This week Im Grateful for : Snow Plows

  After The Ice Storm

Snow really does have a way of bring out the gratefulness in you .... and we sure have had some snow this week, plus a Ice storm ...

So this week I am totally grateful for

The neighbor who plows our drive way when the snow hits us hard .... we don't have a plow and it you mean shoveling the drive way, the thought makes me shudder, and with the hubby being away from home for long periods of time when the snow comes I am really grateful to the neighbor.

I'm grateful that when the Ice Storm hit after a day of snow that we didn't lose power, this is known to happen ...but it didn't and I really am grateful for that... two kids+ no power = not a good combination.

I'm grateful for my camera ..without it I wouldn't be able to capture the things around me and as much as I dislike snow It is really pretty ....

So this week what are you grateful for.... come link up with Maxabella Loves .....

* so the reason for my absents this week ...kids home all week because of the snow..and I have been working on two new looks for my blogs..go check out TatterBeans and let me know what you think... Select All + Delete should be done by the weekend

Team Spirit..... Pulling together to help

Click here

Click Here

I personally have not said much about the disaster in Australia .... Its hard to know what to say when your so far away from something and when personally it doesn't effect you in any shape or form...

Last night as I was reading through all your grateful posts it hit me...and it was a fairly hard hit..that in some way this does effect me... 90% of my followers are Australian... (how did I get mixed up with you crazy bunch)
90% of the blogs I read are Australian ... the people who travel over to my blog and leave me love and encouragement are yet again Australian.

I am truly blessed by you guys .... and I am totally grateful to have you all in my life...
So if I did nothing and all of a sudden I lost one of you ... how would I feel ... an especially if I had done nothing....

So I'm rallying the troupes ...and pulling the stops out ....

I'm my other world ..the one where I create stuff and try to sell it .... I belong to an awesome Team .... a team of Undiscovered Artists..yes we are all new to Etsy in one way or another....

One of our team members is Australian and is in the mist of all that is going on...

So today I put it to the team that we do something .... and I'm really hoping they feel the same way as me and will jump to the challenge ..... Team Spirit

Cause every little bit helps ..... right?

Pay It Forward... You know you want to

I am paying it forward on my other blog... I linked up with MultipleMum 


You are all welcome to come on over and join in.... TatterBeans Photography

I would love you to in fact

This week Im Grateful for : The Sun and the Snow

When a storm visits and you live in  New Hampshire the only thing you can do is run and hide....

Anyone who lives in my neck of the woods will tell you it can get fairly mean and nasty at times....

Waiting for the sun to come out is like waiting for the Queen of England to visit but she came today in all her glory and it was so pretty for a while.

So I'm so grateful this week for the sun ...... and blue skies

I'm also grateful that my husband made it home safety after plowing for nearly 30 hrs straight ...

And as much as it may not seem like I'm grateful for the snow I am ...it keeps my children busy as they build forts .... or Ice castles as I have just been informed.
It pays use a good wage, and puts food on our table, and that I'm totally grateful for

The two photos I have posted are for Maxabella ...

In her own words

 "I LOVE seeing the snowed-in photos. It's just so EXOTIC as I sit here in the sweltering humidity of a Sydney Summer. So beautiful your way and it makes me just want to come over right now. I think I would love to live in the snow... x "

You would be welcome anytime here my  friend... just make sure you bring your thermals 

What are you grateful for this week.
Hop on over to Maxabella Loves and link up with this weeks Grateful posts ......

Snow Snow and a Swollen Eye

 The mountains this morning

Let me here you say BLIZZARD .....

yes it sure was.... it went on all day and didn't stop to even snow ....

My husband left the house at 3am in the morning came home at 9.30pm and left again at 1am* ... if I didn't know better Id say he was avoiding me.


The kids sat on the floor in an pile of throws and pillows snuggled up and watched movies, read books, colored, and munched on what ever I supplied.

The dog drove us mad, mainly cause all he wants to do is go play in it.

I manged to get some editing done.

Bip and myself shoveled snow a few times

The aftermath looks a bit like this

 Now I mentioned a swollen eye.. well its more like a swollen eye lid.... Not sure what is going on here... a paramedic said it looked like I had been bite... as I have a very hard lump just above my eye around my eye brow.... its painful its unsightly ..and its itchy

I'm not really into posting pictures of myself... but you have to see this... I think I did a round with Mike Tyson in my sleep

 This is looking good to be honest .... my eye lid is open which it wasn't this morning

I am going to leave you with my eye to stare at..as I'm staring at you ... wish I could wink !

