A Mother's Day Poem...

I find it fitting on Mother's day not only to be thankful for my gorgeous little girl that has changed me forever, but also reflect back on how I got where I am right now.  Up at 1:23 am working on 17 orders that have to go out in less than 48 hours.  :)  If it weren't for my little girl, not only would my life not be complete, but *golden* shop would never exist!  Here is a little Mother's Day Poem and a walk down memory lane...

First Comes Love...

Jim and me, August 2002

Then Comes Marriage...

After my surprise proposal on HIS birthday on a gondola ride in Long Beach, CA  (I have been crying a bit here!)

Wedding Day, June 18, 2005

After Saying I Do!

Then Comes the Baby in the Baby Carriage!

This is how we announced the baby's sex!  We emailed this photo out to everyone!  Jim's handwriting is terrible so I had to write "It's A Girl" with lipstick, MYSELF, UPSIDE DOWN, on a BIG BELLY!  

About 36 weeks here, I wore stilettos through my entire pregnancy!  Now, I couldn't imagine putting them on for 2 minutes!

I am in labor here!  This is right before we left for the hospital and I had been in lab or for 7 hours already at this point.  That was nothing.  I continued to be in labor for another 35 HOURS.  Want to ask me again why I don't have another child?  :)

After 42 hours in labor, 5 attempts of begging for another epidural (mine did NOT WORK),  4 hours of pushing, 3 proposed divorces, 2 requests to put me to sleep, 1 shouting of the "F" word so loud that they had to close the delivery room door warning me that I was scaring the other patients...Kylie Elle O'Connor was born!  9.10.06, 21 inches, 7 lbs. 15 oz.

My biggest fear of delivery, no joke were the following two things: 1) They would have to take the baby away before I could hold her and 2) my hubby would NOT take photos.  Number 1 turned out okay, although she had so many issues I had to wait 45 minutes until they were done making her right.  Number 2, blew me away.  After 9 months of begging and prepping and practicing, my hubby got it right, and got some fabulous photos of our daughter.  This is my absolute favorite picture I own.  Ever.  Mama meeting baby for the very first time.  *tear*

The birth announcement photo.  One of these days I will upload pics of all my crafty invites/card/announcements!

Then Comes *golden*!

(Okay, I know it doesn't rhyme.  I was toying with using this as my next line: "...Then Comes the Business that is Killing my Marriage!" but figured I should probably not joke about something like that, especially on Mother's Day!  HA!)

For my daughter's first birthday party I decided to dust off my sewing machine and whip up some stuff to complete the Flower theme.  It wasn't until after I got the reaction I did from all my handmade touches at the party that I decided that MAYBE I could turn this into a career!

The little girls all got these tanks

The little boys all got these tees

The Highchair cover and tray skirt I made, literally at 3 am the night before the party!

My very first *golden* bib.  I had NO intention of making a business out of it, I just couldn't find one on Etsy that matched my vision.  So, at 4 am the night before the party I whipped this little guy up.  It has no velcro clasp (I ran out of time), is no where near straight or symmetrical, but was a secret sign of things to come!

The big ONE year old!  (In her *golden* bib!)

And the rest, is history!

Kyky and Mama, April 2009.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there.  Take time to reflect back on what got you where you are today.  If you are anything like me, reliving those moments will get you so sappy and emotional you just might let a little naughty 2 year old behavior slip by without punishment for a bit...oh wait, nevermind, my daughter is now dumping used coffee grounds on the ground!  Revised: Take time to reflect on the love those little hugs give you when you are at your wits end dealing with a little naughty 2 year old behavior.  :)

xoxo

Dump Truck Tee!

I was contacted by the fabulous photographer, Erin Tukua after she shot the awesome pics of Erynn's kids.  Erynn's son was wearing my big bro tee and being the best *golden* client ever, Erynn quickly referred the OTHER Erin to me!  :)  Erin wanted a tee to give her nephew for his second birthday which was a construction party!  Check out the adorable invite below, and then the result!  My dump truck tee!  Too cute, right?  Oh!  And speaking of total cuteness, check out Erin's website HERE, be prepared to ooh and ahh!!!  :)  Thanks again, Erin (and Erynn!).

Giveaway number 2!! WIN a Name Applique Cupcake Bib!

