Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving!  Wow!  Time has really flown since our baby was born back in March.  She is now 8 months old.  I can't believe it!

Finances continue to be tough but I feel we are starting to dig out of it all.  The medical bills will be paid off real soon!  That is exciting.  Christmas gift giving is going to be slim this year.  Going to have to rely on our creativity with that one.

We have started receiving quite a bit of sales through, etsy, facebook and craft shows (post orders).  So this is all helping up dig out of our financial mess.  Praying it continues to work in our favor and we really get out of it and can be comfortable for a little while.

Happy Thanksgiving once again!
-Melanie

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Tip: Open all mail as soon as you get it!

Lesson Learned:  don't let mail sit around unopened.  I almost let my children's insurance lapse due to this.  I had no idea I was suppose to send documents in to verify they were my dependants and was about to be dropped and by questioning folks that I work with on Facebook...they explained what my phone calls was about...and by the Grace of God...I got my stuff faxed before they started dropping people!

Talk about scary and an easy  money saver...uhhhh....need to have insurance!!!!  Don't ignore mail.  I had it under a pile of what I thought was junk...embarrassingly enough for months!!!!  I got lucky!  Don't make the same mistake...may not be as lucky with this wild economy. 

Just thought I should report that simple tip that I will start following from now on myself.

Have a great day!
MELANIE (SORRY MY COMPUTER GETS STUCK IN CAPS SOMETIMES)>ANNOYING! 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Money is so tight right now...

I'll  be honest...I haven't been updating as much as I used to because I feel like I do not know what to do about our finances right now.   I have always been good with money and saving, etc... For some reason...we have gotten into a rut and can't seem to climb our way out.   We are trying a few things however...continue reading onward...

What we are doing about our situation (our "plan")
(this is a slow process, but hoping for the best in the long run):
*We are going to have a Yard Sale this weekend to get some money and clean out the house.   (All money will go towards: BILLS).
*We (hubby and I) are going to do two Arts and Crafts Vendor Shopping Shows (don't know the official terms so I use them all, LOL):  One in November and another in December.  (We hope to make back money spent towards getting ready for the shows and then make money on the second one...again all money going to bills).
*I'm working on selling fabric on Ebay again.  I had taken a long break because we didn't need to...but now with the Ebay Selling fees for Auction Style listing being free and paying nothing unless your item sells...well...now I am.  Can't report much on that yet...but have sold a couple pieces and helped with purchasing art and craft supplies for our shows.  I hope to report more sales soon. 
*We are always selling on Etsy, but if you sell on there, you know sales can be slow and sometimes none.  I average about 2 sales a week, which I am happy with..but the past week...no sales, but it is due to me listing more on ebay than on etsy.  You really have to list regularly on etsy (well I do) for it to work.  I love both sites and do decent!  Just seems like everything is hard right now.
*Meanwhile, we are just trying not to spend money (but still having to pull from credit card...which you KNOW I do NOT agree with and from the kids' accounts...AWFUL I know. We are just trying to keep our head above water until the above items work out.)

It is a tough time right now for us, but at least we have ideas to help us out and I pray they work.  If nothing else...tax time is getting closer and closer as time moves forward and hopefully we'll get back a little then to help us out.

I'll update when I see a change in our situation and let you know what worked and what didn't...hopefully only what worked.  :-)  I'm hopeful!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

School Yard Sale!

I love a good Yard Sale!

I am getting ready for my first ever Craft Show!  I am so excited!  It will be next week on Saturday.  I found at our school's yard sale a really cool shoe rack that spins around. Got it for $5.00! Very sturdy and cool looking.  I am going to use it to display my knotted bracelets!  I love a good deal.

My son picked out a cool toy he likes for $2.00!  Can't beat that! 

Wish me luck on my first show.  I hope to do well.  We can really use the money right now.  Still working on paying off those medical bills.  Yikes!

