tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8123060523580865432024-03-05T23:01:04.980-05:00Made By Moms Handmade CreationsMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-34809902548697447672010-03-15T15:23:00.003-04:002010-03-15T15:28:44.585-04:00Back again!Hey all! Sorry for the last absence but this time it was for a good reason! My little girl was born on 2/22 and we in the MbM household have been taking our time getting back up to speed.... we're not at 100% yet (as seen by the state of my floor and the dust accumulating on my desk as I type) but we're getting there.<br /><br />Now that I'm back into the swing of baby things I thought I'd get back to something I love to do -- write reviews! To give you guys a preview of what's coming up, let me list some of the reviews I have planned:<br /><br />*Newborn Cloth Diapering -- BumGenius 3.0 vs. Bumgenius Organic vs. MonkeySnuggles vs. GDiapers<br /><br />*Moby Wrap<br /><br />*Bravado Nursing Bras -- Body Silk vs. Original<br /><br />*Nursing Tanks -- Glamourmom vs. Gilligan O'Malley nursing tanks<br /><br />plus a ton of other stuff from CitizenPip (a child's lunch set), Britax and more :)...<br /><br />First in the line up will be the cloth diaper comparison... look for it tomorrow!<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-21700007069060400802010-02-10T16:06:00.003-05:002010-02-10T17:11:51.633-05:00How running has changed my life...Some of you may know that I'm an avid runner -- I kept running three-mile runs until I hit 34 weeks into my pregnancy with Kate (when everything... energy, knees, pelvis, back... gave out and up). <br /><br />What you guys don't know is that, before a few years ago, I hadn't run since... oh... high school (and even then I did it grudgingly).<br /><br />I read something earlier about a contest on Track Shack's blog (a local running store) about how running changed your life... and I started reflecting on it... <br /><br />Way back when, in college, I tried to keep myself in decent shape. I ran stadiums and took the occasional tour around campus, but my eating habits were atrocious (as most college students are). I graduated from college, started a high stress job and met my eventual husband. Things started slowly going downhill. I met my husband at 21 and 125 (ish) pounds... married him at 23 and 130 pounds... and became pregnant with my son at 26 and 143 pounds. In five short years I had gained close to 20 pounds -- an average of 4 a year. My heart routinely rested at 95 beats per minute and tacchycardia wasn't abnormal for me. Walking up a flight of stairs was an occasion for a racing heart and heavy breathing. In addition to the weight I was carrying, I gained an *additional* 43 pounds, making my weight a whopping 186 at the time I was admitted to the hospital to give birth to my son. Keep in mind, I am only 5'4'' tall. My blood pressure was routinely in the 150/90 range and it even got to the point where my OB threatened bed rest if I couldn't lower my blood pressure on my own. My labor was complicated and ultimately resulted in a c-section -- a disappointing, but not altogether unexpected (considering my health), turn of events for me and something that has truly bothered me since my son was born. Relatively soon after my son was born I had my first abnormal EKG... at 27 years old.<br /><br />My father has been on high blood pressure medication since he was 27. He has had multiple heart attacks. Diabetes runs rampant throughout both sides of my family. My grandfather died of a heart attack when he was only 50. I look at my father and wonder if he'll be there to see his first grandchild turn 10... nevermind graduate high school or get married.<br /><br />I looked at my father and son and realized something -- if I wanted to see my grandchildren graduate from high school, I had to make changes. Not a diet but a significant lifestyle change.<br /><br />I reduced my red meat consumption and increased the amount of fish that I ate. I switched to more lean cuts of meat (such as extra lean pork loin instead of pork shoulder). I became a dedicated label reader and outlawed anything with the words "partially hydrogenated" and "high fructose corn syrup" from our household. I switched to mostly organic foods -- especially dairy, packaged goods and eggs. I started buying fresh produce instead of canned and reduced the amount of butter in our cooking. I lowered our sodium intake by only purchasing low or no sodium canned goods and soups. I try to bake more instead of buying processed goodies. I make switches like substituting greek yogurt instead of sour cream in many recipes (unless my husband, who doesn't have the health concerns I did, pitches a fit).<br /><br />But that was only a start. <br /><br />I began slowly, by pushing my son in his stroller up and down the block. I increased my distance and soon we would walk a mile or more. Then, I began to jog with him in the stroller (taking frequent walking breaks at first). The first time I could jog around the block (which, in my neighborhood means 1.5 - 2 miles) without stopping to walk, I was elated. Eventually, over the course of a few years, I moved to a treadmill and routinely began running 5 - 6 miles on an almost daily basis. When my son started part-time preschool at a local Montessori, I joined a gym and started weight training and diversifying my work out routine. It helped to build muscle and increase my speed -- soon I was able to run a 24 minute 5K on the treadmill.<br /><br />So, how did running change my life?<br /><br />Thanks to the dietary changes, breastfeeding my son and the walking/jogging regimen, I was back down to 140 pounds in around a year and I lost even more weight after that. Before getting pregnant with Kate, I weighed between 120 and 123 pounds and my body fat percentage was excellent. I actually had close to a six-pack (which I'd *never* had before, even in high school). My blood pressure was routinely in the 105/65 range and my resting heart rate was in the upper 60s. My cholesterol was actually low the last time because the "bad" cholesterol levels were lower than normal -- a very, very good sign. My heart has no arhythmeia anymore and RUNNING up flights of stairs is no longer enough to wind me (well until lately).<br /><br />But the best thing of all -- I FEEL amazing. <br /><br />My last pregnancy was horrid. Every little awful thing bothered me -- I was miserable. The difference between my last pregnancy and this one is literally night and day. I actually competed in my first 10K at 20 weeks and finished at 71 minutes. I didn't even take a walk break until after I passed the three-mile-marker. I ran a 5K at 25 weeks and finished with a 29 minute time. My last 'official' 5K was at 30 weeks and my time was around 32 minutes. I kept running three miles around my neighborhood until I just got too uncomfortable running to keep going. I've been more active in this pregnancy than I was in the entire five years between graduating college and having my first child and it's solely the result of how great I feel. I was lucky to GET OFF THE COUCH during my first pregnancy nevermind actually take a walk around the block.. I was tired, miserable, hefty and uncomfortable. Do I believe that the difference in the way I feel is directly tied to my health? Absolutely. I have gained around 30 pounds this pregnancy (well within the healthy range for someone at normal weight), my resting heart rate is normal and my blood pressure is still in a terrific range. My blood work is all looking wonderful.<br /><br />While changing my diet was an integral part of fixing my health before massive problems arose, I don't believe I could be in this great shape today unless I changed my exercise habits as well. Running provided me with a calming (and competitive) outlet. It helped to relax me on the days when my stress levels would rise while helping me fill some of the competitive fire I lost when I became a stay-at-home mom. Running has fulfilled me physically *and* mentally. It improved my self-confidence because I can look in the mirror and not feel ashamed of what I see. Running has also allowed my son to see that normal, healthy people make fulfilling exercise a part of their daily lives -- something I hope he will carry with him his whole life. He *loves* to come to races with me and thinks the children's runs that Track Shack puts on are ridiculously fun. <br /><br />Running is cheap, easy therapy. Sun, rain, hot, cold, conditions don't matter. Bad day? Run it off. Indulged a bit too much? Run another mile or two and don't feel guilty. <br /><br />Before, the idea of running made me want to cry. I'd probably put chinese water torture on my list of THINGS TO DO TODAY before I'd put running... now I can't wait to have my baby so I can get back to the treadmill and the open road. I'm planning on running my first half-marathon in early October (Disney's Wine and Run) and am looking forward to training for my first triathlon. <br /><br />Honestly -- running has truly made my life better. I'm happier, more fulfilled, more energetic, more active and more satisfied. You never really realize how much poor health impacts your mental state until you totally change your lifestyle. My outlook on life wasn't good -- I wasn't really figuring I'd make it to my 70s, so I seemed to do everything I could to make sure I didn't. I suffered from bouts of insecurity and depression because I wasn't happy with the way I felt or the way I looked. I feel like I can be a better mother to my son and wife to my husband because <strong>I</strong> feel so much better around myself and my life in general. <br /><br />The best part is that I'm not an anomaly. Anyone and everyone can do this, it just takes determination.Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-22320984921998229662010-02-08T14:29:00.008-05:002010-02-09T15:01:17.447-05:00Recipe Time!If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I *love* to bake. It must be the scientist-geek in me coming out. A lot of times I'll find recipes that I'm just not in love with, tinker with them and try them out on unsuspecting people. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... and one of my favorite things to do is take a ridiculously unhealthy recipe and make it just a little healthier.<div><br />This is one of those times. </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rGOsN1tQQtt1UL64u8q8A7bGb1sQyD-2xSr0tdi7zeS2WABhqyset-O_gPzNeZi4Im6iYrJWa6U23FLb-4dyyAlwS2QnQlBWkhWFK_UcbB2DE860YWYeYsFtHkfHu9yhUurukrkJtcM/s1600-h/AidanPictures+029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rGOsN1tQQtt1UL64u8q8A7bGb1sQyD-2xSr0tdi7zeS2WABhqyset-O_gPzNeZi4Im6iYrJWa6U23FLb-4dyyAlwS2QnQlBWkhWFK_UcbB2DE860YWYeYsFtHkfHu9yhUurukrkJtcM/s200/AidanPictures+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436336102195883522" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>It all started when I couldn't decide which I'd rather eat -- oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies... so I decided to combine them. I think the results were pretty darned good -- what do you all think?</div><div><br />Please note: as I had to explain this to the hubby... this is much more on the side of an oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips in it than a chocolate chip cookie.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><b>Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div>*1/2 c unbleached, all purpose flour</div><div>*1 c whole wheat flour</div><div>*1/2 t baking soda</div><div>*1/2 t salt (can even cut down to 1/4 or even omit if on a sodium restricted diet)</div></span></b></div><div>*1/2 c butter, softened</div><div>*1 c dark brown sugar</div><div>*1/2 c sugar</div><div>*1/2 c unsweetened, all-natural applesauce (bonus points if it's enriched with Vit. C)</div><div>*2 t vanilla extract</div><div>*2 eggs</div><div>*3 c rolled oats</div><div>*1 c chopped pecans (can omit this)</div><div>*1/2 c dark chocolate chips</div><div>*1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can play with the ratio here)</div><div><br /></div><div>#1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees </div><div>#2 Whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.