Kid-Created, Mother-Approved

One of our little girls started doodling this all over church bulletins.

We thought it was just too cute and asked one of the (barely) teenagers to scan it and digitize it and fix it up so it could be printed out (because evidently crayon doesn't scan and print well). He did, and I just uploaded it to our Etsy shop as an instant download to print. 

It's not made by a professional graphic designer, but we're pretty proud of their youthful collaboration. 

Recently we found more of her lovely doodles when we were cleaning her room, so big brother is working on them. However, they actually are on church bulletins and overlap with some of the words, so it will be a little more challenging of a project.

At the beginning of our homeschool journey, I was worried about teaching the children technology, but I've found that the children teach themselves. I certainly don't know how to do what my son is doing with all the digit image manipulation. 

Anyway, if you know somebody who likes this sort of thing, send them a link!

I Completely Forgot (Coupon)

I decided to try a different sale each month or so on my Etsy shop (Sideling View Crafts), and this month is a coupon for 25% off all of our vintage puzzles because National Puzzle Day is January 29th. If you know somebody who is a puzzle-lover, pass this code along (PUZZLE2020); it is good until the end of January.

Five on Friday

1.  Christmas Reading.  I've been wanting to post more about books I'm reading, so here goes. Over Christmas I was able to read two books.

My Christmas reading

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences by Kitty Burns Florey was a gift my husband gave me for Christmas because I picked it up in the used bookstore and said, "Get me this for Christmas, please!" He obliged after commenting that I was the only person who would want to read a book like that. 

Well, both of my teenage sons picked it up and read it before I did. All on their own. Then I picked it up and read it in one evening. I loved it. Florey meanders through a bit of the history of grammar instruction in the United States, falls into the old argument between language descriptivists and language prescriptivists, and lands somewhere in the middle with me. 

This book made me want to look up my 7th and 8th grade grammar teacher, Mr. Kite, and recommend it to him. Maybe I will.

The second book is Kim by Rudyard Kipling. I recently happened upon a comment somewhere online comparing this book to The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye. I read Kaye's lengthy novel when I was a teenager and reread it a few years ago, appreciating the historical aspect of it more the second time around. I was curious about Kim, and it didn't disappoint me.

Except the ending. The ending was disappointing to me. I wanted more, more, more. But the ending made me think, think, think about why Kipling chose it. In the end, I'm still thinking about it, and I think I like the ending better now. Have you read it? What did you think of the ending?

2. A Portrait of Me.  I'm glad I didn't get one with Mommy NOT "waering clohes," right?

Portrait of me by a dear child

3. Facebook.  I've ventured into Facebook land. Last night I created a Facebook page for Sideling View Crafts. I'm still not going to be active with my personal profile because I know I'd enter that rabbit hole and never return, but I do want to grow my business a little bit. Check out the page and like it or share it or whatever-- I'm still so confused about all of it! Feel free to leave a comment giving me some advice. 

4. What I'm Listening To. (Or, after reading Sister Bernadette, should it be "That To Which I Am Listening"?)  In either case, the children have been listening to this album the last few days; that means I am listening to it also. I'm okay with that because it's Snoopy, and who doesn't love Snoopy?

5. Great Clothes Heap Challenge Update. I haven't forgotten this challenge. I even moved a few bags around and begged my husband's help. 

Have a great relaxing (or, if you prefer, productive) first weekend of 2020!

Puzzle Sale

We are back from vacation, and that means I need to put my nose to the grindstone with school and with my Etsy shop.

Something happened around August with Etsy that has caused me to have fewer sales. I also closed my shop in September because of my mother's illness and death, and that's never good for an online business.

So in an effort to jumpstart some business, I kicked off a sale on all of my puzzles-- 20% off until November 29th.

Who wouldn't want to piece this cute puzzle?

Aren't they adorable?

I'm also considering taking the plunge into social media to promote Sideling View Crafts. I've held off for quite some time because it isn't my "thing," but I think I'd like to try to step things up a bit in my shop. If that means stepping out of my comfort zone, then I might just need to do it.