The baby is doing well and so is my son in Kindergarten.  So nice to take him to work with me every day!  :-)

Take care! I hope to update again soon!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Changing plans on budget...

I had said in an earlier post that all sales from etsy and ebay would go towards saving for a new computer.  Well, as great as that sounded....I realized yesterday after paying some bills that the computer just fell to the bottom of the list again.  Still have a ways to go to pay off some bills before we can focus on extras. Booo!  But better to get my head back on straight and focus on the bils.  I thought I was, but must have miscalculated something somewhere.  I am not worried, everything works out.  :-)  That is the great thing about budgeting...doesn't hurt to go back and recheck and reorganize.  It helps to do that once in a while to not lose focus.

Have a great day!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

New Baby is Keeping Me Busy...

Hello All!

My apologies for not checking more lately.  Having a new addition around the house has proven to take up most of my time.  When I am not tending to the kids (four year old and baby), I am working on my etsy shop and making items for it.  I have also returned to selling on Ebay recently.  I am doing all of this to help pay down our medical bills and if nothing else...helping us out day to day and supporting my hobby.  :-)

I am proud of my 11 week maternity leave as well as my 5 week summer vacation.  I am truly blessed to be able to stay home that long with the baby and my soon to be five year old (next week is his birthday).

My current financial goal, besides paying down the bills, is to save up enough money to buy a new computer!  All sales from ebay and etsy will go towards saving for a new computer.  This way, no charge cards are used to get it and no money coming from our regular living and bills will go towards it.  If I don't make enough money to cover the computer...well, we don't need it then!  :-)

Have a terrific rest of July!  I hope to check in again sooner than later!  :-)

Final note:  So excited my son will be going with me to work for the next six years...he starts Kindergarten this school year and I am a teacher in Elementary school..so that is K-5th. So excited...also a money saver by not having to concern myself with before and after school care.  I also get to keep the awesome lady that kept him for my baby (daughter).  Everything is going to plan and falling into place.  Life is good!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day, we (kids, {son 4 and daughter 3mths} and I) got my husband the "World Cup Package"  (my made up title for his gifts)!  :-)
The gift included:
A Brazil Soccer Shirt
Gift Card to a Sporting Goods store
and
Upgraded to High Definition Dish Network to watch the World Cup!

If you haven't figured it out from his gift...he LOVES soccer and Brazil is his fav team.  :-)
The only thing this "package" lacks is a new TV.   Uhhh..couldn't afford that this year...but pretty proud of what we got this year.

I had my son to write his name and draw a heart on the box that had his shirt in and and give it to Daddy and say "Happy Father's Day Daddy!"  :-)  It was sweet!  Daddy was surprised and loves his gifts.  He is a tough one to buy for and surprise...so it was a great.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Coupons and Baby

Since my baby is now on Formula (first month...went natural)...you know that stuff is expensive.  I used Facebook to my advantage by putting my status update to ask anyone for Formula (our brand we like) coupons.  I had one person hand me a $6.00 off coupon at work and another mailed me a coupon and I had one.  I plan to use all three on cases of formula at BJ's where it is the best deal for us.  I sent one of the ladies back a diaper and wipes coupon.

Lesson from this..don't be afraid to let others know what coupons you need.  Hey, form a small group on Facebook for coupon exchanges...how cool is that?  We all need coupons from time to time and when you need them, half the time, they are not there.  This is a great way to get them when you do need them...ask for them!

Medical Bills Update

Just wanted to check in and say the "Snowflaking" is going well on all those medical bills.  I have consolidated three smaller ones together so I can pay more at once on them.  Also, anytime we have "extra" money, I put it on one of the large bills.  I have it down to two large bills which is great...there were three large bills and three smaller ones as well.  One of the large bills are now gone.  I am getting ready to knock it down to one large bill as at the end of the year, I get a small bonus and I will use that to pay off another larger bill and it will leave me with the largest.  So excited that I have been able to do this so quickly.
I will focus on that large bill paying as much as I can and pay the minimum amounts on some of our other non-medical bills and then focus on them after this is paid off.  What a relief to lessen some of this debt.

