Why I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions...

I am proud to say - I do not participate in making New Year's Resolutions.

No, it's not because "if you don't try you can't fail" mentality.

First off, the history of how New Year's Resolutions began is actually kind of cool. It started back in Roman times. It was a way to reflect on your past and forward to your future. January was named after "Janus" mythical king of early Rome and his face was featured facing both backward and forward on the calendar on January 1. Then, in the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25. Then they changed it to March 25. Finally, in the 1500's, the Pope revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1. #historycrashcourse

I understand the whole, new year, fresh slate idea. But why do you have to wait for one day a year to start something you really want to accomplish? Procrastination? Lack of motivation? You are entirely capable of starting any kind of resolve any one of the 364 other days out of the year!

Let's chat about the most common resolution made....
Suprise, Suprise, it's losing weight - Riddle me this, let's pack on an extra 10 pounds over the holidays with goodies and big dinners and little exercise, to then resolve to lose said weight and then some. Makes total sense to me....

Did you know statistically, 25% drop out of their resolutions within the first WEEK!?!? And only 8% of those who make resolutions folow through with them beyond 6 months?

There is so much more to wanting something and then resolving to do it. Wanna know the secret? It's following through, putting on your big girl panties and doing it!

It doesn't matter what day of the year, month, or week it is. If you want something bad enough, you will do it. You don't need the calendar to say "January 1" to find that motiviation. You have to dig it up from within yourself.

If you can learn anything from my rant today.... It's this... If you want to accomplish something, you have to really want it, and you have to put your heart in it and go for it. If you do make a resolution on 12/31, and you slip up on January 2nd... Don't give up! You've got this!!! You can do it!

Don't be a sad statistic of an outdated tradition. Prove me wrong!

In 2013.......

Here we are, about to bring another year to a close! 2013 is going to be chalked full of some pretty cool milestones for us.

In 2013....

I will turn 30! #yikes

and

We will celebrate our 10 year wedding annivesary.


And we have some fun things to look forward to - like....

Taking our daughter to the Zoo for the first time.

Our vacation to the coast in April.

Our daughter turns 3.

My baby sister turns 16 and will get her drivers license.

The Rogue Baby shop will celebrate 2 years in business.


And some things I hope to accomplish - like....

Running my first 5k.

Paying off my car! This is a HUGE deal. I've had a car payment for the past 13 years. Right when I get close to paying one off I trade it in. Vicious cycle.

Fitting into my wedding dress on our 10 year anniversary. #getrearingear

Finishing up the remodel on our home.

Planting a garden.

Going on our first family camping trip.


I don't believe in New Years resolutions. (But I'll post about that another time.)

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

What's New at The Rogue Baby?

I wanted to share the newest additions to my shop!

I am in love with chunky toddler / girl necklaces for photo shoots and dress up. They are so adorable paired with a petti romper or matching dress.

I was busy working away on a custom wedding order (OMG it's gonna be gorgeous! Apple green satin, curled peacock feathers, etc. - Pics to come later - including bridal party hair clips and garter for the bride.)

So anywho, I made a few extra of the apple green satin flowers. These are sooo fun to make and turn out so pretty. I decided, rather than the standard pendant bling for the center piece, I would use a lovely flower for the necklace pendant and added a matching headband to make it a set.

P.S. My big sissy and her kids are on their way to visit us for a week! #superexcited #familytime. So this might possibly be my last post for 2012! Be safe everyone!

Twittering Thursdays

Happy Thursday lovely readers!

Many of you know I resisted the Twitter craze for a LONG time. Fought a good fight, but finally gave in. It's been about 6 months or so now, and while I can't say I love Twitter... I can say it's definitely a useful social media tool. I have found great new blogs, shops, and heard of great deals and giveaways all through Twitter. So without further ado....

Welcome to Twittering Thursdays Twitter Hop!

