Picture Tag

I have been tagged by Jen!

I have to list the 6th photo from the 6th folder in my archives.

This was not easy since all my pictures are on 3 flash drives!! Yes I am a picture taking fanatic!

So I went with the first full flash drive and this is a cute but embarrassing picture.

So......

This photo was taken on our 1st trip to my uncles farm. I had not been there in over 13 yrs (divorce...he's my moms sisters ex husband) So anyway. We got back in contact after all those yrs and he wanted to see me and my family. He says I was the daughter he never had, He had 3 boys! I truly loved this man and he taught me everything about farming and what it meant to get up and go to work every morning. He has been dairy farming all of his life.

Thomas was only 19 months old and had no fear of the cows! The funny part is, by the time we left there he had his own cow that we named Hershey. I'll have to show her at a later time and you will understand why we can up with that name.

Besides me and Thomas, that is my husband Mark in the hat and my Uncle Gary.

I would like to point out that I was a bit chubby, ok thats an understatment, but now I can proudly say I am 35 lbs lighter today then when this was taken!!! YAAAA!

I can't believe I put my fat ass on here at all, an I am the one behind the camera all the time, but like Jen said in her post that she couldn't cheat...well neither could I.

Please make sure you all stop by Jens blog at www.10oneworld.blogspot.com to enter a great giveaway from Silvermooncrafts! Jen always has giveaways so check back often!

I now get to tag 6 others and I tag....

http://idreamofjewelry.blogspot.com/

http://jennifershell.blogspot.com/

http://thechubbyartist.blogspot.com/

http://kaleidaeclectics.blogspot.com/

http://juicy--pop.blogspot.com/

http://adventuresinmyworld.blogspot.com/

Looking for Spring on Etsy

I was cruising Etsy looking for some spring items since I am just sick of the cold and snow....when I came across a thread in the forums with newbies and shops that had under 10 sales.

Well, needless to say I found some really nice items that I wanted to share. I couldn't share them all but these are some of the items that brought a smile to my face and took away the cold for a bit.

Hope they do the same for you!I found this wonderful hand painted daisy tray at www.yessysdesigns.etsy.com. I wouldn't dare put anything on this tray! I would have to hang it or something since I know one of my boys would put a greasy hamburger on it...LOL. What beautiful painting she does. This shop also has other wonderful wood hand painted items and cards. She also has knitted purses.

This sign made me laugh (maybe since I have kids and chickens) and know how chickens peck the ground ALL day long. Pretty funny! You can find this and many other wonderful hand painted signs at www.Gemmy200.etsy.com.

This basket along with the others can be found at www.pinegardenbaskets.etsy.com. They blew me away. They are made with pine needles! This one I loved because of the walnut that was added in. What a neat touch. I have to admit I have a bit of a fetish with baskets. She also has some beautiful stoneware jewelry for sale. You have to check out the other baskets!!

I think this is way to pretty to hang outside. I love the coloring and the painted flowers on all sides. The picket fence is too cute. This can be found at www.catmacdesigns.etsy.com. She has many other wonderful items in her shop. Stop by and take a look!

Hope you enjoyed a little bit of spring!

Good Bye Olympus C-740

This may sound stupid but it is time to retire my Olympus camera that I have had for almost 5 yrs. She has been such a great camera but I need to now spend more time with my new camera, a Canon Rebel. I need to figure out how to use this new camera and since December I still have no clue. My husband got me this for Christmas and I am loving it (please don't tell the Olympus). The Olympus has been so wonderful to me. She has taken pictures of my youngest son Thomas since he was born and has captured so many very important and wonderful memories for me and my family. I have never had any problems with her and she took wonderful pictures for a 3.2 mega pixel! She has thousands of picture under her belt, so I wanted to post a few of my favorite pictures that were taken with my Olympus C-740. She will not be forgotten and she won't be put away for ever but she will not be brought out as much anymore. I know that there always comes a time to upgrade, but to be honest, I am pretty upset about this. She will always be on back up but I wanted to retire her with dignity!

Thomas meeting a cow on his great uncles farm for the first time. Can you tell he is a boy with no fear? He didn't shy away from the girls at all...they didn't know what to think of him. I was always running and standing behind a cow in the barn yard since he had no fear and would walk right behind them! I think he would have walked under them if they would have let them. I have spent so much time on that farm growing up that when my uncle met Thomas for the first time and saw how he was with the cows, my uncle looked at me and simply said "just like his mother" That says it all.

Thomas at 5 months.

I love this picture! I have it hanging on my wall and I still haven't changed it yet with his picture from preschool. I don't have the heart and I already have too many pictures hanging in my house.

