Hi Everyone,

Yes I survived my surgery and learned that I have a very unique heart as well. At first the recovery was slow but now I feel terrific. I had to get the house back in order and buy a new computer but I am SO ready to dive right in. I am currently running a 20% Off special in my Log Cabin Crafters shop. If you have been on the shelf waiting to purchase something, then hurry over and do it because I am only running this special until 6/30/2012.

On a personal note: I am SO excited to say that tomorrow evening I will be watching as my youngest son Ryan, receives his HS diploma...I can remember watching him get a Kindergarten diploma and it seems like yesterday. I am so proud of him and what he has achieved. He is heading to Millersville University in the fall. Here is his handsome face lol I am sure I will be choking down some tears. Now all I have left at home is my little girl (Ava) and she will be attending Kindergarten in the fall.....squeeling with joy at the thought...ha ha ha  Isn't that terrible of me. I adore her, honestly!
Stay tuned as things are starting to get exciting around here....

{{Hugs}}

Ahhh Just Enjoying the Little Things!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, I did! I ran into an old co-worker in the supermarket of all places. He and I worked together 20 years ago...so weird that it has been that long. It was really good to see him though. My sister stopped over with 2 of my nephews on Saturday and we laughed and talked. She was full of smiles and so happy.  I love my sister's boys too..all 5 of them, they are so sweet and well behaved!
I have really stepped back and looking at life differently lately. It really feels good too! I spent the weekend doing a little sewing. I have to get this  Gingerbread Girl Ornament in the mail to my friend and it is coming out so cute. I will post a picture soon. Oh yeah and Friday my 3 y/o and I made a heart shaped pillow for Valentine's Day. She did a great job but then pulled it apart later...oh well!
I just had to write this...I found out today that I have a blog stalker! How creepy! Her name is Linda and she is from somewhere in a very dark place from Our past. When I blog I usually type feeling that I am writing to friends, family from a far, and customers but never stopped to think that sad scarey, unhappy, mean people would be reading my blog just to find out things about myself and my husband...I just wanted to share this because you might want to rethink what you write and WHO is reading it!!!!
Thanks Again for Reading {{{{HUGS}}}
Jen

Must have been a long walk for that recipe..LOL

Howdy Folks!

Sorry it took me SO long to post again. Before I forget here is the totally awesome Chocolate recipe I promised and you can find the recipe here:

  http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/29908/Chocolate-Marshmallow-Mile-High-Squares/detail.aspx
These would make a great Valentine's Day gift also. I do not add the nuts and I do not add the butterscotch bits but you may want to.
So here is what has been going on with me...Jan. 12th was my 44th Birthday :( And it was one of the worst days I have had in a VERY long time. I got a call from my husband around lunch time saying that there was an accident at work and he lost all of his teeth..then he said I am on my way to the hospital and I will call you later. I was so upset not hearing from him then for hours..the day totally dragged and I was worried sick. By evening I started making phone calls and trying to find him and find out what was going on...I finally got hold of his boss and able to talk to someone that was with him. He had surgery and came home around 9pm. He looked like someone beat him up. This will be a long recovery for him...poor guy he can hardly eat!
Then a few days later my son Sean and his wife CC came home for a visit...YAY! I met my Granddaughter for the 1st time...so sweet. She is only 3 months old

The day Sean arrived my other son Braeden left to hang steel in NC. What a day! When they got here we all got sick, including the baby :( and woke up one morning with no heat. We called the landlord only to find that one of the kids flipped the emergency switch on the wall by accident and shut off the oil burner...Oops...Sorry to have made you come over here 1st thing in the morning Mr Landlord...he he  Anywho, needless to say there has not been a whole lot of crafting going on here.
I re-opened Log Cabin Crafters on Etsy (www.logcabincrafters.etsy.com) and cleaning out some of my business supplies so head over for some good deals! Here is an example of what is up for sale

Thanks for reading...until next time,
Jen

Getting Excited for the BIG MAN in RED!!!

I stayed up late last night working on another Wall Plaque. I love making them but this is only the second one so I am still not very confident in my work yet. What do you think?

