Tears x2

I cried a lot today.  A LOT.

Here is the famous first day of school picture all us mamas take.  Eager little kiddies ready for a new year:).  Everything new and clean.  (School pants, shoes, and bookbags don't stay this way for long!)  Everything went smoothly until Philly had to follow the other kindergartners into the classroom.  That was the moment of no return.  For us both.

He started crying.  I started crying.  But the only thing to do was give him to the teacher...and walk away.  *Broke* my* heart.*  I peeked in after watching Niamh with her class, and the poor little guy was quietly crying in his chair.  :(

His teacher sent home a note...said he is a 'cutie':).  And that he did TERRIFIC.  Yes, in all caps:)!!  And that he only cried for two minutes in the morning. I was so happy to know that...

Because Mama cried the entire morning.  And she was not a cutie.  Her face was so puffy by 10am, she looked like she had an allergic reaction to something.  And she was MISERABLE.  Yes, in all caps.

Phil spent the ride home assuring me that he would be okay.  And, funny thing, he was!  He actually said he wants to go back tomorrow:).  I know it will still be hard in the morning, but it will get a little easier each day.  For the both of us:).

And thank you other mommies, who reassured me in your comments that I'm not the only one going through child-withdraw this fall.  It is nice to know there is a whole community of mothers who need as many tissues as me.  Although, I think I've got top billing in Whose Got the Most Swollen Face from Crying:).  

Here is my little man and me at the end of the day...I waited all day for this hug!!

And the End of First Day photo:).  Still clean!!  This is a new record:):).

And...since I had to figure out a good way to pass the time today, I have some new stamps to show.  I've got a handful ready for my shop...and colored them in today to give a peek at what will be available.  Get your creative juices flowin'...

A vampire, frankenstein, mermaid, and kitty girl. I think the Halloween characters make such a cute pair together:). What is your favorite?? They will go on sale Friday! I'm excited:). And grateful-- this is keeping me super-duper busy. Which is welcomed this week-- seeing how it helps pass the time to my babies coming home in the afternoons:). Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek...I've got a couple more for tomorrow. And thanks for reading my sob story. I'm not a mushy kinda girl...but for some reason mommy-hood seems to have made me a little more prone to tears and sniffles:).

Good Bye Summer Sunset.

My heart is always so sad the night before school starts. I love having the kids home. Love it. Tomorrow is the first day of school for them both. Philly's first day ever. Every time I think about my baby going to school, I want to cry. I know I can't tomorrow-- because it will make it harder on him. But, goodness knows, I'm gonna need some dark sunglasses and a tissue in my back pocket:). I wish I could keep them home just one more month...Summer is my favorite part of the year. It's just so lazy and filled with family time. And altogether wonderful.

One last sunset together before school starts:). Phil came home, and (before he could even get his uniform off:) the three of them played football. And laughed. And cheered:). It was a nice way to end the warm nights...and usher in September. Which, if I allow myself to see past tomorrow, will be fun too! I like the freshness of a new school year. Kisses goodbye in the mornings. Chatter the whole ride home after the school day. School events. Cooler evenings. And, for the first time in six years, Phil and I will have a couple days each week just to ourselves...Which he is looking very forward to;). So am I. It will feel like we are dating again!:) So, I'm gonna tuck all the good things to look forward to in the back of my mind tomorrow. And pray I can make it back to our truck before I burst into tears. I'm glad I feel this way, though...I know we've had a good few months together...And a great fall ahead of us!

Girly Girl Stamp...(and a winner!)

Who knew my $12 rainboots would not only be cute, but also useful!:) Our home and yard were fine after the hurricane...only ended up with water in our basement. Which I'll take any day over structural damage; so we were very happy. Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and comments...Truly, they all warmed my heart:)!

Over the next couple days, I'm going to give some sneak peeks of a few new digi stamps. The first small batch will hopefully go on sale September 2nd! I'm really, really excited:)! Here is a small notepad I made Niamh for some of her drawings. She is my newest *super girly* stamp, and her eyes are really big and bright-- looking up into the sky. Her name is Nevaeh.

I havent forgotten about the dreads giveaway either!! Congrats to

Spunkpunkandlace

You have some spending money for new funky hair!! (Please email me for instructions on claiming your prize.:)  I loved reading all your hair-color-combo comments! I want to try some of them myself!

Hope Monday has been good to you:)...Phil, me, and our rainboots are headed downstairs to pump the rest of the water from the basement. And I'm gonna get some drawing in, too. Maybe some Battlestar. See if I can convince my sleepy husband to watch an episode with me. (The NY Giants are on, so this is gonna be a hard sell. Pre-season should not count for calling the television:) Have a lovely night!

IRENE...Go Away.

Irene is headed our way. The kids and I are going to Pennsylvania to stay with Phil's sister's family for the weekend. Phil works this weekend. He has to:(. And he will be stuck there for sure Saturday through Sunday...So, he is sending us away...I didn't want to go, but it makes him feel better:) to know we are safe. Also, my dad was very concerned about his daughters:):)...Guys need to know the women and kids are safe and protected...I can appreciate that:).

