My Etsy Store

The TeaBag Wisdom for today said, "Be proud of who you are." I interpret that to mean that I should not cower away behind my machine and sew in vain. Given the opportunity, I should share my little business with people so that they will, in turn, share it with others. That is, indeed, the basis of social networking, right? My children do not know a time without Facebook or Twitter. They even remember MySpace! The days before cell phones are as foreign to them as the days before landlines are to people of my generation. They believe that actually using a phone to talk is "old fashioned", and they can carry on hour-long conversations via a tiny touch-screen keyboard, but they have a hard time talking to us at the dinner table!

So, with a little inspiration from my morning Tea Bag, I have decided to blog just a little about my Etsy Store, ~ Jumpin' In Puddles~. You can visit my store, anytime, day or night. You can choose to purchase the items that are already in my store, or you can give me your ideas so that I can create something extra special just for you!

Every item in my store has a story. The portrait dresses were inspired by my love for all things Mela Wilson...circa 1985-present. The bloomers were inspired by my belief that every bottom is cuter with satin ribbons. The Maggie dress is named so because it was the first garment that my oldest daughter ever made, and she was 12 at the time! The Parker is a variation of a classic little boy's romper. The first one that I made was for my baby cousin, Parker. His mama and I are the exact same age, and we graduated from high school together. We share 4 of the most awesome ladies in the universe as our Grandmothers and Great Aunts, and the Great Grandmother that we shared was her other Great Grandmother's best friend.

Everytime that someone purchases from ~Jumpin' In Puddles~, I am humbled. First I was a teacher, and then I was a mom. I have NEVER worked in retail in my life, and I certainly have had a lot to learn about business. I guess I come by ownership honestly, though. My daddy was a business owner. My father inlaw is a business owner. My husband is a business owner. I had a lot of good examples to follow. Every item in my store tells the browser and the buyer that I am definitely proud of who I am.

Inspiration

Sometimes I will post more than one blog in a week. Other times, there will be weeks or maybe even months between entries. It's not because I am lazy or too busy, and it is definitely not because I don't care.

You see, I have loved writing all my life. I actually majored in Journalism for 3 of the 4 years of college. However, when I was approached by another student to write his research paper for him and discovered that he was a senior and couldn't even put together a suitable paragraph, I sprinted to the College of Education and begged them to let me into Secondary Ed. I had heard the calling to teach people to write. After some begging, pleading, and promising to take 26+ hours for the next 3 semesters, I left the fast paced world of Journalism/Editing. After calling the Wall Street Journal and declining my pending internship, I said a prayer asking for grace and MERCY on my life, and I began driving down the road to the classroom.

After a successful career path switcheroo, I graduated from The Capstone in my self-allotted 4 years, and I entered the 7th grade Literature Classroom. I loved to read, but my passion was still writing, and we did A LOT of it!! I served the 7th Graders of Bay Minette, Alabama for 2 years, and there was inspiration all around me. Besides the O.J. Trial, there were some tragedies that hit close to home. My track team and my sweet students also kept me on my toes. In the middle of it all, I became engaged. It was bittersweet, because while I loved my husband dearly, it meant moving to Birmingham. It meant leaving my students. Of course, they planned and celebrated with me, even on my Wedding Day. Now, 15 years later, most of them are married and have children of their own. Several of them still keep in contact with me. They are still my inspiration.

"Paint Me A Birmingham" is our song. We loved everything about it. We had arrived. I truly believed that it was the biggest city in the South. I met new friends. I went to Grad School. I taught at 2 schools....one Middle School, and one Elementary School.
I had 2 babies. The inspirations kept on coming, and so did the lesson plans, homework, diapers, and bottles!

Then, in June 1999, we moved to the biggest city in the South. We became residents of
Atlanta, GA. My home became my classroom.
Now, 12 years later, people ask me where we want to retire.
I simply respond, "Paint Me A Birmingham". It is still my inspiration.

Every morning, as I make breakfast for my family, I put the water in the kettle, flip the stove dial on "high", and anxiously wait for the whistle. Just a year ago, the kettle was solely for hot tea for the grown ups and cocoa for the girls. Now, as the kettle gurgles before it whistles, I prepare 4 cups. I gently place tea bags in 2 of them, hanging the tags over the cups' lips. The other 2 cups are for my girls' coffee...Starbucks Via. While this scenario alone lends great inspirations, I also get a little something extra from the grown ups tea bags each day.

