Betsey on Etsy

Have you ever had a wild hare?  Then actually ACTED on it?  I don’t know if it is the stress I am under, or too much Diet Coke, or maybe I took two Zoloft today or something, but I went out on a limb.  I opened a little shop on Etsy.  If you are not familiar with it STOP!  Stop right now and head over there and look around.  I would go broke over there!  I have bought a few nursery and clothing things for Finn, decals for computers, a blanket for Finn, presents for others, etc.  I love just looking for inspiration, but I also find things I *think* I cannot live without.  My wallet can live without them, though, so I leave them there for other treasure seekers…

This “Subway Art” fad is all over the place.  I have seen several cute little birth announcement type things styled with that, and I even pinned a few on Pinterest.  I was looking at them again the other day, and I decided, “I CAN DO THAT!”  So, I did a little internet searching, some font downloading (I love DaFont.com), and started playing around!  Here is what I came up with!  This is about the 4^th or 5^th “version” of these, but it is the one I settled on (click on the image to make it larger):

So, I showed them to my hubby, saying I wanted to print them on canvas when Canvas People have one of their sales, so I can have all four of them for our house.  You can also just print them on photo paper (I love mpix for this!), or there are tons of tutorials on the internet about how to put them on wood and make them look distressed.  Like I said I just want them on canvas. He agreed that they were very cool and was impressed with my work.

But somewhere along the way while working on them, I decided I could sell mine, too!  Other people do it!  They range in price from about $7.00 all the way up to like $20 on Etsy!  Granted some of them are the actual print or a framed print, and I am just interested in making digital files to self-print (for now), but still!  I need Sonic Run money!  So, I did it!  I bit the bullet!  I made a shop banner, and listed my subway art birth announcements!  SQUEEEEEEEEE!  In the listing I also mention weddings and graduations and other special event dates.  I need to get some examples up of those, but this is a good start!

So, why don't you click on the banner and check out my shop:

All Feedback is welcome!

*****UPDATE*****

January 16, 2013

I added a product to my store!

I had said I could do wedding signs,  but I had yet to actually create one... Until now!  They always say, work with what you know, so I did! And here is the wedding announcement I made for Britt and I:

Click on the image above or this link to my Etsy store to see this listing, and many others!  Thanks for taking a peek!  Use the code LOVE14 now through Valentine's day for 14% off your total order!  What a great time to stock up on gifts!  I can't wait to fill YOUR order!

Human Moment

First off, welcome to the new blog!  All of the old blog posts from the fivedreamweavers site are still here, we just thought it was time to use our new family name and address for the blog.  Plus, I know I was tired of looking at a picture of my family's feet!  LOL!  Please take a moment to look around and check out all the features.  I tried to migrate all the things from the old site, as well as add some new things, so if something doesn't seem quite right or a link doesn't work, please feel free to let me know!  This is still a work in progress.  I'd like to thank The Cutest Blog on the Block for the cute templates and artwork, and @JakeWeaverSays for making the final decision on the background!  I think he liked it because of all the orange, but it made the final choices list for not only the orange, but the blue, and the chevron pattern as well - all some of my favorite things these days!  I think it's a perfect way to decorate this new chapter in our lives!

Yesterday, I got to experience a "Human Moment" that really made my heart sing.  My human moments may not be the same as Bella Swan-Cullen's, but when your existence consists of the 4 walls of a small, dark house in (an albeit mild) winter, getting out of the house is quite a feat - something that used to be so typical and NORMAL 6 months ago!  Because of the biannual Adorable Affordables consignment sale I participate in, my dining room table has been taken over with piles and piles of clothes, gear, and STUFF, with high intentions of getting it sorted and tagged.  But, yesterday Finn was a HIGH NEEDS baby, plus it was a school (but not work for Britt) holiday, so I had Emma, Lara and Jake to entertain, too.  Another true Mother of 4 Day!  The big kids were great all day - did lots of chores with minimal whining, played nicely with each other, even spent the majority of an hour outside making up games to play - but when they ran out of something to do, they had to have my intervention, making progress on the sale items very slow.  By 11:30am I was DESPERATE for a Diet Coke and a BREAK!  Of course when Daddy got home for lunch a mere hour later, everyone was being good, but he brought me the Diet Coke and things immediately seemed much better! ;) Needless to say, come dinner time, the table still looked like a closet bomb had gone off, so it was time for a new plan.  This is where my human moment comes in.  We actually loaded all 4 kids up in the car, and went to Chick-fil-a!  Now, don't get too excited, Finn and Britt stayed in the car, while I took the big kids in.  I forgot Monday nights are so busy there, so we had to stalk out a table, but I ran into some folks I have known for 30 years, enjoyed a meal with my excitable kiddos, and got to be out in public without worrying about hurrying home to relieve a babysitter and check on my fragile baby!  I felt human - for the first time in a long while.  Thank you, Britt Weaver, for making that possible and for being SUCH a great dad and husband! And for making parenting my favorite job of all!