Hopefully we return to a perfectly fine house! I've packed all our special things away...and YES MOM:)--I TAPED THE WINDOWS (love you and dad!!)!! If you are in harms way this weekend, be safe and be prepared!! I'll be outta here till Monday. And I will post the winner of the Dreads Giveaway then.

Have a good weekend lovely readers!! xoxo

Ragamuffin and Witch, Digital Girls;)

Today is a sneak peek for you--two new designs that will be sold as digital stamps! I will open the digi store once September gets here...But, in the mean time, I'll show a couple of the girls colored in. I'm trying to incorporate some images that are different and unique. Definitely monsters. Definitely some older girls. And some fantasy art, too. Wait till you see the mermaid Niamh helped me with;) The two stamps shown here are Ragamuffin 'Crafty' and Rags 'n Witches (she is a rag-doll witch hybrid;)...

I can't wait to share all the new images with the stamping world! One thing I will definitely incorporate into my blog each month-- Name the Stamp!! Each time, my readers will have the opportunity to name a selected image and win the digi for free!! Should be lots of new things this year...I'm really excited to share them with all of you:).

Wednesday Lovin'

Yesterday was East Coast Earthquake Day. The four of us were sitting in the living room, and all of a sudden the walls and floors started shaking. To the point where you could actually see them moving! I was on the couch swaying from side-to-side. Phil thought he was dizzy, and started asking, "What's wrong with me?" (Oh. I will never let him live this down. Mr. Drama thinking the earthquake was all in his own head;)...I guess a lot of people had the same reaction-- some even thought they were having seizures. We don't get a lot of earthquakes in this part of the world, so it was very exciting and scary and crazy! Everyone had a story to tell yesterday. It was fun seeing family and listening to other's tell their version of the tremors!

Onto the things I'm excited to show you this week...Have a look!! It's one of my favorite lists!

Look at the amazing piece of artwork one of my readers sent me this week!! It's ME!! I've never had a portrait done, so it was so thrilling receiving her email! The artist's name is Alejandra (love her name!), and her blog is called Doe, A Deer (love her blog, too!). Please head her way and say hi:)...I think her blog header is one of the sweetest I've ever seen! Thank you, lovely girl, for this artwork!!

Fall Free People clothes! FP is such an amazing place to shop. Literally, if I could go on a shopping spree there, I could fill my cart full in 5.8 seconds. I love everything. Literally!

My newest read. Phil and I are huge Max Lucado fans. I have so many of his books. He writes in a way that wakes up my soul and sets it on fire. This book is truly life-changing. It is hard to put down!

Rainboots that cost me $12 and some change!! I waited these boots (from Target) out for months-- months. This week I found my favorite print in my size. For super cheap. I'm gonna need 'em this weekend. Got a hurricane headed up the coast. Last week our area was flooded out. This week we're getting an earthquake and a hurricane. Kinda crazy!!

New business ventures!! I think change is sometimes the best thing to keep you moving forward...trying something a little different, going in a new direction. These things are always exciting! So. Stamping girls-- stay tuned for the opening of my new Etsy store, Saturated Canary Digi's!! I am aiming for early September-- juts in time for Halloween stamps!:)

Here is to a great Wednesday!! Thank you lovely readers for being a part of my day:). Hugs!

Game Night.

The Giants game was a blast! I think Phil has a new football buddy:). Philly kept saying "this is the best day EVER!" He watched the whole time, asked questions, and cheered louder than any guy in the place:). Niamh watched the game, too. And cheered. And I explained the rules and plays. She had a great time, too...But it is definitely a different thing...Seeing a little boy at his first sporting event and watching a girl at hers. Philly couldn't get enough of the game itself. He loved it. Niamh was much more into the experience...being at a new place, where you can be loud and not get into trouble;)-- that really appealed to her:)...The photos say it best--

   

(This is a good photo of the haircut Philly gave himself this week.)

Here is Niamh's reaction to the first touchdown...She had no idea what happened-- just kept yelling, "Why is everybody screaming??" This is the point when she realized there is a very high noise tolerance at the stadium. She never looked back. Took full advantage of being able to yell whenever she wanted:). 

She entertained herself occasionally by posing for funny pictures.

And here is the moment she realized rubbing her head on the seat allowed her to give out shocks to her brother.  Also, from this point on, her hair stood up in a static halo.

(Sorry fans in the row behind my daughter.)

At the end of the night, we bought them each a Giants teddy bear. On the way home Philly spent a half hour telling us what his bear was allergic to. Chocolate. Candy. Green berries. And sometimes honey. (Which is unfortunate for the bear:)...I can't wait to take them to another game. I think next spring we'll definitely go see the Yankees. I remember thinking games were so fun when I was a kid. All of us laughing and yelling, chanting and enjoying the night...It was nice to be on the other side of that. Making sure Niamh and Philly had a night to remember!