Overheard

More TRUE stories from my great kindergartners!

Boy #1: My grandfather is a hunter. He shoots animals. He's dead. Because he already died.

Boy #2, (looking horrified, like he thought the animals had retaliated): Who shot him?
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Little Boy: A kid got run over by a car at our bus stop this morning.

Me: Run OVER? (smashing one flat hand over my balled fist) Like THIS??? And no ambulance came?!?? Well, I think if someone got RUN OVER, then an ambulance would come!

Urchin from THIS post and THIS post (quickly lies down on the floor, arms and legs splayed): Yeah, was that kid like, "I'm good, dude, just LEAVE ME HERE!!"
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Me: Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday, and here's what he looked like.

Boy: I thought Dr. Seuss was a CAT.

Me: No, a cat could not write books. Dr. Seuss wrote BOOKS about a cat, but he was a person.

Same Urchin from earlier stories: Is Dr. Seuss coming to our school?

Me: No, honey. For one thing, he's dead.

Urchin: Did he die like they do on 1000 Ways to Die? I saw one show where a man died because he had a hot dog down his pants. [Author's Note: OMG]
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And finally, one big reason that I teach kindergarten:

Written in crayon on a picture of two stick figures with a rainbow over their heads:
My teacher is the love of my life. (AWWWW)

Your Creative Hat

Creativity wears MANY hats. I think I may have found the "sewing" hat, but I definitely have not tracked down the "baking" one like my friend Marlene has.

Before I explain what I'm rambling about, check out
the ADORABLE, SUPER-CUSTOMpaci leash and wrist rattle my creative friend Marlene
commissioned me to create for her!
Her friend and her friend's husband, also a dentist, are having their first baby.
That explains the teeth, LOL.

Those little stuffed teeth I made are pretty tiny - the striped ribbon is less than an inch wide. And they are NOT embroidered - I created them "from scratch", freehand on my trusty sewing machine.

Which was WAY harder than you would think,
unless you are trying for this effect.

I was wearing my "sewing creativity hat" after that!

But anyway, back to Marlene and her baking hat. CLICK HERE to read a blog post that just absolutely floored me. Let me tell you in advance that what you are seeing is NOT a hamburger...it's a CUPCAKE. And she made 125 of them, out of the goodness of her heart, for the residents of a senior center. I'll pause while you take that in.

Marlene is quick to give credit for the inspiration to Bakerella. But I think Marlene is pretty darn creative, too, because I can tell you for a fact that if I made those cupcakes, I would NEED a hat, because I'd look like this:Especially after baking 125 of them!! And she made them for the residents of a senior center, so that makes Marlene as nice as she is creative.

So what about you, what kind of creative hat do YOU wear?

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to enter our
WINE SLEEVE GIVEAWAY!

Arrrrrrrr New Designs!

Get it? "Arrr new designs",
meaning "Our new designs", but like a pirate would say it...
uh...never mind...LOL

Sheriff and cowhands:

Sports and Fun Activities
These designs are available now, in your choice of colors, to go on t-shirts, onesies, tote bags, even head scarves for your little pirate's dress-up! I just love the skateboard and it would be even more boyish with a different fabric choice for the circle. And how darn cute is that treasure map?! Of course, both alphabets have all 26 letters and even the numbers 1-9 available.

And how about this pawprint, which is wonderful for high schools or even colleges that have panthers, lions or bulldogs, etc as mascots.

Pretty fun stuff! And speaking of fun...
don't forget to "LIKE" our Facebook page
and then leave a comment HERE to enter the GIVEAWAY!

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you see something that sparked your imagination!

Look How CUTE and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Scroll down to the bottom for our GIVEWAY,
but first, look how CUTE our new hair clippie designs are!!!

Oh my gosh, I'm in cute overload!!! The clippies are available now, but these are just the stock pictures from GG Designs, the digitizer who created the designs...we'll be stitching out some of our own ASAP!! Don't you just LOVE how the bunny now has his carrot for spring/Easter!! And how cute are the ribbon and rickrack for the carrot leaves?!?? Of course, all these hair clippie designs are available with coordinating appliques for t-shirts.