*(he was plowing)

Stop the Bus I Want to Get Off !

Image Credit

Do you ever feel like you have so much to do that you could really do with asking God for an extra hour or two in the day?

I have been feeling like this for days now....

There just isn't enough hours in my day to complete all that I want/need to do..

With all the best intentions in the world I still don't get it all done...

My list is just getting longer and longer

Today's to do list looks like this

Write a blog post or two
Write a short bio and product an editorial to send out
Produce a template for Tatter Beans News Letter (look to the right and you will see a sigh up box... feel free to sign up and keep up to date with all that I'm doing)
Research new marking ideas
Do some ironing ( the kids look like scruffs in creased up clothes)
Clean the bathroom
Get some inspiration for Ester,Mothers day and father days prints/cards
Find a company that will fulfill my production needs .... and delivery deadlines
Work on a new product for my shop
Look at blogs to send my editorial to

Ok I am going stop there ... there a few other to dos on the list but Ive done them ....

I have this overwhelming feeling that I'm not going to get it all done today ....  and tomorrow just may be a wash out ... as we wait for the  next snow storm and the anticipation of a snow day for school.

Are you feeling over whelmed with all that you need to do today?
Please let me know I'm not alone .......

Sharing is Caring

Today I needed to come up with something to keep the kids occupied... its snowing outside and its really cold... they where a bit bored with the toys that had for Christmas..

My kids move on fast...faster than I can keep up with them..

So I decided to go see what I could find on the world wide web ... always a good place to start ..

I nipped onto face book.. as you do ..and saw this ...

Valentina Ramos Your kids (or you!) like to paint?
Take those crayons and play a little ;)
download the “Little Tractorcito” coloring page here:

How blessed was I, this kept them out of my hair for a good 45 minutes

Thank you Valentina you saved my bacon this afternoon.

Click on Valentina's name and you to can have this to keep your child happy for a while

and then go check out her work... she is a very talented lady 

This week Im Grateful for : New Ideas

 

Image Credit 

New ideas keep you on your toes... and moving forward...
They keep you inspired and creative .... and they even get the children involved if your brave enough

So This week I am grateful for

New Ideas: Sometime ago I said I was going to recycle paper into paper... so for months now we have been collecting paper ... I think we collected that much that we may have put the recycling center out of business.
We have had so much fun over the last couple of days putting into color order and piles... and today the process began ... Ill update you on the out come of the first batch

A winter cold: well I'm not totally grateful for it... I'm just grateful that its stayed away as long as it has... I work up this morning feeling rather crabby and stuffed up... I'm just grateful it waited until after the holidays.

Laughter: I am grateful that we as a family can laugh, despite the problems we may have ... we still laugh with joy with each other and at each other...

I just put Bip to bed.. he's nine now and doesn't need nor want  me to put him to bed... but I begged so much tonight he allowed me to... but not before he rolled around on the floor laughing so hard at my begging act...

Hey if it means I get a goodnight cuddle Ill keep begging ... because before I know it he will be eighteen and then Ill have no chance

So what are you grateful for this week... pop on over to Maxabella Loves and link up your Grateful post ...

Back Breaking

This is going to be a very short post.

For days now I have spent much of my time crouched over my computer editing...
and my back is some what worse for wear 

Remember I said I lost a lot of stuff after a power surge 

Well the final product is done and I thought I might share it with you all..

So here is the Love Collection

 

Well part of it ....

there is a few more prints that make up this collection

I truly believe that Valentines day isn't just for loves....... its for anyone who you love ...

My mom always send me a card ...and I always send her one to ... Its my favorite day of the year

Marbles

  Imagine Credit

Did you play marbles as a child?

Personally speaking I didn't but my middle brother did, I never really saw the point of it to be honest .... and I can say that the rules ..I think each kids made up his/her own.... were always confusing.


There is also this expression which involves marbles which I never really understood until last night

"Ive lost my Marbles" or I'm losing my Marbles"

I sat yesterday for nearly 6 hours editing some photography.....

I have to say I do this most days and after a while it can become very frustrating.

I am also a very messy worker, yes I said messy ...

I have over layers and photos all over the screen and there is no real order to how I work ...

So back to my marbles.... I'm editing the phone rings its my mom.

