Okay seriously, is it me or is everyone having a baby? I’m sure everyone knows someone who just had a baby or is about to have a baby or who just declared they’re having a baby…and this is me making the announcement that I am pregnant. Wait, did I say I was pregnant? I meant to say I am not pregnant. Shew! Would that have been a major oopsy (in more ways than one).

With all the baby and little-peopleness that is going on, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in making gifts.

This was my dining room table last Thursday after the clean up. It doesn’t seem too bad, but it about drove me nuts because it’s in a room we occupy often and I can. not. stand. having it a mess. Yes, that’s the instruction manual and the screwdriver you see there…I’d rather not talk about it. Let’s just say the problem was not located, but after promising not to be so distant and neglectful, we came to an agreement she would let me finish my work and we would discuss it later.

I also had to finish up another little gift for a baby that came fresh from the womb yesterday afternoon and delivered to my friend, Amanda. This family is nuts about squirrels (did anyone catch that? Anyone? A show of hands). I mean…insane, actually. So what would you give the baby who is being born into such craziness? Why, a onesie with a felt squirrel stitched on, that’s what!

I don’t like that I’m encouraging their addiction, but c’mon, the rodent can’t be that bad while being worn on an adorable baby, right?

Then there’s the birthdays. One special little girl in particular is turning 1 in a few short months, and upon exiting the baby year (and hence everything pastel), what screams toddler one day/teenager the next better than bright girly colors!

At first I didn’t know how this blanket would turn out since on their own the colors are well, BRIGHT. But once the ripples started melding together, it reminds me of jolly ranchers and makes my mouth water. And it’s a kid-magnet. When I work on it at the playpark, kids literally flock to me and watch me work. I feel like I should be telling them stories about the olden days, days where there was no internet and car phones came in bags, not devices the size of a credit card.

So that’s all folks. I know my blog is getting more and more titilating with each post (cricket… cricket…) but that’s all I can summon up. I have been avoiding my Bloglines like the plague - you take a few days off from reading and that bolded “489 feeds” seems so daunting. I honestly have been considering the fate of Laughing Daisies, only because I’m in a different place in my life than I was two years ago when I started blogging. Nontheless I have always appreciated anyone who takes the time to read about me, and that is still true today. I’m just starting to wonder about this creepy and yet amazing thing called the internet and where I fit in it all. But that’s another post for another day. Have a fantastic Thursday!

About a month ago, I was really feeling the need to simplify my life. I am not a clutter-bug, not in the typical sense, but I have quite a few craft supplies stacked and smooshed into boxes, cupboards and drawers all over the house. After I cleaned out one of my main storage cabinets, I tackled another, and yet another, and then treked into the basement to organize even more stuff. I had bought all kinds of supplies in hopes of actually doing something with them. Most things weren’t touched or even opened, but a few things were half-made and just needed to be completed. I had talked about doing an etsy shop before, but truth be told I didn’t want to. I didn’t want that push to create things just to make money. I love making things for no reason, and giving them to people for no reason, so the thought of having to crank stuff out for people to buy didn’t seem like fun.

However, after the 30th skein of yarn and the 6th pair of unfinished earrings I found, I realized an etsy shop would be a great compliment to get rid of all this stuff, and to also make a little extra money.

I was actually really nervous about putting my stuff out there for purchase, and hence, scrutiny. But I let fear hold me back from doing a lot of things I want to do and didn’t want that to happen (again), esp. in this case. So without further ado, my etsy shop!

I’m hoping to add stuff weekly, however it will only be a few items at a time, not 18 like I did this week. And I can tell you while my normal crafting usually has the same theme and common threads, my shop my not always. I’m not sure what will get added or what will get scrapped. But if you’d like to be notified via email when new items are in the shop, just leave a comment (or email me) with your email address and I’ll make sure to add you. Also, if anyone local to me wants to purchase anything, I will refund your shipping cost so you won’t have to pay that.

And a big thanks to all my friends who have been so supportive of me doing this (and to Stephanie for being my first purchase!). Your support and encouragment has meant so much to me.

