J is for Joann Fabrics where everyone knows my cuts- #AZChallenge

Confession: I spend so much time at Joann fabrics that when I go for something other than fabric, people are shocked and confused.

Everyone also knows me by my fabric cuts too. I don't mean that they know I will be wanting either 1 1/2 yards or 2 yards of flannel or cotton prints, but that I like my fabric cut so it's 1 yard and then another 1/2 yard or 2 full yards. I am also, often, used as a training person in the store when new hires come to the cutting counter since they will see me often.


Before Black Friday, I had gone in several times to make lists of things that I knew I was going to want. After returning home from my scouting adventure, my favorite Joann's employee called me and asked if there was anything specific that I knew I was going to want full bolts of. They set them aside for me so that nobody would buy them since I'm such a frequent customer. That was insane and awesome at the same time. I spent nearly 3 hours at the cutting counter alone and I had 3 carts full of fabric. My receipt was so long it was almost as tall as I am (5' 2)

Seriously, there were THREE carts full!! I did it all in less than 20 minutes then spent forever cutting it.

I have to say, I really do love my Joann Fabrics. While they don't have everything I want, I've found most of it, and the sales, along with my VIP card that gives me 10% all the time makes it worth going.

H is for Hubby and I is for the INCREDIBLE sewing desk he built me ##AZChallenge

For anyone that knows me, or has talked to me for any length of time knows that one of my biggest gripes of my house is that it has ZERO storage space. It's been difficult trying to run my little shop through my house when there isn't any space to put anything. It's been even more difficult when there isn't any room to sew anything. After complaining for what is likely the 5780th time, hubby built me an incredible sewing table WITH STORAGE!!!! I was borrowing a friend's folding table that contained everything on top and it was anything but convenient. I I couldn't cut anything, I couldn't really sew anything without removing everything so I had space to do so. It was a nightmare. NOT TO MENTION Moose is tall, he's 30 inches tall and we often refer to him as "tiny terror" So when he sees something he wants, or he can reach then he does. Trying to sew something that he's yanking on is not good business practices by any means. So after much complaining, and a lot of waiting. I finally got this (sorry for the dark pic, I have horrible lighting)

The desk top itself is 3 ft. wide by 5 ft long. That gives me plenty of room to sew on, and to cut on. There are fancy cubby holes to put my machines into so I can keep them out of the way while I work on other things. The dowels to hang projects that I'm currently working on (like seen in the picture) is one of my favorite features. It makes it so much more convenient than having a huge pile of stuff waiting to be sewn sitting right next to me on the table. The last thing I want is the tiny terror to get a hold of one and eat a pin or something--- that is something he would likely do. the shelves for all the rest of my crap is also super convenient. My desk is actually more full now than this picture shows. One of the best and most odd features of it is that it's tall. The desk top is about 40 in. off the ground. Moose can't reach anything and when my back is hurting I can stand up and still sew. I used to try and do this a lot before because, lets face it, I've been pregnant for almost 2 years straight now, my back hurts a LOT. It's now convenient to do so.

This desk is INCREDIBLE!!! I love that Hubby actually listened to what I wanted and included it all. Next he's going to make me a custom chair that is actually comfortable and big enough to sit as I like to. Then the additional shelving units for fabric storage. He's gonna be busy this summer...

G is for Grange Bazaar this month!! #AZChallenge

On the 30th of this month, I have been crafting like crazy. While I wish this was one that was solely handmade, there will be some direct sales people but luckily not more than hand crafters. Several of them are my favorites like Scentsy, Jamberry, Beauty Society, and LuLa Rue, so it's not that bad since I can get the things I want while I'm there.

This is the first time that I'll be doing a bazaar in the spring, but not my first time doing a bazaar at this Grange. I was actually really amazed with how much traffic this location receives since it's on a back road and gets little traffic. It's literally a building off the side of a country-ish road. Obviously the advertising is amazing since there is so much traffic and there is plenty of help from the vendors promoting themselves. It's really nice. Last year there were a couple complications, like the fact that we ran out of toilet paper and paper towels half way through the bazaar. That was awkward. This year the vendors all said that they were donating a roll so that that wouldn't happen again. I don't know if that really is happening, but I'm going to bring my own just in case. Being 5 months pregnant, bathrooms are a necessity.