Thomas and his Dziadziu (grandfather in Polish) on our annual family vacation to Cape Cod. My family, my parents, my sister and her family and my brother (comes up from Virgina)spend a week in Cape Cod. We all get together and rent a house for the week and the kids love it.

Mark playing baseball in Cooperstown NY at Dreams Park '07.

Mark made the East Haven All Stars and got to go to Cooperstown to play a week worth of baseball. It was so wonderful to see the kids so happy. There were teams from all over the country playing. That week Hawaii made it! They got knocked out early in the tournament but they had a blast.

Thank you to this wonderful camera for all the memories she has preserved for me!

I will miss her!

Now on to my new toy!!!!!! (shhhh don't tell)

Tagged!! 1st Time

I have been tagged for the first time by http://kaleidaeclectics.blogspot.com/ to list 8 random things about myself and then tag 8 other people.
Here they are:

1. I love to bake anything and everything!


2. I hate to shop. I know hard to believe a female not liking to shop...


3. I have not worn a dress since my wedding 8 yrs ago.


4. I love blue, purple and red


5. I have way to many animals...2 dogs, 3 cats, a bird, 50 gallon fish tank and 13 chickens.


6. My favorite place in the whole world is my uncles dairy farm in Upstate NY.


7. I love warmth and sun and being tan


8. I wear any crazy color of nail polish. The brighter and crazier the better.

Now I must tag 8 people and I tag.....

http://timesandchimes.blogspot.com/

http://lightandwriting.blogspot.com/

http://adventuresinmyworld.blogspot.com/

http://jnicdesigns.blogspot.com/

http://woodandpixels.blogspot.com/

http://kittskrafts.blogspot.com/

http://lightscamerapicture.blogspot.com/

http://my-little-halo.blogspot.com/

Horse Racing Terms

I wanted to give some horse racing terms that you may see in upcoming posts about Bob Bull. I am no expert and believe me it took me awhile to learn the terms but I wanted for all of you who don't know or know a little about racing to have some understanding of some of the basic terms you may hear.

As I stated before Bob Bull will be training soon to get ready for April. He had made his 6 hour trip from Ocala FL to Miami and has settled in just fine. I am hoping to have the full story of Bob Bull and how Tom rescued him shortly.

Here are some terms and definitions to get you started.

• Favorite: Horse having the most money wagered on it to win
• Furlong: A distance equal to 1/8th of a mile.
• Length: About 8ft, the length of a horse from nose to tail. At racing speeds a horse travels about 5 lenghts a second.
• Longshot: Entry not well regarded by bettors, resulting in the possibility of longer odds and higher payoffs.
• Pole: Distance marks placed around the track, usually every 1/16th of a mile.
• Post Time: The designated time for the race to begin.
• Scratch: When a horse is withdrawn from a race.
• Starting Gate: A mechanical device which allows each horse to begin a race at the same time.
• Stretch: The straight portions of the track. The first straight way is called the Back Stretch and the Home Stretch contains the finish line.
• Blinkers: A common piece of racing equipment that contains eye cups which limit a horses vision and prevent it from shying from objects or other horses.

Soon, I will also be posting about different kinds of races and about odds and how they work. I am gathering all my information about Bob Bull and Tom to share and will have that up soon too!

I know this was probably a boring post to read but I wanted to make sure everyone has an idea of what I am talking about when I post about Bob Bull and his Spectacular wins!!!! :)

The pictures that I have in this post were taken when we went to Saratoga Springs to watch a few races. My Uncle and Aunt were so nice to take the boys for a few hours since we were visiting and they are only about 20 minutes away from the track. The top picture is of the horses coming down the home stretch just before the finish line. The second photo is of all the horses walking to the starting gate in the post parade.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Thusday Thank You

I wanted to share with you a very special thank you to Debs1967.

Debbie's items were the first items in which I purchased from Etsy. I saw her items on Flickr and I contacted her to make me some towel hangers for my stove. I couldn't stand it anymore that the kids never hung the towels after they used them and they always ended up on the floor. I wanted to thank Debbie for the wonderful first experience of purchasing on Etsy.

She was very friendly and VERY quick! If I remember right, she sent me a convo at 3:00 in the afternoon to tell me that she was starting them. At 5:00 she sent me another convo to tell me that she was done! She was a great seller and I recommend her to anyone.

These are the 4 towel hangers in which I received and she added a Christmas one as a bonus!

Debbie started crocheting about 30yrs ago. She learned the basics from a family friend and then self taught herself the rest of the way. She crochets anything. Her store is filled with all different types of items from towels to stuffed bunnies to bags. She has a wide variety of items and prices. Her prices will fit any ones budget.

