UFF Da! Rocks my socks!

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Hi friends. I’ve been meaning to write this post for a couple of weeks now, but obviously by my lack of posts recently, I have not yet come around to it. Well ladies and gentlemen, here we are.
See, I have this friend. Her name is Emily. She has a blog. She has a ridiculously cute little girl named Poppy. And a couple of months ago she started an Etsy shop with all of her cute handcrafted goodies. 
You guys remember this little blue poppy clip from our trip to the beach? Yea, this was my first purchase from UFF Da!. It’s actually a hair clip, but since Ry refuses to let me pull her hair back, I decided to accessorize her hat with it!
Before I knew it, Emily was making adorable, “upcycled” hats made out of repurposed sweaters and hand stitched patches with woodland creatures on it. I spotted a white hat with a pink deer on it…how perfect, right? I had entered a giveaway to try and win one, but when that didn’t pan out, I went in for the purchase. And I was not disappointed! Since Emily is based out of Seattle, I had an envelope in my mailbox 3 days later! I was so excited! I hopped back in the car, turned to Rylee in the back seat and told her there was a new hat in the envelope. Ry loves her hats, so she was very excited as well. I opened it up and Rylee had the biggest grin on her face and let out the cutest little giggle. She reached for the hat and put it right on her head. 

I couldn’t get the hat off of her! So I went ahead and grabbed my camera to snag a few more shots of the hat Rylee.
{yea, yea kid, I see your bruises…I’m more interested in your hat right now!}

Once we finally got inside I was able to check out what else was in the envelope. I found a sweet handwritten note from Emily thanking me for the purchase. I was so excited for this because I personally think that handwritten thank you notes is a lost art. There was also her business card and an UFF Da! sticker. I am really happy with the quality of both products I have purchased and her service has been excellent! 
{Proudly sportin’ my new sticker on my party planning notebook!}

Her store is filled with a lot more handmade hats and hair clips. You’ll also find hair clippie holders, fairy wands, stylish bandana style drool bibs and even hand sewn vintage style dresses. If you know anyone with little kidlets or if you have some of your own you should go check out Emily’s UFF Da! Etsy shop. You will not be disappointed! Christmas is just around the corner. {I can’t believe I just said that…and yes, I may have already started my shopping…}
Now, for the record and to avoid any confusion, I was in no way compensated for my words. Miss Emily had no idea that I was writing this post. I did this review because, like I said, UFF Da! Rocks my socks!

Meet Our Official Jr. Fire Fighter

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Last week when I dropped Ry off at daycare I noticed a flyer in her cubby {can I just say I think it’s so cute that she has a cubby}. Anyway, I grabbed it on the way out. It was a flyer promoting a fall festival at the local elementary school. Then, on the way home from work that night I saw a sign outside the local fire station promoting an open house the same day as the festival. They both looked like fun so when we got home I told Andy about it and we put it on the calendar for Saturday.

Saturday rolled around and after an early, lazy morning we headed out the door to the little fire station. It’s a small, country fire station manned with 2 trucks and 4 volunteer fire fighters. They were super nice, however, Ry was having nothing to do with it. I was finally able to convince her to climb up in the fire truck with me…

{She was not impressed.}
The super nice volunteer firefighters told us that the main station “downtown” {I’m sorry, but “downtown” in a town of 3,000 is just silly to me} was having an open house there as well and there would be a lot more to check out. Since it’s just down the road from the school, we figured we’d go check it out too.
The school’s fall festival was a little less than amazing, but Ry got a balloon ladybug bracelet and she got her face painted! I thought it was kind of funny she chose a soccer ball, but that’s what she wanted. We munched on a caramel apple and a wanna-be elephant ear while listening to the “live band” sing old country covers. 
After the face painting, we headed down the street to the main fire station. Here she was a little more outgoing. She had fun checking out the helicopter and antique fire engines. She insisted on climbing up the ladder, oddly enough, they wouldn’t let her. I have no idea why. She also insisted on doing the obstacle course making her the youngest Official Junior Firefighter in Rural Lane County. {Ok, I made that up, I don’t know that she’s the youngest.} She got a badge and hat and certificate and everything!
 {Don’t be judging the outfit…other than the shirt, she chose it}
 {Sportin’ the soccer ball quite nicely}
 {I’m still trying to figure out why they wouldn’t let her climb the ladder}
 {She carried a doll to safety, crawled through a tube and learned how to stop, drop & roll. Offical Jr. Firefighter material for sure!}
 {Oh yes, Ry…I did catch that smile. Don’t act like you didn’t like it!}
{We only had about a 5 mile drive home.}