What do you think? Any tips or ideas?

P. S. I updated some of my links because some shops have closed and some have changed names. Check them out because my friends might just have something you need to buy for a Christmas gift.

Puzzle Sale

I've been running a sale on vintage puzzles (15% off) on my Etsy shop, Sideling View Crafts, for January. I forgot to mention it on this neglected blog, but no more. At least there are a couple of days left, if you are interested.

I've been surprised that not only avid puzzlers are interested in buying our puzzles. We've also had artists (interested in altered art and photography) and people interested in artists who have bought puzzles.

Here is a screenshot that shows some of the puzzles we have.

Yes, my son had to teach me how to do a screenshot.

Anyway, if you like puzzles or vintage or know anybody who is or any combination of the those, check it out or pass it on.

Very Vintage Christmas Sale

I decided in the wee hours of the morning today (back when the hunters got up), to run a sale on vintage items in my Etsy shop. If you know somebody who likes vintage, I have a 20% off sale from now until December 19th on all vintage items.

Vintage puzzle recently listed

What do I have that's vintage? Mostly puzzles ranging from the 1940s all the way up to the 1980s. But I also have some vintage children's books, Roy Rogers sheet music, postcard, ands a few other items.

If you know somebody who loves these types of items, feel free to give them a heads up about the big sale that lasts from now until December 19th. I hope to be adding new vintage items frequently, but, while my intentions are good, I do have a few lovely distractions.

Handmade Christmas Shopping

I recently realized I had neglected to add a link to my friends' Etsy page. I wanted to share the link now especially because they make so many cute items that would be perfect for somebody for Christmas.

The Kovals of Koval Kreations make hand-sewn clothing and baskets. Because they go to our church and because I've seen their wares at a craft fair, I can tell you they are really well-made. They also do custom orders.

Check out their Etsy shop here (or a link is now available on the left sidebar of this blog).

For more handmade Christmas shopping, I'd love to recommend my own Etsy shop, but there's not much handmade there except for a couple of crocheted bonnets. However, if you love the bonnet style but none of the colors, we can custom-make something in a color you like, too.

You can find more handmade items at the other Etsy shops on my sidebar. Katie (at KTsQuilts) has a lot of handmade items. She's really talented, and she's my cousin. (I'm not saying those two facts are related, but you are free to draw your own conclusions.)

Happy shopping!

Some on Sunday

I'm finding it difficult to post things I want to post nowadays, but every once in a while I can find a few extra moments.

1.  Mea Culpa.  It's all my fault that Burt Reynolds died, I think, maybe. You see, a couple of days before he died, I was prompted to renew some listings on Etsy that were about to expire. One of them was my vintage Burt Reynolds Horse Ranch deck of playing cards. As I was contemplating the renewal, I thought to myself, "I'll bet these cards won't sell until he dies." And then I renewed the cards. About two days later, he died, and the cards immediately sold.

2. School. Tuesday marked our first day back at school (at home, of course). I wasn't entirely unprepared, but the day didn't go as planned. Every little thing took so long, and there seemed to be so many interruptions. By 3 o'clock, I was in full-blown meltdown mode.

Why am I telling you? Well, if you are a homeschooling mom like me, you are probably discouraged by all the homeschool moms online who seem to have it all together. They are planned. They teach. They succeed. They blog it. They pin it. They seem perfect. But that's not me, and I own up to it because trying to live up to those false standards is futile. If you're as imperfect as I am, I want you to know that you're not alone.

And the rest of the week was much better once I altered my expectations. I know there will be many interruptions in the next couple of weeks, so I am mentally prepared for them. I'm telling myself this time spent easing into new routines will pay off later. And if not, I can't stress out about it because that isn't productive at all.

3.  Birthday Season. The fall birthdays in our house are quickly approaching. While we try to keep things simple, we do want the birthday kid to have a special day. That means I'm busy planning parties and gifts. Perhaps you are looking forward to see which of my cakes flop?

