Blog Archive April 2007

As a parent, that is my stance on punishments.  The offender should receive a sentence that is befitting of the crime.  If you break something because you were throwing a ball in the house, no more ball and you have to clean up the mess.  If, at the age of 5 you chose to roll your eyes, arch your neck and give me that finger-snap thing as you sass me,  you will no longer be watching “That’s So Raven” on T.V.  If you leave dirty dishes all over the house, you will no longer be allowed to have the privilege of eating in the living room.  That’s how I roll…I am strict, yet fair.

Imagine my displeasure when I pick my impeccably behaved daughter, who has been without my supervision for exactly 90 minutes, up from a birthday party at the local bowling alley.  At first, I enter the bowling alley and see exactly what I expected to see: a bunch of 5-7 year olds running amok with cake smeared mouths and skee-ball tickets.  My darling child was huddled with some other kids at the counter trying to figure out what she could buy with her 26 tickets (not much).  We trade in her tickets for a Blow Pop and a mini Tootsie Roll (can you say RIP OFF?), gather her belongings and head out to the parking lot where I stand agape at her outfit.  Is this the kid I dropped off 90 minutes earlier?  What the heck happened while I was gone?  She is quite literally covered from head-to-toe, front-to-back in BRIGHT RED FROSTING.  And I notice that she has this blackish-bluish war paint smeared on her forehead and cheeks.  It is almost as if she had bathed herself in birthday cake – she looked like a physical challenge from Double Dare 2000.  And I am pissed.  And slightly horrified.  Were all the other little kids covered in brightly colored sugar?  Did some kind of  hazing incident take place when I wasn’t there?

So, I did what any other mother would have done in that situation.  I asked how she became covered in frosting.  She responded with the typical “duh, I don’t know – must have dropped a piece.”  It didn’t fly.  I told her she was going to have to do her laundry when we got home, since she thought it was a good idea to wear her food.  Tears, lots of tears in the back seat on the way home.  And then she musters up the strength to say, in between sniffles, “Do I have to do all of the laundry or just mine?”  No doubt, my little Cinderella began to panic because we had no less than 7 loads of dirty clothes covering the laundry room floor.  I let her sweat it out for a minute and told her she would only have to wash hers.  After all, the punishment issupposed to fit the crime, right?

Hey there!  The details for the June 7 Accordion Album class have been finalized. You can now see the details and register online by clicking here.  In the coming weeks, we will be showing sneak peeks of the class on the Web site and the blog – so check back if your curiosity is getting the best of you.

Important information: Your spot is considered reserved once payment is received.  We cannot honor cancellations for this class.  If for some reason you are unable to attend after registering, we can send you the complete class packet and instructions in the mail.

Contact us if you have any additional questions.  We’ll see you on June 7.

My Easter Bunny ROCKS!!  I got a package at my door and was thrilled to discover the pink lobster LL Bean tote that I had mentioned in a previous post.  Not only is my Easter bunny the bomb – but resourceful as well.  Apparently, E.B. (Easter Bunny) thought I was deserving of some big time booty and went on a clandestine mission to get me one of the items on my wish list!  So, thanks E.B. – you’re the best! I absolutely LOVE the bag and can’t wait to get my hands on the matching flip-flops.

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My oldest daughter is six today.  I can hardly believe it! I swear that only five minutes ago I was overcome by the emotion of being a first-time mother — the newness of it all, the primal love that I felt for my child, the uncertainty of whether or not I was ”doing it right” and giving her the best possible start in her brand new life.  For the longest time, her car seat bucket was an extension of my left arm and we measured her life in inches and ounces. Every gurgle, sigh, and facial expression was cause for celebration.

Fast forward to today; she is now six. She has awed us with her presence for almost 2,000 days. We have celebrated hundreds upon hundreds of milestones: her first tooth, crawling, standing, first steps, first word, solid food, potty training, big girl bed, no more binkie, first sentence, loss of first tooth, first days at preschool and kindergarten, becoming a big sister, training wheels, first soccer game, riding a two-wheeler…the list is endless. For some reason, the birthday milestones seem to whack me over the head like a 2×4.  They are happy and bittersweet all at the same time.  I celebrate her accomplishments, her growth, and the incredible person she is shaping up to be.  Yet, I also yearn to bottle her up, just as she is today and keep her this age forever.  A two-wheel riding, Hannah Montana loving, High School Musical pocketbook carrying, chicken nugget eating, jeans wearing, up at the crack of dawn with a smile on her face, best big sister ever, kid.

We love you so very much, Brenna.  Happy 6th Birthday, Sweet Pea!

If you have been poking around the site, maybe you noticed my new homepage splash and said “oooh.”  I have to tell you that the project was inspired by a class I took with Donna Downey at CKU Boston 2006.  Granted, it took me a few months to get the photos and complete the canvases (which differed from hers) – but I have to give her all the credit in the world for the framework of the project.  It was a really fun class.

Once I design the project for my upcoming class in June, I will be replacing the graphic once again.  There might be some Mother’s Day goodness in between, but for now – just enjoy the project from Donna and visit this site often!

Have a great afternoon!

Today has bit the bullet at the day job (for those of you new to the site, the “day job” is NOT this Web site), but tonight will be lots of fun.  Heading to a Tim Holtz mystery class with my buddy Joanna.  When I say mystery class, I mean it.  I have no idea what he is teaching, what we are creating, or what kind of supplies we are using.  I’ll have to post again, with photos – but I am pretty sure his class will rock my world.  Have a great night, whatever you have planned!

Hello!  I am so excited about this, I can hardly stand it.  I will be hosting a scrapbooking class on June 7.  The class will be held at the Franklin Mill Store in Franklin, MA from 7-9 p.m.  I will have more details about this soon, and will send out a newsletter will all the details and class photos (so sign up for the free newsletter on our homepage).  In the meantime, I can tell you that we will be designing a project with some great product from Jenni Bowlin Studios and Junkitz.  More to come – so stay tuned, tell your friends, and check back often!

Just incase you are ever on here poking around, we wanted to wish you a happy birthday!  Here’s hoping you are able to relax and kick your feet up for a few minutes today! We love you!

Hello everyone,   I am having a sale on a few of our best selling blankets.  I have spring fever and am offering these blankets at ridiculously low prices on etsy.com.  Look under the username watermelonrindand you will see the blanket selection, as well as a few other clearance goodies.  Enjoy and add my etsy shop to your favorites list…you never know what you might find! More stuff coming soon…