When I did the holiday bazaar, I was downstairs close-ish to the bathroom. I found out that I was pregnant again right after that one. The downstairs wasn't that great, besides the fact that I was closer to the food (not that great of an idea) But most people didn't realize that there was a downstairs so the traffic wasn't that great. This time around I'm going to be upstairs and closest to the door that I can get because I have crazy hot flashes that would kill everyone else. It's annoying to me so I can imagine how it would be for others who are over that stage in life. Most of the ladies attending are older so I don't imagine they would be impressed with me needing to take off and put on clothes all the time no matter how pregnant I am so I'm just gonna stay close to the door.

My big challenge this time around is going to be that I'm bringing both my shops. This means that I am going to have to juggle placement so things look cohesive and not like a big hot mess of just throwing things together. Im sure I'll figure it out. I'll do a mock up before I go.

F is for Flowers- #AZChallenge

Lately, Monkey, my little gardener, has been super into flowers. He needs them everywhere in the front yard and he has specific ones that he feels he wants. Sunflowers, bleeding hearts, snap dragons, strawberries, pansies, daisies, tulips, daffodils, marigolds. He's so specific about it too. He has a color theme picked out and everything. It's actually kind of exhausting. I love his enthusiasm about it, but he has so many rules about how to plant things and the specific way he wants things done it's overwhelming.

Yes, you read that correctly, he has rules about how we plant things. Things like, "don't plant flowers on the sidewalk, don't plant yellow and pink flowers together, and water every day, but only in the morning." Most of these things are fairly common sense. Other rules like his specific way of how dirt needs to go into pots is a bit obsessive.

I think we picked some good ones. I love the anemones that we picked and the Gerber Daisies are always gorgeous, and I like the snap dragons more that I thought I would. This year, we 're really trying to bring back the hummingbirds and ladybugs that we used to have all over the place when we first moved. We haven't seen them in a couple years and they were so pretty and relaxing to look at. I would love to see them again, so hoping that the seeds and flowers we planted will bring some back. Last year we had a ton of praying mantis' so that was cool and interesting, but not as pretty as the ladybugs. Here's our flower spread so far.

E is for Embroidery Machines- #AZChallenge

So, I know this post is a day behind. I've been having a ton of things going on but so far I have them all which is what I was aiming for. I was really thrown for a loop with our pregnancy complications that I wasn't expecting. Not gonna lie, I'm a bit scared and freaked out and trying to keep myself as busy as possible. Like playing with my new embroidery machine.

It was totally a bribe from hubby and I really don't even care. I feel I got a pretty good deal on it, even though purchasing it, the warranty plan, and all the accessories that I need for it has wiped my credit card. Oops. We just paid it off with taxes and now it's maxed out again. He maxed out his credit card purchasing a new TV. One that we REALLY didn't need but he wanted anyway. I think I got the better end of the deal because mine can make me money.



Unfortunately, I really have no idea how to use it. Part of my warranty gives me free private lessons on how to use my machine and all of that fun stuff, but the soonest I was able to get a class was April 9-- this Saturday!! I've had this thing now for almost 2 weeks!

I've tried watching YouTube videos of how to do some of the basics but I wasn't able to come up with enough exact information that I could use. I did learn how to make an applique over embroidery design which was pretty cool. I love how you can make the same thing a million times and it always look different depending on the fabric you use.

I can't WAIT for this class. Not only is it a chance for me to go do something adult without having to take my children, but I will finally learn the basics of figuring out this thing so I can get started. I want to make some things to take with me to my spring bazaar to show that I can do them. I'm offering coupons for personalization for my items that I'm adding to some new parent gift boxes that I'm making. I'm excited for them although I have no idea what to price them as.

Anyway, Onward and Upward!

