School is DONEZO!!!

Well, until Jan 11. :) My classes went well. I was worried about my grades, especially for two classes, but I have already gotten one of my grades back for one of those two classes, and I got a B. I am so relieved. Now I am just waiting on one other one, and even if I pull a C, I won't be too upset. My English class was probably my hardest, and I worked really hard in it. I had this same professor for a class last semester and really liked her, so I decided to take her again. Turns out I didn't even have to take this class, but I'm glad I did, especially since I got an A in it. :) It will help me in my major, so I'm not regretting taking it at all. I'm just waiting for two more grades, I hope my GPA stays up. Right now I'm at a 3.6 which I think is pretty impressive given the fact that I have a two year old and my husband is gone!

I had a wonderful mommy daughter day. We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond because I had gotten a 20% your entire purchase coupon in the mail, and I wanted to use it since it was a good deal. I have wanting to get a new cookware set since the one I have is coming apart. I mean, the pieces are holding up, but the non-stick is coming off the pan, and I don't think that's too healthy. My dad had sent me a generous gift for Christmas, so I decided to use part of it on new cookware. I did some research online and found that the Calphalon line was pretty nice, but a little spendy. But I figure if I want something that will last, I better be prepared to spend. So picked out the 10 piece, since it came with a good sized stock pot. Brooke and I go up to pay and they tell me that the set comes with a Gift With Purchase. Heck yeah! So I'm figuring it will be something small, boy was I wrong. It was a $160 dutch oven. I don't even know what a dutch oven is!!! But I am thrilled non the less! I am super excited to use my new set, and I figure this is an investment for Eric as well, since I cook him food. :)

I'm planning on opening a new store. Yes, my THIRD Etsy store. But I made a mistake with my first two, I named them so that they were very exclusive to other products. And I have so many new ideas. So this one will be called KBJDesign. That way, I can list anything I want to without feeling like I'm not staying true to my shop name. I will be carrying fabric covered button magnets, fabric covered button pushpins, fabric covered button earrings and swarovski earrings like the ones I posted pictures of below! I am super excited since I have four weeks until the new semester starts.

Other than that, I don't really have much else to say. My shops have been doing fairly well, but that's due to the upcoming holidays. :) The mail person must think I'm crazy and a shopaholic. I get about 3 packages a day in the mail...haha!

One more week ...

I have been busy!!! School is coming to an end so I've been super busy studying for finals. I have been scrambling. And the past month or so, both of my shops, Bows for Baby and Pacify Me are doing really well!!! My Pacify Me store has really picked up, I'm super happy!! It's always nerve racking to open a new store up, you never know if it's going to take off or not.

Once school ends next week, I will a lot more time to devote to filling my stores with items! I have to pay for daycare so I might as well use the time and work. :) I'm actually super excited to start building inventory. I have a lot of ideas!!!

Below are some of the things I've been working on. I have been working on the flower clips and they seem to have a lot of interest. I also have headbands now as well. My Bows for Baby Bundle seems to be popular!!! I have also made some earrings, but am still deciding on if I want to list them. What do you think?

And the Winner Is...

Ashley Culbertson!!! Congrats!!! You have won the giveaway! Please check your email, I have sent you instructions on how to claim your prizes!!!

lil miss' mama said...

I like the Retro Flower Pacifier Clip!
email in profile.

Pacify Me GIVEAWAY!!!

I am having my first GIVEAWAY for my Pacify Me store on Etsy!

Pacify Me carries the most fashionable pacifier clips! There is a wide variety of prints to choose from, definitely something for everyone! My pacifier clips are high quality, durable, fashion forward and can be used as more than just a pacifier clip! I also offer MAM (button) adapters as optional add-ons. You can also purchase a separate suspender clip to turn the clip into a bib clip! These clips are sure to grab attention in all the right ways.

So what am I giving away?

I am giving away THREE pacifier clips from my store, YOUR CHOICE! You read it right, the winner gets to choose any THREE clips from my store! And there's a bonus, you can choose an additional add-on for free! I will include either 1 MAM adapter OR 1 suspender clip.

