Limefreckle

House Tour - The Craft cellar

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

When we bought the house, "a roughed in wine cellar" was part of the description in the listing. Now I don't know much about wine cellars, no wine lasts long enough in this house to require "cellaring", but I do know that the room would require a thermostat, so that you can "cellar" your wine at the appropriate temperature. So calling this a wine cellar was a bit generous on the part of the old owners....really it was just a small room with fancy doors and panelling on the walls. I really wasn't sure WHAT to do with it! It stored a lot of stuff for awhile, and looked like this:

We had stored two bookshelves in there, and one day it struck me.....we could just leave those shelves in that room, and make it a mini craft room for me. So this mess became this:

I bought these baskets with white board on them, so you can write down the contents. I have ribbon, craft supplies, a variety of different things, and the top houses my jewelry on displays.

In the corner I have gift wrap, gift bags, and basket wrap

the nook in one corner is perfect as a wrapping station. I bought tension curtain rods to hang tissue from. Underneath are rolling carts that house gift tags, decorations etc.

The other nook is a little messy right now, I use it for mailing supplies and excess jewelry.

and, in the spirit of full disclosure, there is my "I don't know what to do with these things" corner, where things live if they fit into the space. It was hard moving into this house...much less storage than I was used to.

One of these days I'm going to grout that shelf (a mosaic I made awhile back) and do something with it!

House Tour - first stop - the Basement!

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've never really properly shown everyone a tour of our house, which we moved into one year ago, in January 2011. We have done some renos -- most notably the kitchen, which was completely gutted and redone. Other rooms we wallpapered, painted, we moved our washer/dryer unit from a tight fit laundry room on the main floor, to the basement....and redid that main floor laundry room into a mudroom. We still have the master bath to redo, but otherwise, we are done.

So, I thought I'd do a series of blog posts, and show you the house. We will start from the bottom up:

OUR BASEMENT ROOM:

This is what it looked like when we came to view the house:

and this is what it looks like now.... (slightly different angle)

another view..... (Rufus wouldn't move)

we really liked the yellow sectionals that they had, so, seeing as we had planned to buy new furniture for the basement, we didn't change any of the paint colours etc. we just bought sofas and chairs to match. This is an IDEAL place for family movie night, it's the best TV in the house, and so of course Limefreckle Jr. pretty much has taken over this room for himself.

this was before.....

and now.. (again, with the dog....)

I took these pictures after the house had just been cleaned. I am lucky enough to have a cleaning lady every week. Literally MINUTES after I took these pics....this is what was going on....

and the floor looked like this.....

and it will most likely remain that way, until NEXT week when I run around like a lunatic the morning that the cleaning lady is due to arrive, and put everything back into those baskets.

Stay tuned for my next blog post.....what we did with the wine cellar..... (again, with the dog....)

Pinterest Picks

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I seem to be starting a trend on Fridays, listing my favourite Pinterest finds. Here's is what spoke to me this week.....

love this little door, found it thru my Mom. Must try to make this come summertime.

Pinned here.

Well said. Pinned here

great storage idea! Pinned here

another pin I got from my Mom. She gives me lots of decorating inspiration!

Pinned here.

These look so yummy! Must try! Pinned here

And this made me smile. Pinned here

Workshop update

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've listed this new necklace in my shop.....so pretty, love the aqua colour of these Swarovski crystals, called Pacific Opal.

If you are interested, you can find it here. Watch for more to be posted soon, I made a bunch this style, in different colours.

Swarovski crystal earring tutorial

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

One of the really great things about being a jewelry designer, is that you always having something appropriate for every outfit. I've been known to sit down a few minutes before I leave the house, to whip up a pair of earrings to go with my ensemble.

These took a little longer than a couple of minutes to make, I needed something to wear to a recent Christmas/birthday party we attended, so these earrings were born.

I'm not gonna lie, cutting the tiny sterling silver chain to each be the exact length can be a PITA, but otherwise these were a breeze to make.

If you are NOT interested in making them yourself....fear not, I can make them for you! You can find them listed here in my shop.

First, I will give you a list of supplies:

2 18mm crystal swarovski nuggets, the swarovski code is 5520 graphic if you are looking for the exact bead. Any large nugget will do.

Small chain, I used 1mm by 0.5mm. THAT is why it was such a pain to cut! I cut up 10 2" sections, used 5 per earring to create the tassel. The small chain, I think, is essential to creating the tassel.

I also used 22 gauge silver wire to thread the swarovski nugget on. 22 gauge is my favourite gauge to work with, but 20 would be good too. 18 is just a bit TOO heavy, and 24 too light, but if that's what you have on hand, then go for it.

thread the small chain onto the bottom of the wire, double wrapping it for strength. I ALWAYS double wrap my loops, I think that it's imperative if you are wanting to make jewelry to last, and it's really not that difficult to do. If you're not sure how, search You Tube, I'm sure you will find a tutorial of this technique. Thread an earwire at the top end, double wrap again, then repeat the process for the second earring.

That's it! Really, like I said, the cutting of the chain to be sure it was all the exact same length was what was time consuming about this project. Otherwise it's easy-peasy! Hope you enjoy, and if you do recreate this I would love to see pictures!

Non-essential spending pledge - update

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not gonna lie, this non-essential spending pledge has been pretty hard so far.....and I'm only half way through month one! I thought when I took the pledge it would be a piece of cake.....but no, not so much! I am finding myself struggling more and more with what I consider to be "non essential".....ie. I've lost a fair amount of weight recently, and am continuing down that road.....my clothes are getting looser and looser....at what point do I replace them? I am very proud of all the hard work I have done to get myself to this point.....walking around in schleppy clothes just doesn't seem like I'm honouring my hard work very much! So I bought myself some new clothes, only to feel guilty that I'm not following "the pledge".

So, I'm re-evaluating........I think I would be much better off using a cash envelope system to give myself a certain amount of money each month......that way I'm not just saying "I'm not spending any money" because let's face it, that's not really realistic, and isn't going to last for the long term....there are going to be things that I want to buy, so I might as well budget for them.

I'm going to sit down today and portion out my money for the next 2 weeks, I think this system will work much better for me! Will keep you updated as I go along....

The Good Ole' Hockey Game, it's the best game you can name....

2012-01-16T08:25:00.004-05:00

Mr. Limefreckle and I don't really vacation very often. But we do, every once in awhile, have an overnight getaway. This past Saturday was one such occasion. Mr. Limefreckle had hockey tickets to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play the New York Rangers....so we dropped of Limefreckle Jr. for an overnight with his Nana, and headed to downtown Toronto. I took pictures, but forgot my camera, and had to use my iphone....my iphone 3.....definitely nothing to write home about in the camera department.....but I found some online images that will help me describe our evening....

We had reservations at my favourite hotel, Le Meridien King Edward ---- more commonly known as "The King Eddy".....we have stayed here before, luckily Mr. Limefreckle has a contact, and we can always get a good rate. And yes, found this picture on their website, most definitely my iphone 3 did NOT capture the lobby looking this good!

We knew we were in for a nice treat when we saw that our room was at the end of the hall with double doors.......a suite!

Our suite wasn't quite as fancy as this one, and there wasn't anyone doing turn down service when we arrived....but you get the picture....it was HUGE!

It was VERY cold on Saturday night. Winter had to choose the one time we head out for the night to arrive. No snow storm though, the last time I was downtown overnight I was meeting my cousin from Thunder Bay and we stayed at the King Eddy that night too. It was a huge snowstorm that night, but being two strong Northern Ontario girls we braved the elements and walked up Yonge Street to have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.....we felt perfectly in our element....

Anyway, it was too cold to go exploring, so we chose to have a drink in the bar at the hotel.....very cozy.....

Mr. Limefreckle, the workaholic, is actually relaxing....

Then it was time to head over to the game. I bundled up! That North Face jacket is REALLY warm!

We walked over to the game, about 10 minutes away. One thing about downtown Toronto. Although I am a Northern girl, and am used to the cold, there is something about those wind tunnels that all the tall buildings create that make the city seem SOOOO much colder! I worked downtown for 15 years and was instantly reminded exactly how cold it can get down there!

We had reservations at the Air Canada Club, which is a restaurant in the Air Canada Centre. It's fun, it's at the end of the arena, you have a great view overlooking the rink.....

Dinner was good....then on to our seats to watch the game. Sadly, the Rangers dominated....and the Leafs lost. But it's always fun to watch a game live. This particular night was Canadian Armed Forces night, and the pregame show was wonderful! A jeep drove onto the ice to deliver the puck, storm troopers descended from the rafters.....all very exciting! A huge Flag was unfurled in the crowd, Mr.Limefreckle said they do that at all the games now.....I thought it was just for that night....but either way, we felt proud to be Canadian!

The game would have been a whole lot more exciting if the Leaf's had won.....but it was fun to experience it live.....

we had great seats, not far up behind the net

Fortunately we were lucky enough to be seated behind two very exuberant Leaf fans! You know the types, the more they drink, the more they feel the need to critique the skills of the players on the ice! I always find it amusing.......It doesn't appear that these two had ever been drafted to the NHL, so I'm not exactly sure what gives fans the expertise to judge the professionals....but it makes for an interesting evening! These 2 had hockey gloves on that doubled as cup holders......they had me laughing, although poor Mr. Limefreckle, who was seated right behind them, had to keep ducking and bobbing, because anytime any action happened at the net, they were on their feet, coaching the players all they way!

After the game we went to check out the new bar beside the rink....but there was a line up to get in. I haven't stood in a line up since I was about 19. At some point in my life it seemed silly to line up to give an establishment my money...but I do love the excitement of downtown on a Saturday night!

This is my pic from my iphone

not my iphone

We headed back to the hotel, this time through the underground path system, which was a whole lot cozier! Back to our cozy suite, and cozy beds (the Kind Eddy has the most comfortable beds!!) It was a fun night out, thank you Mr. Limefreckle!

Pinterest Love

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

OK, it's official, I now spend the majority of my time on the computer browsing Pinterest. I just can't look away.....I'm like a bird that gets distracted by shiny things.....what is that bird anyway.....my Mom says it's a crow.....no, wait a minute....a magpie.....I've got to google that....but I think it is a magpie....
Anyhoo, so here are this week's favourite pins:

via

I have a statue similar to this....I might paint it this colour to liven it up a bit....

via

I wonder if I could convince Limefreckle Jr. to try eating pancakes if I made THESE ones....

via

I have been searching for something to build around our front load washer and dryer. Ikea HAD a great unit, but it seems to have been discontinued. I am seriously going to build this. Well, I'm going to call my brother and ask him to HELP me build it!

via

I'm not planning any events in the near future, I just think these would be pretty on my mantle.

via

This just made me smile.

oh, and by the way, I googled the definition, and it turns out a magpie IS a crow....

magpie

n magpie [ˈmӕgpai]

a black-and-white bird of the crow family, known for its habit of collecting shiny objects.

The Brits also call compulsive chatterers Magpies.......again, I think this definition might fit me.....

Cleanup part 2 - the Bathroom

2012-01-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

After tackling my closet, I moved on to our master bath. There aren't any pictures of the progress here, because our master bath is HIDEOUS! I promise when we do our renovation, I will document it all, and take both before and after pics....but in the meantime, trust me when I say that the teal green tiles and green melamine counter top will not be featured on HGTV any time soon (unless it's a feature on the world's worst bathroom). We have much less space than we had in our old home, so I try to be really good at not keeping what I don't need.....but I haven't gone through that room since we moved in January last year, and it turns out I actually DID have a lot of stuff I didn't need. I got rid of half empty bottles of product that I didn't like, hair clips I never used, rollers that had seen better days. There is now much more room in my little portion of the vanity. there was even room to move my hairdryer, flat iron and curling iron to MY side, so that Mr. Limefreckle doesn't have to fight with the cords. I have a tall plastic container of drawers that houses all the rest of my accoutrements.....yes, this bathroom is classy!

After the purge, I cleaned all my brushes. I filled the sink with warm water and a squirt of my facial cleanser, and washed all my makeup brushes, then refilled the sink with warm water and shampoo and cleaned all my hairbrushes. Baby shampoo is supposed to be good for both, but I didn't have any on hand. Rinse everything, then place on a towel to dry. My face and hair are screaming thank you for finally attending to a job long overdue.

Do you go into organizing mode in January?

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don't think I'm alone here, January just seems to be a logical time to organize. I've been that way for years, maybe because it's cold up here in the North, so we are more likely trying to find fun things to do inside. And for me, organizing is FUN. I often think I should become a professional organizer.....I would like nothing better than to help people create order and serenity from chaos. I don't know if I would be as compassionate as one should be in such a vocation though.....I've often helped my Mom clear out her closet, and I'm, pretty blunt.....often I fall over in peels of laughter if she tries on something I don't find so becoming......so professional organizer might not be the right career choice for me. But who knows, maybe that breath of fresh air is just what people need....it seems to work well for Stacey and Clinton on "What not to Wear".

Anyway, this weekend, along with taking down Christmas, I also went into major organizational mode....and I cleared out my closet and bathroom. I've lost a fair amount of weight since the summer, and as I don't intend to gain it back, I decided to be ruthless and get rid of all the excess clothing that doesn't fit. I streamlined my closet down to only the clothes that make me feel really good....or at least I think they do. I have vowed that as I wear things in the future, if they are not comfortable, and they don't make me feel great about myself...then they are going into the giveaway bin.

