Valentines Day Gifts

I couldn't help but share these awesome Valentines Day ideas.

Isn't this cute? This would definitely be used at our house since it seems like someone is always falling or getting hurt. Click here for the link.

And how about these bracelets?? We might just be making some of these this weekend. Click here for the link.

Have a great Valentines Day!

Holiday Wishes!

I hope each one of you has a wonderful Holiday season!

My Etsy shop will be closed until January 3rd as we celebrate the Holiday together with family.

Looking forward to an exciting new year filled with new possibilities!

Sending warm wishes from our family to yours~

Giving Thanks

This is such a wonderful post on giving thanks during this season that I had to share it with everyone. Made me rethink quite a bit how I view normal everyday events. Click here to read more.

Hope you enjoy it too. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

~Beth

Holiday Gifts

I realize my last post was about Halloween and now I'm writing about Christmas, but I came across some great handmade holiday gift ideas and couldn't wait to share them with you.

Please check out this post here at Simple Organic for more details.

And for those of you that like to sew, check out Sew Mama Sew's blog here. There are great handmade gifts you can create for teachers, students, pets, etc.

Hope your Holiday season is off to a great start!

Time To Celebrate!

Hope you had a wonderful and safe Fourth of July! I don't know about you, but we were very much reminded of how blessed we are to have our freedom because of the brave ~ something we take for granted way too much. When it comes down to it, that's what this special holiday is all about. The message just sometimes gets lost amidst all the barbeques, fests, drinking, and socializing.

Our kids asked a lot of questions this year, but Jonas was way more interested in how fireworks are made more than anything else. Hoping next year he'll be pondering the signifigance of the holiday more, but what can you expect from an inquisitive four year-old that's got a mechanic's mind like his Dad's. :)

My sister and I got to spend a great morning together rummaging through a local flea market. I found some great vintage tableclothes that I couldn't pass up. Once I figure out how I'm going to repurpose them, I'll post pictures of my projects.

Then we made our Fourth of July cake. It definitely was a team effort: I made it, Doug baked it, and the kids decorated it. Gotta love it! The finishing touch was the sparkler candles!

We finished our night with a great display of fireworks. They really were beautiful. But what seemed most beautiful to me was all the people, all so very different and all in varying stages of life, brought together in community to celebrate.

A Special Holiday

Just wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a great Memorial Day. I hope you get a chance to spend time with loved ones over this special holiday.

Our Waffle Maker Bit the Dust

Happy Easter Everyone!

Hope you are rejoicing in this special day with friends and family.

Our Easter morning started early at 6:30am (yawn). The kids had a blast finding all of the hidden eggs and tearing their Easter baskets apart. Then came time for our family's favorite breakfast ~ homemade waffles and sooce. I know you're probably wondering what the heck sooce is. It's a sauce we put over the waffles, a simple syrup you make on the stovetop. My mom's family is from Belgium and this recipe has been passed down from the generations above. A tried and true tradition that holds lots of memories from my own childhood. Enough said about sooce!

Upon turning on our waffle maker this morning, we heard a couple of crackles and then a foul smoke started pouring out from the bottom. When the sparks starting flying, we knew it was time to unplug the thing. It was very sad as this waffle maker has been a huge part of our family breakfasts for the past ten years. We received it as a wedding present and it's been a staple in our home.

How ironic that the thing blew up one month before we celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary. But it just reinforces that "things" don't last forever and they don't make the memories. We make the memories.

So we ended up having paffles (our attempt at turning this into a positive fun experience!). Doug used the waffle mix and made them into pancakes on the stove. The kids still loved them and gobbled them up.

I guess our search for a new waffle maker will start soon!

Easter Gifts

I realize Easter isn't until the beginning of April, but I like to start planning now for Easter baskets. I promise I'm not obsessive compulsive and I'm not that well organized. There's a couple of reasons for this.

1. I've found myself unprepared way too many times in the past and have actually learned from this mistake. I've discovered that when you have children (especially under the age of five), unexpected things do happen so you don't always get to do what you want when you want. I guess it's that whole act of "self-sacrifice" when you have children.

2. If I wait until the last minute all of the good stuff is gone and I'm stuck with buying junk that happens to be at the store I'm at during that moment. You know what I mean. The junk that falls apart within it's first couple of uses. The junk that they really could care less about.

3. If I plan in advance, my creativity tends to be at it's best. I have more time to think about my children's actual likes and interests - what makes them tick, what makes them excited. There's actual thought put behind each gift.

