My first Etsy order!!!

Hey all!

So Friday night, I am sitting on the couch talking with my girls, about some random stuff that was happening. During a moment on silence, we all hear this 'Cha-Ching" sound. We look at the TV and nothing. I grab my phone and say "I wonder what that....I wonder if I got an Etsy order?!"  Then nice and calm, but with excitement "OMG, i did! I just got my first Etsy order!!!!!!!!!"

The girls started cheering for me and chanting. And the best thing of all...I DID NOT know the person. A total random stranger, saw my Etsy page, and actually WANTS something I made.

I was beyond excited. Its now after 10pm on a Friday night and i wanted to get to work right away. But I need more supplies. Saturday I got the order done and, now, as I type, its sitting next to me all ready to be shipped. it's only a $6 profit, but still...ITS A PROFIT!!! 

And last night, I got another order. Not on my Etsy shop, but a friend in-boxed me and asked for pricing and ideas. I'm so excited.

So stop on by, visit our shop or page. Tell a friend. Join us!!!  And thank you in advance for your support!!

Etsy Shop for 3LadyBug Crafts

Facebook page for 3 Ladybug Crafts

"My MS is worse then yours"

Hey all!

This post is going to be a little bit of a vent about my husbands MS.

But first a little brag -- I GOT MY FIRST ETSY ORDER LAST NIGHT!!! WOO HOO!!

OK back to the vent.

At this point in my life, I know a lot of people who have ailments or health issues. Heck, I have them.  However, the amount of time people take to complain about it, I find to be like they are grasping for sympathy votes.

I feel like my husband is in the middle of the spectrum of people around me who complain, so I kinda feel like we are not allowed to complain. (I think I've touched on this before in a past blog too).

It's hard for me to explain how I feel about this. I am by no means belittling others health issues, but i do feel that others sometimes take the begging for sympathy a little too far.

When I feel like others don't get what my husband goes through, I hear the voice of a friend who laughed one time  & made the joke that I sounded like a little kids saying "My MS is worse then yours is."  It was funny, but it is true and that's how I feel sometimes. Which is another reason why I try to not complain for my husband so much.

People often tell him to talk to others he knows who have MS....but his IS worse, I feel. I hate to say it. The other people he knows who have MS work 2 full time jobs, or don't work  but can take vacations across the country. He can't do any of that.

My husband can't take a day to the beach, then rest up for the next day or 2 just to continue on with his life. He can't walk from the car to the beach and sit in the sun for more then 5 minutes without being put in a paralyzed state and can't walk.  He would kill to be able to spend ONE day at the beach with his kids.  (I recently took the girls to the lake. I asked if he felt he could do it for an hour, as long as he was in the water, and he sadly shook his head 'No')

My husband can't work a full time job anymore. His body just won't allow it. But he still struggles every day he does work, to make it through that 3-5 hrs, just to help bring in a little money to the table... And typically he collapses as soon as he walks through the door. But then  an hour later, he is pushing himself to TRY to take his kids to the park even if only for 15 minutes... And typically he collapses as soon as he walks through the door.

My husband had off work today. He was home all day, and helped me clean up the house, because we were expecting guests.  We needed to make a few trips to the store - I went each time, as he was not feeling up to it. He went to run an errand, to a friends house, and had to rest when he got home because it was too hot out today.  He really wanted to do something with his kids today, so after dinner, we went to get water ice. Then we headed to the pier for a bit to watch the sunset. (all in our same little 2 mile x 2mile town). He proceeded to sit in the car alone, eating his water ice,  while I walked along the river with the girls....because he did too much today. He did a little cleaning, cooked some french fries, and went to a friends house for 30 mins......and that wore him out so much, he couldn't walk 1 block from the car to the river, for a night cap with his family.

So to see people complain about how their day out yesterday, ruined today for them.....kind of upsets me. My husband can't have a DAY out.

Now to move to the other side of the 'who has it worse" spectrum. My mother....permanently disabled and only leaves her home once a week to get her blood taken.  A day where she feels good enough to go grocery shopping, is like a vacation for her.  She can't simply go to a friends house for a little bit or run out for water ice, like my husband can.

My point is.....we all have ailments. A lot of us have diseases that have ruined most of our lives. I just feel that constantly complaining about it,  does not help.  No matter what your situation is, be grateful for the good times and the good days, and keep in mind.........it could ALWAYS be worse. There are people out there WORSE off  then you. 

Liebster Award

I have been nominated for the Liebster Award!

A little fact for you...Liebster means beloved in German. The purpose of this award is to share the blogging love. 