I should have taken a before picture of my closet....but I forgot. This is how it looks now:

I have this whole walk in closet to myself....it's not exactly my dream closet, Megan at "Honey we're home" owns that closet, you can find it here. But in the meantime this is pretty spacious. It's not been built to use the space in the best way, when we renovate our master bath, hopefully this spring, I'm hoping to also reconfigure the closets. But for now, this will do.

One side houses some of my jewelry, my scarves, jeans, and dressier clothes, as well as shoes.

Yes, I have a thing for shoes....what red blooded woman doesn't?

Purses and flip flops occupy this section. Underneath is a dresser for workout wear and other essentials.

And tops on the right. I tried to organize everything into sections, sweaters vs. shirts, colours etc. We'll see how long that lasts!

And here's my Raggedy Ann, occupying a place of importance. My Grandma made her for me, and seeing as I didn't have a little girl to hand her down to (do little girls even know who Raggedy Ann is these days?) she stays with me, making me smile whenever I look at her well worn hair!

And this is the back of my car this morning, everything packed in as much as will fit, to bring to a local donation centre:

I got there as they opened, at 9AM, and there were 5 other cars, all obviousy with the same idea as me! Oh and by the way, this isn't ALL clothes from me. Mr. Limefreckle has also been on this weight loss journey with me, and has downsized, and we got rid of some extra stuff hanging around in the spare room closet. I also took this opportunity to clean out Limefreckle Jrs' shoe collection, as his feet just won't stop growing (size 8.5 mens...HE'S 10 YEARS OLD!!) And will cleaning all the Christmas stuff, I got rid of a few things that I know won't suit this new house.

Christmas Clean Up

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

It is so bittersweet taking down all the Christmas decorations. On the one hand, I'm anxious to begin the new year, so it's symbolic of that, but on the other hand, who doesn't love to look at Christmas decorations? Especially the lights.....I'll miss the lights.....

So this past weekend (I always wait until at least the weekend AFTER January 1st to say my goodbyes) I had Mr. Limefreckle schlep all the storage boxes from the garage into the house, so I could go through everything.
When we moved, its was quite an ordeal, trying to find a house with storage enough for our Christmas decor. Our real estate agent probably thought we were crazy, but we always had a good laugh, trying to determine in each house we viewed, where we would store Christmas. The designated storage area in this house is the garage, and it's quite a tight fit. Since we moved in, I've been planning on going through all of it, to determine what should stay, and what should go. I had wanted to do it before our big garage sale this summer....however lolling around the new pool took precedent.
So this weekend was the weekend.....no more playing around. I went through each and every box, purged what I no longer thought I would use, and labelled everything, clearly.

I'm a big labeller.....I love my label maker. However often those little labels tend to peel at the corners and fall off. So this year, I did something a little different.

I have a great scrap booking program called SCRAPBOOK MAX. If I understood Photoshop Elements a little better (learning it is on my 2012 to-do list) I'm sure I could create the same thing with that program, but for me, Scrapbook Max is easier to use. I created picture labels for each storage box, outlining what is in every box. Having a child with autism has taught me one thing.....I, like him, am a visual learner. I like pictures to tell me what is in a container. I figured this way we can more easily identify everything in the garage without having to open up each container to find out. Here are some examples I made:

I taped a picture to each side of each container, so no matter how they are stacked, I will be able to easily see what is inside. I used packer's tape to secure the picture to the container, I think this will be a lot more secure than my past labels from my trusty label maker.

Here's a stack, ready for Mr. Limefreckle to take everything out to the garage:

And here is everything, tucked away for another year......

Now, if I could just figure out how to get my car in there.....

Tin Tin haircut

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Limefreckle Jr. and I went to the mall the other day, to get a haircut for the new year (him, not me...) We were walking into the mall from the car, discussing what haircut would look best. I suggested Justin Bieber:

image found here

Not the original Bieber look that everyone had when he first became popular, I like this shorter look.

Kenny suggested a cut like Tin Tin:

image found here

So how exactly do you go into the barber shop and ask "Hey, seen the cartoon Tin Tin? Cut his hair like that please......"

Fortunately we were able to come to a happy medium:

Which made me very happy. We went to the Zeller's diner for lunch to celebrate!

2012-01-07T08:33:00.002-05:00

I've used random number generator to determine a winner for my recent blog giveway and the winner is........

Incidentally, Melody is the name of Limefreckle Jr's pretend sister....so I suppose this is meant to be, for my first blog giveaway! Melody, I will email you for your mailing address.

Thank you EVERYONE who participated in my blog giveaway! I will be hosting these frequently, once every month or so I think, so stay tuned for more chances to win. In the meantime, if you would like to purchase anything on my etsy site enter the coupon code BLOGREADER for 25% off anything in the shop!

New Etsy shop!

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've opened up another Etsy shop! I have SO many beads and supplies for jewelry making, I'm not sure I would ever be able to use all of it......so I've decided to open up another shop to de-stash. My new shop is called Limefreckle supplies. I made the shop banner myself, using a scrapbooking program that I have.....

find my new shop here

I'm slowly adding supplies every day, I have a LOT so this should take awhile! If there is something you are looking for you can always comment here, or email me, and if I have it I'll post it as soon as possible.

In the next little while I'm hoping to have a tutorial up of some new necklaces and bracelets that I've made. If you make your own jewelry, great, I hope the tutorial is useful to you..... and if you don't, they will be available for sale in my other Etsy shop.

Pinterest love

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've recently become addicted to Pinterest, and have to share some of the goodies I've found:

via

I'm so going to learn to make these!

via

When my 3 months of non essential spending is over, I'm buying this to hang in my craft room!

via

gotta snap a pic like this at the beach next summer!

via

Would so love to do this in the basement! I have the popcorn maker.........

via

Again, when the non essential spending is over, I'm getting some of these labels -- so much prettier than the label maker labels I'm currently using!

Southwest Black Bean Salad

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had this at my cousin's house this Christmas, and now I'm hooked on it! It's a great lunch alternative, I can pack it with me if I'm not going to be home, it's healthy...and it's DELICIOUS!

You can find the recipe here

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/06/southwestern-black-bean-salad.html

Enjoy!

Goals for 2012

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm not doing resolutions this year.....I think "goals" has a much more positive spin.....so here are my 2012 goals, or wish list of things I would like to accomplish:

1) Start photographing and listing new jewelry on a more regular basis. I'm going to aim to list one new item each day on my Etsy site. I hope to set aside one day a week to photograph items, and another day for listings.

2) start up a second Etsy site for supplies. I have SO many jewelry supplies that I may or may not use, so why not try and sell some of my excess? I vow to get a new site up and running by the end of January. Again, my goal for this site will be to list one new item per day.

3) Blog 5x per week.   This could be a hard one....but I'm going to give it a try. I'd really like to get more tutorials up, both jewelry designs and decorating ideas.

4) Take an in depth photography course. I have taken a couple of courses at Henry's and learned a lot, enough to know that I need more intensive help. My goal this year is to take a course at a community college, maybe in the spring.

5) Learn some new jewelry techniques.   For years I've been thinking about enrolling in a metalsmithing course. Would also love to learn how to use sterling silver clay.    I hope to have completed at least one of these courses by the end of 2012.

6) Continue to lose weight.   I've lost almost 40lbs. since August, I'm feeling great, and I want to continue down this path. I'm not setting any concrete goals, (approx. 30 more lbs. would be nice) but
I'll know when I get to my ideal weight when I get there, so for now I just take one week at a time, and as long as my health and fitness is improving, that's OK with me!

7) Home Decor....since moving into this house in January 2011, we have pretty much everything finished, the kitchen was renovated, rooms were repainted. We still have one big renovation to complete, and that is the master bathroom. I'm hoping by summer 2012 it will be finished, and I will document the progress on my blog.

8) Stop questioning myself. I need to just continue on with my blogging adventures and my online shop, and stop thinking that I can't do it....I CAN do it, I AM doing it! Sometimes it's hard to blog, it feels silly, I think "who's reading this anyway?" But it also feels right.....so I'm doing it, and if no one likes it, well, that's OK, that's their prerogative...as long as it is filling a space in my life...then it's working! And I'm sure at least a couple family members enjoy it!

3 months of Non-essential spending

2012-01-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, ever since I announced last week that I'm going to join Stephanie at Full of Great Ideas with her month of non spending (I'm taking it a little further, and going for 3 months) I've found literally 1million things (Ok, maybe not REALLY 1 million...but at least TEN!) that I can't live without. Which begs the question....exactly what constitutes "non essential"? Are pedicures and manicures essential? Well, in my world they are....but probably not in everyone's.....so off the list they go.....are trips to McDonald's after school with Limefreckle Jr. essential? Well, I'm sure you will say no, but when you have an autistic child with SEVERE eating issues, well, then maybe we won't make him participate in this challenge......what about food....isn't food essential? Well, groceries are, but eating lunch out 4 times a week.....not so much.
So I've decided to sit down and come up with some ground rules for myself. I'm giving myself SOME spending money to have each week, I'm going to withdraw it in cash, and when it's gone, IT'S GONE! I think $40 per week should be enough to cover Limefreckle Jr's essentials, and leave me enough that I can still squeeze in a coffee with the girls, and 2 lunchs per month (we are going down from eating out a few times per week people, to me this is SACRIFICE!) I've been through the bathroom, and can't imagine needing any toiletries etc. for the next 3 months, so no makeup, bath gels, lotions or potions are being bought until every last bottle (sample bottles included) that exist in the house now are used up. No new clothes, no new kitchen gadgets, nothing for the house......what am I going to do with all this free time I used to fill up shopping? I know, I'll make jewelry! But no new supplies.......unless I get an order for something and I have run out of it, all new items listed in my shop will be made with existing stock. (fortunately, as you may have guessed, I'm a bit of a shopaholic, so I have lots to choose from!)

As for groceries, Mr. Limefreckle and I have been on a fitness and weight loss kick for the past several months, and eating clean is not cheap! But the first order of business is to go through the freezer and eat up all the chicken and fish already in there, before buying anything more. $200 per week should be enough to cover groceries, and again, I'm withdrawing that in cash at the beginning of the week, and paying with cash......when it's gone, it's gone! I'm going to have to be diligent about making a list and sticking to it at the grocery store! Maybe I'll even become a flyer queen and acquaint myself with the weekly deals at each store!

I do have a few gift certificates for things that I got for Christmas...those are OK to use, as long as I don't go over the allotment.

So that's the plan in a nutshell....seems easy, but I know that the first time that impulse hits me to buy something new I'll find myself trying to talk myself into why the item might be essential......I'll post those moments too......it will be much easier to do this if I'm being accountable to the blogesphere!

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We hope you had a happy and safe time last night, and look forward to all the good things that 2012 has in store for us!

Happy Birthday to me! Oh yes, and Happy New Year too.....

2011-12-31T06:44:00.000-05:00

Today is New Year's Eve, December 31st, and all the world will be celebrating my birthday tonight! In honour of My birthday, AND the Eve of 2012, I am offering a giveaway to my blog readers! Just post a comment here today, telling me how YOU will be celebrating my birthday tonight, and I will randomly pic someone to win this:

You can learn more about this necklace here in my Etsy shop. It is available in different colours, you can choose the one you like best. All you need to do is post a comment here on the blog, if you want an additional entry, go to my facebook page and like me.

This contest will close at midnight on Friday January 6th, in case you are too busy celebrating, and don't get around to posting on my actual birthday. I will announce the winner of the necklace here on January 7th! Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.

NOTE TO OTHER BLOGGERS: If you are interested in hosting a giveaway on your site, please contact me! One of my goals this year is to offer a giveaway somewhere each month. Maybe we can do it at your blog!

Do they want him?

2011-12-30T06:33:00.000-05:00

If you are a regular reader here (I think I might have at least 3) then you know that Limefreckle Jr. has a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. I've written in the past about our struggles finding appropriate help for him. We tried the regular public school system in the beginning......I will never forget the words of a speech therapist I used to consult with (Dr. Jim MacDonald, find his website here) when I asked him if we should consider sending Limefreckle Jr. to kindergarten....he said "do they want him?".....well of COURSE they want him....that was my thought at the time. This is public school, he is entitled to go....every child is entitled to an education....that's what the Ministry of Education tells us.....what a silly question!

Fast forward several years, and much frustration later....Dr. Jim was completely right......in my opinion, the number ONE factor that will help to determine if your child succeeds, is if he is WANTED. It's been 3 years since we left the public system, and I realize that he was NOT wanted. No one would tell me that of course, that would be wrong......and while it might be the intent of our government that every child be integrated into the regular school system, the school that we unfortunately chose to attend, did NOT have that attitude. There were good teachers, don't get me wrong, some really GREAT teachers there....but the overwhelming attitude of the people that make the decisions, the school board, and the heads of this school, was that he should be sent off to a segregated class, something I fought vehemently against.
We finally ended up finding a private school that specializes in children on the spectrum. Switching to this school was one of the biggest decisions of our life.....it meant a 2 hour commute each day to get him there (we have since moved closer), it meant he would no longer be integrated with "regular" children.....it meant we had to pay for education, there were a lot of unknowns, but we took a leap of faith, and have never looked back.