So here's what I've gotten so far:

~window chalk. This is in the Crayola aisle usually and is in the form of a roll-on stick. My kids love to paint on our patio glass doors and decorate all of our windows for each Holiday. I know these will keep them entertained while encouraging their artsy spirit.

~gum. My kids LOVE gum, which is kind of funny because my husband and I never chew it. They think it's the greatest so each kid will get their own pack of gum.

~Highlights magazine. My kids can't get enough of this magazine. We have a subscription (thanks to Grammy), but you can get a single issue at Borders. I'm a Borders reward member (which is free) so I get 30% coupons in my email once a week. They have even come out with a puzzle & hidden pictures edition that is really neat that I plan to use my coupon on. My kids like to do these in the car or at restaurants.

~books thanks to Scholastic. My kids always bring home Scholastic book orders and there's always several books listed for $1-$3 (plus there's no shipping).

~character & holiday socks. I've found lots of cute ones in the Target dollar spot section.

~art/craft supplies from Michaels. They always have 40% coupons so stock up on pipe cleaners, markers, glittery stuff, etc.

~and candy, of course!

Please leave me a comment if you have any other suggestions.

Holiday Wishes

I have really neglected blogging this past month. I would normally feel really bad and guilty about this, but not this time. See, I realized several weeks ago that I had to let some areas go this Holiday season. This was a big thing for me as I'm a "to-do list maker", awesome time management scheduler, and the perfect example of a mom that tries to do too much. I was starting to get stressed before the Holidays even started approaching. What a huge difference this little change has made.

I've been able to fulfill all my handbag orders for Christmas delivery without much stress. I've been able to bake cookies with my kids, build a snowman, make gingerbread houses, and still have time to shop for extra special presents to give to my family. I've also gotten to just hang out with friends (long overdue) and laugh.

Now my son has a cold, but this hasn't put me over the edge because I've already carved the time out. I've already established my priorities. I've been able to enjoy what the season is truly about - spending time with loved ones and remembering the signifigance of a single baby's birth on Christmas morning.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Holiday season. My shop (& blog) will be back full force after the New Year. Thank you for helping make 2009 such a wonderful year for Camille Star. I can't wait to see what 2010 brings!

Have a blessed New Year~

Holiday Weekend Fun

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I know we sure did. We spent one morning raspberry picking at a local farm and had a blast. You just can't beat fresh picked fruit in season. The kids' motto was "one for me, one for the container". Jonas couldn't wait to make a smoothie either when we got home. I turned around to see this and couldn't help but snap a shot:

We also camped out in our backyard. This is so much fun if you have younger kids and don't feel like messing around with an actual campsite and holiday crowds (added bonus is that you get to use your own bathroom!). We made smores, read books by camplight, and played bingo. It was a little chilly around 3am but we made it all night. Jonas woke us all up bright and early at 6am. There is one downside to camping, the sun is a natural alarm clock!

Here's pics of Doug putting up the tent with his two little helpers. Jonas has his working goggles on, of course. And there's an audience with front row seats. Camille thought they'd be interested in the whole set-up process.

MIA

I've been missing in action from blogging for awhile and am glad to be back. I've learned several things during the past couple of weeks.

1. Children's elbow bones dislocate very easily (especially when a 5 yr. old is challenged to pull a 3 yr. old's arm as hard as she can). Fixed after a very expensive emergency room visit.

2. Best Buy is not the "best" place to purchase a computer, and their customer service is definitely not the "best". We are now on our third laptop after the first one had a hard drive crash, and the 2nd one had video hardware issues (not to mention it was dropped by a Best Buy employee). Very interesting experience!

3. My birthday is no longer fun for me. I always look forward to it with much anticipation and then feel let down when the actual day comes. That childhood excitement and surprise is gone. I now have more fun being the "surpriser" and making my family's birthdays special. I wonder if this is how my Mom felt when we were growing up???

4. Baby teeth can fall out before you are even in kindergarten. Camille lost two baby teeth, and she's still four years old. We were getting concerned because the teeth were loose for over a month and the new ones were rapidly growing behind them (almost the same height!). One finally came out with the help of an apple, and the other required a visit to the dentist. She got a novocaine shot and didn't even cry. What a trooper!

4. I've been reminded of how much I love Summer through my children. We've been enjoying spending time together, hanging with friends, playing at parks, running through the sprinkler, picking strawberries and making jam, eating picnic lunches. Jonas and Camille are so much fun. I'm so blessed to be able to stay at home with them and do life with them everyday. I get to watch them learn new things, try different experiences and become their own individuals. It's really awesome.