The whole world stops when my mom calls .....Mom England ,Me States

To cut a long story very short by the time I get of the phone and go pick my children up of the bus and get them sorted with homework snacks and other things kids need when they get in from school... there was a power surge and both my computes had crashed and I had lost nearly everything I had been working on.


That is enough to make a girl lose her Marbles

Before you Know it

 Imagine Credit

Before you know it its all over with and your entering into something new...

A New Year...
A New Adventure
A change in direction, something for yourself, something for the family...

New Year means different things for different people....

I don't make resolutions ...

I make goals ...

Goals I want to reach and achieve, for myself, for my family and now for my business...

Everything is reachable I believe, it just takes some time and a bit of effort to reach it...

Its like a can that's on a shelve that you cant quiet get to...

What do you do leave it there

Or ...

Go and get a stepping stool and climb and get what it was your were reaching for......

Once your on top of the stool its surprising what else you can see at that height

So as we head into the New year I'm on top of my stool

And I'm reaching up

I wish you all a the best for this New Year ... I pray you find your stepping stool of life 

What will you reaching for this New Year?

A Little Giver Away Before The New Year

 TatterBeans

Hello Everyone, hope your Christmas day was as awesome as mine.

I also hope you are not suffering with that deflated feeling ...
I have to be honest I am ...

I always get it the day after but thats ok I decided to cheer myself up by doing a little giver away over at TatterBeans .... and would love you Ladies and Gentleman to join in with the chance to win one of my 5x7 prints...and its really simple you don't even have to do anything except click a link and leave me a comment.

How simple is that ...and this little giver away is going on till New years Eve.


So just hop on over to Tatter Beans and join in with some after Christmas Fun


*And it doesn't matter where in the world you live .... I want you to come join in the fun.*

Missing in Action ....

Well that's how it feels really .... I'm beginning to ask myself "who are you"
I'm sure the kids may feel this way to.... so where have I been and what am I up to... well if I said building a business would I be forgiven ....

I hope so cause right now I feel a bit of a let down on the whole blog/post front and I have to make a public apology to Cate at Keep Cate Busy  she awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award and I totally missed her comment ...

Cate really you can come across here and slap me ...

This is my award and Im totally made up about it ...... 

 

So here is what I now have to do...
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award -
2.Share 7 things about yourself
3.Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4.Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award.


So 7 things about me....

1: I have recently opened my own shop on Etsy
2: I'm a Christmas baby ...... and very recently turned 44..... wow am I really that old.
3: I have a pile of ironing sitting in my laundry room that is so big that I would be happy to pay someone else to do it.
4: I love Cheese and Onion sandwiches ..... you have to remember I am British
5: I would stay in my PJ's all day If I allowed myself to.
6: I have never followed a cooking recipe in my life.. I'm a throw in the pan type of girl and hope for the best

7: I love my life and my family with all my heart..even when times get rough I still hold on to what God has given me .

Now the hard easy bit 15 recently discovered blogs.

1: Acute Designs ... A fellow Etsy seller who is following her dreams and makes the most beautiful hair accessorizes
2: My Little Drummer Boys ..... I have a lot of admiration for this lady.... read her story.
3: Crazy Adorable ... another Etsy .... who's blog is just so cute, and product is adorable.
4: hanamik ... I know this gonna get boring but my fellow Etsy sellers have such wonderful blogs that I just cant help promote them... Hana is expecting her first baby soon and she looks so good doing it you really should check her out.
5: Dreamaginarius beautifully laid out blog ... totally styling it up here.
6: Pepper Glen  Love it here.
7: Small Town Woman I know she is my sister but hey she has style... she must have she is my sister
8: The Purple Notepad  I have read Katies blog for a while but this Lady has style and writes so beautifully ..and should be discovered a bit more so here is your chance.
9: Align Boutique ... a really friendly place to visit ....
10: hrushton art A gem I found today .... one follower but really there should be more...

So I'm gonna stop at 10 cause really I have not discovered any others recently that I can really list ...sorry ... but note to all you really should do 15 ..I'm just a bad girl ...don't follow my bad habits ... 

So off to contact them all now.... but before I leave .... let me just say you ladies are all stylish to me in one way or another...and I'm grateful for each and everyone of you ... Have a wonderful Holiday and I look forward to spending the New year with you all as we Blog Along together

This week Im Grateful for : Flowers and ......

