Anybody have one of those stories that would be absolutely horrifying to live - but since it's not you, or since it's over - it's freaking hysterical? Particularly holiday stories? I got one!

So when my grandmother was a little girl, she had lots of cousins and for the holidays they would all get together in one house to celebrate. Christmas eve, all the children would sleep in the attic room, all together.

Well, as you can imagine - a ton of children in one room on Christmas eve - excitement is running on full blast. Santa is coming - and they just cannot contain themselves! They're up, running around the room, laughing, making noise, etc.

The parents are downstairs, no doubt drinking and having a grand old time.....waiting for the kids to go to sleep so they can get to work on the presents, and, keep partying.

Well the kids are being rowdy, so the parents take their turns going up and telling them to quiet down and go to sleep....to no avail.

Well - finally they've had enough, my great grandfather goes up there and tells the kids that if they don't quiet down, lay in their beds and go to sleep that he's going to wait outside for Santa - and when he gets here - he's going to SHOOT Santa so they get no presents ever again!

I guess some of the kids were still being unruly after that and making noise.....well....sure enough they hear "jingle jingle jingle" of bells, and some "ho ho ho's" and then.......to the children's horror - they hear "BANG BANG BANG" of a gun! The parents staged the whole thing - stomping on the roof, jingling bells, ho ho ho's....and then shooting a few rounds!

And the kids were devistated.....but quiet, and sat in silence til they fell asleep!

That story is absolutely horrifying, but it makes me laugh every year hahaha.

You got any?

Abbie
*key aspects of the story have been changed to protect the guilty!

The first of my Holiday Trunk Show's went very well last night. A fun time was had by all! I'm all set for my show tomorrow - the Green Trading Post from 12-4 in Southampton, NJ. The great thing about scheduling shows back to back? I get to be lazy and leave my stuff packed up hehehe. And then Thursday is the Holiday Trunk Show at my house, and if yesterday was any inclination of Thursday, I think it's going to be a great day!

Abbie

Good news! I'm having a contest and everyone with a blog can enter! All you have to do to enter is write a blog about my site: http://shop.originalabbie.com and then leave me a link to the entry in the comments on this entry. For every 10 entries, there will be a winner of a $10 gift certificate to my shop (plus free shipping)......if I get 30 entries there will be a "Grand prize" winner of a pair of earrings. You can enter once per blog - so if you have 2 blogs, you can enter twice but it can't be an identical story, change it up a bit
Contest ends December 11th which is 2 weeks from today - and also soon enough to have the item shipped to arrive before Christmas. The shipping will be on me as well!

So - write a blog about this us, then leave me a comment here with a link to your blog!

How will I determine the winners? I'll look for craftiness in the entry, as well as checking my website stats to see if anybodies blog makes my top referrer list....so go for it! And tell your friends! Your odds are 1 in 10, that's not bad!

And feel free to hyperlink this image:
http://originalabbie.com/AbbieShopAd.gif

Abbie

I am really, really upset right now. I just found out that my dear old neighbor, Margie Ellis, has passed away. She lived in Medford for all but one month of her life. I posted a blog back in May about how her house was up for sale, her daughter listed it. Well, October 26th was the closing and they moved out. I've been missing her ever since. She used stop by all the time to see Neil and chat, she cleaned houses for a living and she did a good job right up until the end.
She was born on Cherry Street in Medford, right here in the village, then she moved around the village and finally moved to Cedar St, right next door to where I live where she spent a majority of her final years. You would know her if you saw her, a petite grey haired woman wearing stretchy pants, lots of jewelry, white grey hair up in a bee hive, and sparkling blue eyes. She waved, smiled, and would talk to anyone she saw. She spent many days walking the streets of Medford, visiting her lost loved ones in the Oddfelow's Cemetary. Playing Bingo, going to Church, having coffee in whatever cafe inhabited the corner of Main & Union Streets I know she was in every day back when I had it, and generally just being pleasant and kind.
We would talk to her as we went to our car, she would be sitting on her porch watching the cars go by Cedar street and she would tell us "don't do anything I wouldn't do!....but if you do...name it after me!" and of course always "God Bless You, I love you" She just loved our son, Neil, she couldn't get enough of him.
She was a wonderful person, and I know she hated to leave Medford for Tricia Meadows, Marlton in her final month, but I didn't realize it would lead to her end. She was already sorely missed, I hate seeing her house empty next door to us, the new owners haven't completely moved in yet, though I'm sure they're lovely there is no way they can fill her shoes.....even if they were itty bitty in size! She had a big heart and was always willing to lend a hand, and I will really miss her.
I kick myself for not visiting her in her new house, I kept making excuses - some viable, some not so much - the baby was sick, I was sick, I didn't want to make her ill....but I really wish I'd stopped by to see her and let her know how much she was missed.
I haven't been able to find an obituary yet, I found out through a friend who was asked to keep it on the downlow, but I loved Margie, and I know others did so I'm letting everyone know, I think it's only right. When I do find out more info about her services I will post them here.