Limefreckle Jr. is SOARING! Oh, don't get me wrong, it hasn't been easy. We've been there 3 years now, and there have been lots of bumps, and probably will continue to be bumps....but the one major difference, the one thing that I am CONVINCED is the reason he is succeeding, is because he is WANTED! The public school put a whole lot of effort into trying to find reasons that he wouldn't succeed with them. We had meeting, after meeting, AFTER MEETING, with a whole lot of people, sometimes people I had never even met, nor do I think had my son, to talk about all of his problems. We talked a lot about what we were doing for him outside of school. I brought in experts, I hired someone to come and help me to deal with the school. No stone was unturned. The only thing we never really seemed to uncover was a concrete plan to help him succeed. We were told that there should be further testing done, he needed a battery of tests actually, to determine what was wrong (I guess autism wasn't enough for them). I am so thankful that I trusted my instincts and I DIDN'T listen to them. I was confident that there was nothing further wrong with Limefreckle Jr. I was very confident in the doctors and specialists that I had consulted with up until then. What I did learn, and it took me a few years away from the situation to learn it, is that the experts in public school really didn't know WHAT to do.....and it was easier for them to conclude that something more must be wrong with HIM, rather than to find out how to best handle the situation.

Now he is in the right place, with the right people, who really know what they are doing, and who really WANT to be there.

This Christmas, the school surprised us at the Christmas concert, with a song recorded by all the kids at a recording studio. I can tell you my eyes filled up with tears when they played that song for us. Each family was given a copy of the song, and a video of their child recording the song....here is Limefreckle Jr., a child that we once wondered whether he would ever speak.....the child you see here has some FANTASTIC teachers that really want him, and as a friend of mine said, clearly teach from the heart...... their dedication and love for him is unbelievable, and I truly feel he will accomplish great things.....

Ideas to file away for next Christmas

2011-12-29T06:31:00.000-05:00

there are so many great blogs out there, I spend a good portion of every morning pouring over them, and getting inspired. I decided to do a post today to show you all the great ideas I've found, and while I didn't have time for these projects this year, there is always next Christmas!

The first project is Outdoor Urns from Karen at The Art of Doing Stuff. Her blog is a daily MUST READ, if only to get you laughing every morning. And she's really talented at DOING STUFF!

Aren't her urns gorgeous? My urns this year are really not that great, next year I'm doing this. AND I'm going to follow her glowing orbs tutorial and add them to the urn.

I'm loving this simple wreath from Modern Jane. I think I might go with fresh wreaths outside next year.

Unfortunately I don't have a bare wall big enough in my kitchen to actually do this, but I so wish I could. this chalkboard wall from Shannon at What's up Whimsy is great!

These gift tags from Brooklyn Limestone look fun, although I couldn't get the link to work to download them, maybe they are no longer available. But I'll check for them next year.....they may be up again....

I'm loving this little Christmas house I found at Restyled Home. Putting this on next year's list for sure!

3 months of no NON ESSENTIAL spending

2011-12-28T06:12:00.000-05:00

While purusing all my favourite blogs, I came across this blog post from Stephanie at Full of Great Ideas. The challenge is to spend a month not spending money on anything that is not essential, no new craft items, no new clothes, makeup, you know, the usual stuff that eats up your budget and you don't know where your money went. Well I'm going to take this challenge a step further......I'm going to try to go for 3 MONTHS! I know, crazy, if you know me and my shopping habits at all it's REALLY crazy...but I'm going to give it a try.

The only caveat that I'm giving myself is that I'm NOT totally giving up lunches and or coffee dates with the girls......come on, my friends are my lifeline to the real world.....I'm going to set up a monthly budget for that, and when it's gone, it's gone......I haven't figured that all out yet, I'll get to the particulars of this mini challenge during the Christmas break.
I follow a blog called 365 day Fashion Rehab and these girls really blew me away when they spent an entire YEAR, spending NOTHING on fashion, makeup etc. Now I'm not suggesting we go for a whole year, I'm not sure that's for me....but I can handle 3 months. I think! I hope! No, I WILL!!! I've written it here, for all the world to see.....so now I have to follow thru! Please join me and if you are participating in a similar challenge, let me know!

Christmas Goodies!

2011-12-27T06:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a fantastic Christmas this year! Limefreckle Jr. got an ipad, he has been asking for one forever, when his grandparents are here he is constantly borrowing theirs, so now he has one of his own! I'm looking forward to getting to play with it myself!

Here are some of the great gifts I got this year!

I can't wait to fire this up and watch a movie during the Christmas break!

I got these gorgeous boots that fit like a glove! Yay! I had given up on getting new boots this year, seeing as I am taking the no spending pledge in January.......

I got this new lens for my camera, and I'm already seeing an improvement in the quality of pictures I'm taking!

and with this flash I will be a professional photographer in no time!

And of course Santa always brings me some ornaments for my tree.....these 2 are so ME!!

I hope Santa was good to all of you!!!

Let the Boxing Day mayhem begin!

2011-12-26T05:41:00.000-05:00

Boxing Day in Canada is like Black Friday in the US.....sales, sales, and more sales. Here are some of the things I'm coveting:

I saw this horse head recently, and would LOVE it for over the fireplace in the family room.

While my chiropractor might not agree with this choice, I LOVE Uggs -- what other boots can I walk around all winter in Canada barefoot in and keep snuggly warm? I love this new style.

Still looking for a nice pair of Chocolate brown boots.

I'm so in love with the Kiehl's products I've been using, I think I'll check out this scrub.

UNFORTUNATELY, all this shopping is going to have to wait until March because I'm doing a 3 month NO SPENDING challenge. No buying ANYTHING that is not an absolute necessity.....although I'm sure I'm going to be having a few arguments with myself about what constitutes necessity. I hope you will follow along here.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011-12-25T05:39:00.003-05:00

We wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Here's hoping your holiday wishes all come true, and you are home celebrating with your loved ones!

Christmas Eve favourite appetizer

2011-12-24T05:22:00.000-05:00

Because Christmas Eve is usually such a busy night, church, trips to see friends etc., our family has often just had appetizers for dinner. I like this tradition, and while Mr. Limefreckle's family is coming over this year, I decided to continue. I'm NOT sticking with the no meat rule....it's not been something we have traditionally followed every year, but there will be plenty of fish for those that do choose to abstain. One of my very favourite appetizers of all time is Rumaki- ever heard of it?

Well, it's bacon wrapped goodness....here's how to make it:
1 package bacon, cut in half
2 cans whole water chestnuts
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar

secure 1 whole water chestnut in 1/2 slice bacon with a toothpick. Cook these for about 10 mins. at 350 degrees. Mix ketchup and brown sugar, and pour over bacon wraps, and return to oven for approx. 20 mins., more or less depending how crispy you like your bacon.
That's it! If you want to prepare ahead of time, you can precook the wraps for 10 mins, then coat with sauce and refrigerate....cook for 20 mins or so when you are ready to serve.

There are other recipes out there that include soy sauce, which would be good too....but I find this recipe quick and easy!

** edited on December 26th -- I realized when I was cooking this on Christmas Eve, I wrote the wrong quanity for ketchup....although if you go a little overboard it will still be fine....but you should use 1/2 cup ketchup....not a cup**

My Favourite Christmas Music Mix

2011-12-23T05:17:00.000-05:00

It's not feeling very Christmasy here in Ontario.....yesterday we got a lot of rain, and there hasn't been any snow in sight, but thankfully we have Christmas music to get us into the spirit. Here are my top 10 favourite Christmas songs:

The Chanukah Song -Adam Sandler
The Coventry Carol - Alison Moyet
The Christmas Song - Dave Matthews Band
Please Daddy, don't Get Drunk this Christmas - John Denver
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
That Spirit of Christmas - Ray Charles
I Believe in You - Sinead O'Connor
Thank God It's Christmas - Queen
Jingle Bells - Barenaked Ladies
Santa Claus is Back in Town - Johnny Lang

Decorating wrap up

2011-12-22T06:39:00.000-05:00

In case you missed any of my previous posts, here is a wrap up of the decor around the house:

Our Front entrance

2011-12-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

Our front entrance is pretty simple.....a wreath on the door, a couple of urns that light up at night, and these cute lanterns stacked with ornaments....they will do double duty as candle holders on the back patio next summer.

The Den

2011-12-20T06:30:00.001-05:00

This is our Den:

I have a pretty big collection of Santa's.....in our old house, there was so much room to display them in our family room....now the rooms are smaller, and I've spread them out a bit.....but the majority of my Santa's ended up in our den, and I think they look great!

The ferns that normally live in this plant holder weren't looking that fresh, so what a perfect time to add in some holiday Poinsettas:

The Living room

2011-12-19T15:38:00.000-05:00

I didn't do too much decorating in our living room this year....a trio of trees on the sofa table behind the couch light up the room, and look nice from outside.

I added a few of my Santa's around the room, a few ornaments here and there, and a cluster of trees. I hung a wreath on my plate wall, and I can't decide if I like it or not.....it's going to stay, for this season anyway...I'm thinking it might be too busy though.....

Holiday gifts I'm loving

2011-12-18T06:34:00.001-05:00

I spent the day with a good friend on Thursday, Christmas shopping, and then having lunch at one of my very favourite restaurants, Earls. Here are some of the things I saw that I'd love to get:

image found at http://www.sometimesfancy.com/fancy-on-a-budget-fur-scarf-from-rudsak/

This fur scarf was at Rudsak, a great store I just discovered. It was a scarf with a hood, and little pockets for your hands....a 3 in one! Might just go back after Christmas and see if I can scoop it up on sale. They also had a really cute cross body small purse with a fur flap, but my shopping partner was the voice of reason....seriously, where am I going to wear that? Sometimes you need a good friend to tell you when you are making a purely impulse buy!

I really wanted to buy this cute wristlet at Coach....I DO have a party to go to tonight....but again, said friend was the voice of reason! Don't really need to spend money on a new purse right now. I will be looking for it though, the next time I go to the outlets....because I realize I do NOT have a cute, dressy purse.

loving these boots from Browns. Been looking forever for a pair of really tall, chocolate brown boots, as I pretty much wear my black tall boots every single day. They didn't have my size, but I'm sure I'll find something during the post Christmas sales.....

I've been coveting this jacket all season....

been wanting to get a Canada Goose jacket, tried one at at Sporting Life, and just couldn't justify the high price....although I loved the real fur trim.....instead I picked up this North Face coat:

It's super light weight, and VERY comfortable....and much easier on the pocketbook! Plus it's purple, what's not to love about that?

I also stopped into a new to our area store....Kiehls. I've heard about their lipbalm forever, and it was my lucky day, they were giving out a full size free lip balm with purchase! I bought these 2 products, and am LOVING them!

Kiehl's powerful-strength line reducing concentrate....I'll tell you in 28 days if the fine lines on my face are reduced....but it feels great going on, that is for sure!

And this new serum is a new favourite:

This is so lux going on......and everything I have heard about the lip balm is true! It IS fantastic!

And lastly, I picked up a couple of too faced eye shadow palettes at Sephora. Did you know that if you shop there within 2 weeks of your birthday you will get a free birthday gift? I got a free size Philosophy birthday cake body wash! What a nice surprise that was!!!

It was a VERY fruitful day! Got almost all of my Christmas shopping done, had THIS great salad at Earls (Santa Fe Chicken Salad....I highly recommend it....) and if my trainer, Trevor, is reading this blog.....well, don't burst my bubble and tell me that it's not good for me........because believe me, there was a whole lot more I COULD have chosen from....but you have made me see the error of my ways....

The Nativity Scene

2011-12-17T07:46:00.000-05:00

I love this Nativity Scene, my brother and mother have been buying me pieces for it over the years, it's made by Fontanini, and the pieces are very pretty. This is displayed in our front hall.

I have a thing about Nativity Scenes with snow around them.....they look pretty, but come on....there was no snow! So we just use a simple straw mat that I got at Michaels.

Ever since Limefreckle Jr. was a baby, it was clear that he had a thing for elephants. Imagine my surprise when I found this was available!

We like to imagine that maybe one of the three wise men arrived on him!

The Dining room

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

The dining room is one of my favourite rooms in the house. I didn't go too crazy with decor in here, just draped some faux garland around the mirror and china cabinet, spread a few ornaments through my silver candlestick collection (these are out year round) and added 3 alpine trees in a grouping in the corner. Found them at Lowes and snatched them up -- I love Alpine groupings, and these can be used individually through the house.

I made this wreath years ago, on a grapevine form, it's stood the test of time, and looks great here in the dining room

The alpine trees......I draped glittery fabric in gold around the base, to cover up all the wires and extension cord....

The decor matches my china, Mikasa "Antique Lace" I placed some gold ornaments inside the cabinet, for some added decor:

White Christmas Tree

2011-12-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

This white tree has been around for awhile, I used to have it in our dining room, but the dining room at the new house is much smaller, and it doesn't fit. So, I found the perfect spot for it. We have a little "alcove" upstairs, this place really doesn't have a purpose, I normally have a large flower arrangement on a table up there.....so I put the white tree on top of the table to make it EXTRA tall, and it can be seen from outside through the centre windows. I threw on a few gold, copper and brown ornaments, and viola, a pretty showpiece upstairs.

Our Christmas Village

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Every year, we build a Christmas village, my son and husband love it, it's become a tradition. Here are some pics:

love the kid sticking his tongue on the flagpole in the picture below -- just like "A Christmas Story" our favourite movie!

