Working Moms

I am linking up today to SUYL at Kelly's Korner today for "working moms" day.
I want to start by saying exactly what Kelly said...we are ALL working! I have taken days off before just to play "stay at home mom", and let me say, they were NOT vacation days! I admit, they do feel more fullfilling to me than my day job, but still work NO DOUBT! My stay at home mom friends always say they do not see how I do it all. But I know that the quiet moments that I have to myself in my car on the way to work, at my desk, lunch outings, etc...are things that they would consider luxuries! The grass is always greener, right?

I am a designer for a New Homes Construction Company and I love my job. The only downside to it is it is not exactly flexible...it is a Monday through Friday gig 8-5 and in metro Atlanta, you have to tack an hour to the beginning and end of that day for commuting. That is the part that is hard. By the time I get home, it is dinner time, then bath time, then bedtime. Really. That is it. That is all we do on weeknights. Blu goes to bed at 8pm, so there is no time for error! I also run an ETSY shop called the Pickle Tree that I LOVE! It is a real creative outlet for me, but attached to that are the rigors of deadlines and shopping for supplies and keeping the books...this usually takes place on Saturday mornings or...you guessed it...after 8pm!

In case you have not guessed, I don't exactly have a lot of free time. But I am not writing this post to complain or look for sympathy. I love my life and I am blessed with an amazing husband, and beautiful 3 1/2 year old son, and now another little boy on the way!

I am just writing to connect with other working moms who I know will understand the unique set of trials, guilts, and stresses that go along with trying to be in too many places all at the same time!
So who are you? Wanna be friends? Let's rap!

Oh.....and TGIF!!!!!

So many little things...so little time

I like to keep up with things about Blu on this blog because I find it hard to keep a baby book and I find it easy to refer back to this when I want to reminiesce or just note when he did what!!

You on the other hand might find this boring, so consider yourself forewarned!!!

He has been a little hot and cold about a new baby. He is mostly pretty keen on it, but I think he got thrown off track a little when we found out it was a boy. He still calls him "her" and "she" sometimes!

BUT- he is starting to warm up and is really sooo sweet about it!

We keep asking him about baby names...he liked Cooper at first, but most recently he has decided that he wants to call the baby Noodle!

He calls it HIS baby. That makes me a little nervous that he might try to pick him up when I am not looking or something, but we will be on the watch out for that!

Lately, in the tub, he has been saying that he does not paly with certain toys anymore, can we put them up to give to the baby?

Most anything he does could be followed at any given moment by the statement, "babies can't do that"( ride a bike, play basebasll, put on socks), or babies don't like that" (about foods and drinks).

It is pretty clear that he is gearing up in his own little way and I wish so bad I could see into his little head to know what he thinks about it all!!!



He is starting to get so big. He peddles his little bike that he got for his birthday last year. So fast that sometimes he turns it over! He just gets up and hops back on- makes me so proud!

He is mastering his jeep powerwheels that we got for him when he was two....what can I say? We jumped the gun, we were sooo excited! He is finally growing into it!

He can put on his own shoes, socks, underwear, pants and shirt. He always says out loud, "tag goes in the back". It is so cute!

Everyday when he wakes up, the first thing he says is, "are we staying home all day"?

This morning, I had to go in his room and wake him. I was already dressed and ready for work. I was trying to let him sleep until the very last minute. He woke and immediately started crying. " I want you to take your clothes off and put on your jammies". Poor little guy. He wants to be a "stay at home" kid so bad.

Sometimes, out of the blue, he just says things like he wants to fly up to heaven to see nanny.

"Come on, momma, let's go fly up to heaven and see nanny"...such a precious child!

He loves his family and I am so glad because I am always nervous that he will not have the kind of family bonds that I had growing up since we live so far away. Recently, we were on our way to Alabama for his cousin, G's birthday party and we stopped for a bathroom break on the road. He picked a bag of rainbow chocolate chip cookies for a snack. He was LOVING those cookies. After a few minutes he said, "momma, I want to save the rest of these for Grace, and Aleah, and Sophie, and KK, and Jarah, and Josh and Scott....he doesn't miss a thing. He is so precious to me. We got to KK's house, went inside and he started playing and you know, he remembered those cookies and asked for them so he could share. LOVE HIM!

He asks almost daily about grandma and grandpa. On that same visit recently, grandpa was out of town on a trip and he still talks about going back and says "will grandpa be there this time"?

Sweet baby boy. I love you so much. I know that you are going to be such a loving big brother and great teacher. I cannot wait until we become a family of four, but I cherish these last few months that I get you all to myself.

Just one thing...can you please stop growing up so fast?

New and Improved

Now that the holiday season is long gone...I cannot help but think ahead to Spring!

At the Pickle Tree, that means TOWELS!

Bridesmaids and hostess gifts for spring weddings, Valentines gifts, Easter basket gifts, Graduation, Mother's Day, teacher gifts...there are so many occasions in the spring that are perfect for giving a personalized towel!

Until just recently, I sent people from the Etsy shop to my face book page to view some fabric suggestions and towel colors. It was working, but with no time to update, that just was NOT representing my fabric hoarde, ahem, collection to it's fullest. It was also hard for some people to navigate that process, or maybe I should say lack thereof. SO, in my downtime, and with the help of my brilliant sister, I came up with this:

So now, each etsy towel listing has these numbered fabric displays that make it SOOO much easier for the buyer and for me!!! Of course with the way I change my collection, this will be a chore to keep up with, but it will be worth it for the time I am saving myself and my customers!!!