And that's all for now. Not even a picture! For shame. Maybe I'll do better later?

Five on Friday

1. First Egg. We didn't think we'd get any eggs this year since April 15 came and went (that's been when the guineas started laying in years past). But on Tuesday my son found the first egg.

First guinea egg 2018

Since then we've only found 3 eggs, so I still think the hens are slowing down. I still love watching those crazy birds making their rounds about the yard.

2.  Boys' Room.  I asked the boys if I could show pictures of their new bedroom in the addition. They agreed.

Calvin made it in this shot, too.

The green walls and brown carpet make me think of mint-chocolate chip ice cream every time I walk into their room. The room is quite cozy.

3.  Walk Across Maryland.  I've been spending some time this last week organizing an event for homeschoolers to walk across Maryland in Hancock where the distance is only 1.8 miles. If you happen to be a local homeschooler and are interested in taking part, send me a note.

4.  May Listing Challenge.  My oldest son challenged me to list one new item on Etsy for each day of the month of May. Since I am busy with other crafting/mending projects, it looks like all new items will be either craft supply or vintage. So far this month, I've met the challenge.

My favorite I've listed so far this month is this vintage postcard.

Saucy little postcard!

5. More Construction.  I know I posted just on Sunday about the completion of the project, but look what showed up in our backyard this week.

Yesterday the masons showed up to prepare the site for a new concrete pad for the back patio. This morning the concrete truck came and delivered. The masons are now waiting for it to set up to put on the finishing touches. I'm not sure how the rain clouds coming in will help.

Have a lovely weekend.

Fun Finds

We've had need of furniture since we have new rooms in the addition, so my husband and I have been taking turns shopping at the local Friday night auction frequently this year. I love the auction!

In addition to furniture, I've picked up a few lots with other things that I wanted-- some books, souvenir spoons, and cool stuff I thought I might be able to sell on Etsy. I've really enjoyed picking up items I want to sell because I can enjoy having and looking at the "stuff" without having it clutter up the house forever (as long as I'm able to sell it, that is).

Some of the finds I really liked most were the cards I picked up.

This joker cracks me up.

If anybody out there is a Hagerstown native, do you know anything about Ringer Electric Service or where the building featured on these cards is located?

Old "Remembrance" cards from Hagerstown

I think my favorite find was tucked in a box of souvenir spoons-- original cards for the game of Clue. I love the characters, and my son noticed something interesting about the revolver card. Can you see it, too?

It was Miss Scarlett with the revolver in the ballroom!

That's right. The "revolver" pictured isn't a revolver at all. Also, the versions of Clue I've always played showed the knife as a lethal looking dagger, but this version shows a regular (dull) table knife.  (If you're interested in seeing it, the picture is on my Etsy shop OR you could just google it.)

That's the kind of thing that gets me excited about my auction finds; I just have to be careful not to buy everything I'm curious about!

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Thursday Things

The weather has been so warm here the last few days that the kids were outside in short-sleeves playing. Some were even begging for the air conditioner to be turned on! That didn't happen. At least it feels cooler this morning.

I've been too busy to blog much lately, so I've saved up a few random thoughts.

1.  Wonderful Wednesday. Yesterday was a lovely day. I was able to spend some time outside with the kids. Reading a good book (E. B. White's Trumpet of the Swan) aloud to your children in the woods with sunshine on your arms does wonders for a body.

I also saw pretty things outside which cheered me up. All of these added a touch of color to our brown "winter" world.

Bluebird house

Tulips popping up

My yellow crocuses! (Or is that croci?)

And if all that pretty was not enough, later in the day after a quick shower, God gifted us with this rainbow.

2.  Child Development.  The baby is at that funny/cute stage where she likes to "hide" by sitting in plain view and covering her eyes. We crack up every time it happens, and that is several times a day. If she can't see us, we can't see her! (Note: I fully recognize that my "baby" is actually a toddler, but she is still the baby.)

