'08 Goal #1: buy handmade

The first in a week-long "Goals in '08" series.
And it's Monday so I'll throw in a "Didja Know?" today...Didja Know I use to be crafty?? It's true! My mom and grandma are both super-crafty so we use to make all sorts of fun things like bird houses, cross-stitching projects, wreaths and more. They both quilt, too, which Sarah has promised to teach me soon. You know I love supporting women-owned businesses...well, now my goal is to "Go Handmade in '08!" and not only buy from women, but to buy handmade items from women whenever possible!! I stumbled on this web site and it's my new addiction. It's called "Etsy" and it's a place where crafty/artsy/creative women can sell their wares. www.etsy.com Now I want to get back to my crafty roots--not to sell, but to ENJOY! And I'm already thinking Christmas '08 is going to be all handmade items, both to give and hopefully to receive!!
This is what I got for a baby gift for my new niece, due in early March. Booties and the matching bib and burp cloth, all for about $26!


So I have this pink scarf I've been wearing and my "boss" admired it (she is hard to buy for) so I decided to order HER a scarf. I thought green would be more fun than plain black or brown.

Then I ordered myself a Valentine's Day scarf in "lipstick red." It's gonna look awesome with black, white, brown, whatever--and lots of heart jewelry!

Then the little one-year-old girl I help with during the week was liking my scarf and even wearing it yesterday, so I went ahead and got her one, too, in a toddler size!!

Even with shipping, each scarf was less than $10 each. And it's so fun to have the gal who made it e-mail you to say "thanks for your order" and tell you she's shipping it out. It's so personal and I feel so good about supporting a crafty lady!! The site is a treasure cove of discoveries...tons of neat stuff. Check it out!! You can save favorite artists or products when you register so you can check back for new goodies.
This one is on my wish list...I'm totally into green AND polka dots...so how cute is this???
And it's only $20!!
I know, I know...how many bags can one woman NEED?? But this one is SO cute and would be perfect for library books and eventually, for away-from-home home-schooling outings. I love the vintage Dick and Jane fabric!!

Ok, OK...that's it for this time!! YOU go take a look! Enjoy--and let me know what YOU'RE making this year!!

Is it wrong...?

...to feel kind of relieved that Christmas is over?? I'm actually excited about taking the decorations down, putting all the awesome gifts away and gearing up for a fresh start to 2008. There's a lot to look forward to!! "Life is good," as they say. It truly is.
Wow, what a Christmas! The gifts were awesome and Drew put together my best stocking EVER--and surprised me with lots of other goodies. Andrew was kind of oblivious but LOVES his new vacuum--it's the first thing he went to this morning. My plan is to go through his old toys and give a bunch away to charity to make room for the new stuff. Purge, baby!! I have a lot of good work to do now--scrapbooking, reorganizing my home office, putting pictures in albums--I can't wait!!
This morning is nice...Andrew is still vacuuming and I have a lovely choice of treats to enjoy with my coffee...aaaaahhhh. Here's a few highlights from Christmas--if you want to hear the full rundown of our Christmas Day, visit our family blog at www.agoodkindofbusy.blogspot.com
Happy Day-After Christmas--hope your Christmas was wonderful and that you have lots to look forward to as well!! :)

Here's the boys with Andrew's new Noah's ark toy:

This is me with my famous breakfast casserole, reserved just for Christmas Day:

Here's Andrew doing "Cheese!!" in front of the tree:

This is the amazing digital picture frame Drew's dad got us--my favorite new toy!! Andrew liked seeing the slideshow of Christmas pictures on it!

How can I NOT show you me in my new "clown camo" pajamas???

And here's Andrew with his vacuum:

He also got his first pair of light-up shoes, Hotwheels!! He actually WANTED to wear them! My dad got him a laptop as well--he's got lots of learning to do in the coming year!
I got a new J. Jill top--Mom gets me one every year!

And Drew got a grill and lots of cool accessories!! We're all going to enjoy it!

And here's our family on Christmas Day:

Hope your Christmas was super, too!! Let me know what YOU did!

Christmas Newsletter

Merry Christmas!!

This is us back when we were barely dating in December of 2001 and then this past November, six years later! We've come a long way!


We did have a lot of "big ones" this year--Drew and I celebrated our five-year wedding anniversary in August, Drew turned 30 in October, I turned 30 in November and Andrew turned two!
Drew has been at a new job since January, working in Tempe (yes, it's a long commute) as a recruiter for finance and accounting jobs. When he finds the time, he enjoys playing video games, reading and watching "The Office." He got a new iPod for his birthday and has been having fun catching up on his talk radio shows and listening to his favorite tunes. He continues to serve as an elder at our church after three years which is both challenging and rewarding at times. Never a dull moment! We recently hired a new pastor, Tim, who has brought a whole new energy and vision to our church--we are very excited to see what the future holds there and are so appreciative of our wonderful church family.
Sarah (Drew's sister) attends our church as well and yes, is still our favorite housemate. She is such a wonderful part of our family and such a blessing to us. And Andrew has a blast with her, too!
We have been in our home now for over four years and I can't believe that in March, I'll be celebrating TEN YEARS in Arizona! Wow, how time flies! I think this calls for a fiesta...
We did a lot of fun things this year, too! My grandparents and aunt came from Florida to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary in July--they renewed their vows by my parents pool. Here they are with Andrew and my nephew.

