I'm back! Cookies anyone?

Okay, so it has a been a while...a LONG while since I last blogged. It has been a fun, busy, short summer, so that's one of my excuses. My other excuse is that, if I'm being honest with myself, I'm not sure many people (outside of my lovely family) REALLY read it anyway. I'm going to dig back in, though, because I do think blogging is fun and I have tons to share about my summer happenings and projects. My pics today are of my most recent project. Iced sugar cookies. Can I say that they are an absolute BLAST to make. LOVE THEM!

Molly Claire has Teeth!

Molly has teeth! For about two weeks Molly was a BEAR. Nothing seemed to make her happy. Keep in mind that this is the easy going baby who RARELY cries. I was beginning to get nervous thinking that she "found her voice" and that it wasn't a very sweet one. THEN, two teeth popped up...and we got our sweet, easy going baby back. Life is good!

Photo Pendants

I posted a while back about the glass pendants that I started making just before Christmas. I mentioned in that post that I planned to put photos behind the glass and that I would give an update when I did. Well, I have been making the photo pendants for a while now and have literally been blown away by the response that I've gotten with them. I think I've easily made 30 pendants in the last three weeks...easily. And these were all local, word-of-mouth, orders that I've just gotten via e-mail. Anyway, I LOVE making them...I love seeing all the sweet little faces that I get to put behind glass. If anyone's interested, they're just $10 in my Etsy store.

Know a floozie???

You know a floozie who needs a koozie? If so, I'm your girl! :) Floozie koozies are the latest addition to Busy B's Bowtique. I can do ribbon, crystals, marabou...you name it! Oh, and I also do man koozies, too (we'll have to come up with a name for them!)--plain koozie, plain letters--still nice, but nothing compared to the floozie koozie!

To breastfeed or not to breastfeed, that is the question...

To breastfeed or not to breastfeed? Being that I have SIX friends/family members that are currently pregnant, this is a subject that has come up a lot lately. Some plan to try to nurse, and some don't. So, what's the answer? If you ask ME, I will ALWAYS say, and I BELIEVE, that it is the mother's choice. Period. Now, that being said, I also believe that it is important that whichever choice you make, it is important to be respectful to the opposite opinion.

Sooo, if it were that simple, it wouldn't be blog worthy, right? Unfortunately for both sides of the argument, it never does seem to be that simple. Even as a mother who has nursed two babies, I am careful to simply state what I said above...that "it is YOUR choice and you, as a mother, need to do what you feel most comfortable with". And, again, I say that not because it's what the person wants to hear, but because I BELIEVE it. I am always careful to leave the conversation at that because I know that every mother, as least the mothers that I'm usually having the conversations with, know "the facts". They've read the pros and cons and they are making their choice according to those facts and their personal comfort level. Which is what they SHOULD do, so...conversation over on my end. :)

Those who choose to breastfeed do so because they know it is recommended for their baby, they enjoy that form of bonding, and it gives some relief to the family finances. Those who don't breastfeed often don't because they have trouble with their babies nursing correctly from the beginning, they are uncomfortable with the physical idea of it, or it doesn't work well with their schedules.

So, in conclusion, do what's best for your baby and yourself. Just be careful, when discussing the subject, to remember to be respectful to the person who chooses differently than yourself. The non-nusing mother doesn't want to hear about how the Amercian Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends it, and, on the flip-side, the nursing mother doesn't want to hear about how gross the non-nursing mother thinks it is. Bottom line, those comments are equally hurtful.

Happy, healthy pregnancies to all!

A Girl on the Go!

Well, it's official. My Molly Claire is mobile! Now, she's not mobile in the traditional, all fours crawling style, but she gets around just the same. See what I mean by watching this video. She WANTED that stroller! She is a funny, funny girl!

My Little Soccer Princess!

Look at my girl go! This is her first time to play soccer and she LOVES it! I was so proud watching her hustle...oh, and let me add, that she giggled and squealed EVERY time she had the ball or was close to the ball. It was so funny!

Bow Party at Belly Buttons Boutique

I'm so excited about my upcoming bow party at an adorable local boutique. I will have a table set up in the corner of the store and will make custom made-to-match bows for people as they shop in the boutique. It should be fun and I'm hoping it will be good for my Etsy store, as well. The picture here is the flyer that Belly Buttons had done for the one day event (the MAIN event is the one day photography special--I just got lucky enough to be asked to be a part of it). I think it turned out super cute. If you want to read it more clearly, click on the photo, and you should be able to see a larger version.

"Sparkle in My Heart" Onesie/Bloomers Set

I've decided that I need to change my seems-to-be-latest-phrasing from "my new favorite project" to "my favorite project today", because, I've just realized, that my favorite project seems to be the one I'm working on at the moment.

That being said, This set IS my favorite new project. Isn't it so sweet with the chenille heart, crystal centered bows, and pastel edged organza ruffles on the booty! I truly did make this set for the sparkle in my heart, my Molly Claire.

Because it was so much fun, though, I did put it in my Etsy store, as well. I guess we'll see of others love it as much as I do!

Glass Pendants

These glass pendants are one of my new favorite projects and here's why:

• Anyone can wear them! Depending on the background and chain/ribbon, they can look fun or elegant for grown-ups and can also look super cute for little girls


• Possibilities are ENDLESS. Have a favorite flower, painting, sports team, or photo? If I have digital access to it, it can be made into a pendant.


• Farkles! (Sparkles will forever be farkles to me thanks my Princess Grace) Glitter and crystals are great way to sass them up and make them farkle in the light. :)
  

I'm still looking for the perfect black and white photo of my girls to make a photo version...someting sweet and vintage-y, I'm thinking. When I find it, I'll make it...and post it. Oh, and they're in my Etsy store, as well.