3.  Bookish Podcast. My high school BFF recently joined together with some of her co-workers to created a podcast about books they read. It is called Unabridged, and you can find it here. In their words:

Unabridged - Four Teachers Take on Books is a podcast that comes from the desire to share a love of reading, cultivate a reading community, and invite students to become lifelong readers. 

I have listened to a couple of the episodes, and I wish I had more time to read. I also love hearing more of Jen's voice since we don't get to talk often. I am making a prediction that she will never not love a book they review. If you listen, you will learn that she is a real book lover.


4.  Another Place to Shop.  Recently a new family has been coming from afar to our little church-- and they have children! That's always exciting for a small church, you know. Anyway, their three older girls are crafty and have started a business. It is called KovalKreations and can be found here or on Etsy.  Right now they have some beautiful girls' clothing and baskets. I am in awe of their skills.

5. Vintage. And speaking of Etsy, after a long Christmas break so we could arrange things in our updated home, we jumped right back into Sideling View Crafts. I finally sold one pattern in January! And because we have developed an auction habit, I started listing some vintage items.

I'm still listing things because I have quite an accumulation of stuff and not an accumulation of time. Below is a cute vintage children's book I listed this week.

And that's all for Thursday because my family needs to eat breakfast!

Five on Friday

With my husband being out of town this week, my thoughts are only coming in spurts. I guess that makes it a perfect time for a Five on Friday post.

1.  Restaurant Recommended.  A few Sunday afternoons ago, we were driving around the Hagerstown, Maryland, area looking at flooring for the new addition. It was nearing time to eat supper, and we had no idea what we were going to eat. Eating out is so expensive, but we also felt like enjoying a good meal. We were indecisive about what type of food we wanted, so our food decision was postponed until we found our hungry selves cruising the shopping center where Lowe's was located.

First I ran into the sushi place to see what it looked like; predictably, the prices were higher than we were willing to spend. Then we noticed a huge sign on a restaurant called Fajita Grande that said kids eat free on Saturdays and Sundays; it was a no-brainer. 

It was a smallish (but not tiny) restaurant, so we were lucky it wasn't crowded. Our service was friendly and quick, but the food was even better than the service.

Not the best picture of my delicious food

The fresh salsa was perfect for our family-- not too spicy for the little ones but with enough flavor to keep the rest of us wanting more. And other than the meals of the kids who chose corndogs and french fries, the food was fresh and tasty. (To be fair, I didn't taste the corndogs or french fries.) I'm not a big fan of the rice at most Mexican restaurants, but the next day I gobbled up my leftover rice cold because it was so good. And my entree was out-of-this world delicious. The meat inside it tasted like it was just grilled, and it was so good I want to go back right now and eat it again.

So, basically, if you like Mexican food and happen to be in Hagerstown, eat at Fajita Grande.

2. Etsy Update. I opened my Etsy shop hoping to earn some passive income with a hat pattern. To date, I've not sold a single pattern or hat. I have, however, been more successful selling craft supplies like toilet paper tubes, guinea feathers, acorns, and teasel. I have several vintage items that came with other things we bought at auctions that I'd like to list, too, but I simply haven't had much time to list more items.

3. Confirmation. Our oldest was confirmed earlier this month. It was a big deal, and we had a house full of family. After the service I learned that many people had tears in their eyes. They bet I did, too. I didn't. I was too busy wrangling the baby. But I was awfully happy and proud.

4. School. We've been plugging along in school. Interruptions have been plentiful, but we've pushed on. One thing we do that makes me feel successful is memorizing poetry. I've found that we get a great return on just a couple of minutes a day spent memorizing one or two lines of our poem of the month. A nice by-product (?) of this practice is that I can teach elements of poetry in tiny, non-overwhelming chunks. It's not a chore when you slip a metaphor or alliteration discussion in here and there.

5. Riding the Potty Train. My baby boy is now finally potty-trained. He was good with #1 for several months before he consented to sitting on the potty for #2 without serious bribing or begging. He's so proud now, and I am so happy to have only one in diapers.