<center><a href="http://chaos-commotion-emotion.blogspot.com/2012/12/twittering-tuesdays-twitter-hop-1.html"><img src=http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k44/DeandraBosqui/twitteringthursdays250x250_zps16a1d22f.jpg" /></a></center>

Are you interesting in Co-Hosting next Thursdays Twitter Hop?  Email Deandra at phillipsdeandra@gmail.com

There is no charge to participate!

Please help spread the news about this TWITTER HOP!

Its only appropriate to TWEET about it!

Tweet

RULES:

Please follow each hostess.

Follow @ChaosCommoEmo

Follow @theroguebaby

Follow @SouthernSCBeans

2. Leave a comment if you are new and want us to return the follow.

3. Grab the button and display it on your sidebar or link it to the post.

4. Have fun and meet new friends!

GFC Blog Hop

I am so excited to be co-hosting the GFC blog hop this week with Melissa! If you haven't participated in the past, check it out. I have found some amazing blogs through this hop. =)

It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the GFC Blog Hop!

When I want to follow a blog the first thing I look for is GFC (Google Friend Connect), it's so easy and  nice to be able to go and see all of the blogs you follow in one spot. It's really a great tool to have. 

One side note- Did you know you can follow through GFC using your Twitter Account? TRUE, it's definitely an option!

Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?

RULES are simple:

1. Follow your host via GFC

The First link below

2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC

The Next 8 links below

3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them via GFC 

and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.

5. Tweet about this blog hop

Tweet

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!

<a href="http://www.thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com/search/label/gfcbloghop"> <img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z237/melissaenault/gfcbloghop-1.gif" border="0" /></a>

Post Sponsor Ad:

Mani-Tuesday?

Being the unconventional blogger I am. I couldn't wait until next Monday to post how excited I am about the new Julep polishes I won in a giveaway from Rachel @ Lalalists.

Please excuse my horrible manicure job. This is a 6am before work quick polish with no top coat. But I was super anxious to try these out. Love the colors and the coverage ability in just one coat!

Also, this product came with adorable packaging! What was inside?

Big smiles come in small packages. This pocket-sized set comes ready-to-gift in a sheer purple organza gift bag with a calligraphy gift tag.

•Trina - Deep aubergine shimmer
•Mila - Charcoal, multi-colored glitter



Julep may possibly be my new favorite nail polish. I'm super excited to go place my very first order, but first I have decide which colors to choose!

What are some of your favorite polishes? What colors are you dying to try right now?

I'm new to this whole nail polish thing, but I think I could get used to it!

"Deal" Sites - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Let me start off by saying.. I love a good deal. I really do. But with the introduction of SOOOOO many deal sites out there, how do you know which ones are truly giving you a good deal? How do you know if they are a legitimate company? It seems like nearly daily I'm hearing about a "great new deal site." By no means have I bought from even 10% of the sites out there. But I have had experiences with several and wanted to share.

Topping my "good list" is Groupon.com. I'm not 100% sure it was the original "deal" site, but it seems to be dang legit and I have NEVER had a problem. I have scored some amazing deals. And better yet, if you go use Ebates, you can earn cash back rebates for your Groupon purchases. These lovely little rebates get direct deposited into your Paypal account quarterly.

The majority of my Groupon purchases have been for hotel stays, passes to the local aquarium, etc. I haven't done much Groupon goods shopping. But I have been 100% pleased with every transaction so far.

My "deal site" days started with Zulily and Totsy. I still shop them occassionally, but have found the "deals" aren't always great deals. Sometimes you can find the same brands elsewhere on better sales, and you don't have to wait 3 - 6 weeks to receive your items either.

Among my deal sites favorites are Plum District, The Clymb, and SniqueAway.

One site, I used to watch a lot was VeryJane. But lately, I've seen soooo disappointed in the items offered. For example:

SOURCEThis lovely necklace is on VeryJane.com right now for $7.99 with $2.99 shipping. $11 for a cute J Crew inspired necklace sure. Not bad.

