My Babylove

I've been hard at work! I'm finally putting some much-needed energy into my little business - I've revamped my vision, and have shifted (maybe "expanded" is a better term) my focus. "Babylove By Jackie" will still primarily be an Etsy shop, don't worry! I'm in love with this little "community" right now, it's a bit addictive! I've met some great sellers while arming myself with new supplies, and am hoping that I've started a great relationship with each of them. However - this is where I'm expanding! Soon, "Babylove" will not exist only online - keep an eye out for us at your local Fall Fairs and Farmer's Markets, hopefully starting this fall! I've got a bunch of supplies on order (can't wait for everything to arrive - it's like Christmas everytime I check the mailbox!), and will be sewing like a madwoman to prepare for some upcoming Fairs. After I've dipped my toes to test the waters, I'm planning on a long winter of preparation for the mother-of-all Farmer's Markets next spring/summer - those of you who are local to me have no doubt heard of (if not visited) the Keady Market. The Market draws a huge, varied crowd - lots of exposure! I'm also planning to speak with a couple of children's consignment shops, to see if they're interested in carrying a few of my items.

As part of my revamp, I've designed a logo (with the help of VistaPrint.ca) - I absolutely love it! I'm doing my best to appear "professional" - I've ordered business cards, and other business stationary, as well as custom-printed tags (featuring my logo) to be sewn into my little dresses. Oh yes - forgot to mention, I've added a new product! I'll soon be selling oh-so-cute, vintage inspired "Pillowcase Dresses". I've found a love for designer fabrics (particularly Michael Miller, and Amy Butler), and can't wait to see how these little creations are going to turn out!

Wish me luck while I nurture this little egg...I can't wait to see it grow wings and FLY!

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

I meant to blog on this day, but...well...I forgot. Story of my life! I know it's loooong gone, but wanted to say - I hope everyone had a beautiful day, appreciating your Mommy and being appreciated yourself!

I spent the day with my family - I was woken up when Ted brought Abigayle into my room...I pretended to still be asleep while I heard him whispering to her "say, Happy Mommy's Day, mommy". Instead, I opened my eyes with a giggle when she shouted out "Happy Burrfday Mommy!!". Of course she still got a ginormous hug anyway - it's the thought that counts. However, there apparently hadn't been a thought in the "gift" department, I decided to treat myself to a little something - hey, I deserve it, right? I went "shopping" on my new favourite site (Etsy.com), and picked out this little sparkly number. There's something so neat, knowing that what you've ordered is one-of-a-kind, and made just for you. I got a note with this picture attached yesterday, to let me know that my necklace has been completed! It's now on it's way to me, and I can't wait to wear it and show off my babies! It was created by a very nice woman names Sandy, and you can check out some of her other great work in her Etsy shop -

http://www.sandysimone.etsy.com/

Maybe you'd like to treat yourself to something pretty, too!

Happy Half-Birthday!

6 months. SIX months have gone by since Austin joined our little family. Half a year. Where on earth has the time gone? Before I was a mom, I swear I didn't know it was possbile for time to feel like an instant and an eternity, all at once. In six months...

-Austin joined us on a cold November morning

- the day we brought him home from the hospital, his Papa had a heart-attack. I guess his heart was so full of happiness to finally have a boy in the family, that he just couldn't contain it anymore...

- his Nana and Papa both quit smoking (so PROUD of you, guys!)

- first smiles (4wks)

- struggled with weight-gain (just like his big sister)

- started sleeping through the night (by about 8wks, I think)

- first rolls (about 18wks)

- made strange with Papa for a while - I think he's finally realized he's not so scary

- started first solid foods (so far we've had rice, oat, and wheat cereals)

- started wearing diapers that are only 1 size smaller than his 2yr old sister's

- yet still fits nicely in size 3-6 month clothes

- his Mommy has lost about 17-18lbs

- finally starting to develop a bit of a nap "scedule"

- being bothered by his teeth, but they haven't made an appearance yet

- has celebrated his first Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, and Easter

I'm sure there have been more firsts, but having two children to keep track of now, my poor brain is a little fuzzy. Not that it wasn't before, I just have an excuse now :)

Happy "Half-Birthday" my Little Bubba! I can't wait for all of the "firsts" that are yet to come.

This Little Piggy...

