J o e y & A l e e t h e a - super cool handmade monster clothing and more! :D

guess my baby's birthday and win a HANDMADE MONSTER SHIRT GIVEAWAY!!! :D

 

Update: Well everyone, here I am...Tuesday 2/7/12 8:30pm EST and I'm officially 5 days past my due date! We're still awaiting our baby boy who is apparently on his own little schedule. :) In order to have a winner for this sweet giveaway, I want all of you to have another shot at guessing the birthday of our little guy! So come on back to my blog -- and just comment again with a different date. And if you haven't yet taken a guess, then stop on by and let's keep this party going! Here's some new info for you guys: As of this evening, I'm 2cm dilated and 95% effaced. Woohoo!!! :D

 

We're all anxiously waiting for our "Baby 2012" to arrive. I'm due in 5 days, and cannot wait to meet him.

The Hubbs Joe has spent many nights fixing up lots of things around the house, making it more comfy for us all. He's also gotten all of the remaining boxes unpacked from our move, thank goodness. Every room in our home is now box-free!! (umm...except for those dozen or so boxes that we're hiding upstairs in his office...but we won't talk about those, mmkayy?)

My wonderful Doula Helen is on call, and my awesome Midwife Barbara will be ready at the birthing center, along with the tub for our planned water birth. These area exciting times!

The baby's nursery awaits. Joey and Lily await their little brother's arrival. Our pup Souvlaki naps at my feet, and won't leave my side - even more so than usual. Gosh how I wish Aleethea were here too.

The super cutesie and tiny little newborn sized Ankle Biters lounge pants are hanging in his closet, the handmade newborn monster onesies and necktie shirts await, the sweet little colorful handpainted onesie from his patient big sister Lily, some art for his walls made by big brother Joey, a cozy little sleep sack for him to travel home in, and the crib bedding I made is (almost) all ready to be enjoyed. I keep sewing more and more things for him. Maybe if I stop sewing, then he'll get here already! :)

Wanna guess our baby's birthday? Cool, because it's giveaway time!!!!!!!!!

It's time for some FUN! If you can correctly guess what day my baby boy will arrive, then I'll make you a little something awesome; either a monster onesie or monster shirt, handmade by me, especially for you. Woohoo!!

Ready to guess? Need some more info?

- our son Joey was born 3 days past his due date

- our daughter Lily was born 4 days past her due date

- my official due date is Thursday 02/02/12

- I've had very strong Braxton Hicks contractions every night like clockwork for all of January

- as of three days ago, I'm 1cm dilated.

- Groundhog Day is also February 2nd...will we see my baby??? hehe.

- my beloved dog's birthday is February 3rd, the Hubbs Joe thinks the baby will be born on Aleethea's bday

- my nephew's birthday is also February 3rd

- Superbowl Sunday is February 5th...and I do NOT want to be anywhere but HOME to watch it...so I will need to do everything in my power to either have this baby on his due date in order to get back home in time for the Superbowl...or, hold my labor off until Monday, at least. haha.

So that's pretty much everything. Now your guess is as good as mine!

Sometime shortly after our new babe arrives, I'll let you know via my blog (which also updates my Facebook page), to annouce our baby boy's arrival. I will contact the winner directly for their address, and since we'll have a newborn in the house, I probably won't get to sewing the prize until March.

Here I am with my belly, so you can sort of see who needs to come out and have a birthday. And don't laugh at my funny hat!:

 

 

:D

Here's how to win:

First, go and pick your favorite item from my Etsy shop, Joey & Aleethea's sold items here, or you can also pick your favorite item from my Facebook photos here.

Then come back here to by blog and comment here to let me know the following:

1) what's your favorite item from Joey & Aleethea?

2) what date do you think our baby will be born?

3) if you win (WHEN you win!) which monster would you prefer -- Vasilis, Limoni, or Daphne?

4) what size would you like? (available up to size 24mos as a onesie, and 2T thru 10 as a t-shirt)

5) your email address

 

Giveaway ends whenever my baby arrives.

Only 1 entry per person.

Open to US and International commenters too.