Here's some pics of Margie that I have, Dancing at the Cultural Arts Fest, Hanging out in the Cafe, and playing with my son - Neil...

Today is apparently something called "Cyber Monday" This is the first year I've heard of such a thing. Cyber Monday - is the internet counterpart to "Black Friday" where, online retailers kick off the "official" beginning of online shopping season. This all seems like a little bit of a stretch to me, but hey, who am I to judge? I've been around the internet for some time now, and I've never heard of this before.....I've been on the "retailer" side of things for past Holiday seasons too....and I've been Christmas shopping online for years.

Well, there ya have it folks. It's Cyber Monday - so do some online shopping! I've added a new pair of earrings today....."County Claire" earrings....some beautiful green glass earrings that are just beautiful. They are the perfect color to add some holiday cheer to your outfit for Christmas or St.Patrick's Day! And, if you're like me, and green is your favorite color - then they'll match a plethora of your outfits!

Jewelry is one size fits all - so it makes a great holiday present!

Thanks!
Abbie

So instead of going out and waiting in line at 5:00am on Friday, I got productive and made some jewelry on Friday. I'm listing it in dribs and drabs, because I do have a lot coming up - 2 house parties and an art show - "Holiday Shopping at the Green Trading Post" - click for directions - that one is on December 2nd, a Sunday from noon to four. It is a joint event between Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, and a portion of my profits will go to them. I will be there with my creations along with Pinelands Folk Music Center, and Anne Marie Woods with her Pinelands Art. Shoppers will also be able to take guided tours of the circa 1753 farmhouse and grounds - the Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters. There is a visitor center, where there is an exhibition of Robin A.Jess: Pinelands Botanical Art prints at the bishop Farmstead. Click here for directions.

Well.....today I listed my Christmas Earrings (newest listings are at the bottom of the page) They're called Hang a Shining Star...from "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" They would be the perfect addition to your beautiful face for Christmas cheer, parties, and outings, heck, even if you *are* out standing in line at 4:00am in front of Best Buy to get that Wii for little Timmy this year (I can't knock it, cause I did it last year lol, not one of my proudest moments) these earrings will bring some cheer, even if they won't keep you from getting frostbite, at least you'll look good and festive!

Ok, 20 minutes until Sean's EMS duty crew ends, with any luck he won't have any calls and we can head out at 6 to hang with some friends
Don't forget - tonight and tomorrow I'm still running my Black Friday Sale - spend $15 get a free magnet or mirror of your choice!

Abbie

Happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone! We're headed out to a full day of yummy turkey & mashed potatoes. The good news is, since I wasn't the one baking like a maniac all week - I had some time to make a few new pieces of jewelry! I'm debating whether to list them or hold them for my Holiday Parties - since there's one next Friday the 30th at my mom's house, and one December 6th at my house I'm not sure if I should list things - or hold them back. I'll decide soon! I'll probably list at least a few of them.
Tomorrow is the dreaded Black Friday.....I'll be staying in and working on my jewelry, hopefully my package arrives so I can get started on my new line! I've ordered a bunch of supplies from different people, and all but one has arrived - an integral one though, so I need that last one to get started!

In accordance with the craziness that is this weekend - I think I will succumb to the insanity and run a special here.... how does free mirror or magnet with any purchase over $15 sound? To claim this prize, once you've completed your sale go to the "contact me" page and tell me which design you would like, and it will appear in your package! Try to do this immediately after your purchase, and be sure to give me your name and email so I know which goes with which!
And the best part - you don't have to get up at 4am, fight traffic, freeze, and wait in line for it! You sit in the comfort of your home and have your tea while you shop!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
I'm off to have some Turkey!
Abbie

A new Category has been listed! Bracelets! My wrap bracelets are listed, so be sure to take a look, and do some shopping! I've also set up a special category for my special edition items, right now it's only listing is the Ivory Snow Princess which is a stunning set, absolutely breathtaking in person. A great accessory to your winter wardrobe.

If you are local, I've also set a date for my Holiday Trunk Show which will be on December 6th, from 5-9, you can stop by anytime you can between those times, it's just a wandering type of thing - come when you can! I'll have all my artwork and jewelry set up and on display for you to do some browsing and holiday shopping. If you're in the area and want to stop by, come on by - we'll have wine, cheese, light snacks....so it would be great to know if you're stopping by, but it's not a need - if you can, you can! Hope to see you there! This is a great chance to get some low key holiday shopping out of the way - if only we could always shop with wine and snacks!

