May 6, 2013

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I haven’t written anything in a while, due to being so sick.  Family and friends ask me all the time, “Are you feeling better, Missie?”  I am still just as sick.  However, sometimes I don’t know what to say.  When I am sitting still and have no distractions, I FEEL the sickness.  When I am moving to get things done and I am out of the house doing errands, I don’t notice how I feel, as much.  So, when I run into people and they ask, “how are you feeling”, the truth is, “I’m better now I am talking to you”.

Because I feel better when I am moving, I try to never stop moving.  Typing this at my computer makes me scared that shortly, I will want to go lay down.  I think I will be okay for a while, because my exercise high is still in effect.

For exercise during pregnancy, I am using the Couch to 5K program I have used for the last few years.  I wrote about the program last year and explained a little about how it works.  (Click here for the post from last year on the old “Thoughts of giggleFritz” blog.)  My sister and I ran two 5K’s last summer.  It was more motivating to train for those races than just running alone.  I asked my doctor if it would be safe to start running that program while I am pregnant, and he approved of it.  This morning, my sister and I started week three of the program.  It is not easy, but I feel so much better for a few hours after running.  I am also hoping it helps me bounce back more quickly after delivery.

I better be off and moving.  I have too much to do before I conk out later!

Have a great Monday! 😀

~Missie

A Bit Blue

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I can’t help being blue lately. There is no getting away from this morning sickness and exhaustion. To make matters worse, the Wisconsin spring weather this year is beyond dismal.  It’s like the sun has died! It has been raining, thundering, and lightening the last two days. The cold and dampness is making me more depressed.  I have been in bed nearly the whole day.
I can’t help but think of the poor women who go through this and have other children to take care of. Also, the women who go to work every day feeling so miserable.  My heart goes out to them and I give them tons of credit!  This whoosy girl couldn’t do it, she has enough trouble making dinner.
I hope I am feeling better in a few weeks and posting happier thoughts.
Keep looking forward to spring!
Missie

Slowly, but Surely

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I am getting ready for the next craft fair at Kimberly High School in Kimberly, Wisconsin, Saturday, April 27.  I am not a whirlwind of production, but I am slowly making new things.  I am now 10 weeks, 5 days pregnant and white soda, soda crackers, and my Ipod are my very best friends while working.  In a few weeks I should be in tip-top shape, though.

Red and Yellow Socktopus – New in the Shop!

Have a great Monday!

Missie 🙂

Missie in the Kitchen with Rice

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I think I am on week four of morning sickness and it is such a bummer!  There is so much stuff I could be/should be doing, and I just lack focus.  My biggest challenge everyday is dinner: planning and making it.  Nothing sounds good.  I can’t tell if my family wants to each what I make or not.  I was the leftover eater of the house and now we save NOTHING.  Oh, baby, I know this will be worth it!

Saturday evening I didn’t know what to do with myself after dinner.  We had just gotten done eating Burger King and I was not going to crawl in bed and spend the next how many hours under the covers, not yet.  (You cannot begin to imagine the nightmares and insomnia I had that night and I blame it on the Burger King!)  I grabbed a deck of Snoopy cards and played two games of solitaire.  I got bored with that and had a sudden urge to organize something.  I have this old box of recipes on recipe cards from my mom.  It is filled with old recipes from my mom, grandma, and other ladies that had swapped recipes long ago.  The box needed to be organized because a few years ago, I dropped the box on the floor and most of the cards fell out.  Organizing the box has been on my list of things to do for a long time.  I didn’t get very far on sorting everything, but I found some good recipes that I can use in the near future.

Included in the box are recipe cards from Minute Rice.  I am so psyched to use some of those recipes, mostly because you can make them in 20 minutes.  Last night I made their Cheeseburger Rice recipe.  So easy, and my husband thinks it tastes like McDonald’s cheeseburger.  The recipe made a large amount too.  My husband, daughter, and I ate about half of the dish.  I threw the other half in the freezer for a later time.  I am hoping the rice will freeze well.  If not, I am not very concerned right now.