But sadly enough you can buy that same necklace direct from China for $5.95 each with free shipping. (to buy direct from China via AliExpress... Click Here)

I know.. wholesale > retail > consumer. Right? I just don't think items like this have a place on a "deal site." Especially one that represents sellers who genuinely sell hand crafted, made local items. I believe it de-values the sellers that do craft their items. They are forced to sell cheaper, their time is worth less, just to compete with someone who just buys their goods from overseas sellers.

I've heard mixed reviews about Living Social, No More Rack, and the likes. I haven't purchased from them myself though. I tried HalfOffdepot.com once and found the situation horribly frustrating to claim my voucher, but it worked in the end and was worth the deal.

Now for the ugly.... Absolutely nothing tops the horrible experience I've had with Sneakpeeq.com. I do have to credit Sneakpeeq.com for opening my eyes to the deal site world and all the bad it could hold. My first order with SneakPeeq was for a nail polish. They bragged it was 60% off or something like that. It took almost 2 months to arrive, and when I loved it and went online to find it elsewhere... I found you can buy it direct from many websites for $3 - $5 less than what I'd paid from the "deal site." Ok, my bad, I didn't do my research.

The wait had seemed a bit long... but I was used to Totsy and Zulily, so it was ok. Wasn't anything I needed in a rush. My second order with SneakPeeq.com I placed on October 16th for a Diamond Candle. It was a good sale, and I couldn't resist. I knew it was a good price. So around November 9th, I contacted SneakPeeq for status, since the listing said 2-3 weeks from order it would be shipped and I'd heard nothing. No response to several emails to Sneakpeeq.com until 11/21, they told me they couldn't help or refund me and to contact Diamond Candles directly. So I did. I heard from them 11/24. They told me that by the time they received my order from SP on 11/1, the scent I ordered was out of stock.

Ok, my first question here... Why didn't DC's contact me to advise me of the backorder. Their response? They are still a small company that is growing. Ok, nice canned response, but really, don't they at least have an automated system that could send a backorder notice and give the customer options? So, they tell me my scent will be in this week if I want to wait for it. So I write back and tell them yes please, send ASAP, but if they cannot send this week to refund. They respond they have cancelled my shipment and I need to go back to SP to obtain a refund.

Now it's been a couple more days of "the runaround" and no resolution still. I will not be purchasing from Sneakpeeq.com again, and will likely never purchase from Diamond Candles again either. By choosing to vend through Sneakpeeq.com they are vouching for that service, and I feel the overall service is a joke.

To end my ranting here, I want to say, the best deals are going to be found by the educated consumer. Making sure you are getting a good deal by shopping around, making sure you are buying from a legit company, and being wise enough to recognize the deals you need and the deals you only want to buy because it's a steal.

What shopping secrets do you have? What deal sites are your favorites? I would love to hear your experiences with deal sites! Please share!

Oh and here's a fun update.... Petti Rompers on SassySteals... Because $11.99 with $2.99 shipping isn't bad... but to tell the consumer regular price is $55.00... Oh my wow. #nowords.

Black Friday Sale!

Use code "Black20" for 20% off everything in the shop. Today only! Ends tonight at midnight PST.

A Typical Day in the Life....

Being a full time working Mama is HARD. Not sayin' it's the hardest thing out there, but it's tough. I find myself super envious of my fellow Mama friends who get to stay home with their little ones. I also know, a day at home with little ones is work in itself. I give kudos to the SAHM's out there also. Especially the ones with multiple children. But I really wanted to share why sometimes, I am just exhausted. I am spent. I need a beer wine prozac gigantic coffee vacation.

5:00am - Husbands alarm goes off. But really my day hasn't started here. It was at 3:30am when my 2 1/2 year old joined us in bed. I never fully get back to sleep after events such as this.

5:15am - I need milk Mama. Proceed to kitchen. Bring back sippy cup of milk to my daughter.

5:30am - She is poking my closed eyelids, saying Wake up Mama. Ok, fine, let's officially start our day. Husband comes in and says goodbye to us.

5:30am - 6:15am - Turn on Barbie movie for little one while she lays in bed. I make a pot of coffee. Catch up on emails and shop orders.