Over the summer, my parents treated us to a family getaway to beautiful Prescott, AZ, which was very relaxing and enjoyable. Here's Andrew and I on a walk, enjoying the mountain air:

Andrew brings so much joy and FUN to our lives and amazes us with his ever-expanding vocabulary and budding personality. Only "Terrific Twos" so far!! He's into trucks and trains, loves being outdoors and stays busy all day, every day with his toys, videos and books. He's getting better all the time with counting and his colors and loves Elmo, the color red, dogs and getting into everything! I gave him a bedroom make-over, too--here's the final product:


Andrew and I have also been to the Phoenix Zoo many times, to an Easter egg hunt, the pumpkin patch, the local water play park and many other fun places. His new favorite place is Tumbleweed Park in Chandler, which is where he had his second birthday party. Here he is playing there recently:

He spent the better part of May through September in my parents' pool and is very skilled with the water wings and also does very well without them:

As for me, I love blogging and reading all kinds of fun stuff on the Net but have a goal in '08 to get back to my hobbies like writing, scrap booking and photography. My "Cookie Lee" jewelry business is booming--I just promoted to Unit Manager I! Our new catalog premiers in January so I'm expecting my business to grow like crazy in 2008 as I expand my team. Here I am at a monthly unit meeting:

My Cookie Lee sponsor and friend, Kelly, appeared on the Nov./Dec. cover of our company magazine, too, which was VERY exciting!! Here it is...that will be me some day!

I'm still doing "Southern Living At HOME" as well and continue to enjoy decorating and caring for our home. I discovered The Fly Lady and her system has transformed my daily routines and the way I care for our home--she's at www.flylady.net.
I still host tea parties regularly, attend Red Hat Society events with the local chapter my mom and I head up, entertain, bake, shop and keeping up correspondences with friends and family near and far. This is the fam at a family wedding in November:

I had the opportunity to go on TWO retreats this fall (leaving Andrew overnight for the first time was...great, actually!), both for church and both amazingly rejuvenating and inspiring. I'm enjoying working in the two-year-olds class every Sunday along with serving on the women's ministry team, and recently took over the new moms' group as well. Here's me, my mom and Sarah with my dear friend on the big retreat:

I started a new "job" in October (it's too fun to be considered a real job), helping a dear friend with her 1-year-old daughter at her place of work for about 12 hours a week. Andrew tags along and loves it and I enjoy spending time with my friend so it works out beautifully!
We do stay pleasantly busy as a family with various activities, classes and Bible studies but Drew and I try to have a date night as often as possible--which never seems to be often enough! Here we are at a recent holiday party together:

We are truly "a good kind of busy"...in fact, I just started a new family blog at www.agoodkindofbusy.blogspot.com. We are so very blessed!!
So that's us! Please let us know your latest and keep in touch!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2008...
Tabitha (and Drew & Andrew)

Christmas card photos

OK, the Christmas cards have been sent so now it's safe to reveal my favorite family photos from our little photo shoot. Our friend, Sara, took them and can take pictures for you, too! Her blog is http://www.sarafphotos.blogspot.com/ Our pictures from last year are on there and this year's will be too, eventually. Anyway, here's my favorites of us...



And here's my favorite of Andrew and his daddy...

And me and my boy.

There were so many favorites, I made two different cards: one of the three of us for the majority of our mailing list, then a more girly one of "Tab & her boys" for my people. AND a collage of a bunch of pictures at Costco! And even then, I wish I could just, like, frame 100 of them and put them all over the house. I just love our little family and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and son. Thank you, Lord!