</div><div>#3 Cream the butter and both sugars in a mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add in the applesauce and vanilla and mix to combine. Beat in eggs one at a time until just incorporated. Lower the speed to low on your stand mixer and slowly add in the dry ingredient mixture. Mix until just blended. With a wooden spoon or spatula, mix in the oats, pecans and chocolate chips by hand.</div><div>#4 Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (or small tablespoonfuls) on to ungreased cookie sheets.</div><div>#5 Bake for 12 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden. Let cookies sit for five minutes on cookie sheets, then cool on wire racks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Makes around 48 medium-sized cookies.</div><div><br /></div><div>These aren't necessarily "healthy" cookies, but they're not too bad on the cookie/snack scale. A good indulgence once-in-a-while that has a nice balance of nutrition (in iron and fiber) and sweetness. As approximations (going off of the nutritional labels on the back of my ingredients), you're looking at the following nutritional info for TWO cookies, assuming you made 48 total:</div><div><br /></div><div>216 cal, 11 g fat (5 g sat. fat), 71 mg sodium, 26 g carbs (2.5 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 3.5 g protein, and 7 mg potassium...</div><div><br /></div><div>Obviously this is going to adjust more/less based off the number of cookies you actually make. Remember, though, that a lot of baking is variable... You can cut out the salt and cut the sodium down to 32 mg per serving (or cut it down to 1/4 and you'll have 51 mg sodium)... You can cut the number of chocolate chips in half and save yourself 23 cal, 1.5 g fat (1 g sat), 3 g carbs (2.7 g sugar)... though I like the sweetness the chips add... or you can eliminate the pecans (something the husband would vote for, since he's not fond of nuts and they're not integral to the recipe) and save yourself 36 cal, 3.5 g fat (.333 sat), .67 g carb per serving.<br /><br />Personally, I think these are delicious cookies... not overwhelmingly sweet (especially with half dark chocolate)... moist and chewy... plus, using whole wheat flour and rolled oats gives you a nice helping of whole grains to go with the healthy unsaturated fats that the pecans give you.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So, what do ya think?<br /></div>Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-49084029474015408302010-02-04T13:35:00.010-05:002010-02-04T15:00:38.566-05:00Etsy Seller Review of the Month (or whenever)I've decided that I'd like to help my fellow Etsy sellers out a bit and do an "Etsy <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4hpYSjCLdhLSdnR3WQMABOD0YjlT0bi3hHNpKJPrHaZL8B-lvyzxaKzJjUytDX0aTm_dn5OTXaS1-21C0Bj7fPY2j64_LeAcIKbxCUEAhp_fnr-dhzrWWrWjkgElc2zWmJPTXpsI4Lo/s1600-h/AidanPictures+435.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4hpYSjCLdhLSdnR3WQMABOD0YjlT0bi3hHNpKJPrHaZL8B-lvyzxaKzJjUytDX0aTm_dn5OTXaS1-21C0Bj7fPY2j64_LeAcIKbxCUEAhp_fnr-dhzrWWrWjkgElc2zWmJPTXpsI4Lo/s200/AidanPictures+435.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434478205911102850" /></a>Seller Review of the Month" on my blog... I do a decent amount of shopping on there (especially for Christmas) so I have ample people that I want to recommend to my friends and readers. <div><br /></div><div>Now, whether it'll really be *every* month is up in the air... ;)</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, February's seller is <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFigLeaf">TheFigLeaf</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GLEmrPShYJaupoknk3ZI4874-hTUbU9P8uE-iYFHf93pdAMV1_68oCvqHhkZKD0Jb3omMEPGv6XkitF30bYVXB8lBR6UeNOZLXoegmAODK4EIAOh7XPK3JvLonCanapxFvQSamlKbTk/s1600-h/AidanPictures+437.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GLEmrPShYJaupoknk3ZI4874-hTUbU9P8uE-iYFHf93pdAMV1_68oCvqHhkZKD0Jb3omMEPGv6XkitF30bYVXB8lBR6UeNOZLXoegmAODK4EIAOh7XPK3JvLonCanapxFvQSamlKbTk/s200/AidanPictures+437.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434479390241670178" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>So... How did you find her?</b></span></div></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Honestly, I've been eyeing her stuff for a long time (she's been on my favorite seller list since June or July, at least). I love her iPod Nano holders but I never worked up the willpower to order something pretty/non-necessary for myself. This Christmas she was brought back to my attention when she was a <i>Featured Seller</i> at the exact time I was shopping for presents for friends and family. I found a really cute<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=22227307"> four pocket wallet</a> for a teenage cousin of mine and decided to make a custom order request for a cream/red iPod holder as a Christmas present to myself. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was so impressed with her that I decided to make another order with both a single pocket wallet for my preschooler (who will start receiving an allowance very soon) and my Valentine's Day gift (thanks, honey!). I requested one of her larger, clutch-style wallets to match the iPod holder. When I'm impressed with a seller enough to go back and order *again*, you know they're quality.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Evaluation</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Customer Service:</i> I contacted her about the custom order and purchased the wallet... even with the crush of orders she received from the Featured Seller bump, she still answered my convos in a timely manner (which matters a lot to me). She is wonderfully friendly and completely willing to customize designs to suit your needs. Once the custom order was done, I purchased it on Etsy and she sent it quickly. Her items come wrapped in a sturdy, tan paper and tied with a thin rope. They're well-wrapped and shipping isn't unreasonable for the items (one of my *biggest* pet peeves). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the two orders I've placed with <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFigLeaf">TheFigLeaf</a>, I've never been disappointed in any aspect of customer service... which is so refreshing in today's gift-purchasing market.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7YPPTy_nhfokMbAHOdsL_QvWmuhPFUHBkY_sElDjRE0R3EIRmP3R15Anw2DiFY2vi9Kw1xFLqEDqeNBNxgfsWob7NKUaNoQQyLwBNDMHsyG7dKnvbp9WcDRVQZKFPnI5KXwAAPEuN-k/s1600-h/AidanPictures+439.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7YPPTy_nhfokMbAHOdsL_QvWmuhPFUHBkY_sElDjRE0R3EIRmP3R15Anw2DiFY2vi9Kw1xFLqEDqeNBNxgfsWob7NKUaNoQQyLwBNDMHsyG7dKnvbp9WcDRVQZKFPnI5KXwAAPEuN-k/s200/AidanPictures+439.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434478868198456898" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Quality:</i> Wow... that's all I really have to say. When I saw the wallet and the iPod holder, I was blown away. The craftsmanship is top-notch and the leathers she uses are butter-soft -- I was really surprised at the quality of the leather. Her assembly/stitching is perfect and her creations are definitely built to last. In this age of faux-everything, it's refreshing to see someone taking the effort to create stuff out of natural materials... especially considering she's doing it in a eco-friendly manner by strictly using remnants.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Both items I received (my son's wallet and my own) are wonderful. My son's wallet is a single pocket (since he'll only be getting a few bucks a week, he doesn't need that much space) and came with an elastic band to prevent the money from falling out. It's a great size -- perfect for a driver's license and a few credit cards along with cash -- for the price. I had her make a boat on it (he's huge in to pirates right now and thought a 'pirate ship' would really excite him) and it came out perfectly! My wallet is even more impressive. I ordered it because I'm going to be switching to a large diaper bag and my tiny wallet simply won't be found in its depths... ever... but I've already started using it (and getting TONS of compliments on it wherever I go) because of how beautiful it truly is. It comes with four pockets to hold credit cards, two larger pockets to hold cash or receipts, one large zippered pocket for change, and a pen/checkbook. It closes with a sturdy snap and even comes with a small ring so you can clip it to the inside of your purse (if you have a clip) or diaper bag.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XKTMNUAVOdexLXXwwK7ZGWW72ESgGI1CvZOVQaSlHlxft0SfOT7GmK_drMg-RlT3oOboH6lqAHgQdHTeCvGOrmUfy5WA1xwSuuwvFmCWtuunDT2TrOZ_xTSTsJA5pgBEs0lfnsqcdns/s1600-h/AidanPictures+443.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XKTMNUAVOdexLXXwwK7ZGWW72ESgGI1CvZOVQaSlHlxft0SfOT7GmK_drMg-RlT3oOboH6lqAHgQdHTeCvGOrmUfy5WA1xwSuuwvFmCWtuunDT2TrOZ_xTSTsJA5pgBEs0lfnsqcdns/s200/AidanPictures+443.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434480134677081954" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In addition, I love her designs. She does everything from stamped leaves to stitched designs (I'm partial to the birds, can you tell?). Look through her past sales to really see the range of styles and designs she has done and don't be afraid to ask for a *new* design if you don't see what you want!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Price: </i>I'll be honest -- sometimes I see items online and am shocked at the price (yes, even on Etsy). Mass-manufactured "boutique" items go for insane amounts -- $20 for a bib? Even using organic fabrics, that's ridiculous (and I should know since I buy organic fabrics). I'm sure many items are worth the cost (not the bibs, though) but it's still way outside of my comfort zone. I'm a stay-at-home mom, pregnant with my second, and throwing money away on items just doesn't appeal to me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That being said, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFigLeaf">TheFigLeaf</a> is priced wonderfully, insanely well (ie: affordable luxury for everyone, with any kind of budget). Her wallets range from $10.95 for the single-pocket/no elastic design up through $55 for the larger, clutch-style wallets. Her regular, five-pocket wallets (that look more like traditional wallets) cost a very reasonable $24.95 (check out her new design <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39701061">here</a> for a neat four-pocket design with an additional money slot). I do want to note this right now, though, <i>prices are accurate as of the time/date of this blog posting. Prices may increase and may not be accurate when you look at her shop. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Value: </i>You know the saying "you get what you pay for" ? Well, in this instance you get so much more than you pay for. You don't have to worry about shoddy customer service or sub-par craftsmanship with <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFigLeaf">TheFigLeaf</a> -- her stuff will last for years to come. Her leathers will only get more luxurious and beautiful with use (though it does pain me slightly to abuse something so pretty).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Who is this shop for? </i>Really... anyone. Looking for a gift for a teenager? She has iPod holders in tons of different styles and designs, great for boys and girls. Looking for a hard-to-shop-for husband? Her four and five-pocket wallets are a great, functional gift. Environmentally-conscious friend? Her leathers are new remnants (leftovers) and she makes everything by hand at home -- no mass-manufactured items here! Need something for mom? Her larger wallets or beautiful brooches are great for mom, aunt, sister or grandma! Or, just buy for yourself! It's one of the few things I've actually splurged on for myself in years and it was totally worth it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Overall?