It turned out to be a beautiful day...

This last Saturday was the boys' graduation party and when I woke up at 6:30 am...it was raining. Not a good thing when your party is outdoors at the park, but low and behold it turned out to be a beautiful day! The boys' shared their party with a graduating friend which worked great...what I didn't think of the other mom did and visa versa...it went off without a hitch and everyone had fun. All of the boys ended up going over to the little league field to have a home run derby...I should've taken pictures because no one could tell me who won...each kid I talked to said they won....but of course!

A gorgeous day to gather for a celebration!

Not a real good angle of the cake, but it turned out pretty good :)

The 3 graduates arguing over who was going to get the cap decoration.
I think Chris ended up with it....how I have no clue!

The boys were recently invited to play on a wood bat summer ball team. The league is filled with collegiate and semi-pro players...it should be fun, if nothing else they'll learn a lot I'm sure! Some of the games will even be played at their college field too, so we have a lot to look forward to within the next few months. I'm looking forward to a wonderful summer with my kids before they head off to college!

Fundraiser and other news

I was recently asked to donate some items for a fundraiser for a local no kill shelter. It's a community event to raise funds for the shelter and to help other businesses get their name out there in this down economy. All profits will go to CHS to take care of their “furry kids” and also assist them in providing low cost foods/vaccinations/product/spay and neuter to the surrounding communities. Of course because I've adopted pets from there in the past I'm more than happy to help out.

So far I have 5 necklaces made and will hopefully have about 5 more done by tomorrow, then get everything packaged and delivered on Thursday. If I have some extra time I'll get some earrings made as well.

If you'd like to see some totally cute and adorable animals you can visit their site at http://columbiahumane.org/

In other news....my laptop is still dead and at the pc doctors as we speak...I miss it terribly! It looks like they're going to have to wipe my system clean.....Uuuggghhh! Why do I purchase virus protection if it's not going to protect?

Let's see...what else? The weather has been beautiful...perfect for baseball games :) The boys had a game in Astoria last weekend. We went to Seaside afterwards and walked the beach then on our way home stopped and took pictures of the sea lions on the docks. It was nice being able to get away from home to enjoy the sand and sea breeze. So I leave you with some pictures of the beach...

The End

Well the end of Fall baseball anyways...and the last season my boys will be playing this league because this time next year they'll be in college. Hard to imagine...and I'm still adjusting to the thought of all the running around from game to game will be over. Who knows what their baseball fate will hold when it comes to college. The norm is that they will red shirt until their Junior year. Though they are aware of this, I hope it doesn't deflate their dreams of pursuing their love of this sport.

As far as I'm concerned I will be happy with whatever they choose to do with their lives. My only hope is that they end up working at a job that they love. Not many people are fortunate enough to do that...many of us work because we have to and are just thankful that we have the jobs that we do. With the economy the way it is...a lot of us don't have the luxury of choice when it comes to supporting ourselves or our families. I've got my fingers crossed that my children will have that luxury to choose to do what they love.

So...so...sleepy

The boys started fall baseball today so we had to get up at Odarkhundred *yawns* I ended up taking a brief nap while they practiced. Do you ever notice that while your trying to sleep, or do something important the phone never stops ringing?? Holy Crow my cell phone was ringing off the hook this morning!

I did get alot of stuff done though today, I made a few more Goddess Adorned pendants, paid bills, balanced my checkbook, relisted a couple of things, and ordered some new supplies. I'm trying to decided if I want to sell the Goddess Adorned pendants with a sterling silver chain, ribbon or some other type of cording. If I decide on the sterling silver chain then the cost will have to go up...there in lies my indecisiveness...I want to keep these pendants affordable. If I list them with ribbons, I can add sterling silver clasps and really keep the cost pretty close to what it is now. I like the idea of them listed with ribbon because I can match it to the gems on the pendant....we'll see. Maybe I'll ask for some opinions in the Etsy forum...hmm..may have to do that.