As if ONE giveaway a week isn't good enough, I'm in a second!  It just randomly happened that both blogs I was working with on giveaways decided to do it the same week!  SO, that means double the chance for YOU to win!  Head over to Tara's insanely awesome BLOG, Through Hazel Eyes.  Not only is her blog extremely well done, details, chocked full of info, and entertaining (Yes, all four at ONCE!) her kiddos are so cute they make the visit worth the peek themselves!  :)  I was so excited to read the super kinds words Tara said today about *golden* and even more excited to see photos of her kids wearing my items!  Be sure to check out the post and ENTER TO WIN!!  I will be making one lucky winner their very own boy or girl Name Applique Cupcake Bib!  Go HERE to enter!!

GIVEAWAY!! Win a FREE bib!

WIN WIN WIN!!  Here is your chance to win a FREE "Bake your own" Cupcake Bib from my shop!  It is SO easy to enter and if you win, you get to DESIGN YOUR OWN bib!  Think of the possibilities!  You can match it to your child's first birthday theme with a number one applique, give as a baby shower gift with the baby-to-be's initial, or keep it for your own little one!  The fabric combinations are endless!  Check out the Playground for Parents blog right HERE to enter!!  Good luck, I hope to be making YOUR bib soon!  :)  Contest ends on May 15th, act NOW!

New Boy and Girl Name Applique Cupcake Bibs!

AND, you can enter to win ONE of these on Tuesday, May 5th!!!  Be sure to remember to visit Tara's blog, Through Hazel Eyes, right HERE on Tuesday to enter!  (I will post a reminder!).  In the meantime, checkity check it!  Going for sale in my shop on Tuesday!

*golden* featured!

Check out *golden* on Polka Dots & Pirates {the Blog}!  Leave it to Jess at Polka Dots & Pirates to be the one with their act together enough to debut my new items!  Check it out, I have a feeling you will LOVE the new additions to *golden*!!

I demand a RECOUNT!

A funny thing happens when you have a one track mind.  Life goes on around you, and in what seems especially lately, very quickly.  Let me let you in on a typical *golden* day for the past few months.  

6 am, go to sleep.  (if you know me you know I am NOT joking!).  

7:00 am, DD wakes up, and thank goodness allows Daddy to give her a sippy, put her in bed with me and passes out again!

9:00 am, I am being pulled and poked and pinched and protested to: "WE GO DOWNSTAIRS, MOMMY!!!"

9:30 am, we actually GO downstairs after DD agreed to watch a Disney show while I snooze for 30 more minutes!

9:35 am, read emails

9:45 am, sew.

10:00 am, yell at DD for hitting the flat screen LCD with her Handy Manny Hammer (still sewing)

10:45 am, hubby calls, I lie and say we have been up since 8 am and that the TV was NOT on in our room.  Oops.  :)

11:00 am, clean up one of the following: a) juice from being dumped from glass to glass on the kitchen table in some sort of toddler scientific experiment, b) pee from the floor from my potty training daughter, c) sand that has been brought in against all my time-out warnings from DD's sand box, or my favorite d) Marker off my daughter's legs from her 'bootiful' art session. (still sewing)

12 noon, run around turning all the lights off (DD is scared of monsters and even during the day needs ALL lights on in every room, even those that are NOT being occupied).  I know, energy crisis.  People, try explaining global warming to a 2.5 year old after 2 hours of sleep.  The lights go on.  Anyhow, turn all the lights off before hub comes up and starts in on the "do you want to pay the electric bill?" speech.

12:30 pm, sew while stopping every four seconds to explain to hub that DD does NOT eat yogurt for the hundredth time, and that every single day he opens one and every single day he curses as he is forced to through it away after her refusal to eat it.  Okay, I know I should be nicer here, how many dads come home everyday and jump RIGHT INTO making their toddlers lunch?

1:07 pm, NO, WE ARE NOT WATCHING YO GABBA GABBA RIGHT NOW!  Tantrum. (still sewing)

1:46 pm, DD and I go to coffee shop.  Usually our one and only contact with the outside world each day!

2:00 pm, Yes, we are watching Yo Gabba Gabba right now.  Sucker.

2:35 pm, the most glorious moment of the day.  NAPTIME!  (For DD, NOT me!)

SEW, SEW, SEW, SEW....