C is for Complications- D is for Down Syndrome #AZChallenge

So on Friday, we had our gender ultrasound to determine what the sex of the baby is. On Monday, I received some bad news that there are some complications with baby Mason. The found on his ultrasound that he has very enlarged kidneys and the likeliness of Down Syndrome is very high.

The enlarged kidneys is usually a genetic linking to Downs and there are several complications that could happen. They are going to recheck his kidneys at 33 weeks, but 13 weeks to find out more information is like waiting FOR EVER-- especially with such potentially harmful or bad news. If at the 33 week check up his kidneys are still enlarged, then they will put him on the donor transplant list because kidney failure is a possibility and they want to give him every chance he could possibly have.

Tomorrow, I have to go in for another ultrasound so they can check his heart and septum since they couldn't get a clear view-- more compounding factors in Down Syndrome they tell me. I tried looking up some information online but according to Dr. Google everything leads to death. I know that this isn't always the case, and I see positive stories all the time of people with Downs thriving and living happy, successful lives but Dr. Google must have missed the memo.

So now, the whole everything is a waiting game to find out if Baby Mason is going to be okay, or if he could be starting dialysis as young as birth. Hubby and I have already decided that if he has Down Syndrome or anything else wrong, as long as there isn't the possibility of near immediate death, we're not terminating. We were given the option.

So now, we just keep busy and try to think of other things. Planning the baby shower, making things he needs, staying busy, busy, busy.

B is for Baby- #AZChallenge

Today is "B" day on the A-Z blog challenge- woohoo! I'm on day two and still going strong! Tomorrow is Sunday, the rest day, so there won't be much from me. I'm taking on my nephew for the night which is an exhausting challenge on it's own.

Anyways, exiting news is afoot. I found out the sex of baby number three. Unfortunately we didn't get the little girl we wanted. We're having another boy! I am officially a boy mom. Three little boys are going to give me a run for my money but I make cute kids so it's going to be worth it in the end. I am planning a C-section, but since the baby is breach and facing my spine, the doctor said that it's a safety risk to deliver any other way because the likelihood of smashing his face to pieces is high. I don't want to do that to my little boy. He's measuring really big, length wise, so he's pretty much standing in my womb right now which can't be very comfortable for either of us-- I know it's not for me.

We decided to name the baby bear, Mason Alexander. We wanted a name that went with the boys' names, Hail and Sage, and Mason was the only one that we could agree on. I don't hate it but it's not my favorite. I would have named him Phoenix if I got to pick by myself but hubby told me he would refuse to sign the birth certificate if I tried it. Pfft.. 

I'm not completely thrilled with having another boy, but as hubby pointed out, on the bright side, at least we know we can always fit in a 2 bedroom if we need to. I'm excited that I can finally start making things for him now. 

Well, till Monday!

A is for Autism Awareness- #AZChallenge

Today is the beginning of Autism Awareness month, a cause that's been near and dear to my heart for the past 5.5 years. Monkey is autistic. He's a funny, quirky, goofy kid but I wouldn't change him for the world. He's come a long way in the world from where he used to be. He used to eat moss out of sidewalk cracks because it was a compulsion he couldn't control. He used to bang his head on the wall and pull his hair out in clumps. He wasn't potty trained until he was 4. He still only eats like 5 foods, and he didn't really walk or talk until he was almost 18 months old. Now he's in preschool and thriving. He's very smart once he learned to calm himself down and think. He's a great big brother to Moose too.

In honor of all the things that he's accomplished and made it through, April is always a big month for us, not only because it's Moose's birthday but because we like to celebrate his quirkiness and break down barriers of what autism is or isn't and ways that you can be supportive of it. One way to do that is to NOT support Autism Speaks. It's a dirty word in our house. They don't support acceptance, but will tell you how you can poison your child to "fix" them. If I were to "fix" Monkey, he wouldn't be the fun, quirky little boy I love.

To help celebrate autism awareness month, my little shop, Rose City Crafter, is offering 20% off all orders $20 or more. We've even made a special shirt just for the occasion. Who doesn't want one of these shirts?!