The rest of the morning until 7:45 or so consists of: Making our breakfast and lunches for the day. My shower, get dressed, get make up on time. (I'm LUCKY if I get 45 uninterrupted minutes for said tasks.) Battle of the wills regarding what clothes little one will wear that day. "I have to be princess." "It's not pink!!!" This.Battle.Occurs.Daily. #nojoke. Try to get little one to finish her breakfast and let me brush her teeth and hair. Optional: Fight with little one over which jacket she will wear to school. "Not the boy one Mama!" Who knew blue with butterflies = boy jacket? Sometimes she's excited to go to school and this battle doesn't happen. Those days, I'm delightfully on time.

8:00 - 8:15 - Drive little one to preschool. Hope she doesn't cry when I drop her off. Nothing makes me feel worse. =(

8:30 - 4:30 - I am at work... thinking, stressing, and obsessing over all the things I will need to do when I get home. On breaks, I check on shop orders, track incoming shipments, and reply to emails.

4:45 - Pick little one up at school. She usually decides that is when she needs to go potty, and I get to stand there for 10 minutes while she sits there and eventually decides she doesn't have to go, and we head home.

5:00 - 6:00 - Get changed out of the professional clothes and into something comfy. Unpack lunches. Start dinner. While cooking dinner, unload dishwasher, reload it, hand wash any pots and pans.

6:00 - 10:00 - Eat dinner as a family. Work on shop orders. Get items made, packed, ready to ship. Bath time for little one. Get her in jammies, etc. Cuddle time with little one. She'll usually fall asleep by 9 or so. Catch up on emails, more shop stuff, and the likes. Oh, did I mention that I am a host in co-op buys as well? Yeah, so track incoming shipments. Keep track of orders for that, etc. And research new ideas for future buys. Communicate with vendors. Etc.

Go to bed and start it all.over.again. Did you notice... no mention of laundry, or vacuuming, etc? Yeah, because Saturday and Sunday are "catch-up" days. I usually wash and fold 4 -5 loads of laundry each weekend. And my house is never as clean as I'd like.

I know, to an extent, I put a lot of this on myself. I don't have to have my shop. But I know how unhappy I'd be without some sort of creative outlet. And 99% of the time, I genuinely enjoy it. And I am grateful for how blessed I am. Sometimes... just sometimes. I just wish I had a couple extra hours in the day. Ya know? Cuz being a working Mama is tough!

If I had a Million Dollars....

If I had a million dollars, had a million dollars, Well, I'd buy you a house.

Gotta love Barenaked Ladies, but for real... how fun is it to dream of winning a million bucks?

On long road trips, my husband and I play the, if I had a million dollars game and we break down what we'd each do if we won.

Here's my list. For the purposes of my list, the $1 million dollars is the "after taxes" lump sum I would receive.

1.) Payoff our cars and miscellaneous small debts.

2.) Sell our current house and purchase a home on acreage or have a modest home built on acreage. My biggest splurge for the home would be a "natural pool." Love the look of this!

3.) Payoff my Mom & Step Dad's house and my Dad & Step Mom's house.

4.) Give each of my siblings $25k. (The two that are minors, it would be held in a trust account until they turn 23. Why 23... well, I feel like that's when I really started to get my head on straight financially.)

This would total approximately $600k. So now what to do with the rest?

5.) Invest at least $200k.

6.) Vacation to Fiji, New Zealand, and probably Hawaii again.

7.) Invest $25k into expanding my little shop. And of course, quit my day job!

8.) Go on a shopping spree in Southern California.

9.) Take our daughter to DisneyLand.

10.) Buy that wonderful leather sectional from Restoration Hardware I've been coveting for years!!! (It's only the same price of a small economy car... lol...)

What would you do with a million dollars? It sure is fun to dream huh???

Why I hire models...

I often get asked why I hire models for my shop, instead of taking advantage of the adorable little model I have living right underneath my own roof. And sometimes, I start to wonder that very same thing. So today, I decided to give the whole modeling thing another try with my 2 1/2 year old. Here's how it looked....