 (Imagine by TatterBeans)

Don't flowers make you feel good... they are like a kiss from a lover, a smile of a child and the gift of a friendship all rolled into.

  I'm grateful for flowers cause they make me feel good...and we all need to feel good about something....

I put my flowers in water and then had to steal one to take a photo of it..cause you know I'm also inspired by flower I mean why wouldn't I be right?

So a big thank you to my American Sister Small Town Woman  for brightening up my day ...(they where an early Birthday Treat)

I am also grateful today that my husband doesn't read my blog ... after my PMS Post  he came back from work in an awesome mood.... So very grateful.

What are you Grateful for Today .... 

Come join us all at Maxabella's as we bring the weekend in with some gratefulness

 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone...

Angry Man

So its that time of the month again in our house

That time of the month when nobody can do right for doing soooo much wrong....

That time of the month when you don't talk in case you get your head bit of .....

That time of the month when you get used to be ignored, not told anything, kept in the dark, grunted at and pushed a side like you where a bit of something the dog left behind on a walkway.....

Yes its that time of the month ......

That's right my husband has PMS ...

The news is bound to be greeted with snorts of cynicism by most females....

I for one will not blame you if you do snort..all I ask is that you clean up the snorting mess by yourself ..I have enough to deal with right now......

So all that is left to do is for you to watch this short video reverse the roles and you will truly see what I'm going through right now

PMS I know is no laughing matter.... but when we reverse it its a little bit like
Man Flu

Flogging My Blog on a Thursday for FYBF with Random Ramblings of a SAHM

A Personal Message from Santa

 (weheartit)

This is way to cool....

I was sent this link last year from my brother-in-law he had producted one for his daughter

Sadly in went into my spam box for what reason I do not know and I didnt get to do it for Bip and Bop...

Last night dropping of to sleep I remembered it and so I have done one this morning.....

Your kids will love it ....

Portable North Pole 

Crazy few Days

I have had the most awesome crazy out of this world few days.....

I was asked to do a custom order ...
Description was awesome lots to play with ........ totally enjoyed working with this client

Then got featured in a Treasury which most of you know about... that was so exciting

Made my first Treasury ...now that was loads of fun 

One awesome blogger showed me some love .... Maxabella has anyone told you lately that you are truly wonderful.

Started working on my Valentines concept .... well you can never be to far ahead right?

Custom order done and dusted.... my first sale. 

Sleepless night with Bop ...she has a cold and a cough ..... better one has a sleepless night with her than the whole house.


Woke up to a blanket of snow.... nothing to write home about but its the first ....

Spent the day with Bop ..she is no good on four hours sleep... me neither .

Spent an hour trying to explain to her today that this

 

 was not the original

That this was

 

Felt pretty old once that lessons was over 

Hop over to TatterBeans 

I pounced on an awesome store today on Etsy.

Would love you to see their work.

Where will 2011 take you...

..... with 2011 just around the corner, what are your hopes and dreams for the coming years?


I can also show you know (cause its working) the treasury I was featured in.... your clicks( you click on the featured item) are still welcomed and needed.

This week Im Grateful for : Stars in my Life

This week I am grateful for so many things in my life.....

but I promise I'll only name a few

1: My best friend who is a star a bright shinny one..... whatever I do she is always there besides ...she encourage me and supports me ... I think she humors me as well ...and I love her for it ....*


2: The wonderful person (she is an awesome star) who featured one of my prints on her Treasury on Etsy ..... I hope she is truly blessed this weekend as she has blessed me. There is nothing better than waking up in a morning and checking your emails to find out that sort of news.


3: To all of you who left me encouraging comments yesterday .... You are all Bright Shining Stars.

Linking up with Maxabella for I'm Grateful For 

Happy weekend everyone...may it be a blessed one for all of you.

(*out of all my friends she was the only one who entered my failed attempted at a giver away .....) 

Featured in a Treasury on Etsy

I had an email today from Etsy.....

I had been featured in a Treasury....
I was totally excited.
Its not front page but if we get lots of clicks veiws and comments it might just make it ... which would be totally awesome .....

My print that got picked is this one 

 Featured on

There is Still Time...All Undiscovered in 10 Categories Whew!

I have all morning been trying to embed a code from Cultcraft that would show you all the treasury but it will not work for me ...totally gutted.. so if anyone knows how to get this silly code to work I would love to hear from you.....

But in the meantime do a girl a favour and go view click and comment if you can ...help me get to the from page

Id be really Grateful