In other news...my daughter is now 3 months old and doing great.  She is a cutie!  Currently weighing in at 12lbs 3ozs.  All smiles and a few laughs here and there.  The laughs usually go to daddy and that is okay.  :-)

Speaking of daddy...Father's Day is this Sunday!  I splurged this year and got him a nice Soccer shirt and gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods.  I had my son to sign the box and draw pictures on it and let him present it to him.  Yeah...I was too excited that we gave it to him yesterday...not waiting til Sunday.  :-) He loved it all!

Happy Father's Day Dads!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Going to "Snowflake" the Medical and Hospital Bills

We have 6 different medical and hospital bills.  I am having to get "creative" with paying these off.  I hate debt and thought how are we going to do this.  Paying a little bit on each....adds up to a lot per month AND nothing is getting paid off.  Luckily one can be a bit more flexible with medical bills than most that like to threaten you or charge high interest fees and late fees and so forth.  So here is what I am going to do, in order to get out of this medical/hospital bill mountain.

I decided to grab the three smallest amounts and pay them off...with our regular money and with a credit union very low interest credit card (this is to consolidate and pay more towards the amount of all three.)

With the three  remaining large amounts...going to pay $100 per month on each of them and the third will be paid off when I get my end of year supplement (teacher) in June (I still sent $50 to show them I am paying and wrote a note I would be paying off next month).  That leaves me with two medical bills instead of 6!!!  to focus on!  Which will allow me to pay MORE than a small amount each because I only have to think of those two.  Now, are you wondering about the charged ones?  Well...that is a bill we ALREADY pay with a very  low balance because I have set amount I already pay and will pay extra and often each week if need to be to get rid of that one (not much concerned about that one anymore). 

It feels great to know I can eliminate this debt fairly quickly.  Anytime I get extra cash (from sales on ebay or etsy)..this will go towards one of the two large bills. 
Sounds like a simple end solution but it took a lot of playing with numbers and careful consideration as to what to do with those three small bills (considering I decided to put it on the card).  It is the best solution because otherwise, nothing was getting paid off.  Stressful each month sitting down to so many envelopes...all wanting money! 

Taking  a deep breath and going to get this week started!  :-)
Have a good one!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Join my fan page!

I have a fan page for my Etsy Shop on Facebook.  I know, I know..who doesn't anymore?  :-)  But...I do also...if interested...would love to have you on my fan page. 

The stuff I sell on Etsy helps with small bills...would be nice if it paid large bills, but being Thrifty like myself and stretching the dollar...I know...every dollar counts and is important.   I love the items I make as it is a hobby for me. 



Promote Your Page Too

Friday, May 7, 2010

Started receiving all the medical bills associated with the birth of my daughter!

Yep!  That is correct...tons of bills from this person and that...along with hospital bill.  So blessed to have insurance..would not want to tackle those bills without it.  Even WITH insurance...I am curious how we are going to pay off these things in the time frame the doctors and hospital wants them.  I have decided to pay them $50 per month Each bill until I figure it out.  They are a bunch with a total close to the $3K mark...maybe more..don't want to add them together for fear of causing me to get stressed about it. 

I have no solutions at this time, but if I figure something...I will definitely share.  Anyone out there with advice of how you handled these bills.  It just isn't possible to pay the totals when they want them.  Not complaining...just trying to figure it all out.  I know we can do it...just have to really sit and think and break out the calculator, pencil and paper!

Happy Friday to All!  :-)

Oh yeah...Happy Mother's Day Sunday to all Moms out there!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Clinique running an Online Bonus Time! Yay!

Yay! I love Clinique and even more...their bonus time!

Here is what they are doing now:
Spend only $21.50 and create your own 7-piece bonus!  That is awesome to get your own choices!

Also if you spend more than $50...you get free standard shipping.