Limefreckle Jr. pointed out to his Dad and I that this house below looks just like our new home.....and he's totally right! That kid notices every detail!

The village is huge, we have it behind the sofa, on a large 4x8 sheet of plywood. I use the boxes and styrofoam from the village houses to "build" up the hills, and it works pretty well. Takes awhile to set up, but we love it! Do you set up a Christmas village? If so, please share pictures!

Pine Cone baskets with lights

2011-12-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

I made a couple of these baskets about 15 years ago, and still put them out every year! They were so easy to make, and are a great addition to a room where you would like some Christmas lights, but don't have a tree. Unfortunately, I didn't photograph the making of the baskets step by step, so I don't have a picture tutorial for you, but can give you a blow by blow on what to do.

First off start with a basket of your choice. Actually,there is no reason you have to use a basket, any container that you like would do. Then, fill that container half way with crumpled up newspaper. That way, you don't have to COMPLETELY fill the basket with pinecones, saving time and money. Top the crumpled paper with a piece of cardboard cut to fit the opening of the container. Then you start to "build" your pinecones up, hot gluing each to the other. At the same time, take a strand of 35 lights, I used green, because they blended in with the pinecones. Tuck the strand of lights into the cones as much as you can, trying to have just the lightbulbs poking through. When you have filled your basket with the pinecones,start tucking in faux greenery, I cut up a piece of garland. Again, hot glue those in,so that they won't fall out over the years. I added some berries, you could add ornaments, picks, whatever you like and matches. Add a pretty bow to the front of the basket and you are done!

I made this one around the same time,using faux greenery, flowers and ornaments. Same idea, still using it after all these years! It's in our bedroom, this gives us the glow of Christmas lights, without having a tree!

Please let me know if you end up creating something like this! Every year I plan to make some new ones, but always get too busy. Would love to see pictures of how this translates for you!

** this post was added to Get your Craft on Tuesdays at Today's Creative Blog. Check out all the amazing ideas there!

The Christmas tour - my own 12 days of Christmas

2011-12-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Well, we've got 12 days left until Christmas Eve, so to countdown MY 12 days of Christmas, I'm going to take you on a tour of the house....first up, our family room.

here's the fireplace mantel:

the plate wall, with a little decoration:

the tree:

The tree in this room is all about memories. All of our favourite ornaments, collected over the years are here. We have ornaments that have been made by family members, ornaments we have collected from our travels, ornaments with pictures. Everytime I hang an ornament I remember something associated with it. Maybe I think about the trip where the ornament was purchased, or the person that made it, or gave it to me. It's may not be a decorator tree, but it's my favourite to do every year.

This is my elf, one of my oldest decorations, and it was always my favourite.

here's our dog Rudolph, who is no longer with us.

A Puffin head, from our trip to Eastern Canada, and a snowman that my brother painted for us.

Another ornament from our travels, baby's 2nd christmas, a handmade knitted ornament my grandma made me years ago....

I could go on and on and ON! But I truly do have the best time putting all these ornaments on the tree...to me, these kind of trees, will always be my favourite!

Here's my table, I took the large platter that always sits there, and filled it with ornaments, some faux greenery. The two candles are filled with epsom salts, the best faux snow I've found yet.....

Here's a new addition for this year....I found this knitted reindeer at Sears, one day after watching an episode of "The Marilyn Denis Show" where it was featured...and guess what? All Christmas decor was 60% off that day only...it was as if it was meant to come home with me!

And finally, on the table in the corner opposite the tree, sits this pinecone basket filled with lights. I made this YEARS ago, and have used it for so long...I'm surprised the lights haven't burnt out yet! It's a super easy craft to make...and like I said...will last forever!

Tomorrow I'll write up a tutorial for you on how to make these baskets. Super easy, and they make great gift ideas too!

Building a garland

2011-11-27T17:32:00.001-05:00

Mr. Limefreckle loves having a garland run up the staircase at Christmas. I don't know why, but the first thing he said to me this year, when pulling out all the Christmas decorations, was "is there going to be a garland in this house?". This is our first Christmas here, and we have the perfect staircase for it, so I agreed. Natural garland is great, but I like to put up our Christmas decor at the end of November, so if I want something to last the season, faux is the way to go. Unfortunately most faux garland that you find doesn't look very real. So I decided to spice it up a bit. Here's what you need:

a length of faux garland. I prefer this longer style needle (is this spruce? I don't know) because it seems more natural looking, but you can use the standard evergreen garland too. Then you will need:

some natural looking pics. I used seeded cedar and regular cedar. Any natural looking combos will do, the more the merrier. It all depends up your patience and time.....

Then, cut pieces from each pic like so:

then I wired pieces of the cedar onto the garland:

I wired it on randomly, about a foot apart, but again, you can use as much or as little as you like.

this looks pretty as is, but I need to add more, because it IS Christmas after all, and as far as I'm concerned, more is MORE when it comes to Christmas! So I added some of these:

these are some glittery leaf pics that I had laying around, I used to use them in our huge tree in our foyer at our old house (see THIS blog post for Christmas decor from our previous home)

We gave that tree away, it was too tall for this house....so some of the pics have found a new home in my garland:

Now at this point, whatever is added to the garland just gets "stuck" in not permanently wired. This way year after year, the base garland can stay the same, and I can add things as my colour choices change:

I think some bows might be in order. I found 2 rolls of gold ribbon in my stash, and had just enough to complete 5 bows......and decided to run the ends of the bow into the garland, but leaving it hanging would be pretty too....it's all a matter of your personal taste. If you like it, it's not wrong!

This is at the base of the staircase. I added some paper mache bells that have been in my family since I was a baby.....they've been spray painted gold, and worked perfectly here.

the upper stairway....just noticed I left the bathroom and the linen closet doors open! Well, just keeping it real here! You should see the rest of the house right now! It's like Christmas exploded!

Anyhoo, so it's looking pretty good, but needs SOMETHING more.....so I wired some ornaments together like so:

And we're done! That only took most of the afternoon! But it's a custom looking garland, that can be changed over the years. Now, excuse me, I need to go start our miniature village, Limefreckle Jr. is getting anxious! I think it's going to be a long night! Christmas decorating takes a week or two around this house, but if you start in November, it all works out fine!

New Swarovski bracelet

2011-11-25T07:28:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy loading my shops with jewelery, I haven't had time to create anything new. I am participating in a silent auction for Sick Kids hospital, so I decided something new was in order. I've listed this on Etsy and Artfire too!
There's nothing like the sparkle of Swarovski crystals!

Cluster Earrings

2011-11-14T07:29:00.000-05:00

You can find these in my Etsy or Artfire shop now!

Letter Art

2011-11-13T09:25:00.000-05:00

I recently read this post at from Gardners 2 Bergers and was so inspired I decided to create something similar. I used the tutorial from Stephanie @ great ideas and while I didn't make a collage, I used the letter art from Leo Reynolds here like Stephanie suggested, and this is what I made:

I found this frame at Zellers, (for any of our U.S friends, it's a store like Walmart or Target) but you basically just need any collage frame. It took me awhile to find one with 5 openings. I wanted to create the word "Smile" because I hung this on my wall of mirrors....

I'm sorry these pictures aren't that clear, this house has so little natural light, and these mirrors are in a little alcove off the mudroom, hard to position myself to get a good shot....but I think you get the picture.

I love this wall of mirrors.....in our old house, it was in our bathroom and I loved it so much I had to move it with us!

Let me know what you think of the word art, and if you create something similar, please let me know!

New Earrings in my shop!

2011-11-09T07:41:00.000-05:00

I've posted some new earrings to my Etsy shop please drop by and tell me what you think!

Creating a business

2011-11-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

I've been so busy this week, photographing my jewelry, posting it on line, trying to learn SEO codes so that my pieces might be discovered by people searching for jewelry.

I've learned it's a very long and intensive process, running a small business is not for the weak of mind! But it's also been incredibly fullfilling, I'm having so much fun going through all the jewelry, thinking which pieces I want to continue making, which pieces I might retire for now. It's a process I've really been enjoying, I hope you enjoy looking at everything as much as I enjoy making it!

Updating my shops

2011-11-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

Been so busy lately photographing my jewelry and updating my shops. Check me out at Etsy or Artfire and please, let me know what you think! Here's a sample:

Practicing my photography and editing skills

2011-11-05T13:35:00.000-04:00

Limefreckle Jr. is off to his gym program this morning with a friend, so I get to stay home and play around with jewelery photography and editing....this is what I've come up with so far...

My New Blog layout!

2011-11-05T07:21:00.001-04:00

I had Renee from Mulberry Designs design a new blog for me, along with my new business cards, shop headers and logo. What do you think? I love it! Now I need to get busy and photograph my jewelry so I can upload to Etsy and Artfire....I have a lot of work to do this weekend!

2011-10-31T07:10:00.000-04:00

Limefreckle Jr. and I at last year's school party....Happy Halloween everyone!

New Logo

2011-10-30T08:54:00.000-04:00

I'm updating listings of my jewelry at etsy and artfire, will let you know when everything is up and ready to view. In the meantime, I decided to hire someone that I found on etsy to do my new logo for me. Here it is:

I'm very happy with it, and have her doing business cards and a banner for the sites I'm selling on. If you are looking for someone to do this for you, at a reasonable price, you can find Renee at Mulberry Designs on etsy.

Oh Blogger,how I have missed you!

2011-10-25T18:10:00.000-04:00

I have no idea if anyone has any interest in this little 'ole blog anymore, but I'M BACK! I have neglected this for long enough! so, so, SO much has changed in our Limfreckle lives in the past year, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

First and foremost....we MOVED....closer to Limefreckle's school,so I no longer spend over 2 hours on the highway ferrying him back and forth. Now I have so much more time for the important things in life...like shopping, massages, manicures/pedicures and enjoying the new POOL that came with our new house.

We are so happy here, it's been 10 months now, and everyone has settled in nicely. We did a few renovations, which I'll post pictures of in upcoming posts, because I PROMISE that I intend to keep this blog up to date. I'm getting my jewelry business, which has been sadly neglected, back up and running, and I'll keep you posted on that as well.

So if anyone is still around....please, post a comment, and I apologize for being gone for so long.... In the meantime, here's a picture of Limefreckle Jr. doing what we did best this summer....

Where did the time go?

2010-12-08T18:52:00.000-05:00

Just signed into my blog, and realize I haven't posted since AUGUST! I wonder if anyone even reads this thing!

Well, in case you do, I will update you on our lives. We have bought a new house, and will be moving in the new year. We have lots of plans for renovations, decorations etc. and I will definitely post before and after pics on the blog...stay tuned! Until then, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It doesn't seem much like Christmas around here, as there are boxes everywhere, and not a tree to be found! This is hard, I'm a person who puts up 5 trees in her house....to not decorate for Christmas seems a little odd to say the least, but at least we are going away for the holiday, and my Mom will do enough decorating for the both of us, so I'll get a tree after all!

Holy Workout Batman!

2010-08-19T10:45:00.000-04:00

I just finished my first day of the 30 day Shred by Jillian Michaels. I've been working out pretty consistently since February, with my personal trainer, Adam, who really kicks my butt. Unfortunately, I lost my fabulous babysitter, one of Limefreckle Jr's teachers - she had to go back to work to get ready for school. She was babysitting for me 3 days a week so that I could continue with my workouts...yes, I am that committed!!

So now until September 7th, the boy and I are at home, on our own. I have to get inventive with my workouts (aka do them myself, instead of paying someone to watch over me). This morning I declared that I was going to do a video workout...next thing you know, Limefreckle Jr. shows up in shorts, tank top, socks pulled up to his knees, and a headband around his head circa Olivia Newton John in her "Let's Get Physical" days.....and announces "I'm going to be your trainer!" Well Adam, you certainly have your work cut out for you, my new trainer, was pretty great! He corrected me if I made a wrong move, fetched water for me, and set up my mat when needed. And Jillian kicked my butt harder than I had expected!! I think if I keep this up while I am "on vacation" I'll feel so much better about being away from the gym for so long!

Where has the summer gone?

2010-08-16T20:49:00.000-04:00

One of my 2 faithful readers pointed out to me the other day that I haven't posted in FOREVER!!! She said I must be having a great summer, and of course we are. The summer seems to have lasted forever, yet I also can't believe it's already the middle of August! One of Limefreckle Jr's teacher's has been babysitting 3 days a week for me, and that has been AWESOME! She's back to work today, so we are looking at 3 weeks just me and him....eeeek!! Can I handle it? He's a ball of energy, it's hard to keep up! But I've been busy arranging playdates with my friends and their kids, so that everyone is happy.

This has been the absolute best summer weather wise that we have had in a long time.....makes me wish we had a pool in the backyard! But no fear, I'm busy house hunting....that's right, the Limefreckle family has decided it's time to pull up stakes and make a change. I've mentioned before that Limefreckle Jr. goes to a private school for kids on the spectrum, it's about a one hour drive from home, so we have decided to move closer. We would like to be closer to school of course, but also closer to his friends from school, many of them live in that area....and it's an area that really seems to have a good grasp on Autism, there are many more services over there that we don't have here, the school boards over there seem to be a little more forward thinking than the area we live in now, we have to think about the future, highschool etc. There is no way we are going to spend all this time and money on a private school just to end up going back to the same schoolboard that let us down so horribly, for highschool. We need to be in an area that has real, qualified people that know what they are doing, and sadly, that's not the way things are where we live right now. So we have been busy house hunting, but haven't found the right place just yet. It's such an emotional thing, finding a house, falling in love with it, putting an offer in....having to pack up your home.....but we know it's the right move for our family, so we are going to jump in and see what happens! And rest assured, there WILL be a pool in the new house!! Limefreckle Jr. and I are not moving if there's not a pool (and a hot tub wouldn't be bad either!!)

