Archive for July 14th, 2009

Well, after much consideration my husband and I decided that it was time for our daughter Melody to make the transition to a toddler bed.  I know some people may think that 13 and 1/2 months is way too young to introduce a child to a Big Girl Bed but we believe in our hearts that this is the right choice.

For the past month Melody has been climbing on everything! The picture above of her pointing at me from across the room on top of our couch is the proof. She often climbs onto the couch attempt to get on the very top or she climbs onto our side tables and starts trying to dance and clap. (HELP!…lol)There is no stopping her, she’s not only climbing but she is extremely fast too! Whew! I am still wondering how mom’s with multiple babies do it! I honestly think she needs a helmet…do they sale those?

My mom told me “Welcome to the bumps, bruises, and cuts stage of life”. No joke though, my daughter has multiple bruise on her arms, knees, and bruise on her forehead, one above her eye, and a nice scrape on her head.

I am all for those child harnesses and leashes too…in fact I have one and I know it’s going to really come in handy! Did I mention my daughter is too smart for own good? She’s been trying to figure how those buckles on the stroller, highchair, and harness work. Thank God for my Ergo carrier. LOL

We haven’t received her toddler bed yet (ordered from Wal*Mart) but we went ahead and took her crib down ( Gah.. my baby girl is growing up sooo fast). We put her mattress on the floor up against the wall and for the past three nights she’s actually slept through the night on it! (Note: she usually wakes up 1-2 times at night). I don’t think this transition is going to be too hard, I’m crossing my fingers on this!  What’s next…potty training ( there’s weaning to but my kid hates MILK of all kinds..lucky me)! ..Yes, that’s going to take some work for sure. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated on that… Right now she thinks her potty is a fun treasure chest were she can hide her toys…oh, and everything is a step stool now! I’ve been frantically TODDLER proofing the house… yes, after baby proofing comes TODDLER proofing… is there teenage proofing?…better hide those car keys.

I’d like to introduce you to Tracey. She like myself is from the the deep south!  Tracey is a mom of two rough and tough boys and wife to a wonderful husband. I’d like to let you know about her really neat shop on Etsy called CrossEyed Tees!

At CrossEyed Tees, Tracy specializes in one of kind cross shirts for young and old alike. She kindly sent a beautiful blue shirt adorned with Genuine clear swarovski crystals decked on a cross appliqued in a famous designer print fabric and  adorable onesie to review for my daughter and I!

I’ve enjoyed getting to know Tracey and have interviewed her for my Etsy meet and greet!

1.Why did you decide to start doing this on etsy and how long have you been? I’ve always had a creative side…doing crafty things and home decorating, etc. I started my Etsy shop about six months ago. I already had one Etsy shop (www.yumyumbubblegum.etsy.com) which sells hand stamped jewelry and I wanted to try my hand at tees. Not the generic screen printed tees I had seen but something more hands-on and unique. So I came up with CrossEyed Tees. I start with a 100% cotton stretch tee. I cut my cross appliques from cotton designer fabrics like Amy Butler, Michael Miller, etc… I heat bond the crosses onto the tees then hand stitch them on with colorful threads. I also add clear Swarovski crystal accents to them to give them a little shine!!

You could say the name of my tees came from a sort of “play on words”. We’re reminded to “keep our eyes on the cross” so I just switched the words around and came up with CrossEyed Tees.

2. What do you enjoy the most when creating your products? I really like creating these tees because I love working with different patterned fabric…. all the wonderful colors! I love searching for the fabrics and picking just the right one for each shirt.  Working with crosses gives me an outlet to express my faith.  The two together make the perfect combination!

3. Apart from creating things, what do you do? When I’m not busy creating, I love to just spend time with my family. My two boys(ages 9 and 6) love riding dirt bikes and my oldest has started motocross racing! Such a fun, fast sport but it makes me very nervous to watch him.

4. What inspires you? I’m inspired by crosses in general… they remind me of Jesus’ sacrifice and the grace that was given to me.

5.In five years you’d like to be…? In five years, I’d still love to be creating new things to add to my shops…and spending more time unwinding with my husband and watching our sons grow into strong, respectful young men…

My Final Thoughts: I’m quite impressed with top quality shirts and the stylish variety available at Cross Eyed Tees! Tracy has some great deals going on right now (1/2 off shirts) as she’s making room for new styles of longer length tees, white racer backs, and onesies.

Visit her Etsy store at: You can find CrossEyed Tees at http://www.crosseyedtees.etsy.com/ & you might also want to visit her hand stamped sterling silver charm jewelry store at http://www.yumyumbubblegum.etsy.com too.