It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love my children. I love summer. But for most of the past 3 months, my children + summer = stress. Frustration. Loneliness, to some degree. That nagging feeling of being overwhelmed. Renewed efforts to save money resulted in no summer camp this year, which translated loosely into Camp Mom. And so with a barely-two-year-old, a five year old and a six year old in tow, most days were filled with craziness and wracking my brain for ideas of our daily amusements. Lots of beach. Lots of playground. And not enough evening cocktails. Because by the time I'd finally found some quiet time to actually look for the cocktail shaker, I'd either lost interest or forgotten about it completely.

And so it is with a bright smile and a cheerful voice that I welcome Fall once again. Oh, Fall, how I've waited for you, with your crisp school uniforms and bookbags, school lunches which I'll cheerfully prepare (it will be at least November before I'll start to grumble about this nightly--okay, last-minute-in-the-morning--task).

Yes, we happily traipse down to the bus stop just a few houses away every morning, sometimes before the sun is fully up, and wave goodbye to each other as the little yellow bus pulls away. My littlest guy and I still have our share of busy activities every day, but the mental workload is incredibly lighter. Three kids is a handful, and by the time the bus rolls up in the afternoon, I'm re-energized and (usually) ready for what the afternoon dishes out. Homework, soccer practice, whatever. Bring it on.

By the way...the leaves are beginning to turn, and tomorrow is somehow already October 1st! Can someone tell me what's going on? Wasn't it just Labor Day?

Cow Harbor Day 2011

Had so much fun at this village event yesterday! I was visited by lots of regular customers and some great friends and neighbors. And though the day got off to a cloudy, chilly start, the sun broke through over the water and the afternoon was absolutely gorgeous. Best part, my best friend Julianne was with me the whole day, shuttling back and forth from our vendor booth to the playground behind it. Joe brought the boys to visit me, and even my parents stopped by! The day had a real "old time" feel to it--the whole community comes out, it seems. Sales were fantastic, there was a lot of laughter in my happy little booth, Julianne drew me some beautiful pictures, and I was enjoying the opportunity to talk to customers and use my new toy: a credit card machine that plugs into the audio jack of my iPhone for instant processing. How cool is that? Here are a few pictures from the day.

typical night-before-an-event mess:

my booth:

a beautiful day at northport harbor:

my charismatic helper:

earrings:

A special thank you to the Mr., who came to the town green extra early in the morning to set up my tent and tables and get me prepped for a super day, and helped me take everything down. I know a lot of crafters go it alone, but Joe, I would be lost without you. Thank you for respecting my passion for this crazy stuff, you are my biggest cheerleader! XOXO

And thank you to my mom, who watched various combinations of children over the course of the day. I am indebted.

I can't wait to do this event again next year. Hopefully with the kids being a little older, I'll have even more inventory than this year. With this show completed, that leaves just three to go: a trunk show at a private residence next week; holiday craft fair at the big kids' school in November, and a handmade trunk show I'll be hosting in November. Yippee! Everyone who knows me, knows how much I love Etsy, but selling in person is just so much fun. I can't wait for the fall/holiday season!