If you're looking to donate goods or funds this month, consider donating to a family that you know of that is directly affected by autism. You have no idea how much of a huge help it would be, or what a burden it would lift off someone's shoulders. Other charitable networks to consider are "To Autism With Love" which helps low income and single parents of autistic children provide birthdays, holidays, and other fun things that they wouldn't be able to do otherwise. They also have some pretty cool sensory items for sale as well. Any local ASAN chapter is also pretty great. They focus on improving lives of autistic individuals by helping with meetings, jobs, and even support groups to help those around them as well as the individual themselves. 

Well, that's all for tonight! Happy autism awareness month. I'm sure that you'll hear a lot more about it this month than you care to. But it's a pretty big deal, especially with so many kids being diagnosed now. And the one big factor that many seem to forget, these kids grow to be adults. Autism is not something caused by vaccines, or other issues, it is a neurological disorder that is partly genetic. 

Spring Break Shenanigans 2016

I'm a bit late in posting this, partly because I've been crazy busy and partly because I've been trying to entertain a 5 year old during spring break. WOW that's a lot harder than it seems- like A LOT. This is the official first spring break that Monkey has had since he's officially a preschooler this year. I tried to fill his days as much as I could so that I wouldn't have to listen to how bored he was- but it's a lot harder to do than you'd think.

For some crazy reason, the school thought that a week and a half was sufficient time off. UM, NO. This is an insane amount of time off for a 5 year old. Not only did I have a parent/ teacher conference during that time, but a doctor's appointment fur the little sugar bean (Which we find out the sex of on Friday!!) but the rest of the time we filled with things like Monkey's first eye appointment. Boring, I know, but it was unintentional that it happened during break. On the plus side, while slightly near-sided he doesn't need glasses YET. He will within another couple years, when it's reasonable that he would keep them on his face.

He spent a lot of time with his friend, hanging out and going on adventures, like to various parks, on a hike, to the "castle" (Rocky Butte Park) and went to great-grandma's to help her plant flowers. Other fun we had was have a tie dye party with a friend where we all tie dyed shirts and socks. Surprisingly socks turned out way cooler than I thought they would. That's monkey rocking one of his new shirts. His teachers all thought it was way cool. He loves to tie dye. It's one of the few projects that he can help do for the shop.

I got a new embroidery machine over spring break. It was bribery because hubby wanted a new TV and I totally don't even care. He almost choked when he found out that some embroidery machines cost as much as a car. The one that I got was NOT that expensive, it was actually one of the cheaper models since I have no idea how to use it. I can upgrade whenever I want though, and at a severe discount, so that's nice. I will likely want to upgrade but I don't want to do it on a machine I don't even know how to use. This will come in handy since I just signed up for a spring bazaar at the end of April. I only realized the other day that half of my stuff can go so I need to sew like crazy this month to have enough to take with because a lot of my stuff is holiday related and won't likely sell this time of year. So I need summer stuff! Embroidery is going to be a quick filler for things as well.

Moose had his first Easter over spring break. He didn't really understand the idea of looking for Easter eggs, but he did figure out that he LOVES M&M's. He gets really excited any time you bring out the bag for any reason. He makes all kinds of funny faces and noises to get a candy. He's even working on his "please" and "thank you" which come out as "peas" and "tent too." His first Easter meal he LOVED. He tried and loved everything- mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus, ham, salad, rolls, he even liked the Marion berry pie and ice cream. He painted himself with mashed potatoes. Grandma had to give him a bath afterwards because he was just a huge mess.

Lastly, during our spring break, Moose learned to run. He thinks it's hilarious to take something he knows he's not supposed to have, like daddy's phone, and run away. While running the other day in the kitchen, he tripped and fell. He smashed his face right on the corner of the high chair and blistered his eye. He cut open the under eyelid and so, of course, it's bruising and has become a black eye. He's a tough kid though. As soon as I turned on Sesame Street, the tears went away. That boy loves Sesame Street.