There’s Always a Silver Lining

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Today, September 27, 2010 marks the one-year anniversary of the phone call that kicked off the single worst, hardest year of mine and Andy’s lives. A year that was filled with the stress of money, the possibility of losing our home, putting family additions on hold, death of very close family members and a chronically sick child. To call the year “hard” would be making a vast understatement. However, instead of reflecting on the last year in a negative way and dwelling on the why’s and what if’s, I thought I’d take a minute to reflect on the blessings in my life and be thankful for them…it is after all, Rule #2.
I am blessed with an amazing husband and a happy marriage. This year we celebrated our 5th anniversary and in his anniversary card I wrote this: “When life becomes a little too much for me to handle I think God must either hate me or He’s got some sick sense of humor. Then you come up next to me and squeeze my hand and I realize neither of those things are true because if they were, God would not have given me you.” This may sound so cheese-ball, but you guys? It is so true. I am so blessed to have him next to me as my best friend and partner in life.  He works so hard for our family and wants nothing more than our happiness and well being. His selflessness never ceases to amaze me. In the face of adversity, a lot of marriages may falter, ours on the contrary has thrived and we are just as happy if not happier today than we were 1 year and 1 day ago.
I am blessed with a sweet, thoughtful, happy kid. Even through her 2 (or 3, I lost count) bouts of pneumonia, RSV, croup and the flu, my sweet little monster was never unhappy. Don’t get me wrong, we have our share of battles, she is 2 after all. But all in all, I couldn’t have a better kid. She dishes out hugs and loves like a drill sergeant dishes out commands. She has a great sense of humor. She says please and thank you. She’s potty trained. She knows cool toddler tricks and doesn’t mind sharing them: Who’s the monster. Chuckie Rylee. Singing the ABC’s. Counting to 15. Her laugh is contagious. She gives me lots of content for this here blog. 
In a time where it seems like a job is hard to come by, Andy and I are both blessed to have good jobs. Putting food on the table. A roof over our heads. Gas in our cars. I feel like this is self explanatory.
I am blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing family. I happen to think my family is the cat’s jammies…drama and all. My dad, my mom, her husband, my brother and my 3 sisters. I find myself happiest when I am surrounded by these people (just not necessarily all at the same time, haha).
We are blessed with a reliable vehicle. While the circumstances surrounding us getting our new car really suck, Grandma and Grandpa Rice leaving us their 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with only 6,000 miles on it gives us such peace of mind. There is absolutely no way we would be able to afford a car payment right now, so us having a nearly brand new car that is safe and reliable for Rylee means the world. Grandma Rice was always thinking of others; right up until the very last minute.
I am blessed with great friends. I consider my 2 older sisters to be two of my very best friends. I also have a friend that I have known just as long as I have known my sisters. My life? Would not be complete without any of them.

I know there are many other blessings in my life. Too many to list but I figured this is a good place to start. What do you consider to be blessings in your life? Do you take the time to be thankful for them?

Road Trip Notes: I should have known better.

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This wasn’t my first rodeo. We’ve done mini road trips before. Although, I’m not sure a 2.5 hour drive constitutes a road trip. I still should have known better. All the rest of the longer than 45 minute drives we’ve gone on I’ve been all sorts of prepared. What was so different this time? Next time I mention we’re heading out on the road with a dog and a toddler, slap me upside the head, punch me in the throat, stab me with a fork…do something to get my attention and remind me to read this post before I leave!!!
First and possibly most important: be sure to pack copious amounts of alcohol to enjoy once you’ve reached your final destination…especially when traveling in groups.
Pack your tp because when your newly potty trained 2 year old has to go? She has to GO! And will refuse to pee in the diaper you have on her just in case. And you will end up pulling of on the side of a 2 lane highway hoping a semi truck doesn’t drive by and blow you over all so your kid can pop a squat and empty her wee little bladder.
You silly, silly mom…that travel doodle you have in the back seat of your car really isn’t going to do much for entertainment in a car ride that lasts longer than 35 minutes. Pack books. Lots of them. Possibly some color wonder markers too.
Plain and simple: You’re dog is a jerk. The minute you start talking about another overnight trip you plan on taking him on, he will start thinking of ways to get out of it. And he will be on the hunt for a skunk to frolic in the field with. I mean, why shouldn’t he? It worked for him last time. And let’s face it, no matter how lovey your wolf-dog is, he is inherently a stubborn jerk. That’s just how he rolls. And keep in mind, that even if he doesn’t get sprayed directly, he still kinda stinks. Oh yea, and for future reference, skunk smell is really brought out on a wet dog. If ya don’t know, now ya know.
Just know that all those plans you have made? Go right out the window you have rolled down to get rid of the skunk smell.
Now, all the snarky negativity aside, the trip was great and I just need to remember that just because things don’t go my way, everything will still work out (because they did), we’ll be good (because they were).