I'm in the wrong state.

It's November. And it's 70 DEGREES OUTSIDE.

And all I can think is, "If I lived down south, this would be normal."

The sincerest form of flattery?

SERIOUSLY?!

I just had an entire post written with links to a new seller's cards that are IDENTICAL to mine. She didn't even bother changing the names. On one of them she changed the fonts . . . but that's about it. Plus, even the descriptions are word for word mine on all of her listings. I deleted the links to her shop from this post because I'm not sure linking to her shop is the right thing to do. In fact, I know that it's not the right thing to do.

Hopefully, she'll do the right thing and remove the listings. Here's the abridged version of what I sent:

Dear (insert seller's name here),

Another seller brought to my attention that you've copied three of my designs and I need to ask you to take them down immediately. It is unlawful to reproduce the designs or artwork of another without expressed written consent.

It is not only illegal, but is also immoral to copy someone else's work.

Thanks for your prompt attention to this matter!

sara

I feel violated.

On doing my civic duty

"Don't forget to vote." Seriously?! I've been reminded every day for the last two years that I needed to vote on November 4, 2008. And now today, there are people and signs everywhere reminding me. How forgetful do you have to be to have forgotten to vote today? Um, no offense to you if you forgot . . .

I voted this morning. Walked right in and voted. No line. No wait. It's the beauty of living in a township with only a few thousand registered voters. As I was watching lines more than two hours long in some parts of the country, I was thinking that if I lived there, I might find someone voting for the candidate opposing the one I was voting for and asking her if she would want to leave with me. You know . . . our votes would cancel each other out anyway, and we wouldn't have to wait in line. Hmmm? Makes sense, right? No?

I showed up at the wrong precinct. Again. Four years ago, we were living in our apartment and I went to the address on my voter registration card, waited in line for close to an hour and then was told that the card was misprinted and I was supposed to vote at a different precinct. Today, I went to the right building and got into the line for precinct 2 . . . which is the precinct that my card said I was in. Turns out that this card was wrong too. Someone needs to be double checking the cards the the voter registration people send out.

As I've read blogs of people who won't share who they're voting for, I usually assume who their candidate is based on their choice of words. You know, whether they say things like "I think the guy I voted for will make a great president" OR "I think the guy I voted for could make a great president." Obama supporters talk as if he's already been elected. McCain supporters are more tentative. But it's just a theory.

I think the voting lines would move much faster if the people working would, um, move faster. The ladies looking up my name in their big binders today (both times, actually) took a really long time. Don't get me wrong . . . I wasn't in any hurry. My morning was pretty open. But it seems that there are a lot of people in the news talking about how long voters are having to wait, so I just thought I'd put that out there as a suggestion. You know, for all of the election officials who frequent my blog.

What I don't like about Halloween . . .

I've read several posts over the last few weeks dealing with the "issue" of Halloween. There are those that equate trick or treating with devil worship. And there are those who see it as a holiday to be celebrated on the same level as Christmas. I agree with those of you who like to stay away from the scary/crude things that are often a part of this day. I also think that it's a fun thing for kids to look forward to and there are so many things for families to do together on this day and leading up to it.

However, I am not without Halloween pet peeves.

First, I cannot believe some of the costumes that teenage (and pre-teen) girls wear. I'm reminded of the scene in Mean Girls where they explain that Halloween is the opportunity for girls to wear lingerie and some sort of animal ears and be able to call it a costume. It's ridiculous. I guess Walmart lets their cashiers wear costumes and the cashier that helped me was dressed so inappropriately. It took everything in me not to make a rude remark about what she was supposed to be dressed up as. Ugh. And the fact that it was so nice out (70 DEGREES! YAY!) last night made it worse because no one had an issue showing skin.

Second, it's so irritating when you see two 19 year old guys running from door to door collecting candy. Seriously? There should be an age limit on these things. We were at Trunk or Treat so we didn't hand out any candy this year, but on my way home I saw several "kids" that were way too old to be trick or treating. Maybe the rule should be that if you're old enough to drive, you're way past the point of being young enough to trick or treat. The real issue here is that if you were to deny these older kids candy, they're old enough to drive back later and toilet paper or egg your house.
Ok, now that I have that out of the way . . . Jack and I had fun at his first trick or treat experience! Kyle went to his brother's football game, but Katie was there at Trunk or Treat with us. Jack seemed a little overwhelmed by all of the people at first, but he warmed up and was soon saying "tr-treat" to everyone . . . even people without candy. When people saw him coming, they often searched through their candy to find something that he would be able to eat . . . like tootsie rolls, or suckers. Which really sucks because there is no way on earth he'll be eating any of that candy. I will. So I wanted to object every time they handed him Smarties or Dum Dum suckers in lieu of Baby Ruth bars or Laffy Taffy. Oh well.

Here are a couple more pictures, but you can see the rest here.

The closest we'll get

If you can't take your child to the orchard, bring the orchard to your child.