Thanks!
Abbie

Hello!
I've added some new Jewelry! I've been a busy bee - though the shop is not completely launched, I figure I'll just add things as I can and pretty soon it'll be all done. It's all set for ordering and stuff - you can pay with paypal, or a credit card. You do not need to have paypal to place an order - you can just enter credit card info.
I've been a busy little beaver lately, I made a ton of new earrings and a few bracelets as well - also - a special edition "Ivory Snow Princess" bracelet and earring set that I haven't listed yet - but wow, is it gorgeous.
So, check out some of the new additions to the jewelry category - all earrings so far. Bracelets , necklaces, and pendants to follow as soon as I stop fighting with my camera and get some good pics of them!
Hope you're all feeling the holiday spirit!

Well, over the weekend I was browsing Stars OnDemand and found a movie called "Wal*Mart - The high cost of low prices" and watched it - I couldn't believe it. I've read lots of threads on Etsy about artists boycotting WalMart for one reason or another, but I never heard the nitty gritty details of it - better yet - I'd never seen the proof that this movie provided of all their immoral actions.
Cliff Notes version:

Fair Wages: Walmart pays the minimum amount available to their employees. Full time employees are counted as such at 28 hours. If both parents in a family worked at walmart with 2 kids full time - they would be below the poverty line. The health insurance? $75 out of every paycheck and high copays make it impossible to even use it. This is the part that really gets me - when the employees ask for better benefits - the management suggests going on Government assistance - welfare, wic, medicare/cade......there was a poll in the movie about walmart workers that are on government assistance of some kind......it was ridiculous. I want to say somewhere near $1.5 billion worth of government assistance to these people. So - you may be paying $4.96 to put that shirt on your back, and think you're getting a great deal - but you'll make up the difference and then some in your taxes to support the rest of their employees that they refuse to back. The employees are made to work overtime without pay - by threat of loosing their job if they don't do it. It's just totally unfair. I hate to say it, but this is where a Union would come in handy - but when Wal Mart employees gather and ask for one, they're penalized and threatened to be fired - and flat out told no.

Made in China: Their products are made anywhere but here. Why - because that's where they get the cheapest labor. Something to the tune of $3 a day for sweatshop workers in China. These workers live in what is basically indentured servitude. Large dormitories of people, sharing rooms - they are charged for rent, and utilities - which seems fair -until you learn that they have to pay rent there whether they live there or not.When rep's come from USA to inspect the workplace, moral, etc - they turn a blind eye. The workers are given scripts to memorize so they know what to say when they are asked if they are happy with their job and conditions. If they lie - they loose their job. They are physically punished, as well as reprimanded in their jobs. They also work 7 days a week. None of this is a choice - if they don't want to work in these conditions - they are fired. Toys, etc - cost about .18cents to make, Walmart sells them for $14.97

Closing of Small Towns: Once a Wal Mart comes to town, the mom and pop stores that have been in business since WW2 and longer, close down. They simply can not compete with Wal Mart's prices! Granted - that's not Wal Mart's fault, that's just business - take your beautiful small town - like the one I live in - and bring a Wal Mart to it - what happens? Small businesses close - no new businesses return in their place because they know they can not compete with Wal Mart - so what does that leave? Empty storefronts and buildings - what does that lead to? No jobs - (or poverty stricken Wal Mart Jobs - and plenty of people chomping at the bit to take them) which leads to poverty......which leads to your once beautiful small town being vacant, a great place for crime in all those empty buildings - no jobs - and boom - small town life is gone. Once that small town life is gone - no amount of cash will bring it back....it's not really worth all those cheap prices after all, is it?

What also gets me mad, is the Wal Mart corporation is masquerading as Christians. This is not the way Christians act, and they are giving us all a bad name. The walton family is worth somewhere near $175 Billion dollars - among 6 people.....they have the ability to fix all this, and they don't!

So please, this holiday season and forever - do not buy from Walmart! It's costing you, and everyone - way more than the price on the tag!

I know this isn't my usual type of blog - it's probably coming across very liberal - and for some of you that may surprise you considering I'm a staunch Republican Christian - but these people are doing wrong - and wrong is wrong - no matter their religion, or their political standpoint. It is way beyond either of those things at this point.

Oh - and not in the movie - but in other research I've done, I've found that Wal Mart is actually suing the Laboratories that are investigating the presence of Lead in toys? Wal Mart really cares about nothing but themselves, and making money! I could really go on and on - just watch the movie! It's free on Starz OnDemand if you have it - look for it! You'll be shocked!

Thanks!
Abbie

This sounds like a really fun night. There is a "Ladies Night" at Creative Genius Art Gallery & Studio here in Medford - where you'll find tons of cool artwork - some of my own stuff is in there too. This ladies night is going to be all about fun, shopping, and picking out a "wish list" for ourselves to help our clueless significant others figure out what we want! Buying handmade is an excellent idea for any holiday - it's unique, you know there will not be any duplicate gift giving if it's a one of a kind item - and you'll be supporting the arts! It's a great way to spread holiday cheer. I know this year I took the Handmade Pledge will you? Give a gift that people will cherish!

