New Friends

Etsy has been such a blessing to me lately!  I have been working hard and not only am I having fun, but I have made a wonderful new friend!  She is the inspiration behind taking more pictures for this blog of mine. :)  I can't wait until her shop reopens today!  She even shared the news of a huge rummage sale here even though I could have been considered "competition."  :)  It was a fun time and I found something that made me very happy.  I found an entire set of very old bingo cards in their original basket with the original wooden bingo sign!  So, for my picture today, here's a glimpse of it...these are in my shop right now and I've listed them super cheap!  Tomorrow I'm going to show you a picture of something I got a few weeks ago at an estate sale and I just can't bear to resell it....I told my husband, "it just makes me too happy."  Stay tuned!

I've missed this place

It's been a month!!!  I can't believe I stayed away for so long!  Here's what has been happening in a nut shell:

1.  went to visit my parents in South Carolina with the 2 little ones...so fun!!!

2.  husband went to kansas for flight refresher course for USMC...not fun

3.  I had over 30 sales in my etsy shop!!!  woo hoo!!!  (we desperately need the 2nd income...even if it's a little...i figure if I love it AND can make a bit extra then it's a win-win, right??) :)

4.  my daughter is doing "real" math in our home school curriculum!!

5.  my son used the potty more times than he ever has (he's 2 yrs 10mos old)

6.  I turned 32...yep...I'll still give out my age...probably only until I'm 35 though :)

7.  my husband actually made plans for my birthday!!  (got a babysitter, made reservations, AND took me to one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego's gas lamp district) he got major points for that!

8.  I finally own a Bunn coffee maker (if you love coffee and you don't like to wait, this coffee brewer is    AMAZING!!)

9.  I had coffee with an amazing lady from Etsy who lives in my neck of the woods!  (She is seriously the main reason I started having sales in my shop)

10.  We set off rockets with the kids (see pics) :)

I promise the next post will not be in list form!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!  Mine was just ok.  Husband is gone for training (military) and I will be flying to see my mom and dad on Thursday with the 2 little ones.  We will celebrate mother's day once I'm there.  I have to say flying from San Diego to South Carolina alone with my kids is not something I'm looking forward to, but it will all be worth it once we all get some of Nana and Papa's love. :)  Anyways...I thought I'd give you a peek at what I worked on this weekend while my kids were making messes all over the house and putting up with my intense urge to sew something and complete it with no pattern!!  Yep...I'm not a pattern girl at all.  I can't say I completely dislike them as I've only tried 2, but I'd rather just figure it out....at least for now.  And hey...it's not like I'm making something complicated...we're talking pajama pants, skirts, pillows, etc. - the EASY stuff!  Well, here's what I started and finished this weekend!  I'll take finished photos tomorrow and post them.  This was almost done. :)

One last thing...check out my special sale this week in my Etsy shop!  Buy whatever you fancy!

YOU CAN WIN THIS...STAY TUNED!

Yep...see this little beauty....you can get her for free...just stay tuned!  Filled with aqua and red and screaming cute...she might be sitting in your house soon. :)  Hope you all had a beautiful weekend!

LAME EXCUSE

Ok...not that I think anyone is reading this, but I have been away....for way too long.  Not away in the physical sense, but in the blogging sense.  I felt that I had nobody who cared enough if I wrote or not and I was writing for people, not for me.  Well, my friend (even if I'm just saying this to myself), I am writing now for me - me, myself, and I.  Same thing goes for my Etsy shop.  I was literally depressed looking at all the cute things in other people's shops and not seeing results in my own shop.  Well, I'm sprucing it up and doing just because I want to.  I am going to give it 100% for the next 6 months and see what that does. :)  I'm also doing it out of necessity.   You see, we are not loaded.  Financially we made some HUGE mistakes along the way and now we are paying for it.  I'll spare you the details, but I am trusting God will pull us through this mess and I'm gonna do my part too...and have some fun while I'm at it....because who doesn't love Etsy and all it's amazingness!  (yes, that's a word...at least it is here).  I have been creating and buying cool vintage stuff just for my shop.  Now...all I need is a cool new avatar for my Etsy shop...how DO all of you cool people do it??  Am I just really dumb...I can't figure out how to do it and I can't afford to pay someone either...I guess I'll be doing some research on that.  :)  Now...just in case anyone is reading this, please visit me again next week for an exciting bird cage giveaway at a very cool blog - no, not my blog silly, someone else's blog of course!   Have a great weekend!