I need to review what I have and what I need and take advantage of this.  Believe I am in need of the Moisture Surge (love that stuff).  I could use a new eye pencil too!  Yippie!

Clinique Bonus Link

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Really want to focus on debt

I do...I really want to focus on debt; however, seems like the debt keeps growing lately with a new baby and everything.  At the same time, I feel like now is time to slow down the debt growth and make a serious plan to decrease the debt and eventually pay it off.

Since my husband's layoff a bit over a year ago we are finally becoming stable again.  He has been steady with his new job for a year this month!  Yay!  We are so happy with his new job.  He has great hours and doesn't work weekends.  It is less pay but you can't put a price on having your hubby at home!  Loving it!

With all this said...I started thinking this morning about my college loans and how high they are and the monthly payment we have to make on it.  Very high..too embarrassed to say but let me put it this way...it would be a nice car payment each month and we could have a new one with the amount. 

I am curious if anyone has any tips on refinancing a college loan?  Has anyone done this...can you do this even?  I know government runs these loans so they aren't so flexible.  I currently have 5.75% on my loan...would love even lower to really pay this thing down and see the potential to have it paid off in my lifetime.  :-)

Any responses: Drop them in the Comment Jar!

Have a great day!

Looking for Formula Coupons

My daughter is now 5 weeks old.  I stopped nursing, etc...last week.  I admire mothers who can nurse longer and more frequently than myself.  It is what is best for the baby, as well as, a huge money saver in two ways (that I can think of):  #1) obviously...not having to buy formula and bottles, etc... #2) overall health of the baby...staying out of the doctor's office for illness (at least I feel like it helps...my personal opinion)

With all that said...here I am...looking for ways to save on Formula.  We are using Similac Advance.  I have signed up for their "StrongMoms" program and receive the checks and coupons by mail.  I would like to know if there are any printable coupons out there in internetland for Similac when I am in between receiving my "StrongMoms" coupons.  We buy from BJ's and get a case of the Ready to Feed for $40.00 a case. 
If anyone out there has any other tips on the way you save on Formula (particularly Similac brand)...please drop me a comment or two in the Comment Jar below!  Thank you!

If you have any other advice on formula feeding or breastfeeding...do share...others enjoy reading and may need the advice as well!  :-)

Have a great day!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Spring time: Graduation/Housewarming/Weddings

I don't about you all out there; however, we have so many events to attend and buy gifts for over the next two to three months. I love personalized gifts that last a lifetime. Especially for that hard-to-buy-for person(s). I know two of my all time favorite gifts someone got for me was engraved and from Things Remembered! I got a marble apple with my name and year I started teaching. They got me that gift for Christmas the year I started teaching. I love that gift and it sits in my kitchen 8 years later and I have no intentions of moving it! :-)

I ran across the following deals with their site and am considering for gifts we need. We are also trying to figure out a gift for my doctor that delivered my beautiful little girl on March 15th (only a few weeks ago). I'm thinking a personalized frame of some kind for him with a drawing my husband is doing to put in it.


FREE Keepsake Box With Purchase of Select Ladies and Mens Jewelry! Shop Things Remembered Personalized Gifts!




They have even more items...just check out a link above and see what you find for that special someone. By the way...I find their pricing to be fabulous for such great gifts!

Have a terrific beautiful week!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Fan Boxes from Facebook on the Left Bar...

Just wanted to let you know that on the left bar here you will find two fan boxes for our two fan pages:

The first is for my stuff: Macrame, Crochet and More by MelanieR

The second is for my husband's drawings: Custom Pencil Drawings by Claudiu

If you are on Facebook and love becoming a fan of pages...there is two for you on the side bar that I have listed above. Have fun and follow us on Facebook! This is a neat free way to promote what you do if you are a business of any kind. Jump on board...there is a link on each of the boxes that will take you to your facebook to create them (I believe so).

Best wishes!

