tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45329989114468463132024-02-06T21:57:31.094-08:00Offended Reality"The elevation of the right not to be offended into the bedrock principle of democratic society will, in the end, tear it apart." Mark Steyn
Life is hard and full of offensive "stuff"...we're all just trying to do our best!
Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-3930934139615335732014-03-12T20:23:00.000-07:002014-03-12T20:23:24.974-07:00Where Can Mommy Run Away to?It's been a rough road since I returned from Tucson at the beginning of February. The last week has been the worst. Rough communication with the hubby drove me a little batty. And a very sick and crying nighttime baby has me sleep deprived and frazzled.<br />
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Last week I threatened to run away twice. Were do mommies go when they lose it? <br />
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Monday we met with a pediatric Gastroenterologist. Dillon has suffered for what seems like his whole little life with gas. It has gotten worse and worse over time. Finally I was becoming desperate so I started documenting our problems to our pediatrician. I'm SO thankful for Group Health and their online system. Emailing my doctor at 1 am in the morning does a lot for my peace of mind. <br />
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She put in a referral to the Gastroenterologist and a prescription for Zantac, which seemed to help a little, but not a lot. The Gastro doctor put him on Omeprazol (sp?) instead because it's a stronger medication. We aren't sure how well it's working yet because it's only been three days but I'm hopeful. <br />
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Then Tuesday we were blessed by someone else's misfortune. :) Someone cancelled their appointment with the speech therapist and we were able to snag it. So we had a feeding evaluation and D is food averse. :( Basically he's had so much pain from trying to eat that he doesn't like food anymore. He bit into a Cheerios and immediately threw up... it barely even touched his tongue. The therapist was amazing and wonderful. She gave us some thickening gel for his formula. Since we started it he hasn't thrown or spit up! That alone is a miracle. <br />
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But last night was the roughest night in awhile. I'm pretty patient with littlest man usually. I know he's in pain, not trying to be stubborn so I'll hold him, when he's up at night. Last night he cried, screamed, writhed, and was miserable for two hours before I gave up. My wonderful husband took over, even though he had to get up at 5 am for work. I was in tears and working on just 30 minutes of sleep.<br />
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I'm not sure what it is, but daddy seems to have the magic touch when putting baby to sleep. I don't always approve of his methods, but they seem to work.<br />
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I'm thankful for a kind husband, but I'm also thankful for an amazing friend. She watches the boys part time (and sometimes not so part time) and she texted me today that Dillon was yanking on his ear, fussy while eating, and crying a lot. And he only slept for 30 minutes all day. <br />
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Thank God for a wonderful friend. And I'm thankful I listened to her because I called the doctor and got him in... less than an hour after I called. Again, thank you Group Health Olympia! Sure enough, a bad double ear infection.<br />
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My poor little man. He is such a happy baby when he's feeling well. He's smart and sweet and a friendly little boy. Even the doctor we saw commented about how he seems older than almost 9 months. <br />
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I'm thankful this day is over... and I'm praying for a better night's sleep. I'm praying for healing for my littlest boy. And I'm prayerfully thankful for a wonderful friend who loves and cares about my boys.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-59284655279578215092014-02-03T20:33:00.003-08:002014-02-03T20:33:49.784-08:00Tucson 2014 - Day 5 and Day 6 And on Day 5 the Seahawks won the Superbowl. Nothing else mattered in our world. Food and Fun!<br />
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Day 6 was a planned site seeing day. So no shows for me. I'm cutting my show schedule by almost half. But since I'm pretty much out of money that's not such a bad thing.<br />
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We left the house early and headed to Tombstone. Oh my fun! We could have spent the entire day there but we actually had booked two things today so we only had a few hours in Tucson. <br />
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The first thing we did when we arrived is dress up and have our photos taken. I was, of course, an outlaw. Marshal was a Sheriff. And my mom was a Floozy. hahahahaha It was great. Marshal had so much fun. <br />
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We headed to a bank robbery next. Thankfully they schedule all their killins in Tombstone. ;) <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scene of the bank robbery.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shooting at one of the bad guys from the show.</td></tr>
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After Tombstone we high tailed it to the <a href="http://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/index.html" target="_blank">Karchner Caverns</a>. You have to be there one hour before your show time, but as with most of those warnings it's mostly important only on busy days. Monday is not a busy day. We were a few minutes late and still had plenty of time. There is a movie that plays every 15 minutes and we had time to watch most of it before the guide called our time.<br />
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You are not allowed to bring ANYTHING into the cave. Seriously. No photos are allowed, which of course drove me bonkers. <br />
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Kids are not allowed in the big room tour. We went on the smaller tour in the Rotunda/Throne room. You take a little tram up to the entrance - after storing all your stuff in a locker. They don't even want you to take off a coat or sweatshirt without rolling it up so that no lint comes off. As you walk into the cave you go through several rooms. One sprays you with a fine mist of water to hopefully water you down so you don't lose too much skin or lint. <br />
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And you cannot touch anything except the railing. This created quite a challenge with Marshal who was the only kid on the tour. He did awesome. It was hard and he asked lots of questions while the guide was speaking, but for a four year old I could not have expected better. In order to make sure he didn't touch anything I ended up carrying him half the tour. He is getting heavy!<br />
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This cave system is incredible. It's hot and humid and I actually felt a little claustrophobic. Toward the end I felt like it was hard to breath - but that could also be because I was carrying a 4 year old!<br />
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The story of how this cave was found is amazing and, as usual, I am in awe of God's majesty in nature. It boggles my mind to see the amazing formations in the cave - from stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, "bacon", and "popcorn" (they use a lot of food names to describe some of the formations) - the beauty is surreal. And thinking about how long it takes to form things is beyond comprehension. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPUydNkxJufhPDkDhd4DXSCnctuCoj7rulZZjuDCVs49LB-fLPm_C3GpYDkWd9NQfyQlZGeueg5ldpMaNLDUUxobVPM3W8W8w3EkU9XFEpCuNstDpCy82N7hCwL-6e8Dpd6thS-NgnpU/s1600/KACA_G_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPUydNkxJufhPDkDhd4DXSCnctuCoj7rulZZjuDCVs49LB-fLPm_C3GpYDkWd9NQfyQlZGeueg5ldpMaNLDUUxobVPM3W8W8w3EkU9XFEpCuNstDpCy82N7hCwL-6e8Dpd6thS-NgnpU/s1600/KACA_G_05.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Throne Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUwNCer9Yo2vuAe5nUaE1oETGMkrrJWle479VImt-wKIgGDJszV59c0OA1spWoNnuO7W2jPxBlOEFuqR_lIoSSbenwYKznbLZoXCJSe-ftGZ9zRjp9FWQkCkUtYGePB_bnx9gzDto6RQ/s1600/KACA_G_20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUwNCer9Yo2vuAe5nUaE1oETGMkrrJWle479VImt-wKIgGDJszV59c0OA1spWoNnuO7W2jPxBlOEFuqR_lIoSSbenwYKznbLZoXCJSe-ftGZ9zRjp9FWQkCkUtYGePB_bnx9gzDto6RQ/s1600/KACA_G_20.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soda Straws</td></tr>
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If you are ever in Arizona and can manage it, check out this cave. It will blow your mind. Just don't wear a sweatshirt or have claustrophobia! <br />
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Tomorrow we get back to shopping. Though at a much slower pace and smaller scale. Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-54735098569114365712014-02-02T08:45:00.000-08:002014-02-02T08:45:50.083-08:00Tucson 2014 - Day 4 - Too Tired to BlogDay four is done and gone. I'm seriously out of money - I can't use the credit card anymore. :) I've got some cash left so I'm hoarding it until I find something really unusual that I need to take home. And some basics. I want to get some lobster clasps at one of the shows where I know there's a big vendor. <br />
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So we will be doing more site seeing than I anticipated. :) <br />
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But day four was still fun because we took Marshal with us. I'm trying to create a new rock hound in him. One of the vendors at the 22nd Street show gave him an Ammonite for free. He was pretty excited to see all the fossils too. Grandma bought him a dinosaur shirt. And I found a book I want to get him someday when he's a little older.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He wouldn't stand in front of it to take a photo so I had to be sneaky.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This nice vendor gave him an ammonite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinosaur!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping mommy and grandma find pretty Copals.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our most exciting find - a mosquito perfectly preserved in Copal - which is not Amber because it's too "young".</td></tr>
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Marshal started getting tired so we left to go to another show and got some lunch. I ordered a hot dog. Yup. I'm a gringo. I did try a new soda though!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy!</td></tr>
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Seeing all the minerals and crystals make me appreciate the magnitude of God's brilliance. Our earth produces some of the most amazing things. God's art!<br />
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If you've never been to these shows you would probably feel a little creeped out. Vendors take over entire hotels and set up their goods for sale in the rooms. It's so weird. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "showrooms"</td></tr>
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Marshal had a lot of patience but he was starting to touch everything and it was driving me nuts. So we bribed him with some hot chocolate. It didn't help.<br />
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He finally got to buy some things ... but he had to narrow it down to 5 ... he wanted 20!<br />
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The funnest part for Marshal was the golf cart shuttle we got to ride on to and from our car. It's the little things in life!<br />
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Can someone explain why this McDonalds is guarded by a T-Rex? :)<br />
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We got home early and everyone but me went into the hot tub and enjoyed the view while I went through my purchases and started cataloging things. <br />
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Not too shabby. <br />
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And we were all tired...mom crashed on the couch. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz</td></tr>
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Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-78389391436886175152014-01-31T20:29:00.000-08:002014-01-31T20:29:32.339-08:00Tucson 2014 - Day Three - I Am Out of MoneyIt's amazing how fast you can spend money...Seriously amazing. Let's just say that I spent 3/4 of my budget for the whole trip today! I got some amazingly beautiful things but I still have seven days here!!! <br />