Cheeseburger Rice by Minute Rice
Cheeseburger Rice Recipe – Minute Rice

Dinner tonight will be “Tuna ‘n Rice Dinner”.  Prep. Time: 20 min

Tuna ‘n Rice Dinner by Minute Rice
Tuna ‘n Rice Dinner Recipe – Minute Rice

I HAD to “Like” the Minute Rice page on Facebook.  I am hoping they will share other great, fast recipes.  Check them out on Facebook and Like their page: Minute Rice Facebook

Pregnancy is hard, Minute Rice recipes are easy! Bless you Minute Rice!

Have a nice Monday!

Missie 😀

Getting Ready for Easter

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I wandered out of doors this morning to run some errands.  I needed to go to the bank, the library, and Shopko.  Like others that I chat with, I am tired of this long-lasting winter.  It’s been sunny here in Wisconsin, but so darn cold!  The sun has brought the birds to my feeder, a group of three cardinals and other sweet little birdies.  But, don’t get me wrong, I want to open my windows soon, and air out this stagnant atmosphere.

I ran my errands and at the end, stopped at Shopko.  I needed to take a look at their vitamin section.  When I got there, another lady was planted in front of the vitamins I desired.  I walked off, deciding to look around until the other lady was finished looking.  I found the candy aisle!   “Oh, yes, Easter Candy!  I might as well get my candy now while I’m here,” I thought.

Easter Candy!

It’s hard buying candy, isn’t it?  You always have to be economical, and don’t say, “Then why don’t you go to Walmart?”  I HATE Walmart, it is evil and I boycotted it years ago!  So, I wandered around the candy aisles and carefully picked out traditional favorites my family enjoys.  I grabbed jelly beans, cream filled eggs, peanut butter eggs, and Peeps!  I ended up putting a few things back in the end, because I am making some cut out sugar cookies.  I will make the dough tomorrow, freeze it, and finish them up next week, right before Easter Sunday.

One of the new things I saw at the store were big chocolate bunnies that you could break apart.  Russel Stover and Hershey’s each had a version of this boxed chocolate bunny.  I thought that is a good idea for two reasons: first, if you are sharing, you can easily break off a piece for someone.  Second, if you are trying to be good you could eat one section a day and it is conveniently divided up for you already.

I saw this neat idea on Facebook, where someone dyed their Easter eggs with Kool-Aid packets.  I am going to try that and see how well it works.  No one in our family really likes hard boiled eggs, so I have been blowing out eggs we use and saving the shells.  That should make it go quicker because I don’t have to boil the eggs.  I will post some pictures when I’m done so you can see how well it works.

Blown-out egg and Kool-Aid “Dye”

I’m glad I have a good start on Easter, it will be here shortly!

Have a nice evening!

Missie

Green Girl

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I am not getting much done today. I’ve been trying to finish up some things before my craft fair tomorrow, but I have been awefully nauseated. I can’t fly around the condo doing much, but I have been sitting up in bed, watching tv, stitching Socktopus guys. It’s something.

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I took care of a lot of chores yesterday. I baked two loaves of bread, did the laundry, did half of the grocery shopping, and went to the bank to get change for my cash box. Maybe that’s why I am so sick today. I overdid it yesterday getting everything ready for the weekend. Hopefully, tomorrow I will be feeling better. I won’t sell much looking green! Good luck to all the vendors at craft fairs this weekend! Have a great weekend! Missie

What’s the Story, Morning Glory?

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What is going on in the house of giggleFritz?  Sometimes I don’t even know.   The latest and greatest news is, last week my husband and I found out I am pregnant.  This was some VERY unexpected news because we were not trying to have more children (If I haven’t mentioned before, I have a 16 year old daughter, my husband’s step-daughter).  But, lo and behold, here we are and we are very excited and awaiting our new peanut in October!

