How about an update?

Okay, so maybe it's not that cool to you, but just check out all this praise! I've been featured on a super blog again, and ... well, there's just nothing quite like 100+ comments praising your work. Really.

And I get all that just for sending a cute hat to somebody! And then sending some slippers to one lucky person.

Of course, praise doesn't do much good unless I'm making sales, too. Which I am. Record breaking. Not earth-shattering, thankfully.

Breaking a small personal record is quite exciting enough for now, thanks.

I'm thinking about trying to take a break from custom orders for a little while, and build up some inventory. I don't know if that would slow sales too much, or help out in the long run. It would certainly ease a little stress for a while. You know, to have some time to just chill and create whatever I please. (I still have a huge stash of wool that I haven't done a thing with.) Not that I'm complaining about making 6 pairs of yellow slippers in a few days time. lol.

Enough Etsy ramble.

In case you're wondering, I still love my job at preschool.

I am very thankful that I didn't get what I wanted to begin with.
I wanted 4 days, and I got 2.
I was disappointed, but now I see that it's exactly what I needed. 2 days leaves me with enough time to work on etsy, and ... well, do whatever it is that I do.
And somehow, even those 2 little mornings are tiring. :P But see this cuteness? The frustration of flying wood chips, biting children, and smashed up goldfish is nothing in comparison.
...
Or comparatively insignificant, anyhow. ha!

Lest I sound too saintly here, I admit I got pretty fed up today. But the "bye bye, Miss Caitin! See you latah!" at noon really makes things a lot better.

A random thought :
I wonder if any of those parents ever walk in and see me, thinking, "That's the teacher? Why have they got a child watching my kids?!"


Well, there's been more going on, but that's all for now. :)
Hopefully I'll be back soon.
<3
Caiti

Life is crazy.

I feel like I'm being attacked by my life!
Or, more appropriately, bear-hugged, and suffocated in the process. I like bear hugs, but sometimes a girl needs some room to breathe! Tons of good things keep happening. Etsy sales, custom orders, opportunities to hang out with friends, that conference I went to all this past week that is finally over...

Oh, that conference made it hard to do other stuff. But it was so great. Turns out, I'm not emotionally damaged, but hopefully now I know how to help people who are. :P And I got to know Anna Leigh and Joe a lot better, which was awesome. There's nothing quite like playing hooky and eating cookies during a less-important session. And I only got one picture from all that time we spent goofing around and learning important stuff.




Commentary: as I write, I'm singing "Taylor the Latte Boy" in my head.

I have a little less than three hours til time to leave my comfy home for more craziness. Gotta pick Laura up from work, then we're heading to douglasville to visit some cool people (you know who you are!) and go to church with them tomorrow. I'm so excited! ... Although I forgot my excitement momentarily as I stood watching 50 dollars be drained out of my account into the van at the pump this morning. lol - but hey, I'm praising the Lord that gas prices are lower than they have been lately, and that I'm able to drive to do fun stuff to begin with. :D

So, I ought to be packing. Speaking of packing makes me think of clothes, which makes me remember that I'm annoyed with Chadwick's. Girls, when you shop at Chadwick's online, pay no attention to their sizing charts. They're WRONG. I had to exchange my whole order.
And in other girly news, I still haven't found any new boots for the season. But that's ok. Turns out, so far I'm doing fine without them. ha!
You know that bear hug I was talking about? It kept me from being able to babysit this precious guy today. I think I could use a little time just to chill and play with some Play-Doh.

And... I could probably keep blogging, but I need to go. Here's another picture for ya!
-Caiti

Top o' the Mornin' to You

Good morning, fellow human beings!
After a weekend of sickness, I finally feel like myself again. Hooray!

I don't believe I have ever begun a post that way before.

Anyways, I was sad to miss church yesterday, but I got my required rest, and am feeling much better today. Quite in good spirits, I assure you. I believe I'm going to have myself a cup of coffee while I update. After my update, I have tons of crocheting to tackle, and I'm looking forward to it.
So, let's do a recount of positive things so far this morning, shall we?
1) I'm well!
2) I started a post in an unusual sort of way. (I wasn't going to include that, but I changed my mind)
3) COFFEE! Finally. I didn't have any while I was sick. mmmm yum.
4) I'm in a cheerful sort of mood. That's always nice.
5) Blogging usually makes me happy somehow, too.
6) I have goals set for the day, and the motivation to accomplish them.
7) I read TONS of Calvin and Hobbes before I went to bed last night. Although I guess that really doesn't have a lot to do with today.

And now, for the icing on the cake. Sweet pampering of vanity! An awesome feature about me and my shop on the Wishing Willow blog. Check it out!

Wishing Willow is so great. It's a super blog, featuring all sorts of artists and crafters, run by the talented husband and wife team, Nate and Tara.

The creative labor behind Wishing Willow's unique look and feel is a team effort. While I oversee the product selection, correspondence with designers, layout and site management, my husband Nate handles the writing of the features themselves. My pleasure in this process comes not only from finding and featuring new artists and designers, but also from enjoying my husband's crafting of words on a daily basis. Wishing Willow, for me, is a showcase not only of your work, but of his as well.