One may have an "aha" statement.... PATIENCE GIVES THE POWER TO PRACTICE; PRACTICE GIVES THE POWER THAT LEADS TO PERFECTION.
One may have a "feel good" statement...EVEN CLOUDY DAYS CAN HAVE A SUNNY ENDING. Others my have a direct command...OBEY, SERVE, LOVE, EXCEL.

Now, don't misunderstand. These tea-bag inspirations don't take the place of my daily devotions with God. They just add to them. ...

PATIENCE

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.
Romans 5: 3

In order that you may not grow disinterested and become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith (by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are [now] inheriting the promises.
Hebrews 6: 12

HAPPY ENDINGS

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

OBEDIENCE

If anyone serves Me, he must continue to follow Me [to cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying] and wherever I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

John 12: 26

So.....I may or may not write everyday. I have to be inspired. While inspiration is all around me, I am often blind to it, whether I am caught up in my duties or simply caught up in my inner self. As we know from living 10 years after 9/11, challenges may be brick walls, but they are not un-scaleable! My challenge is to be more aware of the inspiration around me so that I can share them. My family feels strongly that I should write a book....how can I write a book if I don't get out of myself?

He Got SOME of Us....We Got ALL of HIM! September 11, 2011

As this day drew near, I was faced with questions from my girls that I have never had to face. You see, they were 2 and 3 on that beautiful September Tuesday when the Towers fell. Although there was no regular programming on t.v. for a week or more following the attacks, and although my husband..their father...didn't return to work in Mid-Town Atlanta until the city was deemed secure several days later, they don't remember that day at all. They don't remember not being able to go to story time at the library. They don't remember me calling my brother and sister inlaw, both in the Army, frantically trying to figure out what was happening. They don't remember their father....the "rock" of our little family....telling his employees to go home but not by MARTA and coming home literally shaking. They don't remember their Grandfathers calling us in tears to be sure that we were okay. The only thing Libba knew as she sat down to interview me for a class project was that 10 years later, our nation is still The UNITED States of AMERICA. Ten years later, as we memorialize the lives lost on the day, we celebrate knowing that we overcame one of the main organizers of the plot against us. Ten years later, even as our economy has slumped and jobs have been lost, we stand united under GOD. Libba asked me how I heard about the first crashed, and I told her that I saw Katie reporting on The Today Show. She asked me how I found out about the second crash, and I told her that I watched it happen...while feeding her breakfast. She asked me how I felt when I heard that the SEALS had captured and taken the life of Bin Laden, and I told her that I was overcome with pride and joy. However, I was not shocked.

We've heard many stories about that day and the time immediately following, but three stood out to me the most.

~September 11, 2011~ George W Bush was reading to a class of Elementary Schoolers in Sarasota, Florida when he was told via a whisper in his ear. Many, including myself, would have jumped up and stormed out of the room in a panic. I probably would have locked down the school in fear. W didn't. He sat, expressionless, as he mentally processed the information and the school's teacher was speaking. He didn't want to upset the children. He wasn't thinking of himself. He wasn't thinking of his family or career. He was thinking of the children. Right then and there, W became a hero of 9/11.