 

This is so exciting, isn't it? Have fun everyone...I hope YOU win!!! :D

 

 

 

Aquarius baby

 

I've been having some fun reading up on the type of personality and characteristics my baby boy will posses, as an Aquarius aka the Water Bearer. Wikipedia has some interesting info re: Aquarius in Greek Mythology. And here's an article I found describing Aquarius babies:

January 20 - February 18

"Your Aquarian baby will be outwardly calm, relaxed and delightful and grandparents in particular will dote on your baby. From an early age Aquarians are quick thinkers who will want to analyse everything and everyone. An Aquarian child will often be totally unpredictable and come up with with lots of ideas; and she will also be sensitive and intuitive. You may find your child will rebel against commands and rules, but if you leave her to think things through she will normally come to a sensible conclusion on her own. Young Aquarians like to have many friends, although few will be very close, and will be generous towards them. Parents should watch out for the typical Aquarian absent-mindedness which may seem strange in one so young.

An Aquarian child will be full of energy and will be constantly on the go and needs plenty of opportunity to make discoveries. Your child will thrive in a peaceful, calm, harmonious environment. These children are sensitive to any underlying tensions, so if you have to argue with a partner or other family member, try to do so out of earshot of your child. Aquarian children can often look more confident than they feel and so they will need genuine encouragement and praise from their parents.

Young Aquarians should be encouraged to think logically and practically. Their minds are always working quickly, sometimes too quickly so they often get in a muddle.

The typical Aquarian child is very healthy."

source: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Personality-Traits-of-an-Aquarius-Baby&id=13485

RIP Aleethea: how our beloved dog died, and how we're coping

When I called Joe and the kids at 6:45am on Tuesday 12/6/11, I had left the house 15 minutes ago, and was just a few blocks away from the Emergency Vet. I knew Aleethea had already passed away, but the kids didn't yet know.

Just a little over an hour before...it was so early in the morning, and still dark out. It was raining. Joey and Lily had just woken up since they heard me already awake, and I told them Aleethea wasn't feeling well...but I had no idea she was as sick as she was. Soonafter they saw me crying while laying down on the floor next to Aleethea, and Souvlaki was laying down next to us too...as if Souvlaki knew what was happening right before our eyes. I started to get dressed and ready to go. Within moments Aleethea was very, very weak, and she couldn't stand up. Moments later her breathing was labored, her gums were grayish, then a minute later they were blue.

I told the kids Aleethea is not in any pain, but she had suddenly become very sick, and I'm going to have to take her to the Emergency Vet.

But I knew Aleethea only had a few minutes left to live, and wouldn't make it to the vet 15 minutes away. I had seen her life slip away in the moments prior.

Then the kids saw Joe carrying Aleethea and rushing out to put her in the car. I told the kids Dad will stay with them, and they will sit and have breakfast together. After I left, Joe and the kids prayed for Aleethea, to not be in any pain.

When I was on the phone with them, I told Joey and Lily to get their crayons and paper. I told them if they wanted to, they could draw a picture of Aleethea, and draw a picture about how they remember their dog. Also, if they had to say goodbye to her, what would they want Aleethea to know.

When I returned home at 8am, Joe and I had to sit down and tell the kids that our sweet puppy Aleethea had died. After a little while and lots of tears, the kids showed me their art.

This is what Lily drew:

Lily described the drawing she made:

"That's a rainbow.
And the big blue is home.
The little blue is the doctor's.
Aleethea walked over the rainbow."

This is what Joey drew:

Then Joey described his drawing:

"I knew Aleethea loved me.
Thats how I remember Aleethea,
on the grass, playing,
under the blue shining sky."

Children are simply amazing.

After I told them what to expect at the vet's office, we all drove to the emergency vet where they knew they would see Aleethea laying down on the vet's table, with her blanket over her, her face showing and her eyes closed. We brought Souvlaki with us too. It was our time to say our final goodbye, pray together next to her, and pet our Aleethea for the very last time.

We returned home. Joe and I spent the day with the kids, and no one went to work or school. We talked about why Aleethea died, and what the vet said, and how she died. They watched the movie "All Dogs Go To Heaven". They painted quietly that day. We talked about how important it is for them to draw, and write, and talk, and express their feelings.