Anyway, here's the info on Ladies Night! Hope to see ya there!


 
Wednesday, November 28 - 6-9pm
Ladies! Have a night out at Creative Genius Art Gallery. Bring your friends and join us for an evening of shopping, food and fun. There will be food and wine with drawings for prizes. We will be hosting a trunk show by jewelry artist Michele Grady who is also displaying her newest exhibit “HAMMERED!” now running thru January. You'll have a chance to get great gift suggestions for the special people in your life, just in time for the holidays and select treasures for your own WISH LIST Registry, which we will then provide to the men in your life when they come in shop for your perfect holiday gift! We hope you will join us!
Creative Genius  Art Gallery & Studio
32 N. Main St. Medford, NJ 08055
609-714-1131
www.creativegeniusonline.com

Halloween night: as told by:
Neil the blogger!


This is the back of my costume, I was a three eyed monster - I'm showing off the back because the front...

well, the front...I didn't like my costume so much, I was pretty bratty and Momma thought we were going to cancel trick or treating

But then I learned that trick or treating yields me some candy!

sweet sweeeeeeeet CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's me and Daddy -
Daddy was "Dr. Acula" from Scrubs. We were at Grandma's house in this picture.

Here's a neat totem pole made out of real pumpkins! I loved it!


Yeay! This whole costume thing isn't so bad!

Look at all my candy I got!

Mine! All My Candy! It's all for meeeeee!

Ohhh sugar ohhh honey honey!

I'll give the computer back to Mommy now!


Trick or Treating was a hit! He had a good time, despite his hatred of his costume initially. We had 2 days of trick or treating - the 30th in Toms River, they t&t the day before Halloween to try to discourage the whole mischief night thing - it doesn't work, but it lets us spend the holiday w/ my family, and at home with my mil too.

I had the house all decked out for Halloween, I'm attaching some pics here too, since I'm already going hog wild with the photo post hehe.

Enter our scary house of Galie!

Beware the Headless Horseman! (made by me!)

Here's some of my fall/halloween inspired artwork, and some more Halloween decor

My fav Halloween pumpkin

The candy for the kiddos, we got lots of trick or treaters, and honest ones at that - while we were out trick or treating ourselves I left candy on the porch for the kids - there was still some left when we got back!

And, the piece-de-resistance - our Halloween Village. Haunted Witches House & Dracula's Castle


Happy Halloween!

Abbie

Ahhh well yesterday, day two of the handmade festival was *not* a bust, thankfully. It started out slow, just like Saturday. The weather, on the other hand - was much nicer. The wind took some things out a few times throughout the day, but the rain and humidity were totally gone, thank God. Jenn & I kinda decided beforehand that if it rained like Saturday we were going to just cut our losses and go home.
We were really slow all morning, there at 8:30, my parents came out & showed us some support, some friends visited & stuff. Pretty soon is was 1:30, still no sales. That was the general theme among the vendors near us, that this place was geared towards children, - grabby, grubby, sticky, funnel caked and apple donut covered fingers of children, all over. (Boy, that sounded really a lot like a cf rant, it's not that at all, I just don't like it how parents let their kids go wild "OOOh mom look at thiiiiiiiiiiis" and touch everything they possibly can. It's really just bad parenting, or rude parenting at least.
Well, around 1:30 or so things picked up, I sold few pairs of my horns, I think about 5 or 6 pairs, I lost count, and silly me didn't inventory ahead of time, duh. I sold a few pieces of jewelry too, walked away in the positive, so, that's a good thing! All in all, it was a success.
I don't think I'll do that show next year though, I mean, I made a decent amount, but I still don't think it was my bread and butter spot. Plus, 2 day events are just killer.

Now that this is behind me, I'm going to focus on getting my things into my etsy shop. I've been ignoring the shop a bit, listing things are a pain in the butt and time consuming,but worth it hehe.

More pics from yesterday are in my flickr account!

Abbie

Etsy Buy Handmade WinterCast

Etsy Buy Handmade AbbieRoad

Ahhhh the show was a bust. It was a "Murphys Law" kind of day. We got all nice & set up (there @7:45, though it didn't start til 10) and it started raining out of nowhere, so we had a mad dash to protect our stuff and keep it dry, it was a wreck.

Then we got it set back up, makeshift rain covers hung up from the sides, screaming baby (mine) but we made it work with what we had, THEN it started raining AGAIN.

Even more makeshift-ness. We looked like drowned rats, our stuff was all over, we no longer had coverage of all our storage crap under the tables because every available cloth (and we had brought extras) was being used as a rain wall, or soaking wet.

Then it got to be about 90*. Neil started acting up, screaming, sweating, it was a wreck. Sean finally got out of class and made his way over, took Neil home. It didn't rain again, of course I spilled Neil's juice cup.....it was just one thing after another.