But, I did get a couple useable shots too. And we had fun!


Oh, and not to brag or anything.... but it's November, and it was 72 degrees and sunny here in Oregon. Couldn't ask for better weather!!!

It Rocked My Socks.....

So I get excited over the little things, like getting unexpected packages in the mail. How exciting it was to get this clean white heavy box in the mail. When I opened it up, to my surprise there were three, yes three, full size bottles of new Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap to try! How cool is that? I was totally expecting sample size.

Now I don't usually get giddy over dish soap, but I was impressed by these scents. The three scents I received were: Lemon Thyme, Lime Basil, and Ginger White Tea. Oh my goodness. It was tough to decide which one I wanted to "gift" to a friend as instructed. But in the end, I mailed the Ginger White Tea to my Mama to try.

When it came to scent, the Lime Basil was a clear winner with me. It just smells clean. I don't know any other way to describe it.

I was very impressed with the consistency of the soap too. Does that seem weird? Well, I don't know about you, but I get really annoyed when liquid dish soap is too much liquid and not enough soap? Just seems watered down and like it's not going to get the job done. No problem with that here! This stuff rocks. Well, as much as dish soap can rock. ;)

I thought for sure this was going to come with a premium price tag, but around $3.00 for a 16 ounce bottle, I feel it's an incredible value.

Have you tried any new household items lately that have just rocked your socks off? I'd love to hear!!

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

Blog Burnout

It's official. I have a case of "blog burnout."

I'm not sure if it's my recent desire to keep my personal life off the internet. (There is scary stuff going on every day in this wicked world!)

Or maybe it's the fact that life is just so busy, but to say I'm feeling uninspired is an understatement.

I pull up Blogger and tell myself, you need to come up with a post. But why?

Life has a way of taking priority. Sometimes I have a great idea for a good post and that is when I enjoy blogging. I don't like when it feels like a chore. I hate that "I haven't posted something in a week, or I'll be forgotten soon" feeling.

I think I've come to grips, I'm not going to ever be a professional blogger. You will not see new content from me every day. What you will see is yummy recipes, fun tutorials, and some occasional humourous personal posts. Am I a dork that my favorite posts are those that make me laugh when I read them back to myself? Yeah, probably so. #don'tcare #dork4life

For a little while now I've been living full on vegetarian / nearly vegan (I have had yogurt). When I say a little while, I mean the past 9 days. It was rough at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. So you may be seeing some vegetarian recipes coming up! And if you have any you'd like to suggest, I'd love to hear!

P.S. I totally lost 6 lbs in 8 days!! Which has me pretty stoked. =)

The Last Year of My 20's.....

So tomorrow I turn 29. Awhile back I posted a 29 in 29 post.

Since then I'm pretty sure I've knocked a few things off the list thought maybe I'd make some changes....

1.) Take our daughter to the zoo. Probably Oregon Zoo, or the one in Seattle.

2.) Run in a 5k. Maybe even a half marathon.. we'll see.

3.) Hit 250 followers on the blog. Well, here we are at 226 already, so I'm bumping this goal. By this time next year, my goal is 500! Dream big!

4.) Expand "The Rogue Baby" shop beyond Etsy. Almost there! theroguebaby.com is nearly up and running.

5.) Payoff debt. 3 year plan to be debt free baby! Gonna stick to it! Yeah, the new $3000 TV probably didn't help with this huh? Still a goal, and a good one, it's gonna stay!

6.) Finish our remodel on our house. Cannot wait for the master bedroom redo.

7.) Go to an IMAX movie.

8.) Go to an Oregon Ducks game.

9.) Reach my goal weight! This one is a toughie and a constant struggle. I hope to be 125 lbs by my 30th birthday. I know it's going to take a lot of work, but I feel like it's something I absolutely must do for myself.

10.) Learn to make eggs benedict.

11.) Go kayaking more often.

12.) Re-learn to sew! So many pinterest projects await my regaining this ability.