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Thankfully, anything else I buy over the next week is just extra frosting on the cake. We will go to mostly fossil and rock shows instead of the gems and beads and silver. <br />
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I had us booked for a new show every day but that itinerary is already out the window. I'm hoping we can head over to the Pueblo show. We spent all day at JOGS today. <br />
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I'm pretty sure that Marshal has a super sensitivity to light. He can hardly stand to go outside and if there's ANY direct sunlight he shuts his eyes. Being in Washington it doesn't manifest itself a whole lot. :) But here in Tucson he's having a hard time being outside. His nanny had to go buy him a pair of sunglasses!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEils3I1N314cezUuNWAIpm_yV481Xzyw3Iszf9R-UVJ581T1ZM0-03wl-SG0Ju28lTi54ADKsfHI2z2ZWAAWRTaArGRDYBNnrRJWxLy5m4DP7yuE9atnPeba89D-5GG-IVYkowx6fzHEWc/s1600/20140201_014342122_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEils3I1N314cezUuNWAIpm_yV481Xzyw3Iszf9R-UVJ581T1ZM0-03wl-SG0Ju28lTi54ADKsfHI2z2ZWAAWRTaArGRDYBNnrRJWxLy5m4DP7yuE9atnPeba89D-5GG-IVYkowx6fzHEWc/s1600/20140201_014342122_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cool dude.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom found some pretty Amethyst crystals.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Explaining to Marshal where the crystals came from.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsMHQ6vvWcG9pcmWZm6GxDl7OujIFskfu0COBeVXeMpbyKoXeFgeLRmtA1NYQ3ZsgVc7JD-_HY6ENbaqbGOWN3FZZv8f35YbPvloUkBjzcs_VfU4jHkNM2hCdVsMBN-a0ClmlZm7FGQg/s1600/20140201_031017438_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsMHQ6vvWcG9pcmWZm6GxDl7OujIFskfu0COBeVXeMpbyKoXeFgeLRmtA1NYQ3ZsgVc7JD-_HY6ENbaqbGOWN3FZZv8f35YbPvloUkBjzcs_VfU4jHkNM2hCdVsMBN-a0ClmlZm7FGQg/s1600/20140201_031017438_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCMBadNoJaZvnxhOBNGryX_jlRNAM5ZW5Bt1GPpx43-8AewlN0nqS99CbFgTxFl553BdQFLbErrVq8WBG0wAb4KTewxi7nNo2C6aQOXCdQUUGibGB1Kd3DZWMLitvB924myMkW6xUArM/s1600/20140201_031033348_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCMBadNoJaZvnxhOBNGryX_jlRNAM5ZW5Bt1GPpx43-8AewlN0nqS99CbFgTxFl553BdQFLbErrVq8WBG0wAb4KTewxi7nNo2C6aQOXCdQUUGibGB1Kd3DZWMLitvB924myMkW6xUArM/s1600/20140201_031033348_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the inside...tada!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIkU6kQvBmfZGx9w0rR3Yap1lS4fkY1AuIEsdJQXM1tNiyAfhnwoVw_6_hH4NubZBfUoCH3C3TEI42_POsqH68XnC0nHPK6B-kjy2_ttZlJ8q0wfL0HKMA990t9KbalaUQ0GixfRh-PU/s1600/20140201_031859249_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIkU6kQvBmfZGx9w0rR3Yap1lS4fkY1AuIEsdJQXM1tNiyAfhnwoVw_6_hH4NubZBfUoCH3C3TEI42_POsqH68XnC0nHPK6B-kjy2_ttZlJ8q0wfL0HKMA990t9KbalaUQ0GixfRh-PU/s1600/20140201_031859249_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking out his very own Ammonite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzrnSdwgDwnbMC595jEvRMAuXX5L-cYtPNO7TgU_kjFfjuwsklG4zYNHd08hs9b5HDy3dnUs-tUTl8AMRSerR2Qi4Gmt0MjDECNf1bBxlqZBXDBtK3E4fwymiInQFVF3GiGXLppPIxDE/s1600/20140131_200803438_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzrnSdwgDwnbMC595jEvRMAuXX5L-cYtPNO7TgU_kjFfjuwsklG4zYNHd08hs9b5HDy3dnUs-tUTl8AMRSerR2Qi4Gmt0MjDECNf1bBxlqZBXDBtK3E4fwymiInQFVF3GiGXLppPIxDE/s1600/20140131_200803438_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russian nesting dolls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ65KkfXg8trJFJA_rnvUcBRxceLis7TLTHWvuWAtVrRq1ZFmoyCfI65HCyUeQBV333OxX6wtbus7Bll4KsS4ycNV_SzmS17vF-d7-sWnH62_bt7Vw266O0wjAixT_pdGvJTnccHPZq2I/s1600/20140201_015212276_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ65KkfXg8trJFJA_rnvUcBRxceLis7TLTHWvuWAtVrRq1ZFmoyCfI65HCyUeQBV333OxX6wtbus7Bll4KsS4ycNV_SzmS17vF-d7-sWnH62_bt7Vw266O0wjAixT_pdGvJTnccHPZq2I/s1600/20140201_015212276_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rutillated Quartz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM7HAT9qglL03r_oxicvDqQZmuYZd5-aItSbGZ5B_tI4r9W6eFaX0okn1ocwNNiMOjtop-GlXkNWTVtjcHIgi2mnD6d_yxcy31vpMP-eOqcaRP2PFIcheytMHvlR9_wYvPA-xrD7V7tY/s1600/20140201_015651530_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM7HAT9qglL03r_oxicvDqQZmuYZd5-aItSbGZ5B_tI4r9W6eFaX0okn1ocwNNiMOjtop-GlXkNWTVtjcHIgi2mnD6d_yxcy31vpMP-eOqcaRP2PFIcheytMHvlR9_wYvPA-xrD7V7tY/s1600/20140201_015651530_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of rainbow ammonites</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD8KMkPxQbj1S2aIMifR_egPOqa1KCq1uMYETHib-W1Vfgo4ZEcErceyz1aC1Ea1Ffi1hS4i3Ly0AyUZoS8nbdD0u_rljvfa3lPu9ro-KcYQDHRS8O9Meg7xmomDguckpwFeO-tNdyvQ/s1600/20140201_025839310_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD8KMkPxQbj1S2aIMifR_egPOqa1KCq1uMYETHib-W1Vfgo4ZEcErceyz1aC1Ea1Ffi1hS4i3Ly0AyUZoS8nbdD0u_rljvfa3lPu9ro-KcYQDHRS8O9Meg7xmomDguckpwFeO-tNdyvQ/s1600/20140201_025839310_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amber pendants - some I'll list in <a href="http://www.castogemstones.etsy.com/" target="_blank">my Etsy shop</a> but some I can't wait to design with!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7skUg7s61j9R7HG15r7tIpdh5eU-LIDpCiY3NWFmcuD1SoI1HQb6v36WbYyLs4jo9Uiky0cpoHqusCCYNN6k9fzh_gp95LWWHt8nIHFAk3xUSVu2_3ZXN3NlkuobTy2CwhOljjOYEkE/s1600/20140201_030317805_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7skUg7s61j9R7HG15r7tIpdh5eU-LIDpCiY3NWFmcuD1SoI1HQb6v36WbYyLs4jo9Uiky0cpoHqusCCYNN6k9fzh_gp95LWWHt8nIHFAk3xUSVu2_3ZXN3NlkuobTy2CwhOljjOYEkE/s1600/20140201_030317805_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Amber pendants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbRanvOZRhldumHkifoGUNL0yMFjqTefijOSA2gTdjtHmSgzSazNk8bWuAvN6wZtXbx9NIuWJ_kmt4m7SVtI6umQ25fTzyeIKlvur13JBkhDFTg-p8fH2MJryEs3CXRodsWcRYIrOQT8/s1600/20140201_030425170_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbRanvOZRhldumHkifoGUNL0yMFjqTefijOSA2gTdjtHmSgzSazNk8bWuAvN6wZtXbx9NIuWJ_kmt4m7SVtI6umQ25fTzyeIKlvur13JBkhDFTg-p8fH2MJryEs3CXRodsWcRYIrOQT8/s1600/20140201_030425170_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7iu23c5OLpYr7zaYRhN9btzGnMQzS8W5-2wOFPEGJ5Ckf-f7TECG43mrIW4vZkYZvfOp8hxncRrQMTdcKxmyh_msnHMuuohPOGd9n2i7YRJOtpQcrK2PH6-nXXh7cd285_G7MLfdd0Y/s1600/20140201_030527039_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7iu23c5OLpYr7zaYRhN9btzGnMQzS8W5-2wOFPEGJ5Ckf-f7TECG43mrIW4vZkYZvfOp8hxncRrQMTdcKxmyh_msnHMuuohPOGd9n2i7YRJOtpQcrK2PH6-nXXh7cd285_G7MLfdd0Y/s1600/20140201_030527039_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porcelain Jasper doubles for making a butterfly! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAOPgZXj3LwVKVF0SBTyckP9UVybP6Fng60abRmsyJOWE0B8QHcM9pABBu9RxPjgje2MEpAwpwFBO3Lf2fgKFh8HcCLn2Jv5_7S36JN3gEvQy1A0v8Ttp4eLJHDLAQSjZNXz9NlwdZQ4/s1600/20140201_030632683_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAOPgZXj3LwVKVF0SBTyckP9UVybP6Fng60abRmsyJOWE0B8QHcM9pABBu9RxPjgje2MEpAwpwFBO3Lf2fgKFh8HcCLn2Jv5_7S36JN3gEvQy1A0v8Ttp4eLJHDLAQSjZNXz9NlwdZQ4/s1600/20140201_030632683_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink Lacey Agate (they called it an official name and I can't remember it right now)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ywkTrzjGAyV8l_Fn0zmudfTxvfDN92ckCEer6W4oJWBxUKfd8nFg4VD78Ej0PfpJt6cko1HFbUpflOhxX1XjGWIxZyA-mh5fBXCSr_pGx4wzmj-d2CdZVj8udUhAi15yrnZ6wPTtERc/s1600/20140201_030726085_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ywkTrzjGAyV8l_Fn0zmudfTxvfDN92ckCEer6W4oJWBxUKfd8nFg4VD78Ej0PfpJt6cko1HFbUpflOhxX1XjGWIxZyA-mh5fBXCSr_pGx4wzmj-d2CdZVj8udUhAi15yrnZ6wPTtERc/s1600/20140201_030726085_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy Lace Agate</td></tr>
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It's exhausting walking all day. Or the more likely story is I'm super out of shape. Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-806639526887287592014-01-30T18:32:00.000-08:002014-01-30T18:32:15.145-08:00Tucson Trip - Day Two - Holy Fossils BatmanAs exhausted as I was last night, tonight I can barely keep my eyes open. And it's only 7! <br />
<br />
Mom and I slept in more than we had planned so didn't get out of the house until almost 9. The first show we went to started at 9 but when we got there it wasn't busy at all. There were still people setting up. I've never understood that. You know when the show starts, right? How are you not set up? I did meet one vendor who didn't even get his stuff from UPS, even though it was supposed to be there two days ago. So in that case, I understand.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5fSZhNY-AMKu9e9u3kJNv0qnmIQ2P9ugA2QEHhnQ2N2Gf9iNJivuVghp00zqlUr4OoYvOf0GP5PYcYmHBn2clB8j3fEaSKXQ88NaqBNiNh-9qGeT5yZL5iQHeRYNkV-9lLEf1U5VTr8/s1600/20140130_164917260_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5fSZhNY-AMKu9e9u3kJNv0qnmIQ2P9ugA2QEHhnQ2N2Gf9iNJivuVghp00zqlUr4OoYvOf0GP5PYcYmHBn2clB8j3fEaSKXQ88NaqBNiNh-9qGeT5yZL5iQHeRYNkV-9lLEf1U5VTr8/s1600/20140130_164917260_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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We didn't take more than a couple of hours to go through this show. It had amazing fossils.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQbuVgizUBPuf0icw6zZW1voYoM1EbJ8xWzFqcznbXRjkmIw31IarDZ61Nm5tBpp_KSso8s0-a8C7TdjSxtINcRG0cDgFBO4Ok9ekr97fNRvMzxUCeBGmA2fm8-8hl1BHojx9iABa1yY/s1600/20140130_165058356_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQbuVgizUBPuf0icw6zZW1voYoM1EbJ8xWzFqcznbXRjkmIw31IarDZ61Nm5tBpp_KSso8s0-a8C7TdjSxtINcRG0cDgFBO4Ok9ekr97fNRvMzxUCeBGmA2fm8-8hl1BHojx9iABa1yY/s1600/20140130_165058356_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super gorgeous Ammonite - Huge ... and Expensive!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoavGEa0nurqiEwFZymzFTvNjMNpxC2kcUl9cfGaJbhZKjx2pufAHEJ9Envl8IJzwJo-DHYsuFiIMii4cSI7MmiWG8lmuKLKB5mfqwcFRMioRkfOW_7-4Az4I5wIPSiA1WTktcIzeUb6g/s1600/20140130_165146651_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoavGEa0nurqiEwFZymzFTvNjMNpxC2kcUl9cfGaJbhZKjx2pufAHEJ9Envl8IJzwJo-DHYsuFiIMii4cSI7MmiWG8lmuKLKB5mfqwcFRMioRkfOW_7-4Az4I5wIPSiA1WTktcIzeUb6g/s1600/20140130_165146651_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roar!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_JsVj-qj7_g7MbUSV3iKWHKt7fXaUE9pQYYeHKeAyCmfeGBQ96Xt2raECPISoPLYp-jM_KROS7Aaage097CG-K6qXIEh11lkc_7byqq1eYCHiPuXfzoUXeXQ7c21qTLSdVVlM5yWPhw/s1600/20140130_171035783_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_JsVj-qj7_g7MbUSV3iKWHKt7fXaUE9pQYYeHKeAyCmfeGBQ96Xt2raECPISoPLYp-jM_KROS7Aaage097CG-K6qXIEh11lkc_7byqq1eYCHiPuXfzoUXeXQ7c21qTLSdVVlM5yWPhw/s1600/20140130_171035783_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These scare me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We got some beautiful fossil pendants that I'll be listing on my <a href="http://www.castogemstones.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy supply sh</a>op eventually.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ccRRqaVz9gOwu7eZLyeujg2Fvaw3E6e3LD5hsTn4O9srndKWrgFD_Xkst4UewXFwtawhqEBxt4IlXxLH4Sb725hv4HNfxqLOM8MDXHeasZy7PScgLSMtisgj6VbMZgAVd320rCBTEcM/s1600/20140131_002055000_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ccRRqaVz9gOwu7eZLyeujg2Fvaw3E6e3LD5hsTn4O9srndKWrgFD_Xkst4UewXFwtawhqEBxt4IlXxLH4Sb725hv4HNfxqLOM8MDXHeasZy7PScgLSMtisgj6VbMZgAVd320rCBTEcM/s1600/20140131_002055000_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3CIKFSi00Wj74b-BUK0L8JQxYiZlWJeK6Ecu12Gc43Rn1sIYIUmOyZ3Voz20BhHz4hi7Cb5QLtH2MlkcvxrsemXjn1qbYXEJCw77_9X7hrYLBaEtgJVjpRAm5C6FP0XOJAjLEiE2Pkk/s1600/20140131_010731687_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3CIKFSi00Wj74b-BUK0L8JQxYiZlWJeK6Ecu12Gc43Rn1sIYIUmOyZ3Voz20BhHz4hi7Cb5QLtH2MlkcvxrsemXjn1qbYXEJCw77_9X7hrYLBaEtgJVjpRAm5C6FP0XOJAjLEiE2Pkk/s1600/20140131_010731687_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I've never seen such a fancy porta potty! It totally cracked me up and I had to take a photo.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8umP3NbEDboh4q-qNhCFlq94Mdi9-rqwyQl3mdozC8OTttQRRtnTzunZH9J7uUs6cl9eyOcxXCNa-rAHyM8IqIrYWMZrm2VQFigWRNNUriwzCiab7Dt7Ua9nIUFWDglA1bFxUgTwvNPM/s1600/20140130_171737267_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8umP3NbEDboh4q-qNhCFlq94Mdi9-rqwyQl3mdozC8OTttQRRtnTzunZH9J7uUs6cl9eyOcxXCNa-rAHyM8IqIrYWMZrm2VQFigWRNNUriwzCiab7Dt7Ua9nIUFWDglA1bFxUgTwvNPM/s1600/20140130_171737267_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World's fanciest porta-potty.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWxfY6ftFzQ92I5ct9yn1Lnvl2KjPQ5jjoE6v8rW-HCoSi8vcEjLGKJhkuh4iDWzZhXICX6dLVfHU-f01C4N_BpkGPD5TUbuVChXClvoyuar9ouBgxCiwOmon18bQin5SJWS3doPxZWM/s1600/20140130_183650378_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWxfY6ftFzQ92I5ct9yn1Lnvl2KjPQ5jjoE6v8rW-HCoSi8vcEjLGKJhkuh4iDWzZhXICX6dLVfHU-f01C4N_BpkGPD5TUbuVChXClvoyuar9ouBgxCiwOmon18bQin5SJWS3doPxZWM/s1600/20140130_183650378_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty carved quartz (?) or some sort of stone.</td></tr>