Don't forget to enter our CUSTOM-EMBROIDERED WINE SLEEVE GIVEAWAY!
CLICK HERE to "LIKE" our Facebook page and then leave a comment on THIS POST.
In case you missed the original post, CLICK HERE to read another way to enter!
Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the drawing!!

Woo Hooo, Another GIVEAWAY!

YAYYY, we have a winner from the previous giveaway!! But you won't have to be sad for very long about not winning, because we're having another giveaway with three ways to enter!

Our new wine sleeves make unique, thoughtful gifts for bridal showers, weddings, birthdays, holidays or even gifts to bridal party members from the bride/groom. And as hostess gifts- what a great way to make the gift of a bottle of wine last so much longer than just dinner!

So that's what this giveaway will be for - a monogrammed or embroidered wine sleeve with the winner's choice of fabrics and designs. That's up to a $20 value, plus free shipping, of course. The CELEBRATE wine sleeve is shown above, and you can CLICK HERE to see our other wine sleeves on Etsy.

Three ways to enter -
remember, you must leave a comment on THIS POST to be entered:

1) Click here to "Like" our page on Facebook, then leave a comment on THIS POST with your Facebook name or username. If you already "Like" us on Facebook, leave a comment with your name or username to let us know.

2) Refer a friend to "Like" our Facebook page. Then leave a comment on THIS POST to let us know who you referred. (Your friend can still get an entry by doing #1, above.)

3) Leave a comment on THIS POST to suggest a new type of monogrammed or sewn item for us to create. (LOVED the suggestions last time and really looking forward to what you come up with this time!)

Who knew that giving stuff away could be so exciting?!

OH, the giveaway winner will be chosen on Saturday, April 9,
so you have plenty of time to spread the word! You may enter as often as you get an inspiration for a monogrammed or sewn item for me to make (#3 above) and also every time you refer a friend to "Like" our Facebook page! Due to postage issues, I'm limiting the giveaway to US residents only. Sorry!!

Thanks for visiting!!

Not Too Shabby

My weekend output:

Nine (yes NINE) koozies:

Two monogrammed purses:

A fall-themed wine sleeve:

And, TA-DA, a CELEBRATE wine sleeve!

I am SO excited about that wine sleeve.
Isn't it the BEST?!
The fall wine sleeve is a bridal shower gift
and the CELEBRATE wine sleeve is a birthday gift.
What thoughtful gifts, huh?

Thanks for visiting!

NEW $20 WINNER!

AMY RATLIFF, C'MON DOWN!
You are the new winner of our $20 GIVEAWAY!
Again, you are set at "No Reply" on blogger.
Please contact me to claim your $20 store credit!!

Drawing a New Winner

at 9:00 A.M. Eastern, if I have not heard from Sweettea's Mom by then. Check back later this morning so see if the new winner is YOU!

Time's Running Out!

Just popping in to say that if I haven't heard from our GIVEAWAY winner, Sweettea's Mom, by tomorrow (Saturday) AM, I'll be choosing a new winner! Sweetea's Mom, you are set on "no reply", so I can't get in touch with you...

Sometimes Facebook makes me crazy. Yeah, that's the reason, LOL. Anyway, for some reason, the My Etsy tab has disappeared off my Facebook page. I'm working on getting it back, but I am truly Facebook-illiterate, so don't hold your breath. In the meantime, you can always get to my Etsy store by clicking the purple 'Click Here to Shop' button in the right column of this blog, or clicking on any of the pictures in the top left column.

And how 'bout my newest product?! Monogrammed pacifier leashes, paci clips, binky holders...whatever you want to call them! Avery's new game is called "Spit the Paci" and it kinda stinks, because he goes into meltdown mode every time he plays it. Now Rachel can snap this on and the paci is never more than a few inches away.