As for sweet, chubby cheeked Mr. Finn, he is doing well.  Last week was a little intense as he had a stomach bug, and we had no idea what to do for him or how to help him, plus we were scared to death it would turn into something respiratory, which is super bad for him.  It lasted about 4 (long, agonizing, sleepless, GROSS) days, and we did go to the pediatrician to make sure we were doing the right things - which for a newborn is really nothing but to let it runs its course and stay hydrated.  He got his first taste of something other than breast milk or formula in the form of pedialite.  He drank it like a champ!  The doctor said we would know he was staying hydrated as long as he was having wet diapers, and crying real tears.  Well, up until the time of the appointment, he had not cried real tears yet.  I know infants don't do that right away.  But, lo and behold, a few hours after the visit to the clinic, he was hurting and mad, and REAL TEARS came running down his cheeks! Such a bittersweet moment for Mommy!  Finn weighed in at 9 pounds 10 ounces last Wednesday - in the middle of his sickness.  So, he hadn't lost any weight, but he was definitely not gaining like he was before he got sick.  He is now feeling MUCH better, and seems to be eating better, so I am sure he is making up for the few days he lost while sick.   It's been a pretty quite few days for him since then.  He has started smiling occasionally - almost on accident - but still cute.He is also cooing up a STORM.  He has to speak up to get a word in edgewise in this crazy house!  It's so fun to watch him work his mouth and tongue then to hear a sound come out!  He is also finally grasping at toys (or his oxygen tube) or his bottle and starting to play a little bit.  He has become a professional at removing his cannula and adhesive dots on his face that hold it in place, so we got the go ahead to turn the oxygen down to 1/4 liter on Sunday at church when we saw our pediatrician there.  So, maybe only a couple of more weeks with that!  Keep praying!

I also want to send up a shout out and ask for prayers for my cousin who lives in New York.  She is pregnant with her 2nd child and has been on hospital bed rest since the week before Christmas due to preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM - same thing I had, but her has been a slow, replenishing leak, while mine was accompanied by unexplained bleeding, which led to placental aburption, and spontaneous rupturing of the membranes at 26 weeks 5 days).  She will be 34 weeks at the end of this week, and it looks like she will have her baby girl before the end of the week!  We are praying for a safe and easy delivery, a well baby and healthy mommy, and a very short NICU stay!

Friday - turning the calendar

Made it to Friday!  A great day for a TON of reasons!  My top 3 (for this specific Friday) are as follows: 1 - I made it to 25 weeks!  2 - It’s the first day of Fall - so glad to say good bye to the hottest, most oppressive summer on record! 3 - It’s “Field Day” at my kids’ elementary school, so they get to spend a few hours competing in friendly competitions with their friends outside, while raising money for school projects.  They look forward to it every year, and this one is no exception!  We usually work really hard at getting pledges to add to the fund drive, but it just wasn't in the cards this year!  But, they are taking the little bit they did raise, and I know it will make a difference in their school!


I’m a little sad to be missing things at home.  I missed several things this week, and it’s been a bit harder than I thought it would be.  Everything was left in VERY capable hands, but it was still a lonely feeling to know all this fun/exciting/different stuff was going on without me.  I missed my 2 days of set up out at the Fairgrounds for the Adorable Affordables sale - AND the pre-sale shopping frenzy that I love so much.  I missed the parent meeting for the math tutoring program Emma and Lara are participating in.  I missed Lara’s eye doctor appointment where she got to pick out new frames for her new glasses (I hear they are pink and sparkly and I can’t wait to see them!).  I missed Vision Night with Pastor Craig Groeschel at LifeChurch.tv Stillwater.  But most of all, I missed BEING with my family.  Jake called me 2 nights in a row in tears lamenting the fact that he had not seen me in DAYS!  A friend posted on my Facebook wall that we should try Skype.  I have never used it, but I think that might be a good idea.  I downloaded the software, but now I need 2 cameras with integrated mics - one for my laptop here and one for the desktop at home.


I am blessed by visitors, however!  And that is SO NICE on so many levels.  It not only makes the days go faster (which I love), it also helps me feel connected.  Plus, they bring me things I didn’t know I needed!  Like my sweet friend who used to live in Stillwater who is now in the City who had brought her 5 week old son to me TWICE for cuddle time.  Now THAT is a good visit!  :)  But the Lysol wipes, notepads, Diet Cokes, crackers, peanut butter and all the HUGS mean so much.  Thank you to ALL of you for making this more bearable.


I am still bleeding a tiny bit.  No new “incidents,” and I am still stable.  I have the IV in my arm “just in case,” but have had no fluids or meds other than my water I drink diligently, my prenatal vitamin, and the ever present Colace!  I did have some pretty painful (and annoying) groin pain last evening and last night (that is gone now due to a good night’s sleep and a shower) that the nurse helped me figure out was from Finn being LOW in my pelvis with “a body part” (we don’t know which one) that was hitting a nerve.  it was so painful it was making me nauseous!  But, sleeping on my side helped him move away from the area, and I feel fine this morning.