I am not exactly sure what to charge for them either...I am thinking maybe $6 - $8? Anyway, I was shopping and saw this beautiful wreath and I really wanted it but it was $30 and lets face it I think like a crafter...hmmm I can make that! So I grabbed myself a plain wreath and well...WALA here it is

I think it turned out okay! On my last post I promised I would add a picture of my Prim Mart Ornie Swap Tree, So here it is: 

Sorry it isn't the best picture but the Ornaments are so beautiful and everyone involved is so talented.

I decided to share some of my Holiday Decorating pics with you...I LOVE Elves...

Another Totally Awesome Crafter....

I was in search of some Thanksgiving Decor and upon searching the web I found this wonderful site http://www.oakhillcrafts.com/store/Default.asp, and after placing an order for this Turkey: 

and a really nice conversation on the telephone, I realized this was a very talented and sweet woman. You can tell from her work that she really puts her heart into it. I also found out that she is one of my Prim Sistas...Today I went to the mailbox to discover that this wonderful woman (Dawn) sent me the most beautiful handmade Christmas Ornaments with the names of my children on them. I almost cried when I saw them. I don't think anyone has ever done anything so nice for me! Here are the pictures of the Ornie:

Aren't these beautiful?! Please go over to her website and checkout her products, you won't be sorry you did.

I have been busy with some hand sewing. I decided to make some Ginerbread Man Ornaments. They have been listed on my website and I hope you adore them as much as I do.

Until next time...Have a wonderful weekend Everyone!
{{HUGS}}
Jen

In Need of a Good Soup Recipe?

I found this recipe in a magazine and ripped it out. I pulled out the pile of recipes that I have been saving and started trying them and WOW...this is one soup that my entire family LOVES..which is rare!
It only takes a few minutes to create and it makes a ton of soup that you can freeze for another day. It is called Hamburger Vegetable Soup:

1 pound Ground BIeef
1 medium Onion, chopped
1/2 large Green pepper, diced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
8 cups Beef Broth
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 can Green beans
1 can (8 oz) Tomato sauce
1 cup Ditalini pasta
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dried Oregano
1 tsp. dried Basil
1/2 t. Pepper

In a Dutch oven or Frying Pan, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. I put this and the remaining ingredients in a crock pot and place it on low until we are ready to eat. If you want to eat it right away you can mix all ingredients in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Give this a try, you won't be sorry that you did.

Friday night was the 1st time my husband and I got out alone in a year. We went to the Local 11 Ironworkers Dinner Dance...What a beautiful place and the food was to die for. It was funny, but I realized that we didn't say one word on the hour drive there. I think we were both enjoying the silence for a change. Unfortunately, the Malibu Bay Breezes went down so smooth that the next morning was painful!LOL

My Princess got a new toy. If she is going to drive Quarter Midgets in a few years we figure she better get started now!

I had some time this weekend to create this Scrabble Tile Pendant. It will be loaded onto http://www.logcabincrafters.com/ by tomorrow evening if you are interested in purchasing one!

As always Thanks for Reading,

{{HUGS}}

Jen

Puttin On My Super Cape

Wow, things are getting crazy but I love it! I love the Fall and everything that goes with it...Pumpkins, the smell of burning leaves, Halloween decor, Trick or Treating, Pumpkin Pie, Pumkin Bread....etc
By the grace of God we got through a very horrible two plus weeks of illness in our home. My son Ryan had Bronchitis and then sweet little Ava got Pneumonia...very scarey stuff!
I am patiently waiting the birth of my 1st Grand Child, due on Oct. 7th....(patiently? ha..everytime the phone rings and it is my sons ringtone I run to get it)I just can't believe my son is gonna be a Daddy. Oh how I wish they lived closer so we can watch HER (Laila) grow up in person...
On the business front, I have several Craft shows coming up so I am squeezing in some creative time in between breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here is a picture of a few new Hair Clips I will be adding to my shop this week:

Bootiful Ghost Clip

Up Town Turkey Clip

Tom Turkey

Frosty Snowman Clip

3D Pumpkin Clip

On the flip side, for Log Cabin Crafters I have been making some Christmas Ornies (pics to come shortly) and Spooky Candy Corns which my adorable 3y/o call Corny Cornies...lol
I have decided to make some blogging changes so please check back as I add some Country Home pictures and recipes. I am looking into advertising in the Country Sampler Magazine. It is a great magazine for Country and Prim lovers, and has lots of talented Artists and Home Decor Ideas! I will keep you posted on that.
Well as usual thank for reading
{{{Hugs}}}  Jen

Got Spring??? Me Neither but I am Pretending...

