Best Ever.

Another reason why….

Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek

And the award for best accessory ever goes to:
Caitlin of Moxie and Oliver!

I fell in love with this koi and sakura pattern from Moxie and Oliver as soon as I saw it on one of the fabulous guitar straps in Caitlin’s shop…
I had to have something…

So, for my birthday present this year, I asked the fabulous Miss Caitlin to conjure up a pouch to hold my Dexcom CGMS… What she made was this gorgeous accessory which is a slightly size modified version of her belt bags. This pouch has a sturdy snapping loop on the back, so I can attach it to a belt loop (I don’t always wear a belt, she does make them so they attach to a belt as well)…. This is much more secure for me as the clip on the case that came with the Dexcom is a slippery little bugger and I was constantly worried about one day hearing that horrible splash or feeling an empty place where the Dexcom should have been perched… Now I need not fear that event, and I can focus on other, happier things (like plotting what else I could order with this pattern… A girl can dream, right?)

The pattern is gorgeous, the quality is superb…The leather is thick and sturdy but it is not heavy….Experience tells me that, like my Poppy purse from Moxie and Oliver, this will break in perfectly….

And, even when wearing just jeans and a t-shirt for a run to the store, I feel a little extra fabulous and I don’t feel like a crazed gadget freak, as I can carry either my cgms or my glucose meter stuff in the pouch, and slip the other ‘betes stuff into pockets… I feel much more human with this fabulous pack adorning my waist, than I do with all of my tubes, buttons, and screens dangling around…

I swear, this gorgeous pouch of fabulousness makes me stand taller and feel fabulous, even on the rougher days. I can’t wait for the day when there is a cure, and I don’t need these gadgets, then I’ll tuck a few dollars and my ID into this baby and hit the town!

Thank you Caitlin! Thanks for rockin’ so hard!

Now go visit Moxie and Oliver for more amazing, handcrafted, leather artistry.

Finding their mama…

Ok, so my birthday was indeed on Friday.  I am now 33.

Last night and tonight (we are episodic folks) kiddo watched The Nightmare Before Christmas with me (I had never seen it)… He was fine until…

Oogy Boogy is stripped of his clothes and all of the bugs/critters go running and fall into the fire.

Boy was horrified.

I paused and asked him if he was ok.

He said “They are going to find their mama”

(to deal with his fear of bugs-mostly flies- we have taught him to wave his hands and say “go find your mama”… That little concept has made a huge difference as far as successfully keeping the peace and not having a complete meltdown on our hands when dining at the al fresco eatery that my parents prefer…)

Then he said “they went to find their mama and went into the fire and got burned up”

He was so sad and heartbroken…

All of the horrible things he might overhear in a day- on the news, flipping channels on TV, conversations between adults, and the one concept that always hits him the hardest is the idea of someone trying to find their mama.  The idea that the reunion might not occur is just devestating to him…

Shortly after that he declared that he was going to take a big marker and write a line across the top of his head so he wouldn’t grow any more.  The kid is obsessed with growing up and getting bigger (he is very encouraging when the wii fit tells me I’m up .5 lbs… “Yay Mama, you are growing biggest!”…I have to love that someone is happy about that!) and he has declared that he is going to stay the size he is now so nothing changes anymore…  That and he wants everyone to stop working and me to not be so tired and sick so I can play more.

I tell him every night:

“It doesn’t get better than You”

It’s his little insights on everything that make me feel like I am the luckiest Mama in the world.  His sweetness and insights make everything more manageable.  They make everything sweet and they make the world feel safe and warm….

Holiday Wrap Up….

Clevergirl.etsy.com packaging...

(Thanks BigHugeLabs.com for the mosaic….Check them out! Some fun photo tools!)

Voila!  My 2008 packaging..

Clockwise from upper left:

Winter 2008 gift wrap, boxes (designed and printed in-house…Every printing changes a little bit-sometimes the design, sometimes the color), my signature any-occasion gift wrap, all packed up and ready for a padded envelope…Colors do vary!  I have to keep it interesting!  I do color code and provide a key for orders with multiple treasures, that way you aren’t shredding the paper and finding yourself hunting for wrapping paper when you are supposed to be heading out the door….

Purchases from my Etsy shop ship gift-wrapped… In the middle of November I will start shipping all packages with their treasures wrapped in my Winter 2008 style, until January 1st.  If you would like Winter 2008 wrapping before then, please let me know in the notes to seller area…. If you would like my non-winter wrapping during that time, please let me know…

I cannot express how much fun I have wrapping treasures and getting them ready for shipping!