I have been trying to get ready for “It’s a Spring Thing” Craft Fair in Hartford, WI this Saturday.  I try so hard to plan ahead for my craft fairs.  I plan out my time in my “production” binder and pencil in everything that needs to be done.  I could not pencil in morning sickness due to pregnancy.  I have been very sick and tired since last Monday.  Thank the Lord I have not had the throwing up kind of morning sickness.  I am just so motion/car sick.  I drop things, I lock doors that shouldn’t be locked, I leave other doors unlocked that my husband finds (he’s got my back!), and I am such a whiny thing in the evening constantly hunting for food to eat that I haven’t already had for the day.  It’s terrible!  I have managed to get a few things done for this Saturday, mostly Sock Monkeys and Socktopus guys.

Another new thing around our house is my daughter’s new bunny, Jacob.  We had a sweet little bunny that passed away last June.  Cleo was our friend and we still miss her to this day.  My daughter has begged for a bunny for months and we kept telling her there really wasn’t time for a bunny, everyone is busy.  A friend of hers at school had to get rid of her bunny and they were going to take it to the Humane Society.  Did we want it?  Daughter has the bunny now and must take care of it.  I am not supposed to handle bunny poo pregnant.  We will see how this goes.  Jacob is a nice bunny, I’ll give him that!

The new bunny Jacob

I went to my old job at Stein Garden and Gifts and said hi to people yesterday and talked baby stuff for a little while.  It was so nice to see everyone again!  I know I will be back there soon with a bigger belly buying my plants for the balcony of our condo.  I picked up some lettuce, basil, and snapdragon seeds while I was there.  I am so excited for spring and all of the fun stuff coming up!  I just need to get through this morning sickness first.

Spring 2013 Seeds

So, I am off to get a few more things done for my Saturday craft fair.

Have a Fascinating Wednesday!

Misse 😀

February 28, 2013

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I used to read a lot.  There was no better escape from my crappy jobs than an exciting adventure with a thrilling ending.  Fantasy novels (NOT romance, mind you!) were my favorite, then, historical fiction.  Ever since I have been working solely for giggleFritz and Company, I have not taken much time for reading.

I borrowed two books from one of my sisters and it took me forever to read them.  They are part of a three book series by Ally Condi.  The first was called “Matched”.  The second one, “Crossed”, I just finished.  I want to read the third and final “Reached”.

“Crossed”, by Ally Condi

It was a little hard to want to read these books.  They are well-written, but in some ways, at first, they are similar to “The Hunger Games”.  The books are about a teenage girl who lives in the future.  Where she lives, everyone’s world is controlled by the government, which is called “The Society”.  After a few chapters the book ends up being less like “The Hunger Games”, and the ideas are more unique and interesting.  She goes on her own brutal adventure to find someone she loves and learns more disturbing things about, “The Society”.

I looked into the “Books and Coffee” book club through Dunn Bros. Coffee.  I won’t be joining.  It is a great idea, but I looked online at the book selection.  It isn’t very large right now, and the books are $14 and up.  This frugal coffee/book-loving girl doesn’t like the price.  I can brew my own coffee and head for the library.

Happy Reading! 😀

Missie

 

Custom Book Covers

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I’ve been busy in more ways than one, lately.  One of my latest projects is custom book covers from a great repeat customer!

Custom Book Cover – Closed Book
Custom Book Cover – Open Book
Custom Book Cover – Closed book
Custom Book Cover – Open Book
Custom Book Cover – Closed Book
Custom Book Cover – Open Book

My customer bought and provided me with the fabric for three book covers.  She picked out three different sets of contrasting fabric, 1/4 yard each.  (Very cute!)  The covers fit paper back books approximately 4in wide x 7in tall and include handles for easy carrying.  Three more have been ordered through Inspired For You in Downtown West Bend, where I sell my other products.

Watch for a spot in the shop online where custom book covers will be offered.  I am on my fifth order for custom covers.  I never knew there was such an interest!

Have a nice afternoon! 😀

Missie