After all that, I sold one pair of horns. ONE! I think the weather really deterred people from going, hopefully tomorrow will be better, I think it will, **crosses fingers**

Tomorrow at least I wont' have to wake Neil up & take him with me, that just started the day off horribly. He whined "NOOOO MAAAAA!" as I took him from his crib @ 7:15, he was just not happy from then on, but all things considered, he was about as patient as I could have expected.

But, I did get pics, tomorrow hopefully things will look better, because we'll have no rain! So I'm getting more pics tomorrow. But - I put pics up anyway, I looked like a drowned rat, so there are no pics of me in this set haha.


Be sure to look @ the big versions of the pics, I put notes on them & more commentary hehe. Pointed out some stuff you might miss otherwise too.

http://flickr.com/photos/abbieroad/

I think there's like 8 pics, more tomorrow-- I promise : )

Of course, my big sale of the weekend so far was my dear friend melissa ( she ordered my nest of pearls earring & necklace set.
Thanks Melissa! You're the best!

Alright kiddos, I'm beat. I'm heading to bed.
Wish me luck tomorrow!
Abbie

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, something fun to ring in the new fall season - the official opening of Indian Acres Tree Farm, on Tuckerton Road in Medford, NJ. There is a Handmade Festival - arts and crafts - only handmade stuff - so you know it's a good one! The festival is both Saturday AND Sunday from 10-4.

I will be there, my new jewelry line, my artwork - lots of new stuff that I've been busting my hump over! I'll have my brand new banner up on my canopy, you can't miss me

That banner didn't come easy either - it was an old banner for Conserve Wildlife NJ that they didn't need anymore, so I got it - free - peeled off the old vinyl letters, cleaned the sticky goo residue off that it left, and painted it w/ my acrylics! I'm going to seal it tonight, but I have to wait for Sean to get home.

So - come by & see me, I'll be giving out some freebies too while supplies last!

Incase you don't know what I do, here's a sneak peak of some things that will be there - this is only the tip of the iceburg, there is much much more!

Abbie

Over the last year, now more than ever, I've seen a lot of websites, videos, books, - even the History Channel - about the "9/11 Conspiracy". This angers me. Particularly a video called "Loose Change" but there are many others, myspaces, etc. For some reason, they think the government is behind 9/11, that somehow, they government has pulled off this big hoax, and blamed the terrorists. A hoax so elaborate, that not one, but two planes would go into the Twin Towers, and that a third plane didn't really crash into the Pentagon - it was blown up from the inside - now, the actual location of the plane that crashed, well, that I'm not sure how they're playing that off. The government (or, Vast, right wing conspiracy) even went far enough to create hero's like Todd Beamer the "Let's Roll!" guy, of course, according to them, he was a paid agent ready to die for his country.
This infuriates me. How is it that these people believe this? And if they think our government is so almighty and powerful, to orchestrate this great big conspiracy, and even go to war over it - well - tell me why, in the vast conspiracy, that they can't kill a couple of teenagers coming out with websites saying it's a hoax and uncovering it all? How hard would it be for them to cover their tracks a bit, and off the few but loud guys that are screaming that this is a hoax? Why would they be alive, if this were true? If our government would go to the lengths to kill two towers full of people, 4 planes full of people, 343 firefighters, and more - what's it to them to kill a couple of kids who are outing them? It would be a drop in the bucket compared to the deaths on 9/11!

So, on the eve of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, I am going out, I am living my life, I'm not afraid. I remember, I've mourned, I will never forget - but I'm not living a life of fear. I feel proud of our country, and our soldiers. It's amazing to me the sacrifices they can make for their country. I can barely stand the fact that my husband is a firefighter, putting himself willingly into dangerous situations, and that usually only lasts a day, or even just a few hours, and he's back in my arms. I can just imagine the heartache felt by families that our soldiers have to leave behind.

Ahh, anyway, after that rant, I'm kind of at a loss for words. I'm happy to be here, I'm patriotic, I'm proud of our country too. Do something nice for your neighbors, remember to smile, and remember that the world you're living in does not come cheap, so appreciate it.

Abbie

Since I've posted pictures of Neil. He is 19 months today, so it seems appropriate! Yesterday was a beautiful fall day, or at least a glimpse of fall, a fall preview, perhaps. I really don't enjoy summer, though I do enjoy the fact that school is out and we don't have mobs of traffic on our street from St. Mary's school, which, all the parents and faculty use our street as a "short cut" out - 9 times out of 10 ignoring the fact that there is a speed limit (25mph) as well as a stop sign, on our street. It's mainly just a constant strand of over priced four wheel drive vehicles that have never even *seen* the woods, and wouldn't know how to handle a four wheel drive situation if their lives depended on it. They don't see my house though, because they're too busy speeding, digging in their purse and talking on their cell phones to notice anything. Starting this week that will all start up again since it's officially "Back to School" time.