</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've made two purchases from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFigLeaf">TheFigLeaf</a> and I *will* be back, that's a guarantee. If not for a gift, then probably for a business card holder later in the year. She is one seller I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from again and again. I really can't say enough about her. She's an A+ seller with A+ products at an A+ price. So many times I'll shop on the internet (including Etsy), pay a fair price for something and just be disappointed with the item when it arrives... though it does pain me more when it happens on Etsy itself. It's so hard, when you're dealing with handmade items, to judge the quality based on a few photos and prior feedback (especially since many people leave feedback before they bother to use the items and you cannot go back and change it later... it's happened to me). I hope this review has put those fears to rest about TheFigLeaf. There is a reason she has tons of positive feedback, she's been an Etsy Featured Seller and I've purchased from her twice (and plan on purchasing again) -- she truly combines the best of everything into the quintessential perfect seller. Higher praise is simply impossible to give. :)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div></div>Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-41376162201683044932010-02-02T17:51:00.000-05:002010-02-02T17:52:43.565-05:00So, my computer totally ate it.*sigh*<div><br /></div><div>Gotta love computers... first, my NTFS partition gets corrupted... I fix it and now my RAM has gone completely bad. I want to evaluate some Etsy sellers soon... Hopefully I can :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Take care!</div><div><br /></div><div>Jen</div>Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-3329611884230620902010-01-20T13:24:00.002-05:002010-01-20T13:26:34.018-05:00Seriously need to get caught up here!Well I'm done with 99.9% of my sewing and let me tell you... the items came out really great -- especially the nursing covers. I'm going to take pictures of them tomorrow and post, along with pics of all my other completions!<br /><br />Come back and check them out... who knows, maybe you'll find a hot deal ! :)<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-52441365954247079362010-01-11T13:46:00.003-05:002010-01-11T13:54:12.336-05:00Projects, Projects, Projects...Ok, I'll admit it... I'm being totally selfish right now. I'm sewing a bunch of new projects for the baby and I'll be posting how they turn out soon... What's coming up?<br /><br />A bunch of new burp cloths, bibs and blankets for Kate (and a friend of mine who is having a girl a few weeks after me)... bamboo cloth wipes... and a nursing cover! I can't wait to post pictures :). Oh! And I'm going to try my hand at felting old wool sweaters and turning them into skirts for both the kiddies and adults, along with blankets, pillows and whatnot. Currently I'm ransacking the thrift stores for cheapie wool sweaters (where is the wool tackiness when I need it?!), so those will be up eventually as well !!<br /><br />Also, I'll be redesigning my blog... I need something funkier!<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-32212375009371663162009-12-11T12:18:00.010-05:002009-12-11T14:03:41.986-05:00Pirate Ship Cake with Instructions!My now four-year-old son is seriously into pirates. Besides various Berenstein Bear books, pirate-themed books are the only ones I'm allowed to read to him... so needless to say, we have many in our house. Naturally, he requested a pirate-themed birthday party and, naturally, I was insane enough to offer to make him a pirate ship birthday cake.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14szFbzAr26VYO74usING3qPzuhHPE414J1psz2DUBMWykjoKnumJtc9zowl6ZjDltWECYtXdmp_LysqNoRE68fMKa8d7x_Khx3Wb-DyLIP7Ey7SxZW7BN8tKBNAr5d6UDvJx8TDVfSE/s1600-h/AidanPictures+229.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14szFbzAr26VYO74usING3qPzuhHPE414J1psz2DUBMWykjoKnumJtc9zowl6ZjDltWECYtXdmp_LysqNoRE68fMKa8d7x_Khx3Wb-DyLIP7Ey7SxZW7BN8tKBNAr5d6UDvJx8TDVfSE/s200/AidanPictures+229.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414050125033055330" border="0" /></a><br />Nevermind that I've only made one other cake before -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Roc</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">ket </span>(from Disney's Little Einsteins) -- and I had guidance on making that one from a helpful website (that I've since lost the link for)... nevermind that I've never taken a cake decorating class in my life... Nevermind all that. My son wants a pirate-themed birthday party and gosh darn it, I was going to be the one to make him his cake.<br /><br />Ha.<br /><br />Of course, it being me... I couldn't take the easy way out by simply buying a mold and frosting it... oh no, I had to be elaborate. I searched high and low for instructions on putting together a cool cake but detailed instructions were few and far between... in fact, I was kind of dissatisfied with a lot of the instructions online. So, I looked up recipes, watched a ton of Ace of Cakes (lol) and winged it... praying to high heaven that it resembled a pirate ship more so than a massive blob. I must say, it didn't come out half bad. Anyway, on to the instructions!! Warning: These instructions are llooooonnnggggg.... if you just want to see pictures of the completed cake, skip down to the end :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First things first, what will I need?</span><br /><br />Well, it really depends on how elaborate you want your cake to be. I used:<br /><br />*The largest Wilton Oval pan (16.5" x 12 3/8")<br />*An 11 x 15" sheet pan<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">**NOTE: This yielded a massive amount of cake, so only use these sizes if you're expecting a large turnout... I'd wager you could go with the 13" x 9 7/8" oval pan and a 9 x 13" sheet pan, honestly.</span><br /><br />*A large cookie sheet that you can use as a base for the ship (make sure it's big enough to fit the cake and an island!!)<br />*Melting chocolate and molds -- gems, gold bars, pirate coins, a treasure chest mold, etc -- plus food dust to color your finished chocolate products<br />*Piping tips and bags (a lot, unless you like to clean often!) -- you'll need at least a flat tip for the planks and a small round tip for the detailing/royal icing work<br />*All the ingredients for your various recipes, especially food coloring!<br />*Decorations for the ship: Whoppers, Tootsie Rolls, Pirates, Sails, Pretzels, etc<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make the chocolate!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42t8aHQs3f9DeFN3YvDixevJky3GPa9GgyF6S1Wj6dbaZ6ZLhJ4xqMDlgKhi_P67yAM5XRBavwBIPyiHRPGT7YzA8xPWL72ARn1AssgOVKJ2fwyBYWApWs4jJcc1Sh2WIwXKuPw3TV80/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+251.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42t8aHQs3f9DeFN3YvDixevJky3GPa9GgyF6S1Wj6dbaZ6ZLhJ4xqMDlgKhi_P67yAM5XRBavwBIPyiHRPGT7YzA8xPWL72ARn1AssgOVKJ2fwyBYWApWs4jJcc1Sh2WIwXKuPw3TV80/s200/BabyGirlPictures+251.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414051108233041442" border="0" /></a><br />Chocolate lends itself well to cool applications and since there are a variety of inexpensive molds out there, it's much easier than dealing with fondant or gum paste (not edible!).... plus it's better tasting ;). Just go out and buy some melting chocolate and some molds... melt the chocolate (either in the microwave or a double boiler) and pour into the molds. Stick in the freezer to harden, then pop out when done. If you're making a treasure chest, using royal icing to make the box fit together.<br /><br />Dust the chocolate pieces with some sort of non-toxic sparkle dust or glaze (gold, silver, emerald, sapphire and ruby).<br /><br />I'd definitely do this a few days before I make the cake!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make the cake!</span><br /><br />Honestly, the world's BEST CAKE RECIPE is one I found on <a href="http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/178/Chocolate-Cake">Cooking For Engineers</a> . The directions are clear and concise, it's super simple to make and ABSOLUTELY delicious. I do make *one tiny* alteration to it, and that's to substitute COFFEE for most of the water. You can substitute coffee for water in any baking recipe in a 1:1 ratio... the coffee will deepen the chocolate flavor and make it very intense. *Delicious*<br /><br />Anyway, this yields about 5.5 c of batter -- follow the instructions on your baking pans to determine how many batches of batter you'll need. I needed four to make the super-sized oval and rectangle.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">While the cake is baking, start the poured sugar base!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6l2vRzJ6HFveH_9HoWwNhsHMfsUVclnSznhmbpG4L_4tC2UDYh6AL-F-wv0hGjQqlLRgXBxpQK_aHnIBRClKXWkPsCWwQRSamO6AGeW_40TwtHrCH3KBKoGLUMwZjmYR9detauhvZFVE/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+248.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6l2vRzJ6HFveH_9HoWwNhsHMfsUVclnSznhmbpG4L_4tC2UDYh6AL-F-wv0hGjQqlLRgXBxpQK_aHnIBRClKXWkPsCWwQRSamO6AGeW_40TwtHrCH3KBKoGLUMwZjmYR9detauhvZFVE/s200/BabyGirlPictures+248.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414051100887236386" border="0" /></a><br />Sugar work can be an exceptionally long and tedious process that can be messed up easily if you try to rush it. Again, it was my first time making poured sugar, so I wasn't sure how much I'd really need. I ended up making a lot (of course) and using an entire 5 lb bag of sugar -- it yielded a HUGE base that was about 1/3" thick. Too big! I definitely think you could cut it down by a half and still make enough (especially if you're using a smaller base pan than I was). Anyway, here is what I did:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients:</span><br /><br />Cold Water<br />Sugar -- 2 x H2O<br />Glucose (OR Light Corn Syrup... which is what I used because I couldn't find Glucose) -- 1/2 x H2O or a little less<br />A small amount of Cream of Tartar (though this isn't, strictly, necessary as I COMPLETELY forgot it and the sugar turned out awesome)<br /><br />Anyway, it's a pretty easy process... If you use 8 oz of Water, use 16 oz Sugar and 4 oz Glucose.<br /><br />1. Combine Water and sugar in a medium/large pot depending on how large your recipe is<br />2. Heat over LOW, stirring often, until sugar is completely dissolved<br />3. Wash down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in water, several times now and often during the cooking process<br />4. As the syrup comes to a simmer, skim off any top scum that you see. Do not rush this process. It could take an hour or even more to reach a simmer stage. Be patient.<br />5. Put in a good candy thermometer (make sure it has a "HARD CRACK" indicator)<br />6. Increase heat to HIGH and add glucose/corn syrup and tartar (ha!)... skim again and wash down sides<br />7. Cook until the thermometer reaches 280 degrees, then add your coloring<br />8. Cook until you reach the hard crack stage (around 310 degrees F), lowering the heat as you get close<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">9. Spray the sheet pan with Pam (or oil it up) and pour the molten sugar into the pan --<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CAUTION!!!!!</span> Molten sugar will stick to <span style="font-style: italic;">EVERYTHING</span>, so be <span style="font-weight: bold;">VERY, VERY, VERY careful</span>! This WILL give you horrendous burns!<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">10. If you want to mold the sugar into waves (as I did), give it a few minutes to rest (not too long, though, because once the sugar hardens you will not be able to mold it)... then use your fingers to carefully make a rolling wave shape by molding it up and around your finger.</div></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">While the cakes are still resting, make the royal icing!