13.) Focus on family time. My daughter will only be this young once.

14.) Read my bible daily.

15.) Put together an emergency preparedness kit. Seriously, been meaning to do that forever and keep procrastinating.

16.) Organize my filing cabinet, ha ha, yeah, this is the least likely to happen of all.

17.) Get my crafting / shop space more functional. Crafting room makeover / overhaul.

18.) Celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary somewhere special (Sept. 2013)

19.) Buy more shoes! A girl can never have too many.

20.) Try brussel sprouts. Weird, right? I've just never tried them. Hear they are awful, but how I can possibly turn 30 not knowing the taste of brussel sprouts!?!?

21.) Read a book from cover to cover. No biggie you say? Well, it is. Since my daughter was born, I have yet to accomplish this.. says the girl who once read all 4 Twilight books in a row in under 72 hours....

22.) Take our daughter to see airplanes. She loves "Pair-Planes". I would love to take her to an aviation museum!

23.) Grow a garden. Zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries, etc. Next summer!

24.) Finally get the windows tinted on my car. Owned it for 3 1/2 years, and each summer I say I will, and I never do.

25.) Take our daughter to see snow this winter. It's something I took for granted growing up in the Northwest, but here, we don't see much of it. Will be a blast to take her to the snow to play.

26.) Spend my first night ever away from our daughter. I know, I know, it's gotta happen someday. Cut the cord Mama!!! I think it will be tougher on her than me at this point.

27.) Do something drastic with my hair. Warning: this may occur sooner... I am getting very anxious for some change.

28.) Have movie marathon weekends! Star Wars, Back to the Future, The Lord of the Rings, etc. How fun would that be?

29.) Go camping more often!

Really, I think these are all pretty good... and all worth reaching. I hope to post progress every other month or so. =) I am going to embrace my final year of being in my 20's and enter my 30's feeling happy, accomplished, and not even remotely "old."

Here's to 366 more days of being a twenty-something.

I spoke too soon... and the winners are....

Congratulations to:

Chelsea T. - Winner of the $5 shop credit.

Lori M. - Winner of the Rogue Baby headband.

Jenn K. - Winner of the Hair Clippies.

Lena B. - Winner of the Ad Space.

Emails have gone out! Thank you all for entering and helping to celebrate my one year shop anniversary. There is still time to visit our Facebook page and get additional entries into Friday's raffle.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

So, this post should be announcing our lovely winners for the giveaway. But Rafflecopter apparently has other plans. I've been trying for a couple hours now to get the "results" but I assure you, they will be announced ASAP. Keep an eye out in your inbox though, as winners will be contacted via email. =)

So since I can't announce the winners yet, how about some shameless self promotion ideas of what to buy if you win The Rogue Baby shop credit. New to the shop this week:

It's ok.....

Do you ever have to repeat this to yourself? It's ok. Everything is going to be ok. It WILL be ok.

I am just having a heck of a week, and felt like it's time to remind myself, it's all ok.

It's ok.... that I would rather be at home with my little girl today than at work.

It's ok.... that I feel like a terrible Mama when dropping her off at school and she cries and cries and doesn't want me to go. Let me be sad, ok. Don't tell me it's part of being a working Mama. I will never not be sad about this.

It's ok.... that I still don't know if my full time job will be here next week or next month. Everyone else I work with is in the same boat. It sucks. It's part of being part of the corporate world mid-merger. Not a darn thing I can do about it.

It's ok.... that I let my daughter have dino bites (chicken nuggets basically) for dinner two nights in a row. She wanted them, and requested to have brocolli with them. Really not that bad...

It's ok.... that I haven't worked on the new shop website at all this week. It will come in time.

It's ok.... that I haven't had a sale on Etsy in 3 days. I need to quit obsessing and realize, it may never be my day job. #facereality

It's ok....to just whine and complain sometimes!

And It's also ok.... to listen. Like you just have my friends. =)

Laughter is the best medicine

You know what sucks?