H ey Check these out! Make you think of Spring??? I hope so. I have a show coming up next weekend at the Springtown Fire House in Springtown, PA. I made these adorable Peeps and Faux Chocolate Bunnies...can't wait to see if they sell...Keep your fingers crossed. What doesn't sell at the show on Saturday will be posted on my Log Cabin Crafters.com store!

Then while being snowed in AGAIN...I decided to make this cute Easter Bunny Clippie. This is available in my Log Cabin Crafters.com shop and in my Little Pags Boutique Etsy shop.
Well I gotta get busy packaging, labeling etc.. for the show...
Thanks for reading...until next time
Janette

Whatcha working on Wed.?

Here is the Tooth Fairy Pillow finished!!! Yay.. I will be listing it in my shop tomorrow. I am also working on some new Hair Pretties for the Spring.

I had to mention the tragic death in our family last weekend...It has been so hard to watch my brother Dwight and his wife Rose go through this horrible ordeal. Rose's son Billy suffered a brain anurism last Sunday, he was only 23 years old and only married for a short time. He was a nice kid and always smiling. I know my SIL is in for a rough road especially when my nephew Danny starts asking for his big brother. My love and prayers go out to both of them....The funeral is on Friday.

We are also looking at houses AGAIN, there are just too many things wrong with our current rental but I am really not looking forward to moving...UGH

Thanks for reading,
Jen

Some New and Totally Cool Pendants!

Gotta LOVE these Peace Sign Scrabble Tile Necklaces...take a look at them here:
http://www.littlepagsboutique.etsy.com/ I just love all of the colors. Just a short post today to spread the news of my new products but gotta finish my Salon display and get ready for my last show of this year! Here is a pic of one of the new Hair Clippie's I have added this week..

Thanks for looking and I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving!

Jen

Time To Give Thanks...

It's that time again...you know when you put on that extra 5 lbs or so...

Thanksgiving! I love the smells and all of the different flavors of the Holidays, don't you... I am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving differently this year...with a really special HS friend and her family....

Ava is talking up a storm these days, mostly yelling NO...but she says it so sweet...lol My 18 y/o Braeden has moved into his own apartment...wooo hoo for him and me! My oldest son Sean is in the US Army and just moved to Ft. Bragg, NC with his new wife Felecia and there he will be Airborne. He still has a while before deployment, so I am very Thankful for that. Ryan is 15 but still my Baby Boy, he is in honors classes and very much into body building these days! Look out ladies...

Business has been up and down for me...unfortunately! I am doing a craft show at Palisades H.S. on November 21st, let's hope it is a good turn out. I am making myself a promise to get all of my guide classes in for my new Bernina by the beginning of January....then I will be able to offer embroidery. I can't wait to do that, it will open so many other crafting doors for me...

Here are some adorable Earrings and Hair Clippies I have made for my shops and craft shows:

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Thanksgiving Everyone! Jen {{{hugs}}}

Chilly and Chillin'

Wooo Whooo it is COLD outside....

I don't really like to be cold but I love the cold weather season....Does that make sense??lol

I couldn't live without winter completely but I would like to experience Fall first. It is getting cold to quickly. I decided to take some time away from the business and relax and then business picked up....Murphy's Law right?!

So here I sit with the hubby watching the Nascar race on tv and making Holiday Hair Clippies for a sizeable wholesale order that needs to ship first thing on Monday.

I have been sewing my buns off making Christmas Ornaments and Tooth Fairy Pillows.

Please keep checking my shops for the new holiday products I will be adding. Oh and I added my Little Pags Boutique Facebook page here to the right, click on it and add yourself as a fan to follow my business updates and be entered to win a free product!!!

Thanks for reading,

Jen

Sometimes You Have To Dig Deep....