8th grade Autistic boy charged with Terrorist threats

2010-05-18T07:29:00.000-04:00

Until this kind of craziness stops in the school systems, we have no hope for our poor kids!

rollerbabies

2010-03-22T20:37:00.002-04:00

Mr. Limefreckle came home and showed Limefreckle Jr. and I this....so cute!

A week at the gym - one woman's story

2010-03-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

The owner of the gym I'm training at reminded me of this oldy but goody...

WEEK AT THE GYM: ONE WOMAN'S STORY

Dear Diary.

For my 50th birthday this year, my husband (the dear) purchased a week
Of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am
Still in great shape since playing on my college tennis team 30 years
Ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named
Joe, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and
Model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My husband seemed pleased
With my enthusiasm to get started!

The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress. .

MONDAY
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was
Well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Joe waiting for
Me. He is something of a Greek god - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a
Dazzling white smile.

Woo Hoo!!

Joe gave me a tour and showed me the machines. He took my pulse after
Five minutes on the treadmill. He was alarmed that my pulse was
So fast, but I attribute it to standing next to him in his Lycra aerobic
Outfit. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his
Aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!

Joey was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, all though my gut was already
Aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to
Be a FANTASTIC week-!!

TUESDAY
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Joe
Made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air -- then he
Put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I
Made the full mile. Joey's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I
Feel GREAT-!!

It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the
Counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a
Hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to
Steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
Joe was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club
Members. His voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when he
Scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.

My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Joe put me on the stair
Monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an
Activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Joe told me it would help me get
In shape and enjoy life. He said some other shit too.

THURSDAY
Joe was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin,
Cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a
Half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes.

Joe took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran
And hid in the ladies room. He sent Muffy to find me. Then, as
Punishment, he put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY
I hate that dick, Joe, more than any human being has ever hated any
Other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic
Little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without
Unbearable pain, I would beat him with it. Joe wanted me to work on my
Triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the
Floor, don't hand me the barbells or anything that weighs more than a
Sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and
Nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the
Drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY
Joe left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice
Wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing him made me want to
Smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to
Even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of
The Weather Channel.

SUNDAY
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and
Thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my
Husband will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a
Hysterectomy.

"Parenthood" is a hit with me!

2010-03-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've just caught up with the first 2 episodes from NBC's new series "Parenthood" and so far I'm a big fan! There are several actors in the show that I've always loved (Craig T. Nelson, Peter Krause and Lauren Graham) and a few that I'm not familiar with, but really like.....and the best part about it....they have a storyline featuring an 8 year old autistic boy. They did a really good job of showing what it's like to have a kid with autism -- apparently one of the writer's has a son with autism, and you can tell, because this kid isn't some funny quirky character like other shows sometimes have introduced, this kid is doing a good job of showing the struggles and the difficulties of a boy that has autism. I really applaud this show for having the guts to take on this storyline in a real, true way, because, let's face it, at a time when 1 in 100 children are being diagnosed with autism, you can't really find many people that don't have a connection to someone with autism. I read that Asperger's syndrome topped Google's search list the day after the show premiered -- and that's a good thing! Hopefully this show will continue to shed light on a condition that affects a lot of us, and hopefully they will continue to show ALL facets of raising a child with autism, and help those few people that really don't know anything about the condition understand it a bit more.

Caramel Popcorn Ice cream

2010-03-14T16:40:00.006-04:00

I know that I just posted about my new, healthy lifestyle, but one thing I can't seem to get off my mind lately is this dessert I had a couple of years ago, when we were at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. The place is really something to behold, you practically need a golf cart to get around, it is so big! The inside is like a city within the hotel, with a little lake running through etc., it's truly amazing! My husband and I spent the night there after Christmas when we were visiting my parents while they lived in Tennessee -- we don't often get away just the 2 of us, so it was a fun treat. We had dinner at this fantastic restaurant called the Old Hickory, and dessert was something that I still try to recreate to this day. It was popcorn ice cream, with bits of popcorn folded into it, topped with popcorn, caramel sauce, and sea salt. I've recreated it at home, using plain vanilla ice cream, microwaved popcorn (you need only about a handful or so) and any kind of caramel sauce you might like. I know, I know, it sounds wierd, but it tastes amazing.....give it a try and let me know what you think! Why is it that now that I'm dieting and trying to eat right, I can't get it off my mind?

suddenly I love working out!

2010-03-13T16:39:00.000-05:00

I've started to train with a personal trainer, actually, I've been doing it now for about 5 weeks. Over the years, I've been in and out of the gym too many times to count. I've trained with a trainer before, I've been a total gym rat, spending 2 hours a day at the gym (those were back in the days when Limefreckle Jr. was just a baby.....free day care gave me my sanity back!) and then I've gone for months at a time, and I've not set foot in a gym, but one thing has ALWAYS been consistent, even when I was more committed to working out.....I've never really liked it! I've done it because I felt I had too, but I didn't like it. I would go home exhausted, and just want to spend the rest of the day sleeping.

This time around, something is very different. I don't know if it is my trainer, the gym, my attitude.....maybe it is a combination of all three - but I like it, I REALLY, REALLY LIKE IT! I'm even running again, something I vowed I would never do again (mind you, I'm not running too many minutes in a row just yet, still doing intervals.) I'm feeling fantastic, and I'm doing spinning classes at least once a week, more if I can, I really love to cycle, it's turned out to be my absolute favourite exercise!

So, this time I really think that my committment to exercise is going to help me to make changes in my life.....I have lost some weight already, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what more I can accomplish. I've started to see a dietician too, because I have a lot of eating issues....I'm a classic emotional eater, and I need to change that if I'm going to be successful in the long run....but I feel that this is the time in my life when I'm finally going to reach my goals and do it this time! I'll keep you posted on my progress...

The sad state of Ontario Public Education

2010-02-20T18:42:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy lately, I haven't been here to comment on anything....why am I so busy you might ask? Well, my days are spent driving a lot, approximately 84 miles a day, because a year ago, we enrolled Limefreckle Jr. in a private school in a different city, that specializes with children on the Autism spectrum. This has been a huge financial and personal undertaking, but has been the absolute BEST decision we have ever made for Limefreckle Jr., and I thank my lucky stars everyday that we have found this setting for him. However, often I think about the 100's of families that don't have this option, and are forced to deal with the public school system. I often read the stories at this website, I have so much respect for Linday Moir, he is an advocate here in Ontario, and I actually consulted him when I was having trouble dealing with our local school last year. I encourage all parents that have to deal with the special education department in their school board to educate themselves the best they can about what their rights are. Unfortunately, the government needs to do a lot more than just talk about what they promise our children in the schools, they need to start taking the steps required to enforce these changes, they need to step up and require our school boards to comply with the government initiatives, but I feel strongly that if you at least know what your rights are, you have made the first step. I recently read Lindsay's latest entry, and my blood began to boil. A parent of a child with high functioning autism was being told by the school board that their child may have "mental health issues"....so interesting to read that, because, dear friends, my school took the same tact with me last year.....they wanted further testing for our son, they felt "more was going on", and I'm so saddened to see that this must be the newest way of trying to get rid of the harder kids to handle... I hear more and more stories of schools that take a "we don't want these kids here" attitude, and it really saddens me. Whenver I tell people about what we went through dealing with the public system, people are normally shocked and appalled, the average person with kids that don't have any issues have no idea how poorly children with disabilities and their families are treated by the schools, the places that we THINK we can turn to for help with our children. While at least I've had the good fortune to be able to get away from that for awhile (the school Limefreckle Jr. goes to only lasts till grade 8 - eventually I will have no choice but to go back to the public system) I have vowed that I will continue to try and advocate for a better system, so that our schools can stop burying the heads in the sand with an "I don't want this child in our school" attitude, and start taking leadership and responsibility for the positions that they, as educators, hold in our society.

Cleaning out the clutter

2010-01-16T13:09:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it, last weekend I took down all the Christmas decorations -- goodbye Santas, for another year. Goodbye sparkly trees, silly signs, funny hats, etc. Why can't the house be decorated like that all year round? I guess it could, but what would we have to look forward to next November?

So, now I'm in my usual, January "Clean Sweep" mode. I totally cleaned out the kitchen cupboards, to make way for the great new dishes Mr. Limefreckle bought for me on New Years Day --- Bowrings was having a sale, a set of 4 dishes normally $80 was down to $25 -- gotta love deals like that! We also purchased an electric fireplace/tv stand to put in the front room, to accomodate the new TV I got for Christmas -- just waiting on delivery of that, as well as a new HD PVR -- so I can watch everything in HD on said new TV. You really can see such a difference, you can see every little mark on a person's face etc. (Is that a good thing?) I'm liking it, I couldn't live without my PVR, how would I know what happened to Snooki and the Gang at the Jersey Shore, or what was going on with those crazy housewives in Atlanta? And thankfully Stacey and Clinton are FINALLY back.....I love "What not to Wear".

So, today I'm continuing on my declutter mission, and tackling my bedroom closet -- although truth be told, I'm pretty good at keeping that baby decluttered --- I go in and purge every 6 months at least....I just need to have a major ironing session with my steamer!

We also convinced Limefreckle Jr. to move his tent back up into the playroom -- it's been sitting in the middle of the family room for the last couple of weeks. What? Not everyone has a tent set up in their family room? Well here at Casa del Limefreckle we do....and it's a great place for a family snuggle on a Sunday afternoon! Not the most comfortable option, but fun, non the less.

After rearranging the family room back to it's former glory, I noticed some marks on the carpet from the table set up to hold Limefreckleville, our Christmas village. Today while reading Thrifty Decor Chick, one of my favorite blogs, I came across this post about reorganizing, and specifically, how to lift those lines out of your carpet. I tried it, and the icecubes worked like magic! What a great tip --- I have a ton of spots around the house that I can use this on!

Can't let go of Christmas!

2010-01-04T08:25:00.003-05:00

Everytime I mention the idea of possibly starting to take down the Christmas decorations, Mr. Limefreckle quickly vetoes me!! And, because I need Mr. Limefreckle and his muscles to go down to the basement and bring up the 100's of rubbermaid containers that house said decorations, I feel like I'm a little stuck here! Plus, I don't know why, but I really am not quite ready to let go of Christmas this year either. I don't know what has gotten into me, normally on January 1st, I'm ready and raring to go, out with the old year, in with the new (maybe because my birthday is December 31st, so I am LITERALLY starting a new year in my life). But this year, I'm not ready....there are still tons of opened gifts under the tree, not yet put in their new home -- toys are spread all over the family room, from one end of the room to the other. School starts today-- that I AM ready for! But I guess we will leave it all up for one more week --- if anyone asks, we will celebrate the Ukrainian Christmas!

Autism Mom's suffer same kinds of stresses as combat soldiers

2010-01-03T08:08:00.000-05:00

When we were in Florida recently, I read an article like this one which talks about Mom's of children with autism and the levels of stress in their daily lives. They likened it to combat soldiers -- and this really struck me -- we are combat soldiers in a way -- constantly battling behaviours, our schools, society in some cases -- it's never ending. I often joke with my friends that my experiences battling with our son's public school has left me with post traumatic stress disorder -- but hey, I guess I shouldn't joke -- that is probably EXACTLY what I have! I highly doubt this condition applies just to Mom's of kids with autism -- any Mom with a child with a developmental disability basically endures this kind of stress on a daily basis. What I found the most interesting about this article that I've linked to, is the paragraph at the bottom which talks about resilience:

"The new findings also reveal a thread of resilience. Compared to mothers of children without a developmental disability, mothers of children with autism were just as likely to have daily positive interactions, serve as volunteers and lend support to others within their social networks."

In my case this is true -- I wasn't much of a volunteer until Limefreckle Jr. came along, now I'm involved in a Variety Village program in our community that offers a gym program for kids with disabilities, I volunteer at the school, I try to help other parents, especially those with newly diagnosed children, with information about support, advocacy etc. that I have learned over the years -- I'm busier than ever and now is the time I feel the need to volunteer! I have a great support system, and I like to think that I'm also a support system to those in my "social network". I'm pretty sure my daily interactions are as positive as the next woman's....my life is very fulfilling --- I'm enjoying life so much more than when I worked fulltime--- I find this whole role as Mom was one I was built to play. So maybe constant daily stresses are good for us in some ways, maybe they spur us on to do things we might not have otherwise have had the confidence or the know-how to do. Whatever the case, this is definitely food for thought!

Alvin and the Chipmunks THE SQUEAKQUEL

2010-01-02T07:28:00.000-05:00

We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks yesterday --- I don't think it was quite as good as the first one, but it was cute -- Limefreckle Jr. and I can't stop singing "Put a ring on it" since we got home...

And of course you've probably seen this one before, but in case your are one of the few people that haven't....