</span><br /><br />Royal icing is baker's edible glue. Note: <span style="font-style: italic;">This recipes includes UNCOOKED, RAW egg whites!!! </span>If you are UNCOMFORTABLE with using raw egg whites, buy pre-pasteurized eggs or heat them gently yourself.... or, just don't let anyone eat the royal icing.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients:</span><br /><br />3 egg whites (separate them from the yolks using your hands or the two egg shell halves as strainers... save the yolks for another purpose!)<br />1 t vanilla<br />4 c sifted powdered sugar (confectioners)<br />1 t lemon extract (you can OMIT this if you'd like... I like the vanilla/lemon combination... you can also OMIT the vanilla if you'd like a stronger lemon flavor)<br /><br />1. Mix the egg whites and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer (stand mixers are your saving grace) on HIGH until they are frothy.<br />2. Add the 4 c sugar and 1 t lemon extract slowly, mixing together on low/medium low<br />3. Beat on HIGH until stiff peaks form (around 5-ish minutes? I never pay attention)<br />4. Separate the royal icing depending on the number of colors you're using (I had three -- brown, green and white) and blend in the food coloring either by hand or in the mixer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">REMEMBER!!</span> Royal icing *is* like glue and it will dry like a ROCK quickly. If you are not going to use it right away, stash it in sealed plastic bags until ready to use.<br /><br />What to do with your royal icing? Make stuff!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazwX3QVGw-13cTw_OZywPe2XQOON5iOBaNOEWneLXRVHg_4jNg_ZZCqMMdjcJnCIfSR1Zl4tU2iTBKU5Yfd3o1U95cZOnsHpJm4kitQrTojlFIpbaLBwKLWZiS5IBCQpju512no4fJOI/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+247.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazwX3QVGw-13cTw_OZywPe2XQOON5iOBaNOEWneLXRVHg_4jNg_ZZCqMMdjcJnCIfSR1Zl4tU2iTBKU5Yfd3o1U95cZOnsHpJm4kitQrTojlFIpbaLBwKLWZiS5IBCQpju512no4fJOI/s200/BabyGirlPictures+247.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414051104128958978" border="0" /></a><br />Get wax paper and lay it out in a sheet. Take decorator's bags fitted with a round tip and make various shapes -- the anchor, wheel, webbing, posts for the railing, white rope that goes around the posts (make little, wide u shapes). Making an island? Don't forget little stalks of green that you can sink into the island for grass. ALSO, make extras! If you're like me, you WILL break some of the pieces as they can be quite fragile consider they are fairly thin. I broke three anchors! <span style="font-style: italic;">Hint! <span style="font-size:85%;">Save some white royal icing for attaching the ropes to the rail </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">posts after you sink the rail posts into the cake.</span></span><br /><br />Set the icing pieces aside on a safe table while you work on the rest of the cake.<br /><br />ALSO NOTE: This can be accomplished a few days before it's needed, so don't feel compelled to make it the day before (when you're also making the sugar base and the cake!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make the Buttercream Frosing!!</span><br /><br />My son is a PEANUT BUTTER FANATIC, so we knew what we'd be making for the frosting... a Peanut Butter Buttercream! I followed this recipe on <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/print?id=172801">RecipeZaar</a> and I could hardly stop eating it. It was heavenly! Remember to color it with food coloring! I needed brown, black and yellow!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you want filling? Make it!</span><br /><br />Remember what I said about elaborate? Yeah, my cake was filled with a rich chocolate ganache. I used this recipe from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pro-Ganache/Detail.aspx">AllRecipes</a> and it came out flawless.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carve it and Decorate!!!</span><br /><br />Here are some suggestions for the carving and decorating...<br /><br />**Use a pirate ship toy as a guide for your carving. You don't need any specialty tools, just a few <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUcQMn7UsJGt7bnpOqvslA14cjhQuFL3PnInXXU_GlT5mhI6FHGQn8F6aGI3BLDMJAs76bdqOrAFsR06pB0lqNK2-jINYZ40kAHggoN5L7o5vaStjSDzcbOXJQGhcsHALA43BrAhoC1k/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+250.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUcQMn7UsJGt7bnpOqvslA14cjhQuFL3PnInXXU_GlT5mhI6FHGQn8F6aGI3BLDMJAs76bdqOrAFsR06pB0lqNK2-jINYZ40kAHggoN5L7o5vaStjSDzcbOXJQGhcsHALA43BrAhoC1k/s200/BabyGirlPictures+250.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414052454336879650" border="0" /></a>serrated knives in varying sizes (from large to small). I used the Imaginext Pirate Ship toy and a Pirates of the Caribbean toy as my carving/decorating guides. Here's what I did:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">**I put the oval cake on a piece of cardboard and cut out the bottom of the </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">ship... it tapered to a sharper point in the front, was slim through the middle and had a squared off back end.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">**I used the rectangle cake as height... I used one layer of the cake on the front (carving it to the same </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">dimensions as the oval below it) and two layers of cake on the back (each layer hanging slightly off the one below it)</span></span>... <span style="font-size:85%;">if you are using a filling with your cake, don't forget to use it between the cake layers! </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5unhTq3A88QWaeLhRzalMLTXNaSQTNWO5cCETD9WRnr19pIf8dxDjlEWZ1P4hqvatpiaS5KhQPFFWGv1HzCfeAmZWnvmMjE1RZqKzVbnwS9gp66RmCGyGsu5fnE4fXipGZyXzfdSeKgI/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+257.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5unhTq3A88QWaeLhRzalMLTXNaSQTNWO5cCETD9WRnr19pIf8dxDjlEWZ1P4hqvatpiaS5KhQPFFWGv1HzCfeAmZWnvmMjE1RZqKzVbnwS9gp66RmCGyGsu5fnE4fXipGZyXzfdSeKgI/s200/BabyGirlPictures+257.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414052450412077634" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">**After you're done carving (SAVE THE SCRAPS), apply a thin </span><span style="font-size:100%;">coat of buttercream to the entire ship... this is your crumb coat and will ensure no chocolate carving crumbs end up on the final piece.<br /><br />**Refrigerate your cake a little bit to let the buttercream harden up.... while you're doing that, make an island out of some of the leftover carving scraps on the cooled sugar base. Frost it with </span><span style="font-size:100%;">buttercream and cover it with crushed graham crackers (to simulate sand). Vacuum up the random crumbs before they can stick to the sugar! Top with the chocolate treasure chest and a variety of the colored chocolate 'gems' and </span><span style="font-size:100%;">the green royal icing </span><span style="font-size:100%;">grass.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOSsqzZWYMPW-7E5X5sYKAyARiZPEQqlJ7AAbQT_aDmgRMWhZgoobXGu4E3lQZ-tPHSU1hMq-ShgW_6VpEHpdnw7lCYFcjAgDPNU_T_ZqikinOYz1H5s__AQqdWbjBar2Bp7jWlgfNM0/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+261.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOSsqzZWYMPW-7E5X5sYKAyARiZPEQqlJ7AAbQT_aDmgRMWhZgoobXGu4E3lQZ-tPHSU1hMq-ShgW_6VpEHpdnw7lCYFcjAgDPNU_T_ZqikinOYz1H5s__AQqdWbjBar2Bp7jWlgfNM0/s200/BabyGirlPictures+261.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414052456533618818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">**After your cake has refrigerated for a while, bust out your flat piping tip and</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> pipe "wooden </span><span style="font-size:100%;">planks" all over your ship with the brown buttercream. Decorate it some more by adding windows along the back (outlined in black, filled in with yellow), black portholes for the cannons, or other decorations along the ship.<br /><br />**Take the tootsie rolls and mold them into a cannon shape, stick three in along each side... use the black frosting to accentuate the cannon's center.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />**Let the cake's frosting harden overnight in the fridge.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">**In the morning, move the cake to its base .... should be easy with the cardboard (I didn't use cardboard </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xeXsfm8PpaMgPaUQYkJcGaypkZFyFb7QLWDXkMMQoGUZBHknmgt-FKIxgu9WlCkjO3FV5dVbYbAo2EKmNDzVaMDjNaaImS66jRGl236tcQkE0nfPMSfhC8H6HKSIZvHqLokUxdmSbdU/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+263.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xeXsfm8PpaMgPaUQYkJcGaypkZFyFb7QLWDXkMMQoGUZBHknmgt-FKIxgu9WlCkjO3FV5dVbYbAo2EKmNDzVaMDjNaaImS66jRGl236tcQkE0nfPMSfhC8H6HKSIZvHqLokUxdmSbdU/s200/BabyGirlPictures+263.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414052463839198690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">and it definitely made my life harder)... and finish decorating it. Add the rails and rope (piping little dots of white to attach the ropes to the rails).. use pretzels as both the prow and the masts. Set whoppers on the deck as cannonballs... adhere the anchor and the wheel into their places with royal icing. Set the sails on the masts (I just found some free pirate pictures and fonts and made the sails out of paper) and add the webbing, pirates, etc.<br /><br />**Fix any issues you had with moving it (notice I used some really quickly whipped up whipped cream icing to fix the cracks in the base!).... and move the cake to its final location!!<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Viola. <br /> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6qgjEFh2ED5omA95cFJx4o0zLbPTHDOwAuKpcOfihRZzLyP2J9308GurNXPydLWb_8UflUdSOaZqmhNalt2iyn6GwwgrLfGwoXfvaGef79zxEFzaJBNMeOb52kq-FmQsxbQsUORH6xs/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+264.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6qgjEFh2ED5omA95cFJx4o0zLbPTHDOwAuKpcOfihRZzLyP2J9308GurNXPydLWb_8UflUdSOaZqmhNalt2iyn6GwwgrLfGwoXfvaGef79zxEFzaJBNMeOb52kq-FmQsxbQsUORH6xs/s200/BabyGirlPictures+264.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414055020910975698" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;">It's a *lot* of work (I'm not going to lie), but it yields some pretty cool results... not the least of which is the ego-boo you receive when people realize that yes, Virginia, you really did make this all by yourself!<br /><br />So, what do you guys think?</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2drvtGVZhDtMu-PzjXiPNP37XFpRjoVDSj3HHfcgzK8r8FmdZfLRsVZ5lx9QuRHOtMGeH_CjEURv987fmxISljDLD3troYoyH2ulmgt60GnpKvCmwnrLZOB7jITujGm4xY-qEbw7VTyc/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+269.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2drvtGVZhDtMu-PzjXiPNP37XFpRjoVDSj3HHfcgzK8r8FmdZfLRsVZ5lx9QuRHOtMGeH_CjEURv987fmxISljDLD3troYoyH2ulmgt60GnpKvCmwnrLZOB7jITujGm4xY-qEbw7VTyc/s200/BabyGirlPictures+269.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414055017710148610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJrRI6iheuQd_9jJ6pJJh8p7aJLBWv-knDflC02Uv5_puUvPYGi47UCVXjuX_D0okiJXS36QHxxpbg_ZILn6Vz2UyOujZyscHCyK0Z4dzCPSSNY33a0sh8Fom0y_50vI-DZHf7CTFrQg/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+266.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJrRI6iheuQd_9jJ6pJJh8p7aJLBWv-knDflC02Uv5_puUvPYGi47UCVXjuX_D0okiJXS36QHxxpbg_ZILn6Vz2UyOujZyscHCyK0Z4dzCPSSNY33a0sh8Fom0y_50vI-DZHf7CTFrQg/s200/BabyGirlPictures+266.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414055001158800514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIDoE5JG3WK0NxEPqr-EU0vwl9g1OQtHYY5tisugLYsW0FnqVr-KkyqtaBflgTyetAkFr00a707Ha8pDBjE-3COvQPvcox9yBLsuHe5d1ld7uL-aIdCDCqvy4fR5xeKFdr8UuITBmitA/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+272.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIDoE5JG3WK0NxEPqr-EU0vwl9g1OQtHYY5tisugLYsW0FnqVr-KkyqtaBflgTyetAkFr00a707Ha8pDBjE-3COvQPvcox9yBLsuHe5d1ld7uL-aIdCDCqvy4fR5xeKFdr8UuITBmitA/s200/BabyGirlPictures+272.