I received this nomination from Melinda Roworth from Table of 5.  

I suggest you stop on by her page as well, to see what she has to say and has been up to.

In order to accept this nomination, I need to answer a few questions about my blog. So, here goes:

1.How did you decide on the title of your blog, and what’s it about?
My blog is mostly inspired by my 3 daughters so I used their initials - Madison, Isabel, and Ava...I am there mom aka Mama aka MamaMIA.

2.Where does your blogging inspiration come from?
My daughters and my simple life style. I like to blog about everything I do for them, way I keep my house running, and just our every day life and how it all works.

3.Can you give 11 random facts about yourself?

Oiy - 11, that's a lot. Let's try this........ I am technically an only child but have 7 siblings. I lived in FL from 3-10 yrs. Other then that I am a Jersey girl!!!  I have known my husband for 17 yrs.  My oldest friend I have known for almost 30 yrs.  I don't like to drive highways and avoid them at all costs.  The house we live in is the first time I have lived in a house and not an apartment...I prefer apartment living. My daughters were all born within the first 15 mins. on a Friday morning. My oldest was born on my due date. I like to be schedule oriented...I freak out if I am 5 minutes late for anything.  I am trying to start a crafting business on Etsy, and although I am not getting sales, I am getting tons of good luck signs in my life.  (I don't know if that's 11 but I am drawing a blank now and done)

4.What is your favorite country, city or place you have visited?
I guess I would say up north in Maine and NH. Its where my husband is from. I would never want to move there, but it was nice to visit. (I posted a blog within the last week about our big trip there)

5.If money was no object, briefly describe the holiday you would take?
I would take my children to Disney World. But then the following week, me and hubby would escape to the Poconos or someplace woodsy with a lake and shopping. 

6.If you had 3 wishes, what would they be?

For financial wealth without being rich. For there to be a cure for my husbands MS. For my children to grow up happy and successful.

7.What is one country in the world you would like to visit? Why?

The UK - I have always wanted to visits England. I don't really know why.

8.What are you currently watching or reading?
Not currently reading, as I really don't have much time for it. I typically just watch reality shows...or whatever Nick or Disney show the girls are watching.

9.A long-lost relative leaves you a large sum of money. What do you do with it?

Depends on the amount, but moving and a 2nd new car would be high up on the list, AFTER I pay all my husbands medical debt.

10.What is something you do when you need to take time for yourself?

Just sit and watch TV shows I've missed or movies I want to see. My goal when I have time to do nothing is to do exactly that....NOTHING.

11.Where do you see yourself in five years time?
I am really not sure...I surprisingly don't have a plan for my life. And when you have family members who have ,medical issues, you kind of just live day to day, in the best way you can.

The next nominees I have chosen are below:

Patrick Weseman from Adventures in Weseman 
Lr Jamison (Lowanda) from Sunshine and Elephants
Kristine Hart from The Blue Blanket 
Angie Pennington from Sparklerparties 
 
I nominate you for the Liebster Award.

Your mission, should you choose to accept:

Answer the eleven questions given to you below.

Please comment on this post with your link when you are done so I can see your answers!

In your post, link back to the person/blog who nominated you and give a little thank you shout out. Be sure to display the your Liebster Award proudly on your post.

After completing the questions, nominate 11 or less bloggers with under 1000 followers on the social media platform of your choice and give them eleven questions of your choice.

Notify your nominees of their nomination, and provide a link to your post so that they know what to do.

Your Questions to Answer:
1 - How long have you been blogging?
2 - Is blogging your full time job, or a hobby?

3 - What do you hope to gain from blogging?
4 - Where do you live?
5 - Are you happy with where you live?
6 - Do  you feel you live a life as a realist or someone who always lives in the moment?
7 - Are you where you thought you would be in life, at this stage of you life?
8 - If you are on a journey right now, to make changes in your life, what are they?
9 - What are some of your favorite things to blog about?
10 - Do you come from a large family?
11 - Do you have a large family or are you more of a loner?


Thank you for being involved and I can't wait to check out your posts!! See you soon!!

 

The Best Trip of My Life - New England

Hey all!


Although I have children, the best trip of my life was before we had children. Before we got married. It was an "on the whim' trip.

My husbands family offered us to come visit their cabin in Maine, on a lake. It was very last minute, I really wanted to say NO because I didn't have time to think about it, but I am glad I went along for the ride. It ended up being a week long trip of sight seeing, adventure hikes, and meeting most of his family for the first time.

Before I met my husband, I have not really seen much of the east coast, outside of FL and NJ. And he loved that he could be the one to show me all the things I had never seen before. So this was his chance to show me HIS neck of the woods - New England.

