Saturday Morning Comedy

Follow That Blogger!

Good afternoon! So we are all still recuperating from a long holiday weekend of doing nothing. When I tried to submit my post this morning, I realized quickly that my internet is working when it wants to so I gave up on posting and started on laundry, dishes, etc. So I will apologize once again in case I am unable to get by your blogs thanks to shotty Internet service. Someone's coming to take a look at it tomorrow morning.  Now, onto what I'm really here for...

This post is a little out of the ordinary for me but it's something that has been on my mind as of late. My main question is this:

What factors play into your decision to follow a blog or to stop following a blog?

And before we delve into this subject, I'm not necessarily asking to find ways to gain followers (though new followers are always nice and very much welcome). I've been thinking of this question for a while now but decided to post it after seeing a lot of "I love blogs that...." or "I hate it when a blog...". So I'm curious to know what determines whether or not you'll follow a blog you run across or stop following blogs.

For me, I'm usually first drawn to the aesthetics of the blog. Is it pleasing to the eye? Easy to navigate through? Does the blog header give me an idea of what the blog is about overall? Is there a blog description? Then I'm usually looking for something the blogger and I might have in common. Do we both like photography, scrapbooking, cooking? Do we both have small children? Next, I like to check out a few posts and see what the blogger's writing style is. Is he/she witty or entertaining? How's the grammar?

I will usually stop following a blog if the blogger rarely posts, begins to consistently post content with which I have nothing in common or no interest in, or begins posting things that become offensive or rude. I also think the quality of posts is important, not necessarily quantity. I would rather post less often but have good posts than post everyday and the posts not be worth reading.

I would love to hear from you. What are some of your likes/dislikes? Is there anything that immediately turns you on or off about a blog? For instance, I don't like it when someone leaves a random comment on a post that they've obviously not read - commenting for their own sake. I'd rather that person just not comment.

But here's the thing... It's someone else's personal blog and we should be respectful of that. While I open the floor for discussion, please don't call a specific person or blog out. The reasons for liking or not liking a blog or something specific to the blog is a personal preference. If a blog you happen upon is not your bag, move on and don't follow. Let's not leave rude, opinionated comments or splash it all over Twitter that you hate it when a blog/blogger ______. That's just not cool. JUST. MOVE. ON. Again, let's get back to basics: treat others the way you would want to be treated.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

On Vacation!

My family and I are officially on vacation!!!  WOOT!  We are headed to Gatlinburg, TN for a few days and then to North Carolina to enjoy the coast for the remainder of our trip.  I do have some posts scheduled throughout next week.  I will have my beloved iPhone with me throughout so I will periodically tweet and check emails, comments, etc. but not sure how often so please excuse me if you don't get a reply back right away from comments or emails.  

Around the Town Tuesday is still a go.  I have my post scheduled as well as MckLinky and am praying Blogger and MckLinky play nice.  I will direct you to my blog hop partner, Jes should there be any issues.  

Don't fret.  I'll be back soon enough shoving my latest pictures, crafts, etc. down your throat.  Until then, everybody wang chung!

My Writing Assignment

I was tagged. Again. At least Jes @ Exposing the Drapes to My 20s gives me something to blog about, huh?! ;) Anyhow, it's a little different.

Here are the rules:

Answer the following questions, but write them down. Snap a picture and then post it!

1. Name/Blog Name

2. Right Handed, Left Handed or Both

3. Favorite Letters to Write

4. Least Favorite Letters to Write

5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

6. Write in Caps:

CRAB

HUMOR

KALEIDOSCOPE

PAJAMAS

GAZILLION

7. Favorite Song Lyrics

8. Tag 5 People

9. Any special note or drawing

Photo Tag

Good morning, everyone and happy Friday to you! A couple of days ago, I was tagged by Heidi, author of the blog From 3 to 5 in a round of photo tag. She's a delight! Stop by and show her some love. The idea is to go to your first picture folder and post the tenth photo in that folder, giving the story behind the photo. So here's my tenth picture in my first folder. I think I actually have older ones tucked away in my archives, but here we go....