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414055007136459986" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeHARerro56wdqfVpk6djFDvUd7gmkejoqpkJ6w3ULiu0UVkQpvPu1N77VpfqNW_h4S2DMthw5Gsg3gwjR3_aljrYZfQxfzrOusXwe84q1Zo7VQk9zIlfQBOotoTKOJXQ_zrmGO4hKEQ/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+265.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeHARerro56wdqfVpk6djFDvUd7gmkejoqpkJ6w3ULiu0UVkQpvPu1N77VpfqNW_h4S2DMthw5Gsg3gwjR3_aljrYZfQxfzrOusXwe84q1Zo7VQk9zIlfQBOotoTKOJXQ_zrmGO4hKEQ/s200/BabyGirlPictures+265.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414054996965365970" border="0" /></a></div>Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-92225165151194896952009-12-07T13:40:00.006-05:002009-12-07T13:58:14.666-05:00Wow... it has been forever!!!So, I was checking around and it's been forever since I last made a post! Holy cow!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Well, so where shall we begin? First, <div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div> I'm pregnant with my second child (hence the reason why I haven't really been as active as I'd like to be) so I've been taking a hiatus from sewing and crafting. I just entered my seventh month (last trimester, woo hoo) so I'm getting super-excited about bringing home our new little girl... yes, I did say girl!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TVW8Ncx_23b1ibKhr8C-ZTT8krou6nzmUG5lfVaZWNHRC82wKOmZ88cWxV_LMLYyONsdM7Snihm8K-OaWwKlgeUrOL0e6ofEAgKnJTsbHCRkQ23ixLHtkiAi54EryvgRVCALEbAq66o/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+162.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TVW8Ncx_23b1ibKhr8C-ZTT8krou6nzmUG5lfVaZWNHRC82wKOmZ88cWxV_LMLYyONsdM7Snihm8K-OaWwKlgeUrOL0e6ofEAgKnJTsbHCRkQ23ixLHtkiAi54EryvgRVCALEbAq66o/s200/BabyGirlPictures+162.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412569056328527314" border="0" /></a>I took about a month and decided to create Baby Bird's room from scratch and I found this super-awesome fabric from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/babybirddesign">BabyBirdDesign</a> who is a true, top-notch Etsy seller. Her little red birds design can be printed on a super-soft organic sateen and absolutely rocks! It's a great mixture of fresh modern and classic cuteness. For those who have boys in their future (or just don't know), she has a ton of other unique designs (my other favorite is the sheep... how cute are they??!!).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgsxBOEy5hqa4WJYA72wkB0ne6P96Uvg9ZSmX8jjMnhU-FHlV8fcacPnBfAAfYx9UQdNE3Rqva970VSC_E4f5JZSw0CArjtVB7_ULOzjRv1C23tT4HQtX26lpctYVQ6XCP-r2vWDfBxI/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+277.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgsxBOEy5hqa4WJYA72wkB0ne6P96Uvg9ZSmX8jjMnhU-FHlV8fcacPnBfAAfYx9UQdNE3Rqva970VSC_E4f5JZSw0CArjtVB7_ULOzjRv1C23tT4HQtX26lpctYVQ6XCP-r2vWDfBxI/s200/BabyGirlPictures+277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412570168097779122" border="0" /></a><br />So, what do you think about the stuff for Baby Bird's room?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbOqIZ3PUOJKWneFL90SmdJ-XzbfWHtdQqn2_kr51RJQua6d27bap4unTRPk1x4pHZEqfDHQfKDjPV7rqwFFHvE_UuSXO77VQxI9sxnArorPxqqJasF2w0L9suXgJpctA_qvXf1gclJs/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+180.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbOqIZ3PUOJKWneFL90SmdJ-XzbfWHtdQqn2_kr51RJQua6d27bap4unTRPk1x4pHZEqfDHQfKDjPV7rqwFFHvE_UuSXO77VQxI9sxnArorPxqqJasF2w0L9suXgJpctA_qvXf1gclJs/s200/BabyGirlPictures+180.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412569070504655442" border="0" /></a><br />After Baby Bird's room got finished, I was hard-pressed to get ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas and my son's 4th birthday (holy COW!!??)... I carved a pretty cool pirate cake and decorated it... I'll be including one picture now, but I'm thinking tomorrow I might update with instructions... so check back!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Also, I'm listing a few items in my shop to help clear out some excess inventory since we weren't able to do any shows this year and it's looking weak for the early part of next year... They will be grab bag sales -- meaning HUGE discounts.... so if you want a cute burp cloth, bib or blanket at ridiculously cheap prices... check our items out!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p4qoS8WDTjwepW6JL5-VdZ_MNs6ofloFhhp1iQMIQShv7GjK_ts7ywCo-2gUDuVYCjRWh7a-w3q-RbEGPrFouaeVz6WYr091n1-GwFQW9SNkg_lZDOHSTNOQ-S2UxIxWNCzu1IQHXu0/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+174.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p4qoS8WDTjwepW6JL5-VdZ_MNs6ofloFhhp1iQMIQShv7GjK_ts7ywCo-2gUDuVYCjRWh7a-w3q-RbEGPrFouaeVz6WYr091n1-GwFQW9SNkg_lZDOHSTNOQ-S2UxIxWNCzu1IQHXu0/s200/BabyGirlPictures+174.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412569066684315570" border="0" /></a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hgfgRunR1uVD7fstoh8RJXJpC5Gm1CerGYzWcdnEhGZe-ZIVMZnMfXJ_w5uuSrfBY6gKoB4sfMBTYf-GkQydNGo_My7lO7r41t5ME4vAWWLuxctGelJzIkbMergs0PMKPjkAJ6QDnjo/s1600-h/BabyGirlPictures+160.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hgfgRunR1uVD7fstoh8RJXJpC5Gm1CerGYzWcdnEhGZe-ZIVMZnMfXJ_w5uuSrfBY6gKoB4sfMBTYf-GkQydNGo_My7lO7r41t5ME4vAWWLuxctGelJzIkbMergs0PMKPjkAJ6QDnjo/s200/BabyGirlPictures+160.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412569063842122130" border="0" /></a>Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-87357099585992638372009-06-15T16:35:00.004-04:002009-06-15T16:49:01.025-04:00Triathlon update and... LOOK... a new sink!Ok, two things today....<br /><br />First is that, unfortunately, my triathlon training is put on hold (what is up with things happening to me at the last second?)... Why? Well, I've been having some knee pain and after applying heat and resting it for a while, I decided to go to the doc when it wasn't getting any better. The doc fiddles around with my knee, makes a lot of "Mmm, hmm... uh huh" noises and then says I need to get an MRI done by an Orthopedist.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />He thinks I have a torn meniscus (cartilage inside your knee) and might need arthroscopic knee surgery.<br /><br />Oh hurrah. Can you imagine knee surgery with a three-year-old? Good god have mercy. However, seeing as I'd like to run again (heck, I'd go run right now in 95 degree heat) without massive knee pain... I'll go through with it. Jeez, the joys of getting old.<br /><br />Well, that was a downer... BUT, I do have good news... I GOT A NEW SINK!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbByv3HBHd0glSOVqvijXIyGhyphenhyphenQ-owYesn69NIbr3IsFlZVmQ-nZOvLMBz-i5FrAbQRIOkKaew2Zy-TCiiC4JB3Ku5faM6BYWOAjOY2cbJedxCf8wVgvIjRvnl1x3fTuI4ZrB7kfW2uw/s1600-h/Picture+151.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbByv3HBHd0glSOVqvijXIyGhyphenhyphenQ-owYesn69NIbr3IsFlZVmQ-nZOvLMBz-i5FrAbQRIOkKaew2Zy-TCiiC4JB3Ku5faM6BYWOAjOY2cbJedxCf8wVgvIjRvnl1x3fTuI4ZrB7kfW2uw/s320/Picture+151.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347658445915105570" border="0" /></a><br />Why on earth is that good? Well, I HATED (loathed, detested, etc) my old sink. It was cheap white porcelain that I had to scrub with clorox every few days because it stained so bad. Let me give you an example of how cheap it was -- I was washing a large glass mixing bowl when it slipped out of my hands and fell into the sink divider... I cringed, expecting to pick up broken glass, when I discovered that it wasn't my BOWL that cracked... it was the freaking sink. The sink's bottom wasn't flat, it was rounded, so you couldn't place any glass cups without them falling over (and breaking).... oh, and it was small... and we had an awful faucet that leaked constantly and was just Ugly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7lWxxAFxH_Q2YFspHOSCPgjcHfqCuOBQ_0JrrsKRDtile91DudNpln1xQnGBseEnyjyKpxQhsPc_ImA3a9KAvku0n_ajg8DmDToSkmZrAFiwotLSQHYIOW4YyROco-X_I-EssRl6YRk/s1600-h/Picture+153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7lWxxAFxH_Q2YFspHOSCPgjcHfqCuOBQ_0JrrsKRDtile91DudNpln1xQnGBseEnyjyKpxQhsPc_ImA3a9KAvku0n_ajg8DmDToSkmZrAFiwotLSQHYIOW4YyROco-X_I-EssRl6YRk/s320/Picture+153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347658733673429442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gah.</span><br /><br />Finally, we have a new one. A nice one. A fancy-schmancy one... and I am thrilled! It's black (no more staining), it's only a single bowl (so it's huge) and the bottom is flat!! Oh happy days! Plus we got a new faucet with a pull-down nozzle... Oh, I can fill my large pot with water without slopping it all over myself. I can stopper up the drain and even let pans soak in soapy water, like people intended to happen when they first thought up the concept of a sink!!! I'm in heaven!<br /><br />Ok, so I realize you don't care... but I had to tell someone! :)Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-50253577707615328482009-06-11T15:11:00.002-04:002009-06-11T15:17:48.457-04:00Triathlon Training... Day 1Alrighty ladies and gentlemen, I'm starting my training slowly... I want to see where I am with all three events separately before I see the time together. Heck, I just want to make sure I can actually *do* everything!<br /><br />I already know I can run. My best 5K time is 24 minutes but I won't get close to that in the tri... I'm just hoping for a 10 minute mile average (since running comes last), meaning my time would be 37 minutes for the 3.7 mile leg. According to last year's results, that'll put me in 11th place (for the run).<br /><br />This morning I tried the bike portion and managed to do 11.7 miles in 45 minutes -- not too bad when you consider that I haven't been on a bike since my freshman year in college (11 years ago). That puts me in the 27th spot (did I mention it was out of 33?), which isn't terribly bad. <br /><br />The bad news? I was stoked to try running after biking and I really believe that I could run the full 3.7 miles without stopping... BUT about 10 minutes in, my knee gave out. <br /><br />*sigh* <br /><br />I have an appointment to go see the doctor tomorrow to see what's wrong... I hope it's nothing that will sideline me for a large amount of time! I'll keep you updated! :)<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-77223253036626058992009-06-09T10:18:00.004-04:002009-06-09T10:27:58.576-04:00Ok, you are going to laugh...I have finally decided that I am clinically insane.<br /><br />This revelation probably does not come as a surprise to those who know me, but this turn of events should surprise even my husband. I have set up so much on my plate that Im not sure I can get it done... heres where you come in: I need you to keep me on task. <br /><br />So, what have I lined up on my plate that seems so daunting? Here goes:<br /><br />*I am redoing a guest bedroom... this entails:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">*Priming and painting the entire room (including stripes on one wall)<br />*Setting up all the new furniture and moving the old furniture out<br />*Sewing the curtains, quilt, pillows and various other items in the room<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*</span></span>We are going to DragonCon in September, so I have a few costumes Id like to get done before then... They include:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">*Padme Amidalas Corset Gown... I need to make the mermaid skirt out of both silk and burnout velvet and bead the necklace by hand.<br />*Two Starfleet uniforms... I need to find a place that does custom fabric printing in an inexpensive manner, sew the uniforms and find the pants and boots for both a man and a womans outfit<br />*Finish my Silhouette costume... I have all the parts, now I need to dye and alter them... oh, and find a wig.<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Yeah<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">, </span></span>did I mention that Im also thinking about training for a triathlon (also in September)? Holy cow.