August Lately

Utterly Afraid

Today I had a consultation with an oral surgeon to have my wisdom teeth extracted, something I've been putting off for the past 5 years. This is me- someone who has a panic attack at the thought of having a filling, mind you.

My jaw has been hurting, and I couldn't ignore it any more, so I finally called to set up the consultation last week. They said, "Oh, we just happen to have an opening next week!" Next week? I was hoping for a little more stalling time than that.

So today I go in to meet the doc. I'm sitting there, nervous as all heck and he comes in and asks me how I'm doing. I hesitated for a moment and he said "What are ya, chicken?" I'm thinking- This is the DOCTOR? The guy who's going to yank 4 teeth out of my mouth? Oy.

I answer, "Well, yeah, in this instance." He goes over to look at my x-rays and says, "Wow! You should be!" Yeah, way to reassure me doc.

According to his staff, he's always like this. I told I him I was nervous because I've never had anesthesia before and asked what happens if I am allergic. he says, "Nothing, I'll just keep working.  We've got everything an emergency room does if your heart happens to stop or anything like that." With the straightest face imaginable. What kind of bedside manner is this???

Oddly enough, I left the exam room feeling pretty calm. Apparently the fact that he made such light of the whole thing made me feel less nervous. Until I got to the desk:

"So, how's this Friday?" WHAT????? Lord, no! At least give me a few days to process this. But guess what? This Friday the thing that I've been dreading and worrying about for 5 years will take place with Doctor Goofball in command. I'm gonna need that Valium!

Wrench in my Plans

Sunday was Am's birthday which we had planned to go to a Red Sox game for (thanks to our dear friend Kate who got the tickets for us). Liam came down sick Friday night, I got it shortly after, and Am got it after me. The only one left standing was Kody, so luckily Am's mom and Bert saved the day and with just an hour's notice were willing and able to take him to the game.

He said he had a great time, but the poor guy came home with a runny nose and chills though. I knew it was just a matter of time, but at least it held out until the ride home.

We sent money for him to get a shirt and hat and as much stadium food as he wanted, and my sweet thoughtful boy came home with hats for Dad and Liam too.

So, here I am on Tuesday with two sick little boys at home. Yesterday was supposed to be a work day but one of the reasons I work at home is so it's not a crisis when these thing happen. With some luck, I'll get some work time in this evening after Daddy gets home (who is doing better and is at work today).

One thing that the wonderful Arianne of Aeolidia fame did get done for me yesterday was my new fabric gallery. I LOVE it and can't wait to get the new options set up in the site!

My Baby the Preschooler

Liam is officially a preschooler.

The morning (and the much-dreaded departure) went better than I ever could have imagined. Kody and Liam were both super and Liam wasn't in the least upset when we left.

I think it's going to be a great year...

School Again School Again

Yesterday we went to parent teacher conferences (our awesome little school has the first one *before* school) and met with Kody's new teacher, Mrs. Goodrich. I love her already. She has the kindest eyes and is so chilled out. She said that she's noticed Kody since kindergarten (he's starting 4th grade) because he's such a happy, bright kid. Awww, how it warmed this mommy's heart!

We also took Liam to his preschool open house, which is actually just down the hall from his brother's classroom! We met his teacher (well, I already knew her, but Liam met her) and some of the kids that he will be going with.  Liam has always been  home with me, and has never been left with anyone but his grandparents, so we weren't sure how he would do. He played really nicely and even talked with the adults a lot.

We still haven't had to leave him yet, but we talked about it this morning (tomorrow you're going to go to school and play with your friends and Mommy will go home to work for a while. But I'll be back to get you later!) and he really seemed fine with the idea. Maybe it's because he's been coming with me to drop off/pick up Kody at the same school for his entire life. Either way, this is one very relieved and somewhat excited mommy typing this. I'm really looking forward to this year for both of my boys. Have I mentioned I love our little school (Which, consequently, my husband and I both attended as well)?

Liam will be going three days a week, which will become my official work hours. I have always grown my business very slowly and kept it at a small scale so that I could be a mom first and foremost, and now I'm starting to get very excited at the possibilities that the new year holds for the business. To be able to really devote daytime work hours to my business, to make and receive business calls in peace. I'm giddy just thinking about it!

Sunday Morning

Ahhh Sunday. Right now, my lazy bum is in bed with the laptop and a hot cup of coffee that Liam helped Daddy make for me. Kody's still sleeping. He's preparing for his teens I guess.

I've been meaning to tell you all about a site that Kristopher Dukes, a blogging acquaintance of mine, sent me an invitation to. At that point it was invitation only but it looks like it's open to all now. I could be wrong, but it's still worth checking out.

ThisNext is a very cool shopping/tagging/recommendation site akin to Wists, Stylehive, Stylefeeder and the like, but I have to admit, I'm really liking this one better than the others. My favorite feature is the little shopcast that you can now view in my sidebar waaaaayyyyyy down below my blogging friends list (I never realized how many friends I had in the blogosphere- that list is long!)

It's just a neat way for me to share the wonderful handmade things I've found on the web, and to let others know about *my* new products too! Check it out. You'll soon be addicted. Sorry 'bout that!

Introspection

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. The last week has been a very reflective time for me. I had a birthday last Thursday that officially took me out of my mid-twenties and left me thinking a lot about my life, my business, and the direction I want to go in.

The idea of changing my business name has been nagging at the edge of my thoughts for some time now, and last week it could no longer be ignored. I knew what I wanted the look and feel of the new incarnation of my company to be, but I was stumped for a name. I finally came up with August for the first word (being my birth month, and it is a synonym for elegant- I had no idea!) and I loved Bloom for the second word, but, being such a wonderful name, it was already in use by a handbag company.

