sew some more and clean my house.. I do have to make a comment about my house. It seems that lately I have been so frustrated with the "messes" my chlidren have left behind.. I mean I can tell you what child has been in what room, just by what is left behind.. That is crazy.. I also have to remind myself that we do "live" in this house. It is not a magazine page, it is not a show place for my vintage finds and pretties, but a place where we all live and use all the rooms, and every square inch of this house.. I am not making that up.. I should be writting a book on how to use every small space in your house :) So I am trying to back off the mean me and not yell so much, but ask more nicely to pick up your crap and put it in your room.. not throw it in your rooms, but put it in it's place.. Why do I organize and make a place for it all, only to find it "all" all over the floor? OK, I am getting off track again.. I will now go clean up the messes and get some sewing done, and list more things this evening, after the kids go to bed... I need to go and Live in my house!

Tess and Jack

First of all let me apologize for not being on here for over a week.. I did make it through the holiday parties and they were fun. The ipod valentines were a huge hit as well. I have had a lot of things going on at one time the past few weeks. First of all, I was honored to be asked to be on the board of a newly (in the works) Foundation for my friends daughter who passed away in 2007, Tess Blackwelder. She was in the second grade at Madeira Elementary School. The foundation will be called The Butterfly Tess Foundation. Tess loved Butterflies. The foundation will help a lot of children. To learn more about it, please visit http://www.cutetess.com/ and learn about Tess, and her life. We had one meeting and are off to a running start with creating t-shits to sell. We decided to have the third graders at Madeira Elementary School design a buterfly and we, the board, will pick from that to be the logo. Tess would of been in third grades and we thought that would a great way for her friends to help out and to remember her. On top of working on this wonderful project, today is also a sad day. Six months after Tess passed away, another of our dear family friends loss his 10 year old son Jack, to a rare flu virus. Today is the one year anniversary of his passing. Jack was a 10 year old boy in the fourth grade at Madeira Elementary School, and full of life.. He loved to play jokes, he loved sports and he was just a fun typical 10 year old boy. Madeira is a small place.. and to loose one child is huge, but two in a small place like this, in the same small school is just crazy. So today I am thankful for my kids, for their health and for Tess and Jack. Two small children, who were not here long enough. But who touched more lives, and lived more in their short years, than most adults do. I was blessed to have known them both. They will never be forgotten, they will forever be loved deep in our hearts.

Valentine Class Parties

Here is what my girls and I will be making this week for Valentine's Day. I found this idea from Family Fun Magazine.. You can go to the website and find it under Rock Candy. All it is basically the little box of hearts, pink paper, yarn and kisses. You wrap the box of hearts with the pink paper, tape on the yarn and kisses and you can print the top of the "ipod" thingy from their website. You can even customize the song list.. Now that is what my girls had more fun doing! We are just so tired of the store bought cards. They are so small and this was a lot more fun! I love that magaize for moms like me who are looking for cool things to do, at the last minute without having to think much!

OK, here it is again, the week of the parties, and although I have figured out what we are making and giving out this year.. I need a game for a third grade class that a "Dad" can do.. and a easy fast craft for first graders. I don't know why I go brain dead over this stuff. It seems this Valentine's Day has snuck up on me so fast.. I mean I have Christmas memories still fresh in my mind. I am still finding Christmas stuff around my house that has not made it the back of the basement yet. So I sent out my plea of help tonight to my fellow moms at school who are on the ball, and will send me countless emails with great ideas in them.. and save the parties! Someone needs to write a book for moms like me. I mean I can craft at home, but put me with 24 kids and only give me 15 minutes for a craft, and I am totally lost. I can't think, I totally freeze, what is that? Well I am off to check emails.. I see that a few have come in while I have been updating this... Have a great Week!