You can find Debbie on Etsy at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5813525

or on Flickr at:

http://flickr.com/photos/27481013@N06/

Please take a look! You won't be disappointed with her work or her service!

Here is a few pictures of her work below.

Thank you Debbie!!!!

Never to Early!

So I am a little hopeful as of today about spring being here soon. It is now January 20 and we just watched Mr. Obama the 44th President of the United States be sworn into office and what a better day to start thinking the best of things. One of those things on my list is Spring.

Last year I watched the crocuses come up at the end of February into the start of March. I do realize that is very wishful thinking this year but now is the time to start thinking about your spring gardens!

I have started receiving mail order catalogs for seeds and seedlings! This is very exciting for me since I am a warm weather person. I may have been born and raised in the Northeast but I'm still not used to it! I am now trying to figure out what to plant in my vegetable garden and where I should put everything. You need to rotate certain plants, like tomatoes, so they don't develop root disease and such.

Last year my husband made me 3 wonderful raised beds to put my veggies in and last year was the first year I had a wonderful crop to harvest (the chickens helped too). The only problem was I had too many things shoved into these boxes and smothered some plants...Ooops! I have learned my lesson this year.

So anyway, I am starting to make a list of what I want to grow and what I need to get. Some places, like Gurneys or Henry Fields, have such a wonderful collection of plants but you need to make sure you put your order in early so you will be guaranteed your plants. I usually don't order from catalogs since I am a strong believer in supporting our local farmers. If I do order anything it is usually just seed packets. I have a wonderful but small nursery not to far from me and I also go down to a local farm market and get plants there. I got the best celery plants at my local farm market this past year. You better believe I will be going back there!

I know the snow has a while to go before it is done but I think it is never to late to start thinking about spring and new growth. Today, being such a historical day and waiting for change and hope for our country, made me start thinking about all sorts of stuff that made me smile...Spring being one of them.

Sneak Preview

Just want to show off some of our upcoming posts.

They will be up starting tonight.

They will be divided between Artfire and Etsy.

This bracelet and necklace will be sold separately but sold at a discounted price for the set!

The necklace is made with beautiful Czech beads and finished off with a very nice toggle and the bracelet is a stretch bracelet with 2 wonderful charms. Bracelet is made with the same Czech beads.

The silver and gold necklaces are absoulty gorgeous! Made with a mix of swarovski crystals and Czech beads. They have a 1.5 " long x 1" wide pendant which is in gold or silver tone and both necklaces are 16" long including the toggle.

Thanks for looking and enjoy what is left of this weekend!!

My Husbands Dream

I wanted to share my husbands dream with everyone. I am so excited about this for him!!

My husband, Mark, is a HUGE horse racing fan. Maybe HUGE is an understatement, but you get the point. He has wanted to own at least a share or two of a racehorse for a long time now since we can't afford a "whole" racehorse. This was going to be his way to get into the great sport of horse racing.....Here is how his/our story started.

Last year for I was looking into getting him a percent of a racehorse for a Christmas present. A lot of stables now offer percentages or shares of horses to help out with the cost of running and keeping a horse. If you purchase a percent (1% is equal to 1 share) then you are 1 percent invested in the horse for it winnings, claiming price or sold price. Then if there are more shares available then you may purchase more. Trust me, 1 share is not much and very expensive! It is not cheap to run this magnificent animals.

Our journey began when I got this wonderful idea of looking for a stable that we could afford to invest in a percent or two of a horse that would possibly make the track. I looked at so many different farms and stables and didn't have a clue which way to turn. I had so much to learn in a little amount of time (I started in November..Ooops). So what would any person do...turn to the forums. I found this forum called "Pace Advantage" and listed a post about what I wanted and needed. I had many responses guiding me through so many questions and suggestions. They were so nice on that forum to give me the hand that I needed. One man ended up responding to my post and said if I had any questions he would be more then happy to help. This man, Tom Schell, was a huge help to me with learning the ins and outs and answered every single stupid question I had. Tom is a trainer with several horses of his own. He owns McSchell Racing outside of Miami, FL. You will learn more about Tom in the up coming weeks. Well, to make a long story short. Tom and I kept in touch over the past year and needless to say we never found the "right" stable to partner with, until now...

Let me introduce you to my husbands dream..Bob Bull!

This is Bob Bull. A beautiful 4 yr old thoroughbred who has made my husbands life exciting (besides me of coarse). He is also a rescued horse, but I will get into that another time. Tom has given us the opportunity to invest in Bob Bull, but the best part is...Mark now owns 25% of him, not just 1 or 2%. Let me guess you are asking which part does he own? Well we joke and say he owns the ass end, which is good, because I would have to say that is one of the best parts since the hind end is probably the strongest to run and what comes out of it is great fertilizer!