When your Tuesday is also your Monday.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 3 day weekend a Federal holiday brings me. Not that I feel we really need to acknowledge Columbus and his, hmm... accomplishments?

But the Tuesday that follows, is always the Montueday from H-E-L-L!

So what better way to shrug it off than with some humor.

Want more? Head on over to Lena B, Actually and check out some more fabulous ecards.

Giveaway: Happy Shop-iversary to Me!

Today marks the one year annivesary of my shop. The Rogue Baby. I'm proud of that. It started as a hobby, but over the past 6 months, I've really focused on making it more than that. Working full time outside the home, being Mama to a 2 year old, playing housewife, honestly doesn't leave much time for me. But it's worth it! Totally worth it!

It's my dream.

Someday, I hope to make it my "job."

It's silly, on Sept. 1st, I set out to hit 100 orders before my one year anniversary, meaning 100 total orders in the 1 year. The task seemed out of reach, since I started September with around 60 orders, but on Oct. 3 we hit our 100 order mark and have since surpassed it. I feel so blessed and hope it continues!

As things have began to pick up, I've been more aware of things like profit margin. And how much Etsy is eating into that profit margin. So I did research and decided on something.

I have something real exciting to announce!

I'm thrilled to say, theroguebaby.com is opening soon for business!!! I will still have some items on Etsy, but the bulk of my products will be on the new web page. And with that, I will be adding many fun new items as well.

I'm also happy to say we will be introducing a new line called "The Rogue Mama." I am so excited to be offering some fabulous accessory choices for Mama's now too. So many changes in the upcoming months.

I am so excited for what this will bring in the future, and it's one step closer to realizing my dream.

Also, in honor of this happy occassion, how about a giveaway?

Dear Daughter,

Dear Daughter,

This past weekend, we sold your crib. And as the excited Mom-to-be drove away, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Our baby days are over. No more for us. One and done.

You're growing up. Way too fast.

Please slow it down, a little bit. Just for me?

Two years ago this month, we had your 6 month photo shoot, and it feels like yesterday.

I decided to take some advice from Barney Stinson though.

"When I feel sad, I stop being sad, and start being awesome."

So here goes...

I love that you have your own little personality and we can now have real conversations with each other.

I love your imagination. Sure, that's a robot sleeping in a tree. I see it too.

I love that when asked what you want to do today, you will 99% of the time say "Go Shopping." Shopping buddies for life baby!

I love that you can make me laugh when I am most frustrated, sad, disappointed... You're so silly and sweet.

I love your popsicle dance.

I love that you say the color white as "wipe."

I love that you still need "Mama" when you wake up in the middle of the night.

I love that you are so cuddly. Please don't grow out of that any time soon.

Most of all, Ella Bella Boo Boo Bear, I hope you know how much Mama loves you. And how proud I am to be your Mama!

Hello, I'm Ricki and I'm a geek...

I don't think I hide it very well.

I'm pretty sure my "geekery" is right there on my sleeve.

Yeah, I still climb trees...

Two words. The Hobbit. Can't wait for December.

I'd rather watch my husband play Assassins Creed, Skyrim, or some other game with a story line than any movie resembling Sex and the City or the likes.

I've seen every Star Wars movie more times than I can count.

I was a straight A student and still love to be academically challenged. Pop geology quiz, sweeeeet, I'm there! I am full of useless knowledge.

The only marathon I've ever participated in is the movie type. All 3 extended edition Lord of the Rings movies in one day? That's what I call 14 hours of fantastic!

I would totally go to the "Magical world of Harry Potter" theme park if given the chance.

I have stayed up reading a new book until 4am on more than one occassion, and feel "sad" when a beloved series ends.

I've used Yoda speak on more than one occassion in daily life. Talk this way at work I have.

I would totally rock a decepticon or autobot sticker on my car.

I renamed our shop vac "R2-D-tard." We seriously bought one of the cheapest and most worthless ones.

I would totally name my dog after a fictional character. Here Dobby! Yeah, I'm feeling that.