The quest for the perfect second word began (I can be quite obsessive about these kinds of things) and I turned to my fellow designer friends for help. After lots and lots of ideas and suggestions, I have settled on August Lately. I love it. I am so excited to now have this new vision for my business. I plan to make the change after the holidays and have already purchased the domain and designed a logo.

Apparently the new energy has already begun to stimulate a boost in creativy for me- look what I did today!

These are altered mini composition book journals. 4x6, the perfect size to slip into a purse or organizer. They are covered with pretty floral paper with coordinating cardstock on the backs. They say inspire, create, dream and believe. I love them, and love making them. I'll be making more in different patterns, words and phrases. I also plan to do some cards, bookmarks and gift tags, among other things, in the same theme.

I'll be listing these first in my etsy shop for $8 plus $1 for first class shipping within the US, but if anyone wants to reserve a specific journal, leave a comment or send me an email!

In other news, the hardware for the new wristlets has arrived, so I should have some new goodies to show soon!

Getting Back to Normal

Well, everyone flies home today. The wedding on Saturday was really wonderful, and the reception was lots of fun too. We spent Sunday breakfasting, then swimming, then barbecueing with family and friends. It was really great to have everyone here, but I'll admit to being a bit relieved to have things get back to normal!

Checking In and a WIP

I know I said I'd be scarce this weekend, but I just wanted to stop in and see if anyone noticed the new, super-cute banner in the sidebar. This blog has just been accepted into Delightful Blogs! Thanks Lynda!

The wedding rehearsal and following outdoor pot-luck went well, in spite of being a little soggy. It absolutely poured from about 11am to 3pm.

Driving to the rehearsal, our windshield looked like this:

The outdoor party started at 6pm. Amazingly, it stopped raining and besides some very wet grass, everything was fine. The boys had an absolute blast playing with Bert's grandchildren (Ok, so now, when these two get married, Bert's son will be Am's stepbrother and so his kids will be...  our boys' step-cousins? Wow! It's hard to keep track these days!) and everyone got a chance to catch up. Fun!

Since Bert's daughter-in-law and I were the only ones on kid duty, we spent quite a bit of time together at the sandbox and trampoline. It was nice to get to know the other daughter-in-law of the family better, and I was really interested to learn that they live in Seattle, one of the few cities we  would ever consider moving to.

Liam on the trampoline:

The clouds parted slightly, and a beautiful mist rolled in just before sunset. The result was amazing. I have never seen such a gorgeous summer evening!

Today the sun is shining, the birds are singing- It's a perfect day for a wedding!

And since I didn't get a chance to post it yesterday, here's my WIP for the week- Some more of the hand-embroidered wool felt tissue holders that everyone's been wanting!

I know I Said No Pictures Today

But then I checked my mail! The lovely Valerie offered some left-over craft supplies a while ago and I was lucky enough to receive them! There's a ton of adorable stuff here, but here are some of my favorites:

I was totally blown away with the amount and quality of the things that she sent to a complete stranger. Thank you Valerie! I'll be sending a little gift soon :)

And I forgot to share some of the photos that my budding photographer took with mommy's digital camera yesterday (yes, I caved. It was hot!) while she followed around ready to save it from hitting the floor at any moment:

Now these might look like he needs to work on his focusing abilities, but he's really experimenting with depth of field. You photographers know what I'm talking about! My sweet little boy very purposely went around and took pictures of objects that were meaningful to him. His trucks and his little books are his most prized posessions. I was one very proud mommy, being a lover of photography myself!

Can anyone recommend a good, hard-to-break starter digital camera for a 3 year old?

Down to the Wire

Thank you Donna and Crystal for reminding me that the lines in corduroy are wales. I totally knew that, but apparently the inventory clerk in my head needed to make room for something more important. Does anybody else have the problem of completely blanking things that they *know* they know? Nobody warned me that your brain starts to melt in your late 20's!

No pics today, sorry folks. But soon! I'm finishing up my color-iffic swap package (I want to include a few more handmade items) before the August 5th ship deadline. I also have a fun custom order to work on. Yay!

The wedding is this Saturday, so things are now in full-swing. Tomorrow is a family/friends canoeing event and a rehearsal/dinner in the evening, and of course Saturday will be one big party.

Tonight we are going out, just the kids (meaning Am, his sibings and their spouses/friends). That will be fun, and a nice break for us to spend time with them without the distraction of chasing kiddos around!

Tomorrow is my sister's sweet sixteenth birthday (yes, there are more than a few years between us!) and we will have to miss it. It makes me sad, as birthdays are really special in our family, but I know she understands. The boys are going to stay with my family this evening and they're going to have an early birthday celebration for their super-beloved Auntie, so it works out great that way. Happy birthday Em!

Thank you for all of your comments about my thrifting finds! I was really surprised because I never feel that I get particularly lucky thrifting. Probably due to the fact that we're in such a sparsely populated area. There just isn't a large pool to draw from. I don't expect to have another day like that for quite a while!

I definitely know how lucky I am to have my mom around and willing/able to take the boys for me. My children are exceptionally fortunate in that they have two very, very involved and nurturing grandmothers. They also have two awesome grandfather figures in my step-dad (who they affectionately call Poppy) and Am's soon-to-be step-dad (Yay! I can't say yay enough!!) Bert. For all intents and purposes, they are the kiddos' grandpas. Both of our dads are pretty far away and not very involved. We are so thankful, though, for our extended family and how much they love our boys.

And geesh, Crystal, I can only imagine what your stress level can be like. If I was in your area I would definitely be in for a sitting swap every week or so!

Well, I think that's about it. Don't be surprised if you don't hear much from me in the next few days. I haven't dropped off the face of the blogosphere, just busy!

Have a great weekend everyone!