Christmas Wish List

For those of you out there pouring over the holiday ads for Black Friday specials… I’ll save you the time, energy (and maybe a few hours of sleep). 

 

All your holiday shopping (for me at least) can be done right here – I’ve even linked up the photos to make it easier for you.

 

I know you’ve been waiting for some time in anticipation of my Christmas wish list, so without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things.

 

And no, those of you in the audience will not be receiving one of each ala Oprah style.

Just in case you were wondering. :-)

 

Unless, of course, Oprah is reading this and wants to dump
her uber-popular favorite things
series in favor of handing out the following items
to my blog readers…

 

it would be more cost-effective…

 

but, then again,
it might not have the same marketing impact…

 

Oh, just get on with it would you!

 

 

 

First up, just in case any of you do have an Oprah-ish bank account and want to share the love with me…

Yep, that’s the Nikon D5000.  The current object of my desire.  Read more here if you’re a wanna be camera geek like me.

 

Just case you’re feeling extra generous, you could also throw in the 55mm f/1.4D lens…  But if you really want to be my best friend for life, also include the Tamron 60 mm Macro lens… but just watch your VISA bill and be prepared that the macro lens is almost as much as the camera.  And in case you don’t know, the macro lens is needed because of my obsession with flowers… remember these from this summer:

 

(I feel a little like my three year old son who says he “neeeeeeeeds”  fruit snacks. )

 

Ok, moving on… next up on the Christmas wish list is this computer:

My only concern with you buying me this computer is the distance between me and the nearest Apple store… but I can get over that if the problem presents itself.

 

And, for those of you who have a bank account more similar to mine, this lovely little item would be just perfect.

 

 

I learned of The Vintage Pearl from PW, but I can’t stop looking at all the simply stunning options available on this site.  The items on this site would make great gifts for mother’s day, birthday, valentine’s day, I think you’re cool and Just because it’s Wednesday.

 

But, just so you know, you really should have ordered me this darling necklace before Nov 22, for Christmas delivery… I will forgive you if mine doesn’t arrive until mid-January.

 

And now you can thank me from saving you from getting up early and standing in long lines on Black Friday.

 

Your welcome.

 

:-)

Thankful Tuesday

Keeping with the purse theme from yesterday, I am so thankful to my wonderful family for giving me time and space to create (especially to my husband who has tried to sleep in the next room with the hum of my sewing machine nearby!)

Lot’s of people ask how I have the time to make this stuff while still working full time. And the answer is simple.  I have an amazing husband who has no problem making supper, cleaning up the kitchen and doing the laundry. (Now if I could just get him to put the laundry away I’d really be able to crank out the bags!)

Just kidding, dear, you know I love you!

And I am excited to introduce the first purse that I designed myself! I still have a couple “tweaks” to make, but here is the first one from the factory line, so to speak:

  

 

This bag measures about 14.5″ wide, and about 8.5″ tall.  It has a zippered top and one pleat on each side of the center “body.”  It is roomie enough to hold all your daily essentials, yet not bulky.

 

 

Here is another view.

 

I am going to make two of these bags in different color combinations for my friend Jackie.  She is keeping one for herself and giving the second as a birthday gift.  

 

Do you need any gifts in the near future?

Hint, hint :-)

 

But for this exact bag pictured above, I’m going to keep it for myself… partly because it’s the first attempt, but mostly because I’m in need of a new purse.   Happy early Christmas to me!

 

I have lots to do get ready for this busy holiday week, but I am anxious to hear your thoughts and comments! (Especially you, Jackie!) 

 

Oh, and come back tomorrow if you need ideas on what to put in my stocking! 

 

;-)

 

Up and Running…

Well, it’s official.

 

I have sold some of my creations!  Wahoo! Yipee! Yahoo! (the excited utterance, not the seach engine!)

 

So far,  I’ve sold a few like this:

 

and this:

 

 

And this custom made one:

 

 

 

and these matching/personalized key chains have been just a blast to make:

 

 

 

Thanks so much to those of you have parted with your hard earned money to support this little idea of mine.  And for your generous complements.

 

You gals are fantastic.

 

I am in the process of completing my first original design (and maybe pattern?)… and let me tell you, it’s a heck of a lot harder than it looks. 

 

But it’s a lot more fun than I ecpected, too! ;-)

 

I hope to have a little etsy store up and running sometime, maybe after Christmas, but right now I’ve been keeping super busy just by word of mouth.  So, if you want to put in an order… leave a comment and we can chat. :-)

 

Happy monday!

Thankful Tuesdays

I know it’s Wednesday… but I’m a little late on the uptick this week.

This week I’m thankful for the Internet.  I know that sounds kinda lame, but really, this week I am thankful that this whole online stuff is such a part of our daily lives that we don’t generally even think about it. 

Because of the Internet (is it capitalized anymore?) there is a sense of possibility with each interaction… and each site is an opportunity to learn something new… and even make new friends (Hi LeAnne!) 

And sometimes when you’re at a place in your life where you are trying to figure out who and what you want to be when you grown up (cough, cough) the Internet can make you feel like you’re not alone and what you’re feeling is not so crazy.

For instance, one of the blogs I have been enjoying lately is written by a fun woman named Trish and her blog is called Two Peas in a Pod.  She wrote a funny piece the other day about selling your craft addiction.  (And some of you know I’ve been experimenting with that idea lately so I really enjoyed her comments!)  I first came across her blog by way of her Etsy shop (I think that’s how I found her) when I was looking at purchasing one of her bag patterns – The Hazel Hipster.

 

Well, as luck would have it, she is giving away this pattern to some lucky people who blog about it.  (cough, cough)

 Yep, that’s me!