We talked about how she will always be with us, and how she will always be remembered in our hearts and minds. We discussed how to remember her, and how to talk about what we remember about her. We answered lots of the kids' questions, and talked about how it's ok to be sad. We also talked about how their sadness might make them feel angry. We talked about how to express that anger and sadness. We talked about how they're going to see Mama and Dada cry over Aleethea, and we'll all need lots of hugs and understanding and compassion, because we are very, very sad for now. and how they won't be sad all the time.

We talked about how it's ok to be happy and sometimes forget your sadness, and always remember to play. We talked about how they could tell everyone they know about Aleethea, and that she died and is now in heaven.

We talked about how their other puppy Souvlaki is still here, and needs lots of extra love these days too. Souvlaki lost her best doggy friend and also who she saw as her "Mama". We talked about how lucky we are to still have a dog in our lives, and we should always let Souvlaki know how much we love her.

Throughout the day, we told each other of our favorite memories of Aleethea, and we looked at lots of pictures of Aleethea. We held each other through tears. We cried alone, we cried together.

We also went out to buy the book "Dog Heaven" for our bedtime story. Our first bedtime in 7 1/2 years without Aleethea. Our young beautiful energetic dog now sleeps and plays in heaven.

It all just happened so quickly that morning. Aleethea wasn't supposed to die. She was healthy. She was so energetic. She never showed signs of slowing down. She never showed signs of being ill. She was supposed to live long. She was supposed to have an old age. We just moved back to NY. She was supposed to play in the NY snow this winter. She was supposed to have another Christmas with us.

What happened to my sweet and energetic dog, my loving pup of just 7 years young??

Aleethea died of a Spleenic Mass, aka Hemangiosarcoma (HSA). Some refer to it as Spleen Cancer, and it's known as the Silent Killer. It is a terribly sudden death, and often very unexpected. Her abdomen was filled with blood. She had a tumor in her spleen near her heart.

It's called the Silent Killer because there are hardly any noticeable symptoms which would lead you to believe death was imminent, until it is already too late. Even if we would’ve rushed Aleethea into the vet weeks earlier when the tumor probably began to grow, she would’ve needed emergency surgery to remove her spleen.  Even with spleen removal surgery, dogs would then require chemotherapy and have some painful days. And after the surgery, a dog would generally only live a max of 1 to 3 more months. To read more about this awful Hemangiosarcoma (HSA), see this article - warning there are graphic photos involved.

The day after Aleethea died was Wednesday, and Joey and Lily returned to Kindergarten and Preschool. They each carried a photo of Aleethea with them, and a note for their teacher informing them of their loss. The kids told their friends at school about what happened to their dog, and they received many hugs.

While the kids were at school, I now had hours to grieve without worrying about my kids...and I went numb. I could hardly breathe. I was walking around in a foggy haze. There are only two things getting me out of bed and eating food thru the day...one is my husband taking such good care of me and his kids. The other is because of this baby boy that I'm carrying inside.

Today I'm 32 weeks pregnant, and I am absolutely heartbroken over my first baby, Aleethea Faith.

Our Kindergartener and Preschooler

 

 

6 month baby bump

Here we are, this week I'm 6 months pregnant. Do you see that major roundness I've got going on?

I'm looking and feeling rather huge lately, and I'm just getting used to the belly's growth spurt over the past month - but loving every tiresome and interesting minute of it.The kids run over to me when I tell them the baby is kicking in there, and I ask them who wants to feel the belly and come say hello to their baby brother? "Meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

First time wearing that vintage dress, and the very first time trying it on in all year long. Got it last January from Etsy, of course - a sweet shop named Wunderbar vintage. Had I known how much I would love the dress, I would've at least put on some lipstick for the photo.

Adoring the looks on my kiddos faces - they did so great staying there for the photos - they're such troopers because they initially started out smiling - but this was an impromptu picture-taking moment, which turned into a super long 5 minutes...and do you know what 5 minutes is like with 2 kids and 2 dogs? More like 20 minutes. So this photo was after a dozen or so snapshots were already taken - all the while I'm saying under my breath and behind my smile to my pups "Aleethea, Souvlaki, ssstaaaaaaayyyyyy, good girrrrrrls, ssstayyyyyyyyy."