~~September 11, 2011~~One of the first NYPD Chaplains to arrive on the scene ran into the building that others were sprinting from and some were crawling from. We ran in so that he could help. Maybe he planned to physically rescue people. Maybe he planned to sit with people who were on their way to heaven. It's completely unclear. We do know that as The Mayor left him earlier that morning, he promised to pray for the Mayor, the city, and the nation. We know that as he entered that building, he was not only praying, but he was acting. When his body was found, the men carried him out, down to the church, up the aisle to the alter, and laid his body there at the foot of the cross. The great news was that his soul had already made it to the foot of the cross in Heaven. At the moment that he entered the Tower, the NYPD Chaplain became a hero of 9/11.

~~~September 13, 2011~~A group of firefighters/first responders made their way into the core of one of the fallen towers. There was bent steel and rubble everywhere. I am sure they also saw many gruesome things, as by then it was a recovery mission. One man made his way into a cavern that was created by the explosion and collapse of the buildings, near where the US Customs offices once were. It was twilight, and what was left of the day made it's way through the rubble and the carnage, and shone on none other but a CROSS. It was a cross of steel. It had a piece of metal draped over one of it's arms, "Like the drape we use at Easter", according to the man who found it. He brought others to see it. They were convicted to preserve it, and it now stands at Ground Zero as a permanent fixture. The placement of that cross among all the horror was not a coincidence. That cross was GOD's message to us that no matter what we experience in our life, HE is bigger. No matter what, if we wish to be healed, HE can heal us. At each moment the planes hit the buildings and at the moment that Todd Beamer declared, "Let's Roll", God became a hero of 9/11.

Of course, there are countless other heroes of that day. Each person who lost his or her life that day or in days since as a result of the attacks is a hero. Each spouse, parent, and child who lost a loved one is a hero. My daughter didn't ask me about the heroes, but if she had, I would have said that the "little ones" of 9/11, those who lost parents as well as all of the others in America, are heroes. They are heroes because they give us something to keep fighting for! They give us the faith to fall down at the cross and give it all to God. They give the SEALS and the other men and women of our Armed Forces the courage to risk their lives so that the US can remain the most powerful and secure country in the world. The difference between terrorists and American Soldiers is courage.

Osama got SOME of Us....We Got ALL of HIM!

God's Got ALL of US....We've Got ALL of HIM!!!

September 11, 2011

God Bless America!!!

BLOG HOP....FINDING NEW FRIENDS!

After a quite successful "Grand Opening" and entry into the blogosphere, I returned to the etsy teams that helped me "get out there", and I came across the Blog Hop. Until now, I have had to "walk softly and carry a big stick" as I trudged my way through cyberspace. No, I am not uneducated. I have a Master's Degree, in fact. My problem is that I obtained my Master's Degree well before the 21st century, thus I typed my papers on a Word Processor, and I took tests that were scored by Scantron machines. No, I am not uneducated, I am in the "over 40 crowd", mostly composed of people who rely on their children or younger relatives to interpret the workings of technology. You see, I was 27 when I bought my first cell phone (yes, it was in a bag), but my daughters were 12 and 13 when I gave them their first IPhone. At our house, the deal is that if you aren't responsible enough to have something, you don't get it. Well, they are not only responsible enough to use an IPhone, they know so much more about it that they had to teach me how to use mine...the one that I bought when I was 40!

Until now, felt very tiny amongst the millions of surfers of the worldwide web. However, now that I have found The Adventures of J-Man and Millerbug at http://myadventureinmommyhood.blogspot.com, I feel that I am actually floating on a surfboard that will not sink! Jeannette Fender is my Queen of the blogosphere. She has great ideas, she is very informative, and she is 100% approachable. Her blog shows photos of a really cute family. If I didn't know better, I would think that she is in her teens!! I have posted her Blog Hop below this passage, and I encourage everyone who reads my blog to spread the word, link up to the Hop, and we can all help each other out!! Thank you, Jeannette, for your dedication and expertise!! My readers can get to her page by clicking on her button on the upper left corner of this entry!

A New Beginning

www.etsy.com/shop/baby2bigkid www.facebook.com/jumpin.in.puddles

What does the phrase, "almost a year later" mean to you?

In September, 2010, I feared what the next year would bring.

sadness.
loneliness.
confusion.

In November, 2010, I met

happiness in The Word.
joy in my family.
bliss in the classroom.

Christmas brought

music.
memories.
support.
family.
SNOW.

Then, the snow stuck around

literally.
feet, not inches.
for what seemed like months.

Spring had sprung,

birthdays came
and
went.

Teenagers blossomed along with my Petunias.

They planned movie outings, shopping sprees, make-up, and
Camp Ridgecrest.

I left the classroom knowing that

God knows what's around my corners.
God has a better plan.
God wants me to work to glorify Him.
God's Plan A is often my Plan B.

For many, that is cliche. For Christians, that is Gospel.

