This week was a wipeout!

What a bummer of a week! Mostly just first world problems but problems no less. The girls went back to school after the Thanksgiving holidays, so it was time to get back to work. I had planned on doing my first tutorial, sewing up some things for market and over all being busy. Then....

The modem started to bug out. Only intermittent wireless signals, no signal for the hardwired computer and the phone internet connection is expensive...
So, no blogging.

No big deal right? We can take pictures for the tutorial and get it all ready to go when the modem was ready, right? Right?? yeah... right... Then....

I couldn't find the cord for the camera. No cord, no dice. Can't charge, cant upload, nuthin. Ordered a new one, should be here any day now... so I could just take some shoddy pictures with my  phone camera right? ehhhh maybe... Then...

My phone slipped out of my pocket and Ollie the Toothless Teether discovered it before I did. Slobbering and teething ensued. My phone was/is soooooaaaaked. And gross. Smart phones are not smart, as in they should have an alarm when encountering damp/ wet environments such as teething child's mouth. After a good drying out it should be fine, hopefully by morning.

Moral of this story, It's not always easy to transfer what's in my mind into sharable content.  If it does happen to make any sense, I've still got to transfer it via computers and obviously, computers do not love me. (or my slobbery yet adorable 11 month old who still has no teeth.)

I'm not giving up, just taking a break. Lately I've been so *zonked* that I've not even wanted to get near the sewing room. THAT MUST STOP. Christmas is almost upon us, and I've got to many things to do. So tomorrow I'll be at market, Sunday is the family day and come hell or high water, Monday I WILL BE IN THE SEWING ROOM. Hopefully with a camera, a working phone and lovely babies with teeth and happy moods.

And ACK! Santa sent us Elf on the Shelf!! I can't tell you how excited I am to terrorize the children    start this new tradition! Our elf's name is Stivell (I know, I've never heard of it either. The two year old came up with it and trust me, she will NOT be having any say so on the names of any future siblings.) Pictures of the Elf and his mischief to come (assuming the camera cord gets here soon!!)

Love to you all!!


Kristy

Sale at Deaf Mama Designs and "I'm thankful" Series roundup

Time to have a Black Friday/ Cyber Monday sale at www.deafmama.com! Everything in the store is 25% off, so get it cleared out for me so I can make room for new stuff! Sale ends Monday night at MIDNIGHT CMT!
Now, on to the Thankful series... much catching up to do...

Day 16. I'm Thankful for my old van! She's a Ford Windstar that I've had feeereeeevvveeer and she's still going. We don't enjoy car payments or even car shopping, so I'm extremely thankful for her putting up with us all these years. She's served us well! We do have to take two vehicles out when we have the whole family together, but we make it work. 

Day 17. I'm thankful for thrift stores! I dislike spending money, but I love finding things on the cheap at the thrift store. It's so much fun to bring something home, clean it up, paint it and make it my own. 

Day 19. I'm thankful for Fajita Nachos. Silly I know, but nachos make me so *happy*. 

Day 20. I'm Thankful for all the kind, loving friends and family in my life. In a world full of judgement, they stand by me, love us as a whole family and truly support us. 

Day 21. I'm thankful for being able to be a work at home mom. It's not always easy, but with my husband's support, we make it work. It's wonderful being able to live my dream and do what I truly enjoy, yet still be able to stay home with my children. 

Day 22. It's the big finale! I'm thankful for my life. I'm here. It's all up to me how I live that life. I don't believe in fairy tales or waiting for the magic to happen. It's here, it's now. I'm thankful for LIFE and I realize I've got to give it my all.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. God bless you all!

November Series: I'm Thankful Day 13 through 15

Continuing with the "I'm Thankful" Series....

Day 13. I'm thankful that my good friend  was able to hold her preemie baby for the first time since she was born a month ago. Baby D was born at 24 weeks, 1 lb, 6 oz,  just a little more than halfway through H's  pregnancy. The beginning of this tiny baby girl's life was so touch and go, with doctors unable to predict her future at all. She's gone through surgeries, blood transfusions, good days and bad. Yet through all this she's managed to survive. I'm thankful for the doctors and nurses that do everything they can to take care of this little bean. She is now 1 lb, 9 oz, and steadily growing. She's still tiny enough that her little hands will slip through a women's wedding band with ease. Yet, at 14 inches long, she's a fighter. She knows her mama's voice, and now, after a very long month, she knows mama's heartbeat again. This little baby is nothing short of Ah-MAZ-IN. 