SHE'S OUTDONE HERSELF!

I can't believe the cute shops April has had on her 12 days of giveaways this week!  Another great shop was featured later this afternoon!  It has the cutest little inspiration packs, etc.  Go take a look and try to win yet ANOTHER great giveaway from her!  Just when I think my favorites on Etsy is going to explode or reach a "limit", I find more talented people!  Does this happen to you too??

WARNING TO ALL...AND ANOTHER GIVEAWAY TO MENTION!

Ok...sorry for a boring post with no pictures, but guess what??  My hard drive is on the fritz!!!  This means all the pics I've taken in the past year and haven't printed are on very shaky ground right now.  I'm in the process of backing everything up.  So...if you don't back up your pictures, documents, etc...here's my warning...PLEASE DO IT NOW!!  When I walked into the Apple store last night and the guy told me what was happening I almost started to cry!  I started to think of the pics of my daughter's first haircut, the pics of all my son's firsts while my husband was deployed, etc.  So...consider this a friendly reminder to please back up your pics somewhere, and anything else that is important to you.  On a lighter note...I have mentioned April's 12 days of giveaways a few times already this week, but the shop featured this morning is amazing and the talented owner of the shop is here in San Diego...yay!!  If you love vintage and Christmas and goodies of all sorts, please head over there right now for this amazing giveaway!  Thanks and hopefully I'll be back later this week with a perfect-working hard drive.  

BIRDCAGE SALE

I personally love my birdcages...they are so cute and whimsical. Yes, I realize that's tooting my own horn a bit, but I really do LOVE them!! Anyways...I'm making up some new ones and put the 2 that are left in my Etsy shop on sale for 1/2 off!!! Please go see them and if they suit you, I'll send them along with a free thrifted vintage ornament!!

GREAT GIVEAWAY TIME FOR BLOGS!

I love this time of year when all the crafty blogs start doing giveaways! It was this time of year when I originally started following blogs regularly just because it was so much fun to think I might just win some amazing item (or possibly even two!). I have won some things here and there, but never from the infamous Pioneer Woman (the chances with her are like playing the lottery!)...nor have I won anything from this creative girl (who by the way has one of the cutest Etsy shops ever!)....nor have I won anything from this creative girl (who has another Etsy shop that I frequent a lot!). I decided that all my luck is going to change this season because I'm going to try even harder to win whatever is being offered....especially if I love it. Well...there's an great 12 day giveaway over at her blog and the most current offer is from such a cute Etsy shop...you have to go check it out! I'm gonna win this giveaway...but if not...I'd be happy if one of you won it too! :) I'm actually ruining my chances of winning by telling you about it, aren't I?? Oh, well. Go head over there and check 'em out everyday! This girl has great taste! I'll keep you posted on other fabulous giveaways I find! Have a great Friday!

ANOTHER WEEK CLOSER!!