This is Keegan just days after he was born. He was fussing a bit in this picture and we couldn't help ourselves. Being new parents we snapped pictures of every mood, every sneeze, everything. But I think he was hungry when we snapped this one. Nice of us to snap pictures of our kid while he's crying instead of feeding him, huh?! Hard to believe this was almost 4 1/2 years ago. *sigh*

Now, I am to tag 5 more bloggy friends to do the same.

1. Jes @ Exposing the Drapes to My 20s

2. Christina @ Pooh's Corner

3. Ginna @ The Abbey Family

4. Molly @ The Snyder 5

5. malmal @ mal mal's thoughts and such

Have fun with it!

My 100th Post!

Hard to believe this is my 100th post. I really had no idea where this blog was going when I decided to start it. Honestly, I was just looking for a creative outlet, 5 minutes to myself to type out the noise in my head, a way to evaluate that noise and push forward as a better wife, mother, daughter, sister and student of God. But because of this blog, I have made some amazing friends & have learned so much more about myself than I could have ever imagined. My sincere thanks to all of my followers, readers, fans, even the stalkers (you know who you are) for sticking with me and encouraging me to keep moving forward with this small blog which has big things in store. This 100th post would not have happened today if not for all of you! *tear*

Enough of the mushy stuff, let's have some fun! I got this idea from Living Proof Ministries blog and thought it very entertaining and perfect for today's post. So I get an 'F' for originality today. Boo. Off we go!

In Beth's words: "What are 10 things - right off the top of your head - that we would only know about you if we knew you really well? 10 random things ranging anywhere on your personal map that make you a tad distinctive? Or just plain weird? Think quickly. Don't go for deep. Go for quirky. Don't try to put them in any kind of order and don't make them long. Just start typing."

I'll go first!

1. I'm mildly obsessed with Elvis Presley and have been since the age of 4. (My daughter's name is Presley)

2. I love history. I can totally get into anything if it has a little history behind it.

3. I hate oreos. HATE THEM!

4. I'm about 13 credit hours from finishing my bachelor's degree in psychology/criminology and I have no intentions of finishing.

5. I absolutely LOVE to travel. Even with two kids. Take me anywhere. I want to see the world!

6. I've been known to stay up all night long to finish a good book.

7. I've developed a new passion for photography and web design out of left field. Never saw it coming. (and I'm just starting out - don't judge)

8. My biggest pet peeves are sock balls. You know those wads of socks taken off incorrectly and come out of the dryer still wet? GRRRR

9. I have serious texture issues with food. I can't eat the following because of the way the feel in my mouth rather than the taste: ham, mushrooms, dumplings (or anything that makes bread soggy), too ripe bananas, oysters, clams

10. My guilty pleasure is a Reese Cup and I will fight you to the death for it. Presley was almost named Reese. It was a toss up.

Now it's YOUR turn! GO!

Housekeeping

Just wanted to bring you all up to speed with some new things I've added to the blog. Boring, I know. I promise to be more entertaining tomorrow. First up, my nifty ChatBox on the sidebar. I'm going to just try this out and see how well it works and if it helps us interact with one another a little better. If we all hate it, out it will go.

Second, I've added labels to the sidebar as well. I've seen this widget on a few other blogs and was delighted to find out it is a Blogger widget.

Third, I've updated my pages (Recipes, Photography, Scrapbook Gallery & Sewing/Crafts). If you haven't checked those out recently, please be sure to do so. Check them frequently. I'll add to them as much as I can.

Now, I shall leave you with a favorite recipe which will also be added to the Recipe page for future reference. It's from the one and only Paula Deen, but don't worry - it's a rather healthy recipe for Mrs. Paula and very tasty. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday so far! Check back tomorrow for my 100th post! EEK!

Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 or 3 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 avocados, peeled and diced
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• About 3/4 cup (3-ounces) grated pepper jack cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the cilantro, oil, lime juice and hot sauce.

In a large serving bowl, add the lettuce, avocado, corn, beans, tomatoes, and cheese. Add the dressing and toss well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Blogging Comments Systems. Suggestions???

Hello, dear readers! I am opening the floor to suggestions on new blogging comment systems. I want to be able to comment back to you but want a good system in place to do so. If you are like me, you don't want to subscribe to ALL comments and fill up your inbox with comments you may or may not want to read. I have looked into Disqus and IntenseDebate but have also heard some bloggers/readers have had bad luck with these systems. Do you have any suggestions for me? I feel commenting back to all of your sweet comments is very important. But I want to implement a good system that works for all of us. THANKS in advance for your suggestions!