Day 14. I'm thankful for the small stuff. Coffee in the morning (with my favorite coffee creamer), Hugs and kisses from the babies, cuddles and cartoons, funny Facebook statuses, afternoon naps (when they happen) and chocolate. The little things make all the difference! 

Day 15. I'm thankful that today is Thursday!! One more day of school and my kids will be on break for the week. Lately they've seemed a bit burned out. Hoping they can rest up (and get their rooms in order!!) It is exactly one week till Thanksgiving. Then it will be one month till Christmas (I AM NOT READY!!!!!) But I will be ready (or not) by the time it gets here. Meanwhile, lets just pretend I'm on top of everything and Christmas is still several months away. To bad my kids won't believe me! 

Have a great day. 

November Series: I'm Thankful- Day 10-12

Day 10. I'm thankful for my Dad! There is nothing the man can't build, fix or figure out. He would never admit it, but he can even sew! As a kid he always let us "shadow" him while he worked around the house, on the family cars or in the garden. My brother and I referred to ourselves as "gofers" because we always had to "go fer this and go fer that". In the process of hunting down paint brushes, lost tools and finding dropped nuts and bolts, we learned the basics of handyman-ship. The only negative about my dad? I'm 35 years old now and he STILL won't let me use any sort of saw, staple gun or nail gun that plugs in. Every year I say "Hey Daddy, I'm xx years old now, can I use the table saw?" And every year he says "Aw kiddo, I don't think so, maybe next year." I'm the baby of the family and I guess I always will be. It's a good spot to have, despite the fact that I'll probably never get to use a table saw under his watch.

Day 11. I'm thankful for my home. It was pure luck that we were able to buy this house and I'm super thankful we did. She still needs some love but so far, she's been a great home. We really should spend more time fixing her up. Indecisive me keeps changing the game plan, do, redo and do again... someday I'll make up my mind and get'er done.


Day 12. I'm thankful for my Doggy, Pepe. We call him Pepe because he always stinks. He's my sweetheart, a little poodle something mix, who showed up in my driveway 5 years ago, dripping wet from rain. When the babies fuss, he comes to me and walks in a circle so that I'll follow him. If someone is at the door and I don't hear the doorbell he has a certain bark that says "Hey!! There's a stranger!!" Otherwise, he's always underfoot and expecting attention at any moment. He is definitely one of our babies, except he's a sweet little four legged furry little thing.  <3 p="p">
In other news, I've got to get busy in the sewing room. Procrastination has been my worst enemy of late!

November Series: I'm Thankful day 2-9

In no particular order, I'm thankful....

Day 2. I'm thankful for this guy-

The hubby

This is Paul. He's my husband (I had to tie him down legally) but he's also my best friend. We do almost everything together, from xbox gaming to fabric shopping. Deaf Mama Designs would be nothing without his encouragement, ideas, heavy lifting and awesome daddy skills. (he is the fastest diaper changer this side of the Mississippi!) He loves the big family thing and he loves ME. He is my superhero. 

3. I'm thankful we live in a country where we are allowed to vote, to have an opinion without consequences  We can talk about how we can change our government  without worry of jail, beatings and even death. I think we get so wrapped up in what needs to be fixed that we truly forget how lucky we are to live in the USA. 

4. I'm thankful for Cochlear Implants. I am proud to be deaf, and I'm proud of being a part of the hearing world. I am amazed and thankful for the kind doctors, scientists, computer nerds and whiz kids that have grown up to focus on  us hearing impaired folks.You've made my life easier. More enjoyable. LOUDER. Without you guys, I would not have heard my babies' first cries at birth.  I would  have never experienced my first rock concert, I wouldn't have heard my husband say "I Do." (even though he said it really loud. heh. he was nervous :)) You guys have very literally rocked my world. Rock on!