Sometimes I feel like I have to dig so much deeper to find my happy place! Ever feel like that? I know I have it better than a lot of other people do but life just seems so hard at times. I have lots to be grateful for but every now and then I just wish things were easier or would go as I planned, you know?! Maybe it is just lack of sleep!

I have been working on some cute Fall Felt Hair Cippies and trying my hand at some new things. More Tooth Fairy Pillows will be coming to LogCabinCrafters.com in the next week or so! I will be running random weekly specials through September in both of my shops so please keep checking them.

I am really enjoying watching Ava grow. I guess because I am an older Mom and at a slower pace than when I had my other children but I get so much joy from her laughter and listening in her doorway while she sings along with the music video's on Noggin. Here is a recent pic.

As Always, Thanks for reading :)

Janette

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Isn't that soooo true?! Well, and the Happily Ever After.

I want to have fun but I had to get some work done first so...tada! More scrabble tile necklaces:

I am also running an early Back to School Special in my Etsy Shop. It is a BOGO 1/2 Off Sale...This sale will run until Sept. 1st

Okay, Now the Fun Part....I bought Ava a baby pool and Wow best $12.99 I ever spent. She loves it and doesn't want to get out, which means no running away down the street or hanging out at the edge of our pond! Peace for Mom.

And Lastly...The Happily Ever After Part: Daddy and I got a babysitter for the 1st time and went to the Pocono 500 Race...It was Awesome!

Thanks for reading :O}

Jen

Who? What? Where?

Ever have one of those days when you feel like you just can't keep it all straight in your head?! That is me these days! I have such a crazy life but I really wouldn't want it any other way...I think that is what is keeping me so young looking!!!LOL

My son (Private Kindess, I love it...sounds kinda funny doesn't it) just left for the Army on the 30th of March....I was not taking it very well at first but after hearing from him on the phone a few times I feel much better about it. He says it is hard but he likes it! Good for him. I couldn't be more proud. Pour little Ava runs around the house looking for him when I mention his name. It is so cute. I am hoping to teach her his name before we go to his graduation in Ft. Jackson.

Here is a new cutie for my shop:

She is Tess the Turtle. She is a Hair Clippie Holder. You can find her at www.logcabincrafters.com. I will also be offering supplies in my shop, such as: fabric, die cut flowers etc... I have got lots of new ideas brewing!

Thanks for reading,

Janette

February Giveaway !!!!!!

Better late than never...I have been sort of crazy and didn't get to post on Sunday. What else is new right?! So I am giving away a set of 4 Heart Bowl Fillers. They are sooo cute and 100% made by me.

Sorry the bowl is NOT included in this giveaway.

So here are the rules: I am sorry but the giveaway is open to US residents only! (1)Please leave a comment here for a chance to win. (2) For another chance to win go to either of my Etsy shops and leave a comment about a product that you like. (3) For another chance to win become a Follower of my blog and leave me a comment letting me know you did. Please make sure you leave me a valid email address or another way to get in touch with you.

I will choose a winner on Saturday, February 7th at midnight. I may use random.org to choose the winner if I can figure out how to...LOL I will notify the winner on Sunday morning. Good luck and thanks for your interest in my products!!!!

Anniversary Weekend!!!!

Well this Saturday is our wedding anniversay! 5 wonderful years of non stop happiness!!!! Yeah, right, who am I kidding. We have had more troubles then most (the loss of a child, his "friend" embezzeled all the money from his company and left us holding the IRS issues, the ups and downs of raising his, mine and ours, then his leaving and not speaking to him, child support, loss of our log cabin on 10 acres and our vehicles etc..but we remain strong through it all.. He is my best friend! We will probably just stay at home like we always do and celebrate with a glass of wine and a big fat kiss!LOL

I decided on the Heart Bowl Fillers for the February Giveaway!

I will post the rules for the contest in my next post! I will run the contest the first week of February. These bowl fillers are handmade by me. The actual bowl fillers that you receive may differ from those pictured here. They may differ in sayings and colors.

I wanted to take a moment and tell you about a product I received in my Out of the Box Sampler. It was from a Company called Twist of Taste. She also has a Etsy Shop. Her Chocolate breakaways and Covered Pretzels are to die for. I emailed her to let her know that we loved it and will be back for more. Turns out she lives right near me too. Check out her products it is worth the look www.twistoftaste.etsy.com and also go to www.outoftheboxsampler.com to see what Michelle has in store for Februarys box.

