employees?

i know i'm supposed to blog about my thanksgiving dinner, but something else more important has come up! etsy's terms of use say that any shop employee or "helper" must be disclosed in the shop profile.

i had a helper taking pictures today. do you think he needs to be disclosed? ;-)





sorry, i just couldn't help myself! hehehe

chocolate? coffee? Mmmm!- a treasury

thanks to bijouxdesignsforyou for including my fudgey bar earrings in this yummy treasury! :)




coming soon:
thanksgiving- what i had for dinner; also- i was tagged by the lovely ember :)

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

i am thankful for my husband. he is so supportive of me no matter what i choose to do. he's been gung-ho about my etsy endeavors. he was the one that helped me decide to go back to school. he loves me unconditionally- even though i can be witchy or decide not to wear make-up. he's supportive and nurturing and cares for me as i have many ailments. i'm truly lucky indeed.

i am thankful for my furry children. i am truly happy because of them. anytime i look at one of them, i smile and my heart feels happy. even when gary busey is being a pain and getting onto the counter, i love him. even when the cat pack forms and CRIES for food, i love them. even when riley barfs up hairballs, i love her (LOL). even when dazey is a nutjob dog, she is the best dog in the world. and i especially love my little mouse. we have an incredible bond and he lets me fulfill my need to mother and nuture.

i am thankful for all of my family. they are incredibly good people. but i am especially thankful to be able to sit down for dinner with my mother and grandmother. both of them have been ill. it's hard to watch my grandmother age, but she's a "tough old bird". she will be 77 next april, and she can still outlast me when it comes to shopping. i have a special bond with my grandmother and any time i get to spend with her is precious. we talk for hours on the phone and i miss being close to home.
my mother was very ill this summer and we almost lost her. it was amazing the feeling i had in that flash of an instance when i thought that she had died. i can't imagine a world without my mom. she is the strongest woman i know, even though she may not think that she is. i would have hated to admit it when i was younger, but we are so alike. i am who i am because of her, and i am proud of that. and i am so thankful that she is on the mend and we are having an "the office marathon" tomorrow night! :)

i am thankful for my ability to go to school and into a career that i love. i have held back for so long a commitment to something i want to do and i am now almost through it! i've pondered going into vet school after vet tech school, but something stopped me. although i am purely capable of it, i know this, i will be happy with the nursing aspect. i am thankful that school comes easily to me.

i am thankful for my creative outlet and being able to share it. it keeps me sane, happy, and quiet. and i am thankful for the successes i've had on etsy. i am thankful for the supportive community on etsy (especially to my HOST girls) and my customers.

i hope everyone has a delightful thanksgiving. i hope you stay warm, happy, and have a belly full of good food. ♥

p.s. feel free to add what you are thankful for in the comments. :)

colorful greetings from stockholm- a treasury

yaay! in another treasury! thanks to birribe for this one!

guess who is featured in indiespecials.com's blog?

check out my anchor's away sailor earrings here!

lilac and whimsy- a treasury

i made a treasury! and it turned out beautifully, if i do say so myself. :) it's the first in a long time. enjoy!

reason #463 why my job is cooler than yours

we got to go to a calving barn at a dairy and watch some babies being born today. what excitement!

first off, this was a very large dairy and i was so surprised at how clean it was and how healthy the cows looked and how accommodating the staff was! our instructor made it seem like the managers didn't really want us there and that we would only be able to watch the births. WRONG! we were told to jump right in, for the most part. i even delivered a calf today!

here is the story with pictures (i apologize for the less than stellar quality. all i had was my cell phone):







i *see* you. these were calves born last night. it was so much fun watching them trying to walk around and get their bearings.





one of my classmates also delivered a calf. this one just didn't want to come out, like- at all. we had to get the calf jack which is a tool that does just what it sounds like. it's like a car jack, except it's used to pull a calf out. i can't say i blame this little guy for wanting to stay in, though....it was freezing this morning!!







classmate pulling the feet out with the jack.




almost there!!!



ta-da! welcome to the world, little one.






mama cleaning up baby after that traumatic incident






shortly after that last calf was born, the dairy worker spotted a cow that was already starting delivery! he had to chase her down and round her up into the calving barn. this poor little thing had his head out to the world and what does mama do? runs!!! eep!

soon he was born and the dairy worker reached in and said "twins!!" i got to deliver the baby sister. we had rope tied around the little calf's front feet and i helped to pull her out into the world. it was a tough job, i didn't realize how strong those little neonate calves are. and it didn't help that mama stopped pushing for awhile. but as soon as it was time, that baby popped right out and onto the ground.




the black one on the left is the one sticking out in the picture above. the little white one on the right is the one i delivered. she had just barely popped when i snapped this. she's not dead, i promise! he was just trying to get her front limbs untied so she could sit up and start looking around.


it was quite an awesome experience!

sweet dreams

it must be a really hard life being a 3 legged kitty named mouse in my household.









notice the smile as he slumbers? *aww*

my etsy daughters- a treasury

thanks, mama maria, we love you too!

sweet tooth

school has apparently been getting me down lately. i was feeling rather pitiful and grumpy this afternoon.

my darling husband, somehow, knew exactly what to bring home to cheer me up!







yup, that's right! the biggest, flakiest, chocolate icingiest, cream-stuffiest creme puff i've ever seen! and it was delish!

so thanks, honey. you really made my night!



look at that creme, baby!

no wonder etsyland has been so sugar loving (between the cupcakes, ice cream, and candy!)

Mom! Can I have that?- A Treasury

Thanks to polkadotpancake for including me in this treasury!