My Stiletto Award

Did you see? Did you? I am the proud recipient of The Stiletto Award! This is my very first blogging award and I am too excited for my own good. You can read all about the award itself here.

Sexy, ain't it?! Thanks, Liz for bestowing it upon me and my little blog. I display it with pride!

Blogging. Out of Control?

This weekend, the New York Times published an article written by Jennifer Mendelsohn entitled, "Honey, Don't Bother Mommy. I'm Too Busy Building My Brand." If you're a blogger and you haven't read this article, I definitely think you should. Whether you agree or disagree with it is simply your prerogative but I find it an interesting read by a journalist who also happens to be a blogger. Equally interesting is the response this article is getting in the blogging world. You can read many of the responses starting with SITS (The Secret is in the Sauce) - the blogging society to which the NYT article referred. SITS has linked their response to all sorts of other blogs with responses to the article.

I have been blogging since March of 2006. My husband started our family blog, The World of Noffs, himself after seeing his friend's blog. He loved the idea of close friends and family being able to see the latest pictures and hear the latest stories of our new son who was merely three months old at the time. Quite frankly, I loved the idea as well. My family lived at least 2 hours away, some further, and I was constantly being hit up for more pictures. Now I could tell them, "check the blog". Since Mike worked full-time and I had given up my job to stay home with Keegan, I soon took over the the blog. Again, it was simply a way for friends and family to stay updated with our family of three. If blogging conferences, communities, memes, etc. were going on at this time I had no idea and didn't care. I was completely focused on Keegan and my new purpose in life.

Then 90 posts ago, this blog was born. I sought a creative outlet for all the noise in my head and didn't want to lay it all out there on my original blog for certain family members to read. That may sound silly to some of you but it's the truth. I wanted to be able to express myself and maybe inspire myself and didn't need criticism from certain individuals. The more blogs I began to follow, the more I began to realize that there could be a lot more to this blogging stuff. I saw advertisements for anything and everything on blogs by moms who stayed at home just like me. These moms were also receiving free stuff in exchange for a blog post about the product. The blogging craze quickly sucked me in and I began thinking, I wanna do this! I want the free stuff! I want to get paid to display an advertisement on my blog. I want 500 followers or more! I want to see MY button on other blogs! I began joining blogging communities to get my blog URL out there. I started following more blogs and commenting on them, hoping someone would think my comment sweet or witty and click on my URL just to see what else I had to say. As my number of followers rose, the more excited I got about all this blog and where it could go. The increasing numbers and comments were romancing me into mass hysteria. And I fell for it. Hard. Who would have thought people wanted to tune in each day and see what this country girl from a small town in Kentucky had to say? I found myself saying to my kids, just a minute. Not right now. What movie do you want to watch next? Go play. All because I was busy reading the insane number of blogs I follow, trying to keep up with all of the blog communities I'd joined, typing a post or trying to figure out how to change the font on my blog post titles. I found myself rushing around at the end of each day trying to catch up on the housework, get dinner made and kids ready for bed so that it looked like I'd done something when the husband got home from work. Not that my husband minds me being on the computer or that I skip over the housework. My husband is a miracle sent from God. He loves me, clean house or no. But my guilty conscience was beginning to get to me; hence, the rushing around at days' end.

Now, I get that everyone is different. I have two small children at home with me all day, everyday. I am responsible for cleaning our house, doing our laundry and cooking all of our meals. I am fully aware that this is not the case for everyone. And besides, different strokes for different folks. I am in no way, shape or form taking sides on this blogging issue. But I've sort of had an epiphany as of late. For me, blogging as a whole has gotten a little out of control. I hardly scrapbook anymore. I don't spend half as much time cooking as I used to or experiment with my camera anymore. I spend less time engaging with my kids. I'd rather sit in front of the computer perusing blogs, blogging communities or tutorials. I'm not saying I won't be sitting next to someone from SITS a few years from now at Bloggy Boot Camp learning how to put together my media kit or that I won't even by writing an article for the NYT bashing said "boot camp" . My blog could become one, big, blinking advertisement or not. Only time will tell. But at this point in my life, I am going back to why I started the blog in the first place - a creative outlet, some creative inspiration to share with my followers, or lack thereof. My blog is for me. And if you enjoy reading about my journey and all the noise in my head, I hope you will follow. This Kentucky girl has a lot to say. But my family needs me to spend less time on the computer. I need me to spend less time on the computer. I will continue to post, though it might not be everyday. I will probably continue changing things around upon occasion, but when I have the time and not at the sacrifice of time with my husband or kids. I do enjoy blogging and will continue to do it. You won't get rid of me that easily.