Sewing and a chore chart

How cute is this chore chart? I just love it.. I can it see it printed off and hanging on the side of my cabinet, where I will neatly fill in one for each child, mostly my girls, and they will be so eager to go there and do a chore.. WAKE UP !!!!!!!!!!! Well I am going to copy this off and I am going to hang it on my cabinet and I am going to hope and pray that they are excited and that by some grace of God, they will be inspired to maybe "clean" without being told to do so.. And if they don't I am going to use it for myself, maybe I will get more inspired to clean my house, (smile)..We will see how this goes.. I'll keep you posted..
.. If anyone wants the chore chart and you can't copy it from my site, let me know and I will mail the link to you and you can print it from there.. It is also available in Blue and Brown as well.. Adorable. Wouldn't you be inspired to clean more if you had a pretty list like this to use? It is worth a try.

Now let me apologize for not having my site up.. I have been having some issues with it and am I have been trying to work on them.. I will list my stuff I made and I will send the link to that tomorrow, so be sure to check back. I have been sewing like crazy. Between my local orders, and trying to stock my site and then trying to get a stock pile going for my first ever show I am doing in the spring..I have been busy and living in my sewing room, which is now my place of rest. It is funny, I never thought I would do anything like this, and now behind that sewing machine is where I feel the most comfortable.. where I want to be and where I try to get too now for a few hours a day. So thank you for your patience in all this.. and Thank you for your emails.. I love them and it inspires me to keep going.. Now back to sewing some pretties for you all, and also to start my "chore" chart too!

Random Things

These are a few purses that I finished up today. They will be on my site over the weekend. I have lots more going on there, so be sure to check it out. I will be having a grand opening sale as well, I really wanted to get more done today, but with the kids home again, with another snow day, this was all I could do. Tomorrow will be a day of running.. One has a dentist appt.. have to work at school for a while and I have a ton of errands to get done, but have not been able due to the snow! I decided not to post any more snow pics.. I know it is pretty, but I decided my purses were also pretty to look at, and will not cause your childen to be home from school for a day.. so look away!

I just got the new Country living.. and wow is it a good one.. OK, My name is Mechelle and I am a magazine junkie. Seriously, check out all the cool things I found in this new issue.,. It is worth picking up.

OK, so felting seems to be the new next thing I want to try also. I love that they have taken old wool sweaters and made them into purses and totes! How cool is that? I just bought some old wool sweaters from the junk store, so I can't wait to try this.. This is a great article as it gives you detail instuctions. Don't want to make one of your own, but want one.. Let me know, I would be happy to make you one, and I'm sure they will end up on my website too.

There are several things I love about this picture. One the colors are so pretty. Two I love the portraits and it seems any of them are huge in decorating,they have to grow on you.. And three, I am loving the wallpaper.. I never thought those words would again come out of my mouth, but it seems wallpaper is getting to be huge again, and I am loving it. I may have to start off small, but I can see a project with this soon!

I love these silihouttes.. I love that they are not all old.. And I love that they are black and white.. I think I will try a few of these with my kids and see how they turn out.. How pretty! I am loving this necklace.. It is made using all vintage jewlery pieces.. How cool is that? I sooo want one of these.

snow day and music

Well today was another big snow day, here in Cincy. We were suppose to get a dusting, and that was 7 inches ago. Spring will be so welcomed here in Cincy, after this cold, snowy winter!

Thank goodness that the snow held off last night. We got to see our youngest, in her first grade musical. How adorable it was! I love watching all the little ones come out, looking so scared and then the second the music starts they are all singing and dancing. It is was a lot of fun and we have a lot of talent in our school!.
Of coarse no performer should come off stgage without a bouquet of pink flowers!. She reminded us all weekend that it was coming up, and that it would be so nice to "get flowers" So how can you let her down? Pink Flowers just as she ordered.

Well back to sewing.. I have some great bags that I will be showing you by the end of the week.. In the meantime I am listing some great things on ebay. Sorta my online garage sale, of fab things for your home. things you had no idea that you could not live without! Check the out, and if you live local, I offer free delivery.. well that is if we are not on a snow emergency!

My ebay name is: pink*daisys

Have a great week!