Christmas Questions--Answered

Ok, I got tagged in an e-mail and thought I was off the hook--but then Stacy tagged the blog!! Here goes:
1. When do you put up your tree? First week of December (ish). Fake, real, whatever we've got. This year, it's dinky but cute.
2. Favorite Christmas Goodie? Ooo...where do I begin?? My mom's bon-bons...those peanut butter cookies with the chocolate kiss in the middle...Ritz crackers with peanut butter in the middle, dipped in white chocolate...cheese balls...truffles...
3. Favorite Christmas Carol/Song? There's a song my high school chorus sung at the Epcot Christmas program called "When They Saw the Sign" and is still a favorite. "Mary, Did You Know?" also pulls my heartstrings, especially being the mother to a son.
4. Least favorite Christmas Carol/Song? "Santa Got Run Over By a Reindeer" is really the ONLY one I don't like--I love Christmas music!!
5. Do you like eggnog? YES! Only in small doses and as dessert, but--yum!
6. Oddest Christmas present you've ever received? Hm...probably the fifth manicure set from my grandmother. How many do you need??
7. Best Christmas present you've ever received? The year Andrew was born, my parents surprised me with the stroller/car seat combo--I was shocked. They rolled it down the hall with bells attached and my jaw dropped. Wow.
8. Most memorable childhood Christmas present? Probably the "fully tricked out" Cabbage Patch doll: doll, outfits, diaper bag, stroller, the works. I was always a little mommy.
9. Favorite color of Christmas lights? I like white but there's some cute colored ones out there now, too.
10. Tree - Real or Artificial? We've done both, I have no strong preference. We were given an artificial that we've used but the year Andrew was born, my father-in-law insisted on a real one so that was a treat. This year it's an old fake I bought for my bedroom way back.
11. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? ONLY Christmas morning. My parents had wrapped present under the tree from them but then Santa left out unwrapped presents on Christmas Eve. We usually explored the unwrapped gifts, took turns opening the wrapped gifts, then opened stockings. Pastor Scott said once that his family would open presents all day, taking it slowly to spread it out--I think we'll try that this year.
12. One of your family's Christmas traditions - past or present? This one is both, that my mom started the first Christmas my parents were married. She made a meal of Cornish game hens, rice and peas with sparkling cider, and after they ate, my dad immediately went and fell asleep on the couch--MAJOR compliment to the chef! :) So she continued it every year, still does--and now Drew and I do it, too. She also always made the same breakfast casserole to be served Christmas morning with coffee and fruit salad--she still does, and now so do I. We've got a lot--the other one I always appreciated was that, once I was a young teen, she always got me a new outfit, new makeup and a new "scent" for Christmas day. It was fun to have something new, y'know? She and my grandmother always did really good stockings as well. I try to do that for Drew now.

So there ya go!!

Andrew in the snow (and on the train)

At three weeks old...

One year old...

And two years old today!

And here he is today riding the train, too. He loved it!! He was actually laughing when the driver took sharp turns--and he wanted to go again, of course. So fun!

OK, I finally went...sort of

Yes, I did go to the grocery store, but mostly for Andrew's essentials and our Sunday Christmas dinner. A few things to get Drew through, too, but I was definitely focused on this weekend, not long-term. So...it's better. And we have plastic bags!! Still, though, I breezed down the aisles I usually spend a lot of time on, just cuz I had to keep my brain on track so I wouldn't forget what I was really there for.
So in other news...BEWARE THE AVON EYELASH CURLER!! I was curling my eyelashes this morning and the little plastic cover from one of the handles came off, which made my hand slip and sent the thing right into my eye. I yanked out at least 15 lashes by the roots, and had another 15 on my hand, cheek and sink. My right eye looks ridiculous. Ugh. It was a rough morning. Andrew also decided to throw my Mary Kay compact on the floor, breaking the blush and one eye-shadow, which was right before the eyelash curler incident. He also hit himself in the mouth with my keys in the middle of Hobby Lobby, which made him bleed...then later fell asleep in my arms while still in the store. I got a lot of sympathetic looks--but maybe it was cuz of my one bald eye. I'll never know.
Either way, despite the drama, I also made a gingerbread house (pictures to come), got some shopping done and, as mentioned earlier, got the food for Sunday dinner. I got a fun idea for place cards, too, that I'll post later. Sometimes I do get a creative idea in my head--wait, actually, I saw it in a magazine.
So I'm tired. My glasses are missing but now my eyes have adjusted. Christmas lights sure are pretty when they're slightly blurry.
I also had a gal from church come help me clean the house on Thursday, to free me up to do other things this weekend, thank the Lord. What a blessing. The fumes, however, may have gotten to me cuz today I'm sniffly. Could be that I caught Andrew's cold, too. Anyway, she commented that she doesn't know how I do it all--a toddler, active at church, a home-based business, etc. I was laying in bed thinking about that and feeling a little guilty that I need help when "all I have going" is one kid and a 15-hour-per-week job. And three ministries at church. And a husband. And three home-based businesses, plus a home-based business networking group. And two blogs. And being the family photographer and travel agent. And the holidays!! And cooking (although very little), cleaning, and maintaining a home. And friends, local and faraway. And a spiritual life. And writing and scrap booking and decorating and e-mailing and Bunco and unit meetings and home parties and...you get the drift.
So, yeah. I deserve some help. I don't feel guilty about it anymore, just blessed. I know, I know..."Who LIKES to clean??" but I seriously have a million other things to do to keep our lives running smoothly--cleaning is not at the top of my list. Daily maintenance, yes. Deep cleaning? No. I'm so glad to have had the help and hope she can return.
So there ya go. Tomorrow is snow at the park so I'll be posting the annual picture of Andrew in the sleigh in the snow. Bed awaits.