Five on Friday (on Monday)

I've missed these posts, so here goes:

1.  Blog for Boys by Boys. My older boys have started a blog called Basically 4 Boys. They anticipate when their little brother can help them out (the 4 part). They want to post book reviews and Legos and whatever their hearts desire. If you have a boy who might like reading, here it is!


2.  Lovely Poem. A blog I read had a lovely poem about reading books. If you're a book lover, check it out.


3.  Funny Book Review. If you have children and have read the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? about a gazillion times, you will appreciate this review on Amazon.


4.  Those Stinking' Deer. My beans can't catch a break. Nor the pumpkins/squash. This culprit was caught in the act by my husband's game cam Saturday night. Today I plan to coat every plant in the garden with spray the deer supposedly don't like. This is on top of the most hillbilly-looking fence ever and noise traps. It seems like at least half of our garden work this year is trying to keep the deer out!

Time stamp is wrong; we figured it was closer to midnight.

5.  Beautiful Creation. My Etsy shop has been selling more supplies than finished projects, and it's neat to see what some people are making. For example, the talented lady at Thy Beautiful Self made a beautiful wedding bouquet with some of our guinea feathers:

Guinea feathers are the black ones with white spots

She also makes handmade beauty products including a natural insect repellent I'm interested in (the gnats have been so bad in the garden this year!).

And if you're wondering about the toilet paper tubes I told you about earlier, I have sold two batches already. I know the first batch was earmarked to make toys for rescue birds. I love it when buyers show me the cool things they're making.

It's time for breakfast, and the workers outside are already at work. That's my cue to stop typing!

Building Project- Day 7

'Twas another day of digging, measuring, and dumping. This "during" photo is courtesy of my teenager. (Do I have a teenager already?!) He likes experimenting with the camera's settings.

Artsy-looking backhoe and dump truck

Then we were gone until supper and had a big rainstorm. When I finally got out to take a picture, this is what was there. Mud and a deeper hole. 

Deeper mud puddle

In other news, we visited another one of our library system's branches yesterday. Our goal is to visit each one this summer. We also used up some summer reading club prizes-- free ice cream cones at DQ. And my second son saved us some money at Sam's Club when he noticed (by watching the register) that the cashier had scanned two items twice. Wasn't I thankful!

Also, yesterday was a big Etsy day for me; I sold two items-- guinea feathers and acorns. That makes it 3 sales in one week-- a big deal for my little shop. The ladies who bought things have lovely shops of their own--handmade glass beads and herbal products/gorgeous wedding bouquets made of feathers. I love looking at things people make on Etsy.

Five on Friday

I've had so much going on lately that I have way too much for just one post! I'll just have to break things up over several posts.

1.  Outside Tunes. We used our Sam's Club points to buy this outdoor speaker about a month ago, and we are pleased. It made some hard work a little easier and a fire pit cookout a little more relaxing. If you're wondering what we listen to, my current favorite is a CD called Southern Family.

Outdoor speaker + iPod= Good times

2. Guineas. These guineas, delicious as their fresh eggs are, are the source of much work lately-- fixing their coop, attempting to barricade growing things from their attack, chasing them out of the garden. . . 

You talkin' to me?

. . . but they have now also become a source of a small amount of income. All the guinea feathers I had listed on my Etsy shop have sold out. I have more feathers to list, but I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet. Just to make things clear, the small amount of income does not even approach the amount we've put into taking care of them.

All the same, I'd do it again. I really enjoy watching those loud, funny-looking squawkers.

3.  Orange Sticks. What in the world are those kids up to now? Why would I allow them to put sticks in the backyard and spray paint them orange?!

Stick in the ground

Well, it turns out the kids didn't do it. The fellows who will be building a new addition onto the parsonage (if the permit stuff with the county ever works out!) measured and plotted out the limits of what will become some new space in our home. There are bumps right now in the permit process, so plans are going to change a bit. I'm sure there will be plenty of updates here in the next year.