5.I am thankful for My mom. Without her, of course I wouldn't be here. But even if I did manage to weasel my way in, I wouldn't be who I am. She believed in me, helped me to overcome, accomplish, achieve, mourn, fight back, laugh, love and and every other emotion I have. She taught me to sew, but the most important thing she ever taught me was to love without expectations. That would have to be a whole 'nother blog post, but yes, so true. 

6. I'm Thankful to the kind Ladies that work at the fabric stores!! So many times they've saved me headache when I couldn't find a fabric, pattern or crazy notion (because I HAD to have it that day, bc it was going to be on SALE dontcha know? ) They put up with me, and they love to flirt with Paul, which keeps him happy while I shop... which means more fabric for me, and less focusing on the receipt for him. Gotta love those ladies!

7. I'm thankful for customers, vendors (and everyone) at the market. The biggest thing that makes me love selling locally vs online is the interaction. Every Friday night I pack up the van for market. Every Saturday morning I unpack it, set up and wait. But the day is never ever boring. Many of the regular vendors have become my dearest friends, as well as several customers. I have a customer that bought a quilt from me over 3 years ago and he still stops by the booth to say hello. I *love* that. It means so much to me that people want to buy local, support our local artists and heck, take the time to talk to us. If it wasn't for them, and the awesome vendors, Saturdays could easily be a day I detest... but honestly, other than the fact that I miss my babies while I'm gone, I absolutely love it. I always learn something from someone, have a good laugh, share vendor war stories and triumphs. It's wonderful and I would be so heartbroken if I had to stop going. 

8.I'm thankful for my talent. To paraphrase Erma Bombeck- When I go before heaven and stand in front of God, I want to be able to say "God, I don't have a single talent left. I spent every bit of it, sharing with other people, teaching my children and praising you. I have nothing, and I hope that's alright."

9. I'm thankful for finally getting caught up on my "I'm Thankful Series"! It's not easy for me to blog. I want to set the right tone, the right mood.... I want my readers to walk away with a little bit of a chuckle or a "hmm, something to think on" moment. The blogging world is so big, and I am just.. me. But yes, I want to make you smile today, and I'm thankful for having my blog to provide me a way to say "Hello!" 

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you are thankful for! Leave a comment to share!

November Series: I'm Thankful....

Being thankful is harder than it appears. Us ladies have high expectations of ourselves, how we run our families, jobs and home. We can be overly critical of ourselves, and lose sight of the big picture. Today (a day late even) I'm kicking off the "I'm thankful" series, a list of things I'm thankful about and why. I know it isn't the most creative, and that's ok.  Life isn't perfect, deadlines aren't always met and sometimes the dinner gets burned but the big picture is    truly a blessing.

Day 1.

I'm thankful for my  kids.

All 9 of them.

Even when they're stubborn, talking back or won't go to bed.

Yes, they occasionally talk back. 

Yes, they get lazy.

Yes they have to be forced into the tub and reminded to scrub behind their ears.

Yes they are LOUD. 

But they are fun. Happy. Loving. They care for each other. They have learned sympathy, empathy. Best of all, they respect mama's spot on the couch. They sit there, but when I come along, they kindly scootch over. Thank you. I love sharing the living room with them. Sometimes, before the babies go to bed, the living room looks and sounds more like a peewee version of WWE's Royal Tumble. That's the one where all the guys try to toss each other out of the ring and the last one standing is the winner. Except in our version, the kids aren't fighting, or trying to hurt each other, just playing around. It's our NORMAL. (normal is such a silly word)

It's fun. It's loud. It's home. I'll admit, I don't look forward to the day my house is no longer home for toddler feet pitter pattering down the hall... or babies in highchairs eating their favorite foods one little bite at a time... or even teens that want to talk about "life isn't faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair and dipping their feet into volunteer work, politics and grownup "stuff". I love the chaos. The blessings. 

 Maybe we should invite some of the WWE guys over for thanksgiving. I think my kids could show them a few wrestling moves. I'm sure the kids would trick them into "their spot" being on the floor

 I'm thankful that my home is full. My hands are full.  My heart is full. Yet somehow there is always room for one more.