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After the first show, we decided we had time to go to JOGS, which is a huge show. So huge we barely made it 1/4 of the way through in 4 hours! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1vWb2BCkA_o3iU-07F2jW9LlfHEqFTkxE5yX4YkNaopjqUd-u-i1eQ6pnI2KW6QpaH42v4Dg_XRR4EcK48vBFq_4NpbeK7R6cmUpEiEWFOdsqSXunWoTd_sLyX7_t5KMg_1fkvgTrX0/s1600/20140130_221357712_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1vWb2BCkA_o3iU-07F2jW9LlfHEqFTkxE5yX4YkNaopjqUd-u-i1eQ6pnI2KW6QpaH42v4Dg_XRR4EcK48vBFq_4NpbeK7R6cmUpEiEWFOdsqSXunWoTd_sLyX7_t5KMg_1fkvgTrX0/s1600/20140130_221357712_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite stones - Labradorite!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TIlzy2ao3tU3VyGFWme85U82crD5WeGldfGRLc4WQXJJWs-KNvLoL7QJLitOClPpyjro0oSPR8axhxmAYN1JWbYRx5Go4CxbKjjIexpofzB7EsT8S7QhyWxdR7GoLxnV3x5UtrQun68/s1600/20140130_211921189_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TIlzy2ao3tU3VyGFWme85U82crD5WeGldfGRLc4WQXJJWs-KNvLoL7QJLitOClPpyjro0oSPR8axhxmAYN1JWbYRx5Go4CxbKjjIexpofzB7EsT8S7QhyWxdR7GoLxnV3x5UtrQun68/s1600/20140130_211921189_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is just a hallway area...you can see how it goes on and on and on.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wUEkdRvaHeeIuD73_uWXOV_3VRwFY4rrQK2aqb47kjsIXMpEF0cxSO8oCbtoOY3iqm68y4qotPJ_JRx-28exd6Sr5V8vLSaDL_dqvjW9kr4TzZ1ON6D6mT__t2VExP5FrqnlPNl5nJg/s1600/20140130_192327125_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzu868UsBvCfr-BRSZvuseIafpjjKHqbx5k9-UHqivMiGE7KfC1-ul9kWjP8X8EzHtevu6vcsFTeQK7I6skR2DFCwnVUnmyryL7r6vOuf_5-EWSxg3-E4ZTCddg3HkWYGKE2ZoA_9G7I/s1600/20140130_211135000_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzu868UsBvCfr-BRSZvuseIafpjjKHqbx5k9-UHqivMiGE7KfC1-ul9kWjP8X8EzHtevu6vcsFTeQK7I6skR2DFCwnVUnmyryL7r6vOuf_5-EWSxg3-E4ZTCddg3HkWYGKE2ZoA_9G7I/s1600/20140130_211135000_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Ammonite with amazing flashes of color</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEG2GLAkHVbN927OB6RfCGRf-mgVSWdyp1qD0jHxGRuEz5JL9uKM9HGmM8OUN3q8az-kxj1CpotgkX_HHHtwMHqpS9kh3TbcZf8juGEXIBd3HFDXJHOhkpkQqnC9VSONG2nRut6Tc8Uo/s1600/20140130_221040607_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEG2GLAkHVbN927OB6RfCGRf-mgVSWdyp1qD0jHxGRuEz5JL9uKM9HGmM8OUN3q8az-kxj1CpotgkX_HHHtwMHqpS9kh3TbcZf8juGEXIBd3HFDXJHOhkpkQqnC9VSONG2nRut6Tc8Uo/s1600/20140130_221040607_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing and beautiful real ivory made from OLD recycled pieces like piano keys, billiard balls, etc.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvE1YRadt6CGJrT72J6N70gbAZ-AhUB-MD0QxQtKkTVMCp93q6w0F9wACe6_zo3UPOGDCJ_n3SFk7bxKrRoc9-SOcjFqV74GZlefTQOjhoKMnSj8ob9ApYB8UPDUADPUoSp0s_h14nso/s1600/20140131_003527000_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvE1YRadt6CGJrT72J6N70gbAZ-AhUB-MD0QxQtKkTVMCp93q6w0F9wACe6_zo3UPOGDCJ_n3SFk7bxKrRoc9-SOcjFqV74GZlefTQOjhoKMnSj8ob9ApYB8UPDUADPUoSp0s_h14nso/s1600/20140131_003527000_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peitersite Cabochons - These will eventually be on my <a href="http://www.castogemstones.etsy.com/" target="_blank">supply shop site</a>. </td></tr>
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We ended the day with some homemade Lemon merengue pie...yummy!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYdMGtwH2uU2itW0vv5O9d9_9G-fJsusYkDSqJBPSaGFsWdTlOelnr6XhIUr_o6dHxMdfmSrSd0kc6Y5ViClbTL8H91UnzeFL5DgO6lWy8T3sqhg_NwX5sNqvsSjDzKnNmNL6KpWnrXE/s1600/20140131_014335257_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYdMGtwH2uU2itW0vv5O9d9_9G-fJsusYkDSqJBPSaGFsWdTlOelnr6XhIUr_o6dHxMdfmSrSd0kc6Y5ViClbTL8H91UnzeFL5DgO6lWy8T3sqhg_NwX5sNqvsSjDzKnNmNL6KpWnrXE/s1600/20140131_014335257_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I haven't been this tired in a long time. Tomorrow starts another busy day so I am going to go to bed early tonight.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-53906679306955261342014-01-29T21:02:00.000-08:002014-01-29T21:02:16.753-08:00Tucson 2014 - Day One - We Have ArrivedWe left for the airport, driven by our personal cheufeur, my little brother, around 9 am. For a 12:30 flight. We live less than one hour from the airport. My mom really likes to be early.<br />
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Marshal could hardly contain his excitement as we got closer and closer. He was a little nervous going through the security section and ran through the xray machine thingy. Yes, ran. I was thankful for understanding TSA guards. lol He might not be able to get away with that when he's older.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHBHydaQ8ya3O2II3lG8F6dVTfPh7TWqHu4ayYm8a6M0CXzqh9LivQSIf3k2esTOppXf1MYlMpUL2LKX-Eaq_GJ-pOi0IZPZA1AZL9ZfFWyJbkNSinzLMquZ753l0Ce_n9QExIsvcLWU/s1600/Tucson1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHBHydaQ8ya3O2II3lG8F6dVTfPh7TWqHu4ayYm8a6M0CXzqh9LivQSIf3k2esTOppXf1MYlMpUL2LKX-Eaq_GJ-pOi0IZPZA1AZL9ZfFWyJbkNSinzLMquZ753l0Ce_n9QExIsvcLWU/s1600/Tucson1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally at the Airport...the excitement is hard to handle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipnOFw52GFhZqsNMYRW2iOV3wxK3lov9Nj3J2rwXYO0suifvyQn6XqWSB0tqvxxtSR5n1oHakUXMNxOCldPg4k8iL-jLGVinU3SYQk-TuQkruRZrfml5evgI07EirvTm7OkV9TO9sxzQ/s1600/20140129_182910771_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipnOFw52GFhZqsNMYRW2iOV3wxK3lov9Nj3J2rwXYO0suifvyQn6XqWSB0tqvxxtSR5n1oHakUXMNxOCldPg4k8iL-jLGVinU3SYQk-TuQkruRZrfml5evgI07EirvTm7OkV9TO9sxzQ/s1600/20140129_182910771_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet baby boy insisted on helping me by rolling my bag all over the airport. And it isn't light weight.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4Ky7TGeRzrpFpRdDS5Ag0Hz2Glu5YWEKajZ2N_jNKzrm05y-P6KVwThIbGGyFdNnbcgWRen5FMw3ko2vz51_OSyiW_qK4cGUSXerTEmGbnsHsvgZPS76YhkRm9tACdKtidYb3EDiH1A/s1600/20140129_184626864_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4Ky7TGeRzrpFpRdDS5Ag0Hz2Glu5YWEKajZ2N_jNKzrm05y-P6KVwThIbGGyFdNnbcgWRen5FMw3ko2vz51_OSyiW_qK4cGUSXerTEmGbnsHsvgZPS76YhkRm9tACdKtidYb3EDiH1A/s1600/20140129_184626864_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Escalators are SO fun!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zOhBfRmtkqWzw5CUlcNLqa_x0T4wU6VEvfsKBGohLrImgN3sJNhlRZtV3vhbBbwIYqg7YCb1eb-PZEXIzph1PmeSXK6oGo1J89IDuqVmr0cz46oIzijXJnzvAAMhPGgPPYIpqBF0wec/s1600/20140129_184756890_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zOhBfRmtkqWzw5CUlcNLqa_x0T4wU6VEvfsKBGohLrImgN3sJNhlRZtV3vhbBbwIYqg7YCb1eb-PZEXIzph1PmeSXK6oGo1J89IDuqVmr0cz46oIzijXJnzvAAMhPGgPPYIpqBF0wec/s1600/20140129_184756890_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You didn't tell me we got to ride a TRAIN!!!</td></tr>
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We got to our assigned gate and found out we were reassigned to a new gate. Oh well. Trek over to the new gate. And look at all these people in matching uniforms. What nerds.<br />
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Oh wait, they're famous or something. I don't watch soccer. I don't like soccer. Even when my little boy is playing I'm not a big fan. These were apparently the "real" Sounders...our local Seattle team. <br />
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Gotta tell you...they get a lot worse treatment than the Seahawks. No plane of their own. No adoring fans trying to take photos. It was kind of funny. They were on our flight too! They sat in coach, all spread out in the back with us. Like the little people. <br />
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And they are YOUNG...some of them look like they're still in high school for pity's sake. My mom couldn't believe they were the real players. She thought maybe it was the B team. hahahaha <br />
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And many were very short...which doesn't surprise me because I always think of soccer players as small. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHGBUGBETqeN0H17a9vvaZRuCVXTCQSZZY3R5wHnBlber8ezLj7Jn-llCSIz0LwTM0UIzIGwtrFDTrrPWI3hFnPN3O-M5YygDsaQaTEy_FetPkUKOzhDShtlEf7Up7KldI-TX0AVUcy8/s1600/20140129_191652659_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHGBUGBETqeN0H17a9vvaZRuCVXTCQSZZY3R5wHnBlber8ezLj7Jn-llCSIz0LwTM0UIzIGwtrFDTrrPWI3hFnPN3O-M5YygDsaQaTEy_FetPkUKOzhDShtlEf7Up7KldI-TX0AVUcy8/s1600/20140129_191652659_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently these are soccer players.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CagzGqP3Th4_4T9W8M958c2uAny4q5k1zulDfm5yLGhnRu_710lzgkJ6nK7ZWZm4xW4CsDW40yzBAVGbQ4mmrdn8Zm6A_V6dEOc-J7r5fGGnFKby9DcyCYHXcjXL7lweZRomZVpjsS4/s1600/20140129_192648364_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CagzGqP3Th4_4T9W8M958c2uAny4q5k1zulDfm5yLGhnRu_710lzgkJ6nK7ZWZm4xW4CsDW40yzBAVGbQ4mmrdn8Zm6A_V6dEOc-J7r5fGGnFKby9DcyCYHXcjXL7lweZRomZVpjsS4/s1600/20140129_192648364_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey there's planes out there.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHscWwQ-wsUGdoZ2eU8h4GEfPPhus3PzgAKdSH9jOlNw_EqcId81eblbxWAAxdMiyhEM8PFLjczNNpRStg3JakkxmDxXx8LvR8Cu6z7sxEyHNegZRgy2BmPf6vXYWQABN0Va_odPesF8/s1600/20140129_193724374_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHscWwQ-wsUGdoZ2eU8h4GEfPPhus3PzgAKdSH9jOlNw_EqcId81eblbxWAAxdMiyhEM8PFLjczNNpRStg3JakkxmDxXx8LvR8Cu6z7sxEyHNegZRgy2BmPf6vXYWQABN0Va_odPesF8/s1600/20140129_193724374_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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It's really hard to wait for something as exciting as your first airplane ride. Marshal did great. We read a couple of books while we waited - and of course our flight was delayed so he had to muster up even more patience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmIAC-w_NCtbiFTtdHR4qOetGUmuCrifE81A2NqYo8RW_JBpA9TLDEMh3elB54YlivRoY-B01L_ZgkSo0vQJ3TScOKwx_ejShE4TZDP_Wc8fbZvFYx5N08gLPd5KxHMiq-ZKR5r4e7t4/s1600/20140129_210750134_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmIAC-w_NCtbiFTtdHR4qOetGUmuCrifE81A2NqYo8RW_JBpA9TLDEMh3elB54YlivRoY-B01L_ZgkSo0vQJ3TScOKwx_ejShE4TZDP_Wc8fbZvFYx5N08gLPd5KxHMiq-ZKR5r4e7t4/s1600/20140129_210750134_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the plane!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia416wBYUqV4lUUj5CYQLcY4I67E1-LgqzsbmzpF5f2Db44mnOZ4afNtya6Dk6e3FqqrIIC1DcyzsNShl0iKVP3XFCbVT4ld0sRB_515kwrA9IMCUAVpTsd3s9ZwVMSpZ76mPF6tf-K1k/s1600/Tucson3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia416wBYUqV4lUUj5CYQLcY4I67E1-LgqzsbmzpF5f2Db44mnOZ4afNtya6Dk6e3FqqrIIC1DcyzsNShl0iKVP3XFCbVT4ld0sRB_515kwrA9IMCUAVpTsd3s9ZwVMSpZ76mPF6tf-K1k/s1600/Tucson3.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving the Earth! </td></tr>
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<br />
I wondered how Marshal would handle the take off. He did fairly well but we had to cuddle and cover his ears. It was so loud and he does not typically like very loud noises. Once we were up in the air he was not super impressed with the view and kept his shade down nearly the whole time. <br />
<br />
Sadly, we had a small child sitting across the aisle from us who screamed for half the flight. SCREAMED. Not cried. Screamed bloody murder. Poor kid. I actually managed to tune it out fairly well but she did hit some high pitched screams that caused a jolt. I could tell the other passengers were getting frustrated and a little annoyed. But I felt bad for the mom and dad. There wasn't anything they could do. She was tired and flying isn't easy for kids. She looked like she was less than 2. She finally fell asleep and slept for the middle portion of the flight...but kept on where she left off after she woke up. I know the parents felt bad so as we were waiting to exit I told them it didn't bother me (which was true). I told the mom that I have a 7 month old at home so I'm used to screaming. <br />
<br />
After we were all off the plane she found me again and thanked me for saying that to her. People don't give parents enough slack while traveling. I NEVER wanted to travel with Marshal until now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RuCAzVXdGFlIjcvu6gLYnO4gc-OHaYuw5MgGnO-tzZ66tSmqZjMyg-S8zh7yvl-XY3okk1GIDj3eT8Nt7aGU-eul41lShn_RlBuM26dkMzCF7Hl6ZmLpciefhueEhD_CMCOfSSwXy20/s1600/20140129_211241973_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RuCAzVXdGFlIjcvu6gLYnO4gc-OHaYuw5MgGnO-tzZ66tSmqZjMyg-S8zh7yvl-XY3okk1GIDj3eT8Nt7aGU-eul41lShn_RlBuM26dkMzCF7Hl6ZmLpciefhueEhD_CMCOfSSwXy20/s1600/20140129_211241973_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm so cool.<br />
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</td></tr>
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We landed safely in Tucson and waited...and waited...and waited to get off the plane. Our seats were literally in the last row. So even more waiting for Marshal. His patience meter was wearing thin but he did amazingly well for a 4 year old. <br />
<br />
As we went toward baggage we heard "MARSHAL LAWRENCE CASTO" being hollered. And there was nanny waiting for her boy. He was really excited. I was worried he'd do his shy bit but apparently being "raised" his first four years by her precludes all shyness. <br />
<br />