First we drove from Southern NJ to the cabin in St. Albans, ME. It was a long drive and a little eerie. the further into ME we went, the less civilization we saw.  I don't have many pictured there because we only stayed for a week. I will admit, I had a bit of a priss attack with the fact there was no running water and we had to use an outhouse that was about 25 feet from the cabin, in the dark. So we only stayed one night, but it was still...an adventure.

After we left the cabin, (and found a restroom I could use) we continued our venture through Maine.  Very calming. ( I apologize for the quality of the, it was about 15 yrs ago & they didn't scan very well) 

We did end up stopping along the way Bar Harbor, ME. Again, did a little sight seeing and some shopping at the little town.

While in Maine, we also check out some cool ocean scenes and lighthouses.

We made our way to the White Mountain area in NH. We visited Flume Gorge and did some scenic hiking through there. There were lots of rocks and streams. We even got to see the now iconic and non-existent Man in the Mountain.

 Finally we entered into Rochester, New Hampshire, where Brian's family lived. He hadn't spoken to them in a while. So we did stop in for a visit, so I could meet the parents and all. That led to us going to this persons house and that persons house.
So after a day of visiting the soon to be in-laws, we drive to Lake Winnipesaukee NH. We got a cute little cottage on the lake of Wiers Beach.

 View from the porch of our cottage, over the lake.

 It was so peaceful. The room was a bit small but just sitting on the porch, people watching...

Our venture back home and making more pit stops in Mystic Seaport, Conn...

...and Providence, RI. The city was so clean and not overly crowded. I wouldn't mind going back there someday.

 

 Although we did tons of sight seeing, and family meeting, all squeezed into one trip, it was so nice because we were both just going with the flow. We had no agenda and no pre-made plans. We were just there to enjoy each other and life. And that is what we did.

I failed to mention, this trip was not long after we reconciled after a 6 month split. We did a lot of realizations on this trip about our relationship and decided we weren't going to mess it up again. Once we got home, we even began ACTUALLY planning our wedding.
Also, this trip is where we named our first daughter Madison. We were talking about names of our first child and throwing names around. We were thinking of name by the signs we saw along the way. We liked Madison, and we from there began to see signs of it everywhere. And that was that. 

Now when I think of my perfect vacation, and what I would want to do if we could afford one, my thoughts go right back to this time.

Seasonal Wreaths

Hey all!

Below is the latest and greatest from the 3LadyBugCrafts Etsy and FB shops.

Its the time of year, when people start to decorate for one of the best seasons of the year - FALL!!!

I call this one the August Wreath. Its bright and summer, but I feel is a good transition into fall with its orange and yellow.

Once Summer is gone, I like to tone down the brights and bring in the bolds. I call the one below the September Wreath.

If you like what you see and would like to place and order, please head over to out Etsy shop below. We would love to see you!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/3LadybugCrafts

https://www.facebook.com/3ladybugcrafts

5 ways to keep kids entertained in the summer

Hey all!


Summertime is here here, and if you have kids, you probably hear "I'm bored" all the time. Especially if you are not in a financial spot to enroll your kids in day camps, and you find you are home a lot.

Well, I have come up with a list of things to do, that are low costs or no costs. Some are regular day to day things you might already do, but if you learn how to space it out, these might help you through the summer.

 Find a new far away playground. Yes, we probably take our kids to playgrounds all the time. But what if we ventured out a bit more. Do some research and see if you can find a bigger better playground, not so close to home, and make it an adventure. First, if you travel further, it will take up more of the day. Next, its more exciting for the kids to check out this NEW place. Last, since it is new, you will get in MORE playtime there, then just going to the same local parks you are used to.

Along the lines of a playground, find one with lots of other land. Take a hike/walk around the area and explore.  A park near the woods, can always turn into an adventure as well. You can usually look up your state parks online to find these.





While looking up state parks, see if you can find a local swimming lake. I have found that some can be a little pricey, but if you find a state run park, you might be able to find a lake to swim at for less then $10 a day. Pack a lunch and some beach gear, and head the waters of a lake.

Bowling alleys have summer deals you can sign up for. In our area, we can get free games for the kids. All you have to pay for is shoe rental.







Check out your local craft stores to see if they have free craft classes. For instance, our local store AC Moore has weekly crafts for 2 hrs, one day a week, where they provide the tools and you can do a "make & take' craft.

Check your local library for free things as well. Our schools send home lists of free events that our library has each week, for kids to attend. Just last week, my kids saw a magic show and they loved it.