You know it's been too long since you got groceries when...

1. your stash of plastic bags has run out
2. you're eating granola bars for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND snacks
3. you have to ask a friend to bring you a piece of fresh fruit
4. the cranberries you bought for decorative purposes start looking tempting
5. your husband can fill an entire garbage bag with the Taco Bell wrappers out of his car

All sad...but true. I'm going tomorrow. If it's not raining. And I feel up to it. And Andrew's not grumpy.

Andrew's Santa encounter

We took Andrew to his second annual "Santa at the Calderwoods" party this weekend. He couldn't have cared less about Santa but did have a good time!!

Compare that to last year...

Then here he is this year with Santa...

And last year!

He had the most fun doing THIS!

So there ya go! Hope you're enjoying the holidays, too!!

And so it begins

Well, it's officially the Christmas season at our house. The decorations are out, the "Cozy Christmas" candle is lit, presents are accumulating and the Mannheim Steamrollers are playing in the background. No tree yet but that's a project for this weekend. I'm almost done with my shopping--mostly because I've been collecting gifts for a month or so. I got Andrew's 3rd Christmas ornament at Hallmark along with a pre-fab Christmas scrapbook, which is right up my ally. Looks cute but isn't so labor-intensive. So things are rolling. The festivities begin tonight as well. Here's the rundown:
* Tonight is the church women's ministry Christmas party
* Tomorrow night is Santa at my neighbor's house and my friend's dessert get-together (both are for the second year in a row--I love traditions!)
* Monday is Bunco, which is also our Christmas party
* Next Saturday is snow and Santa at our neighborhood park and that night is our company Christmas party
* Next Sunday, I'm hosting Christmas dinner for the family here--and cooking my first turkey!
* The next Friday is the church staff and elders Christmas party
And there's some play dates and other fun events mixed in there, too. I've got to get my holiday clothes washed, pressed and ready to go! How many red shirts do I have now...??
I love it. I love the lights up in the neighborhood, the hustle and bustle of shopping and baking, the treats and sweets, the music...I love it all. I do want to be sure to slow down, however, and enjoy it all, too, rather than letting the next few weeks whiz by.
Oh and I finally ordered our Christmas cards! I'm picking them up tomorrow! Our friend, Sara, took the pictures--here's one that's NOT included in our card, so I don't mind you getting a sneak peak! :)
Hope you have a festive and fun weekend!

Andrew was finally dedicated!

Yes, he's two years old and is just now getting dedicated!! It was a really nice ceremony. First, the pastor had the couples recommit to each other and to raising their child in the Lord. Then, for each child, he gave the meaning of their name and prayed for them. Did you know Andrew means "Strong Warrior?" It's a fitting name and we hope he grows into it. Here's our family with Pastor Tim:

Then here he is praying for us:

I am LOVING polka dots!!

Ok, so my "new thing" is polka dots. I've always liked them...they're playful, girly and FUN! But when I started looking for partyware for my birthday, I ran across these polka dot plates and napkins at Target, on clearance. Then I said to myself, "Well, there ya go! Polka dots is my theme!" Low and behold, I found even more at a different Target, then even napkins that said "30th" to match...and polka dot pajama pants to wear TO the party!
Here you can see the plates and the polka dot cake...AND the frame of my family in Florida, IN their polka dot pajamas so they were represented at the party!

Here's me, my sister-in-law, my boss and my friend from church at my party. That's the only polka dot top I own so believe me, I'm on the hunt for more!

Well, once you're onto something, you see it everywhere so now I realize that I'm not the only one who likes them!! In fact, there's a really neat blog about moms who make polka dot crafts!! It's http://www.polkadotmom.com/ They feature new polka dot crafts and the moms who make them.
To shop for polka dot items for kids and moms, their marketplace is http://www.polkadotmarket.blogspot.com/ There's links to some really cute stuff in there!! You know I love supporting other moms with home-based businesses so it's a great find!
Of course now I'm trying to figure out how to have a Polka Dot Christmas. I'm on my way cuz I've been collecting polka dot "stuff." I've got two cups and saucers, a small plate, a cute bowl and four dinner plates. Now I want to find polka dot ribbon for the Christmas tree, a polka dot tree skirt, polka dot fabric for a table runner and ribbon to make these cute ribbon garlands I saw in a magazine. Oh, and wrapping paper.
So I'll keep you posted and take pictures once I've found what I need. Stay tuned--it's gonna be one spotty dotty Christmas!!