<br /><br />So, heres what Im going to do... Every few days Im going to post pictures, updates, and information and I need all my friends and watchers to give me encouragement and props to keep going. Trust me, there will be tons of pictures to share... especially of the costumes... So, stay tuned... This blog is SURE to become MEGA-active over the next few months.<br /><br />Take care all and happy reading,<br /><br />Jen<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div></div></div>Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-4676953834946011332009-06-08T00:02:00.006-04:002009-06-08T00:21:43.283-04:00Whew!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnrWAcvX6kbohTRAeplAkLPbWwhn8_peO2N6VGY_cIugGX2zwTHNqPXd_geRscUnWzypPVRTZKnrJyca3NnVH9_9yVT7f4Dhf74jFR2tl-1L8xqjbJdvZgFU1KJ5y5TEgOCHnG4l4MNg/s1600-h/Picture+129.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnrWAcvX6kbohTRAeplAkLPbWwhn8_peO2N6VGY_cIugGX2zwTHNqPXd_geRscUnWzypPVRTZKnrJyca3NnVH9_9yVT7f4Dhf74jFR2tl-1L8xqjbJdvZgFU1KJ5y5TEgOCHnG4l4MNg/s320/Picture+129.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344805091003050242" border="0" /></a><br />Ok, talk about craziness!!!<br /><br />First things first -- I didn't realize that I would be sick so often once my son went to preschool!!! I think I've been sick more times in the past six months than I have in the past five years. I even came down with the nastiest case of the flu and it took me two full weeks to get over it.<br /><br />Of course, everything had to happen in April and May, one of the busiest times of the year for our custom memory blankets! Ridiculous.<br /><br />I just wanted to pop on and let everyone know that yes, we are still operating and yes, we'll be around for a while. Because of all the various personal issues (between illnesses and funerals... which I've been to three since February), we've taken a hiatus on doing local craft shows and, as such, we have a ton of leftover items from last year. The husband has issued a decree that no new items will be made until I've cleared out last year's stuff... SO....<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >SALE TIME :)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwz3UlFjpFUssX3uRaeOK4p5LdMuigqnal1aCbH-30T9j9M1hm-X90zeAHUwlSZojLxCHqyzrO8otA6QiLjs0WRKc6RX4DJf7jRN2L-M_r6xa3yUKfNQ0Z2lNm5rZHt1IhTkhEV_sYkFA/s1600-h/Picture+096.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwz3UlFjpFUssX3uRaeOK4p5LdMuigqnal1aCbH-30T9j9M1hm-X90zeAHUwlSZojLxCHqyzrO8otA6QiLjs0WRKc6RX4DJf7jRN2L-M_r6xa3yUKfNQ0Z2lNm5rZHt1IhTkhEV_sYkFA/s320/Picture+096.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344803952160631602" border="0" /></a><br />Yup, sale time... and a great sale, too. I'm starting off with burp cloths, though I'll be adding bibs and blankets later on this week. The sale is as follows:<br /><br />*Grab Bags -- Buy three burp cloths for $9 (retail price $16.50)<br />*Free shipping on orders over $40<br />*All orders over $100 will receive a free gift (valued at no less than $20)<br /><br />Oh, and check out a few of our custom tshirt memory quilts that we did for graduating seniors!Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-42365598657573557612009-03-30T19:27:00.004-04:002009-03-30T19:32:49.431-04:00Operation Princess Project Fire Sale InfoHey all! :)<br /><br />Yesterday I promised some updates on XL106.7's fire sale of prom/special occasion dresses and here's the information.<br /><br />Date: April 4th<br />Time: 10 am - 1 pm (volunteers should get there at 9 am)<br />Place: Maitland Forum Building<br />2600 Lake Lucien DriveSuite 115<br />Maitland FL 32751 (on first floor, left side of building)<br /><br />What is it: Essentially, the morning show will be offering the leftover prom dresses (there are some really awesome finds here, ladies) for a <strong>$5 CASH donation</strong>. You cannot try them on, but think of the resale possibilities -- most of these dresses would sell for way more than $5 on Ebay. Heck, there are even some vintage finds in there for you vintage sellers on Etsy.<br /><br />More information can be found on their website --<a href="http://www.xl1067.com/pages/opp.html"> XL 106.7 Operation Princess Project</a><br /><br />I'll be there, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, at 9 am... I hope to see some of you guys there :)<br /><br />Jen<br /><br />PS: I just received a new custom order and I can't wait to post pictures :) :) :)Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-75949541436046268022009-03-28T22:11:00.003-04:002009-03-28T22:24:53.485-04:00What a great Saturday :)Hey all, I'm back (yeah, yeah, woo hoo, I know ;) )...<br /><br />Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about the volunteer work I did today -- I had a blast! I helped out XL 106.7's morning show -- Johnny and Jayde (which I have listened to since it was Doc and Johnny... wayyyy back in the day) -- and their 2nd annual Operation Princess Project. It's an event, started last year, where people donate their good condition prom/special occasion dresses and young ladies are invited (from all over Central Florida) to come, try on dresses and choose one for free... Prom is such an essential part of the full high school experience (though, heaven knows, I primarily disliked my high school experiences) and this type of charity event helps many ladies that, otherwise, wouldn't be able to afford to go.<br /><br />I got there at 8 am today -- the actual event was from 10 am until 1 pm -- and was pretty surprised to see a line had been forming since around 6:30 am... Amazing! That said, it was pretty crazy -- literally hundreds of teenage girls showed up to try on dresses (some of them *I* seriously wanted) and the vast majority of them left thrilled. It was really great to see the looks on their faces when they got to leave with *the* perfect dress. Completely rewarding :).<br /><br />I was also really impressed with the entire morning show team -- they were all fantastic.<br /><br />I also wanted to mention that, if you're in the Orlando area... they had a ton of dresses left over (really, really nice dresses) and next Saturday (April 4th) they will be allowing people to come in and purchase the dresses for a $5 donation to their Baby DJ fund (their Christmas fund that purchases gifts and distributes them to needy children throughout Central Florida). You won't be able to try on the dresses, but getting great condition special occasion dresses for $5 each cannot be beat! I'll be there volunteering next week, so come on by and check them out.<br /><br />I'll update it with more information, or you can check out their website -- <a href="http://www.xl1067.com">XL 106.7</a>.<br /><br />Take care all and have a great day :)<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-10125239645613047832009-03-10T18:32:00.003-04:002009-03-10T18:34:07.288-04:00Has it really been that long?Wow, that's all I can say... it's really been a whirlwind month or so. Between my aunt's passing, my son getting sick and our vacation, I completely forgot about this blog.<br /><br />Anyway, our vacation was awesome! We went skiing up in Beech Mountain, NC -- Aidan's first time seeing snow (and boy, did it ever snow). I'll write more about it later, when I don't have an anxious toddler hanging on my back.<br /><br />Take care all! :)<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-88897353326142224992009-02-14T18:28:00.002-05:002009-02-14T18:33:17.914-05:00Holy cowtastic!Ok, first, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone :)...<br /><br />Second... my son is SICK AGAIN! I cannot believe this, it's starting to get ridiculous. My son has had a grand total of two colds in his entire three years of existence... then we start sending him to a part-time preschool and his immune system freaks out. It's not like he's never been exposed to germs -- I take him out, to play groups, to Chuck E Cheese, etc, all the time!!<br /><br />In the past month he's had:<br /><br />*A really nasty cold (which he kindly gifted to me)<br />*An ear infection, that he got on the tail end of the nasty cold<br />*A nasty stomach virus (which he received from the husband and is still suffering some side effects from)<br /><br />and, now, ANOTHER ear infection. <br /><br />I'll have to give good ol'doc a call on Monday to straighten this out -- maybe I'll have to keep him out of school and quiet for a week to build up his immune system. Keeping him out of school won't be hard, it's the quiet part that I'll have some trouble with.<br /><br />Anyway, I won't be around for a while... I've got to battle with the child, wish me luck!Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-78522863029918485122009-02-09T13:27:00.004-05:002009-02-09T22:17:11.139-05:00I have a serious problem with books...It's one of the reasons why I don't read that often, or really I should say that I don't read new books that often... I can't stop reading. I don't think I read books so much as devour them. I'm a fast reader but I completely involve myself to the point that I cannot hear what else is going on in the room around me (drives the husband INSANE) and I literally can't put it down. I can be reading a book, look up and see that it's 5 am with no problems at all.<br /><br />Anyway, after my aunt passed away I needed something to take my mind off of everything, so I decided to start a new series -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Twilight</span> by Stephenie Meyer. I'm a HUGE (understatement) fan of the Harry Potter series, so I figured that Twilight would be able to hold my attention. Then again, I wasn't really planning on reading the series until I stood in Target and saw the book was $8 on sale.<br /><br />Done.<br /><br />So, four days later I'm done with all four books (yes, even <span style="font-weight: bold;">Breaking Dawn</span> ... I told you I was fast) and I have some thoughts on them.<br /><br />First, I love the series. Yes, yes, I know... it's very teeny-bopper-ish, but it was captivating and fun. I can absolutely understand where people (ahem... Stephen King) are coming from when they say she's not a great writer. Rowling, who wrote <span style="font-style: italic;">Harry Potter</span>), started off a little weak but (in the course of her writing) developed into a fascinating writer with a very involved storyline (quite a few extra characters). She managed to weave in mythology, theology and science without batting an eyelash and she made it work.<br /><br />Stephenie Meyer did not (cannot?) do that with her series. They are very simply written -- told exclusively from the protaganist's point-of-view -- and cover only a few essential characters. The rest aren't really woven into the tapestry of the book and they seem like place holders or a means-to-an-end instead of flesh-and-blood characters (kind of like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet, as Meyer likes to draw on Shakespearean references, except she treats all characters this way except the main Cullen clan, Bella and Jacob... even Bella's father doesn't necessarily seem as fleshed out as he could be).<br /><br />NOW, that being said, that woman can sure as heck write a captivating story. It's a story that literally had my teeth clenched together during the final scenes of Breaking Dawn. Her straightforward, teen-finding-herself-while-falling-in-love-with-a-vampire story is truly addictive and I found I simply couldn't put it down. Yes, it's definitely written for a younger audience and yes, it is written for women (my husband is a huge Potter fan but he wouldn't be interested in this), but it's romantic and fun. <br /><br />I'll also say that I simply don't see what certain people are saying about this book -- by that I mean that it's a negative influence on girls. I can see *certain* points... but most are simply ludicrous. I consider myself a feminist and if you can find fault here, you'll find fault with every Disney movie ever made. Yes, Bella isn't a strong female protagonist (neither are Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Jasmine... etc... etc...). Many times she made me want to bang my head into the wall, but she's a teenage girl filled with doubt and coddling a low self-esteem. *Most* teenage girls are like that. I can see how many teenagers envision themselves in the character of Bella Swan (definitely more so than I can, as with age comes wisdom). Yes, she does rely on people saving her a bit too much in the first three books, but I feel she redeems herself in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Breaking Dawn</span> -- the final book was truly about Bella coming into her own, so to say... gaining wisdom, intelligence and self-esteem in the process.