I open the floor to comments on the NYT article or the responses from SITS and other blogging moms. I would love to hear your reactions to both.

Tag... You're It!

I have been tagged by Jes @ Exposing The Drapes to My 20's to play the 10 year game.

Rules:

- Post where you want to be in 10 years.

- Pass it on to 10 of your bloggy friends.

Where to begin? 10 years from now, my babies will be 14 and 11. THAT in itself is blowing my mind right now! Didn't I just bring them home from the hospital yesterday?

Okay, on to the task at hand. Since both of my kids will be in school full-time, I'd like to think that I'd be volunteering for some sort of non-profit organization during school hours. I hope to also have taken a photography class or two, maybe a web design class. Hell, maybe even a cooking class or three. It would be cool to think that I'd still be blogging and maybe even be profitable. I'd LOVE to be doing some photography on the side. I would still be happily married. Seriously, who else would put up with me? It's evident that God had us in mind for one another. No one else would put up with him either. ;) I'm sure I'll be running kids to and fro for every kind of sport, social event, etc. But I'll be loving it!

I probably still won't exercise regularly. I will probably still be romantically involved with junk food.

Tom Hanks and Paul Rudd will be the only men I will secretly pine for - aside from my husband, that is. ;) And I will still be mildly obsessed with Elvis.

Now I have to tag 10 of my bloggy friends. This sure would be a lot easier if some of you frequent readers would click that precious "follow" button. Go on. CLICK IT! I dare you.

TAG... YOU'RE IT!

1. Liz @ The Belle, The Bean and the Chicago Dog

2. Lindsey @ The Rowland Family Blog

3. Co Captain aka Mommy @ Tales From a Blue Minivan

4. Alan Shepherd @ The Cyclist Muse

5. Mandy @ 2 Sweet Things

6. Ginna @ The Abbey Family

7. Carla @ The Todd Boys and Me

8. Marc @ Healthy Living Tips

9. Jessica @ Sweet WhatKnots

10. Jennifer @ Jennifer Carroll Photography

Change Is Good

Yes, I'm changing around the blog again. Thank you in advance for your patience. I am learning some html code tweaks as well as getting more comfortable with my Photoshop Elements 8 software. Also, I get bored real easy and I like change. The more blogs I see, the more I find myself drawn to the simple ones, the clean ones. No offense to those that like the busy blog templates, but when trying to figure out which direction to take my blog that's what I'm most drawn to. So I'm stripping some things down, making a few tweaks and I hope you all will enjoy your stay a bit more. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Leave a comment or email me. Go on. Do it. It's virtually painless!

Uplifting

Good morning to you all! First, you may have noticed a few new options on my blog. I am learning as I go so be patient with all of my experiments. I am hoping to add more fun things to it in the near future. Please feel free to click around but remember it's still a work in progress as am I.

Next.... I am terribly excited to be going home this weekend to visit my family in Kentucky as well as two of my oldest and dearest friends. It has been too long since I've been able to sit down with girlfriends who really know me and love me just the same. I have been friends with these women since we were second graders. Thirty-five years young, that seems an eternity ago. It is very uplifting to know I will be in the presence of such true friends. I have missed them more than I realized. We all have children of our own now and it will be wonderful to see friendships between them develop. I sure wish we all lived closer. But such is life. For now, we try to plan our trips back home at the same time just to capture a few hours together to catch up. I hope to get some great pics of us and our children. I'm also going to experiment with my camera a bit and try for some great inspirational shots to share. I have pulled out the user guide to my camera to learn more and work with what I have until the time comes to purchase my dream camera (more on that later). Where was I? Oh yes, friendship. Spring has come early for me. I'm off to bask in the sunlight of true friends. I will try to blog while in Kentucky, but if you don't hear from me for a few days, don't worry. I'll be back to rattle off some more nonsense as soon as I can. I hope my excitement inspires you to call up some old friends this weekend.