That was out spring break. On paper it doesn't sound like nearly as much as it was. It rained like crazy over break so it felt like we were trapped inside a lot. This Friday is the beginning of the A-Z challenge. Hopefully this is the year that I make it through! I need to plan my posts. Wish me luck, you'll be seeing a lot of me soon.

New crafty stuff coming your way

As I mentioned the other day, I decided to open a second Etsy shop. This shop largely fills a void I've felt for a while revolving around not using my professional baking degree. This really isn't the area to try and get into something from the ground up when most bakeries are either mom and pop shops or they are chain store bakeries that don't actually bake things. It's a tough position-- and in the end, I just didn't end up having a chance to use it. Blogging a food blog filled the void for a while as I got to cook and bake things then write about it, but as I had more kids, and my house in general started to deteriorate due to my landlord not really caring about her own property, it made it difficult for health reasons.

So now I changed my focus and decided to stick to something that I can DO for my kitchen, instead of what I can MAKE in my kitchen. Admittedly, I still use my kitchen for some things, just because it's it's the largest place in my house without carpet, but it's not something that requires eating. (Which I admittedly, don't need to do more of than I already do-- especially being pregnant). Today while finishing Easter shopping for Monkey and Moose, I picked up a bunch of new glassware.

Pictured is 3 sets of glass salt and pepper shakers, 3 oil bottles, one creamer or other type liquid bottle that I picked up on clearance at Target, and a set of 4 half pint mason jars that are in a cool flatter, bulbous shape. I plan on tinting them, or painting on them (little known fact about me-- I used to teach one stroke painting classes at Joann Fabrics while in college). 

I'm thinking of some other fun ways to decorate them too so I'm excited that this is starting up. I think it will be a fun project, and Mason Jars are all the rage in decorating most everything lately so it's perfect to want to get behind it. 

Do you have a favorite jar painting technique?

Now Participating in:A-Z Challenge

Before I decided to make a life change and make my sewing business my main business, I was a professional blogger. I didn't make a lot of money doing it, but I made enough to pay the bills and buy my kiddo a Hot Wheel every time we went to the store as bribery to behave himself. For the past couple years, I tried doing a fun challenge called the A-Z Challenge. It happens every April, and there is always a different theme each year. I was never successful in completing the challenge, largely because I was running an autism blog at the time, and April is Autism Awareness month. Hosting giveaways, and writing important posts was exhausting and took all my time. This year, I only have this one blog, and my actual sewing for my 2 shops. So you know-- a bit more time! Ha, no. That's not the case.

I have told myself for the last 3 years, I am going to do this challenge every single year until I can get through the whole alphabet, so guess what I'm doing this year?! Yep. The theme is Joyful Bridge which is a bit loose-- which I can work with. That just means I have a bit more flexibility in my posts and can be a bit more lenient with them.

We have a lot going on in April- Moose's first birthday, finding out the sex of Sugar Bean #3, house hunting, and getting my new shop up and running. It's really a lot going on. There's plenty of things to write about, Easter will be over-- which has always been a big center of my previous years. So here's to hoping that it all goes smoothly!

And Just because he's super cute, here's a picture of my Moose.

A Moose with Spots

Yesterday, we had quite the ordeal. My little Moose had his first visit to the ER... at 10 months old. He just finished up a 10 day bout of antibiotics for a sinus infection and bronchitis. We knew that there would be a bit of a gamble with giving him mold based antibiotics as I am allergic to them, and now we know apparently he is too.

We went to Urgent Care, and then he was directly omitted to the ER because his hives were so swollen they looked like they could have been chicken pox. Both Monkey and Moose are vaccinated for them, but Moose only newly so. It was still a possibility. Luckily the ER was not very busy. We got in and out of there almost immediately. My Moose has spots.

They gave him a huge shot of Benadryl in the ER to make the swelling hives go down. He has to take Benadryl every 6 hours now. And Prednisone once a day that makes him completely wired and act like a crazy person. He is now also an official Epipen carrier for life because the chances are that he has a severe mold based allergy. While it's a "precaution" knowing that it's my reality makes it more likely.