Now I've finished with my last two home trunk shows and will be adding more bags to my Etsy shop this week. Thanks for being so patient and hope you're enjoying your Summer!

All Caught Up

The past several weeks have been a whirlwind around our house. Not only did I have three handbag parties within 30 days, Doug also had a huge amount of overtime as his company recently acquired several new golf courses. We were thankful for the extra work and all that comes with it, but it will be nice to slow things down a bit for April. I'm happy to say all of my orders are finished, and Doug's hours are getting a little more tolerable. It makes life a lot easier to deal with when you can actually get about 7 hours of sleep at night!

So, we are enjoying the Easter holiday weekend and looking forward to spending relaxing time with family. Camille and Jonas are ecstatic about the Easter Bunny's visit to our house tonight, and I can't wait to see their faces in the morning. They had so much fun coloring and decorating the eggs today. I love looking at things through my children's eyes sometimes. I'm reminded of the innocence, fun, and excitement of childhood.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful Easter!

Just Passing It Along

Just wanted to pass along some helpful information. I just learned this little tidbit about a year ago, and wish someone had told me sooner. I'm constantly burning myself in the kitchen. So it was nothing new when I burned my hand yesterday on our waffle iron. But see, I know this special trick. I immediately put honey on it and threw a bandaid over top (so the honey soaks in).

Yes, honey! I know it sounds weird, but I swear it works. I've done it many, many, many times. For some reason, the honey cools off the skin (faster than cold water), minimizes the burn, and reduces the pain significantly. It was a pretty bad burn and now I only have a small red mark as a reminder.

Just thought I'd share this in case you're just as klutzy as me around hot stuff.

Back to Work

I hope this note finds you in a happy, healthy new year! We're home from our holiday travels and settling back into our routine. I've finally sorted through all the mail, finished with the piles of laundry, and packed away the holiday decorations. My house is somewhat in order so I'm ready to start sewing again! But. . . . I've realized several important things during the past several weeks.

See, I'm wonderful at time management. It's one of my few gifts that is a blessing and a curse at the same time. I can get twice as much done in a day than the typical person. However, during my crossing-off-the-to-do-list, I lose sight of small, precious moments. Moments with my family, just hanging out, watching a movie, reading a book and not being able to put it down because it's so good, getting sucked into a challenging puzzle. The holidays helped me take stock, refresh, and look foward to some "new beginnings".

I have several "new beginnings" that I'm making a priority for 2009. Beginnings that don't include making more money, earning more success, or getting the most done in a day. Mine are much more special and will hopefully make me a better person, wife, and mother.

Happy New Year!!

Many Blessings

I tried to reflect throughout the day of all that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving and my list was like conversation whiplash ~ ever hear of that expression? My first thought was flavored coffee (probably because I was drinking it at the time). I don't think I could get through my mornings without it!!! Then I thought of my family, friends, and customers that have been so supportive of my business and my wonderful husband (who do you think helps me with all those grommets and rivets?). But then I felt pretty shallow because it's not all about me or my work. It's so much more. And that's when my thoughts went to the other extreme.

Our family is so blessed to be happy and healthy. We have food plenty, a warm shelter, love, and freedom ~ the basics which we take for granted everyday. I believe Thanksgiving is a reminder that we need to appreciate one another and all the blessings that often get overlooked when doing life everyday.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and get to enjoy special time with your family and friends!

Vacation

Home sweet home. . . we're back from our vacation in New Jersey. The kids had a blast spending time with their cousins, Grammy, and Pop-Pop. They went swimming, went to Vacation Bible School, ate lots & lots of ice cream, caught lightning bugs, and just enjoyed being kids. We were able to squeeze in a trip to the ocean which was great. My son was deathly afraid of the waves, while my daughter just couldn't get close enough. So one stayed on the sand and the other was like a little mermaid.

We also celebrated my daughter's 4th birthday while on vacation, and I made my traditional birthday cake for her. Please keep in mind, it's the thought that counts. I do think I deserve an "A" for effort if anything!! She's all about princesses right now so she got her very own castle cake. And to top it all off, it was just the right shade of pink for a little girl.

It's great to be back home and back into our routine. While we did have tons of fun, we also had lack of sleep, one day of the stomach virus, and numerous meltdowns. Nothing's ever perfect and kids will be kids~ two things I need to constantly remind myself.