Joey could not wait til the picture-taking was over so he could go back to playing with his cardboard craft. Lily was taking it all so seriously, she was also saying "sstaaaaaaaaaayy" to the dogs. Do you see how Aleethea's ears are all pushed back? She is so sweet, she was patiently listening to and obeying Lily. Souvlaki isn't quite as patient yet - she was just waiting to pounce up and run once we were all done. Afterwards Lily was just so happy because the dogs listened to her. Ugh, so cute!

Missing in the photo is the Hubbs Joe - because he was taking the picture. And if he would've moved even just a bit, and attempted to turn on the auto-timer thingy on the camera in order to jump into the photo...well, forget about it...those 4 adorable sweeties next to me would've each started walking away in their own directions. So I've learned ya take what ya can get around here some mornings.

I think this one is going to get framed in black and white, and hung up in the new house once we move. That is, after I photoshop the Hubbs Joe into the picture too. :)

Not sure when I'll check-in here again since we're surrounded by boxes and moving this month. Sad times because I will miss the dear friends I made here in this small and quiet country town. But at the same time we are ecstatic to be moving back to our hometown of NYC.

Hope you and yours enjoy a wonderful October!

it's a BOY!!! :D and the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who entered my recent giveaway and took a fun guess at our baby's gender! So are you ready to see what we're having? OK so you may need to imagine a baby sitting on a glass table, and you're underneath the glass table looking upwards. Wait for it...

We're having a BOY!!! And for the record, this is the only time you will ever see me post a photo of our offspring's private parts. I think at 18.5 weeks pregnant, the photo is still pretty much rated G. :)

I've known our baby's gender since Friday - and lemme tell ya, it has not been easy keeping this a secret online - I've had to keep it hush everywhere from Facebook to Pinterest to Twitter to Etsy...so I'm very happy this moment has finally arrived.

Of the 19 total guesses in my "boy or girl?" giveaway, 7 guesses were for a girl, and 12 of which guessed a boy. At first, everyone was guessing a girl! Then the boy guesses starting rolling in. It was lots of fun reading all of the comments and guesses.

And so, we have a winner! It's comment # 9 of the boy guesses.

Congratulations to Amanda Sue!! She commented "I'm gonna guess a boy!" - and she was not only right, but also the lucky winner!

Amanda Sue, I'll be emailing you momentarily to ask you which monster you'd like, also your preference of monster onesie or monster tee, and the size you'd like. Congrats again!

Thank you to everyone who played along!!!!!!

And now, I'll leave you with a much better image of our baby boy:

Isn't he awesome? omg...IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

oxox

boy or girl? and a monster GIVEAWAY!!!

This giveaway is over and comments are closed -- see the winner here!

Tomorrow is the day!! Tomorrow we find out if this baby in my belly is a baby boy, or a baby girl!!! Our kids Joey and Lily are both so excited to find out if they're having a little brother or sister, it's the cutest thing how they start jumping up and down when we talk about it.

Joey says he wants a baby brother because "if we bring any more girls in this house, then forget it. Just forget it!..." And he goes on and on...and at 5 years old, he means it! He's referring mostly to our German Shepherds Aleethea and Souvlaki, who are both females, and how he helps feed them and train them on a daily basis, which is alot of fun for him, even though they're super intelligent beasts and very stubborn...yet they listen to him of course, and it's also important and responsible work - even if it only takes 15 minutes per day. Plus this year Joey is starting Kindergarten, and so smart and quite specific about what he says and wants. That "forget it" he speaks of also covers a wholelotta ground! He's also quite the listmaker, and that list of an answer gets longer and longer each time he's asked the question about the baby's gender. Joey has always been so great and kind and loving with his little sister, and with any younger kids or babies, so I know he'll be a fantastic big brother again.

Lily says she wants a baby girl so she can "help dress the baby, and give the baby a bath, and play with the baby, and tell the baby 'no, baby, that's not your doll, that's MINE." Nice, eh? Already so helpful, yet already fighting with the baby. All very good reasons, though. I know Lily will be such a wonderful big sister, and I think she will enjoy having more responsibilities around the house. She is always happy to offer her help, which really is so sweet. You should see her reinforcing training with Aleethea and Souvlaki, and how well they both listen to all 3 feet tall of her. She is so strong, and so adorable, and so amazing.