<br /><br />I can't see, however, how people can interpret Bella and Edward's relationship as 'abusive.' Yes, Edward is overprotective... he's a vampire, folks, and doesn't want to see Bella hurt. He will do anything, including leave her, to make sure she's never hurt again. Overly romanticized portrayal of men? Of *course*, it's a fairy tale (like Meyer aludes to quite a bit throughout the series). It's the same kind of portrayal as the classic "knight in shining armor" or "prince charming." Should girls take this to mean that their future mate be a KiSA? They might for a while, but reality will set it. If girls start setting higher goals, though, for their future mates... is that a bad thing? We may not expect them to write piano concertos for us, but we can still expect them to open doors and show chivalry (it is *not* anti-feminist to expect a man to open a door... it's simple manners, folks). It's not male chauvinist, it's chivalry. <br /><br />Can you see which one (Edward vs. Jacob) I like better?<br /><br />I think that many critics need to realize the audience this was written for. They need to think back to their teenage years, without the veil of older wisdom, and see the girls there. They need to look at the series as a whole -- Bella, starting off weak, impotent, fearful, powerless, who gains strength, power, wisdom and pride. Does it set a bad precedent -- that a girl will be devastated without a man? Think back -- we are all devastated when romantic relationships end and it's especially potent in high school. Nobody should think they they have to live without "a man" (as in, someone), but there's nothing wrong with feeling grief, sadness and overpowering anguish when the 'love of your life' is gone.<br /><br />I also disagree with one of my favorite authors, Stephen King, calling her out publically. If he doesn't like the writing, that's fine, but don't broadcast it to the masses. I understand he has a point, but it's still rude. I can even understand if he was writing a review of something, but he was at a random press event. Plus, there's something about writers criticizing other writers (like a lawyer talking smack about the lawyer down the road... seems... unprofessional) that bothers me. Meyer didn't read vampire stuff, but I like the way she recrafted vampires instead of sticking to the tried-and-true, formulaic vampires from older books. I love Ann Rice, but we don't need "Interview of a Vampire" to be the be-all, end-all depiction of vampires.<br /><br />Anyway, enough of my rambling. I give the series 4.5 stars and a thumbs up. It's easy reading (as it's not too involved, neither the storyline nor the writing) but a fascinating and entertaining story. If you're a woman, you should pick it up. I think you'll like it ;).<br /><br />Jen<br /><br />PS: As far as how readers should be... well, that all depends on the 'adultness' of the child. There are strong sexual overtones, but they are all done off camera, and the sensual scenes are well written without being graphic. I couldn't have read it if it talked like a normal romance (read: brain garbage) novel. If your child is younger, say eight or so, I'd recommend talking with them about the book -- asking them their opinions on the characters, the events, and so on. It's a good way to open a dialogue into the things they think Bella could have done better in the first few books.<br /><br />PPS: Hey, Stephenie Meyer... if you're reading this, please hurry Midnight Sun. ;)<br /><br />PPPS: WHAT? You've stopped writing Midnight Sun, indefinitely??? NNOOoOOoOOOoOOOooOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />That's ridiculously unfair. Yes, yes, I know what happened is wrong and ridiculously unfair to you, Meyer, and I feel horrible that it happened.... it sucks and I hope you get some sort of reprisal... but your fans love you -- they didn't mean for the first part of the rough draft to be released. I'll admit, I read it on your website and it was AWESOME. It's killing me inside knowing that I'll never be able to read the rest.<br /><br />Please try to write it for your fans. Please?Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-50002630382416129912009-02-01T16:34:00.005-05:002009-02-01T16:40:56.286-05:00You know what's not an enjoyable alarm clock?I just thought I'd start off the blog post with my wonderful alarm clock this morning -- the sound of my husband throwing up at 6 am. Yeah, that's not a great way to wake up on a Sunday. He's got some sort of stomach virus and he's been laid up all day today, poor guy.<br /><br />We need some sort of well wishes our way -- I don't think my household has seen the sunny side of "healthy" in a month.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l04PZOWVvmQI0dgdbNw1kkQiUyK04nnRJOBblU6Neh7J4L6Pys2-EQFlnMs8UCFzLcIVfCItXSeymkC54JiA52HGJqVFaZx9fvQWKN8tmTRGSyIwAK8CBiKTFbs_d9B7wfm5WAH48zc/s1600-h/MadeByMoms+255.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l04PZOWVvmQI0dgdbNw1kkQiUyK04nnRJOBblU6Neh7J4L6Pys2-EQFlnMs8UCFzLcIVfCItXSeymkC54JiA52HGJqVFaZx9fvQWKN8tmTRGSyIwAK8CBiKTFbs_d9B7wfm5WAH48zc/s200/MadeByMoms+255.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297946232771117474" border="0" /></a>Speaking of months... February is starting off with a bang. I think I've had as many items sold in these past few days as I've sold in the past six months (including Christmas). Absolutely amazing!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3WqgkhdZj7RZMR2lBlKIPW9AzL4XjCk4iA3FBR8PeNmNzAppXGPAUSV3jtzdnDtSO2wUaeMatO6g37JncdRqSs6IiQe6xfRPHFX6DvwDmGZTn3mxO2mkqEVyWGolV5DGkQyL9Ydq2xc/s1600-h/MadeByMoms+245.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3WqgkhdZj7RZMR2lBlKIPW9AzL4XjCk4iA3FBR8PeNmNzAppXGPAUSV3jtzdnDtSO2wUaeMatO6g37JncdRqSs6IiQe6xfRPHFX6DvwDmGZTn3mxO2mkqEVyWGolV5DGkQyL9Ydq2xc/s200/MadeByMoms+245.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297946936742961458" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and my items? I put our Valentine's Day blanket up on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20494243">Etsy</a> and Art Fire this morning. I think it's awesome -- a large minky blanket with red applique hearts. It can be personalized with whatever saying you so choose -- let me know what you think about it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I'll be adding a whole schmeal of stuff in the next few days -- burp cloths, bibs, blankets... awesome stuff, so check back often :)</span><br /></div>Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-28205427174566924652009-02-01T08:07:00.002-05:002009-02-01T08:16:40.661-05:00WOO HOO, A battle is won but the fight rages on!Ok, so we won a small part in the fight amending the CPSIA. The CPSC has delayed implementation of the CPSIA for one year pending further review of exemptions and potential changes.<br /><br />Don't think that this is over yet, though, campers. We still need to fight for common sense changes to this law -- allowing small businesses to use their supplier's testing certificates, for example -- and one of the best ways is to support Senator Jim DeMint's new bill he's introducing to the Senate. You can read about it <a href="http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=JimsJournal.Detail&Blog_ID=295d58b2-b6fe-c446-1432-24b6199424ed">here. </a><br /><br />In a nutshell, it:<br /><br />** delays the CPSIA for six months so everyone can get their ducks in a row<br />** allows businesses to use component testing from their suppliers in leu of final product testing<br />** exempts yard sales, resellers and second-hand stores<br />** forces the CPSC to give all small businesses clear guidance on how to completely comply with the legislation<br /><br />As you can see, it eliminates virtually all of the complaints small businesses had against the CPSIA without actually weakening the requirements. Handmade items will still be 100% safe because they are using suppliers who test while big manufacturers still must adhere to the strict lead testing laws. I can't see ONE flaw in this and I urge EVERYONE to PLEASE contact your Representatives, especially your Senators, and ask them to support DeMint's bill.<br /><br />Here is a copy of my letter to Senator Bill Nelson:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I am writing to ask you to please support Senator DeMint's upcoming bill amending the CPSIA. His bill includes common-sense solutions to many problems small businesses like my own are facing without weakening the overall intent of the bill. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In a nutshell, it accomplishes the following objectives:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*Delays implementation for six months while all the issues are worked out</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*Allows small businesses to use their suppliers lead testing certificates in leu of testing.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*Exempts second-hand stores and resellers</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*Prevents retroactive enforcement of the act, allowing us to sell off the old stock instead of dumping it in the trash</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*Forces the CPSC to give small businesses a "compliance guide" which spells out what the government requires of them</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As you can see, that provides relief and certainty to small businesses faced with extinction from the CPSIA. It allows the Goodwill to still serve the needy population without fear of reprisals. It allows handmade artisans to use their suppliers certificates (almost every single supplier of mine already tests), which eliminates the costly duplicative testing and it gives us a set of guidelines to follow so we can actually obey the intent of the law.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">All of this is done without weakening the effects of the law on the most egregious offenders. They will still be forced to test while small businesses are allowed to continue to provide safe, high-quality alternatives to mass-produced junk.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Please, please support Jim DeMint's legislation. It's, perhaps, the most common sense piece of legislation to come out of Capital Hill in a long time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you for your attention to this matter,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Jennifer Vetere</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Made By Moms</span><br /><br />If you want, use that as a form letter... copy and paste it to your Senators. We're not out of the clear yet, but at least it appears there's one Senator who understands!<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-37258114427794996632009-01-30T16:18:00.003-05:002009-01-30T16:20:44.374-05:00Huge Liquidation Sale... CPSIAHey all! I'm starting my huge liquidation sale today. It sort of depresses me but it doesn't look like anything will be done before February 10th, so I might as well start selling off stuff now.<br /><br />Everything I have will be thrown up online in the coming days. The savings on certain items (only certain items) will be 50% or more -- even on my popular Take-Me-Too blankets. <br /><br />I reserve the right, if there are changes to the CPSIA, to pull these prices... so if you see something you like at a price you like, buy it quickly before I change my mind ;).