5:00 pm, wake up DD from nap and put her half asleep and sweaty into the pre-loaded car for our daily trip to the post office! (not sewing now)

5:30 pm, MOTY time.  (Mother Of The Year).  This is when I spend enough time with DD that I don't feel AS guilty as I did all day while sewing and not being with her.  Walks, park, library, or to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to buy mommy more coffee pods and ride the escalator 79 times.

6:00 pm, get second cup of coffee.

6:30 pm, WHERE is daddy???  DADDY!!!!

7:00 pm, Daddy is home, house is a mess, and in true Rachel fashion, no dinner anywhere in sight.

7:30 pm, eat dinner, after 30 minutes of playing the "what do you want" game.  Again, hubby of the year, he makes dinner every night, while I, well, sew.

8:00 pm, is it too early for another coffee?

8:45 pm, rip off pieces of blue painters tape in between sewing bead sprinkles on bibs so my daughter can make "costumes" for her disney figurines.  Starting her young...

9:20 pm, YES, we can watch Yo Gabba Gabba again, ONLY because it is almost bedtime :)

9:45 pm, start my nightly emails, lately, close to 25 a night.

10:00 pm, let the war begin.  Bedtime for DD.  (I contemplate even putting this in here as it makes me look like a horrid mother!  Yes, my daughter goes to bed at 10.  Has ever since she was a newborn.  Scratch that, went to bed against ALL my struggles, at 2 am as a newborn, midnight by 6 months, 10 pm by 1 yr old, so hey, I'll take what I can get, and NO I am NOT dropping that afternoon nap!  :)

10:30 pm, scratch my earlier announcement, THIS is the most glorious moment of the day.  Let my work day REALLY begin.  Emails, coffee, sewing.

3:00 am, my fave radio show begins on Sirius Radio, not to be mentioned here :)

5:00 am, breakfast!  Bowl of cereal over the laptop as I order fabric, tees, oh, and a little guilty facebooking too... :)

6:00 am, hubby comes downstairs to get ready for work.  Nothing like a good morning/goodnight handshake while passing hubby on my way up to bed.  ;)

Wash, rinse, repeat.

SO...you can imagine the loop I got thrown when something out of the ordinary arrived in my day.  A box.  A big box.  A big HEAVY box showed up on my front porch.  DD was ecstatic, as she is positive that any letter, box, flyer, newspaper is meant for HER.  We rip it open in pure excitement.  The tears begin.  THIS, my friends, is what was inside:

Yes.  That is candy.  That is a LOT of candy.  That is 500 pieces of candy.  And why?  Well, because while I was busy living my insane daily schedule life was going on.  And going on. And going on so much that something amazing happened and I didn't even know it.  This:

Yes.  500 Sales.  500 Sales?  No.  Wrong.  This MUST be wrong!  I demand a recount.  WHEN and HOW did this happen to little 'ole me?  Answers?  Anyone?  Wow.  I didn't know what I am more emotional over, the sales or the fact that this package was in my hands.  This package, from, and I apologize, I vowed to make this blog more professional than personal, but I am breaking that rule right now.  This package was from the most amazing friend in the history of friends.  What type of person watches your shop for days awaiting it's monumental turn to "500" and capture that exact moment with a screen shot?  What kind of person counts, eats, replaces, recounts 500 starburst candies to represent these sales?  What kind of person pays over $40 to SHIP 500 pieces of candy?  I will tell you who, quite possibly the most insanely special person to ever come into my life, my (N)BFF, Jess (minus the "N").  Now I can go on and on about how unlucky your life is to not have Jess in it, but I think the above proof speaks for itself.  Not to mention, I am still a bit emotional about it all and I would have you all gagging by the time I felt I gave Jess due justice.  :)  I know she is breathing a deep sigh of relief that I am allowing my description to be left as is.  :)

SO, the point of this story?  Other than to procrastinate from working, that is.  I did it.  I hit 500.  I don't know how, I don't know why, but it has come, and passed and I am truly blessed.  If you read this blog I have a feeling you are a client or friend that I have become close with through *golden* shop, and it is you that I thank for being where I am today.  Here is to the next 500, and to hiring help, getting sleep, and hopefully a tad more time with DD and a tad less with DJ Lance.  xo, Rach

* Daily schedule not exact.  Do you really think I could live that like everyday?  Obviously I was being a little untruthful, I have to be honest...the times aren't exactly correct.  LOL.