My friend Joy's parents own an orchard in Piegon, Michigan. It's close to Bad Axe, Michigan. That really doesn't mean anything, but I think it's a fantastic name for a town.

Anyway, when she comes to visit in late summer/fall/early winter, she always brings treats. Which results in me eating way too many donuts. She brought apples, caramel, jelly (they were out of the apple butter which was crushing news), licorice, and other goodies.

We've had lots of apples sliced like french fries (I like dipping them in caramel better that way) and apple cobbler this week. It was the first time I had ever attempted apple cobbler and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Except the recipe called for cutting butter into flour. I HATE cutting butter into things. I thought having a tool for it would help, but it doesn't. I still hate it.



Last year at this time, Jack had an allergic reaction to raw apples, but they don't seem to bother him now. The apples are in a bag at the bottom of our pantry and one day this week, Jack just strolled into our living room eating one like he was a teenage boy who had just found himself a snack.

Seeing stripes

After the long day I had yesterday, the night that followed was even longer. Kyle and I went to bed around 11 and Jack woke up around 11:30. He was crying and we didn't know why . . . so we assumed it was teething. He slept a total of 3 hours or so from that point on.

Today was better, and after a long morning of grocery shopping (in which I purchased $140 worth of groceries for $68) Jack fell asleep on the way home. Unfortunately, he woke up as I was transferring him to his crib. Which meant no nap. Then, he developed a bit of a fever this evening. Fortunately, he fell asleep with zero protest tonight.

We did go to trunk or treat at the township office anyway. I'm totally wiped out, so I'm headed to bed, but here's just a little bit of the cutest little zebra you ever did see . . .

It's difficult to put into words

I've had friends tell me that the "twos" aren't as terrible as everyone makes them out to be. They tell me that the "threes are what I really have to fear. Well, I'm just going to go ahead and say that the "1.5s" aren't really a piece of cake, either.

Jack wasn't really in a bad mood today. Just ornery. Really, really ornery. He was into everything! I just chased him around picking up after him and saying, "no, no, no." He didn't want to be held, but he didn't want to be put down. He didn't want me to play with him, but he didn't want me to leave him to play by himself. Everything he said was screechy and shrill and made me want to find ear plugs.

But like I said, he wasn't in a bad mood. He walked around with his toy phone to his ear doing his courtesy laugh and cracking me up. I asked him what he wanted for lunch and he said, "moatmo." Which translated means, "oatmeal." I told him that we ran out of oatmeal at breakfast, but I would make him a grilled cheese. As he nibbled on his carrots and bananas I gave him while he was waiting he kept shrieking, "Moatmo!" But then he saw me take the sandwich out of the pan and he started chanting, "Muuummmyyyy. Muuuummmmyyy." Which is how he says, "yummy." Talk about mood swings. I definitely need to get video of him saying yummy. You have to see it for yourself to really understand how funny his enunciation is. Anyway, he was just really restless and hard to manage today.

As I type, I realize that I'm not really sure how to put the frustration and exhaustion of today into words adequate enough to describe how it left me feeling. I'm pretty sure that I could write dozens of paragraphs without really conveying my thoughts. The whole day was just full of ups and downs. There were moments when I was literally laughing and crying at the same time.

I need to get some sleep. Here's to a laid back, more productive day tomorrow! Right? No? Maybe?

So you'll know where to find me . . .

We're having the world's largest garage sale at camp this week. Ok, it's probably not the world's largest, but it's pretty big. I spent yesterday pricing my stuff and putting it out. And now I have a runny nose from all of the dust! Stupid allergies.

The sale starts today and runs through Thursday. Yes, it's weird to have a garage sale during the week, but it was the only time the field house was going to be available. And, it's going to be open until 7 PM each evening so people can come when they get off of work. Smart, right?

Jack's Halloween costume came in the mail yesterday. I found it on ebay. It wasn't the one that I wanted, but I refuse to pay more than $10 for something he'll only wear once. Maybe they'll be cheaper next year. You might remember how cute he was in last year's costume. This year will not disappoint.

I have a few things on my plate for this week. I have more going on at camp that I can even list here. I'm going to add a few more Christmas designs to the shop. I also hope to finish up the mommy cards and personalized stationary that I've been working on to add to the shop in December (or maybe January . . . we'll see). I know, I know . . . mommy cards? But people are asking for them. I'm also taking pictures of the Hammonds on Thurdsay . . . yay!

Oh, and did I mention that I had a photo session with a new family over the weekend? It went really and I think the photos turned out well! The client opted to not have their photos posted online, so you'll just have to take my word for it!

I hear Jack stirring. Time to get this day started.

Point and shoot

Today, I start my second year of my photo-a-day blog. I remember starting it last year at this time and wondering how long it would be before I quit. And there were two "breaks" during the year, but otherwise I was pretty good.

I think I've come a long way . . . and still have a long way to go.

If I close my eyes, it won't really exist.

When Kyle got up early this morning to let Murphy out, he claims that it was snowing.

I'd prefer to believe that my husband is a liar than to believe it was snowing last night.

Just kidding. Kind of.

