On top of a mole hill!

Let me apologize for not posting lately! In the future if you don't hear from me just assume I'm in the salt mine. I went to bed Saturday night in a very blue mood. My Disney boutique debut on eBay did not go as well as I had hoped and I was second guessing myself right, left, and center. I kept trying to cheer up by thinking of the veeery excited little girl who 'won' the Stitch outfit which she is planning on wearing to her Lilo & Stitch breakfast at the Polynesian village in April but it only had one bid of the minimum amount :( Worse, the Mulan listings only garnered a bunch of lookers and no bidders!! I've re-listed it at a lower price but since my goal is to make money to use for helping Mari's birthfamily and shipping the shoes from the shoe drive to the orphanage down in Guatemala I can't put it lower than my actual material costs!!!! I had a Nemo outfit nearly done but awoke Sunday with no drive to finish it since I felt so fatalistic about the prospect of it selling. Then the first little pebbles sent out their first waves and I had THREE people contact me off eBay to make them a St. Patrick's day skirt like I did for Vanessa's daughters!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are all three off in today's mail after a reeeeeal late night of sewing. Then I checked out my Paypal account which I had been diligently avoiding so as not to become fixated on the pace of it's expansion. WOW, enough to cover FOUR months of food for the birthfamily is now on it's way to Guatemala!!! I'm standing tall today but don't worry I know it's only a mole hill but I'm hoping a few more waves will wash me up on top of a mountain! I'll try and get some photos going by the next post.....and BTW I do still have Mari and Julia who are loud and clear on their unhappiness at not being featured lately in my postings :)

Where did my week go?

FFFriday and I don't even know the theme because I've had no time to blog surf lately :( This week was one of those where you feel like a plate spinner at the circus! I haven't quite lost a plate to the floor but I'm dashing back and forth between jobs, projects, and kids trying to do enough with each to keep from having to sweep up a lot of messes. Julia was home from school Thursday with a 24hr bug and Mari went to bed tonight complaining of similar symptoms. I'm not allowed to say exactly the symptom because they've informed me that it's TMI :) Let's just say one of my plate spinning involved a run to Sam's Club for toilet paper..... Remember waaaaay back when I mentioned that I was working with a new Irish dance teacher on her school costumes? The first of the 'beginner' costumes went off in the mail for final approval. She's given a preliminary thumbs up based on this photo I sent by e-mail but I'm waiting on physical inspection before sinking time on making the total ordered. They are wearing these with a cute little Land's End blouse and a pink hairband with matching bow to the skirt. The 'advanced' costumes are still in my 'fementation' stage. I'll keep you posted. Now, Miss Nessa this one's for you!!! Start shopping for a little top to go with this little St. Patrick's denim that is on it's way to you! There's another little denim capri outfit like the Mardi Gras one also so that both girls can be cutified!!!!!

The itiest, bitiest little skirt I've ever cutified!!

A good sport!

I'm jumping on here again just to give my niece Deirdre a virtual hug! Thanks sweetie!!! For the rest of my readers, since it looks like we are expecting cloudy days coming up I decided to get the pictures for my eBay Disney Boutique debut today. After school let out she walked over to my house and donned flip-flops so we could go out to snap a few angles. This is her modelling debut as well! Wouldn't you agree she's a cutie?

So then why this look???? This is the "Please Auntie Suz hurry!" look because it was only 39 degrees out this afternoon!! Her mom will get "the look" the next time she wears this outfit only that time it will be because she's too hot down in Florida in June :)

Only the fair, blue-eyed readers will truly understand this picture. Our eyes can NOT bear sunlight! We worked out a timing thing where by she stood with her eyes closed until I was ready to snap. On the count of 3 she opened while I snapped.....when our counts were synchronized that is! She gave me grief for stopping to stick the silk flowers in the flower box...just looked too barren and wintry without a blossom to go with a Mulan outfit.

So they are listed and time will tell if this brings in enough money to ship a box of shoes to Guatemala....

In Stitches....HA!

Forgive the crummy lighting but it's nearly midnight and I'm rushing to get this posted so I can get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin :) Tried a new style and like it but am maybe getting a little too analytical about how to emphasize a theme! Like the fact that Stitch had to be drinking from a coconut to tie into the palm tree print ?!?!

Here it almost is....oh well I'll get the camera under control eventually! A round yoke top that closes in the back with a zipper. Uh oh it's chiming midnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As promised...