He ran all over the airport and the car rental place, talking non stop. <br />
<br />
Did you know there are cactus in Tucson. EVERYWHERE? I do. Because my four year old said every 10 seconds - Look mom, Cactus...there...look...mooommmmmm....cactus! He's very excited about the cactus.<br />
<br />
It took awhile to get to the airport to nanny's house and Marshal got a nice little nap in. Tomorrow my mom and I hit the town for our first rock show. We may do two if we have time and aren't too exhausted. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiQNpbwy8bCwYpzU6Cr0mWR5ycwpEc6LRZB5kEzv4F1z_VUu1jhHTal1VcYcisGIgrnyEgnOopxtnu-aYKIW-Jnp5aQGS5v5eSBydbvQqye1COvaITX9Br_kOMM68zpmjUIwF7-0jkKQ/s1600/Tucson2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiQNpbwy8bCwYpzU6Cr0mWR5ycwpEc6LRZB5kEzv4F1z_VUu1jhHTal1VcYcisGIgrnyEgnOopxtnu-aYKIW-Jnp5aQGS5v5eSBydbvQqye1COvaITX9Br_kOMM68zpmjUIwF7-0jkKQ/s1600/Tucson2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used to be able to bend that way. Poor tired traveler.</td></tr>
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Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-51132921415504889282014-01-15T20:57:00.001-08:002014-01-15T20:57:27.777-08:00I Think I'm Really a GuyOkay, not literally. But my characteristics and behavior sure do line up to being a guy.<br />
<br />
Granted, the "guy" behaviors are stereotypes but since guys and gals are different and stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.<br />
<br />
When someone shares their problems or concerns, my first instinct is to try to find a way to fix it. I want to be helpful and useful. And yet as a girl, I HATE it when my husband does that!!! Sometimes I just want someone to listen.<br />
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I'm hopelessly unromantic. My husband is a lucky man. I am thrilled when he vacuums. That's romance! I don't need any special dates, flowers, cards. Nope. I'm happy with a quick meal at McDonalds and a movie. <br />
<br />
My husband occasionally tells me I'm fat. Isn't that horrible?!?! But quite frankly, it doesn't upset me ... once in awhile if it's that time of the month I get annoyed and tell him to hush. But generally I roll my eyes and poke him in the belly. Ha! <br />
<br />
I have my girly moments. There are movies and books that make me cry. I have a lot more mommy patience than my husband does. <br />
<br />
I find it interesting that we have such set ideas of how girls and women are "supposed" to be. Even in elementary school I felt different than my girlfriends. I was completely boy crazy like they were but I definitely didn't feel as connected emotionally to them as they seemed to be to each other. Maybe I was more emotional prior to my dad dying (I was 8). But I don't remember a ton before that.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-72095366877100528122014-01-08T22:12:00.001-08:002014-01-08T22:12:51.087-08:00I Told My Son the Truth - I Hope it Didn't Scar Him for LifeFor some reason tonight as I put my Marshal to bed we got on the topic of losing teeth. One of our church friends lost a tooth and we started talking about the tooth fairy. I'm pretty sure I brought it up. Oops.<br />
<br />
So as I proceed to answer his Tooth Fairy questions I start feeling really bad. I was already feeling bad about telling the "stories" about Santa Claus for Christmas. <br />
<br />
He asked me what kind of shoes the tooth fairy wore. Girl or boy? Does he use magic fairy sprinkle to disappear? Will I see him if I wake up? Where do all the teeth go? <br />
<br />
Oy.<br />
<br />
Finally I said, "Honey, can I tell you a secret? The tooth fairy is pretend."<br />
<br />
He looked at me like I'd told him he could eat ice cream for dinner. Eyes wide open and a gleeful grin on his face.<br />
<br />
Well at least he wasn't crying.<br />
<br />
He took it really well, which shouldn't surprise me. I proceeded to tell him that mommy and daddy are the ones who bring money to put under the pillow. And that my mommy did it for me when I lost my teeth. <br />
<br />
And I have now proceeded to ruin his childhood. I don't know why I felt so guilty about letting him go on thinking the tooth fairy was real. I hate lying to him. But now I feel bad about taking away something as innocent as the tooth fairy. . . I did tell him not to tell other kids because they might still think he's real (I don't know why but the tooth fairy is a guy in my head).<br />
<br />
Next up... the Easter Bunny. Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-1847235612382331412014-01-07T08:41:00.000-08:002014-01-07T08:42:22.700-08:00Identifying Stones Is Not Easy - Part TwoIt feels like an overwhelming task - identifying all of the stones that my grandparents collected over the years. And I don't have a ton of resources other than online. They do have a couple of books in their collection so I reference those, but this process is super slow.<br />
<br />
Thankfully the internet now exists and there are lots of rock lovers who can help. There's a fabulous group on Facebook that is gracious and patient with me while I post lots of pictures and ask "What are these?" :)<br />
<br />
The downside of this though is that sometimes there are lots of opinions on what something is.<br />
<br />
This stone...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLKg_hNuLshI8Xo6Dk6M9SMvtbCNeIsqRt3o9cu_PmlhANuaJKt57mD6DbFtcXILf4Y8hzkjozXjkuQqJTEqK5YTRLppSzvocqNmb3HekSjXnjcdF7Co6FepjLIxrWop3yXZf_993NFM/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLKg_hNuLshI8Xo6Dk6M9SMvtbCNeIsqRt3o9cu_PmlhANuaJKt57mD6DbFtcXILf4Y8hzkjozXjkuQqJTEqK5YTRLppSzvocqNmb3HekSjXnjcdF7Co6FepjLIxrWop3yXZf_993NFM/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_5.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_crvABKrXPQOVZkOkmBl1MFc_6KzNNEWTc0ucxlR_XN7CIPW1rrVLQPiLCpmRdOyQCki07RoeiLvBeOZw6IW0JjzfTaV0DiCILqa1hIueWNRoXprYzKQlHbOFpDNr1i9Kxbb38V-hOC4/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_crvABKrXPQOVZkOkmBl1MFc_6KzNNEWTc0ucxlR_XN7CIPW1rrVLQPiLCpmRdOyQCki07RoeiLvBeOZw6IW0JjzfTaV0DiCILqa1hIueWNRoXprYzKQlHbOFpDNr1i9Kxbb38V-hOC4/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_6.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
...is really lovely. It appeared to me to be some sort of Jasper and was in with the Biggs Jasper.<br />
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The opinions shared on the Rockhound facebook group ranged from...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3plRDQ4WIJQkcMyqDPrD6Fvu-bYhtrwzyquyNEczJ_QdNbeX-3VJ3CHarAi9uTmrdzIEnysbrQAFvvFHwW347Diy1ciSpW2wwTy-xXsZOa1w700R2aeT_q7dxwFEpzBYTGmaeN5Rxbs/s1600/$(KGrHqVHJDEE+YYTcLb4BQKB0rjyg!~~60_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3plRDQ4WIJQkcMyqDPrD6Fvu-bYhtrwzyquyNEczJ_QdNbeX-3VJ3CHarAi9uTmrdzIEnysbrQAFvvFHwW347Diy1ciSpW2wwTy-xXsZOa1w700R2aeT_q7dxwFEpzBYTGmaeN5Rxbs/s1600/$(KGrHqVHJDEE+YYTcLb4BQKB0rjyg!~~60_35.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Cripple Creek Jasper</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://andy321.proboards.com/thread/36208" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AmnYHGYyo9VGZQzhsIWIaGoYISnyt-y_g5f530n2wNqTzOUw-MVjL0FYst58aXIsp73hXKS0XzQri4qBkNgbHFWFYGB-oFCMnlPCqbEfk8C_7nrn-5wPw7L1DoO-3CwaK7Z-vbA2iKU/s1600/DSCN5773.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://andy321.proboards.com/thread/36208" target="_blank">Chicken Scratch Jasper</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-DBlair5/Detail.bok?no=2819" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTPRvw1EBQIdM2MMiiakMmmF9GDF089oB3yLJheh3PvGZKx984huoWzrRUSR2dP6Fq779bxqoaEsaI6j4VXd1tnvZj-deWZiuf2EVCnqHrhDOZSw98WG90cf1N6O6lWQZFkJhO5bLm34/s1600/IMG_4413.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arroyo Jasper</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thespheremaker.com/zroughsuccorcreek.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQ6ldiwEqBrPn3zTDJZJ73L09ulEY2YVluTeRJuyQTXA6yjYFs8z6k-R7FfwHaxZqaOoLnhVZ0q1rrKstd7D8EApU4XkNSAWJWqBBu8VGAJZlDPkZpdl1MXTZbRtLm5HL6o-jJ805m34/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Succor Creek Picture Jasper</td></tr>
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In my eyes, the Succor Creek Picture Jasper is the closest and looks like most of what I have of this stone. So that's what I'm going with...Succor Creek. It's hard to dismiss the Arroyo Jasper. But I have to pick one!<br />
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So many more to identify!<br />
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Eventually some of the stone rough will be available in my <a href="http://www.castogemstones.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy Supply</a> shop but it's really going to take me awhile to get everything organized.<br />
<br />Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-92152867608878008522013-12-30T08:49:00.001-08:002013-12-30T08:49:32.608-08:00Identifying Stones Is Not Easy - Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My grandparents were avid rock hounds, collectors, and cutters. I've shared their work here before and most of the cut and polished stones have been identified. The rough stone, uncut and unpolished, is a little harder.</div>
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If grandma wrote on it, it obviously is easier... though I could not read her writing on this stone. I did finally figure out that it is <a href="http://geology.about.com/od/minerals/ig/minpicmicas/minpicphengite.htm" target="_blank">Mariposite</a>. I'd never heard of this before but it's awfully pretty. Now I need to decide whether I want to have some pendant focal beads made from it or sell the whole slab. I think they have some more of it in their stock. If I remember correctly there's a huge chunk that isn't cut in slab form yet.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFUsPWtrqBITcmnOUB_nTDhyphenhyphen4E5I8QOX-mK8VYSiYoA7h8IwQQoSM_eAeIFiLUlsXH9zYYU1gkjQqTAQWvWMeb3rLsbcQlDTGvr2Wi8UgOOAYmsh8CV7xNGWh7wxGADbAiA5BONwiMtI/s1600/2013-10-20T17-59-01_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFUsPWtrqBITcmnOUB_nTDhyphenhyphen4E5I8QOX-mK8VYSiYoA7h8IwQQoSM_eAeIFiLUlsXH9zYYU1gkjQqTAQWvWMeb3rLsbcQlDTGvr2Wi8UgOOAYmsh8CV7xNGWh7wxGADbAiA5BONwiMtI/s320/2013-10-20T17-59-01_2.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJe75qpBIBaAzk0MM_aeqbY-rC5quhiwXfKwBl0mm_9eSuYO9KJszEVOE9y_MSgblELkarWewlCZiyfqWBSxrP_nUbH5dRio3O0UjB6mArUnRAzS1Td79g7ByMkwHQAkptcsYirYsZ6g/s1600/2013-10-20T17-59-01_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJe75qpBIBaAzk0MM_aeqbY-rC5quhiwXfKwBl0mm_9eSuYO9KJszEVOE9y_MSgblELkarWewlCZiyfqWBSxrP_nUbH5dRio3O0UjB6mArUnRAzS1Td79g7ByMkwHQAkptcsYirYsZ6g/s320/2013-10-20T17-59-01_3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This stone looks like a Jasper but I was not entirely sure which kind. There are seemingly hundreds. This one didn't take more than 10 minutes or so to find online. It appears to be <a href="http://andy321.proboards.com/thread/18780" target="_blank">Blue Mountain Picture Jasper.</a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcFT597E3YPsgLy3LkTUyN3VyFokuLrhjGnWnktcmCN5-Tt5f1iXZe-W3nMjtymmkgg1hHBf08I5RpNA9ORkYlzRlWEFKRozjMfN-HP_YLhjwqMuVYm18wh4jaI5S7u0x1yICM-Dv380/s1600/2013-10-20T17-59-01_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcFT597E3YPsgLy3LkTUyN3VyFokuLrhjGnWnktcmCN5-Tt5f1iXZe-W3nMjtymmkgg1hHBf08I5RpNA9ORkYlzRlWEFKRozjMfN-HP_YLhjwqMuVYm18wh4jaI5S7u0x1yICM-Dv380/s320/2013-10-20T17-59-01_11.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Mountain Picture Jasper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This one I actually knew and they have several. This is lovely <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/63710706/25-off-sale-gem-silica-chrysocolla?ref=related-3" target="_blank">Chrysocolla</a> and I think it has Malachite and Azurite together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISe9lIy-RxUNqAEGtERlQ9jZZDPmyhaXJRMF7lhntAvX8Fpu7u4n7MsHUtaE-ulCx-bqeyGo-B88j-VLQ7wfcRKeIRAdnLPpU-8xlXkvtEt6GkJvGKqtwFZUlnQ0_jM7AX70szx31qLw/s1600/2013-10-20T17-59-01_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISe9lIy-RxUNqAEGtERlQ9jZZDPmyhaXJRMF7lhntAvX8Fpu7u4n7MsHUtaE-ulCx-bqeyGo-B88j-VLQ7wfcRKeIRAdnLPpU-8xlXkvtEt6GkJvGKqtwFZUlnQ0_jM7AX70szx31qLw/s320/2013-10-20T17-59-01_14.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This one I found by accident while looking for another one. This is Imperial Jasper and I've found about six small slabs like these. They're so beautiful in person - like God painted with green and white paint, swirling and feathering it together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IC_6kQIpO2SRtaJapg_UfKkS2xevhY721h0w1S_xwJbheBuNyogi72jVg5TrkgYSHl9hy-F6rOoSZo2tNzvLJ7pgOKbcR1fg_RCMiWVTxPEUhn3zYKN8jvz-tysrZkXFdc6B_yOwSGo/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_83.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IC_6kQIpO2SRtaJapg_UfKkS2xevhY721h0w1S_xwJbheBuNyogi72jVg5TrkgYSHl9hy-F6rOoSZo2tNzvLJ7pgOKbcR1fg_RCMiWVTxPEUhn3zYKN8jvz-tysrZkXFdc6B_yOwSGo/s320/2013-10-21T14-04-30_83.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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What's even more fun is that Marshal was helping me with identification using the pictures we were finding online. Maybe I can pass on my grandparent's legacy to him too.</div>
