Road-trip to the Big City

Well well well, the Camster and I are taking our first big trip -road trip even- without Husband. This should be interesting. The longest Camster has been in the car is a 2-ish hour drive to the mall to buy my beloved iPad (more on that later). We're looking at a much longer trip for tomorrow.

Starting at 7-ish in the morning, we will be carpooling with my Mom and my three nieces in their behemoth of a SUV down to the Bay Area to pick up my Grammy. Easily a three hour drive. Then we are all heading over to San Francisco (another hour) for my cousin's baby shower, which is the whole reason for this trip. She better love me after traveling so long and far with a 6-month old.

Camster and I are staying over at my Grammy's house for recovery Saturday and Sunday night. Phew! I wouldn't want to make that drive twice in one day. This will also be our first sleep-over away from home since the wee one was born. Eek! Like my comic-like exclamations? And all my hyphenated-words?

I am finishing up the trip by taking a quick morning class on how to use my serger Monday before my mom, Camster, and I head back to the mountains. That should be quite interesting as well. Husband and I were talking yesterday about how Camster will have odd phrases like I do: 'as it happens', 'quite interesting indeed', 'by the by', 'ya haw'. Don't ask on that last one.

Anywho- I promise to take pictures of the party, because if you are anything like me, you love to see party decor. Also, I will magically post my Etsy picks on Sunday even though I will be away from electronics for the weekend.

Enjoy yourselves and your weekend!

12 of 12 | August

I am now attempting to participate in 12 of 12, which is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of every month.... August- check!
More about this blogging phenomenon here. Play along!

1. Enjoying swinging together in the brisk morning air at Grammy & Grandpy's.
2. Camster watching her cousins riding horses in the arena.
3. Camster takin' a test drive.
4. What a natural... Grabbed right onto the horn!
5. Hold on kiddo!
6. What fun Mama!
7. Sampling her first otter pop... bad, I know.
8. Don't take it away Mama!
9. Chickens at Columbia State Park.
10. Camster's cousin showing her how "miner's bowling" is done.
11. Asleep, yet still has a firm grasp on her toys.
12. Columbia Candy Kitchen! Candy Mama! I AM old enough... I swear!

Camster's Cousins: Round One

Whenever my nieces come up to visit, the days are filled with projects and activities galore. ThIs visit is no exception.

Yesterday included the big reveal on our tie dye projects from Friday.

Camster loved her shirt.

Cutting out and sewing a Halloween costume for the Camsters. I used my new birthday serger for the first time. A little gnome dress gave me the chance to use multiple settings.

Voilà!

We also stopped by the fabric store to grab some supplies and found this. Baby sign language fabric! Being that I took sign language as my foreign language in high school and we are now teaching Camster sign... this purchase was a MUST!

And then we watched a play written and performed by the girls titled "The Princess Academy". Very entertaining.

Etsy Picks of the Week II

Here are my picks for this week:

For Sweetpea...
An Eric Carle inspired toddler blanket! Who doesn't love Eric Carle? Here is Cottage on the Coast's shop.

and for Me...
a leather bound journal. Isn't the color great?! I'll slow down on the rhetorical questions. Here is Kreativlink's shop.

Happy Six-Month Birthday Sweetpea!

So today is Camster/ Sweetpea/ Kitten/ Cuteness/ Poopypants/ Sweetie Pie's six-month birthday! Yippie! I've... I mean Camster has survived to the halfway mark. We all wait for it, but hate when it has come so soon.

By day, we tie-dyed shirts with the cousins and ate "special sandwiches", which is just a nice way of saying unhealthy whipped butter sandwiches and drank radioactive looking apple kool-ade. Then as a girlie collaborative we cut out some different sized felt flowers and attached them with a button to a headband. Adorable success. We finished up the afternoon by getting the Camster's ears pierced. She was such a good sport and only cried for a second, I assume because of the abrupt noise and shocking pinch. So freaking cute! Babies are so cute with little baby sized earrings!

By night, Husband took Camster and I out to Baskin Robbins for a late night ice cream. Bananas, scoop of strawberry, scoop of chocolate, and the best part... hot fudge. And Camster played with a spoon. A good time had by all!

Random Thoughts

- Horatio from CSI Miami has the same mannerisms as McGarrett from Hawaii Five-O... it's uncanny
- At my age I probably shouldn't know who McGarrett is
- I have a weird mother who subjected me to old t.v. shows like Perry Mason
- The Camster will also be subjected to such nonsense
- I got a serger as an early birthday gift
- Once I learn to thread it I will be a serging whirlwind!
- I am planning on sewing Camster a civil war era dress... not period of course, because that would be insane
- Walmart is full of weirdos... mostly employees
- Are all Walmarts like that?
- Someone should invent a baby version of those audio translators for dogs
- If you've never seen those that last thought really is random
- Too bad eating a handful of truffles every night is bad for you
- Why can't vitamins be made in truffle form?
- Cell phones are overrated

Etsy Picks of the Week

I am a huge fan of Etsy.com and often gawk at all the wonderful handmade items for adults and children. Here are my picks for this week:

For Sweetpea...
faux guinea pigs! Can you believe these are plushies? Here is Marumoto's shop.

and for Me...
a retro T.V. felt phone case! I also loved the iPad case. Here is L'atelier de Luluu's shop.