All is going well with the new baby at home. As you see, I haven't had a ton of time to update this blog...but give me a week or so to get settled back into the swing of things. Last week was the First entire week at home with the baby and 4 1/2 year old son.

I am starting to feel normal again. Yippie!

So glad I did our taxes early this year...no way they would be getting done right now if that had been the case!

We are currently saving by taking advantage of coupons that we get. We use them right away in order to not let them sit around and expire. Before long, folks stop sending you the good coupons...so better to stock up!

Got any FREE baby stuff sites for me to visit? Would love to check them out and share here!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Our Baby Girl was born on 3/15/10 at 1:14pm!

From the recovery room.

The whole family!

Big Brother with New Little Sister


A few minutes old here



Our newest addition:

Anabelle Presley
6 lbs. 13 ozs.
19" long

Saturday, March 6, 2010

9 Days until the baby will be here!

Yes! Only 9 days left...or 8 if you don't count today! :-)

I wanted to make sure I posted in the event the baby should come earlier.

My sitter surprised me with a Baby Shower last week and gave me two huge boxes of Diapers, and I also got from others Clothes and many other useful items...to many to list!
Very thoughtful and sweet and all the kids made me cards so I have already put them into the Baby Book! :-)

It is all getting exciting! It is hard to believe the time is almost here to welcome this new addition.

Still have some last minute cleaning and planning that still needs to be done, but for the most part we are all ready.

People have been giving me great coupons for diapers, etc...and I am holding onto them tight.
We have the tax money ready to pay the dreaded hospital bill...but glad to be able to pay it (hopefully) when the time comes.

I have money set aside for Newborn pictures in the hospital! I love pictures...they are my weakness.

Til next time,
Have a terrific beautiful weekend!

I hope to be bringing you updates on the way we save as a family of four (or five if you are a pet lover as we are)! :-)

Monday, February 22, 2010

3 weeks exactly until baby is due to arrive!

I can't believe it! Seriously exactly 3 weeks from today (or less) we will have our new little baby girl!

The name so far we seem to be set on is:
(drum roll please...............................................)
Anabelle Presley (first middle)

Our second in line:
Teodora Presley (first middle)

I am kinda liking the second better but my husband is set on the first selection. I named our son...so I believe it is time to let him have this one as it is a pretty name still yet! :-)
I tend to like "cool" names rather than "pretty." :-)

We bought our hand sanitizers, dish pan, and nasal aspirator. (I want to look into the suggestion a commentor, Corinne, mentioned that she swears by: Cleanoz)

Really, typical things you have to buy non-stop is all we still need to get like: Diapers and Wipes....we have enough to get started but that will always be a need until she is potty trained. :-)

Have a great week!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

With only weeks away...only a few things left to purchase!

We are only 3 1/2 weeks from baby's debut in March! I am getting excited about the end of the pregnancy and the beginning with a new little girl! We all are!

Thanks to us saving a lot of our items from our son, there was little to purchase for this one which is great and a money saver.
What we still need to purchase, really isn't necessarily a need but here it goes:
  • Dish pan (to hand wash all baby stuff...it is what we did with our son...we didn't like using the dishwasher for anything baby)
  • Hand Sanitizers
  • More diapers and wipes
  • Gift for our son (from baby...good suggestion from a book)
  • Gift for our pet Phoebe (toy poodle...what we did with our son for her and it really helped a lot...she as never jealous!)
  • Nasal Aspirator (hoping to get one from the hospital so we won't purchase this)

The most important above are the gifts for transition and hand sanitizers. Everything else could be gotten after the baby is born. Or, that is how we see it! :-)

Nice to be set!

I still feel like (at times) there are items I forgot to put on the master list. We'll see!

Have a great upcoming weekend everyone!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

4 weeks until the baby is due!

I am counting down! Forgive me if I am taking a small break from the blogging here...I will try to get in some posts here and there between now and then. Currently we are in major preparation in the house setting up for a new baby and having already a four year old.