The phrase, "Almost a year later" means

JUMPIN' IN PUDDLES!
~custom clothing for boys and girls~

"Almost a year later" means

Reconnection with old friends

MJ Kayser Ramo
Abby Hanlin Stimpson
Cammie Harper Singleton
Gina Postiglione Lee
Robin Long Brunson
Jill Puckett Aldridge
Megan Saxon Murphree
Sandy Burns
Cristen Taylor

Meeting New Friends

Leslie Yankie Guilian
~aka The Paperdoll~
Beth Owens
Susan Cowan of Betty Sue's Quilt Shop
Cristine Smiga
Jori Harman

A Renewed Family Bond

Nancy and Steve Walker
~aka Camp Nancy~
Devin & Christine Walker
Deanna Walker
Edna Rubley
Melissa Rubley Dixon
Clara Brennan

A new marriage on "the Myrick side"

Deanna Marie Walker to Evan Seaman

A new cousin on "the Sullivan side"

Teagan Christine Castelanetta

A new fiance on "the Muzi side"

Kyle Jacobs to Sara Muzi

A new home for Andrea

She's only 40 miles away, but we miss her sooooo.....

A new companion for my Mama.

Around the same time that the daffodils began to peek through the leftover snow, I was introduced to one of the most compelling books that I have ever read. It was a short read, but a hard one. It was definitely not the type of book that one reads with the hopes of curing insomnia. It was thought provoking. It was reminiscent of my own father's life as a part-time "lay missionary". It was convicting. It lived up to its name.

RADICAL

Ten months ago, "almost a year" was a frightening phrase. Now, "almost a year" is a phrase on my short term goal list.

In "almost a year", I want to

have to buy a new sewing machine because I have worn mine out.
use my proceeds and time in a mission project.
be able to "hire" my girls to sew for me.

In "almost a year", I will be able to help others BECAUSE of the trials and journeys that I have endured.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Ecclesiastes 9:10

If God is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?

Wednesday, February 9, 2011 brought news of yet another Winter Weather Advisory fast approaching the Metro Area. I am willing to bet that 99.9% of parents and over 80% of students within the boundaries of this Advisory were hoping that school would be OPEN today, if for no other reason than that we have all memorized every level of every Wii game known to man and that we have holes in our outerwear from the last week of sledding. We are Georgians. We like our SEASONS. We like that our SEASONS are mild. I like the mildness and general predictability because it helps me handle the OTHER seasons of my life with a little more composure. Contrary to the fact that we are home of the CNN Headquarters and a base for FOX News, we would rather make headlines because the Republicans gained back the Gold Dome or because our homeschool kids win spelling bees. We cherish the fact that we are NOT factors in nationwide weather statistics.

I guess God is showing us how powerful He really can be. He is reminding us that His will is the ONLY will that matters. With the turn of the new year, I leave sickness and death behind, and God brings Snowmaggedon 2011 to my back door--literally. 10 days of snow and ice, 4 days of no MAIL service, and a week or more of no extra-curricular activities (yeah, I have to admit that I kind of liked that part), yielded cranky husbands, whiny daughters, and lots of school work to be made up. Then, the sun shone, the temps climbed, and we eventually stopped talking about it, until Wednesday night, February 9, 2011. It was a month to the day of the onset of Snowmageddon 2011.
The snow that we woke to was beautiful, but the roads were not.
However, after checking all websites and seeing that there were only 11 school closures, I didn't even think twice about the roads. I was about half way to school with the girls, driving along my usual route, which carried the usual traffic load, when all of a sudden I drove onto a patch of "black ice", and my world started spinning...literally. We skidded and slid in multiple figure 8 formations across Hog Mountain Road until we came to a safe landing in a ditch off the OPPOSITE shoulder. I could have killed 20 + people, including my own daughters, but amazingly no one was injured and Bessie the Minivan survived without a scratch.God provided an off duty paramedic (whom I almost hit) and an off duty detective (3 cars back watching the my amazing stunts) right away. We were treated like queens, and Marc came to drive the van out of our landing spot...2 feet from a big hearty Georgia Pine! God is GOOD ALL the time!

Attempting To Launch

A couple of weeks ago, I finally "opened" my etsy store to sell children's clothing that I create. Of course, there is an over-abundance of information to muddle through, and I am still in the process of finding my niche, network, group, and circle. I am also still tweaking my adsense with coupon codes, buttons, and badges.
Am I the same person who told her mother that the main idea of the internet is to simplify life? I am thankful a million times over that my livelyhood does not depend on the profit of my little cyber shop, because though I have launched, I am still not at cruising altitude! So, I am asking for a little "social networking" from anyone who reads this blog...young and old! Please, share my blog with everyone you know...in the real world as well as in cyberspace. Tell them that they can find my shop at www.etsy.com/shop/baby2bigkid; on etsysaver; on Facebook: Jumpin In Puddles; and here on my blog www.mamaof2tweens.blogspot.com. The orange badge above is a link straight to my etsy store. Please feel free to "grab" it if you know how. I am still trying to figure all of the badges and buttons out.
Thankfully, trial by fire is Biblical.