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

Wow, another year come and gone!!! We celebrated last night fairly quietly, Uncle Limefreckle came over, and our good friends from down the street --- we feasted on crab legs, Beef Wellington, coconut shrimp, jello shots and sparkling wine....you can see how excited Rufus is! He's not used to staying up so late.....Mr. Limefreckle and Limefreckle Jr. were in bed before everyone left, and Rufus kept coming into the room every few minutes to bark at me....this was his way of saying "Daddy and the boy are up in bed....kick these stragglers out and let's get up there!!"

So here we are in 2010, and of course my mind turns to New Year's resolutions. Of course, it wouldn't be a new year unless the first resolution on my list was to lose weight! Why oh why, do I constantly struggle with this year, after year, after year? I guess I can console myself by reminding myself that if Oprah can't do it.....what hope do the rest of us have!!! But I continue to try, try, try again.....and this year will be no different....I'll be tuning into Oprah next week to see if she feels the same way.....but then, what's the alternative??? Better to try and fail than to not even try...so I resolve to get this extra weight off, and more important, stop skipping trips to the gym.

The other resolution that I am making this year is to concentrate more on my jewelry business. I want to carve out more time to create new pieces, and really focus on getting things photographed, and online to sell. I've been wanting to devote more time to Limefreckle for so long now, and I firmly resolve to do that this year. I'm even planning to have some jewelry give aways here on the blog, so stay tuned! I would ALSO like to get into my basement workshop and create a few mosaic pieces....it's been a very long time since I've done that, and I'm itching to get back at it! I have stacks and stacks of dishes that I have collected over the years, I want to go through all of those and weed out what I won't use.

The last resolution that I'm making is to get organized. I'm actually a fairly organized person....I love, love, LOVE to organize things.....I should have been a professional organizer for a career....nothing thrills me more than to go into the messy space and clean it up. (I'm not talking about basic housework here.....I HATE that....) I'm talking about finding ways to organize, cleaning out closets, that kind of stuff. So this year I'm going to concentrate on the house....going through room by room, going through the basement (eek!) and getting rid of anything that we don't need. I love to read Jess LC she inspires me with her gorgeous jewelry, and her philosophy on de-cluttering. I like the term "makeunder" and I'm going to keep that in mind as I go through this place.

So that's it, I've posted it on my blog, now it's out there......hopefully that will help me keep these resolutions, and make them a reality! Happy New Year to you and yours, may 2010 be the year to make things happen!

I'm addicted to Wii!

2009-12-27T08:13:00.002-05:00

Santa brought us a Wii this year, and I've been busy perfecting my bowling skills! Limefreckle Jr. is quite good at it, and we can't get Grandma and Grandpa Limefreckle off of it! In the meantime, I hope that you are all enjoying a wonderful holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our home to yours. Here's a little selection of the look of our place this year:

And the reason for it all:

A Message from Santa

2009-12-20T20:15:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine sent me an email about this site, it is so cute I have to share it with you.

You enter some details about your child, and an email will be sent to him/her with a personalized video message from the Big Guy himself! Limefreckle Jr. loved it! He's getting so excited about Christmas -- we had company last night and he had a ball, with his "Grinch" T shirt on, and his singing santa hat -- it lights up, has a bell on top and sings "We are Santa's Elves" from Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer. Oh ya, we are classy like that around here!! Now we are off to have a family snuggle in bed and watch "A Christmas Story"....one of my all time favourite Christmas movies...

I'm so going to teach Rufus to do this!

2009-12-18T17:34:00.000-05:00

I seem to be posting a lot of links to youtube lately, but I can't help myself, I think it's the greatest thing to come along since Al Gore developed the internet! I wish I could teach our dog to do this, we could have hours of fun! I'm pretty sure he would draw the line at wearing the tutu though, he's particular like that!

The muppets "Bohemian Rhapsody"

2009-12-16T22:02:00.001-05:00

If you know me, I mean, really know me, you will know that Queen is my favourite band of all time......when I was young, I remember our next door neighbour used to babysit, and he was a fan of Queen -- I thought he was really cool, (my babysitter that is) although I never would have let him know that....and I thought "if he's cool, then the music he likes must be cool"....so I checked out this band called "Queen"....and I was hooked! My first album purchase was, of course, "A Night at the Opera" and I went on to buy almost every album they ever made -- I couldn't get enough! I still love pretty much every song they ever recorded. I think back to when I used to watch them on "Midnight Special" and remember Freddie Mercury, dressed in a leotard with black painted nails...a bit oddly dressed, in the opinion of a small town girl, but man, could he sing! I remember when "A Day at the Races" came out, I couldn't believe the poster inside the album, of naked women on bicycles....SCANDALOUS!!!! I still love to listen to Queen, no band will ever replace them in my heart.

Fast forward 30 some years, and I hear about this youtube viral video...featuring my other childhood favourites...the muppets. Since our visit to Disneyworld, and Muppetvision 4D - featured at Hollywood Studios, I can now count Limefreckle Jr. as a fan as well. Who doesn't love Animal? I heard my son singing this recently, and remembered I had meant to post this link on my blog, but forgot...so for all you Queen and/or Muppet fans...enjoy -- especially Animal's part!

Merry Christmas Mr. Bean

2009-12-15T18:13:00.000-05:00

Limefreckle Jr. and I watched some Christmas specials on TV last night -- and both of us could not stop laughing at these 2 clips....we can't decide which one is funnier -- Limefreckle Jr. says "both" are funnier....I'm leaning towards the nativity scene one....

Incidently, Limefreckle Jr. just can't seem to wrap his head around the fact that when I was his age, we watched these Christmas shows ONCE, when they came on TV, IF we happened to be following the TV guide very closely, and were home when the show was on. Growing up with instant access to all his favourite movies and shows, he just doesn't get that I didn't have a DVD player when I was young. Oh, and don't even get me started on his ipod...which I mistakenly often refer to as a "walkman" (am I dating myself?) He doens't get that either.

Enjoy the clips!!

New Blog I found

2009-12-14T06:07:00.001-05:00

I just found this blog, Free Range Kids and it's quite interesting --- some of the stories are totally unbelievable! I can't decide which story is worse, the kids that need to sign a safety agreement and registration form in order to be allowed to ride their bikes to school (accompanied by their mom no less!) or the story about the teenager that smiled a silly smile in her school yearbook, and had it removed, as it was "inappropriate"...

Also on that same site, is a trailer for the Movie "Babies". It details 4 babies growing up around the world, and looks so interesting....here's a peek:

2009-12-05T08:24:00.000-05:00

Many, many months ago Saucy posted a tutorial on her blog about shrink art, and how to do it....back then I purchased the supplies, was all gung ho to get cracking and make me some shrink art, and then I promptly put it away and forgot all about it. Last week my friend asked me to make some purse charms as gifts for her daughter's friend's who were all gathering to see "New Moon" for her birthday -- and I thought "hey, where did I put that shrinky stuff?" So I went to Saucy's site, read these instructions, and presto....this is what I came up with:

They were so much fun to make, and so easy......As soon as Christmas is over I'm going to start experimenting a little more with shrink art.....my friend wants a purse charm with pics of her kids - anyone have any other ideas?

So anyway, of course I too went to see the movie, because secretly I'm a 15 year old girl, and LOVE the Twilight Series...plus, I have 2 good friends that have teenage girls...and because I don't get to have a girl, I love to go and live vicariously through my friends. At the party, the girls were all commenting on what "team" they were on....these particular girls were ALL team Jacob. They asked me whose team I was on, and I said "Team Carlyle"......they all looked at me like I had 3 heads! "EEEEWWWWWW....he's so old!!" was the shocked reply! Well I think there is nothing wrong with setting your sights on a doctor, instead of some brooding teenager still in highschool....but hey, that's just me!!

The movie was good.....I'm pretty sure the entire theatre was filled with Team Jacob members, as they weren't all that impressed when Edward appeared shirtless -- but Jacob brought out a lot of swoons from the audience. All in all I thought the movie was good, and of course anxiously await the next segment.

The magic of Disney

2009-12-03T06:26:00.000-05:00

We recently went on our first real family vacation EVER! In the 8 years Limefreckle Jr. has been on this earth, we haven't really travelled too far with him, so this year we had the opportunity to go to Disney. We invited uncle Limefreckle and Grandma and Grandpa Limefreckle along, we were very kindly given the use of a wonderful condo, and it was, by far, one of the best vacations we have ever had! The funniest part about it all? Mr. Limefreckle was the most excited of the whole group!! I'm telling you, his enthusiasm for the place was contagious! We had all been before, but seeing it again was like seeing it for the first time, with my husband and my son. It wasn't what you might call a relaxing vacation, it was ALL DISNEY, ALL THE TIME, but it was a great time!!!! Disney is such a great place, and they treat you like ROYALTY! I can't believe how friendly everyone that works there is......

Here at the infirmary....

2009-10-26T08:24:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted in FOREVER!!! Now that Limefreckle Jr. is back in school, our drive to school lasts about one hour....when he first started at the school last year, I drove back and forth a LOT, often spending more than 4 hours in the car a day.....but now I spend my days near the school, going to the gym, volunteering there, meeting friends for lunch....I find I fill my days with no problem....the drive doesn't feel like such a big deal, but the drawback is..... I'm never home anymore! Well I've had my fill of home this weekend.....we haven't stepped foot outside since Friday -- Limefreckle Jr. is sick, and so am I! So here's a little something that I found funny from my hours of television viewing this weekend, as no one has the energy to do anything but lay on the couch.....

object width="425" height="344">

Limefreckle Jr's playroom

2009-09-12T07:22:00.000-04:00

A while back I painted Limefreckle Jr's playroom, and did a completely HORRIBLE job. The walls of the room had lots of holes in it, and I did NOT do a very good patch job....the satin paint (why I let the salesperson talk me into Satin rather than eggshell I'll never know) really shows off every imperfection. The room is RED, Limefreckle Jr's favourite colour.....

So, rather than repaint, I choose to hide the imperfections with pictures on the wall.....I hung this pic from Ikea

This week, a recent purchase from The Grand Ole Bestiary came in the mail. Aren't these pics adorable?

I've been looking for black and white animal prints for awhile now to add to the room, these are perfect! And only $8.00 a piece!! Limefreckle Jr. asked if these were his ancestors....why yes, a few of them look familiar! I almost would prefer to add them to my "Wall of Shame" rather than put them into the playroom....maybe I need to order more!

The best foot treatment I've ever found

2009-09-11T08:25:00.001-04:00

Paula Begoun was on Cityline awhile back, and she had this great treatment for rough, dry, cracked feet and heels -- it WORKS folks, REALLY WORKS!!

First, wipe your feet with medicated acne cleansing pads...

This is the brand I used, but any brand should do the trick.

Next, slather on petroleum jelly, or a very rich lotion -- I used good old Vaseline, everyone has some, and it's cheap!

Finally, cover with cotton socks, and leave on overnight. I used these socks, they were very cozy.

Do this everynight for a week, what a difference it makes!

The kids are back in school!! YIPPEE!!!

2009-09-10T07:06:00.000-04:00

Well, it's that time of year again! It was so wonderful to drop off Limefreckle Jr. this year, he was so excited to get back to school, to see his friends. He has a new teacher this year, at least for the first part of the year, one of our teachers is off having back surgery......the supply teacher is a MAN.....and Limefreckle Jr. couldn't be more pleased....he has wanted a man teacher for so long! The teacher came to visit us the week before school started, he spent some time with Limefreckle Jr. getting to know him, we went out for lunch, it was a great way to transistion into the change.

Our school secretary commented on my hair (the extensions are out, and I'm back to the short "flippy" look) and she said there was something else different about me....I looked younger. I'm convinced it's the lack of stress I've been under! There were no sleepless nights this past week, no worry about what was to come at school....I KNOW there will be no phone calls from the school saying that Limefreckle Jr. is misbehaving, won't you please come and pick him up? I always had to laugh at that.....going home was EXACTLY what Limefreckle Jr. wanted, and he knew exactly how to make that happen......the school was always only too happy to oblige....that won't happen anymore. The program manager at the school told me last year that "no problem is too big" and that pretty much sums things up....there is confidence and brainstorming, and problem solving --- not stress, and worry, and uncertainty --- of COURSE I look younger, how could I not, with that kind of weight taken off of my shoulders!

So life gets back to routine.....the long drive to the school is the only drawback, but we enjoy that too, I listen to talk radio, Limefreckle Jr. watches a movie....it's all good!

Back to Reality!

2009-09-09T06:49:00.005-04:00

Well, can you believe the summer is over already! This summer was one of the worst weather wise, but one of our busiest! We capped off the whole thing by spending a weekend at Sherkston Shores.....what a great time. It's a beach resort located on Lake Erie, about 20 minutes away from Niagara Falls....we had SO much fun! You can stay in a "cottage" (a trailer) or camp with your RV or tents. The park is huge, lots to see and do. The most fun part about it all was driving around the place in a golf cart.....don't think Limefreckle Jr. didn't love that! It was a beautiful weekend, and a wonderful way to end the summer.

I did it! I really, really did it!

2009-08-29T00:27:00.008-04:00

I FINALLY posted some pics of my jewelry for sale! I've only posted on icraft.ca so far, but plan to spread to etsy, and another new site I've joined, called artfire.com I've been wanting to do this ALL SUMMER long, and finally I buckled down, took some pics, and got busy!!! I'm so proud of myself.