These are just a few ideas I thought of.  Most of you may know these tricks already, but some of you all might new to the summertime boredom years of childhood.

Hope this helps and inspires you to try to find fun low cost things to keep your children occupied on those long summer days! 

"C" monogram in Rustic theme

Hey all!

Wanted to share with you my latest creation for the Etsy shop. My cousin asked for a monogram with a rustic theme, specifically NO WHITE.  She also stated their colors were muted blues & greens.

I was out getting supplies for another project, came across a few backgrounds I likes, and sent her pics. They chose the wooden planks.
Along with that, I found some sprigs of green leaves, that looked almost camo like, so I grabbed those.
Last, I came across a video that showed how to make felt flowers. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy. I have actually made quit a few of them now, to keep on hand for future projects.

Below is the finished result.

If you like what you see, please head on over to our shop 3LADYBUGCRAFTS on Etsy and Facebook. Hope to see you there!!

https://www.facebook.com/3ladybugcrafts

https://www.etsy.com/listing/239656748/rustic-monogram

New business aka 2nd job - SIGH

Hey all!

I apologize, as I have been missing lately. But its for a good reason. As you most likely know, I have recently started up an Etsy shop. Which has now become a 2nd job for me. My time seems to be...all over the place.

I still have my full time job; I couldn't survive without it. However, now that Dance and school is over, I am finding I have more time & money to do crafting, for the Etsy shop.  At first I was just doing some items for wedding gifts, or just for the heck of it, to practice and have something to post. However, along with that, I have been researching on how Etsy works, and how to network, and what products are out there that people are buying.

I created a Facebook page for the Etsy shop as well, and have been joining some local crafter's groups there. That has now brought some opportunities to me, that I can't take right now, but are pushing me to do MORE.  I have been approached a few times, asking to join local craft fairs, but......I need to have product built up to sell on the spot. And I don't yet. All of my items were custom made. And it seems I am not getting the custom made requests.

So I am branching out and doing some more generalized, ready to sell NOW items. And its a time killer, but I am having fun doing it! I know its only July, but I am going to start working on some stuff for Fall and Halloween right now. Then once the girls are back in school, I am thinking of starting on items for the holidays. Fingers crossed, that holiday onlie shoppers see me and like my work.

I hope you all decide to come visit the shop and share our work, as we are about to add a lot of items to it. Again, this is to help us sign our girls up for dance and keep them in the classes they love so much! Thank you!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/3LadybugCrafts

https://www.facebook.com/3ladybugcrafts

Hand Made nail polish rack

Hey all!

Hubby finally finished the first of a bunch of nail polish racks. These were hand made by him and measure about 24in x 24in. Finished in black textured paint, that gives a slight glittery effect.

Please stop by our Etsy shop and Facebook page (links below) to see what other items we have to offer. New items are being added all the time. If you like something you see, feel free to message us for custom orders as well.

Remember, this is to help raise money so our 3 daughter can go back to their dance classes they love so much. Thank you for your support!!!

https://www.facebook.com/3ladybugcrafts

https://www.etsy.com/shop/3LadybugCrafts?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Exciting Sunday for the girls

Hey all!

So this past weekend was packed with fun new things the girls got to experience. All in ONE day.

My dad is a member of the Shriner's in NJ, and bought these tickets for the circus show they have been doing the last few years.  The last couple of years, I haven't really been interested, or the car was running crappy. Well this year, new car, i thought WHY NOT?  We can't give the girls a "summer vacation", so we want to try to let them experience new things this summer, on a smaller budget. And my father already had the tickets, so we went. He tagged along with us too,which was cool, because he got the see the girls genuine reactions, at their very first circus.

As soon as we got there, they insisted on going for an elephant ride. Well...Pop-Pop didn't say no, so........  

I was shocked none of them were afraid of it at all. Right up, no issues or hesitance.

Then it was time for the main event....which ran about 30 minutes late, so trying to avoid snacks until intermission, was a bust.

The Ooohhh's and Aaaahhh's that we heard, were so full of joy and excitement, I think a tear came to my eye. I just spent most of the time listening to their reactions. It was awesome!
And then, towards the end, we were able to check out the animals that were in the petting zoo area. I am in love with this shot of Madison feeding the baby giraffe. She could have stayed there all day.

Once we got done there, my mom was upset that she had to miss the fun too and wanted to do something special with them as well, so she made reservations for Bennihanna. Another first for the girls. Ava & Isabel had all of the staff hysterical with how honest and blunt they were about things. It was really an experience. (again)

All in all, it was a good day!!! And the girls had memorable experiences they will never forget!