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry

1. Head to my store www.pacifyme.etsy.com, and tell me which pacifier clip is your favorite!

Additional Entry (You must leave separate comments for each entry)

2. Become a FAN of Bows For Baby on Facebook. (My main store is Bows For Baby, but I have also incorporated Pacify Me into updates and pictures)

3. Follow my blog!

4. Blog about this giveaway! Make sure to leave the link of your blog post in your comment.

5. Follow Bows For Baby on Twitter!

6. Tweet about this giveaway! Remember to leave me a link to your Tweet!

7. 10 entries if you buy something from either Pacify Me OR Bows For Baby!

**PLEASE LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS WITH YOUR COMMENT ENTRY SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOUR NAME IS CHOSEN!**

Contest will end November 30, 2009

Below are just some EXAMPLES of the type of clips and prints I have! There are many more in my shop!

I'm having issues...

I've been wanting an SLR camera for a while. But now I've really started to look at and compare them. I take a lot of pictures. Between taking pictures for my stores, my daughter, get togethers and random scenery, my point and shoot is constantly going. I love taking pictures and then seeing them upload onto my laptop. I love getting great pictures of my daughter because she will carry them with her for the rest of her life. I know I either want a Nikon or Canon. The Nikon D3000 is a great camera, but so is the Canon Rebel XSI. DECISIONS! I've already talked to Eric about it, and he said I could get it as my Christmas present under one stipulation. I have to camping with him. Not my kind of camping (a 5 star hotel), but his kind of camping (out in the wilderness with no running water, toilets or electricity). So I've been hesitating on getting one. Now don't get me wrong, I love my husband. But he's crazy. He knew that I was not a camping kind of woman before we got married. And he was fine with that. So now, he's BLACKMAILING me. Turd. And I really, REALLY want one of these cameras. I mean, covet with all of my being. (I'm a sinner, I've already come to terms with this.) The no electricity, running water and no toilet doesn't deter me as much as the MOSQUITOES. Yes, you read it correctly. I am scared breathless of mosquitoes. Want to know why? Because I'm allergic to them. I can see you scoffing right now and saying, "She is so full of B.S. No one is allergic to mosquitoes!" But I tell you, I am. When most people get bit, they get some small swellage and it itches of a couple of days. Not me. When I get but, it swells to the size of a quarter, at minimum, and then itches for two weeks straight. I swear I am not being a drama queen. I am also allergic to bees, deer flies, horse flies, and anything that bites and leaves venom. I have been diagnosed. Eric had to take me to the ER the first summer we were here because I had a huge swellage on my thigh with the circumference of a football that was raised, hot, and itched like a BIATCH. The ER doctor took a look at it and gasped. Yes, gasped. Then he drew a circle around it and said that if it got any bigger, to come back IMMEDIATELY. So, I tell you, I am allergic to all things that bite. So is spending the night in the wild wilderness getting eaten alive worth a fabulous new camera? The jury is still out on this one. What I may do is tell Eric we will go look at the beautiful wilderness, but I am not camping. We can stay in a hotel and go day exploring. Or I may just pout and he will be a puddle at my feet. :)

But I think that I am going to get my dream camera. But which one? Nikon or Canon? Leave your thoughts. I have had the majority of my friends say Canon and I am almost in agreement with them. I have a Canon ELPH and love it. But Nikon seems to make a pretty decent SLR as well. So, HELP!

We've been busy!

I know I have been lacking on updating my blog for the past few months, but I have good reasons! I swear! First off, I've super busy with school. Lots and lots of homework. LOTS. And then I've had my craft shows on top of that. I have one down, one to go! Then add in finding a new daycare provider and potty training my two year old. YIKES.