4.  Toilet Paper Tubes. Yes. I did list toilet paper tubes on my Etsy shop. Can you believe people buy them? Well, they do, and it makes sense, especially if you consider classroom teachers (art teachers) needing hundreds of them all at once. 

Do you have any idea how hard it is to photograph a big pile of inviting toilet paper tubes without having a 3-year-old boy in the picture? I finally managed to get a few shots. Barely.

Brown cardboard tubes, tied up with string. . . 

5. Children in Church. I appreciated the article, "Children, Too, are Part of the Church," which can be found at Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife. It underscores what I have learned about children in church since I've had my own children.

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Five on Friday on Time

1. Summer Reading Program. Our library's summer reading program started yesterday. We all get into this because the special programming at the library is fun, the prizes are fun, and we think reading is fun.

2. Walks With Luther. On Wednesday the kids and I were finally able to join my husband for his Walks With Luther devotions for church. Basically we all meet at a park in town, my husband prepares a few quotations from Martin Luther and reads a Martin Luther devotion. After a final prayer, we all walk for a bit on the rail trail. This time we tasted some honeysuckle.

3. Funeral. Tuesday our family went to the funeral home for a viewing. Wednesday was the funeral and dinner afterwards. It was a busy day, but it felt good to be able to support the family of the deceased because they are so special to us.

4. Crash. My second son crashed his bike yesterday, and it was a gross scrape. I managed to hold it together to clean it out. He did even better; he was calm, cool, and collected. Impressive. Even more impressive is that he wants to get back on the bike.

5. First Sale. Or should I say, "FIRST SALE!"  because that's how I felt on Wednesday night after we got the kids in bed late and I checked my email. I finally sold something on my Etsy shop. A most wonderful person from New Jersey bought some of the guinea feathers. 

The feathers all wrapped up

Late into the night I worked to do the whole Etsy shipping thing and to package up the feathers. It's not that hard, but it was the first time and I had to figure things out. 

After this first sale, I've almost broken even with all the listing fees so far. This $3 sale is not making me a millionaire, but it did feel nice.

Five on Friday

1. Bird in Church.  On Saturday evening, my eldest and I went down to the church to get a few things done. A few things had to wait because there was a bird sitting on the Christ candle. A BIRD! And being the independent woman I am, I immediately called my husband on the phone for help. Then I told my son to do what my husband told me to do.

So what did we do? We (and I mean my son) opened the door and shooed the bird out. And out that black bird flew.

It sounds really simple as I type it up, but it was actually very exciting. Less exciting was cleaning up a little bird poop in the sanctuary.

2. Frugal Me.  Also last Saturday, I made horchata for potluck. I'd never made it before, but basically you soak raw rice and cinnamon sticks in some water, strain off the liquid, and add milk and sugar to make a yummy drink. That left all that ground up rice to go to waste. The frugal me couldn't leave it at that, so I ended up cooking that up into a sort of cream of rice cereal. It was okay. It didn't set our tastebuds afire for it, but it was edible and no waste.

3.  It Tastes So Gouda.  One thing that has lately set our tasted buds to the drool setting is smoked gouda cheese. I think we bought it at Sam's Club, and it is so entirely yummy, especially when it is a little melted. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it.

4.  Plague.  Also happening on Saturday (a busy day for us last week)-- one child got sick. Then over the course of the rest of the week, the rest of us fell, including me. Wednesday I spent the day in bed thinking, "I don't even have enough energy to lay in bed." All are on the mend, except my husband, who isn't yet sick. Isn't it fitting that we studied the Black Death in history this week?

5. Etsy.  This is not another shameless plug for my Etsy shop, but it is a plug for Etsy. I love shopping there because you can find just about anything you want. This week I made two Etsy purchases and am looking forward to getting them in the mail soon. Unfortunately, I can't share them with you because they are secrets. Maybe later :)

And because this post needs some kind of picture, I will now do the shameless plug for my Etsy shop by showing a picture of a new hat I listed this week. It's a cotton one instead of acrylic, so it feels a little different. I love the color.