Even though he's had several doses of both, he's still pretty spotty, but the hives have reduced. His poor little toes are swollen like sausages still. He isn't walking as well as usual, likely because his toes aren't cooperating. Overall, he's a pretty tough guy. He's fussy because he's angry about his spots that cover him head to toe, but he's in fairly good spirits.

Who would have thought?!

When I first started my Monkey and Moose line, I never thought that it would be so popular. I had high hopes that it would boost my sales and help bring in some extra income. Which it has. Significantly. However, I never thought that it would take over like it has and become nearly the only thing that I sell in my shop. I make a few other sales hear and there but it's mostly my onesies and the decals that I've recently began to sell separately.  So far these two are my most popular.

I've sent these two designs all over the world. Most recently, this Hola onesie went to England. While I'm grateful for the extra income making these onesies and putting them in my shop has brought to me and my family, I would like to sell some of the other things I make as well. I have a large line of items from Baby wearing wraps and slings, baby blankets, bibs, stuffed animals, and I am working on getting into some other clothing items that will *gasp* force me to stretch my capabilities and learn zippers as well as perfecting sleeves. 

Locally, I have sold quite a few items that have been popular like Stockings at Christmas time, and Halloween trick or treat bags that can also double as library bags the rest of the year. However, I am finding that I'm now stuck between a rock and a hard spot because I want to keep sewing and make new things, however, I don't want to keep a huge stock of things that I'm not selling. It's a catch 22 for sure, and hopefully once I get moved and have my own space to work in instead of taking over my boys bedroom that they don't sleep in, things will be different because I can do more things, offer classes, and all kinds of other fun things that i can't do now. 

Here's to hoping!

Welcome, welcome!

Welcome to Monkey & Moose Co. I've started this blog because I needed a place to talk about the shenanigans my boys, Monkey and Moose get into, as well as my clothing brand, also named Monkey & Moose, as well as the rest of the goings on that affect our daily lives, small business ownership, and the fun things that we like to do that may not fit into my little store, like the kids crafts, and home projects, that are still fun and useful to someone.

A little about us. I'm the momma. I run a little Etsy shop called Rose City Crafter where I sell primarily children's items. I started my shop to help make an extra income after we found out that my oldest had Autism in 2012. Crafting was primarily a way to escape the sometimes difficult realities of living with high functioning autism, misdiagnosis, eating disorders, seizures, self harming (the boy-- not me) and sleep disorders and dysfunction. It's been a CRAZY roller coaster and we've finally reached a level of calm until we recently. This blog will largely be about my kids, crafting, fun DIYs and food -- since I used to be a professional baker. It will also be a place to share works in progress, vent about small business ownership, and vent about the craziness of life.

My shop is mostly children's and baby items that have been created from wants (of my own kids) and necessity from being a plus size momma. I have a subsidiary clothing line called Monkey & Moose Co. named after my boys (they design most of the things in my shop!) when I couldn't find anything for my Moose that I liked in stores.

Monkey is my oldest. He's 5 and in preschool right now. He hasn't quite figured out how to interact with the kids in his class but really wants to make friends. He has high functioning autism, seizures, sensory processing disorder, eating issues, severe anxiety boarding PTSD and a sleep disorder. He loves the beach, the zoo, gardening, Hot Wheels, Sesame Street, books, and jumping in puddles.

Moose is my mischievous 10 month old who walks, talks, bites, and loves to chase and antagonize his brother. He's soon to be a middle child, but doesn't seem to mind. Moose loves to eat everything, dogs,  Sesame Street, stuffed animals (mainly his mooses), banging all the Tupperware together, and going for walks.

Hubs is a property restorator and spends as much time taking apart our house as he does putting it together. He also does some really beautiful woodwork which he hopes to get back into soon.

So this is us, this is Monkey & Moose and  Rose City Crafter. Welcome and we hope to see you again soon!