Also, at work I am having to prep for my Maternity Leave! I am looking forward to it and want to make sure my substitute has an easy time when I am gone for a little while. I have already gotten so much done but still more to do. :-)

Everyone take care...I will try to keep posting but in the event you notice me missing you will understand!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy first day of Chinese New Year today also!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Vanity Seat: Side-by-side Comparison


AFTER and BEFORE: I'm very excited about how it looks now! Not bad for a $12 Vanity Seat from a thrift store!






Vanity Seat Update: Finished!

Below is my husband and son attaching the seat and the rest as you see are the finished results!

Side by side comparison in next post!










Vanity Seat Update: Paint Choice and Frame Painted

Before and After of the Frame Painting. My husband did an awesome job. Looks beautiful!










Vanity Seat Update: Fabric Chosen and Upholstered

The first two pictures are of the fabric my husband and I decided on. Isn't it beautiful? I love it!
The lower two pictures are of my husband modeling the act of upholstering the seat cushion (actually that was my job and I did it...didn't I do a good job?). :-) My husband's part is coming up in the next post (painting the metal frame).




















I love it!


Saturday, January 30, 2010

Trying out Ad.ly on Twitter

Get paid for tweeting! Nearly no effort. You just have to approve the ads you want and unapprove those you don't want to run in your account. I'm going to give a shot...who knows?

Let me know if you make money on Twitter?

You can follow me http://www.twitter.com/melanier

Playing in Sleet!

Yeah, I said Sleet! :-) The winter weather began last night as a beautiful fast covering snowfall; however, around 2 a.m. turned into sleet and has pretty much stayed that way all today as well! My son, being the 4 year old that he is, would not rest until he got outside. So, his daddy took him out early this morning to get it out of his system. It only took all of 10-15 minutes and the fun was over. :-) I stayed in due to the fact I am expecting and not a smart idea to risk a potential slip or fall. This is the reason you will notice all but one pic is taken from indoors. (Daddy, pictured first, took one pic.) :-)












Stay warm and have a great day everyone! We'll have to make up the electric bill another month I suppose. :-)

Vanity Seat Update

This is a photo showing the repeated clear protective stains my husband put on the wood part after taking the seat apart. He wanted to insure that the wood would not ever rot. :-) The foam cushion part was in good condition as it was originally covered with a vinyl.

Now I get to pick out the fabric! Yay!

Stay tuned for more updates! :-)

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Love Robeez? Save up to 50% Off! Awesome Deal!

Save up to 50% on baby shoes at Robeez.com!

This is an awesome deal on these shoes! I have heard nothing but great things about these baby shoes. Great for their little feet and helps the feel the ground in order to learn to walk faster/better.

At this price, I may have to (in advance) pick up a pair for my little girl-to-be.

Restoring the Vanity Seat

First stage...
My husband has ripped off the old fabric down to the wood circle. He is going to sand it and stain it so it doesn't rot, etc...

After he finishes the above step...I am going to jump in and upholster a beautiful fabric (I haven't decided yet but have a lot to choose from) over the cushion and the seat part will be done.

The second stage...
We have to decide on a color for the metal part: Silver is my first choice if I can find a good metal looking paint. White second choice for metal paint if the silver looks funny.

I will post pictures as steps are complete or the entire seat is complete. I am still excited about this vanity seat. With waiting for baby and prepping for the arrival at work and home, etc... It is great to have something to be excited about before the baby arrives; otherwise I could get stressed. :-)

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Accidental Find Today at the Thrift Store

The before shots: Story below:






Today we went to drop off some donations at our local Thrift Store. I decided to go inside to find a cheap (hoping to) short bookshelf. No luck on the bookshelf. (Wanted it for my son's books.)