Wanna find out who else is a geek?? Be sure to go check out the Tuesday 10 tomorrow morning at Mom2MemphisandRuby.

Dear 18 Year Old Me,

If only I'd known what I know now....

I would tell you...

1.) Credit cards are not your friend. Cut them up!

2.) You don't have much time left with either of your Grandpas. Visit them. Spend time with them.

3.) When your Uncle offers to fly you to Hawaii to officiate your marriage, say heck yes! You can always have a reception for friends and family when you get home.(Story behind this, my uncle who lives in Hawaii married my husband and I. He offered to fly us over there, versus him and my aunt having to fly to the states for the wedding.)

4.) Moving to Oregon was the best decision of your life. Don't forget that.

5.) Your family should be priority. Stay in touch.

6.) You think you're "fat" now, ha ha, wait till you are 28. Wish I was as "fat" as I was back then....

7.) Buy a car, pay it off, keep it. Seriously, you change cars like you change your panties. It's a mode of transportation, it doesn't define you.

8.) Save your pennies for a rainy day. For goodness sakes, just start saving!

9.) You do want kids someday. Really you do.. and when you do. It will be amazing. And you will be a good Mama too. I promise.

10.) You've already met the love of your life and best friend. Treat him well. He's your rock and will ALWAYS be there for you.

Wanna find out what other bloggie buddies would say to themselves 10 years ago? Head on over to Mom2MemphisandRuby's Tuesday 10 Link Up.

Hello milestones....

Hello friends,
I've missed you.

I'm still here. I promise, I haven't quit blogging, regardless of my recent lack of posting!

I've had a busy month. Who am I kidding. I am always busy! Full time job, 2 year old, Etsy shop / side business, house to keep clean, etc. (bwahaha... right.)

But seriously, I have been busy. Busy with things like planning our upcoming 1 year Shop Anniversary!!! Yup, October 8th marks one year of the Etsy shop "being in business." Giveaways, contests, sales, you name it, I'm working on it.

If you want to get your fix now and have a chance to win some amazing schwag... I'm giving away some shop credit over at Living in Yellow. There are so many other fantastic items up for grabs too.

Oh and on a personal milestone note. I bought my daughter's first "big girl bedding" set today. She and I were shopping online. Yes, she LOVES shopping. And she was saying, "That's not cool." "That's not mine." Then this bedding came up, and she said, "That's mines." I was pretty excited, since I liked it quite a bit myself! I am going to have so much fun putting her room together, and can't wait for the bedding to arrive. Now to pick out the bed to go with it too!

And for a final milestone, I totally just reached 200+ followers here on the blog!! Just the validation I needed on a crappy Monday morning. Yes, somebody is actually reading my nonsense and wants to come back for more! =)

To all of you.... Thank you!!!

Week Night Gourmet: Stuffed Shells

As a full time working Mama & Wife, I'm always looking for new recipes that make week night cook quick, easy, and nutritious. Here is one of my all time favorites.

** Warning: I do not use recipes when cooking, I wing it... so bear with me, while I try to break this down. **

What you will need:

Uncooked pasta shells (large ones)
16 oz. container cottage cheese
1 pack frozen spinach
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded italian cheese
1 pound ground italian sausage
1 large jar spaghetti sauce

In skillet, brown italian sausage. Once browned, add jar of spaghetti sauce. I used Classico Tomato Basil. Keep on low heat.

While cooking the sausage / sauce, get the water boiling for your shells. Once boiling, cook your shells, drain, and rinse. Set aside for "stuffing."

While the shells are cooking, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, spinach, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese in a mixing bowl. This time I added 2 tablespoons of pesto to the mix. I don't always do this though.

Once the shells are cooked, preheat the oven to 375*, and stuff the shells with the cheese mixture, then top with the sausage / sauce mixture and top with last 1/2 cup italian shredded cheese.

Bake approx. 30-35 minutes, then let sit 5-10 minutes to cool before serving.

Less than an hour, start to finish. And even my picky 2 year old approves!