Happy Autumn Ana pumpkin photos!

                                                       Ana and Mama October 2010



Today really feels like autumn. Although it is humid, it is damp and the smell of wet leaves and pumpkins permeates the air around me. Ana and I spent a couple of hours this afternoon at a lovely florist/farm-stand/ pumpkin patch and I felt like the Fall has settled in.  I love this season for the beauty of the changing leaves. Warm apple cider and hot off the presses cider donuts. Hayrides and pumpkin patches. Apple picking and fuzzy warm sweaters. Warm, comfy boots  and carving the pumpkins. I cannot wait to do all of this with Ana and introduce her to the best season in the Hudson Valley. Be prepared for a barrage of photos!

Daddy and Ana at the Vanderbilt Estate, Hyde Park NY  2010

Please vote for my little Lion, Ana!!

 Hello dear Readers,
 I have entered Ana in a contest, and we need your help! Please please?? Pretty Please?

Ana Roars   click the link to VOTE!!!!!

  I do not usually enter contests online. I know that there is rampant cheating now, and with every contest based on votes, there is a snowball's chance in you-know-where that  I will win. BUT!! I have entered Ana in a Fisher-Price contest that involves animal sounds, and she makes the cutest sounds, so I took a chance. Although the contest winner will be chosen by a panel of judges, they are taking the popular vote into consideration...so please throw Ana a vote every now and then, to keep her in the running. Thanks so much in advance.   

 Mama and her little Lion, Anastasia.

Great wins vs Bad wins

Hello Dear readers:

  I didn't want to have to post this post and it may piss some people off. Too bad, this is my blog and this is how I feel. I spend a lot of my free time entering giveaways via facebook and blogs. I love this hobby, it is fun, relaxing and on the off chance of a win, can be exciting.  The downside?? Chasing down wins.  I hate it. I am not a beggar. I do not like annoying people over and over.  Why is it so hard to follow through with an item that one has offered to win. And, why does this happen over and over??

   I wait patiently for the win to arrive and after a few weeks I follow through and remind the sponsor/crafter/maker/offerer with an email or private message that the item has still not arrived. I have gotten the run around, told it is lost in the mail (over and over), and heard every excuse in the book.  I know that these are items that are offered for free, and that I should consider myself lucky that I win in the first place, but really, it is not nice. Please do not sponsor or offer up an item to win if you have no intention of mailing it or following through.

 I know I am not the only one out there that feels this way, and it irks me to no end. If I sponsor a giveaway, I follow through and that is the final story.   I have the right mind to make a list here and then try to get a response from the sponsor's , to defend their actions. What do you think???

Grrr...

Cleaning out the Baby Stuff

Hello Dear Readers:
  I am cleaning out Ana's baby stuff , and it is not easy. I want to keep everything, every last toy and baby item, as they all contain emotional attachments and are a part of Ana and the life we are building together.  But they are taking up too much room, so it is time to say goodbye to her baby swing, bassinet, and other baby toys and items.

    Since we are completely weaned now, I no longer need the pump and all of the bottles that attach to the pump, milk containers etc. I have so much stuff.  I am thinking about listing it all at the Be Green Sale that is in 2 weeks in Fishkill.

  But: I better do it soon, probably tonight! It will be bittersweet packing it all  up and trying to put a price on my sweet  baby's memories. But there are so  much more to make = and she has so many more things to discover. Every week I buy her little things to wear and play with and our journey is just beginning.

  Next week we start music class, and I am so excited to watch her sing, dance and learn about beats.  I think she is going to love the class so much!! Packing up will be bittersweet, but moving on is just sweet!