I'll be offering a monogrammed paci leash with a matching monogrammed bib or burpie as a baby shower gift set. Whaddya think? And if your baby doesn't take a pacifier, you can clip on a toy on instead. This is GREAT for when your baby has discovered the "Drop the Toy from the High Chair" game. Zoey is learning that game, and I know how much Sarah is gonna love that, LOL!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check back tomorrow to see if I've pulled YOUR name as our new winner!

We Have a WINNER!

DRUMROLL, PLEASE!

Sweettea's mom, c'mon down, YOU'RE the winner of our $20 giveaway!
Sweettea's mom said, "For the monogram idea, what about MP3 player cases or eye glass holder cases...", which is a great idea!!
Sweettea's mom, you are set as "no reply" on Blogger, so please email me. If I don't hear from you by Saturday morning, I'll have to choose another winner.

I would like to thank EVERYONE for entering the giveaway. There were some GREAT ideas for new items and it's just so much fun to receive comments on a blog post anyway, because I usually just feel like I'm talking to myself.

This giveaway was so darn much fun for me, I'll be hosting another one SOON!

GIVEAWAY Ends Today...Plus Dumb Comment of the Day

Tonight, I'll be using a random number generator to choose a winner from the comments on THIS POST, so there is still time to enter!

Now for the stupid comment:

A TV channel ran a 3-minute story on the disaster in Japan: yet another explosion at a nuclear plant with workers scrambling to avert a total meltdown, long-range health concerns for people living near, resulting economic catastrophe may spread to the rest of the globe...

The perky brunette talking head wrapped up her story with,

"So as you see, there are no shortage of horrible ripple effects from this disaster, many of which may reach out to cause devastation far into the future.

(Insert big smile.)
HAVE A GREAT DAY."

Thanks for stopping by and uh...HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Just Can't Explain

I think I've commented before how my good friend, Helen,
once told me that the love for a grandchild is like no other.
I admit to being sorta puzzled about it then.
I mean, I love my sons above all else in the world
and that was just hard to wrap my brain around.

All I can say is, Helen, I understand now!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget, the GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow!

GRANDBABIES!!!!!!

NOTE: WE WILL BE IN VACATION MODE WITH LIMITED INTERNET ACCESS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ETSY ORDERS PLACED PRIOR TO 3/19/11 WILL BE PROCESSED ON THE WEEKEND OF 3/19/11. DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE $20 GIVEAWAY!

I will TRY to post while I'm off in GRANDBABYLAND, but you know my arms might be just too full, what with AVERY

in one arm (WOW, he looks like his daddy!)

and Zoey

in the other!

Thanks for stopping by!

On Their Way!!

Our granddaughter, Zoey is coming!!!!!!!!!
Well, and her momma and daddy, too, LOL!
But ZOEY IS COMING!!!!!

Here's a little shirt I embroidered for her!

If you don't hear from me much, it's because my arms are full of baby!

Remember to "Like" me on Facebook and come back to comment on the GIVEAWAY post!

The Latest

More hilarity from the same 5 year old urchin who worried that I would be fired because of our math scores (OH, AND BY THE WAY...we were the ONLY kindergarten class to have 100% of our students pass all three money assessments! WHEW!! My job is SAFE, LOL!)

Here is our conversation:

Me: "Let's hurry and finish our work, because the guidance counselor is coming in a few minutes to do a lesson with you guys."

Urchin (with a slight sigh of boredom): "Oh geez, is she going to talk about ((INSERT AIR QUOTES HERE)) 'RESPONSIBILITY' again?!"

Me (trying not to laugh): "No, actually, it will be about ((INSERT AIR QUOTES BACK AT THE URCHIN)) 'PERSEVERANCE' today."

LOL

Thanks to all who LOVE my Facebook page! Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAYwhile you're at it!

Hilarious

My kindergartners this year are hilarious. This actually happened earlier this week and I laughed about it every time I thought about it for the rest of the day.