But I do have to often explain to my little monster babes that just because they tell me that they want a baby brother or a baby sister, it doesn't actually mean that they will get what they ask for. That's still a grey area around here. We tell them it's all in God's hands. But at their age, they think if they ask for a baby boy or a baby girl, then that's what I'll deliver! You know, like any other typical choice I give them such as "What do you want for lunch? Peanut butter n' jelly...or...macaroni and cheese?" So I give them a choice, they answer, and I deliver! Yeah...not quite the same situation here.

So I told my sweet, smart, and overall just so awesome children that they should add "baby brother" or "baby sister" to their Christmas Lists. haha. That way, I figure if they don't get what they want, then they can blame Santa instead of me. ha! Yes that's right I will milk whatever resources I have available. We start that whole threatening talking about the Naughty or Nice list in July. At 5yrs and 3yrs old, that works like a charm!

OK so getting back to this baby...as for me, for a while I was on the fence about finding out the gender of this baby, and almost wanted to leave it all up to be a surprise. The Hubbs Joe has never been indecisive about it, he's always wanted to know the gender. It's really just more practical with our hectic lives these days. The Hubbs Joe wants to find out also because he says he knows it'll just be so much easier on me since I can pace myself and start sewing up the baby's 1st year wardrobe and get it done before he or she arrives. Which pretty much was the deciding factor for me, because that definitely does sound like a whole lot of fun!! :D

When I was preggers with our son Joey, we didn't find out what gender Joey was until moments after his birth. Does anyone even do that anymore? Joey was our surprise gender, and the Hubbs Joe and I loved the whole mystery of it all, throughout my pregnancy. Months and months of contemplating the gender, talking about what if's, hearing all about how patient we were from other people when we told them we weren't finding out, and decor and clothing in lots of neutral colors like sage, yellow, and orange filling the nursery...until the baby blue gifts starting pouring in once our bouncing baby boy arrived. Good times.

When I was pregnant with Lily, we wanted to find out what gender she was since we had a toddler at home and not as much time on our hands - so we wanted to ensure we could prepare everything for her arrival. If she would've been a boy, easy peasy, we'd have all the hand me downs and no need for anything new. But then we found out a sweet baby girl was on the way! So I had to get to sewing, and make her the most lovely dresses and the most pretty little things, yet as non-uber-girly as could be. No frilly frills around here, yet I had lots of time to start thinking like the Mama of a girl, and not just a little boy's Mama. It was quite a transition in thinking, and I was glad to have that time to prepare and research some of the girly stuff I needed to know. Which, of course, is never really accurate because the day arrives and then your daughter tells you and shows you the way it really is, and not what you've read! :)

So...what do I think we're having? That's the question I hear alot. I think...based upon the amount of morning sickness I've had these past few months, I think we're having a boy...only because when I was preggers with Lily I was sick all day long for months and months...and this time around although I've been sick here and there, and for a few weeks it was kinda bad...but still, it just hasn't been as awful as before.

At my last OB visit, the baby's heartrate was 140 bpm. They say a faster heartrate could mean a girl, a slower heartrate could mean a boy...but I'm told this heartrate is right in the middle. So...who knows!

So what do you think? Are we having a boy or a girl?

And you know I love sewing and giving things away...and wow it's been so long...so how about we have a fun little G I V E A W A Y to make this even more fun (as if that's possible!), and to celebrate!!!

How would you like one of those super cutesie monster onesies in the photo? For freeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Your prize is one of my signature items from my Etsy shop, Joey & Aleethea. So it will be custom made by me, just for you! You could have either Vasilis, Limoni, Or Daphne...on either a onesie or a tee shirt if you prefer! It will be handmade by me especially for your baby or big kiddo, or a present for your friend or family!

The GIVEAWAY is open starting right now, and all you need to do is leave a comment with what you think I'm having! From the correct guesses, a random number generator will then select the winner!

Giveaway ends on Labor Day (hehe), Monday night 9/5//11 just before midnite, at 11:59pm EST.

The winner - and my baby's gender - will be announced...ummm...when this pregnant Mama feels like it, darnit! Or...on Tuesday 9/6/11 before midnite...whichever comes first. :P

Be sure to leave your size and monster preference in your comment (Vasilis, Limoni, or Daphne, in any size, newborn thru 10yrs), because you know you're gonna win!

This giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere! You only need an email address and a mailing address in order for me to contact you and mail out your awesome monster onesie or shirt. Please note: it will take a couple of weeks for me to get your super cutesie monster onesie/tee out to you. Just sayin...I'm kinda busy building life here!

Oh and only one entry per person.

Isn't it neat for you that you have a friend who is pregnant...and who also sews? haha. :D

Good luck, peeps!! And I can't wait to tell you guys what we're having!!!!!!!!!!!!

oxox

 

puppy love

are you sitting down? guess what???!!!

Estoy embarazada de trece semanas

Είμαι δεκατριών εβδομάδων έγκυος

אני שבועות thirteen בהריון

私は13週の妊婦です

Sono tredici settimane in stato di gravidanza

Unë jam i trembëdhjetë javë shtatzënë

أنا حامل ثلاثة عشر أسبوعا

Ich bin 13 Wochen schwanger

 我13週懷孕

Je suis enceinte de treize semaines

Ako ay labintatlo linggo buntis

Я тринадцать недель беременности

 

in other words...

 

 

estoy embarazada de trece semanas

Aleethea and Souvlaki

My furry babies, tolerating a heat index of 110 degrees while I take their picture.

Souvlaki (on right) is 11 mos old now, and doesn't look like such a pup anymore. Look at how tall she is! Her paws are bigger than Aleethea's, and Souvlaki still has more growing to do.

Aleethea (on left) at 7yrs old acts as the Mama, showing her "baby" Souvlaki what to do and when, and lovingly disciplining her too.

Wouldn't you think that the older dog would physically be the slower dog? And the pup would be the more physically active one? Not in our house. Actually Aleethea is the one with twice as much energy as Souvlaki! Aleethea has always had a high drive and still acts the same as she did when she was 2 years old. She is still the fastest dog I've ever seen (in person). She runs faster than Souvlaki, and is all around much quicker on her feet and more agile. Souvlaki is very playful, but would rather lay at my feet than initiate any running games. But once she sees Aleethea running and playing, Souvlaki is quick to follow.

 

They have so much fun together - they play like wolves and make crazy and wild growling sounds as they stand up on their hind feet with all their teeth showing, nip each other in the paws, and bite each others necks. All in good fun.

Oh and they adore swimming!

Here's Aleethea growling at Souvlaki as Souvlaki attempts to playfully attack her while swimming:

 

These pups of ours are just so wonderful and amazing.

My sweet and ferocious German Shepherd Dogs. ^..^__~     ^..^__~

my baby girl turned 3!!!

3 years old. Wow.

June 11th, 2008...and it feels like just yesterday that we were playing a bloggy giveaway game here on my blog entitled "Where's My Baby" because it was days before my due date, and my belly was huge!! Everyone started guessing when our baby girl would arrive, and it was such fun. Lily ended up being 4 days "overdue" at 9lbs, 6 oz. Yikes! And that was 3 years ago. Amazing.

So my youngest is now 3. She had just self-weaned her nightly nursing at 35 months. Yes, thirty-five-months. Did I ever imagine I would be extended breastfeeding for that long? Never. I thought Joey was a marathon nurser when he self-weaned at 23 months. I had no idea Lily would keep asking for her "nay nay" until just before her 3rd birthday. The girls are officially mine again. A bit smaller, but mine all mine.

OK so enough about babies and boobs. Let's talk about my preschooler...

Lily was actually very sick in the above photo. This picture was taken on the morning of her birthday, the day before her birthday party...which we had to reschedule for the following weekend! Darn fever, sniffles and hacking cough.

We stayed inside all day, rested up, and made some birthday crafts, and enjoyed some birthday cake. Here's a little video of Lily, just after we sang Happy Birthday to her. She's about to blow out her candles...poor thing barely had the energy, but it was so darn cute!! Wait til you hear what she wishes for.

(The video may take a minute or so to load, it's a fairly large file.)

 

Those awesome retro cake decorations (carousel horses, balloons) are from the super fun vintage shop HeyYoYo on Etsy.