Ta-da!

Five on Friday

I've often admired blog posts with several random (short) points, but I've not made it a point to write such posts regularly. Because life has been busy and I don't have a ton of time to write about every topic that's on my mind, today I'll try to start writing such a post semi-regularly. While "Five on Friday" is an unoriginal title, it works for me.

1.  Mommy brag time. Back in January and February my school-aged kids thought I was a mean mommy. I required them to write entries in several contests. One was for the American Legion Auxiliary's Americanism essay contest. Two of the boys won local prizes, and one went on to win 1st place in the district. We also participated in the ALA's Poppy Poster contest, and while none of the children placed in that one, we enjoyed a pizza party for all participants. Our local chapter of the American Legion does so much for our community-- thank you! It was a good experience for our children.

Then last evening we attended a reception for the winners of a poetry and short story contest at the Washington County Free Library main branch in Hagerstown. It was the second writing contest I forced my kids to enter. Call me Tiger Mom Lite. All four of the children were honored for their entries and were asked to come forward and read their selections in front of an entire roomful of strangers. And they did it! There were nerves involved because this was the first public-speaking experience for three of them, but they did just fine. I wish you could've seen it.

Enough bragging. Please forgive a proud mama.

2.  Growth.  Have any of you ever noticed that your children take a growth spurt in the spring? In the last month, my eldest has grown an inch taller. This puts him exactly even with me. It is about time for his big adolescent growth spurt. Sigh.

Earlier this week he notified us that suddenly his shoes no longer fit, so our big trip to Hagerstown doubled as a shoe-shopping trip for him and his brother (who also no longer fits in any of his shoes). When we measured their feet at one of the many shoe stores we visited, we learned my eldest now needs to look for a size 12!

3.  Supper in Hagerstown-- Since we had to go to Hagerstown early for shoe-shopping, we needed some supper. My husband picked Karu Peru. We love this place and have been there 3 times, which, considering we eat out so infrequently, makes it a big favorite. They are a Peruvian restaurant and have delicious and juicy charcoal rotisserie chicken. Their sides (like potato salad and yucca fries) are nothing to sneeze at either. If you live in the Hagerstown area, you need to check this place out!

4.  Krumpe's Do-nuts--  Since the reception had us in Hagerstown after 7 p. m., you know what that means!

Full disclosure: These pictures are not "fresh" like the do-nut holes we enjoyed last night; they are from a previous post. We'll enjoy do-nuts for breakfast this morning.

5.  Sideling View Crafts--Yesterday was also a big deal for my Etsy shop. No, no. Still no sales. BUT yesterday a stranger marked one of my items as a favorite. Not my mom or my friend or my cousin. A stranger. Wow.


Well, this post was lengthier than expected. Maybe next week we'll make it 4 instead of 5; plus my life is not likely to be this exciting two weeks in a row. Have a good week!

New Adventure

Last week we opened up an Etsy shop. To be honest, I like the idea of making a little extra money. I want to save up for a trip "out west" for our family. So I took the plunge.  I don't have everything listed yet because there's a learning curve for me with all the photography and computer-y stuff. I'm just not a natural.

But if you're interested, our shop, SidelingViewCrafts is open for business. I'm listing (for now) a crochet pattern, already-made hats from said pattern, other crocheted items made by me or my eldest, and items from nature that people like for crafts and decorating (feathers, acorns, etc.).

Hat/bonnet pattern

Bonnets for sale!

This basket reminded me of Dr. Seuss.

Lots of acorns around here

Feathers from our guineas

In an effort to somehow promote the shop, I signed up for Pinterest. Really, my effort is laughable because I can't really figure it all out the way I think other people have it figured out. I think I mentioned that I am not tech-savvy. At least I'm enjoying searching for ideas for birthday cakes and pretty quilts.

If you do have the means and know-how to promote this new endeavor, I won't be upset if you do whatever it is people do on the other social media sites 😊.