What I've been up to.

Let's go all the way back to Sunday... All the accomplishments from the day before were still fresh and I woke up ready to tackle anything and everything.  We started by hanging my shelf in my studio and this set the tone for the remainder of the day <3  Vince took Bella to the Nature Museum in the early afternoon, and I took the opportunity to "clean" Bella's room.  I got rid of a lot of toys that haven't been so much as looked at in a year, but I have a feeling that when it's discovered they're gone then there may be hell to pay.  I'll take it though because it needed to happen.  I also tackled our closet, both dressers, Bella's closet and her dressers as well.  My trunk is overflowing with a Goodwill donation that will be taking place today.  The house just feels lighter, and I like it :)

Now onto Monday... After getting Bella to school, I came home and made a baby sling for Liz.  Little Ethan Oswald will be here mid to late July, and it will be here before we know it!  Poor Liz though... She and her husband are doing nothing but fighting, divorce is being discussed again, and she admits that she had no business getting pregnant with number 3 but what's done is done, and there is no turning back now.  I really do feel for her, she is having a really tough time, and her husband is a super duper asshole, and being pregnant on top of all that plus dealing with the two kiddos they already have... disaster.  I found all this out after school because we stopped by to deliver the sling and let the girls play for a bit.  Good thing, because girlfriend needed to talk.  We stopped at Target on the way home for milk and bread.  There isn't really a grocery story on the way home, Target is the most convenient, but it's not enjoyable to stop there with the kiddo anymore because it's a big game of I want that/No not today, and it doesn't matter what section of the store we are in, she can find something that she desperately needs.  I have no problem saying no, it's just annoying and I wasn't feeling super patient.  When we got back in the car to head home, I notice that she has a fluffy little chick in her hand.  When I asked her where it came from, she immediately dropped it in her backpack while saying, "I don't know."  I thought she may have swiped it from Target, but turns out she took it from a counting work at school.  When asked if she was supposed to have it, she said no, and the talk about stealing, what that is and why we don't do it commenced.  She had to write a note when she got home apologizing, explaining what she did and why she won't do it again.  She has a tendency to pocket small/cute/shiny things that aren't hers, but usually it has all been stuff from Allie.  Had to nip this branching out thing in the butt immediately!  Once home, it was bath/dinner/read/brush teeth/bed time.  Before Vince got home from teaching, I had cut out and sewn together, minus the strap, a messenger bag for Liz to complement her sling.  I feel like she needs a little happy.  It really turned out great, and I am really loving my studio!  I also like that we all call it something different.. Me - The Green Studio  V - The Grudio  B - The Green Girls Studio  :)

As for today, I already added the strap to Liz's bag, and I'm going to go for a little run when I finish up this post.  I got my confirmation for the Peachtree Road Race with Katie, Vince's sister, on 4th of July weekend!  It's a 10K so I need to start a running regimen in order for this to happen.

Well, It's a beautiful sunny day today, a nice break from all the rain, so I need to get out there and enjoy it because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow.

xoxoxo

Epic.Day.

On Friday, Vince gave me the green light to get my sewing table from IKEA and I wasted no time!  It doesn't look like it in the picture, but that bitch is heavy, and women everywhere heard me roar when I got it from the store into my house all by myself.  During my hour during while Bella was at ballet/tap class, I started to put it together.  Vince was home too, and helped a bit when I had to go get B-bo from class.  It has a long drawer under each machine and it's awesome.

So on Saturday, we went back to IKEA to look at different storage options.  I had no idea that they had a wall mounted shelf in the same style as the table and length.  It's made for DVD's but is perfect for sewing storage and I can put storage cubes across the top.  The plan is to eventually get a second identical shelf, but we need to save a for a bit first.  Vintage Fresh is going to take off this year, I can feel it, and my husband is being so supportive by giving me a fabulous studio to work in.  Another bonus, we can now and do eat all of our meals at the kitchen table.  Huge and exciting things are happening around our house :)  Vince has even hung the cabinets in the bathroom... We had planned to do a bunch of yard work this weekend because, wow, our yard could use it, but it has rained all weekend shelving that idea until next weekend.  The Dogwood trees have bloomed though, and they look breathtakingly beautiful this year.