Enough of the dark and spooky! Check out my piggies! The shade is called "Strawberry Fields Forever"; two of my favourite things - nail polish and the Beatles - all rolled into one pretty pink package! I was very lucky to spend the afternoon at the Spa yesterday! When Austin was born, a cousin gave me a gift card - the BEST baby gift ever, might I add! Forget about the "Pampers" - Mama needs some "Pampering" of her own! I was able to leave both kids with "Nana" while I escaped and had my first-ever spa experience. I was treated to a pedicure and a massage - heavenly! I'll admit, I was a bit creeped out at first - laying nearly nude on a table, being rubbed down by a strange chick in the dark...but I quickly became okay with it :) Afterwards, I was able to catch up with a friend (that I haven't seen in 2 years!) and spend some time at the barn where I used to work - where I got to sneak in some play time with a new little foal! I polished the day off with a bit of shoe shopping (talk about a perfect day!), and then went back to pick up the kiddies. Who were covered in sand, and mud, and drool...with a Goldfish-cracker-covered kiss, I was back to reality.

Boo!

I promised a post about the Paranormal, and had planned to incorporate it into my last entry but got carried away....

You've probably grown up believing that "there's no such thing as ghosts" - but I didn't. I grew up knowing quite the opposite. Living in a house built in the 1800's (it'll be 130 years old next year - Happy Birthday, House!), I learned it to be completely normal to share my home with several spirits. I'll admit at times I was petrified, but for the most part I just knew it as "the norm". "Why did that door just open on its own?!", "Oh, it was probably just the ghost...". Needless to say, I have many friends who still confess to being afraid to spend time in my parents house. Apparently it's not "normal" to have to ask a ghost to leave you alone...

So when I moved out of my parents' house and into the farmhouse, I wasn't sure what to expect. When I first started spending time here, there was the undeniable feeling that Iwasn't alone. I wasn't sure who was here with me (other than the fleas and the rats, but that's a different story...), I just knew that they were. In the beginning, there were a few times that I felt a rush of panic and anxiety come over me - like I would suffocate if I didn't run out of the house at that exact moment. It wasn't as bad if there were other people around - the natural comfort of safety in numbers - but it got to the point where I wouldn't stay in the house by myself. I would sit on the front step until someone came back. I knew that I had to confront this problem and gain posession of my own house - so one day I had a conversation with "whomever" is here, telling them that this is *OUR* house now. I didn't mind that they were here, but they had to leave me alone. Call me crazy, but it seemed to work! No more fear and panic - I was able to spend time on my own, cleaning or painting, or working away. You could argue that it was all psychological, and it just made me feel better to speak out about my feelings...but I know better. That was pretty much it for a while - but over the past 3 years I've had a few encounters. Wanna hear about them? I know you do :)

I know that there is a man here. I've seen him. One day I was sitting on the couch watching TV when I saw a man walk past the window in front of me. Assuming it was Ted, I didn't think much of it. But when he didn't come in the house, I got up to look for him. There was no one in the yard, or anywhere around the house. Ted's truck wasn't here - he was obviously still at work.
Another night, I was here alone while Ted was playing hockey. Again, I was sitting on the couch watching TV when out of the corner of my eye I saw a man standing diagonally behind me (to my right). Even though I thought it was too early, I assumed it was Ted home from hockey. I asked why he was home already, and turned to look at him but he was gone. I got up to look in the kitchen, but there was no one there. Ted didn't come home til about an hour later.

I'm not sure what it is, but there is "something" on my livingroom ceiling. I know, that sounds strange. I was "doggy-sitting" my parents' pooch for a couple of weeks, and she kept looking up at this one spot on the ceiling and growling. She would hunch up defensively, and grumble. Occasionally, my dog "Myah" will look up at the same spot and bark - she doesn't bark at *anything* (a useless guard dog!), but she'll bark at the ceiling. Both Abigayle (as a baby) and Austin have also stared up, watching the exact same spot - but not yet old enough to talk, I couldn't ask them what they saw!

Now that Abigayle is old enough to talk, she scares me sometimes. She always jibber-jabbers away when she's by herself. She's a chatterbox, so it's nothing out of the ordinary. But when she talks to the "Boy", I have to wonder. "Here Boy, you want this?" - conversational sentances. I've tried asking her who she's talking to, but she doesn't really answer. The other day I was getting her out of bed in the morning when she said something about the "ghost" - I'm very careful not to say that around her, because I don't want to frighten her, or take the risk of putting thoughts in her head. I calmly asked her, "where is the ghost?" - she pointed down the stairs and said "he's there!" - right where I had seen the man standing that night in the livingroom. She's pointed out a "man" in the same spot on other occasions as well.

There seems to be a bit more "activity" lately. A couple of days ago I was in the shower when I heard a little knock on the glass door. I thought that Abigayle had made a jailbreak from the livingroom - she likes to tap on the door if you're in the shower. I washed the shampoo from my eyes and looked - no one there. So I kept washing the rest of the shampoo out, when I heard a much louder knock - definately on the shower door, no mistaking it. This time I opened the door and looked around, thinking that maybe Ted had come in and was playing a trick on me - still no one.

