Momma Squirrel

Yummy lunch and a bit of reminiscing :)

Yummy Lunch, originally uploaded by mommasquirrel.

I just had to share this yummy lunch that I made today. I made up a big batch of fresh fruit salad and it was just so pretty I had to share. I also had some mixed nuts, strawberry yogurt, and hot tea with a squeeze of fresh lime. I love summer foods, especially salads of any kind. Everything is so fresh, cool and crisp. Reminds me of summers as a child, we rarely cooked during the summer as there were no air conditioners in every home back then. We would get up in the morning and head outside after a quick bite to eat, then play all day until lunch time. Lunch was usually PB&J with chips and a great big frosty glass of milk. Then back outside to play again. Everyone played outside back then, building forts, catching bugs, playing Cops and Robbers, or Cowboys and Indians. We all knew that we would have to be in our own yards when the street lights came on, but we also knew that we could still play outside catching lightning bugs and playing kick the can and all the other fun night time games. Then it was a quick dinner, usually salads with bread and butter and cold cuts, and another big glass of yummy milk, and jello or pudding for desert. Then it was bath time, a bit of TV with the folks and bed.
Anyways, thank you so much for sharing my lunch with me, and taking a bit of a trip down memory lane.
Hugs, xoxoxo

Colby :o)

Ants at the fountain of youth.

Ants at the fountain of youth, originally uploaded by mommasquirrel.

I just had to share this cute little photo of the little ants drinking the nectar from the center of my petty lily. I planted these at the begining of the season and they have had quite a few beautiful blooms. I love my lilies!
Oh my goodness it has been a little while since I have been able to post.
Well I finally have my new computer installed and all the information from the old computer uploaded to the new one. What a fiasco of a computer problem I have been having. My computer died last month and I had so much going on since then.
I have lost out on a months worth of business and was totally freaking out about that until I realized that there just was nothing that could be done about it. So I decided to go with the flow and have made the disaster into a challenge for myself and into some exciting new possibilities.
I enrolled in the community college here in town and am going to be starting classes in August towards my AAS degree as a Radiology Tech. Yes I will be a 41 year old new student! I will continue to pursue my online business as well. I have some precious new items to offer and will be adding them to my store, etsy, and eBay soon.
I have also decided, as a way to get back into the swing of things, that I will have my first give-away next week, so check back in next Monday to read all about how you can enter the drawing.
I have missed you my lovely online family.
Ta Ta For Now, Hugs, xoxoxo

Time to take a bit of a breather!!

Ok ~ I have been so hard working on dolls the past few weeks that i am not sure I even know what the outside of my studio looks like. (actually I do ~ the children have taken my absence as  a license to run amok!)  My groceries are almost non existent, I could make chicken for breakfast but I think the kiddos would revolt. (or be revolted!) My laundry needs attention, I would like to prune my roses and spend a little time getting my flowerbeds ready to plant, and I just need to stop and take a little break.

I have been checking out a lovely little place on-line that has helped a lot in how I organize my time and my home. Its called Flylady.com. Fly lady is a wonderful site that has so many useful time-saving tips on how to de-clutter, de-stress, and reclaim your home and family.

Is it magic you say? No just a very humorous and loving reality check.

How much will it cost me you ask? Nada, Zippo, Zilch, I say! This is a free website just loaded with advice (and I mean good advice too) on everything from a to z in organizing your housework so that you never have to worry if someone is coming over unexpected, your house will slowly and surely start running itself effortlessly. (no more throwing everything in the closet, or dirty dishes in the oven!)

You say impossible!!! No it is not impossible but it is a process that will require patience. They start you out with baby-steps, a whole month of them, and if you are like me (I like instant gratification) you will try to do them all at once. Well I tried to do them all at once (a couple of times)  but what I have learned in this process that the FLYlady takes us through teaches how to create habits that last, habits that make our home lives easier in just  15 to 20 minute a day steps. not marathon worthy bursts of frustrating  cleaning and organizing that leave you exhausted and then since it is not a habit and you don't have methods in place that make cleaning easier, your home just goes straight back to being a mess again. Going through the site may seem a bit daunting at first. So my recommendation is to go straight to the baby-step section and follow the steps 1 thru 30, and while you are checking on your daily baby-step, take a few minutes to check out the rest of the site. (limit yourself to 5 mins or you could end up being there all day!) Also I would recommend that if you do join please read through her welcome letter thoroughly, the amount of e-mail reminders can seem like a lot at first but you do have the option to set your reminders to a daily digest so you get all of them in one e-mail. (I did not think I would like the reminders at first but now I love them!)

I am just getting through the baby-steps for the second time an I am glad that I took the time to do the steps in such a way that even though my house got messy while I was working in my studio. I know that it will only take me about a half hour to get things back in shape! I do backslide a bit still but I can hop back on the organization train and WHO-OT WHO-OT, start again! :)

Friday November 30th, 2007

Friday, November 30th, 2007

I have been getting up early with my oldest Micheal to help him get off to school
(He has to get up at 5:30 now in order to catch his bus on time but at the previous school he did not have to leave till 8:30 so he is still adjusting)
and have been staying up to get some work done before little David gets up around 9:00.
As usual i get all caught up in what i am doing and lose track of time (and everything else!)
So my little "Sugar Baby" came to visit letting me know that it was way past time for breakfast and could i please come now to feed them :) very sweet.

I still do not have a decent schedule down but am definitely going to sit down and plan one out this weekend!



I tried out a new "DOO" this morning on the Winter Maiden that i am working on, I think it turned out quite lovely. It was inspired by some earlier "doos" from the late 20's and early 30's. I am facinated by the the way women wore their hair back then ~ when women started going hatless and the fingerwaves were in ~ YUM ~ I would love to be able to wear my hair that way.
I hope to have her finished this weekend and can't wait to see how she develops.



Here is the little pantaloons that i made for her this afternoon, they are made from some vintage linen hankies that i have in my stash. I love the details on vintage linens! Another "YUM" for me.
My stash is starting to dwindle so i will need to visit some of my favorite thrift stores soon, (wiggling in excitement!!) there are quite a few in this area and i used to only visit them when i was visiting with my Mum. Now I can just pop in whenever i need to and not feel bad about doing the multi task visit.
Anyways my little ones are clamouring for food and i need to get some necessities from the store , so off to shopping we will go!!

Getting Things Rolling

I have just recently finished a move from an apartment to a home and have just about finished unpacking everything (except my poor bedroom:) )

My office/play room/studio was one of the first rooms i set up, I have it just about how i want it but will definitely need to tweak it to get some fluidity in the creative process. I need to get a couple more shelving units  and maybe some more clear bins to hold what is already overflowing onto the floor (all my scraps usually end up on the floor and stay there until i can't move my chair anymore :) ) I love how this room has turned out. Before i was closed off in an extra bedroom in the apt. and there was no room for more than just one person at a time and my hubby or my kids would "visit" but the whole room was not much bigger than a closet and was totally overrun with my projects ~ it made me feel so disconnected from the rest of the family. Now i have everyone underfoot all the time and i love it ~ I may not get as much work done as fast but i so enjoy being able to look up from my dolly messes and see my 2 year old playing with his cars or my 14 year old doing his homework! My hubby sits with me and my Mum comes for a visit and tea (she lives 2 doors down now ~ WHOOP WHOOP!) much better and i feel more connected to the family ~ now if i can just get my business off the ground. (HUGE SIGH!) I really need to sit down and devise some sort of business plan and an organized daily schedule (laughing under my breath now :) )

Well we will see how things proceed. I am ever the optimist :)