What was life like before having children? I do not fully remember. But I bet I had lots of time to sit around and finish projects at my leisure while watching You’ve Got Mail. I’ve gotten better at learning which crafts should occupy my time and which will be put off until another time, but I still feel like I bite off more than I can chew most days. So I’m taking it one day at a time, one project at a time. Even tho this is the 8th day in a row that I’m consumed with a project (that takes second place to being a wife and mother). Hopefully in a few days I can show you all what I’m up to, because I really do want to be done!

Anyways, I leave you with this picture of Conner in his new big boy chair. He loves sitting at the table with us when we eat and it’s nice that he has his own place, too. This is his showing-you-his-teeth face, by the way.

Okay, a couple things worth noting:

1) High School Musical 2 premiers tonight on the Disney Channel - woot woot!

2) Tim really wants to name our next son (if there is one in our future) after our dog, Jaxon. Seriously. Tim spent all of Wednesday evening renaming Jax (as a way to make this possible), Max, and calling him that. And even before he left for work this morning, he gave a compelling argument why this is okay - Indiana Jones was named after the dog, after all. I’m scared that he’s not joking about this.

3) My brother and sister in law had their third child, a little boy named Even Joseph, this past Sunday and we’re so happy for them (except the part where her water broke and she had the baby an hour later, with no meds, which was not part of the original plan)

4) My friend Erin is turning 31 tomorrow (yay) and for her party I was asked to once again be a cupcake wench. The more I’m asked to make them, the more I think Kelly is right about us opening a shop together. Anyone interested in investing?

And thanks for the all the book recommendations. Do any of these have large print and pictures? Because that’s pretty much a requirement for when I read. Did I neglect to mention that? Just kidding. Sort of. Okay, have a great weekend!

I do not get into gadets. Like, at all. I think some things are cool and would be fun to tinker around with, but for the most part if it runs off of a battery or needs to be programmed at all I don’t care for it. I can say this with certainty, because even after I got my 60GB iPod for Christmas, it sat in the box for almost three weeks before I summoned the strength to figure out how it worked. And the only thing I can still figure to upload is music.

I don’t care about cell phones either, until this was dropped on my doorstep a week ago

Isn’t she beeeeutiful??? I never cared about cell phones, just wanted one that worked, but I love this one mainly because it’s pink. And it plays Fergilicious when Tim calls.

So that’s all. Not a lot going on here, and yet a lot is going on. I’ve recently started reading again for fun (anyone who knows me, knows this is odd b/c I don’t like to read) and finished The Nanny Diaries (for the third time) just in time for the movie to come out next weekend. I really hope they end it differently than in the book, because the ending was sad. Sad, but real. And I don’t like to live in reality when being entertained. I have some other books I want to read, but I’m looking for some suggestions on fun, light reading - anyone got any to share?

So this post is coming out of left-field, but it’s something that has really been weighing on me, which is kind of ridiculous since I don’t know any of the parties involved. But nonetheless, it’s either this or me whining about how FILTHY! NASTY! HOT! it is outside.

Okay, so Lindsay Lohan. Can I just say how much her recent behavior has saddened me. Not because I’m a fan (because I’m totally not), or any other reason except the fact that she is a young girl who is searching so hard for something she will never find. Atleast not on the path she’s crrently on. And as much as it made me sad to hear of her getting arrested shortly after leaving rehab, what is really sickening to me is the poor excuses for parent’s that she has.

I briefly remember her father getting arrested about four years ago, and if that’s not enough stress, I don’t know what is. But the more I read about her, the more I’m reading about people coming out and saying how much her parents pushed her into stardome. I can understand a parent wanting to let their kid be happy, and if performing on stage is what they want, parents will strive for that. But there is a line, isn’t there? All I keep thinking when I think of this situation (and other’s - Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, Macaulay Culkin, Michael Jackson, just to a name a few although I really could go on) is why are their parent’s not protecting them? When did they decide it was more important to be friends with their children than to be their parents? Letting them have co-ed sleepovers at 12 and 13, letting them drink and “have a good time” (aka clubbing) before they’ve even turned 16 - what is wrong with these people?

Everytime I hear of any parent pushing their child into the lime-light, it makes my heart ache. I know there must be child actors - some of my favorite movies and sitcoms employ these young people, but when greed takes over, or the need to live vicariously through them and parents push and push their children to the breaking point, and then act all shocked and saddened when they’re asked to respond to why their child has entered rehab for the third time, it’s sickening. I can not imagine Conner being thrust into these types of situations and him feeling like it doesn’t matter what he does or how young he is, he’s on his own. And the parent’s don’t think of it this way but they are basically abandoning their children.