I also have a few other things that I have purchased from Etsy sellers that I would like to tell you about: I got the most adorable necklases (one for me and one for Ava) from Reillybelle shop. Here is the link to the necklace http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15715107.

The other was an adorable Diaper Bag from Cutestitch's Etsy shop. Here is link to the bag I got http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20039035 her prices are great and I love the personalization of name, hair color etc...

Until next time enjoy your weekend everyone;)

Christmas Came and Went!

Wow, Christmas seemed to have come so fast and before I knew it, it was over! I really enjoyed Christmas this year. We kept it simple...NO CREDIT CARD USEAGE!!! Stayed within our budget and everyone got what they wanted.

I really missed Church this year though. Ava would have screamed through the whole thing. We went out to dinner for Christmas Eve and she only lasted 5 minutes and started crying...Toddler's oh what joy. Babysitter you say....Ha I wish! Here is my little stinker Ava. Here is the picture we sent with our Christmas Cards (Above)....And here is the real Ava

I don't think this one will ever be sent in a Christmas Card! Glad we can laugh about it!

I got some Scarey, exciting news this Holiday. My oldest son Sean (23 y/o) told me that he just enlisted in the US Army. Wow!!! I love him crazy and it scares me to death. But I am also so proud of him. We have some time before he leaves at the end of March. Here we are on Christmas morning together...Gee can you tell I am tired, I think the black circles give me away!

I got spoiled by Santa.... He is so good to me. And it is funny he still looks just like he did when we dated at the age of 14.

He got me a Blackberry phone and I have no idea how to use it but I will figure it out. I am pretty sure I can use it for sales at shows using email with PayPal??!!

Frank was also so gracious to model my finished Porta Portese Bag. This bag is so sturdy you can carry a laptop in it and there are no seems in the bottom so it will not tear. I will be adding these to my http://www.logcabincrafters.etsy.com/ shop soon...so stop by and look at it if you are interested.

Funny now as I think of it, we were the same age as my youngest son Ryan (14) pictured here when we met in school.

I got another Out of the Box Sampler this month and Again WOW... Tons of Awesome samples. Whatever I didn't keep I gave away to my son's girlfriends. Earrings, Candles, bath soaps, body lotions, dip mixes....I will be more specific in my next post because I don't have the product names in front of me right now but want to blog about my personal favs....



Hope you all had a Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday and A Most Happy, Joyful New Year with Lots of Love all around you!!!! From my home to yours HAPPY 2009 Everyone!!!!

Time To Relax

We had some time to relax and put the star and lights on the Christmas tree with Ava, the rest of the ornaments we will do with all of the boys this week.

Well, I got through the weekend somehow. The Elementary School show was a success, sales were pretty good considering the economy. The majority of products that I sold were scarves, scrabble tile necklaces and hair clippies (the cheaper singles instead of sets).

Now it is time to relax and sew. I have been working on a new bag called the Porta Portese. It is so pretty and I can't wait to list it on Log Cabin Crafters. I have so many items that I have not listed. I just finished a brand new quilted make-up bag. If you are a quilter you will love this bag. The fabric I used is just too cute. I also have several hipster purses that will be added this week so be sure to check these out on http://logcabincrafters.etsy.com/

There will be lots of new things listed on Little Pags Boutique also. I have Pacifier Clips, Hand Knit Hats in different sizes and more Scrabble Tile Pendants coming soon....

I wanted to send out a Congratulations to the winner of my Credit Card Wallet on EtsyKids 12 Days of Christmas!

I had been trying to decide what type of advertising I would do next, and starting searching the web. I stumbled on Out Of The Box Sampler. I really wanted to see for myself what they were all about and were they any good? So I ordered a box. Wow, I was impressed! Just the smell coming from the box had me excited to open it. When I opened the box I could not believe the amount of samples in it. Very impressive. I will definitely be sending in some of my samples as soon as I can get enough created. Check them out for yourself: http://outoftheboxsampler.com

Thanks for reading!