Go ahead and call me crazy. Ted does all the time - you should see the way he cringes when I turn on "Ghost Hunters" or "Paranormal State" (even though he admits that GH isn't "that bad"). I know what I've experienced, and I know that I couldn't possibly prove any of it to you - I can't expect you to believe me! And I'm okay with that.

What I'm not okay with, is how to go about explaining things to my kids. I have no clue how to go about this. My plan at the moment, is to not mention anything unless they bring it up - like Abigayle's "ghost" comment the other day. What I don't want to do, is to brush their experiences off, or try to disqualify them. I can't simply say "don't be silly, there's no such thing as ghosts!", when I don't believe that myself. But at the same time, I don't want them to be laughed at when they're in school, talking about ghost stories at Halloween...and they tell their class that "Mommy says that ghosts are real! They're in my house!". I believe that young children are so much more open/sensitive to spiritual activity because society hasn't yet "tought" them that spirits don't exist. I believe that all children (and animals) are able to see what we can't - we used to have the ability too, until we supressed it somewhere along the way. Think back to the very first day in Science class...when you learned that "energy cannot be destroyed - it simply changes form". Our energy can't simply disappear once we're gone - it continues on, and takes a different form.

So you *still* up for that visit? You might want to bring your flashlight ;)

Days Gone By

The other day, I was outside trying to clean up the yard a bit, when something caught my eye. There was a squared-off stone poking out of the lawn, near the foundation of the house - curiosity got the better of me, so I stepped away and came back with my trusty shovel (these words can never lead to anything good...curiosity killed the cat, and all...). I pried it up out of it's snug little hole for closer examination. "Neat", I thought to myself - must be a piece of the old foundation (as mentioned previously, the original house was destroyed by fire). I was about to put it back down, when I noticed something white glisten in it's newfound patch of sunlight. I picked it up - and this is where my treasure hunt began. In my hand was the tiny head of a ceramic/porcelain figurine. Now this really caught my attention - I had to see if the rest of him was still in there! On my hands and knees I started to sift through the soil. I didn't find the rest of this little man, but I did find more "goodies". The hole kept getting bigger...and bigger...and bigger still. I tried to contain my curiosity, I really did - but each time I pulled out something else, I was intrigued as to what was hidden under the next handful of dirt! I really didn't come up with anything much - and to most of you it might seem boring. But to *me* - lets just say I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to things of the past. Amidst charred bricks, I found this little collection.

* A piece of burned "something-or-other". Pretty sure it's not wood, it's too hard. I know that glass and other materials can turn molten and harden when burned - maybe this is what happened?

* An old nail. You can tell it's old by the shape or it - squared edges, like a giant horseshoe nail. It was badly covered in rust/corrosion, but after soaking it in vinegar I was able to crumble it away.

* The head of a little figurine - glossy white ceramic or porcelain, not quite sure. It has a bit of blue detailing/paint on what would be his shoulder.

* A shard of white ceramic, broken to resemble a little bird. I felt like I was "freeing" this little bird from the cold, dark ground - once again able to see the light of day after countless years of being buried.

* A piece of pink ceramic/pottery, with a floral pattern on it - looks like rose leaves, possibly. This piece is pretty interesting - the ceramic itself is pink, not just the glaze. I've never seen this before. I can't help but wonder what it used to be...was it a vase? A plate? A piece of someone's good china - a wedding gift maybe? Who used to own it - did they love pretty pink things as much as I do?

I've always been curious about who has been here before me - and my little excavation made me even moreso. It's obvious that the remains of what was once someone's home were pushed aside for a fresh start; I feel a bit of giddy satisfaction in knowing that these little trinkets - no matter how small or insignificant - will remind me of what/who was here. It makes me sad to know that this was once someone's home - they lived here, probably raised a family here similar to what I'm doing now - and no one knows/cares who they were. No one remembers them, they are merely a speck in time. What will happen when *I'm* gone? I don't want to be forgotten. For this reason, I feel like I owe the previous life of this house and its families the respect of my curiosity. I've returned the bricks and stones to their resting place, and replaced the sod - if my husband came home to see such a hole in the lawn, someone may be finding me buried in there with the bricks 50 years from now...But I'm planning a trip to my local Land Registry office. If nothing else, I at least want to know the names of the homeowners over the years, along with the age of the house and any other tidbits of information I can find! I'm also "Googling" the pink pottery and little figurine, to see if I can find out what they may have looked like. My search has just begun - are you curious, too?

And the Winner is...

Thanks to everyone who commented! I really do appreciate all of your suggestions, and will do my best to make them happen! :)

The "winner" has been selected at random, using random.org

Congratulations to... Michelle Lynn! Michelle is one of my wonderful online "Mommy" friends. Hope you've had a chance to browse through the store, can't wait to see what prize you've chosen! I'll be in touch to work out details.