BUT FIRST...THE GIVEAWAY! People have been "liking" my Facebook page like crazy, so YAY! However, the giveaway will be drawn from comments on THIS POST, so if you would like to enter, don't forget to leave a comment! EIGHT ways to win!

Okay, so on to my funny story:

This year, our principal asked us to pre-assess our students, then teach a unit of our choice as usual, then post-assess them and report the data to her. We chose our money unit for the data reporting.

Money is traditionally extremely difficult for 5 year olds. They confuse the similar-looking nickel, dime and quarter. They have difficulty remembering the values, too. And COUNTING a set of mixed coins...let me just say, WOW. The school division knows it's hard. They give us 5 weeks to teach it.

We did money-counting activities on the SmartBoard. We paired up to do money counting activities with our first grade buddies. We counted money EVERY DAY in centers. Despite all that, some of my kids continued to struggle with counting money. I decided to make a little speech in the hope of spurring some competitive juices.

I said, "You guys know that the principal is going to check to see how well we can count money, right?" Nodding of heads. "Okay, let's pretend that when she checks Mrs. M's class...ALL of her kids can count money. Mrs. P's class, all of HER kids can count it. Mrs. R's class, EVERY kid except maybe one can count it. And the same with Mrs. G's class, EVERY kid but one can count it. Then the principal looks at OUR class and geez, ONLY THREE OF MY KIDS CAN COUNT MONEY!!!!!" (Horrified looks from the crowd.)

I continued, "So now what do you think the principal is going to say to me about THAT?!"

Without missing a beat, a little voice from the back piped up,
"YOU'RE FIRED??"

LOL

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY!! For Reals!!

I am BACK from the flu and am SO EXCITED to give you some FREE STUFF!! I'll be giving someone TWENTY DOLLARS worth of FREE STUFF. But first...

TA-DA!!

What in the world?!

It's a monogrammed WINE SLEEVE! What a great way to make the gift of a bottle of wine last way longer than just through dinner!

For the duration of my giveaway, water bottle koozies

and wine sleeves will be priced at the introductory price of $10!

Now, ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY.

I'll be giving away a $20 gift certificate

to my Etsy shop!!

That's TWO wine sleeves.

Or two water bottle koozies.
Or one of each. Or how about some monogrammed hair clippies?Or any one of the THIRTY different types of items in my store! So, without further ado, here is how to get MULTIPLE entries!

1. Browse my Etsy store. Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST to tell me what your favorite product is. That's one entry into the drawing.

2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST to suggest a new type of monogrammed or sewn item for me to create. One entry into the drawing.

3. "Like" my Baby Duds Facebook page (click on the little purple "baby" pic on the Facebook badge at the top right of this blog) and leave your Facebook username in a comment ON THIS POST. If you ALREADY 'like' my Facebook page, leave me a comment to let me know. One entry.

4. Refer a friend to "Like" my Facebook page. You and your friend will each get an entry if you each leave a comment ON THIS POST with your usernames. (Don't forget to let me know you've referred your friend.) One entry each.

5. Post a LINK to this giveaway (copy the URL in the address bar at the top of this page) on YOUR Facebook page. Leave me a comment ON THIS POST with a link to your Facebook post. You can do this DAILY for LOTS of entries.

6. Post a LINK to this giveaway on your blog. Leave a comment ON THIS POST with a link to your post about my giveaway. You can do this DAILY for LOTS of entries.

7. Grab my button (right under the Etsy pictures, on the left side of this blog) and put it on your blog. Leave me a comment ON THIS POST with a link to your blog. (If you already have my button on your blog, leave me a comment to let me know.) One entry.

8. If you own one of my creations, take a second to go to my Facebook page and write a short review (one sentence is fine) to let the world know how much you love it! Make sure you post your review under the REVIEWS tab (on the left side of the Facebook page, with the little star.) Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST to let me know you've done it!

The winner of TWENTY DOLLARS store credit will be chosen by a random number generator TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY, on March 15! (Hooray, the Ides of March!) Lots of ways to win, so let the entries roll in and thanks for stopping by!