Well, if any of you have been following my blog or checking out my Etsy shop, you know I'm having an "anticipation" sale to celebrate my upcoming reunion with my husband after his 7 month deployment! :) So...this week all items in my shop will now be 40% off!! That's a huge discount and I'll be adding some more things later this week, so take advantage of it while it lasts! In case you're wondering...only 17 more days until I leave!! I hope everyone enjoyed this glorious weekend! We are fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood with other military families who really look out for each other and I've never felt "alone" on a holiday while my husband has been gone. We spent the afternoon with neighbors and friends and watched beautiful San Diego fireworks! I have to constantly remind myself to truly enjoy this place because we probably won't be here forever. It is so nice not to have humidity and be swatting at our legs/arms/etc. because of annoying bugs! I've lived in the south too...so I feel for ya'll. :) Oh yeah...the cake pictured here is one I've made a few times from The Pioneer Woman's website from Barefoot Contessa. It is amazing! I substituted strawberries simply because raspberries weren't on sale this week. :) Hey...I'm trying to watch my budget...remember? Oh...and yes...I forgot to put the "stars" of frosting in between the blueberries! Oops...I don't think anyone noticed or cared. :) Enjoy the last couple of hours of the weekend and please take advantage of my sale!

Another week has gone by....better sale for you!!

Ok...so on with my "anticipation sale" in my Etsy shop. You can now save 20% on every order. I will send a refund via paypal or you can wait for a revised invoice from paypal. This week went by faster than last. I can't believe in just over a month I will see him.....my husband. I am more nervous, excited, giddy by the day! Ok...that's enough of that. Let's see...what else?? This weekend includes a birthday party, preparing my step daughter's room for her summer visit, baking dessert for a neighborhood pizza party, and church. Father's day will be spent with an older couple at church that are almost like surrogate grandparents for my kids. I encourage everyone out there to find an older couple that can serve as mentors, grandparents, shoulders to lean on in times of crisis, etc. They are so important to us as a military family. We have no family near us, so to have found people like them is a literally a "God-send". Have a blessed weekend!!

Anticipation

Wow...2 posts in a week....this might be a new record....or rather a new beginning.  :)  So, my husband has been deployed now for close to 6 months and in a short time (sometime in July) we will be reunited in Hawaii!!!  Yes, Hawaii....aghhhhh the epitome of tropical paradise....right?  I'm just guessing because I've never actually been there!!  My first time in Hawaii will be with my husband of almost 6 years and WITHOUT kids!!!  Yikes...it's almost too exciting to think about.  It has been consuming my every thought.  We try to have a date night every month when he's here, but this will be 4 nights in a row without children and post-deployment.  I don't think I've been this giddy since high school about an upcoming event.  So...in honor of my fast approaching trip and my endless thoughts of walking on amazing beaches and just being with my man I am going to have a progressive sale in my Etsy shop.  Starting tonight, Friday, June 12th and continuing with each Friday until I leave on my trip, I will be discounting my entire shop by 10%.  This will be like an exciting count down for me and hopefully fun for my customers as well.  Whatever I add to my shop between now and then will be included in the sale at whatever the current discount is.  Don't worry...I will let you know when it's the final week.  All prices will return to normal after I return from my trip!  Oh yeah...don't forget my shop name is Becaruns.  

FRESH START

Ok...since my last post, my husband left for deployment, my step daughter has been gone from our house longer than I've ever experienced before, I've started to home school my daughter, I've planted my first flowers in the garden, and I've finally opened my Etsy shop!  Whew!  Where has the time gone??  Oh yeah...and I turned 31 yesterday!!!  Yikes!!  For some reason 31 really seems to emphasize that I'm in my 30's now.  I can't say I like it yet, but every woman in their 30's say it's way better than their 40's.  I'm waiting for that.  :)  So...my husband is now almost home...yay!!!  I'm going to meet him in Hawaii and spend a few days alone before flying back together.  We haven't spent a single night alone since before my 4 yr old daughter was born!!  Too long, huh?  Please give my Etsy shop a visit.  Shop name is Becaruns.  Yes...tacky, but if I had known I was going to open a shop when I registered with Etsy I would have picked a better name.  Oh, well.  I'm going to work on putting some new stuff in there.  I know my photos aren't great...working on that too. :) Well, here's to a fresh start on my blog and daily posts...I hope. :)  Thanks for stopping by!  Oh yeah...just a pic of my little ones first thing in the morning admiring their garden outside....and each other...sweet, huh?  They're not always like that with each other....keep in mind this was the very beginning of the day.