Neil is good, he's 19 months today, he's hysterical and a total lunatic sometimes. He'll toss all the pillows off the sofa onto the floor, and then stand on the sofa, lift his arms up over his head and free fall down onto the sofa. This kid is doing trust falls onto anything and everything that will accept it. It's hysterical. He gets so giggly and silly, even as I'm tucking in he's cracking up like I'm tickling him, not tucking the blanket around him. It really makes me laugh!

Well, I gotta run, my Mom and Gommy (my grandma) are on their way up with my bro & sis to unload some furniture from my Nanny & Pop Pop's house. We're getting their patio set, its cool looking, I think I'm going to enjoy having it, as bitter sweet as it is. I miss them, it's easy for me to pretend that they're still alive, up north, in their big yellow house.

Ok, onto the pictures - I'm putting one in here, you gotta click "read more" for the rest, since there's so many of them


Read More...

Neil is almost 19 months now, and I am constantly looking for cool baby clothes for him. "Little Man" clothes is what I call it. I mean, sure, I get a kick out of putting him in cute little Carters outfits that are all babyish and stuff, but I really love finding cool, hip, one of a kind type stuff that you don't find everywhere!
So - when I found the Trendy Tadpole - I was psyched. Categorized by Witty, Hip and Trendy - this line of kids clothes is perfect for the alternative kid! It helps that I completely love Johnny Cash, and they have two Johnny Cash shirts for tots - one that reads "I Love Johnny Cash" which is awesome - and I love that they do it in pink too, for the girl babies (since I'd love to have a girl sometime in the FAR future) It comes on pink, blue, white, or raglan (Baseball) sleeve. I just wish it came with white ink on black, long or short sleeve T, that would be perfect for me! But - what I am probably going to get from them is their "Boy in Black" Shirt, black, with white screen printing. Neil will look so cute in that! Neil actually does like dancing to Johnny Cash too, he gets on his knee's and shakes his booty!
If you'd rather your baby rock The King - they have an Elvis shirt too and I do love Elvis, I just love Johnny Cash more! Boy is it hard picking between two legends! Other musician shirts include a mock AC/DC - done as "AB/CD" and a Bob Marley shirt that are equally adorable. And just for the little girlies of the group, this "These Booties are Made for Walking" onesie is just precious, nothing like a little Nancy Sinatra for your kiddo's! I say start them early with the good music, then maybe when they grow up they won't listen to people like Britney and Lindsay!

If music isn't your thing, and you prefer a more trendy look - check out their tattoo inspired heart, or their Buddha Belly Shirt, or - for the lucky charm of the group, this Born Lucky shirt could be perfect! These would be great baby shower gifts too, if you don't have your own little one. You could start being the "cool Aunt" from the word go!

So, check them out!
Abbie

I'm not usually one to snark on spelling or grammatical errors, but this one, well, it's just too easy. After reading a thread, which I was drawn to because of the amazing golden locks that seem to have the power to make any thread 1000 times more interesting, I found myself curious enough to try to find what this alleged hate speech was, so, I searched a few terms. I don't think this is the article in question, I'm actually pretty certain it's not. But - I couldn't stop myself from laughing. This adorable t shirt leaves me asking "Your retarded what?" Maybe - "your retarded yellow shirt??" Hubby thinks it's possible they did that on purpose, as an even bigger joke - I don't know, I don't think so though.
Anyway, here's my Etsy stupid for today:

Shop name has been blurred to protect the guilty

Abbie

We had Neil's 18 month appointment today. He's weighing in at 25.9lbs, he's 33" tall - growing like a little weed She was happy w/ his talking and all - for those who don't see him, he says a handful of things -
mama
dada
ni-no-na ("Fiona" our dog's name)
ohhh no!
no
what's that?!
that
"mmmm" when he wants a bite of things

he says other stuff, those are some headliners. He's babbling non stop, you'd swear he was carrying on a real convo =- and I think he thinks so too!

She was concerned about his lack of walking. He can walk if he's holding my hand, one or two hand hold,he can walk with the push walkers, or along tables & stuff. He can stand on his own, climb stairs one foot at a time, climb up and down off sofa's, beds - you name it - but, he's not walking on his own.
She said if he's not walking on his own by the end of summer that we should go to early intervention and get him some physical therapy. I'm curious what you mom's / mom like's think of this.
My thoughts - trusting my gut, and the mom in me - I think he needs time and I'm willing to wait. He didn't have use of his feet because of the clubbed foot until October of last year - he was 9 months at the time - and all 9 months of his life his foot was casted/operated on/casted again/bound in funky shoes connected with a bar - I mean, what do they expect, really? He learned to get around by other means (crawling at the speed of lightening) and I think he just doesn't see a reason to walk - he gets everything he wants by crawling/climbing. I know he will walk eventually what is the big deal if he doesn't do it in 30 days. I don't feel comfortable setting time limits on this milestone, honestly.
On the other side, taking off the gut/mom hat, and putting on the first time parent hat - I feel like I shouldn't second guess the doctor. She's the trained one. Then again, if it were up to her, I would have been formula feeding from nearly the word go - so - while I love her as a doc, I know I sometimes have the better call.