What I did find, I could not pass up. A Vanity seat...the old fashioned kind from the 70's/80's era. I have been wanting one for a while. This one...the only problem...colors. Yuck...white vinyl seat and green metal. It is in good shape and was only $12.00. I had my husband (good man) go inside and take a look (he was dropping off the donations) to see if we could paint it, etc... He said sure. So we are going to repaint the metal another color and reupholster the seat with some nice fabrics I have. I can't wait to tackle this project. My husband is always looking for a project...so he will paint the metal and I will reupholster the cushioned seat. Yay!

Did I mention...I had been hoping for YEARS to run across one of these. So excited! I'll have to take pictures! :-)


Saturday, January 9, 2010

Oh my goodness! Michael's is having a sale this weekend!

Yes, Michael's Arts & Crafts to be exact. I was hoping for a sale somewhere as I need (well need?) some yarn and a new crochet hook! Yay!

Lots of Sales and the BEST part is if you go to their site (or maybe you already subscribe to receive coupons...I do)...there is a 20% off coupon that is good on your ENTIRE PURCHASE and it is for Today and Tomorrow! This includes sale merchandise, clearance and regular! Uhhhh...let me hurry and get ready! :-) My motivation for today!

Trying 1000 Markets for the New Year!

We have three shops now selling our handmade Artwork and Artisan works!

The newest is 1000 Markets...so far I am enjoying this site and their easy set up and no fees until you sell something. Granted...it is just day 3 for the shop but am so excited to have been approved. With 1000 Markets...they check over your photos and work, etc...and are more particular than some sites (not that the others aren't great also). I like that you have to be approved...it gives you a sense of accomplishment and that you know what you are doing. Sometimes, you know, we aren't sure if things look right, etc...but I know that 1000 Markets wouldn't let us have a shop if we didn't have things but a certain way, so I am excited.

Our new shop title is: Claudiu and Melanie

Yeah, I am not so "creative" on naming our shops...luckily my husband's name is unique enough to work. :-)
(P.S. Sidenote: Still haven't found that perfect girl name for a newest little family member due in March.)

Give us a visit to our new shop as they have features like writing wall posts or commenting on the blog feature there. I love it. So easy to use in so many ways. I wanted to let anyone out there know...another great place to shop...another great place to sell handmade! LOVE IT!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Curious of our other two shops? Curious no more:
Our Etsy Shop (best selling thus far by far) (also...most of our items are here)
Our Artfire Studio

Make it a great weekend!
~Melanie

Monday, January 4, 2010

Girl Baby Name Suggestions Needed

We are having a very hard time finding a name we like for our baby girl due in March! Now since I only have a few months left to go...I am starting to get nervous because we just can't find a name. I am asking for any suggestions from you all out there. Just drop it in the comment section.

We would like a name that is pretty and unique at the same time. We will need help with a middle name as well. We also welcome any nationality of names. My husband is Romanian so we like names from all over. A Romanian name would be nice but so far nothing has shouted that it is the right name yet! So HELP! :-)

Have a terrific week!

Super Cold Days

We have had some super cold weather lately. Unusual here in NC for there to be so many cold days in a row. A little concerned about the electric bill but feel thankful at the same time to stay warm!

One thing we did yesterday was bring out our small oscillating electric heater. That thing is AWESOME! We bought it a couple years ago for the bonus room and have since replaced it with an electric fireplace (awesome by the way) for that room. We are now using the small heater for the living room where we are most of the time downstairs. (Where our son likes to play.) What a world of difference.

My husband went out and bought some inexpensive weather strips for the side and front doors to help seal it even more. All of these simple things have helped already!

We still want a nice storm door for the front...but with a baby on the way...it will have to wait. :-) Good reason!

Curbside Recycling

I was excited when our former waste pickup switched to another company. Most especially when I found out the new company does curbside recycling. Where I live...you would have to haul it somewhere to recycle. I am loving the convenience of the curb. We fill up the bin every week and it only costs an extra $3.20 per quarter for this service. If you are interested...you should call your waste pickup service to see if they have this service in your area....you may be surprised...I was. Usually (in NC) it is the larger cities that have this luxury. It must be expanding.