<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-52397272012700180822009-01-28T20:08:00.003-05:002009-01-28T21:06:15.614-05:00CPSIA Blog In -- What it means to you!I've spoken a couple of times about the CPSIA and its effects on my business... but I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about how the CPSIA affects everyone. Not just me, not just you, but virtually anyone who lives in the United States. Take a second and become informed -- write your representatives and tell them you are worried about the impacts. Without Americans standing up and demanding change nothing will happen and you *will* be affected.<br /><br />So, what is it?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was approved by Congress and signed into law in September of 2008. It states that, on February 10th, all children's items sold (all items intended for children under 12 years of age) must meet "acceptable" levels of lead -- 600 ppm. In August, that number will drop to 300 ppm. As it is retroactive, it applies to everything that HAS been made and everything that will be made.</span><br /><br />Ok, but I don't make anything for children... so I'm not affected, right? Well... no... Let's take a second and see who IS affected by this legislation:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you purchase handmade items?</span><br /><br />If you purchase handmade items, or items created by a small-scale manufacturer, you will see your options completely disappear come the 10th. Why? As the testing for lead is placed solely on the shoulders of the manufacturer (regardless of whether a supplier has already tested for lead), the costs for small-scale businesses will be astronomical. No handmade artisan can afford the testing (which runs $75 per component of the final product). As they cannot afford to test, as the law dictates, they will be forced to shut their doors. You will no longer be able to find handmade items on Etsy, Ebay, Art Fire or in your local craft fairs for children unless they are in direct violation of the law, which carries severe penalties.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you visit libraries?</span><br /><br />It's not just handmade that's being affected -- as the law covers *anything* that's made for children it includes books. Libraries loan children's books, so they are liable for the mandatory testing as well. No library would be able to afford the cost of testing every book in their children's library so they will be faced with tough choices. They can either ban children from the library, test all children's books or thoroughly eliminate their children's section. As libraries will not be able to afford the testing the most logical consequence is that you'll see children's sections disappear.<br /><br />Perhaps your child will appreciate War and Peace instead of the Berenstein Bears.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you shop in second-hand stores?<br /><br /></span>Do you, out of choice or necessity, visit the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or one of the countless other second-hand store<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>s for your shopping needs? If so, you might just be affected. Second-hand stores, while under no strict obligation to test, still must be sure that the items they're selling for children are free of lead. They are just as liable as the original manufacturer if they sell something lead-tainted -- including vintage children's clothing. <br /><br />Again, like the libraries, second-hand stores are faced with few good options. They can stop accepting donations of children's items, they can test or they accept the possibility that they could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the words of the CPSC's former spokeswoman, they don't have to test... but they have to be sure the stuff they're selling is free of lead. Many second-hand stores will stop carrying children's items to avoid facing this kind of liability.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you support charities like Project Linus (a charity that accepts handmade blankets to give to sick children in hospitals)?</span><br /><br />As the CPSIA applies to all things traded, loaned, sold or given away, logic would dictate that as it affect libraries, it will, too, affect charities. Perhaps we can all give some great made-in-China blankets to sick children instead of lovingly-handmade quilts.<br /><br />Yeah.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the end, the CPSIA affects you if</span>: you've ever borrowed a children's book from a library, ever visited a children's story time hour at the library, plan on borrowing a children's book from the library, bought anything from a second-hand store, will buy anything from a second-hand store, appreciate handmade items, purchase organic (since many makers of organic items are handmade, small businesses), care about the economy (this will shut the doors of thousands of small businesses) or, essentially, live in the United States and are a parent/aunt/godparent/grandparent/etc of a child.<br /><br />Please, please take the time to demand Congress and the CPSC amend the law. Ending lead in children's products is GREAT, but the law is poorly written and overly broad. It casts too wide of a net to catch the fish (essentially, cheaply made crap from overseas) and will destroy businesses where many of the owners are work-at-home mothers. <br /><br />Take care everyone!Made By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-12096130520176810802009-01-28T12:13:00.004-05:002009-01-28T12:54:46.707-05:00My husband is defective, can I return him? and other musings...Some musings from the desk...<br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">I'm finally over the "big sick"</span> !! Yay :)... What started way back on the 18th has finally reached its conclusion and everyone in the Made By Moms' household is finally better. Goodness, that took forever!<br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">Something happens to me in September </span>-- I stop exercising... I'm not sure why, it could be the busy nature of the following three months (all three of our birthdays, our anniversary, my parents' anniversary, and three major holidays), or it could be the cold... but I stop running. Well, I started running this week and I feel AMAZING! I ran a personal best in the 5k -- 28 minutes -- and went 2.25 miles today in 20 minutes (before I stopped to go and lift weights). Holy cow, I forgot how good this feels!!! <br /><br />*<span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm running my first "official" 5 k at 9 am on Valentine's day. Wish me luck!</span> I have a goal of making it in 25 minutes... I have my finger's crossed.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">My husband is, indeed, defective</span>. I've wondered about it for years now but this morning I got official confirmation. I think a part of his brain is missing somewhere (he probably forgot it) because he is *so* oblivious. What did he do this time?<br /><br />Well... we'll start by explaining that he's an eye doctor -- that's how we met (I know, sweet right? lol). I wanted to get a pair of prescription sunglasses and the frame rep gave me a great price on a pair of Brinkley sunglasses so I decided to get polarized lenses. To make a long story short, the lab who did my polarization screwed it up and it makes me nauseous. I need my husband to take the glasses back with him to work so the optician can send them back to the lab to fix their mistake.<br /><br />Sounds easy, right?<br /><br />Not with <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> husband. I repeatedly remind him, only to find the sunglass case left on the kitchen counter each morning. I even put the sunglass case next to his keys, but it's been two full weeks and he hasn't brought them in. Last night I got the ingenious idea to actually stick his wallet INSIDE the sunglass case (it was sticking out slightly) and put his keys underneath the case.<br /><br />What does my defective husband do? He takes the wallet OUT of the sunglass case, closes it, removes his keys from underneath and <span style="font-weight: bold;">LEAVES IT ON THE COUNTER</span>. Seriously, he's defective. <br /><br />*<span style="font-weight: bold;">We're getting closer and closer to February 10th, when I'll have to close my doors.</span> It's making me a bit sad, but I'm getting frustrated at the attitude on the Etsy boards. What started out as a "let's band together and help each other out" has become a finger-pointing, venomous diatribe where people are starting to call others out for closing their doors/staying open.<br /><br />Look, that type of attitude will get us nowhere. We need to support one another and stop labeling. Calm down, everyone.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with the CPSIA, I'm going to be doing a piece on it later where I answer the most frequently asked questions to the best of my ability. <br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">My son is becoming a big boy.</span> He started his second week of preschool and hasn't cried ONCE this week!! It's amazing to see the changes in him in just a few days. Plus, he's made me three necklaces in three days... so my jewelry collection is expanding at an unheard-of rate ;) I'll post some pictures of my beautiful creations tomorrow -- he's a budding designer :). I truly, truly love the preschool I found for him. It's five days a week, three hours a day -- that's perfect for my son's temperment. He couldn't deal with the day on, day off routine of most part-time preschools, so I'm pleased. His teachers are wonderful and they have a child-to-teacher ratio of 7-to-1, which is world's better than those daycares-disguised-as-preschools with a 15-to-1 ratio. Can you imagine having to take care of <span style="font-weight: bold;">15 three-year-olds?</span> Holy cow, one is enough... 15 is a free-for-all. Plus, it's a Montessori and I love how he's learning by doing... he's having fun, refining his gross motor skills and learning to add by the simple process of playing with blocks. I *heart* Montessori :).<br /><br />Anyway, not only is he going to preschool, but he's finally pooping on the potty! Oh my, you wouldn't know the struggle we've had over that. He's three years old and has been going number 1 on the potty for around4 months, but the number 2 has remained elusive. I've ignored him going poop in his underwear for 4 months (when I ditched all the daytime diapers)... it's so nice not to have to clean up poopy pants for once. *sigh*<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Well, that's about it from my desk</span>... my son has had enough of entertaining himself, so now it's time for his nap. I look forward to talking with everyone again, soon :)<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-55456741865069422562009-01-26T13:46:00.003-05:002009-01-26T13:49:20.740-05:00Yay, our interview is on the air!I'm so excited, I can barely concentrate (it's either the excitement, the throbbing headache or the fact that I still am not 100%)!!<br /><br />The interview with Carrie from Natural Moms' Talk Radio Show is up on her website.<br /><br />Please, please read and listen -- I hope I did everyone justice. I was starting to come down with my cold when she called (and I was away from my notes), so please don't be too brutal :).<br /><br /><a href="http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/the-cpsia-and-you/">Here it is!</a><br /><br />Enjoy! :)<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812306052358086543.post-64642375958942437292009-01-21T18:50:00.000-05:002009-01-21T18:52:25.431-05:00I have a bad case of the sick...Yay... I have officially come down with a bad case of the sick -- right when my son gets to go to Montessori for the first week.<br /><br />Blergh.<br /><br />I just wanted to let everyone know that I was interviewed for the radio show last night over the phone and Carrie said it should be up on Monday. I'll provide the link so everyone can listen in. Until then, I bid you adieu until I feel better.<br /><br />Take care all<br /><br />JenMade By Momshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13489065381594232601noreply@blogger.com2