From the Mouths of Babes

Every Sunday Grace looks forward to "Children's Time" at church. We can usually count on her to be good while listening to the lesson and usually even to participate in the discussion...as she did today. Today's lesson was about "praying without ceasing" and that led to a discussion of all the different times and ways to pray and how every way is good. During the "time to pray" portion Ms. Cathy asked the children to share times they think are good times to pray. Ms. Cathy looked at Grace (who was sitting right next to her) when she asked this question. Without hesitation, Grace answered, "at bedtime" and then she paused and said a little louder "and sometimes when my daddy is driving!". Needless to say, there was a roar of laughter (which, of course, made Grace quite proud) and I got the kind of teary giggles that are hard to control once they start.

Now, in my husbands defense, I do think this came from a place that, of course, the rest of the congregation does not know. I THINK (I need to ask her!) that she was LIKELY thinking of the tense time recently during the ice storm when we prayed in the car after fleeing the house while trees and power lines were LITERALLY falling all around us. That little nugget of information, though, Grace chose to keep to herself this morning. :)

It's true! Here's the proof...

For those of you who haven't seen it and don't believe it, here's the proof. Sweet, little smiley Molly Claire does cry. In fact, she can throw a fit to compete with best of them. Bless that baby; I do adore her!

Caterpillars or Rainbows?

Caterpillars or rainbows? That's my question for today. It is on my mind because when I headed in to Wal-Mart to get a few things, I had caterpillars when I arrived, but, somehow, when I left, my caterpillars had become rainbows. Confused? let me explain. So, my husband blessed me with a trip to Wal-Mart sans kids. I know the moms out there understand the freedom and glory that lies in that store when you are there alone...you wander the aisles, ALL the aisles, pick up things you need, things you don't need, and things you might need some day (zebra ribbon for me this day). And...you (or maybe just me) think, "hmmm, I REALLY need to get my eyebrows waxed (they were beginning to look a little too caterpillar-y)...maybe I'll just get them done here while I don't have kids with me; afterall, an eyebrow wax is an eyebrow wax, right?" So, I checked out and headed to the front of the store where the "stylist" was even kind enough to let me park my cart IN the salon. She then led me to the sink where the caterpillar metamorphosis began. She waxed, and plucked, and waxed, and trimmed (this was a first!), and waxed, and plucked some more. She worked on my eyebrows till my lower back ached and the back of my head was asleep (from resting on the sink). Finally, she said, "looks good!", and handed me the mirror. I gasped...my caterpillars had become rainbows--perfect half circles that are the same thickness from one side to the other. Sure, rainbows are great...but not on your face...unless you're a clown. Sooo, on the way home I periodically checked in the rearview mirror hoping that perhaps it wasn't really that bad, that maybe the redness was just accentuating the rainbows, and decided to see what my dear Brandon would say when I got home. Well, I walked in and he snickered and exclaimed that it wasn't really that bad, that I "just look surprised", followed by more giggles. Sweet, sweet man. Sooo, the moral of the story, DON'T let a kidless afternoon at Wal-Mart lead you to the salon to have your eyebrows waxed by a girl with purple hair who is chatting with the transvestite hairdresser in the next booth...unless, that is, you're okay with trading caterpillars for rainbows. :)

Happy Birthday, Mermaid Grace!

Okay, so Gracie Beth Benish's birthday was just a little over a week ago, but I decided that a 5th birthday is still blog worthy even if it is a little late. After all, "My Busy B's" wasn't even born until a few days ago. Grace really wanted a swimming party (who DOESN'T want a swimming party in February?!), so the obvious theme for a princess loving birthday girl's swim party was "Under the Sea". I made a mermaid cake, fishy cupcakes, and we munched on goldfish and fruit snacks then headed to the pool! The Jones Center rocks! It has an indoor pool with a big water slide AND a kiddie section with a waterfall...and it's FREE! Can't beat that! She had a blast...quite possibly the best party yet. Yes, we did Chuck E Cheese last year and, no, we will NEVER do that again. :)

Pinafores and Pantaloons, oh my!

Can I say that this might just be my new favorite project! I absolutely love these little reversible pinafores! They're seasonless because they can be worn alone or with a tee underneath and if one side gets dirty, you just flip it over. Awesome! This is the back of the pinafore and it can be reversed to be the same black and white pattern as the bloomers. I decided that since we, sadly, still have a while till spring, I would go ahead and make the bloomers ankle length. I promise they're cuter than MC Hammer's! I also plan to add some other fun cooridinating fabric ruffles to the bum (shouldn't every baby girl have ruffles on her squishy bum!), but I began having issues with my sewing machine...or maybe, more likely, my machine began having issues with me. Long story short, we're going to have to seek professional help (Singer Store, here we come) before we have a fluffy fanny. :)

Another thing I love about this project is that it can work equally well for both girls. I'm thinking the top would be super cute on Miss Grace with ruffle capris. Again, after we visit Mr. Singer.

Well, here we are!

Ahh, there are my sweet girls! Grace just turned five and Molly is 7 months old. The funny thing is that while they are my BABIES, they both already think they're so big. Grace is especially proud of being five and talks daily about the days when she was just four. You know, when she was just a kid. And Miss Molly Claire is something else. That girl grins all day long and grins with pride as she sits on the kitchen counter in her bumbo seat (while I cook dinner) and sends everything within her tiny reach sailing into the floor. She LOVES it--so incredibly proud of herself. I especially loved it the day she got ahold of the spaghetti noodles...good fun. :)

Needless to say, these baby girls inspire all kinds of projects for me, their craft addicted mother. Today I made Molly Claire a reversible pinafore and matching pantaloons (bum ruffles coming soon!). I'll try to add pics tomorrow.