The potty training started a week ago when I started my new daycare. First off, I love my new daycare place! A wonderful lady with an in-home daycare on Elmendorf AFB is watching my little angel. I actually found her onCraigslist and immediately thought that she would be a good fit for our family. She is licensed through the base so that was pro number 1. Then I went to meet her and instantly fell in love with her curriculum and set-up. She keeps her numbers low so she can devote more personal attention to each of the children. Right now she has Brooke, one other part timer and her own. Brooke started potty training the day she started there and it has been a journey! The FCC onElmendorf says that any child over the age of 2 1/2 has to be in underwear. I was little apprehensive because I had planned on working with Brooke when this semester ended. I wanted to wait till then because then I would be able to focus 100% on her and potty training and not have to worry about anything else, like school. But, the world doesn't always work that way so here we are. I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised on how well Brooke is doing. It has been a week now and she is down to one or two accidents per day. And it's getting better everyday! When she's here at home with me she usually doesn't have any, and that's just because I can devote my attention on her potty training. When she's at daycare she waits until the last minute, and sometimes it's too late. This morning she only had one accident, and that was while she was pulling down her pants. I took her to the grocery store yesterday and she didn't soil her pull-up at all. Can I tell you how wonderful it is not to change poopy diapers anymore? I love it! But now we have all these pull-ups to use. And I think I'll use them when I take her out in public. She knows that she shouldn't pee in her pants and she has been doing very well not doing that when we go out in public, even if she has a pull-up on. We went to a Halloween party this past weekend and I had put a pull-up on her. The whole time we were there I would take her to potty, but nothing. But she stayed dry. And then when we got home three hours later she went on the potty! Amazing. I've been using some suggestions from fellow friends/moms. Some of them are working very well! My friend Megan told me that when she potty trained her daughter she bought her some underpants with different characters on them, and then told her to keep those characters dry or they would be sad. I tried that with Brooke and she told me that they would be "gwumpy" if they got wet. Well, apparently she had an accident at daycare and fell to pieces because she made the monkeys "gwumpy." I thought it was cute. And then there are my additions to this process. I'm very nervous about Brooke having accidents on the carpet in our house because they black light our carpets when we move out. If there are stains, we pay for the carpets, and that is not something I want to do. My friend Jenn laughed at me when I went out and bought puppy pads to keep the cloth/absorbent surfaces in my house safe. But come on! How genius is that! Set one under the child if they sit on the couch, and my personal favorite, in the car seat! Car seats don't come with several different covers and who wants to wash them every time there's an accident?! Anyways, I thought I was being smart, but I got laughed at. Oh well. You win some you lose some. So in conclusion, the potty training experience is going well, but my husband totally owes me when he gets home. :)

Brooke is thoroughly enjoying her new daycare. She loves Miss Dee and has already made a new friend. She loves the structure and I do too! She comes home daily telling me what she has learned and what she did at school that day. Brooke thrives off a schedule and I can see that this is going to be very good for her. Miss Dee has lesson plans for each week and themes that she works from. I feel confident leaving Brooke in her care everyday and Brooke adjusted perfectly! The first day there she all but pushed me out the door! There are so many learning tools and I love how learning is integrated into their day.

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I've opened up a new Etsy store. I have a new found passion for making pacifier clips and now I've opened up an Etsy shop that carries only pacifier clips. They are too cute for words and I am thoroughly enjoying buying different printed ribbon. Here are some examples of what I have made so far, but never fear! I have just ordered more printed ribbon!

Make sure you check out my shop and heart it to keep up with all of the new prints I am getting in! These are perfect shower gifts, stocking stuffers, "whatever" gifts, etc. I have also priced them low enough so you can splurge and get more than one! But don't let the affordable price fool you, they are very well made and durable! They can also be turned into toy clips or bib clips! Make sure to pass the word on!

www.pacifyme.etsy.com

New ETSY Shop!

Just wanted to announce that...

I've opened up a new ETSY shop!

Pacify Me

(www.pacifyme.etsy.com)

This shop will carry pacifier clips. I love making them and I think they are so much cuter than the ones you can find at the store. They are made out of high quality grosgrain in a variety of different prints. They measure approximately 9-10 inches long, have a suspender clip at one end and a snap closure at the other. I also offer the MAM (button) adapters so you can use it with the button nuks!

I just ordered a whole bunch of adorable 7/8 ribbon in different prints. I only have a few listings right now, but I will be listing more over the next few days. Check back often for new prints and offers! If you have an Etsy store, make sure to heart me!!!

Thanks so much!!!