So, today, even though it is not Tuesday, I am thankful for the Internet… and all the new ideas and learning I get to do because of it… and for the new friends… the chance to keep in touch with others… and, well, for free stuff isn’t too shabby either.

 

****** We now interrupt this blog for some important nephew pictures*****

 

 

Couldn’t you just gobble him up?

 

 

And my sister, I’m totally in awe of her.  She looks amazing in this photo (and she did in person too!)  which was taken just a few hours after she endured hours of back labor and the little guy’s delivery. 

 

And the answers the Grandparent test:

#1 – Wog

#2 – Lou

#3 – new guy – nephew – NT … ummm…  still trying to decide on his nickname!

 

:-)

 

Grandkid test

So as I was playing around with some of the pictures I took of my adorable new nephew I started to notice something, shall I say, familiar?

Can you guess which one is the newest Goddard grandkid? 

Quite frankly it is a little scary…

… and pretty sweet, too.

 

Answers and more pics of the new little guy tomorrow! 

I’m an Auntie!

Just a quick note (little light this week, sorry) to let you know I’m an auntie as of late this morning. My sister and her hubby now have a beautiful baby boy. He was 8.5 lbs, 22 inches long, and has a full head of dark hair. Mom, baby and dad are all doing well.

Twin Cities food reviews

So mom and I are home from our five day/four night Twin Cities adventure.  It was supposed to be a hold the baby give my sister a post-labor rest, attend a conference, a little shopping kind of a trip.

 

Instead, it was a pre-labor, paint fun things on the nursery wall, lots of shopping, making curtains, hang some words, some eating out kind of trip.  Oh, and I did attend a conference on Thursday that was informative and worthwhile.  That was nice, too.

 

So because we had loads of fun running all over the north metro, I have fun things to share with you this week.  Today it’s food.

 

On Friday we went out for lunch at a little burger joint in St. Paul called The Blue Door Pub.  

 

Here’s what it looks like from the outside and in case you live near or are visiting Minnesota’s capital city, the joint is located near the intersection of Fairview and Selby.

 

The pub was packed… a good sign and as we soon found out, deserving.  They specialize in burgers packed with cheese on the inside.  Yummmm.

 

I had the Cowboy Blucy, which is as their website describes it:

“thick-cut bacon is sliced and combined with cheddar cheese right inside the patty.   Meat inside meat! Make it a Cowboy Blucy for just another 50 cents and we’ll add our BBQ sauce, extra cheese, and toss in a couple of hand-battered onion rings!  Yeehaw!”

 

Of course I made it a Cowboy! And it was so good I didn’t even think about taking a picture until I ate half of it.

 

 

The tater tots didn’t do much so on a return trip I would just skip those.  But the burger…. oh my was it delicious.  The meal made me think about our Family Reunion Burger competition from this summer.

 

Well, moving on, the aforementioned overdue sister ordered something that probably sounds a little bizarre, but based on my bite, was actually quite tasty.  She got the Jiffy Burger, which again taking the words from their website is described as:

“You’ve got to try it to be a believer.  We cover our burger with peanut butter, a little mayo, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and a few pickles – just like Mom used to make!  Awarded Best Burger in the Twin Cities by City Pages!”

Yes, you read that correctly… peanut butter on a hamburger.  We do crazy stuff here in Minnesota.

Here’s what her half-consumed meal looked like:

 

Her meal was without the added center stuffed cheese. Like I said, it was tasty but I’m not sure I could eat a whole one.

 

And mom ordered the Bangkok Blucy without the bun to make it gluten free.  This is how the burger is described in their menu:  

“Your taste buds will reach nirvana with this one!  We soak mozzarella in coconut milk before we stuff it into the burger and top it off with pickled carrots, cucumbers, red onions, and ginger.   Served with a side of curry for delectable dunking.”

Again, this burger was yummy and mom was very pleased.  The Pub went three for three in our super unscientific and uncompensated good great burger scoring.

Well, I was going to tell you about our Saturday lunch in Stillwater at Nacho Mamas… but now I’m tired and I need to run to the chiro so I will save that decliciousness for another day. 

 

 

Isn’t he the cutest?

Seriously…

I love this little guy.

 

 

 

And, of course, his sister too!

 

Note:  I actually wrote this post on Wednesday and scheduled it to appear today.  I’m in the Twin Cities for a conference and hopefully by this time I am ohhhing and ahhing over my new little niece or nephew.  If so, full story to follow… :-)

No progress yet

I’m trying out this post by e-mail feature to let you know that there is still no progress on my sister’s baby. I talked to her beautiful belly to explain that auntie and grammie wenny are in town thru Sunday, so s/he can start it’s journey anytime now.

We (or maybe just me!) had a few laughs last night looking at the results of a google search for “natural ways to induce labor.”

We found some surprising suggestions:
- pineapple
- swinging on a swing
- oregeno
- accupuncture (she had 2 treatments earlier this week)
- sex or as one site put it, “what gets the baby in can help get the baby out”

If this works, I’ll try do updates…

Hopefully we’ll have some soon!

Once in a while…

…I have a good idea.  Here’s the most recent one:

 

I had purchased this wire holder at a antique/home decorating store and meant to hang it above our desk to hold papers, pictures, etc.  I don’t think this is an actual antique, just looks vintage. 

 

This thing had been sitting next to the desk for a while unused because it didn’t quite fit the space that I wanted to hang it. 

And then, last Saturday as I was getting ready and looking thru my much too small jewelry box, I thought to hang the darn thing on the wall next to my mirror and re-purpose it as a jewelry storage system. 

 

 

It works perfectly, I see all my jewelry (except for the post earnings, those are still in the box) and I hope that this means I’ll be wearing the pieces more often. 

 

Happy Thursday!