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I have a LOT of work to do to identify all their stones. Here are a few more I'll be working on soon.</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmV32a23g7e-1mOF_U3gvMQfqbPHoZbjtRSCGSRtUPIeXR4IjR3R6C-HrftqbmSC_9SJZ3rogrJCSZHJUACD_bVRmbNYvF28Eg3JXHFQBhh6lQwxHjnfAJ3nBUpg7HZVMRK5T47tGLvU/s200/2013-10-20T17-59-01_49.jpg" width="150" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsiVaAAZIi563J3JO_GUF5qAQbFTDq2fXU54iYGUM9fngrSuf4auE9qxahq9kpTvUxoXya2OuN1s93Lgcq0B_xm2tpsAT8tz43JSEz3WMCLDo2u25EI2QKu_0L1atOXwhGBOoNs2J5X8/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsiVaAAZIi563J3JO_GUF5qAQbFTDq2fXU54iYGUM9fngrSuf4auE9qxahq9kpTvUxoXya2OuN1s93Lgcq0B_xm2tpsAT8tz43JSEz3WMCLDo2u25EI2QKu_0L1atOXwhGBOoNs2J5X8/s200/2013-10-21T14-04-30_12.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0aiq51psZDTEvTj47iUK4Rj-T4nB7SXBYci5eEdPGqnDuy_Q_fkl-Ijf9JRpog2GpJB-mZfhXFw5sqR7IPMFTcssnjkRblzzDz85-5Oa9moPCCzObdflbdCLpbAaF4PRhFDZ1zxRh5Q/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0aiq51psZDTEvTj47iUK4Rj-T4nB7SXBYci5eEdPGqnDuy_Q_fkl-Ijf9JRpog2GpJB-mZfhXFw5sqR7IPMFTcssnjkRblzzDz85-5Oa9moPCCzObdflbdCLpbAaF4PRhFDZ1zxRh5Q/s200/2013-10-21T14-04-30_18.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uYNn2oJWT9ekM9ZkKQVuHB5L9tsua42B4emSvjfLmtKeZ3iR09Q-O7syJ_mIwamoKXayexc1nvRG8EAS7W7uPddnU6_PMn2Msm88WqLb-TvqWf1h3vn7r6VjAABhRCey9rUpXF-2S80/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uYNn2oJWT9ekM9ZkKQVuHB5L9tsua42B4emSvjfLmtKeZ3iR09Q-O7syJ_mIwamoKXayexc1nvRG8EAS7W7uPddnU6_PMn2Msm88WqLb-TvqWf1h3vn7r6VjAABhRCey9rUpXF-2S80/s200/2013-10-21T14-04-30_32.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2n5vi_VljrjXJOmCglLmW2dsLjyWVgZ9RmaFkpTDWpUYIT0tJCqDi_pp0_YTkO7H0L0wP7mSctQHyfa0q5c2q70p_LmwEA1E40LkF_Ka-eUC9uvhFcHx1uvquHve0jLp6Xx9AUJlK2R0/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2n5vi_VljrjXJOmCglLmW2dsLjyWVgZ9RmaFkpTDWpUYIT0tJCqDi_pp0_YTkO7H0L0wP7mSctQHyfa0q5c2q70p_LmwEA1E40LkF_Ka-eUC9uvhFcHx1uvquHve0jLp6Xx9AUJlK2R0/s200/2013-10-21T14-04-30_35.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2SHIGBL91Ytq5jTBnvU_zL4uKtlfW4p_F2giV3W3LTk-4OT9ugnZvnnnWd7Id5YYPSdOqqX4k9D6eJZhehdJRZyRWtbjcjW7XwJPIVxMpS0pfYwPeug0XKry-gRvef2nbEjaJlnw9I8/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2SHIGBL91Ytq5jTBnvU_zL4uKtlfW4p_F2giV3W3LTk-4OT9ugnZvnnnWd7Id5YYPSdOqqX4k9D6eJZhehdJRZyRWtbjcjW7XwJPIVxMpS0pfYwPeug0XKry-gRvef2nbEjaJlnw9I8/s200/2013-10-21T14-04-30_41.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLCM1KTxbNStnSK6jbpY6WNjLbCClcktp-EDM2pg4-6oOJtQ-AukW8agPXlhpQEFBto0b3T7pvl1FUCCd4glp76_Y9N6266RZes6lDzubafSI6p4gpQ5Szdj0z-OOhMuJhagZZ8ydMMY/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLCM1KTxbNStnSK6jbpY6WNjLbCClcktp-EDM2pg4-6oOJtQ-AukW8agPXlhpQEFBto0b3T7pvl1FUCCd4glp76_Y9N6266RZes6lDzubafSI6p4gpQ5Szdj0z-OOhMuJhagZZ8ydMMY/s200/2013-10-21T14-04-30_43.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmu9lt-GBFgCvoy4jeW7S2rzAMDQOeusss3Jip7h0un0cRRzxg4GUAH6zHFz0qml7ZmyiVTNJw2OwGpeozm_O2iJrBfxWbwP3KnPYTY2-YqYIB8n1yothyphenhyphenhD3iQSqd1iDLtXXVkv7Sizc/s1600/2013-10-21T14-04-30_57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmu9lt-GBFgCvoy4jeW7S2rzAMDQOeusss3Jip7h0un0cRRzxg4GUAH6zHFz0qml7ZmyiVTNJw2OwGpeozm_O2iJrBfxWbwP3KnPYTY2-YqYIB8n1yothyphenhyphenhD3iQSqd1iDLtXXVkv7Sizc/s200/2013-10-21T14-04-30_57.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwhE6ecTDToY3gjIm3OWr1Nn1n1afKfY2zkDfQNzbbP1c1i6BsqFFUr16tvJgwXdIWPL7ZP0A3VLsBzsSKuahZxvAPgZfKrolQXh3D5iMexVckonwFAcD-lTY0FUv0IlvD8-aP5zgSAI/s1600/P1020222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwhE6ecTDToY3gjIm3OWr1Nn1n1afKfY2zkDfQNzbbP1c1i6BsqFFUr16tvJgwXdIWPL7ZP0A3VLsBzsSKuahZxvAPgZfKrolQXh3D5iMexVckonwFAcD-lTY0FUv0IlvD8-aP5zgSAI/s200/P1020222.JPG" width="160" /></a></div>
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Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-63941992996183355692013-12-17T08:38:00.000-08:002013-12-17T08:38:28.753-08:00I Get Jealous a Lot and I'm Working On ItMy competitive nature can sometimes get the best of me. It's not that I can't lose gracefully. It's more that I want to do better than other people. And when I don't my green Envy monster comes out.<br />
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That sounds horrible doesn't it? I'll try to explain.<br />
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I tend to not care that other people make more money or have bigger houses. I try my best to be content with what I have and where I am in life. Nowhere is this harder for me than in my jewelry business.<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/123842224/freshwater-pearl-bunch-cascade-bracelet?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnC4c_BPSGf3owy4XJi_M2tOMnUW8xg1VTqCyWuxbvsJ6VUmaHiHB7l-q6KO2xfnQ5W6w9s6SrEsp4ZPZDEbS0Ey2-FEBgvbiZt7hY89k3lWre_XCpoY5oj5Spd5lGBc6H93ClDwa27U/s320/il_fullxfull.428394859_es0x.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I browse Etsy once in awhile, looking at other Jewelry Artisans to see what they're up to. A couple are people I've met (in person or online) and known for several years. It has taken me many years to be happy for their success.<br />
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Comparing myself to them is unhealthy and counter productive but I'm constantly fighting the thoughts...Why am I not as successful? Are my designs not as good? How do they get their photos so great? I wish I could do that.<br />
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And none of those thoughts are healthy or helpful. Seriously! When I create something that I find outstanding and beautiful it does not make my work better than theirs, nor does their beauty somehow make mine less so.<br />
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One of my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JenniferCasady?ref=shop_sugg" target="_blank">particularly successful friends</a> makes similar jewelry to mine and her photos are phenomenal (super important for online selling). And she has an outstanding number of sales. Oh and she somehow manages it all with three kids.<br />
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*insert grouchy face here*<br />
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I envy her work. I do. I admit it. Her work is lovely. I wish I knew how she took such great pictures too. And I know she's worked very hard at it all. Instead of frustrated that my work hasn't sold as well I need to be happy for her (and I really am).<br />
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This envy is something I will continue to battle and sometimes I meet it head on by purposely promoting other jewelry designers...kind of a vaccine against envy by taking a live virus. hahahaha Great visual right?<br />
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The reality is that I cannot make all the different types of jewelry that can be made in the world. I have my style and I need to focus on that. <b>Focus on what I can do, not what others do.</b> And I think that's an important philosophy for life in general. Don't worry about others - their wealth or their job or their talents - focus on what YOU can do and be.<br />
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Friends who make jewelry...<br />
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<a href="http://www.danasjewelrydesign.com/" target="_blank">Dana James</a><br />
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JenniferCasady?ref=shop_sugg" target="_blank">Jennifer Casady</a><br />
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/sylviaswaseydesigns" target="_blank">Sylvia Swasey</a><br />
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And here's my shop - <a href="http://www.castocreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Casto Creations Jewelry</a> - in case you want to compare...just don't tell me if you like theirs better, okay? =)<br />
<br />Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-89034172902543329932013-12-07T11:31:00.000-08:002013-12-07T11:31:17.778-08:00Two Boys, A Dog, and a TreeAs a follow up to my post about taking pictures of little kids and babies I thought I'd share my latest photography experience.<br />
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When Marshal was a baby we had "professional" photos taken at Target. I found a baby Santa outfit so of course he had to have it, and I saved it for Dillon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIl5vtUorHEuhjITqDpkyzDyQ8hI1bUggXTNdin-ovqB8IzN71Memsrt0ckhdy0aaRlGgaTtJMjiRO4TyzUZZmIm7lYTUJXGVgBuXu9AoPcQQCEBMCQzkRQs3L5ya9ewL30nh-_90PsU8/s1600/T840-LTTT0840104434TAR-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIl5vtUorHEuhjITqDpkyzDyQ8hI1bUggXTNdin-ovqB8IzN71Memsrt0ckhdy0aaRlGgaTtJMjiRO4TyzUZZmIm7lYTUJXGVgBuXu9AoPcQQCEBMCQzkRQs3L5ya9ewL30nh-_90PsU8/s320/T840-LTTT0840104434TAR-15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwZ3KzF9cUP_bLLTjrnbiPMO0k7ghA1MzwWwcItNddiZZ2oDDCXbmXPWtKXBlwSaHqIiaaHo0_-W80P9YZRfvPdVsyMnoqG1WPYsI_T6ytzEpoZ5yxyy1gmEYJ1r60z9jDvlm69g-EhI/s1600/1+copy_T840-LTTT0840104434TAR-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwZ3KzF9cUP_bLLTjrnbiPMO0k7ghA1MzwWwcItNddiZZ2oDDCXbmXPWtKXBlwSaHqIiaaHo0_-W80P9YZRfvPdVsyMnoqG1WPYsI_T6ytzEpoZ5yxyy1gmEYJ1r60z9jDvlm69g-EhI/s1600/1+copy_T840-LTTT0840104434TAR-10.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshal in all his cuteness - less than 3 months old. Somehow the clothes look like they fit even though it's a 12 month outfit.</td></tr>
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As is the case with most second children, we aren't going to Target to get pictures taken. We were going to meet with my friend who takes amazing photographs but both boys were sick so we had to cancel.<br />
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So I thought I'd try it on my own...by myself...with no assistance other than Marshal.<br />
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I started out using my regular camera before trying to use my iPhone. For some reason I have a very hard time getting shots that aren't blurry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmGv3R00bz-xYldGEekm8wNBo0kmQ32c6zenCbdeI9avAtg5g5GBEL5Qb6opGqr5deN39AKblPWUTR_csS6XO74mHDAxFXyCkETdkJReVgbr2Jd6eEO2v7c_vyfbGgQnsGDdNESu2rps/s1600/P1130817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmGv3R00bz-xYldGEekm8wNBo0kmQ32c6zenCbdeI9avAtg5g5GBEL5Qb6opGqr5deN39AKblPWUTR_csS6XO74mHDAxFXyCkETdkJReVgbr2Jd6eEO2v7c_vyfbGgQnsGDdNESu2rps/s320/P1130817.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smell my feet!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwMAZBFXp0BauJDceVBRqZ9FKQWJpwrQ-aXHNF8edjtGmOsyJkeHgy5MUqPKJy0bsVbzHnysWVSx2t3FqBwZPyeOQN7OBGlFC7qSTIc2cipa1AOQcvG3ntQojFM2oiooXSCweeTqkTjc/s1600/P1130835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwMAZBFXp0BauJDceVBRqZ9FKQWJpwrQ-aXHNF8edjtGmOsyJkeHgy5MUqPKJy0bsVbzHnysWVSx2t3FqBwZPyeOQN7OBGlFC7qSTIc2cipa1AOQcvG3ntQojFM2oiooXSCweeTqkTjc/s320/P1130835.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey look, the dog!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv5uZQY5WAulT0eZZF22Ul0ErMch7phqgJjTH6fwzGHzLDy1qIT-P86hj5ZQYnpJYgAYl0glc9Dfo6vgREmmMFKRAjkKViSDY1hOegmAPy9Z274SmjBuH0D84_vUTgyIekTrLQBxeGnk/s1600/P1130838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv5uZQY5WAulT0eZZF22Ul0ErMch7phqgJjTH6fwzGHzLDy1qIT-P86hj5ZQYnpJYgAYl0glc9Dfo6vgREmmMFKRAjkKViSDY1hOegmAPy9Z274SmjBuH0D84_vUTgyIekTrLQBxeGnk/s320/P1130838.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catch me! I'm falling!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ88HdPh-GcwYvX6bNQmPCjH-Qr-C44wVsZpCjPpue9fq1HqmcnrwnATgHh093-dRbvSGUENH3yRACkBAw30Krxa9AujZLomYBjwvx6c4nWICNuOaCsV-pSuC1Bs9NE-ouSTEoMrTdOgk/s1600/P1130831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ88HdPh-GcwYvX6bNQmPCjH-Qr-C44wVsZpCjPpue9fq1HqmcnrwnATgHh093-dRbvSGUENH3yRACkBAw30Krxa9AujZLomYBjwvx6c4nWICNuOaCsV-pSuC1Bs9NE-ouSTEoMrTdOgk/s320/P1130831.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why won't blogger let my photos be the right way? I fixed it in the photo editor! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNXoeTGoP0EMWmYCkHEhMrwlUTXQvn043cLTwgOg9PZ39q9m7VOgsXDa4erNSoJU5HXhi0WTi2IEP5pLSGOJMTYrZSY6-b9hiFxOQODIU-9bFkvoW4hBgh2PZwJMS4l4iZ8YNT9LNNGc/s1600/20131206_195814762_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNXoeTGoP0EMWmYCkHEhMrwlUTXQvn043cLTwgOg9PZ39q9m7VOgsXDa4erNSoJU5HXhi0WTi2IEP5pLSGOJMTYrZSY6-b9hiFxOQODIU-9bFkvoW4hBgh2PZwJMS4l4iZ8YNT9LNNGc/s320/20131206_195814762_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other than being a bit blurry, and it looking like there's spit up on his lips, this one is great. It's not spit up. It's drool and reflection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThfA7isiwKF9ePF2Gz93GJ11CLoV5maAcwOKNanxyGI9tXphsig9zxPmWOEYVU8JDh_E2VBlWIT6cNm2pjNKZnr7viOn-BHgkLMToGWKm6yjawXRY24QOilRfTRaHTIjGtbvw7YXjUg4/s1600/20131206_200055344_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThfA7isiwKF9ePF2Gz93GJ11CLoV5maAcwOKNanxyGI9tXphsig9zxPmWOEYVU8JDh_E2VBlWIT6cNm2pjNKZnr7viOn-BHgkLMToGWKm6yjawXRY24QOilRfTRaHTIjGtbvw7YXjUg4/s320/20131206_200055344_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here let me help mommy, says Marshal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We did have a bit of fun trying to get a good picture. I think these are the keepers.<br />
