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!

Shop Update

I've designed a new zipper pouch and introduced it to my shop this past week. I've named it the "Knotted Pouch". It's great for all kinds of things. . . holding pens & pencils, carrying your feminine products in a discreet manner, or holding your cosmetics. It's uses really are endless.

I've decided to just carry pouches right now vs. wristlets for a couple of reasons. 1. . .the hardware became an extra overhead expense that isn't a wise business choice at this time, and 2. . . I wanted to offer my customers a pouch that expresses their individuality, keeps them organized, and helps them stay within their budgets, and 3. . . they're just so darn cute!!!

I'm finishing up orders as we speak from a home party and have another one scheduled in the upcoming week. So please bear with me as I add items to my Etsy shop at a slower pace. As much as I'd like to have a full inventory, I have to remind myself that it's all about priorities and managing my time wisely (especially since Camille has just finished preschool and is now home everyday with me and Jonas). I have to start planning lots of crafts, pool trips and day outings. :)

Hope your Summer is off to a great start!

Garden Time

This is so very unrelated to handbags (as is most of my posts lately it seems!), but I just had to share. We started our garden for this year ~ grape tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, basil, zucchini, and banana peppers. I'm most excited about how we planted some of it. We've seen those commercials for the upside-down Topsy Turvy planter and thought it was such a neat idea, but our frugalness kept us from buying one. Well. . . we decided to make our very own version and they turned out beautifully. Yes, they do look a little tacky, but hey, don't knock it if it works. :) Here's the recipe:

My husband cut a 1 1/2" hole in the center bottom of the bucket. We then placed the tomato plant in upside down and filled the bucket with dirt. We also planted a different vegetable on the top of the bucket (pepper and basil). After just two weeks, these plants are all double the size of the ones we planted in the actual garden. I can't believe it!

Jonas is now 3!!

Jonas just celebrated his third birthday. I still can't believe it! Because his birthday falls so close to Mother's Day and we had family visiting from out-of-state, it felt like his birthday lasted for three days! It started with a trip to his favorite restaurant, Red Robin. Our kids love it there. It's loud, colorful, has yummy food, and every kid gets a free balloon. Gotta love it. And to make it even better, if you sign up on their website, your kids get a free meal during the week of their birthday. How cool is that? Just click here to sign them up.

Next, we had a party with our family. As some of you know, I have a tradition of baking each of my kids a special cake for their birthday. They get to pick the theme and I do my "best" to make something extra special. Jonas and Camille had so much fun looking at cake pans and then he finally decided on Spiderman. It was a little intimidating, but with the help of my mother-in-law, we pulled it off. He absolutely loved it!

Then we celebrated his actual birthday on Monday with just us. When he woke up on Tuesday morning, he asked if it was his birthday again. I felt like I burst his bubble when I broke the news to him that he has to wait another year.

To be a kid again. . .

Our Star

Camille danced in a recital this past week and was amazing. I can't help but take a minute to be proud and share a couple of pics. This was her first BIG & REAL recital, and she embraced it. She knew the steps, the music, and was a natural on the stage. She truly soaked up every minute of it and made us so proud. Doug and I found it very difficult to watch and not get teary-eyed. It was one of those defining moments for both of us ~ one where you see your child through different eyes, recognize how much they've grown, how much of an individual person they're becoming.

A wise mother once said to me about raising children, "Be careful ~ The days are long, but the months and years are so very fast". Was she ever right!

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

We have had tons of rain in Chicagoland the past two weeks. My kids looked out the window one day and couldn't believe their eyes. Jonas (our soon-to-be-3-yr.-old) says, "Mommy, look at all the roses!" The kids immediately went to picking all of the dandelions from our front yard. Kind of good for us, less we have to kill. :) But their little hands were so full and their "roses" were falling everywhere.

So they decided to use a basket for their collection.

And I was told "they need a special place to live".

We came up with something unique, a dessert dish. They love when I break out the dessert dishes because it means a yummy pudding or ice cream dessert. And of course, our "roses" only deserved the best.

New Addition

I've added a new design to the Camille Star Handbag line. Drum roll please. . . .

it's the Pinched Tote.

Not quite sure if I like the name yet though. I usually don't have a problem thinking of a name to identify each style of bag, but this one was more difficult than usual. I didn't want to go with the typical "drawstring" label either. So if you have any thoughts, please share them with me.

I love this tote because it's big and billowy. It's got soft folds and tucks. It can hold my everyday stuff and the Summer extras (sunblock, water, snack). It's my new favorite, and I'm making one for myself as well. Hope you get to grab one for yourself too!!!!