Tomorrow I'm spending the day with my parents just relaxing and possibly having a BBQ, depending on the weather. I love my parents...I am truly blessed to have these two loving people in my life. I couldn't have asked for better parents. Sure we've had our ups and downs...mostly when I was an unruly teenager though. It's funny, when I was a teen I always wished that my friends parents were mine....now...looking back, I have no idea why I wanted that. Maybe it took me being a parent to see how absolutely wonderful and truly special they really are. I think it made me appreciate everything they did for me. And between you, me and the fencepost (as my brother Jarrett would say) they really did know what they were talking about...ssshhhh...don't tell them I said that though :)

Well I'm off to bed...maybe tonight I can get my dog to sleep on the other side of the bed instead of on me :) .....wish me luck!

Wiped

It's been a long week and a half, last week the boys had a MLB Scouting camp in Kennewick, WA, which in that heat was totally exhausting and I was just an onlooker. My boys were the youngest there...the rest were ranging in their 20's to mid 30's...all of them hoping for their big break. I was amazed at the talent that accumulated on that little field. I was really proud at how the boys performed....they ranked right up there, but I'm their mom so I'm a bit partial, but I'm also realistic. Unfortunately while we were over there we had a family member pass away, so naturally we extended our leave to visit with family and lend a hand where we could. This one really hit home because Uncle Art is only a year older than my dad...so...well...we'll just leave it at that.

We picked up our dogs when we got back, and boy were they happy to be home! The first thing they did was hog the couch! Darnit...I'm never fast enough...nor is my couch big enough for the 3 of us!! I also think they may have a cold. They're not coughing...so kennel cough is out, but they've got runny noses and the sneezes. It could be allergies, but I'm kind of doubting that. We'll see...I've got a call into my vet to find out his opinion. Keepin' my fingers crossed!

It's about time....

to post again. I wanted to let my friends new venture on Cafe Press to be the headline for awhile. I've listed a few new items in my Etsy shop, earrings and meditation/prayer beads. The pictures of my newest items are scattered through out this post. Feel free to click on the pictures, it'll take you to the listing on Etsy.

A new item that I'll be listing is affectionately called Abi's Safety Anklets, named after my niece Abi. They are made of sterling silver with fine silver bells. I've made them adjustable so you can widen them as your baby grows. They're a bangle style instead of a link chain. I made a pair for a baby shower this last weekend and they went over really well. I'll probably start listing them later this week. I'll post pictures when I do.

I received an email for the ad in the catalog that will be coming out this spring, made some changes, then made the final approval. I think the only thing I'm not really happy with is my logo, didn't even realize that it was kinda funkified until it was too late, ohh well, I'm still satisfied with its entirety. I can't believe that I've been on Etsy for 5 months now, amazing how time flies when you're having fun!! I've joined a street team, and they are a group of wonderful people. A few of us are actually meeting up at FaerieWorlds in Eugene this year! I'm so thankful I decided not to sell on Ebay anymore, the fees have recently sky rocketed. I can't imagine trying to make a living selling there now. Especially after experiencing the family atmosphere that Etsy offers.

Baseball season is quickly approaching, and I've been busy with my boys trying to get all the equipment they want ordered. Just a note to parents who want to get their kids into baseball...it's EXPENSIVE!! For bats alone you're looking at $250-$300 per bat and I have to buy 2. One of my kids is a catcher so there's another $300 on a new hockey mask helmet and gear. Then you have the cleats, mits, batting gloves, undergarments, and of course their uniforms, then lets not forget the fees to play. With all of the leagues and tournaments it easily reaches $2000 a season. Aye!! BUT...they love it, and I mean really love it, and I love watching them. I don't like all the drama that goes along with small town sports, but just seeing their faces when they've made that catch, or a hit that wins the game or even that out at home plate, their expression of achievement makes it all worth it. I'm even proud of them when the game doesn't go the way they want, because they never give up, they never say it can't happen and at the end of that lost game they pat eachother on the back. As you can tell I'm proud of my kids, I'm proud of their grades (one's a 4.0 and the other is a 3.75) , the way they treat others, and I look forward to what the future brings for them.