A Little Monday Inspiration

First, I wanted to point out that I've had some awesome comments the last few days from new and old friends and I just wanted to say thank you. It's very exciting to see people stopping by my blog for a bit & the comments are truly wonderful.

I have lots to do today but had a very strong urge to be inspired by something before running off to tackle my Monday chores. It's cold and raining here in Memphis and I'm having a bit of a hard time getting started. I stumbled across this picture and just thought it truly amazing - the peacefulness of the woods, the sun peaking through the trees, and can't you just hear the birds chirping all around and smell a lake or pond nearby? This photo just stimulates all of my senses when I look at it. So I wanted to share it with you. Hope it brings you a little inspiration on this Monday morning.

For My Sanity....

I woke up this morning with a billion thoughts in my head. I've been trying to narrow down my blogging thoughts and hone in on just one subject that might be of some sort of interest to my frequent readers. But even a good, strong cup of coffee has not allowed me to make any sense of the noise in my head. So this post might be a big mumble jumble of nonsense. Feel free to check out now. This is mostly for MY sanity since there seems to be a lack thereof today.

My first thoughts were of my grandmother, God rest her soul. She passed away back in August rather unexpectedly. I was very close to her and not a day goes by that I do not think of her. I am saddened by the thoughts of my kids only remembering her through pictures and stories because they are so young, especially my daughter who was not quite one at the time of her passing. Presley is so much like her. Frequently, I have snapped pictures of my sweet girl with an expression on her little face reminding me of her great-grandmother. I find myself all choked up even now knowing how much alike they are and that they'll never truly know one another. My son, bless his heart, still prays for her. God, please make Mar Mar well. Only three when she died, he doesn't fully grasp the concept of death. He knows Mommy gets sad sometimes and he'll say, you miss Mar Mar, Mommy? Me too. He knows that Mar Mar (short for Martha) went to live with Jesus. But what four year old really understands what that means? Had I known her death would have come when it did, I would have taken my kids to see her more often, spent more time with her, shown her just how much she was loved. Don't we all say that when death affects us personally? We think we have all the time in the world. However, I do find myself very convicted some days that I didn't make more of an effort. I can't help my children's ages and the lack of memory, but my grandmother would have been overjoyed at the opportunity to spend more time with her grandchildren & great grandchildren. Enter conviction. Today, I find myself wanting to pick up the phone and talk with her so badly. But I cannot. And so with a heavy heart, I move on to my next random though.....

I am SO READY for spring. I long for sunshine, for warm weather, for blooming flowers and green grass. The older I get the less tolerant I find myself of the colder months. Living in Memphis, we usually don't have a long winter; however, this winter we've had our share of cold weather including snow and I am ready for it to go. I am looking ahead to our family vacation to the coast - the beach, the ocean, the sand. Better than Calgon.

This weekend I have taken on the task of revamping our office space. It's been feeling very claustrophobic in here for quite sometime. We've managed to cram 2 full-size desks, a kids table & chairs, and art easel, 2 book shelves and all of my scrapbooking paraphernalia into this tiny space. I've been searching for better organization ideas to which you may have seen my previous post. Some women manage to have a WHOLE room to themselves to bring life to their many creations while I have about 1/3 of a room. So I set out to achieve a more girly, organized space of my own, however tiny that space might be. I have enjoyed the last day and hope to wrap it all up today. I think it's coming along nicely, though I may have to tweak a few original ideas to make it a bit more practical. The hubs just might have a heart attack if I don't quit making trips to Hobby Lobby & Michaels. I have close, personal relationships with these stores. They know me well. I hope to post pics of my finished project early in the week.

So with that, I shall leave you - drained, I'm sure, after reading all my craziness. But I thank you for allowing me to clear my head a little so that I may now focus on finishing my weekend project.

Praise God for this beautiful day and allowing me to breathe it all in.

What to Blog About?

As I sit here going through my morning routine I have been racking my brain trying to decide what would be a good blog topic this Monday morning. I am coming up short. Maybe because it's Monday. Maybe I haven't had enough coffee just yet. Maybe I should start blogging about one subject in particular in order to narrow my scope of possibilities. I'm not sure what the answer is.