So, other than loosing the baby race with other moms "omg MY BABY was walking at 8 months! and he says full sentence in proper English! he feeds himself and doesn't spill a drop on his clothes/face! He also shits money, files my taxes, and is putting an addition on the house over the kitchen he's SOOOOOO advanced!"
What am I really loosing? He's going to walk eventually, I feel like the kid has had enough *necessary* medical intervention, and he just needs to play and be a kid, not be shuffled back and forth to doctors.
We see the orthopedist @ Children's Hospital in October - if he's not walking by then, I'll see what he thinks. I have a feeling he'll be walking by then though.

I also found this, on late walkers, from Dr.Sears
here's the highlight that is pertinent to Neil

"Late walkers are more likely to be content to entertain themselves with seeing and fingering fun than with motor accomplishments. A late walker goes through the crawl-cruise-stand-walk sequence slowly and cautiously, calculating each step and progressing at his own comfortable rate. When he does finally walk, he walks well."

that is Neil to a T - he's quiet and easily amused by himself, he doesn't need 10,000 toys all dancing, singing, blinking, shaking and flipping to keep his attention focused. He loves to sit and read his books, play with his little bead maze toy......that kind of quiet playing, that is oh so nice for me.

So, there's his 18 month update
Here's a pic of him on our recent vaca to PA - he decided to navigate a bit

I'm home from my vacation. We were out in the middle of nowhere, really, the middle of nowhere in PA at ETAR - Eastern Traditional Archery Rendevous

I'd never really done much archery, just a bit here and there at my inlaw's house, but, I was actually pretty good! I was hitting the targets, and I was doing better than Hubby! (Which I rubbed in, profusely)

We were @ Denton Ski mountain, and you hike through the woods, they had various animal targets set up in various levels of difficulty - up on a hill, down on a ditch, between many many trees. I did good! I didn't break any arrows (unlike hubby)

Anyway, did you all miss me? Did you even notice I was gone?! hehe, What did I miss?

Abbie

I have a new art print! This is something I haven't done (for sale) in a long time - mixing my hand drawing abilities and my graphic art abilities - and what's come of it - my new print - "Walk in the Roses and Don't Fear the Thorns"


These roses are were hand drawn by me, and then digitally colored by me, inspired by vintage tattoo art. They are available in 6 colors, please let me know your color request in "message to seller" when you purchase this item.

I personally have these in my house in a group of four, I love the way they look that way, all together - different, yet, the same.

Roses come in the following colors:
1. True Rose Color (True Love, a love stronger than thorns)
2. Yellow Roses ( Friendship, the rose of familiar love)
3. Blue Roses ( Fantasy and Impossibility, the quest for the fantastical)
4. Orange Roses (Proudness, this rose says you're proud of yourself, or the recipient)
5. Pink Roses (The Roses of sweet thoughts, grace, elegance, and refinement )
6. Really Red Roses (Passion, this rose is the marriage of passion, love, and infatuation - not for the faint of heart!)

Please let me know which rose you would like when you check out.

Roses are Red, Yellow, Orange, Pink and Blue - it doesn't matter the color so long as it's for you!

So, I decided it was time for a new art portfolio, the old one was rough and hard to navigate - so, I updated it. It's all flashy now hehe. I swore I wouldn't give into flash, but, I did.

Check it out:

http://art.originalabbie.com or, you can just click the "artwork" link to your right in the sidebar.

Things are good with life, Neil's getting big - here he is, I know, messy face pics are a major no no in some parenting communities, but hey, I parent for my son! Not for them! And I think these are damn cute pics. The other pic he's reading his book, he loves his books He's just like his Daddy.


he knows how to ham it up for the camera too!

Abbie

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers. Go out & celebrate America by blowing up a small chunk of it. Fireworks galore last night, Neil loved them!



Happy 4th of July!