A busy day

Yesterday was a busy, but fun, day!

Joy came down Friday night and we spent Saturday morning getting ready for the baby shower we threw yesterday afternoon for Jen. We appliqued onesies, feasted on cupcakes (made by Maria) and Jen opened her gifts. It was a lot of fun! I wish I would have taken a group photo.



After that, the girls from the floor at SAU that we're floor parents for came out and we hosted a hayride and hot dog roast. Unfortunately, I did not once pull my camera out.

Tonight, I have a photo shoot with a family (if the rain holds off), and I'm super excited about that.

I had a fun weekend, but I'll be ready to settle into our routine again tomorrow!

Yet another . . .

There's another less ordinary designs give away here. Yay! The winner will be drawn on Monday.

Crystal is hosting this give away which is kind of cool, because she was my first etsy customer EVER. I just wrote to her the other day and was telling her that I had my cards up for about a week and NO ONE had purchased a single one. I was telling Kyle about how dumb it was for me to spend so much time on those and how crazy it was to think that someone might pay money for the designs. Lo and behold . . . Crystal send me a message and I had my first sale! I might have quit if it weren't for her.

A few days later, more people followed and 335 sales later, here I am! Did you know that in May, I set a goal of 200 sales by Christmas? Maybe I need a new goal . . .

Anyway, I don't take any of this for granted and I'm grateful for every customer who comes my way, and also for the repeat customers who send people my way. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

OH! And be sure you visit Little Bit Funky (Crystal's etsy shop) for all kinds of homemade goodness! I try to re-invest a portion of what I make on etsy back into other etsy sellers (a.k.a. a great excuse to shop) and hers is one of my favorites!

Allow me to introduce . . .

My friend Debbie has been reading my blog faithfully for the last year or so. Probably even longer. I know this because when we get together, I'll start telling stories and she'll finish them. Or she'll ask me about things that I wrote. I love this about Debbie.

5 years ago this month, when Debbie was 16 (I think right before her 17th birthday . . . correct me if I'm wrong), her mom passed away after struggling with breast cancer. While losing a parent is hard for anyone, a precarious family situation made this even more difficult for Debbie. Fortunately, she has an aunt and uncle who stepped in as parents during her senior year and she called their home her home during college.

Shortly after her mom died, she started dating Brian, Kyle's cousin. That's how I first got to know her. I could have started out this post by saying "Kyle's cousin, Debbie" but that doesn't feel right. Because even though we're family now (she and Brian were married in June), she's a dear friend.

All that to say, she started a blog called "Dear Mom: Life without you". The title of her first post was "I'm not crazy, I just miss you." I loved her first two posts and thought I'd pass the link along. I really like the idea of her writing about her life as if she's talking to her mom.

I write this because I know that several of you who read my blog have lost parents or close loved ones over the last year and you can relate. Even if you haven't, Debbie is an excellent writer and I know that you'll enjoy her blog.

So, take a look. Add her to your blog reader. Enjoy!

Fa la la la laaaa . . .

First, thanks to everyone who let me know comments weren't working yesterday. I have no idea what the issue was . . . but it seems to be resolved. Right? I hope so.

Second . . . I know, I know. I have a Christmas banner up. In October. I've explained to you all before thatI start Christmas a little earlier than many people do.

I think it's a bit of a coping mechanism for helping me deal with the cold weather. I can handle the cold if I concentrate on Christmas coming soon. Also, Christmas music is too good to only last for three or four weeks. And, I've started to fill Christmas card orders, so I'm full of all sorts of Christmas cheer.

I've struggled constantly for the last year to find a 3-column look that I like. So, instead of working on things that I should be working on tonight, I figured it out. I think I'll be keeping this for a while. I think.

In conclusion, yes, I have a Christmas banner up. And I hope you can enjoy it instead of scorning me for bringing Christmas stuff out too soon. Oh, and if you like the banner, check out my shop for the card design that inspired it!

What I'm reading . . .

Every blog post I've started for the last few days goes something like this:

"I'm so tired and so busy and Jack's so cute. More later."

So, allow me to point you to some good posts from my blog reader over the last week or so. Maybe you'll find a new one that you like!

Delicious. This was a unanimous favorite in my house (among the three people who live here). I through a handful of frozen spinach in to make it a serving of veggies too.

Funny. This made me chuckle. That's right . . . chuckle.

Literal. I'd say he's a good listener.

Free. Don't miss out on these giveaways . . . of which I am the first (I think . . . maybe)!

Hilarious. After viewing this post, look at the entire blog. It will not disappoint.

Yummy. I will find the time to make these. Eventually.

Creative? I don't know her, but if you like to laugh, subscribe to her blog.

Amazing. At 8 1/2 months pregnant, I could barely squeeze my feet into flip flops. And Sara looks fantastic in her boots!

Ok, there are more, but this is where I stop. I've already taken too much time and I have stuff to do! And it's already 9 PM! When did it get to be 9 PM?! I'm guessing sometime between "literal" and "free" . . .