Hint to all of you....a few glasses of wine really helps to loosen oneself up. I came up with some great names while under the influence....some of the product names may make no sense to you....but in my altered state of consciousness they seemed pretty frickin' hilarious!!! Anyhoo, hopefully you like my stuff, here is a preview:

You can find the complete listings by clicking "icraft.ca" in my sidebar. And on another note, what do you think of my blow up neckace bust in picture number 1? Limefreckle Jr. kept stealing it to play with.....should I be worried?

I'm going to be like this when I'm old!

2009-08-28T20:04:00.001-04:00

I always tell my friends, when I'm old I'm going into the old folks home, and I'm going to HAVE A BLAST!!! I can't expect poor Limefreckle Jr. to take care of me, he's struggling himself to make sure he gets a fair shake in this world.....so I'm going, happily, off to the retirement home.....hope I bump into someone like Joe!!! I can't wait to see this movie!

learning to ride a bike

2009-08-26T08:08:00.002-04:00

Limefreckle Jr. has always been a bit late to do things...late to talk, late to potty train, late to ride a bike. He hasn't really shown any interest in his bike the last couple of years -- he usually prefers to ride his scooter, and I haven't really pushed the issue -- I think I've been a bit unsure myself how to go about teaching him to ride a bike. This summer I looked into a program for kids on the spectrum, a 6 week thing that teaches them to ride. We were too late to sign up, it ran during the spring, and I was thinking that I would sign him up next year.

Well, the other day, he announced that he wanted to ride his bike without training wheels. I was so unsure, what should I do....I don't know how to teach someone to ride! Should we go to the park, and practice on the grass? Well, I just decided to go for it, so I got out a wrench, and off came the wheels. Limefreckle Jr. got on the bike, and THAT WAS THAT! Off he went, riding as if he has always ridden a bike! I got on my bike, and had him follow me around, doing circles, then doing figure 8's....then we rode down the street to show our friends. Then off we went around the whole neighbourhood! He has had bike safety courses at school, and clearly he was listening, because he seemed to know all the rules of the road! We stopped in at a friend's house across the neighbourhood to show them what he could do, and off we all went to the park. This kid never ceases to amaze me! He really is the type of kid, that one day, when HE'S READY, he will just do something that we have worried he would never do.....days like this remind me not fret, to let him set the pace....

Where has the summer gone?

2009-08-26T07:52:00.002-04:00

I've been so neglectful of my little blog this summer...my apologies if there is anyone out there that actually reads me!!!

This summer has been one of the worst, weather wise, but one of our busiest! Limefreckle Jr. and I have been having a wonderful time traipsing around. We travelled to Northern Ontario twice to visit Grandma and Grandpa Limefreckle, visited the zoo with friends from school and had a sleepover, (in the tent in his room no less). We indulged ourselves in uncle Limefreckle's pool on the few hot days that we have had. Limefreckle Jr. spent a week at the Y day camp, and had fun, while I called up a girlfriend who was also finding herself sans children (hers are older, and at the point that they really don't want to hang out with Mom anymore!) and we visited Uncle Limefreckle's pool ourselves, and floated, and floated, and floated....what bliss, it's been years since I was able to just get onto an air mattress and float, without children trying to tip me off! If I could just talk Mr. Limefreckle into installing a pool in our very own backyard, what heaven that would be! Ah well, thankfully Uncle Limefreckle is so obliging.

I told myself at the beginning of the summer break, that this was the year that I was going to really start actively working on selling my jewellery online. I had 9 weeks to get things photographed and listed. It's such a daunting task, I've continued to procrastinate, or find something "more important" to do...but no more...I only have 1 1/2 weeks left before school starts, I need to get to work! So I decided that if I wrote about it here, if I said it out loud, maybe that would be the push I need to get busy. Today I am pledging to myself to at least get photographs of all of my inventory that I want to list. It may not get onto the computer today, but at least I can do the photography. Everyday I will take one task until I have at the minimum 30 pieces listed. That is my goal, by the time school starts again. I KNOW that once I get the ball rolling, that it won't be so difficult. So wish me luck, and check back here after the 8th (first day of school). The sidebar will contain the sites that I have my jewellery available for sale.

Graduation excitement

2009-06-23T07:16:00.003-04:00

At Limefreckle Jr's new school, graduation celebrations are a really big deal for EVERYONE! As it's a very small school, with a small number of students, graduation is for EVERYONE, not just the kids that are actually leaving the school.

Limefreckle Jr's grad was last week, and we had a fantastic time! I've never seen Limefreckle Jr. so happy, so in his element, so "himself". I've never sat down at a meal at a public event without worrying what he was up to.....but here, it didn't matter, he was off having fun with his friends, there are no judgements about behaviour, I knew he was loved and cared for by everyone in the room. The kids ran around, danced, laughed, had fun, they were KIDS, not KIDS WITH AUTISM. It was wonderful.

This school is a very special place. In the few short months we have been there Limefreckle Jr. has become a different boy. His bad behaviours are decreasing, he is learning, he is thriving!! His report card this year was so markedly different from anything we had ever received in the past. He never was given any grades before, his report card was called an "anectdotal" report in the public system -- it would contain remarks about his behaviour mostly, nothing about it would make you understand what, if anything, he had actually learned! This time around we have real, quantifiable evidence of the actual work that he has completed, we know what grade level he is working at, we know what skills he has developed, and where he needs improvement! It's a different world at this private school.

For a long time after we switched schools, I was still very angry at the public system. Angry that they didn't provide Limefreckle Jr. with the proper environment to learn. Angry that instead of working to help him through any issues that he had, they would take the easy way out, and call me to come and get him, which, as you can imagine, only worked to reinforce the bad behaviours. He played the staff like a violin, he knew exactly what he needed to do to get out of work, out of anything he didn't want to do. And he did it -- and it worked. If he decided that he wasn't going to do something, he didn't do it.

Now don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for the people in the public system. Good people that want to help, but are not equipped to do so. As angry as I was in the beginning that we had to seek out private schooling in order to educate our son, now I am so very thankful. Had the public school not failed so miserably for us, I never would have investigated private learning, and never would have found this magical place. In 5 short months, my daily stresses are gone.....I won't have to fight tooth and nail anymore to get my son the support he needs -- the support he DESERVES -- I no longer will have to justify his behaviours, I'm in a place now that truly understands autism, and how to deal with it. Our future is bright, I have a life back, I haven't been this relaxed and happy in years. Yes, it's private, so that comes with a price -- but the price Limefreckle Jr. would have paid if we had kept trying to trudge through the public system would have been far greater!

My craft room

2009-05-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

I took these pictures a while back, to show you where I create. I know, you are asking, "what do you create?" I have had full intentions for MONTHS now to get some jewelry listed for sale, I have lots of pieces to show you...but so little time....this summer it is definitely a pet project of mine to get pieces photographed and online at icraft.ca, etsy.com and a new site that I have joined and not participated in, artfire.com

Anyway, so here are some pics of where the magic happens....

My Wall of beads! I know, I know, I have way more beads than I'm ever going to use.....perhaps I should sell some of them! I used to store everything in beadboxes -- small opaque containers, however I find this setup soooo much easier for a visual person like me!!!

And of course I need some jars of beads too....these are all the vintage and leftover beads I have been collecting..it's like candy!

Everything is stored in these boxes from IKEA....an organizers paradise! All my wool is stored down below, miscellanous stuff up above:

More kitchen gadgets -- this time lazy susans -- holding all my Swarovski pearls and stones. And of course a TV, because if you know me at all you know I watch a LOT of TV!

And lastly, an easy way to store my tools -- handy and at my fingertips:

Let's stroll down memory lane, shall we?

2009-05-30T22:19:00.017-04:00

I was reading June's blog the other day (and if you don't read her, you really should, she is quite funny!) and she was discussing this product:

do you remember it? I sure do, what a blast from the past....I can remember how it went on all sticky, and you had to hold your arms up in the air forever until it dried.....oh, those were the days!!! Anyway, her blog comments got me to reminiscing about a whole bunch of products....

You can try hard, or you can try soft....but soft will get them all the time......come on, don't pretend you don't remember the jingle!!!

Or how about this?

All the fashionable Barbies of my day lived in one of these. Not my Barbies mind you, they couldn't afford the rent...they lived in a tent.....but my best friend down the road had one, and boy, did I ever covet that townhouse!!!

Can't you just smell the sunscreen right now? And do you remember Elke Sommer???? WHO DOESN'T!

Did your hair REALLY smell terrific? I don't remember, but we bought it a lot, so it must have!

Now, this one, I DO remember...and it did smell good!!!

And who didn't want to look like Dorothy Hamill? I had her haircut did you? And for some reason, I felt I must use the shampoo too....can't recall if it made it as bouncy as hers was in the commercial though!

Remember the taste of these? Yummo!!!! I love the 7-UP and Root beer flavours....

Do you remember these little dolls? They smelled like a mixture of perfume and plastic....and I loved them!

Weren't the 70's great!!!???!!!

The hardest part about raising a child on the Autism spectrum

2009-05-02T06:48:00.003-04:00

It's hard to find out that your child has a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. Your world turns upside down at that moment. It's hard dealing with the very wide and varied behaviours that are associated with autism. The tantrums alone can sometimes require medication and/or vast amounts of wine to get through (for you, not your child). It's DEFINITELY hard trying to navigate your way through the mountain of paperwork and red tape associated in trying to find the right help, help that will work for your particular child. Doctor's differ with their advice, therapists have other ideas, play therapy, music therapy, IBI therapy, there's so much out there to try. Doctor's appointments, occupational therapy, speech therapy, sensory rooms, chiropractic, your busy running from one appointment to another, sitting in waiting rooms hoping that THIS next expert might have some answers that you are looking for. Jenny McCarthy says she cured her son -- maybe what SHE is doing is the way to go -- who am I to not listen to Jenny -- she's been in Playboy for Pete's sake!!! And she is always on Larry King -- this MUST be the answer!

It's really, really, REALLY hard dealing with the public school system! You educate yourself, you know what your child's rights are, you know what the school system, the school boards are SUPPOSED to be providing for your child -- and you see how they are failing miserably. You sit in meetings with officials that clearly haven't got a clue what to do, and you think to yourself "what is going to happen to my poor child?" It's hard.

But the very hardest thing, in my opinion, when dealing with a child on the autism spectrum, is having to deal with the public, and their perception of everything. There's just nothing that compares to the steely glances of other mothers in the supermarket, mothers of typical children, who observe your child behaving badly, and, with one sweep of their glance, deem you unworthy as a parent.

The hardest thing is standing in the school yard, watching your child walk around in circles in the kindergarten class, waiting for the bell to ring, hearing other children talk about him --one boy saying to another -- "do you like that kid? Nobody likes that kid"....those are the moments that sting the most -- the moments that don't seem to affect your child, but that stick with you throughout the years. Standing on the sidelines during a soccer game, hearing a coach make comments about the "kid playing in the dirt" while your child, who is fascinated with the patches of mud on the field, not the game going on, remains unaware.

The very hardest thing is standing on the side of the playground, watching other children exclude your child from their play. For me, that is the very hardest thing about raising a child on the autism spectrum. Yesterday Limefreckle Jr. was at the park, and he approached a group of children playing with a soccer ball -- they were playing a made up game that looked like a cross between tag and dodge ball. Limefreckle Jr. so wanted to be part of the game -- he approached the kids and said "hey, can I play with you?".....he followed them around, asking " can I have a turn now?" he faithfully ran off to fetch the ball everytime it went out of bounds -- only to be told "hey kid, give us back the ball"......it was hard to watch. In 8 years, he has struggled socially on the playground. Yesterday I clearly got to see the benefits of all the therapies and effective schooling paying off -- he was on the playground, behaving pretty much like the rest of the kids, as much like them as he can be at this stage of his life, and he was still being ignored. He has learned how to "play" the way other children do -- yes, that is something that has to be taught. "Play" in the way Limefreckle Jr. sees it, is not acceptable to most of society -- so he needs to be taught to "play" like the other children, the "NORMAL" children --- and he is doing it --- he is following the rules, he has learned it. We live in a neighbourhood of fairly well off families, and by watching their children on the playground, it shows. The children travel in cliques, just like their mothers do, their quick to judge the others, and even quicker to exclude. Many of these children are students of the school Limefreckle Jr. used to attend. A "religious" school, a school where one would think the children learn the teachings of the church, where children would be taught to be kind to others. You only need to go to the parking lot of this school at the end of the day, and listen to parents yell at each other, and fight for spots, to see that some of these teachings may not really be sinking in, to parents or to children. I guess this is the life of middle class suburbia, this probably isn't too uncommon in all parts of the country, probably in the same neighbourhood that you lived in -- "It takes a village" isn't a phrase most people around here are familiar with!

But it's most definitely the hardest part of my journey -- other parents, other mother's, other children and their judgements -- that is the hardest part!

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Check out what this woman has to say, and prepare to be inspired! I check in frequently to see how she is progressing, you can just feel her strength and her family's love, in the words that she writes. Very moving...

Stupid Pet Tricks

2009-04-29T17:05:00.002-04:00

I wish I could teach Rufus to do this! It would be doubly funny looking at me trying to hold an 80 pound labradoodle in one arm like that!