Abbie

It's a beautiful day out today, the sun is shining but it's actually pretty cool out on the eve-eve of our countries independence anniversary Last week this time it was about 104* with 90% humidity. I can't handle that kind of heat. It's nice now though, I might take the baby to the park later on, enjoy the weather.
Other than that, not much to update. I'm going through my first attempt at getting a refund through Paypal, I bought an item on Etsy and never received it. Seller claimed it was stolen from her box - and that she reshipped immediately. Not so - that was on June 6th. So, I left her a negative feedback (Which prompted others to leave her negative feedbacks as well) and filed reports w/ Etsy admin's and paypal. I still love Etsy, one bad egg isn't going to spoil the whole lot. I'll let ya know how it all turns out.
I'm still miffed about being muted in the Etsy forums earlier in June (I'm unmuted now, it was only a 3 day mute). I emailed w/ admin about it, they responded, but gave me no real answers. Looking back - I don't think I did anything wrong per say. When the person I was fighting with started getting nasty in her thread - I stopped posting any replies and notified admin via email. Then she sent me dozens of nasty convo's when she didn't get a rise out of me in the forums. I replied to the convo's, nothing mean, I just told her to leave me alone and seek professional help - then I reported the convo's to admin. Then - and I'm assuming this is why I was muted - I posted this thread, Ohhh I got my first hatemail but - I never called out the person, I didn't say who it was or even intricate details of what she said - I just said it was hatemail, and made myself feel better by surrounding myself with friends in the forum and laughing off the hate mail. When she started posting to MY thread - I stopped replying, as to not fight in the forums. Then a day or so later, I get an email from admin that I'm muted for 3 days for "fighting in the forums and breaking the rules" hmmm...where exactly did I break the rules? How was my thread any different than threads that ask what to do when you receive hateful convos? I never called out, and I avoided fighting! I've emailed w/ admin and asked, one - why did I not receive a letter or warning -- which - according to their own admin - will be sent out prior to muting. So - I emailed asking why exactly I was muted - and why I received no letter or warning. Their answer was shady and cloudy. They said in "extreme cases" people are muted outright with no warning. So - I'm supposed to believe that my case was EXTREME and needed immediate action. Yeah, ok. I'd love to see what they consider mild rule breaking, if what I did was extreme. Their answer? They recommended I email with the newly formed "community" @etsy.com for more answers, as they are the forum specialists now. You know what they had to say? Nothing. They didn't answer. My bet? Somebody is having a power trip w/ the mute button.
What happened to the girl that harrassed me? The same thing. Now - she repeatedly called me out in the forums, talked trash about my artwork - and tried to egg me into a fight, then when I didn't get nasty in public, she sent me over a dozen convo's about how my work is crappy and I don't belong here and I'm this and that. She got the same punishment I did. 3 days muted in the forums. Gee, that seems really fair, doesn't it? Not that I'm looking for Etsy to take further action now, it's over, it's passed, she stopped sending me convos, whatever - but they screwed up, and, it ticks me off. I've been a bit more quiet in the forums since that whole fiasco.
Well, I didn't start out to write an etsy rant, but, gee, it sure turned into one.

Abbie

This is a bit long, but totally worth the read - you'll never look at school bus's the same again:

Well, normally I feature Etsy people - this gal's not on Etsy yet I've been working on it though hehe. Her name's Tori, or, lakinicoyote for those who reside in the land of livejournal. She's got a little boy born the same day that Neil was born, and she's an artist too. She's been drawing lots of custom portraits for some of the mama's in lj land - and I've been admiring them for some time now. Well, she did one of my little one today, and I just love it! Here's the picture she based her portrait of, right next to her portrait:

She really did a good job! This was Neil in his Halloween Costume, he was about 9 months old in the picture. So - if any of you want a really professional and talented artist to draw you or your little one (or anything - I've seen her do portraits of dogs and stuff too) find her through her personal livejournal, or her community on livejournal. She's on myspace too. She's uber affordable, portraits starting at only $10! I'm trying to get her to open up a shop on Etsy, but she's holding out for now, but she'll probably be there eventually too.

In other news, things are going pretty well. I've been working out at the gym nearly every day. I've lost some weight, gained some muscle - lost a collective 8.75" from all around - that was about a week and a half ago, so it's probably even more lost by now I'm really enjoying the gym, it's good to go clear my head after a long day of being with a toddler hehe. My little cousin is going off to college, and I painted something just for her for her new dorm room - I'll post pics after I give it to her, incase she sees this, I don't want to ruin it
Well, it's Friday night, Sean will be home soon - it's been raining all day which is a welcomed thing at this point, seeing as the days prior were sooo hot and humid - I think it was 104* on Wed, with 90% humidity. We went swimming at my parents house, they have a salt water pool - Neil loved it, he swam in his froggy swimmy that Anya (my mother) gave him for almost 2 hours! Kickin his little legs and splashing his hands - he's a total water rat! We're going down tomorrow, I'll try to get pics if we're swimming this time.

Take care - and support the arts!
Abbie

William Robert Buzz Boos


BOOS William Robert Buzz Boos Industrial realtor and WWII Navy vet, 86 William Robert Buzz Boos, 86, died on Wednesday, June 6, 2007, in Manor Care Facility in New Providence. Visitation will be held on Monday, June 11, 2007, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Higgins Home for Funerals