Quick side note, my friend Nikki, from Memphis, called me this week to ask if I was planning on doing another Memphis show... um HELL YES I will!  So one of the first two weekends in May, I 'm going to make my trek there for a party or two.  Doing it way earlier this year will help me get them completed while it is summertime <3  My goal would be to be done with them all by Andrew's wedding June 25th, I think I could do it...

Back to Saturday.  We finished up the day with a trip to Lowes for a few hanging supplies, and a small trip to Target for milk and what not.  When we got home, I put together a diaper messenger bag with some nice material I had gotten from IKEA earlier for a co-worker of Vince's whose wife is having a baby.  We are filling it with 6 gourmet beers, for the Dad of course, and a pack of onesies and some Sharpie markers so that each of the co-workers can design a onesie for the new addition.  They are not finding out the sex, BOO if you ask me, so I thought this would be a fun thing to do to work around that :)  This was the first piece I completed in my new studio...amazing.experience.

Once I finished, I walked into the living room to show Vince and this is what I found :)  Perfect end to a perfect day <3

It looks like Sunday is going to be just as productive!  2nd cup of coffee?  I think so!

Quickie.

This is what happens when your husband makes a pan of fabulous brownies on Monday night, and then works the rest of the week.  Damn it!

I ate the last one right after I finished this post.

xoxo

Feeling it...

It has been a creatively productive week for me, and boy did I ever need it!  I finished up a Mommy/Daughter Apron set this morning, and it really turned out super cute.  We'll see if these are a hit or not.  Based on my pricing research, I am very competitively priced at the lower end.  They may seem expensive, but they take me some time to create and I need to get paid for my time if this is going to be successful.  At least that's what I'm told :)

Now, I'm going to work on Bella's apron, and then I need to pull out all of my available inventory (which is not much), create an album and put it up as currently for sale online.  Summer is quickly approaching and we need some savings in order to help us keep afloat during Vince's non teaching months.

On a mind easing note, we now have health insurance!  With Bella's school being paid off, the $300 payment that was tuition can now go towards insurance.  Sometimes I just love being a grown up... this is not one of those times.  I hate paying for something that is only used sporadically, but I hate worrying about the what if even more.  Rock/hard place...

Ok, time to have a little lunch... Oh and before I forget, just found out that Bella won't get out of school next year until 4:15.  She gets out at 3:30 now, so that gives me an extra hour each day!  Sweet!

Wednesday.

It's Wednesday, half way through, well almost since the day just started.  I completed the "mini e" apron and took pictures of Bella wearing it this morning so that she could take it to school.  She ended up wearing it to school with the biggest grin on her face.  I made sure to remind her that it is for her classroom and that it needs to stay there.  She then reminded me that I need to make her one out of pink/blue/yellow fabrics so that she can cook with Miss Ensley like they planned.  I am never going to be allowed to forget anything..

Before we left for school this morning, Katie, Vince's sister, called.  While getting Trip dressed this morning, in order to make the process go faster, she was offering up fun things to do with his extra 10 minutes before leaving like watch a little tv, read a book, draw a picture, etc.  Trip pipes up and says, "I want to call Bella!"  Frank and Diane are headed to Atlanta tomorrow for Grandparents Day at the boys school and Trip wanted to know if Bella could come too.  So sweet :)

I dropped my car off at Elkin's to get it inspected/oil change/replacement bearings and whatever else that may pop up.  Car issues always = fun!  So since I am stranded at home, I am going to crank out some more Vintage Fresh stuff because I am feeling inspired <3

Oh, and the weather is beautiful today which always helps put a smile on my face.

Fun times.

It's been a few days... my apologies :)

So let's start with Friday because it was AWESOME!  Xperience Greenville was not only super kid friendly, but it was also a whole lot of fun.  Our friend Shawn,  and her son Ben who is 6 met us at our house around 3 and from there we hit the road for South Carolina.  We went straight to downtown Greenville, and met up with Kamran at Falls Park.  From there we headed to the amphitheater for some extreme glow stick/laser show/music/black light fun!  The kids had a blast slinging around their glow sticks while dancing and listening for the next challenge from the alien on the stage.  Our glow sticks actually had  LED lights inside that could be changed to about 6 different colors.  The alien on stage directed the crowd as to what color the glow sticks should be and what not.  It went on until about 10 pm and by the time the car was moving, Bella was snoozing <3  Once we made it to the Popkin House, we put all the kiddos to bed and the 5 adults stayed up conversing over 2 bottles of red wine.  Fabulous.Evening.