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Merry Christmas!Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-2535332671657626472013-12-05T05:30:00.000-08:002013-12-05T05:30:01.939-08:00My House Is ShrinkingAt least that is what it feels like. I swear we accumulate twice as much stuff as we get rid of. I'm fairly (and genetically) prone to hoarding but at this point I'm starting to feel claustrophobic. And I'm not quite sure how to handle it.<br />
<br />
You can't see our kitchen table - it's covered in laundry (clean and mostly folded), jewelry supplies, and shipping materials. Yup...half the table is where I pack and ship my <a href="http://www.castocreations.com/" target="_blank">jewelry </a>and <a href="http://www.castogemstones.etsy.com/" target="_blank">jewelry supply</a> orders.<br />
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The counters in the kitchen are full...you can barely see them. Which is sad because they're made of gorgeous granite.<br />
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My jewelry work space (also in the kitchen) is packed and I create my jewelry in about an 8 inch square space. Which can be kind of hazardous when working with the torch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIgQxUiJkPUV-PRGOlyfYUED2FT9ynf6fbRJ9HCReZfY6Br9b7zDI-uUANP5Ghq3EHPxuA1skJGTnj5ZPuRMjt6uuD_jjuYNAlzxGdXHGOlCFqQWX6H-9ELs06keojq_EupjNUhyphenhyphenb-6U/s1600/crazy_mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIgQxUiJkPUV-PRGOlyfYUED2FT9ynf6fbRJ9HCReZfY6Br9b7zDI-uUANP5Ghq3EHPxuA1skJGTnj5ZPuRMjt6uuD_jjuYNAlzxGdXHGOlCFqQWX6H-9ELs06keojq_EupjNUhyphenhyphenb-6U/s320/crazy_mom.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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Then we brought in the Christmas decorations - and we have a lot ... boxes and boxes were taken out of the attic.<br />
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Once we get the tree set up and decorations put up (for all of three weeks) then at least some stuff will go back in the garage (which I can't even walk through).<br />
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I'm pretty sure my house was more put together when I was working full time out of the house. How is that possible??? Yes we're home more to mess things up more but we still had laundry. The only thing I feel like I've been able to keep up on is the dishes.<br />
<br />
Hubby has vacation the last two weeks of the year and I'm hoping we will be able to do a massive "stuff" dump. Just go through everything and take trips to Goodwill. Usually I will take the time to organize things for a garage sale or sell on Craigs List. But my sanity is worth more than the few dollars we would get by taking the time to sell things.<br />
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I think I'll ask Santa for a clean house for Christmas!Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-26721582505421583292013-12-04T06:30:00.000-08:002013-12-04T06:30:01.246-08:00Winco Now Promoting IbottaShopping Monday at Winco and found it interesting to see them promoting Ibotta.<br />
<br />
At the entrance there's a little stand that typically has some coupons. I grabbed one and noticed they were for some Kraft cheese items. Which was perfect because I knew these items were also on Ibotta.<br />
<br />
As I looked closer, down in the corner of the page was the Ibotta logo and a note about getting the ap and saving even more.<br />
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How cool is that?!? This store is encouraging us to double dip.<br />
<br />
I got four things of Kraft cheese (it is my favorite and I realize it can be more expensive than generic...but I can tell the difference) and earned $3.25 from Ibotta and got $2 taken off in coupons from Winco.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://ibotta.com/r/y76kg" target="_blank">Have you tried Ibotta?</a></b> * It's totally legit and an easy way to get rebates on items you buy every day. To date, I've earned $129.25 in cash back. It goes to my paypal account when I cash it out, or they now offer gift cards! Great gift cards like Starbucks, Regal Cinemas, and iTunes.<br />
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* This is my referral link...I think I get a dollar if you sign up. :) But I'd recommend it even if I got nothing.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-74953587893339600252013-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:002013-12-03T06:00:12.215-08:00I Love Matt WalshOkay, not really. I love his writing. I was introduced to his blog by a friend on Facebook and I've been hooked ever since. He's logical. He's down to earth. He's passionate.<br />
<br />
And his latest post about <a href="http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/12/02/my-kids-dont-make-me-happy/" target="_blank"><b>kids not making you happy</b></a> is brilliant.<br />
<br />
I am not my kids. I am not "just" a mom. Being a mom is super important and right now the focus of most of my time. But it isn't all I am, all the time.<br />
<br />
It's a fine line, I think, between being selfish (the "me, me, me" generation) and being an individual apart from being a parent. Our society says that it should be all about "me" and what makes "me" happy - instant gratification, follow my heart, and all that crap.<br />
<br />
I know that the selfish side of me wants to sleep all night, have an uninterrupted day to do whatever I want, and take a shower on a daily basis. But those desires aren't always met...in fact lately they haven't been met on a consistent basis. Especially now that I have two little monsters. And in reality those things are secondary to raising healthy kids. I can sleep when they move out.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrAUhnZ7rd9koUXBpFB2qFFC5pQOkOfvY9dMrXmkRSX8wb_YUPjfamr1a0SvdU2jKB8hBVuP3ruDGVtobpWKiZVv8E9-JHoLyR_t4mRbZ1SO-xVlP_5rnltf7_f8DuL7XVcpkrAjtKFY/s1600/181889_10150982717729138_1620524938_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrAUhnZ7rd9koUXBpFB2qFFC5pQOkOfvY9dMrXmkRSX8wb_YUPjfamr1a0SvdU2jKB8hBVuP3ruDGVtobpWKiZVv8E9-JHoLyR_t4mRbZ1SO-xVlP_5rnltf7_f8DuL7XVcpkrAjtKFY/s320/181889_10150982717729138_1620524938_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshal and I at the Zoo.</td></tr>
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<br />
I'm a mom, yes. I'm also a wife. A jewelry designer. An Aflac agent (technically...though not actively). A friend. I love Excel and consider myself a geek. Or a nerd. Depending on the day. I'm slowly learning how to cook food that actually tastes good and doesn't come out of a box. I love going to movies. I'm addicted to food - especially ice cream and oreo cookies. I'm a daughter and a sister.<br />
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I'm also a Christian...though that's a complicated one that could be a blog post (or several) all by itself.<br />
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My happiness is not the job of my boys...or of my husband. Too many people marry to "be happy" and that is equally as wrong as having kids to make you happy. It's my job to find happiness in the life I have. To be content with what we have and where we are. That can be very tough...some days it seems impossible.<br />
<br />
But it's a work in progress and I do not want to burden my sons or husband with that responsibility.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>" ... I have learned to be content in any circumstance. 12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing." Philippians 4:11-12</b></blockquote>
Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-81694830058911250152013-12-02T09:08:00.003-08:002013-12-02T09:08:42.914-08:00Happy Cyber Monday - How to Buy HandmadeAre you shopping this Cyber Monday? I'm not but only because I've got pretty much every gift I need for gifts this year. And I'll be making a few, of course.<br />
<br />
If you are still looking for a special gift, please consider buying handmade. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy </a>was created specifically as a shopping venue for handmade and vintage items. There are amazingly talented artists who create their items from start to finish.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Etsy</a> isn't perfect though. Too many non handmade vendors have sneaked in and watered down the market...with mass produced, cheap, Walmart style jewelry. I'm not knocking Walmart...I like Walmart personally. But there is a market for Walmart and a market for handmade...and the two are not the same.<br />
<br />
How to tell something might not be truly handmade by an artisan:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><b>The shop has no information in their about page or profile.</b><br />This is a big one for me - if you haven't taken the time to fill out the section to tell me about who you are as an artist and a person I am less likely to trust you as a seller.<br /></li>
<li><b>Location</b>. <br />There are absolutely handmade artisans in China...but if the shop is from China and everything in the shop looks the same with just variations in colors...and it looks like something you'd find at Walmart...chances are it's not an actual artist. I'm not against people buying things made in China, and I do it myself, but Etsy is not for those manufacturers or resellers of cheap jewelry. Also, if someone doesn't list where they are from that is a warning sign to me.<br /></li>
<li><b>Price</b>. <br />If it's too good to be true...you know the rest. As an artist I work very hard to price my jewelry appropriately. But sterling silver and fine silver is expensive. And high quality. If someone is selling a necklace for $2.99 chances are it is NOT handmade. Even the cheapest materials will cost more than that, plus the time to create, than $2.99. And if you are an artist pricing your work at this rate...stop it! Just stop it. It makes you look bad and your work cheap.<br /></li>
<li><b>Originality</b>.<br />This one can be a little tough, however if you do a search for an item like "bubble necklace" you will see hundreds of results for items that all look alike...like seriously nearly identical. It's pathetic. I'm not saying there can't be hundreds of people making simple pearl earrings, but if even the photos look identical, then the items are likely not handmade.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
If all these things combined - no information, location, price, and originality are all together please don't support that shop. It undermines the whole point of Etsy. I report those shops that look like manufactured or reseller shops. Nothing seems to ever happen to them and sadly some of them have thousands upon thousands of sales. But I will continue to report them and hope that Etsy will eventually crack down and get back to the roots of Handmade!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Enjoy 10% off your order in <a href="http://www.castocreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">my shop</a> through Friday 12/6 - use code CYBERMONDAY at checkout.</b>Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-58955893801761739692013-11-30T16:32:00.000-08:002013-11-30T16:32:00.132-08:00Jewelry for ChristmasLooking for a beautiful piece of handcrafted jewelry for a Christmas gift for you or for someone else? Let a <a href="http://www.artisimportant.com/SRAJD/index.html" target="_blank">Self Representing Artisan Jewelry Designer</a> help you out.<br />
<br />
What's SRAJD you ask? From the website:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><b>An SRAJD member sells the jewelry that they designed and created. When you purchase from an SRAJD member, you are buying directly from and supporting the artist.</b></li>
<li><b>Aside from raising customer awareness, we also work as a community to help, nurture, instruct, and encourage one another.</b></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
I've been a member for a long time - pretty much since this group started. I'm Artist number 37. Yup. Double Digits. One of the first 50 members. I haven't always participated fully but I'm definitely more active now.<br />
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<a href="http://www.artisimportant.com/SRAJD/index.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSG88D_7IDnngWsDQlCZpewaAiQLdfdCObZSLCHjNjisSO3tG7e-YBRqCgPAZ3aHWXn_dfr0V5td9uk3kTiYsVrMaQyLTRCa663TS5BwqRmGVzSJUdYN1ARpmYD0rb-PHVfulguXmqQc/s1600/image001.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Artists in this group range in skill and ability - from beginner to professional. But we all have in common a love of creating and a desire to educate others about handmade.<br />