That fabulous birthday crown Lily in the photo is by WendyMiracle who was just so great to ship out that lovliness to my little girl the day after I ordered it, and it arrived in time to wear for Lily's birthday breakfast.

Oh, and what is Lily eating for breakfast on her special day? A big goey puff of sorts, made from pink popcorn. It's called a Hello Kitty Caramel Popcorn Ball. They're just like having pink cereal, but without the milk, and instead with some pinkish glaze and caramel sticky stuff. A fun and yummy special 3rd birthday treat! Got them here from SugarBunchCreations on Etsy, who packaged up those popcorn balls and a bunch of cotton candy favors so nicely, and shipped them overnite to ensure their freshness.

You can't really see the poofy Pink Bubblegum gown Lily has on in the photo, but it is super poofy and full of pink felt circles. Lily picked it out, from approx a dozen dresses I showed her on Etsy. It's from a wonderful Etsy seller, a talented and super sweet costume designer named Starina23, and you can see the dress here in all its cuteness.

The whole  pinker than pink theme of Lily's birthday was all her decision, everything from the pink gown, the pink crown, the pink cupcakes I baked the next weekend for her party, and pink balloons. She is over the moon with pinkness these days. Convincing her to wear any other color takes a bit of creativity on our part!

Anyway, so after some restful days of medicine and recovery, and 2 days straight of wearing that same pink dress because she simply did not want to take it off...one week later Lily was all better, and the party was on.

I'll get Lily's birthday party photos posted soon. A clown, face-painting, frozen margaritas, Greek food and good friends!

how true

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

 

~Oprah Winfrey

 

Joey's 5th Birthday!

 

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What's better than super yummy and colorful rainbow cupcakes on your 5th birthday?

How about rainbow cupcakes, air hockey, catching dinosaurs at a kiddie-arcade, Yiayia (Grandma) in town to celebrate, a water park, climbing ropes in the sky, go-karts, and roller-skating.

All in one week.

I am pretty sure the birthday boy had fun. :D

 

rain, rainbows, and tie-dyed shirts

The skies are all dark and grey today, and the rain is coming down pretty heavily. We sure are looking forward to the sunshine and rainbows after today's stormy weather.

Until then, to bring some of those anticipated colorful skies inside, Joey and Lily are snuggling up on the couch together, hanging out in their tie-dye shirts from Splendid Little Stars. Yep, those shirts are hand dyed! Don't they look like such fun? Splendid Little Stars is an Etsy shop owned by Margaret, she's a bloggy friend of mine and you have got to see the items in her shop. They are simply wonderful little pieces of colorful happiness!

My kids really love those shirts, and always ask to wear them. Especially on rainy days! The rain plus their colorful shirts make them all smiley and silly. They sure do know how to bring the rainbows inside. :)

Hope your day is filled with smiles and color!

Back to sewing for me...

oxox

Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Efforts -- How can we all help?

Via PBS: "In the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last week, aid organizations are working to assist survivors and are calling for donations. We've compiled a list of a few of the organizations lending a hand. It's not an exhaustive list, but it can help those interested in contributing get a start on their research." - see the list here via PBS.org and donate what you can. Every little bit helps.

Etsy artists are helping via tagging their products with " See the Etsy blog post, Thinking of Japan.

And from the Etsy forums, the below is from LisaJune, Etsy Admin:

"Find and join Teams to connect with those touched by crisis and organize aid relief: http://www.etsy.com/teams/search/japan

To find sellers donating proceeds to this cause search 'artistaid' or 'joyforjapan'.

If you're a seller donating proceeds of your sales to earthquake relief, tag the items 'artistaid' or 'joyforjapan'. You can also use this tag on Treasury lists.

You can also donate money directly via Paypal:
https://www.paypal-donations.com/pp-charity/web.us/campaign.jsp?cid=-12"

 

Also see this info from ProjectHope: "As Japan races to prevent a nuclear meltdown in the wake of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami, frightening uncertainties abound. At least 10,000 quake-related deaths have been reported and it’s feared that the ultimate toll could be much higher. Amid a desperate search for survivors, millions more are without power, heat and water." Japan Tsunami: What's Ahead After Massive Earthquake, Nuclear Crisis

Our thoughts, prayers, and hearts are with you, Japan.