A friend of mine recently told me of her up-bringing and while her parents loved her, they often left her in compromising situations and she has struggled for over a decade of harboring horrible feelings towards them because she was not protected by them. And because of their own selfishness, those feelings will follow her for the rest of her life. Thankfully, nothing bad actually happened to her, but not everyone fares so well, esp. these children that are growing up in Hollywood. It just makes me so very sad.

I really could go on and on about this particular subject, but I won’t. I just rest in the fact that my children will always find rescue and protection with me. And if they ever ask if they can have a co-ed sleepover, they will always be met with a shocked face, followed by the words, “Child, you must be crazy.”

Saturday we had the 5k at our church, which was actually a lot of fun. I don’t know what I was thinking by eating a bunch of tostito’s at about 10 pm the night before (ugh…felt like I was digesting a rock the next morning). But it was okay, I did a lot better than I thought I would and best of all, I actually finished the race.

I always forget how exhausting races can be. I came home and crashed while Conner napped and the rest of the day I was rendered pretty much usless. But I had a great time, and they had a great turnout for a first-time race (80 people for the 5k, 20 children for the kids half-mile). It was also fun running alongside others that I knew and knowing they were only enduring the torture for the orphanages in Central Asia, too.

Sunday we had a surprise baby shower for my friend Amanda (the one I photographed last week with the perfect belly) and it was so much fun. This is her second baby, another boy, so instead of buying a bunch of clothes, we decorated onesies. I highly recommend doing this as a baby shower option b/c it’s fun, it’s easy, and it gives you total freedom to do whatever you think is cute and appropriate (or not…we had to give Erin rules on what she could and couldn’t stencil on the onesie - “don’t bug me” is appropriate; “I suck” is not). And it’s fun for the mom to have play clothes for the baby with a personal touch on them.

And an ending shot of the cupcakes b/c they’re so pretty. And good. Yummmmm.

Thanks for all the picture-love! I’m no professional like others I know, but it’s still fun and almost always makes for a memorable experience.

Nothing too exciting is going on ’round these parts. The heat is starting to creep back up into the 90’s, so that means we lock up the fort and blast the a/c. Despite it feeling like the inside of a dog’s mouth outside, I was craving some winter comfort food. So I busted out my recipe box and cooked up ricotta and spinach stuffed chicken over wheat pasta.

Delish! And man oh man was it so good. I love me some carbs. And cheese. And anything that pairs the two together. Wow, my whole mouth just filled with saliva…

I’m also a huge fan of lemon. I love lemon-scented anything and am currently in search of the perfect lemon square recipe. While this one isn’t it, it’s still yummy and incorporates another favorite of mine - cream cheese!

The recipe is posted at the end and it’s a great one to have since it’s so easy and only has five ingredients - woot woot!

Our church is holding a charity 5K tomorrow (that I’m also running in, so wish me luck and cool breezes - an expected high of 94 degrees!!) and they needed some baked goods for the participants. So I spent the last four and a half hours in the kitchen making muffins and cookies. One hundred of each, to be exact.

So happy when the timer went off for twentieth, and last time.

In other news, Tim has started to play his guitar again which makes me swoon. I had been asking him for years, literally, but it took one of his boyfriends wanting to hear him play and what do you know - now he’s interested. I don’t care, I just love to hear and see him play. Memories of freshman year of college, sitting on the wall in Demoss Hall, him playing his guitar…*sigh* (hey, gimme a break, I was 18). Conner really likes when Tim plays, too. Because that means the guitar case is free.

Okay, must wash some dishes and prop my feet up before I start running around like a busy bee this afternoon. And as promised:

Lemon Cheese Squares

1 pkg. lemon cake mix with pudding in the mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cake mix, 1 egg and oil in large boil and stir until crumbly. Reserve 1 c. crum mixture and press the remaining mixture into an ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake 12-15 mins. or until light golden brown. Meanwhile, combine remaining egg, cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Spread over baked crust and sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until cream cheese layer is just set. Cool in the pan, cut and dig in.