I ran across a blog giving a few tips and ideas on how to come up with blogging topics. One of the suggestions was good, old fashion ranting. I guess for some it does make for interesting reading. Then I thought, reading someone else's rants could also take your mind off of your own problems, stresses, struggles, etc. Ranting posts could send a "you're not alone" message to some readers.

Don't worry, I'm not going to rant and rave about anything in particular this cold Monday morning. Or in my previous paragraph's conclusion, sorry to let you down. Just thinking out loud which is, I guess, what my blog is for - at the moment anyway.

My blog is my creative outlet, my sounding board, my five minutes to myself. It's mostly for me, but I wouldn't mind entertaining people either. I would love to hear from the frequent readers and get some blogging ideas for future posts. Feel free to leave comments or email me.

I hope everyone has a fabulous Monday!

Wannabe

I consider myself a wannabe when it comes to the latest fashion. I really wannabe up to date on the latest fashion trends and many of the looks I'd love to adopt into my own wardrobe. However, I am a stay-at-home mom of 2 small children and I sometimes have to remind myself to brush my teeth before noon. I'm all about comfort rather than style and sometimes I wish it were the opposite. But we are a single income family and I don't tend to spend a lot of money on clothes - at least not for myself. Still, I enjoy looking at the latest trends and it seems that many of Spring 2010 looks are much more practical than in the past.

One blog I follow, Scoutie Girl, has a blogger in residence posting occasionally and this particular guest blogger posted a new look she calls the "lunch date". I gotta say that I really like this look - the jeans, the really feminine blouse, the bag and the trench coat. I could totally see myself wearing this look. But I'm not sold on the flats craze. I'm all about comfort, but these just ruin the look for me. Am I the only flat snob out there? I just can't get into them. Now again, I realize my own shoe collection is probably lacking because I enjoy spending my money on my kids rather than my feet. My closet could definitely use some upgrading, so to speak. But still, I just can't get into the flats. I think if I were to go shoe shopping, I would pass on the flats.

You can check out Scoutie Girl's blogger in residence's post here. The blog itself is a great blog to follow. She posts about everything - very inspiring and a good read.

A Thought to Ponder....

...for your Saturday morning while you sip your coffee.

The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with,
never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've every had.

Hope you all have a great day!

A Change to Come

At least I hope so. I'm hoping to spruce up the blog a bit and add some new things. So I've gone back to plain and simple for now. Hopefully, this is temporary. I just ordered some great software that I hope will allow me to be more creative with my blog. After all, this blog is meant to inspire creativity, right? Well, it's a blog about everything that pops in my head. Anyhow, I'm trying to avoid moving my blog now that it's seeing some traffic. So bear with me and I hope to bring the blog back to life very soon!

Have a great weekend!

2sweetthings is Truly Sweet!

I know I've already posted about my friend's Etsy shop but I've got to show her some love again. I just received my first custom order from her and it's adorable! Not only does it fit my daughter perfectly but the craftsmanship is top notch. I'm truly impressed!

This is a little Valentine's Day skirt I ordered for Presley & it is simply too cute. The tag gives you instructions on how to wash and dry the skirt as well as when and where it was made.

These are the little lounge pants I also ordered. Presley loves them! I took them out of the package and she immediately wanted to put them on. This pic shows one of the two front pockets complete with a sweet bow.

Here's a view of the back of the pants. I purposely ordered them a little big (lengthwise) so Presley had some room to grow into them over the summer months. But they are pretty cute rolled up.

I tried for a better picture but I had a moving target. Still, you get the idea and you can see a great pic of the pants in Mandy's Etsy shop here. She does immaculate work and is more than willing to do custom orders. Simply contact her through her shop. Also, be sure to check out Mandy's blog where she documents numerous projects she has going on as well as a glimpse into her family life. This is a great Christian family that I'd love to see do really well because sewing is truly something she loves and it shows in her work as well as her blog. There is a link to her blog on the right, or you can simply click here. Even if don't have little ones yourself, keep in mind that some of Mandy's items would make great baby gifts! If you place an order, be sure and let her know you're a friend of mine. I am so looking forward to my next 2sweetthings order as she rolls out her spring projects. Happy shopping!