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To support a self representing artist this year, go to Etsy and search for SRAJD and you will find over 9,000 pieces of jewelry to choose from. All handmade.<br />
<br />
I even made <a href="https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA0NDV8MjcyMjc4Nzc2NQ/srajd-on-etsy-support-handcrafted" target="_blank"><b>a treasury</b></a> with some of the beautiful pieces in shades of silver and blue made by SRAJD members. And one with <a href="https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA0NDV8MjcyMjc4ODE3Nw/black-white-and-red-all-over-srajd" target="_blank"><b>Red, White, and Black</b></a> items. But there really are all kinds of lovely items to find among these artists.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/129937243/egytpian-lotus-wire-wrapped-necklace?ref=shop_home_feat" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmhOzuALwRuX0z3NAzRv4H0YFFjATQwax9UVMsSj_GODSdNMF2LRfMq2iIrSy4VRGTshfK_EVXIxay6u60TLZPEUV0rtHPKtYDPsSPMsop8anPMb4qcJnJ8oDitibQVVah1BD3N4rUgU/s320/il_fullxfull.450944938_4czs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egyptian Lotus Wire Wrapped Pendant Necklace by SRAJD Member Bracken Designs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/150800826/steampunk-owl-watch-face-earrings?ref=sr_gallery_9&ga_search_query=srajd&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fgeekerysrajd" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt=" Steampunk Owl Earrings" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBQMe8shVVH-w-Nl1lPPJuV7QreDKdY9JLRQGPHh2iyJR_iasbKieZdjgHUUxVKGWKuzrJiPtOW_WXWBj7dhiVuvm1AnIY5w1MOwwfXceNQCRm_mZFqhvOiBZO2_v43WineUXlF0Tyn0/s320/il_fullxfull.457718247_bu2p.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steampunk Owl Earrings by SRAJD Member The Creative Block - Also an Olympia Etsy Team Member.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/108836131/cubed-man-beads-lampwork-glass-bead?ref=sr_gallery_13&ga_search_query=srajd&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=51&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fjewelrysrajd" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigClu_5G6O1hDz4XL4gXzWhdxAG8d754kbSHsY7n_tEpJNpR5a722MBOvwTPbH5MfctZEqnWJAntoM4HsM4tqjaLNzh9Xcjs-3xXwbUh-zXFMfPUuXjSqiaRAw-QmqZ5B7KTnsluwJL2w/s320/il_fullxfull.372964255_8igd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men's Black Lampwork Glass and Greek Leather Necklace by SRAJD Member Jewellry by Clare </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/89337010/big-hoop-lampwork-bead-earrings?ref=sr_gallery_19&ga_search_query=srajd&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=52&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fjewelrysrajd" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVParBGoHLCpVIF4LTejPV3houG3NdtJfEtXJCFMcGN0GX4rPb6Gb69Yy9-JjfgAqdJ8E5ZzDqAcQ3VLGqtFtGU2lKMHff8_85uunUxsniEQwQzP9tHcy9DQ4Ohb9Q3Y4y2FwKLjw61A/s320/il_fullxfull.457273574_o8ok.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lampwork Glass Hoop Earrings by SRAJD Member Brooklyn Bead Goddess</td></tr>
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There are all kinds of price points and styles for every taste available by these dedicated jewelry artisans. Consider supporting handmade this year!Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-72225280842919075162013-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-26T06:00:06.323-08:00Sending A NewsletterNearly two years ago I sent a newsletter. Yup. Almost two years ago.<br />
<br />
And today I sent another one. Phew. I've gotta catch my breath here. Hope I'm not bothering people.<br />
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I have a hard time sending newsletters. What do I say? Or in this case write. Am I boring people? Will they unsubscribe?<br />
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It's nerve wracking.<br />
<br />
But I've never completely given up my newsletter. I did, however, forget my log in entirely and had to have the staff at Mail Chimp help me recover my account, and all the credits I have saved up. They were fabulous, although their verification process was akin to a very personal doctor's appointment. But at least they're thorough.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://eepurl.com/ffGzA%22%3EPowered%20by%20MailChimp%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9_Bpgpe6CddnhEZ_y1dv_yoGKC2gB-aOmdRJ0Es0R_L9-jKq4M2stj0h8cBccMEYqmmpATbh1m_ehx5o6Pqhwm1igg4VJ2nxK3H1S98waVCjYjN9irfrpmuawwbktJ_O_2ETd11fijI/s1600/mailchimp.gif" /></a></div>
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Mail Chimp is easy to use and yet has enough bells and whistles that it can easily be overwhelming for a novice like me. I try to keep it simple. They help by walking you through each step to create an effective "campaign" (as they call it) and making sure you're not screwing up or being too spammy.<br />
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My goal is to have two separate newsletter lists - one for people interested in my <a href="http://www.castocreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">jewelry creations</a> and the other for those who want updates on my <a href="http://www.castogemstones.etsy.com/" target="_blank">supply shop</a>. That way I can target my emails easily without having to bug everyone at the same time.<br />
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I'm all about not bugging people...most of the time.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-28543995179699676572013-11-21T12:50:00.003-08:002013-11-21T12:50:56.955-08:00I Can Relate - Photographing InfantsWhile holding Dillon in one arm, and the mouse in the other, I came upon another wonderful Matt Walsh blog post...he's a fantastic writer. Sometimes I read the comments, sometimes I don't. Today I did and I'm so glad. I found a stay at home mommy with a PhD...which I realize shouldn't surprise me at ALL but for some reason made me feel a little better about being home now with the boys.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mommylifeafterphd.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Mommy Life After PhD</b></a> looks pretty new but I love her already. Her latest blog post about <a href="http://mommylifeafterphd.blogspot.com/2013/11/worlds-greatest-newborn-photographer.html" target="_blank">photographing her new born</a> had me laughing out loud (really...LOL). Because we had a similar experience and I can totally relate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi94Ul3TxvwbrMlvkVDGXdjdjbmBcx3poVJ-bKrZcMpgEpHXkF9U9WCzzJ5tt3QFUKd1e4Rf49Pev3nfThhaUeSPZ7ZF4ILNfAKHzUdp8p-FqLYxtRO_WeagxNKwRpmWsDlN4XkevZ71k/s1600/_DSC3279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi94Ul3TxvwbrMlvkVDGXdjdjbmBcx3poVJ-bKrZcMpgEpHXkF9U9WCzzJ5tt3QFUKd1e4Rf49Pev3nfThhaUeSPZ7ZF4ILNfAKHzUdp8p-FqLYxtRO_WeagxNKwRpmWsDlN4XkevZ71k/s320/_DSC3279.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attempting to keep baby from crying - pulling out the paci a second before snapping a photo. :) This was a practice shot.</td></tr>
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<br />
My wonderful friend Rayna is a wonderful photographer. It's not her profession (she's an even more wonderful educator) but she's got mad skillz. Yup...skillz. Her subjects weren't real cooperative though.<br />
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Scheduling an infant is like herding cats...or some other similar phrase. Babies are supposed to be sleeping and peaceful and ... pliable...movable...pose-able. Or something.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eNAQjoJEGTe5vWU_iILELW__WaKFyWDTltg5YbvJsA6rvmYGmRuk6CrRqQzyqnp8lqPsMPSwbLEKRR-Ff9POx8nfeDhJ_5N_THDRbhNDWHAmMGWPtXDUzqdHX0ysJ8rTPsp98mwr8yg/s1600/_DSC3431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eNAQjoJEGTe5vWU_iILELW__WaKFyWDTltg5YbvJsA6rvmYGmRuk6CrRqQzyqnp8lqPsMPSwbLEKRR-Ff9POx8nfeDhJ_5N_THDRbhNDWHAmMGWPtXDUzqdHX0ysJ8rTPsp98mwr8yg/s320/_DSC3431.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah...not so much.</td></tr>
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She got some amazing shots, all things considered. We were in our front entry way in about 4 feet of space because the sky light provided the best lighting. Baby wasn't cooperating and brother just wanted to "help" a lot. She got great photos of our wonderful boys (and us) in about 45 minutes, which I think is a record.<br />
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I can't wait until next weekend when we do Christmas pictures.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-26010924724010483052013-11-20T12:01:00.000-08:002013-11-20T12:01:18.809-08:00Typing With BabyWith a baby, typing becomes a challenge. I'm a great typer...yes I just made that word up. I've been able to type over 75 wpm since high school and I've broken 100+ several times. But of course that is using TWO hands!<br />
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As Dillon gets a little older (he's five months already!!!) he's demanding to be held more. And yes, I give in most of the time. He's cute. It's hard to say no.<br />
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So now I get to type with one hand. I've blocked most of my "bad" memories of Marshal as a baby so I don't recall how active I was online and needing to type one handed. But I'm needing to answer Etsy conversations from my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/castogemstones" target="_blank">Etsy Supply Shop</a>, responding to client emails for Aflac, and a whole host of other typing requirements.<br />
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I think I'm getting faster ... though my error rate is definitely higher with one hand than with two. And I'll never break the 20 wpm rate with one hand. But I'm practicing a lot!<br />
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<br />Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-42541021326088792502013-06-29T16:12:00.001-07:002013-06-29T16:12:03.181-07:00A Great Trip to WalmartShopping at Walmart can be a hit or miss experience sometimes. Occasionally the items I'm looking for are not stocked, though it's a rare occurrence.<br />
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Usually my mood in leaving the store is set at the checkout counter. Is the checker competent at taking coupons and price matching? Is the line ridiculously long? Are there even enough cashiers available? And are the customers behind me patient?<br />
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Today I got lucky!<br />
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Middle of the day on a rare hot Saturday - the checkout lines were not super long even though there weren't very many cashiers open.<br />
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After getting in line I realized I'd forgotten two bags of Cheetos - necessary for my price matching options and needed for two potlucks. The woman who had gotten in line behind me could tell the second I realized I'd missed them and encouraged me to "run" back to get them. I let her know I would walk fast...as running is not currently an option.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvgZRANu3qwKpzksAUQFMVpTPPiqI-_bfX96HMXKjnwYkgSMoIsWDJG7nfp0CI0yWx4HqTw-9y6iVKZGVPpK1lsB24004Onr-kFEjZ2K_fj5QUJGnXYPyZjlgYF8cJQDzJRATbjd1Sfw/s1600/P1100939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvgZRANu3qwKpzksAUQFMVpTPPiqI-_bfX96HMXKjnwYkgSMoIsWDJG7nfp0CI0yWx4HqTw-9y6iVKZGVPpK1lsB24004Onr-kFEjZ2K_fj5QUJGnXYPyZjlgYF8cJQDzJRATbjd1Sfw/s320/P1100939.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New baby Dillon</td></tr>
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<i>(Why do the chips have to be so far away from the front of the store???)</i><br />
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When I got back this sweet old lady was unpacking my cart for me! The gal in front of me was just finishing up. Talk about sweet.<br />
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Of course, it kind of messed up my OCD organization of items...I group things so that all the price matched items are together. But it was so nice of her...so I sucked it up and didn't have a panic attack. :)<br />
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The cashier was not the friendliest of gals but she was competent and took all my price matching in stride. It always takes a long time - I wish their technology would allow them to price match faster since Walmart makes such a big deal about being able to do it.<br />