Bob Bull will hopefully be racing in April at Calder Race Track in Florida as long as he is ready to run. He will be training soon and will not run until he lets Tom know he is ready. Of coarse dealing with animals, there is always the chance that Bob will never make the track. If he does, there is always the chance that he will never win. If you ask us though, Bob Bull will be on that track and will blow his competition away! He is beautiful, big and strong like most winners are and our horse is a WINNER! Having a race horse is like going to a casino, you may win but you might loose. You never know. This is a chance my husband says is worth taking. He has told me "It is more exciting then going to our local casino and blowing our money on slots!". He does have a great point.

We are very excited about this and have no idea what will happen or what to expect. Bob may run and never win, place or show, but that is ok because Mark is loving every minute of this and can't wait until the first day he runs. You bet we will be cheering Bob Bull and Tom on!! This horse will be the best ride of his life (again, besides me!).

I will be posting updates on Bob every 2 weeks or more to keep anyone that is interested updated. I hope you enjoy this journey along with us and also learn a little about the great sport of horse racing. I hope you all will tune in!

Please take a minute and take the poll that I have up to let me know if you are interested in learning and hearing more about Marks dream and keeping updated with what is happening with Bob Bull!!
I will also be adding in some facts and information on racing for all to learn.

Great Recipe for the Cold Weather

Ground Beef/Turkey and Carrot Soup

I thought this recipe would be perfect to share for these wonderful cold days we are having.

This recipe was given to me last year by my aunt who made it when we were visiting in December. The Temp was about 14 degrees and it just hit the spot after being in the barn doing chores and with the boys driving around in the cold for hours. It still blows my mind on how they did that!

They look so warm, Don't they! Thomas then told Mark to go again and Mark was like "What!?"

Here is the recipe:

• 1/2 and onion cut as you would like
• 1 lb ground beef or turkey (we use turkey)
• 2 cans cream of celery soup
• 3 cups tomato juice
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 bay leaf

1. Saute onion and garlic
2. Cook ground beef/turkey meat
3. Combine everything else in a big pot and cook for at least 30 min

I have thrown this in the crock pot and I have slow cooked it on the stove for several hours and it always came out the same no matter how you cooked it. We also throw any king of cheese on top when put into bowls. My husband puts Parmesan cheese or cheddar and the rest of us like mozzarella cheese on it. I have also thrown in sliced mushrooms for a little twist. We also LOVE to have different kinds of fresh muffins with it...YUM!

Trust me, this recipe doesn't look the best when cooked but it tastes wonderful!! My kids just love it. It is not very often when I hear my 14 yr old say "Your making that soup...YES!"

Super easy recipe and it is nice and warm

Enjoy!

We are always up for trying new recipes. If you have any to share please send them my way! I am blessed with a non fussy family when it comes to food.

Doesn't it just look cold!!! My lens was fogging from my hands.

Winter Safety Tips for Dogs/Cats

Please, Please, PLEASE remember your pets when it gets this cold!!

Just a friendly reminder :)

A lot of us are going to be getting or are getting a very bad cold snap the next few days and I would like to remind everyone how important it is not to leave animals outside for any length of time when the temperature is going to drop like is supposed to in the next few days.

If you dog is an outdoor dog here are a few tips to keep them safe:

1. Make sure they are protected by a dry, draft-free doghouse that is large enough for then to sit and lie down in. Make sure the floor of the doghouse is off the ground a few inches and that the ground is covered by straw or shavings. Also make sure the doorway is turned to face away from the wind and the door should have some sort of a cover like burlap or plastic.

2. Make sure they have plenty of food since food helps keep them warm. Also make sure they have fresh water at all times. Please use plastic water and food bowls rather then metal. Their tongues can stick to metal with below freezing temperatures.

3. Warm engines in parked cars are a hazards for cats and small wildlife. Make sure you bang on the hood of your car before starting you car in the morning. You never know what might have curled up there after you got home last night.

4. By throwing salt down on your driveway or walkways and having your animals walk on it can irritate paw pads. After you bring your animal in make sure you wipe your animals paws to get any salt off of their pads before they lick them.

5. Watch for antifreeze spills. It is not only a poison to us but a huge poison to any animal. It tastes sweet so a animal will lick it up. Make sure you clean up any spills you may find.