Saturday morning, we all woke up to a huge breakfast made by Kam the man, and it was delicious!  Post breakfast, it was time to pack up and hit the road because Shawn, sadly, had to work at 4 pm so we needed to get her home at a decent time.  It's an easy 1.5 hour drive so it's not like we were rushing out the door.  We made it home around 1, said good bye to Shawn and Ben, and then Bella and I took a 3 hour nap while Vince watched some basketball leisurely on the sofa.  Perfect Saturday afternoon <3  For dinner, Bella suggested we go to Hawthorne's Pizza, and so we did.  We have decided it is now the official restaurant of the Ammirato Family.

Now on to Sunday... We took our time waking up, and then we did some light clean up before Bella and I went to her friend Nora's Mermaid/Dance birthday party.  If we are being honest, I was not excited about this adventure today because I knew none of the adults at the party.  Not my favorite situation to be in and my shyness kicked into overdrive.  Thankfully, the party was only 5 minutes from Jen Hamilton's house, so I decided to let Bella have fun at her party, and I went to hang with my friend for some Scrabble and a glass of wine for an hour.  Win/win if you ask me :)  I picked Bella up at 4:45 and we made a stop at Target before heading home.  She wore her birthday hat throughout the store and was perplexed as to why everyone kept telling her happy birthday.  She would say, "It's Nora's birthday, not mine.  I was just at her party and I like my hat."  Love her <3  We got her some new goggles for summer while shopping, and she spent an hour in the tub "practicing" with them.  It was hilarious, and there wasn't much water left in the tub by the time she was done.  That's one way to mop the floors...

Monday... We all woke up at 7, read LATE!  Only by a half hour, but still it caused some hiccups.  I was a reading buddy for Bella's class and ended up reading to/with all but 2 of the 24 kiddos.  It is so fun to see the progress from the beginning of the school year to now.  For one, my kid is reading to me now!  Amazing stuff.  I stayed and had lunch with B-bo, and today she invited Lily to join us.  When lunch was over, both girls gave me big hugs/kisses and told me they love me.  This is why I am a Mom <3  I then headed home for 2 hours and worked on Ensley's apron until having to make the trek back to school.  Post school, I worked on Ensley's apron until completing it, and I gotta say... it really turned out beautifully.  Very 50's/Stepford Wives/Shabby Chic if you ask me, and most important part, my client loves it!  Seriously, best.part.

This morning, after I dropped Bella off, I went and did a quick photo shoot of a house for one of my favorite realtors from the past. It was an easy $75 and it looks like she may have a few more for me.  I can stomach shooting houses for a few hand picked clients, especially if it is straight up stills with no brochure or text.  Piece of cake.  Now I'm home, and I am going to finish up a mini version of Miss Ensley's apron for Bella's classroom.  The fabrics are different but the style is the same, and it can only be adorable upon completion.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

xoxox

Happy Day

First things first, my kiddo slept until 7:45 this morning!  That is an hour and a half longer than normal, and it's a record if you ask me :)  It's a teacher work day today which means no school, and no need to rush around like knuckleheads this morning.  It's really nice to sit here, and type a new blog while enjoying my 1st cup of coffee for the day.

Today is actually going to be a super fun fantastic day.  Vince is taking a half day and early this afternoon we are going to pack up and head to Greenville, SC for the evening to attend http://www.xperiencegreenville.org/ with the Popkin family and a whole lot of Instigators.  It's going to be a night full of fun music, people and glow sticks.  I mean really, does it get any better?  Bella is so excited to see and spend the night with her buddy Katie.  We always have so much fun with the Popkin fam, it's going to be one epic evening!  Honestly, there is a good chance in the near future, say 5 years or so, that we, the Ammirato fam, could be moving to Greenville, SC.  I really do love that little town full of artists and entrepreneurs.  Plus Vince's dream company, Brains on Fire, is located there and I know if he is ever offered a job he will not hesitate to scoop us up and move us on down and I would be totally happy with that.

As for the first half of the day, I need to make a run to Hobby Lobby to see if they got more of my fabric in, then it will be back home to tidy up a bit before doing some light packing and hitting the road.

It's the weekend!

xoxoxo