I have "Optimism"

2009-04-22T07:16:00.003-04:00

Since Limefreckle Jr. has switched schools, and he's now attending a school strictly comprised of children on the spectrum, I've been talking more about Autism to him. It's not that I haven't wanted to broach the subject before, I have tried to tell him about it, that he has it, etc., but he's never really understood what I was talking about.......the other day we were discussing it, and I told him that he has Autism, and so do all the boys in his school. He asked me what that was, and I said it was a way of thinking, of seeing the world, and he didn't really seem to care one way or the other....then he walked out of the room and said "Hmmm....I have Optimism"......now, whenever I ask him about what he has, he says the same thing "Optimism".....do you think he is trying to tell me something!!??!!

Friday's fabulous finds

2009-04-19T08:34:00.002-04:00

I haven't done a Friday's fabulous finds in quite awhile I realize -- and this week, it's something different.....on Friday, I met up with an old friend......someone that I haven't seen in quite awhile, that I've known for 20 years or so.....

There's nothing quite like meeting up with a friend, and just picking up where you left off. This particular friend and I have been talking via email lately, but haven't seen each other in about 7 years ---life has just gotten in the way. She lives near Limefreckle Jr's new school, so we decided to meet up, and when we got together for coffee, you would have thought we had just seen each other last week- I really treasure a friend that good, that really "gets you", knows everything about you, and still likes you anyway! It's funny, when you see someone that you haven't seen in so long, it just brings you back to memories of the time you met -- at least it did for me. We used to work together many years ago, and had so many laughs (didn't we Polka dot?) It's just so good to be able to laugh at things that only you and she probably find funny -- things that if you tried to explain to an outsider probably wouldn't make much sense but to us make us laugh hysterically ---So tell me, do you have a friend like that? Someone that you can go years without seeing, but still remain the same with?

My how time flies by!

2009-04-13T07:06:00.005-04:00

Limefreckle Jr. has turned 8!!! We've been so busy celebrating the past couple of weeks, Grandma and Grandpa Limefreckle came into town for the occasion, that's why the blog has been neglected!

Limefreckle Jr., I can't believe you are 8 years old already! It seems like just yesterday you were laying in the crib next to me in the hospital, and I was thinking "they've left me here with this baby, like I know what I'm doing....are they crazy?"

I didn't sleep much, I kept waking up and looking at you, not really sure of what had just happened in my life! It seemed to be such a blur, and the next thing you know, I had a baby! But I figured it all out, and soon you came home -- Mommy a bundle of nerves, crying as Daddy drove out of the hospital parking lot (I was a bit of an emotional wreck those first few days!) And you just taking it all in stride, riding in your car seat.

I remember being so scared to take you anywhere, the first car trip alone with you must have taken 1/2 hour to get you secured in the car seat, but we figured it out, didn't we, and soon you and I were off, anywhere we wanted to go, to the gym, to the mall, to visit friends, it was quite the summer!

The years went on, and you weren't talking when you should have been talking -- a concern to everyone ---- we would read the books, telling us "what to expect" and you weren't always meeting those milestones --- and the journey began for us. It's been quite a ride, these past 8 years, I can remember snuggling with you in your room when you were much younger in the middle of the night, listening to "Baby Mine" our favourite song (you still refer to it as "your song") and wondering what the future held for you. You and I can relate to the line in the song that says "All those same people who scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you". There were lots of people scolding, suggesting that you weren't behaving in the way you should be, that we as parents weren't handling things in the way we should be....I guess everyone has an opinion as to how to parent -- it's just human nature, but we held fast, knowing that we were doing the right things for you, and that we as a family were going to figure it out. We tried so many things, some good, some not so good -- music therapy (good), ABA therapy (not so good). We tried daycare, you cried, and cried and cried, Mommy just couldn't bear to leave you anymore, and we decided it was too soon.....we tried Nursery school a few years later, and there was a lot more crying --- you weren't behaving like the other children, you weren't responding to the teachers in the manner which they expected -- you didn't fit in, it wasn't fair to the other children (oh, if Mommy had a nickel for every time she heard that -- we would be rich!) We tried social skills groups, you had occupational therapy, speech therapy.....lots of therapy (sometimes I think Mommy needs therapy!!!) We met some fabulous resource teachers, and they guided us through this ridiculous maze of services -- and you continued to grow. Mommy got a LOT better at figuring out what worked for you, and what wouldn't, and despite many "professionals" that had opinions, we've always gone with our gut feelings, and it hasn't led us wrong yet! It was our gut feeling telling us to get you out of the school system, and so far that has been our best decision for you yet! It's come to my realization, that in this world of Autism, there is one thing that makes all the difference in the world -- and that is a "positive attitude".....I can remember back when you were little, people talking about there being a window of opportunity to help you, children have to learn certain things before age 2, before age 3, before age 6 --- it was sometimes exhausting to listen to other people tell us what was right for you.....the panic in their voices, the negativity, it was too much sometimes!!! I'm so glad that we held fast, and believed in you, often when others wouldn't. Many people didn't get you, still don't get you, but we have come to realize that "that's OK"....they will never get you.....but that will be their loss, not ours. And in the meantime, those that do get you, are richer for it!

So Limefreckle Jr., Happy 8th birthday, It's been a privilege to be your Mom, you've taught me so much more than anyone can imagine!! You continue to climb that mountain ahead of you, we will be here to support you!

OK, I'm not really a narcissist!

2009-03-29T09:06:00.001-04:00

I gave Mr. Limefreckle the quiz, I read it to him while we were driving in the car, and I took it again myself. He scored only a 13.....and this time I scored a 15 -- so I either miscalculated the score last time, or I changed my answers this time and didn't realize it. In any event, I guess I'm more normal than I thought! I still can't believe he scored less than me though!

Are you a narcissist?

2009-03-27T17:54:00.003-04:00

Dr. Drew wrote a book recently, and has a quiz to take to determine if you are a narcissist. The average population scores a 15.3, celebs score 17.8 -- I scored a 20!!!! I need to sit down and review it, and figure out if the points I scored on indicate vanity, exploitiveness, entitlement, exhibitionism (bad things) or authority, self sufficiency, superiority (better things). In my oh so humble opinion, Mr. Limefreckle, the workaholic, is the narcissist around here (and don't think I won't be quizzing him to find out what he scores...)

What are you? Click here to find out, and post a comment!

Elephant and Dog

2009-03-25T07:26:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was listening to a program on the radio, and they were talking about a YouTube video about an elephant and dog that had formed an unlikely friendship. I thought to myself "I must show Limefreckle Jr." His absolute FAVOURITE animal is the elephant, and he also loves dogs, so this is going to thrill him. I was thinking to myself, that he could go to school and show them this video, I'm always on the lookout for something that he will connect with, that school can use to connect with him as well! Well, we got home, and I searched you tube and started the video, and he said "oh, is this elephant and dog?" and I said "yes, how do you know about it?" "I saw it at school". I had to laugh, he's been there only 2 short months, and his new teachers have totally figured out what makes him tick, how to motivate him, what he will enjoy. Last night for the first time in his LIFE he sat ACROSS the table from me, doing his homework --- this has always been UNHEARD of, I usually have to hold his pencil, help him to write, etc. No more, at the new school, he's writing independently, and better yet, coming up with the answers independently, without me having to guide him through it. I did have to continue to keep him on task, he gets so easily distracted it's almost funny. But what a feeling to just sit there and watch my son do his homework.....if you have a kid on the autism spectrum, you will probably understand!

For those of you interested, here is the "Elephant and Dog" story" -- so cute!

blogging in bed

2009-03-20T08:26:00.002-04:00

I recently got a new laptop, using our airmiles -- to me, that means it was free, however Mr. Limefreckle thinks otherwise, he figures you spent the money to accumulate the airmiles, so it's not really free. Anyway, whichever way you cut it...I now have a laptop....now I have the freedom to blog and keep up with the world from anywhere I choose...which has proven to come in very handy, because I'm laid up in bed with a knee injury! I have NO IDEA how this happened, Mr. Limefreckle came home from work early the other day (usually that's unheard of) and we all went for a walk....my knee was bothering me near the end of the walk, I do remember tripping, sort of turning over on my ankle (I do that a lot....I have skinny ankles!) however nothing really happened at the time...we came home, I didn't really notice my knee bothering me, however by the time I went to bed it was sore. As the night wore on, I couldn't sleep, and realized I couldn't straighten my leg, and then I tried to get up AND I COULDN'T WALK! Immediately I had Mr. Limefreckle fetch the laptop, so I could google "knee pain" and try to figure out what was going on -- we tried ice, that just made it worse. Needless to say I was up all night, after a trip to emerg yesterday the basic consensus was that I must have pulled some ligaments, that further aggravated an existing condition that I most likely have, called patella something or other. I'm on some heavy duty pain killer/anti inflammatory, that make me feel happy. Mr. Limefreckle stayed home from work yesterday and this morning, his mom is coming over later to help out. Poor Limefreckle Jr. is not having the best March break, we had to cancel our Science Centre trip yesterday, but he handled the disappointment very well, and told me last night he is very worried about my knee! The good news is it feels better today, so hopefully the recovery process won't be too long, as I DON'T deal well with crutches!

2009-03-18T07:29:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I spent a good part of my day trying to figure out how to create a signature for my blog. I think I did it, however I'm not really sure it is going to work, until I post.

First, I created the signature using a digital scrapbooking program that I have. Then I saved it in photobucket, and copied the html code. Then I went to my blog, clicked on DASHBOARD-SETTINGS-FORMATTING and scrolled down to the last box, titled "post template" and I inserted the code there. VOILA...a signature to end my posts, because after all, you readers deserve only the best!

back to boring lashes

2009-03-17T07:58:00.003-04:00

Well, unfortunately, the eyelash extensions didn't' work out so well for me. They LOOKED fabulous, but were really irritating my eyes -- I'm not sure if it's because I'm suffering from seasonal allergies (that is one of the questions you are asked when you get them). I'm not normally allergic to anything, but I found my eyes were so itchy, I just couldn't stand it! Such a bummer, because they looked great -- but alas, it was not to be for me. I should have known better, I do have sensitive skin and sensitive eyes, sometimes certain eye makeup is irritating, so I guess I should not be surprised. But it did make me realize that I probably could try fake eyelashes now and again, without too much problem, next time I have somewhere fancy to go, I might give that a try.

Today I'm going to do my favourite cucumber treatment -- have you ever tried cucumbers on your eyes? I'm telling you, it is absolutely the best feeling --- I don't know what it is that does it -- I think it is just the cold of the cucumber, but it will leave your eyes feeling bright and refreshed!

What I'm loving...

2009-03-14T09:01:00.005-04:00

OK, I've been remiss in posting "Friday's fabulous finds" because it is Saturday ---- I haven't been on my computer all week! But all that will change next week, it's March break after all, I'm going to hang around the house and do nothing (well, maybe not ALL week....but at least part of the week) and I'm resolving to get busy, and get some jewelry listed!

I also decided to change "Friday's fabulous finds" to "What I'm loving...." So hear goes:

This is OPI nail polish, from OPI La Collection De France it's called "Tickle My France-y" and I LOVE it. It's a perfect nude, but not too nude -- it's my new favourite colour. Not that I don't love to wear brights too, but this is a great everyday colour.

I'm also loving this:

I use a quick dry top coat, then put this on overtop, and VOILA, dry nails, lickety split! I'm the type of person that leaves the salon and smudges her nails IMMEDIATELY, I have no patience for drying time --- so this works pretty well.

While we are on the topic of beauty treatments, I also got myself THESE:

I can't believe the difference they make to the shape of my eye, my normal lashes are very thin, the new ones really brighten up my eye (but are totally natural -- nobody has really noticed a big difference). Maybe next time, when I need a fill, I'll go for more. I'll try to get a picture to show you, I should have had Limefreckle Jr. take a picture of the before!

Blog redesign

2009-03-07T08:11:00.002-05:00

I was getting a little bored with the shocking pink background on my blog, so I changed it up a little -- it's much simpler -- I need to get busy and play around with my header --- I have a digital scrapbooking program that I designed it with....I need to come up with some different ones, have a little fun! That reminds me, must reinstall that program, as my recent computer cleanup wiped it out.

I'm in the market for a new computer -- a laptop. I've mentioned before that Limefreckle Jr's new school (still LOVING IT by the way) is about 1 hour from where we live. Everyone keeps asking us if we are going to move....but we love our neighbourhood! It's not our fault that the local school to us isn't very good! Anyway, so no, we do not want to move, but I am thinking that I should probably hang out in the town where his school is some days, so that I'm not making the trip 4 times a day -- I personally don't mind the drive at all, but it's a lot of gas, wear and tear on the car, etc. So my new plan is to stay there on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays -- there is a YMCA there, so I can use my membership and go to that gym -- I can do a work out, do a yoga class, have a shower -- that should kill the morning --- but I need something to occupy my time for the afternoon. Now I COULD shop ---- having the school in a different town opens up a whole new avenue of shopping for me.....but I don't see how that would help things long term --- so I decided if I had a laptop with me, I could work on my jewelry business. I've been wanting to get some posts up of jewelry, get some things listed at Etsy, icraft.ca and a new venue I joined, but haven't started selling at. This is something that I've been wanting to get at for a very long time, but other things keep getting in the way. Why is that? Why do we let the things that are important to us get bogged down? I wonder if subconsciously I'm afraid to do it....afraid to open myself up -- what if I post things, and nothing sells? What if nobody likes my work? Well, no matter, it's time to take the leap and start working on my bliss.....I'll keep you posted, and of course as soon as things get listed I will list them here. Now, time to get busy and photograph some items!