The safest tip is to always bring your animals inside. Even if you don't like them in the main house try to put them in a garage or a basement. Please check on other animals in your neighborhood. Any stray animals you see please try to feed them and offer them a warm place to sleep. It is going to be to darn cold for anything to be outside!

I hope everyone stays warm! For those of you that are in a warm climate...I don't want to know :)

The 2 dogs in the pictures above are mine. The white and black one is Reese and the other is our old lady Sasha. They were both rescue dogs and are a huge part of our family! as are our 3 cats who are indoor cats.

Introduction

I should have done this in the first post, but I had no clue how to start. So now I have decided to introduce myself and my very talented mother who got me in to all of this.

My name is Karrie and I am a wife and a mother of 2 boys, 3(soon to be 4) and 14. I am a stay at home mom who loves and hates what she does. I love being a stay at home mom because it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I hate being a stay at home mom because you don't get to interact with many people and your life becomes the same thing day in and day out. I would not change it for the world though. I also love to bake and garden and be outside in the warm sun (not now). Summer is the best time of year for me and I love doing anything outside. I also have a HUGE love of animals. I currently have 3 cats, 2 dogs, a bird and 13 chickens (some of who you have met already) and I would probably have more if I had more land and could stand all the hair in the house!!

Now I would like to introduce you to my mother Sandy. She is the main creator of the wonderful pieces you are looking at in the pictures on this post and on Etsy and Artfire. She is a women of many talents. She is a wonderful crafter, baker, cook, decorator, gardener to name a few. She has been making crafts for almost ever, but not until a few years ago found her calling of making jewelry. She makes such wonderful things that they sell right off of her. Really, people ask about something and she will sell it right off of her. She also sells her jewelry at a store called Green Eyed Daisy's which is located in Falmouth Mass, Cape Cod and on Martha's Vineyard. She has been very proud of what she has done with her jewelry and is trying to make some extra cash. She just has fun and loves it.

Sandy is also a mother of 3 and a Baci (grandmother in Polish) of 3 grandsons and a granddaughter. She has been married for 39 yrs and still going strong. She is a very talented women with a heart of gold. She also is a RN but now works for an allergy doctor. She has been there for 14 yrs now. She is a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend. I am very happy she is my mom.

This was just a short introduction, not that short huh, about us. I hope for you to learn more about us in this blog.

I have many thoughts and ideas that I want to use and share here. I just need to learn how to do it to keep all of you reading. I will tell you now that I will not be posting everyday or possibly every other day. I am setting a goal to do at least 1-2 posts a week for now. If I can sneak more in then that would be wonderful. I also don't plan on this blog being just about Etsy and Artfire but personal things that make both of us happy. If you haven't noticed, I am the computer geek. So most of the stuff posted here are by me. Our stores are team work and this blog, well, is a little bit more fun time for me. You will probably catch lots of grammar issues and misspellings (never did good in English class), please excuse those I miss to fix. I hope to get better at this and hope that you all will check back and hopefully enjoy one or two things you see on this blog.

Thank you and I hope to see you all back again and maybe leave a comment or 2 :)

Snow/Ice of 2009

This is turning out to be a crazy winter. I have had enough. It is down right cold and all the ice and snow we are getting is crazy. Yes, this is the way New England is supposed to be. I think we have been spoiled over the past several yrs. I do love looking at all the white on the trees and such. I do find it beautiful as long as I don't have to go out in it.
This is Ginger yesterday afternoon. All the girls were out and about once the snow started they all went back to the coop. Ginger was one of 3 that stayed out to brave the cold and snow. I don't know why since she looks so unhappy with snow on her back and one leg tucked underneath her to keep it warm. I don't get it.

The one thing that kills me the most about winter is the bitter cold and the ice. Ice is the worst. Living just a hop, skip and a jump away from Long Island Sound, we get a lot of sleet and icing. Not usually as bad as the picture above. We usually get some good snow and then it will usually change to a sleet or freezing rain (like the storm we had last night), leaving a coating of ice on top of the snow. It is no fun for the kids to sled on and you can't do anything with it.

This morning I went out to open the door to the coop so the girls could come out (if they wanted to) and only one made it out. Paprika took a few steps out, looked around and said "no way in hell". She then just turned around, went back inside and that is the last I have seen of her. The rest of the girls were smart and decided not to venture out. Could it be because they are spoiled and have a heater? Humm? Maybe I should have followed their lead this morning. I have had enough of winter. I love the first snow. It looks so beautiful and everyone goes out and plays in it. After the first snow, according to me, Old Man Winter can take the snow, cold, bitterness, ice,sleet, freezing rain and everything else that has to do with winter and shove it!!

Hopefully, for the ones who like winter, are enjoying this winter with all the snow.