Firstly, please everyone keep my friend Rhonda in your thoughts and prayers today as she undergoes major back surgery. She's going to have a hard row to how during recovery with two little girls at home that she won't be able to lift! Secondly, happy belated birthday to Ms. Vanessa! Wishing you many, many, more!!!!!!!!!! Hope to have more to post tonight but here are a few pictures from the weekend. The camera shy Uncle Peter with a table full of sobrinos at his birthday luncheon. I'm sure the crowded restaurant didn't appreciate that we put them all at one table resulting in a concentration of the bedlam :)

Another little jumper in time for St. Patrick's Day! This one is a 3t which I currently have listed on eBay. I'm really enjoying 'rescuing' denim and cutifying it for a new life.

Now the new challenge......the Disney Boutique market on eBay. My sister and another reader kept telling me about this active genre so I'm dipping my toe in and testing the water. When I found this oriental umbrella material I just knew what my first attempt would be....

The applique went smoothly and I'm pleased with the final 'look'. Waiting on a warmer sunny day so Deirdre can go outside and model in the hopes of getting better pictures to up the bidding chances. She is going back to the mouse's house in June so I'm bribing her to be my model by offering her the prototypes for the upcoming trip!

Made the prototype with shorts since they are going in June but plan to offer capris or pants on the listing.

Picked up a new pattern to see if I can get away from this 'pillowcase' style and plan to start a Stitch themed one next. I'm choosing my first few using Deirdre's favorites as well as the idea that some of the characters are no longer featured on commercially available and/or they aren't for the right gender! Stitch, for instance, is never offered on girl's cloths! Doing a Jesse and Cars set for Julia to model after I finish Stitch :)

Weak end to a weekend!

Maybe in my next life I will have the time for deep and profound introspection on the positive influence of chaos??? It just seems so obvious to me that my life would be so much happier if daily events would be devoid of pendulum swings. With that said I guess it can be deduced that this weekend's salt mine production is not what I had hoped. Hopefully I can post some pictures tomorrow after I get home from the 'real' job to illustrate. I finished off two more denim jumpers in St. Patrick designs and nearly finished a 'new' challenge...emphasis on the word challenge!! Found a beautiful oriental style umbrella print cotton to which I added a Mulan applique in the hopes of having a shorts set ready for Deirdre to model (she gets to keep the prototype for their Disney trip in June). The applique which should have been the challenge turned out great! Simple gathers have become by nemesis...grrrrrrrr! Did learn a bit about eBay marketing. Discovered that my type of items move better when listed later in the week. The 18mos Snoopy outfit first listed for a 3 day auction on a Monday got lots of watchers but no bidders. Relisted late on Thursday and sold on Saturday with 8 bidders! The jumpers see more action later in the week also so I'm thinking I need to build up my 'inventory' on the weekend and early weekdays and list them on Thursdays. The ladies have tomorrow off for Casmir Pulaski Day and they'll need it because they packed it in this weekend! Uncle Peter's birthday luncheon, Mairead's and Julia's basketball games, sleepovers, playdates, and the big Jo Bros 3D movie were all squeezed into the weekend. The furnace is ailing and at 25yo the mechanic is not keen on another 'paperclip and chewing gum' repair. It's darn cold out so it looks like this years springbreak trip to Florida might have to be sacrificed :( The first time since Mari came home from Guatemala that Semana Santa won't be spent in Sarasota....ouch.

FFF-Silly

The decision from on high is that this week's favorite foto Friday shall have a theme of "silly". Well since I've been hiding out in the salt mine lately there hasn't been a significant addition to the pre-digital camera scanned photo file so here are a paltry few found in existing files. Silly Mommy, don't you know when it's nap time around here? Guess I gotta take matters into my own hand and this trampoline will just have to be my crib!

Silly Mommy, again!! Imagine thinking that they would be so excited about going to the mouse's house that the plane ride would be one long nap? Guess that proves we went too often and justifies the current parent imposed moratorium?????

Waaaaaay silly Mommy!!! What were we thinking when we took 5 toddlers to Disney World and tried to wait for the parade and fireworks??? That's Andrew crashed on the table, Mari sprawled across the seats, and Mairead curled in the back of the stroller. Daniel's head popped up only for the picture and then he was back asleep seconds later!

Silly kids this time. Millennium Park in Chicago has this 'sculpture' which the locals fondly call The Bean because of it's resemblance to a jelly bean. It's huge and of a polished metal so the kids decided to lay on the ground under it to strike a pose.

Silly kids again. What do you do when you just can't wait for Santa to come? This time Julia was a willing elf to Mari's Santa who's 'ball belly' landed in an awkward spot. Going to see if I can squeeze out another outfit or two before the weekend. BTW, I use second-hand denim that I find cheap at resale shops and there is a decided shortage in the 2t size. Guess those terrible twos are hard on their clothes? Anyone who wants to scout their local Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, or Salvation Army for coveralls or jumpers in good condition for me has a better chance of seeing some cutified for their little dears, hint, hint.