Correspondence with Tara has been a delight, and her husband's way with words is beautiful to behold.

And so, I feel like I'm cutting what could end up to be a long, rambly post very short, but I must go. Dear little Ben is waiting to play his racing game. ;-) And this is random, but my other brothers are in their room singing "Don't Let Go" with Josh Groban. O_o haha!
Also - apologies for the lack of pictures. I know pictures make the post sometimes, but for today, words will have to suffice.

-Oh look! A random picture of me. Maybe that will partially make up for the lack of pictures. =P

**waves goodbye**

At Barbara's House

"Hello! I'm at Barbara's house! ... in a petticoat! ...
**giggles** ... hey, what is a petticoat?"

I hear the strangest bits of conversation around here sometimes. Above was issued by my 8 year old sister Emmie.

I am tired. And have lots to do. And am getting little of it done. Dear Etsy customers, forgive me. Life is gaining on me. I'm working on your stuffs, I promise, I am.

Guess what?
I made cute slippers a while back. (during a break from custom orders) Pixie slippers. Or at least, I like to call them pixie slippers. I made them rather biggish. Maybe someone out there with biggish feet will like them. I like them.

And then I decided to try my hand at a scarflette with the
remaining green yarn. It, too, turned out satisfactory, though also a little on the big side. Next time I'll make it a couple inches shorter.

M.S. (mid-script) I made my 100th Etsy sale today.

And I'm getting close to the end of To Kill a Mockingbird. 'S'good.
I could really use a cup of coffee and a brownie or something.

Tomorrow's going to be crazy busy, too.
Maybe Friday will be a little more low-key. I could use a little low-key after today.
I could also use some sleep.

Did you know I like my friends? I do. They're nice.
So is rest.
Good night. :)

I've been tagged!

Time to kill two birds with one stone.

... You know, thinking of it, I don't actually like that expression. The concept is great. But maybe we could kill something that wasn't birds. Maybe two flies with one swat... but that just sounds lame.
ANYWAYS.
Deborah tagged me, and there was some other thingy I wanted to do, too, so I'll just have at 'em both in one go-round.

Here are the rules:
~Link to the person who tagged you.
~Post the rules on your blog.
~Write six random things about yourself.
~Tag six or so people at the end of your post.
~Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
~Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. A long time ago, when I was quite small, I was matter of fact, and not modest at all. "You've beautiful curls!" the old ladies would cry. "Mm-hm, I know." was my shameless reply.

2. I love children's books, and Jillian Jiggs is one of my favorites. The above rhyme is modeled after the first lines of Jillian Jiggs. I can quote huge portions (if not all) of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? and Bear Wants More.

3. I'm rather fond of bears, too. Though I'd rather not meet one in the wild.

4. Remember Coke Blak?I liked it.

"Introduced to much fanfare in 2006, Coke Blak was Coca-Cola's attempt at mixing Coke with coffee. An eight-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola Blak contained 46 milligrams of caffeine.

In late August, after just one year on the market, it was announced that Coca-Cola will discontinue the drink once supplies run out."

That was some good stuff. Really. A little pricey for such a tiny bottle, though. And pretty much everyone thought I was crazy for liking it. Except Katey. Dear, beloved Katey. I gave her a bottle of it for her birthday. Alas. 'Tis gone. I wonder if they'll ever resurrect it?

5. I'm scared that I won't like my teeth once I'm done with my orthodontic treatment. I'm afraid they're too big, and that I'll end up with horse teeth.

6. I have a lot of etsy work to be doing, but I've been sitting at the computer for hours, calculating important stuff, ordering yarn, sorting out what I'm supposed to make for who, reading blogs, chatting with friends, and thinking of stupid random things to say about myself. And now there are 40 minutes left on this ebay auction, and I'm nervous that somebody's going to come in at the last minute and raise the bid to like 22 dollars, and there is NO way I'm paying that much + shipping for a pair of used shoes. But I really want them!

I tag: ... Can I please cheat? Thank you. I must say, though, I love seeing people's answers, so consider yourself tagged if you want to be, and not tagged if you don't.

And now! For the 6 Fours.

A) Four places I go over and over:
church, work, Michael's craft supply, the Looneys' house.

B) Four people who e-mail:
Katey, Keith, Rebecca, and automated messages from Etsy flooding my inbox.


C) Four of my favorite places to eat:
P.F. Chang's (thanks, Aunt Cindy), Chili's, the Looneys' house (lol), Longhorn
(I really love to eat anywhere, though...)


D) Other places I would rather be right now:
on vacation with the Looneys. (Think I might like them a little?) Camping in the mountains. Somewhere fun doing something fun with fun people. ... That's not 4 places, but I'm actually pretty content to be bumming around at home right now.

E) Four people I think will respond:
Katey and Alicia, Becca, and maybe a random blog reader?

F) Four TV shows I watch:
Iron Chef America, Stargate Atlantis, Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, What Not to Wear

Ok, it says forward this to a bunch of people with your own answers, and send it back to me. But you're under no such obligation.

Have a happy day. :)
Me