Wowzers!

OK, I'm freakin' out.  I just sold 12 items yesterday! 

 Yes, all in one day.  

And I'm totally amazed!

Well, one good thing about this booming, or should I say budding?, Etsy business is that it totally forces me to think way more than I normally do. 

WAAAAAY more!

And not only that...  but it also forces me to be extremely busy.  Which is what I was all summer long with that ginormous garden.  Well, no sooner was the garden a big dead thing, and now I'm overrun with beads and leather and the sound of hammering.

YAY!

And I think we're actually gonna be able buy Christmas presents!

YAY!

And if you're looking for a reasonably priced gift for a hard-to-buy-for teen or niece, stop by my shop because these leather wrap bracelets are selling like hotcakes.  Whatever that means.

Oh, and the personalized "guy" bracelet is really popular, too.

But don't take my word for it.  Stop by and look at the latest "sold orders."

It's crazy!

YAY!  PRAISE GOD!

What Day Is It, Again?

Yeah, so it took me until 6:00 last night to figure out that it wasn't actually Tuesday.

Well, duh.

I've been spending waaaay too much time out in the garage pounding pennies!
Or maybe it's the paint fumes...  : /

Oh, and today I've only got FOUR children.

Totally weird.

Jacob's at college and Grace and Noah are at work.

Somebody was up barfing last night.  Don't know who, yet.

And there's two random deer legs out in my front yard.

I think Annabelle brought them to me as a gift, because she never chews them, she just finds them and lays them in the yard outside the window where I sit at the computer...

So that I can see them.

Isn't she sweet?

Gosh, it's sure hard to do "school" right before Christmas!

Benjamin read his first real words yesterday, and it was totally effortless on my part.  I'm tellin' ya, 

have a whole bunch of kids because the last few are the easiest!

Now, there's a tip, and it's not even Tuesday... or Wednesday.

I think.   : )

Tip Tuesday: Epic Thrifting

OK, so I lied.  I'm not gonna start the craft/gift idea posts until December 1st.  I'm just not quite there yet.  Don't even have the tree up.  But we are playing Christmas music and that's a good start.  And I have been doing a record amount of shopping...

On Monday my best friend from high school drove three hours--all the way to my house-- with her four adorable (well, the three girls are adorable... her son is cool)  children and she and I got to spend the entire day thrifting!  Yes, all day.  No children.  Every single thrift store in Lexington.  Noteworthy!

I didn't really find much until ---  the last stop.  And then I scored BIG TIME!  And the thing that I bought was so stinkin' big that I couldn't fit it in my ginormous van.  So, I had to come back the next day without the seats in my van and with a big, strong teenager to help me.  And while I was waiting for the goodwill guys to find some tools for us to take the huge thing apart with, I ended up buying more big stuff!  And then I had to call Captain, who was just getting off work, to come and help us.  So he bought us a tool and came and saved the day.  We also got some amazing Firehouse subs.  And I got a new (new for me) kitchen table that seats ALL of us comfortably, for only $30.  That's a major score!

And since it's Tuesday, which I just now realized, I'll leave you with a tip.  If you go to a thrift store and everything seems like junk... it probably is.  Just move on.  Every store is different and each has its own ebb and flow of treasures.  When you walk into a good one, you'll know because the prices will be really great on furniture and there will be lots of brand name clothes.  Since I spent roughly three hours at that last store, I got to talk to the employees quite a bit.  They told me that December is the best month for donations... and good, nice, BIG donations... because wealthier people want the tax deductions.  They also told me that the most donations come in on Sunday evenings after yard sales are over, but that's only during nicer weather.  So, there ya go!

Check out your thrift stores this coming month-- you might just hit the jackpot!

Oh, and I have a question for you guys... what do you think about thrifted gifts?  Would you be offended?  Or do you not really care where something came from as long as you know the giver really tried hard to get you something you would like?  It's been a big conversation topic around here and I'd really like your opinion!

Paying for Pictures and the Family Glue

So, I've got a bit of a crisis on my hands here at the big happy nest.  Blogger has told me that I've reached my limit.  I could have already told them that!  Yep, I've reached my limit, y'all.

No more pictures for me.

Man.

Jewelry In The Making

Hi guys!  I just wanted to share a few new items that we recently listed on Etsy...  I'm having so much fun getting lots of feedback and also a few sales-- Yippee!!

Crazy Girl

Haven't had much to say lately.  A bit of a writer's block, I guess.  I'll just ramble.  Maybe that will help.  OK.  Life's been busy, as usual.

The Family That Slays Together...

Here's a little glimpse into our world this past Saturday.

It started out with Noah's buck...

Tip Tuesday: Cooking Beans For Later

So, I was having another one of those exciting homemaker-type conversations the other day... discussing the best and cheapest way to eat beans.  Everybody knows that they're a cheap and good-for-you and everything.  The problem is that canned beans are overpriced and you've got to plan waaaay ahead in order to cook dry beans for dinner.  Since I'm more of a thirty minute style cook, that just won't do.

Thankful

I printed off a bunch of these for coloring pages.  My kids are filling them up with things they are thankful for.  Thought you might like it.  If you want to print one, just click on the picture so that it gets big, drag it off onto your desktop and then print.  It should fill up the whole page.

PS.  It's from "Life is Good" on Facebook.  They post the cutest stuff!

A Proclamation

I thought I'd share what I came up with for my facebook cover photo last night. 

 I had no idea what an impact it would have!

Tip Tuesday: VOTE!

Because if you don't then you can't complain for the next four years and that would be annoying.

Chicken Fest: Homesteading At Its Best

Here's sweet Graci.  "Say Hello to my little friend."