Some of my new FAVES are 4, 5, 6 and 7. I just did some towels with some of those, I will have to get some pictures out there soon!!!

So, what are your favorites in the new "collection"?

The Pickle Tree 2012

Oh my Sweet Pickle Tree, how I have missed you!

I am so excited to re-open my shop on February the first!

I closed down for a little hiatus over the holidays!

It was fantastic to spend time with my family. I closed on November the 30th and actually got the last of my orders done the weekend before Christmas, so I had a nice little bit of down time!

As much as I enjoyed that down time, I could not keep visions of seersucker and peasant dresses with sashes from dancing in my head!

I just love creating new looks, so I am excited to be re-opening with some new items!

I have decided to keep the shop trimmed down to a couple of basics, though, because I am expecting baby boy number two in June and I know I will need to take if kind of easy.

This little Etsy shop has been so much fun for me. I love getting to meet new people and share ideas with them!

I have always had a creative mind and this at home business really allows me to nurture that part of myself like no other aspect of my life!

I also work a full time job. I am a designer for a new homes construction company. Yes, yes...I know that seems to be a pretty creative job. It does have it perks, but still, The Pickle Tree allows me so much creative license and I JUST love it!

 

Having a business that I run out of my home allows the whole family to get involved! That is my sweet son modeling the flower towel for me! Poor guy...I really need to get to work on a hero design for him!

So come on over to the Pickle Tree and take a look around. There are sweet things for the kiddos and the Pickle Tree monogrammed towels are a favorite for all ages!

While you are shopping, be sure to hop on over the Kelly's Korner and check out the rest of her "Show Us Your Life, What I make or Sell" post! There are sure to be many many cute things!

I keep forgetting to say that we found what we are having!!!!!!!!

It's a BOY!

Blu is getting a baby brother!

We are so excited!

Jack had it in his head that it was a girl, and he still gets hung up on that a little bit.

When I say something to him about his little brother, he says..."why do you say brother? It is a girl?"

He is starting to come around, though. He told Big D the other day that the Dr. TOLD us it was a boy. That is what we say when he insists it is a girl. "No Jack, the doctor said that it is a boy".

So I think he starting to get it!

I have already made Jack a Big Brother shirt. I am excited now to make a matching one for the new little munchkin.

Now....the name game begins!

MONSTER JAM 2012

Well, we have quite possibly started a new family tradition. We went to our first Monster Jam truck show downtown and we all had a ball.  It was a TOTAL monster truck weekend!  We kicked off the weekend on Saturday night with a trip out to Dallas GA to the Little Ceasars to see Gravedigger Legend. They had a lot of different trucks around town for people to come and see, but since Gravedigger is Blu's favorite, we decided to make the trek!

It was SUPER cold! But it was SOOO worth it! Blu had been pretty close to a monster truck before when we went to the little show at Dixie Speedway, but to actually sit on the tire blew his little mind! Gravedigger Legend is driven by Adam Anderson. Adam is the son of Dennis Anderson. Dennis Anderson is the creator and driver of the original Gravedigger Monster Truck. Got all that???

This year marks the 30 year celebration of Gravedigger, so he was a pretty big deal at the show. Father and son even raced at one point. SOOOO cool!



If it was not for the fact that it was about 30 degrees outside, I am pretty sure that Blu would never have left that truck. He was in HEAVEN!

Before the show on Saturday night, we had to make a quick stop at his classmates birthday party. It was a catch air in Marietta. You know, one of those in door bounce house play places? It was really fun. Jack had a ball. He had not had a nap that day and I was hoping that he would sack out on the way downtown.

He did not.

Oh well. Thank goodness he slept late that day. We have been seeing the beginning s of a no nap life. If he sleeps in on the weekends, (something he NEVER used to do), then he can survive without a nap. Makes birthday parties a little easier. Not so sure if it is going to amke my life easier! HA!

Anyway, we rode MARTA ( blu was in heaven because it was a train) downtown to the show and it was so cool. It was really loud and smelled of fumes and there was popcorn and dipping dots, italian shaved ice, and really expensive souveniers to be had. We all had a ball. We actually left at intermission because Blu said that he was ready to go home. Poor little guy barely made it through the train ride back to the car!

We had a great time! I think tickets for next January are in order!



Music and a boy genius!

Ok...so maybe not exactly a genius, but this morning Blu did something that BLEW my mind!!!
We get these CD's from his School. They are a part of his music class program that is taught to all of the children at the school ( even the infants...isn't it great???) . We have a new one and we heard a new song today. It was a familiar piece that they had sort of doctored up to be more child like. It was actually a cat mewing the tune. Anyway. About 3 seconds in...Jack says, "this is like the music in up". HOLY COW! It is the music in UP. You know, the movie. It is the scene from when Carl is getting out of bed and doing his little solo bachelor morning routine...I could NOT BELIEVE that Blu picked up on that. I am so impressed with that young man. He blows my mind everyday, but this was a little bit different. It seemed a little more advanced, you know?
In other news, he has also decided that he CAN in fact be my friend at the same time he is daddy's friend. As of yesterday, it was pretty black and white. He either liked me...or daddy. This morning, I think he turned the corner. He said, "mommy, I am your friend AND daddy's friend". Whew....glad we got that out of the way.