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!  I am really looking forward to seeing my family  I miss them so much!  And maybe we can get Sykpe set up and Jake and I can pray by computer each night instead of over the phone! 

(PS - Finn has the hiccups right now for the ump-teenth time in the last few days!)

Lent (Sacrifice)

My favorite definition of sacrifice is “giving up something you love, for something you love MORE.” I think the first time I heard this was a couple of years ago in a sermon by Craig Groeschel, and since then I have heard the same sentiment said a few different ways. So, as we start this season of Lent, I am choosing to make a sacrifice. I am giving up Diet Coke (caffeine/dark cola), in order to feel better.

You see, I love (LOVE) Diet Coke, but I love NOT feeling like I have for the last 2 weeks even MORE. I’ve done it before. Given up the DC. For LONG periods of time, even. I gave it up for 5 years while trying to conceive, then conceiving and breastfeeding twins. Then again when I was pregnant and breastfeeding my son. And then for 21+ days at the First of this year when I participated in the Daniel fast. And I know I have done it for Lent in the past as well. So, I know it can be done, and I know I can do it. And to help me along my way, I have also started a new bible reading plan designed just for Lent at youversion.com. To keep me on track and to remind me WHY I am sacrificing this tiny thing when Jesus gave it ALL!

So, the blog has been neglected the last 2 weeks basically because I have failed at my commitments. My commitment to working out, my commitment to losing weight, and my commitment to this blog. Once again, LIFE got in the way. My parents (who are part of the VILLAGE that helps raise my 3 children) were out of town for a few days, so our schedule was wacky, then I started not feeling well, only to find out that I had strep throat! 2+ days of being totally miserable, then 2+ more days of just feeling bad, and things were REALLY behind. Add to that, I think I had a mild reaction to the antibiotics I am on (Can I give THAT up for Lent? Antibiotics?) which left me feeling foggy and groggy and with a headache, which turned into a migraine on Sunday, and yesterday, I finally started to feel almost normal again. I have ONE MORE pill to take this afternoon and I will have completed my 10 day course of antibiotics! I am WELL again! So, this season of sacrifice is a good day to start over, I believe!

On the upside, during ALL of that, I MAINTAINED my weight again! For that, I am grateful! It’s nice to start out in the same place I left off, instead of having to take 2 steps (or more) backwards! So, here’s to SACRIFICE! What are you going to sacrifice this season?

Day 3 – Fast

First off, I want to explain a little about our fast.  My husband and I are doing what is known as a Daniel fast.  Its basically a vegan diet – fruits, vegetables, water, nuts, juice, whole grains. (See www.daniel-fast.com/ for more info.)  The purpose of the fast is to have a spiritual experience where you deepen your relationship with Jesus and seek answers through prayer while growing in knowledge of the bible and God.  So, we are eating, just not like we used to, and definitely not as much.  I have never been a big meat eater, but I knew I would miss dairy and sugar.  And Diet Coke.  We rarely had it in the house, but I would drink it when we went out to eat, and I would stop at the convenience store and have one a few times a week.  I haven’t had any real “cravings” since we started, but I knew I would have withdrawals.

Everything was really going well with the whole process.  I haven’t strayed from the plan food wise, and I have definitely been seeking God more.  I haven’t struggled with hunger or thirst; haven’t questioned why I am doing this.  I have had a few people stop by my office or message me and ask how I was doing, and honestly, I could say I was doing well and actually enjoying what I am learning.

Until yesterday afternoon, that is.  While I can still say I am not struggling with food or hunger, I was definitely sick yesterday.  I started noticing a headache around noon.  I figured it was from caffeine withdrawal, and I wanted to just deal with it and not take any medication.  By 3pm, I was really hurting.  I left work at 4:30, picked my son up from day care, and came home to plant myself on the couch.  I dozed on and off until my husband got home about 5:20.  I told him my head was killing me and I felt nauseous – my typical migraine symptoms.  He told me his head was hurting earlier and he and taken some ibuprofen.  I asked if it helped and he said yes, so I asked him to bring me some.  I slept off and on until about 7.  My husband had made me a salad, and some celery with peanut butter, but every time I woke up and smelled it, I wanted to throw up.  I stayed awake until almost 9, when I thought I was dying, and my husband brought me acetaminophen.  Then, I was out for the night.  I woke up at 1:30 and felt amazingly better!  And for me, that’s about how a migraine goes!  This one was shorter than usual – and I attribute that to the praying I did while I was conscious.  And the prayers of everyone walking this journey with me.

So, here it is day 3.  I feel pretty good considering what I went through yesterday.  I am going to start today of right and keep moving forward.  I can’t wait to see what God reveals to me today!