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I love price matching. Their soda regular price is $3.98. It was on sale at QFC and Albertsons for $2.75 a piece. That's a savings of $1.23 per twelve pack. Now, obviously NOT buying soda is a better option but that's not going to happen so saving $1.23 makes me very happy. I bought 8 twelve packs - <b>saving $9.84</b>. Plus another $1 savings from a coupon.<br />
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Using Price Matching I also saved on Cheetos, Eggo Waffles, Ragu, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Powerade, and Totino's pizza. Nope...not the healthiest items. But on my list nonetheless.<br />
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So today's trip was good. Lots of savings, a good cashier, and friendly and helpful fellow customers. Plus it's super sunny outside!Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-2054107424381005152013-06-27T07:00:00.000-07:002013-06-27T07:00:05.801-07:00Hopefully Postpartum Will be MinimalWhen my little man Marshal was born I was completely overwhelmed. I lost a lot of blood and a difficult recovery. He had blood sugar issues and ended up in ICU.<br />
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I was so determined to breast feed him and avoid a bottle that instead of allowing the nurses to give him formula we kept trying to breast feed. But nothing came out and he ended up with blood sugar in the 20s...and a trip to NicU.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshal in NicU - 2009</td></tr>
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We fed him with a tube and syringe for the first few weeks of his life, simply to avoid the bottle. I pumped as much as possible to get him breast milk. I could pump for over an hour and get less than an ounce of breast milk.<br />
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I tried everything to increase production - drinking beer (which I HATE), tea (also can't stand), and all the other things the lactation specialists recommended. We met with her at least twice a week.<br />
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I was NOT bonding with Marshal. I wanted to send him away and even thinking about it now makes me want to cry. I was completely depressed and hubby eventually made me go see the counselor.<br />
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Finally, even the lactation nurse said I needed to stop trying and move to formula. I was not bonding and I needed to take care of myself and my son.<br />
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This time, as much as I wanted to breast feed I went in with a completely different attitude. I willingly tried to breast feed and worked with the nurses after Dillon was born. For a variety of physical reasons my breasts do not cooperate and I didn't even produce colostrum. :( I still feel like crap for not being able to breast feed...I WANTED to. But it just wasn't meant to be.<br />
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Dillon's blood sugar did start to drop a few hours after birth. Instead of trying to force my will, we started him on a bottle with formula. Praising God - he avoided NicU completely and his blood sugar was perfectly normal from then on out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading Home - Brothers</td></tr>
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<br />
When my Sister in Law visited us in the hospital she said she could totally tell a difference in my attitude and temperament this time around. Obviously, a new mom will have more emotional issues. But with my history of depression the second time around is still a huge risk.<br />
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So far so good. I've had a few moments of baby blues - one night of crying uncontrollably - but nothing like the soul crushing depression I felt after Marshal.<br />
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We made it home and are now a family of FOUR! It boggles my mind. I still can't believe we have a new baby. It's such a huge change...and I don't love change. I know we'll find our routine eventually.<br />
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Marshal has been a good big brother so far. I know that could change any second but we're working really hard to make sure he feels like part of this team. And thankfully my family knows what to look for to make sure I don't fall into the abyss that is postpartum depression.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-59855501030956711202013-06-25T20:23:00.001-07:002013-06-25T20:23:07.084-07:00Back in the Saddle - Free Food with Ibotta and CouponsAfter Marshal was born I was a complete wreck and didn't leave the bedroom for a good month. Now, Dillon is ten days old and I can't wait to get out of the house. So I went grocery shopping! Oh the joys of motherhood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnM2T1eu6qnVcz9YgzCDxxm1JNOP0HvBj3dz1Kd7PxI4qzOF0DINM3tHtlX99vuXUY4URuZ6N-m2Om1os_qhgGRQ_prr5bcwwN-1O3j3boBlqn0HwQ8T3qC15UXtRmIr0WN0yGXrdC-4/s1600/1013076_10151672503799138_65942013_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnM2T1eu6qnVcz9YgzCDxxm1JNOP0HvBj3dz1Kd7PxI4qzOF0DINM3tHtlX99vuXUY4URuZ6N-m2Om1os_qhgGRQ_prr5bcwwN-1O3j3boBlqn0HwQ8T3qC15UXtRmIr0WN0yGXrdC-4/s200/1013076_10151672503799138_65942013_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Making grocery shopping fun for me is the challenge to save money - One great app I discovered for that is called <b><a href="http://ibotta.com/r/y76kg" target="_blank">Ibotta</a>*</b>. Together with coupons I made a pretty good haul today and felt almost normal.<br />
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Basically, Ibotta pays you cash money for buying groceries and items you normally buy anyway. The more you use the app the more bonuses and items you unlock. I've earned more than $50 cash back so far (using it for a couple of months) - and I haven't even spent that much out of pocket on items because I also use coupons with the items and try to find them on sale.<br />
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Using Ibotta and shopping at WinCo I actually got paid to buy a couple of items and got a few others for free.<br />
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The app itself is super simple - Take a picture of your receipt within the app and scan the bar code for each item. It takes about 2 minutes if you have a lot of items to scan...but only if you're really slow. =)<br />
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Here's my score using Ibotta.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free cereal, granola, and yogurt - Total spent around $4</td></tr>
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Yes, it may be "junk" food to you but the granola is healthy and so is the yogurt and the Oatmeal bars. Healthy by our standards at least. And hey, chocolate is a bean, so technically the chocolate milk is a veggie drink. Right?<br />
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Hershey's Cookies & Cream Cereal - $2.28<br />
Ibotta cash $2<br />
Coupon $0.50 off<br />
<span style="color: blue;">$0.22 Money Maker</span><br />
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Vanilla Chex Cereal - $2.28<br />
Ibotta Cash $2<br />
Coupon $0.50 off<br />
<span style="color: blue;">$0.22 Money Maker</span><br />
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Oatmeal Bars by Nature Valley - $1.98 each<br />
Ibotta Cash $1.00 for One<br />
Coupon $0.25<br />
Cost: $2.71 for Two<br />
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Yoplait Yogurt - $0.49<br />
Ibotta Cash $0.50<br />
<span style="color: blue;">$0.01 Money Maker</span><br />
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Nature Valley Protein Granola - $2.98<br />
Ibotta Cash $3.00<br />
<span style="color: blue;">$0.02 Money Maker</span><br />
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Betty Crocker Cake - $1.18<br />
Ibotta Cash $0.50<br />
Cost $0.68<br />
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The Chocolate milks were not part of Ibotta cash back BUT the cereal and oatmeal bars had coupons for $0.50 off any milk - no size restrictions - so I got small chocolate milks as a treat for Marshal. Each one cost me about $0.55 after coupon.<br />
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So everything in the picture cost me out of pocket around $18 - minus coupons bringing it to about $15 and I get $9 cash back from Ibotta. AND Ibotta has bonus deals which I *should* qualify for giving me an additional $2 back. <b><span style="color: blue;">So the final total for everything above is about $4</span></b>. Not too shabby.<br />
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Other Ibotta Stuff:<br />
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<ul>
<li>It IS cash back. It's not a reward card or points or anything like that. I can redeem the money anytime (Once I get $5) and have it transferred to my paypal account. </li>
<li>I also love that you can use coupons along with getting cash back - making many of the items money makers. </li>
<li>There's more than just food too - the items available for cash back rotate - fabric softener, scotch tape, and even movies have been available for cash back. </li>
<li>There are several stores that participate in "bonus" cash back including Target, Winco, and Walmart - my three main sources of shopping.</li>
<li>You do have to have a smart phone but I don't think it's exclusive to the iPhone, which is what I have.</li>
</ul>
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If you buy groceries this app is a no brainer...even if you only use it once in awhile you will earn cash on things you are buying anyway. I know the items I bought aren't the healthiest - and for you healthier folks never fear - they do have organic and gluten free items pop up as available items. :)<br />
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<b>* <a href="http://ibotta.com/r/y76kg" target="_blank">My referral link</a> - sign up and download the app and you'll get a $10 sign up bonus!</b>Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-16437390453282534292013-06-17T19:10:00.000-07:002013-06-17T19:10:07.757-07:00A New Human - Introducing Dillon JamesI abandoned my blog during the last part of my pregnancy with Baby Boy #2. It was pretty rough for me...very tired, too many shots of insulin, lots of pain. It was all I could do to keep up with laundry and dishes.<br />
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We were scheduled for induction on Friday...got there at 7:30 as requested...and were sent home. Oh my goodness that was so horrible. Obviously in the scheme of things it wasn't a big deal, but I was SO ready to be done. But obviously it wasn't God's will for Dillon to be born on Friday. So we called Saturday morning and were told to come on down.<br />
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As of Saturday night, the pregnancy is officially over and Dillon James arrived - on June 15 at 9:57 pm. He was 7 pounds 7 ounces and 20 inches long. In comparison, Marshal was 7 pounds and 4 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long. God blessed us with a very healthy little guy.<br />
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Marshal took a little longer to arrive than Dillon and I don't remember it being nearly as painful but it's been nearly four years so I'm sure I blocked out those memories. I only pushed with Dillon for four or five contractions and he arrived...could have been less than 30 minutes. Pretty sure Marshal took over an hour once I started pushing.<br />
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On the bright side - my recover, and Dillon's, was nearly textbook and NO ICU for baby!!! My blood sugars were great and my blood pressure didn't crash this time. I was actually able to stand up to get in the wheel chair to go to recovery this time. With Marshal they had to wheel me in on the bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dillon James Casto - Newborn</td></tr>
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When Marshal was born I tried so hard to breast feed and was adamant against using formula. Within a few hours of his birth his blood sugar had dropped so low that he was admitted to ICU. If I'd agreed to go with formula right away we probably would have avoided the ICU.<br />
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This time, I made up my mind ahead of time that I would <i>try </i>to breast feed but was not going to be stubborn about it if it didn't work. And not surprisingly, it didn't.<br />
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There are a few reasons why breast feeding doesn't work for me...that I won't go into online. They are mostly medical. I tried for over a month to breast feed with Marshal and it caused me nothing but pain, depression, and lack of bonding with my son. I've come to terms with not being able to breast feed my sons. And this time I was pretty glad for formula.<br />
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Dillon did not need to be admitted into ICU after his blood sugar started to drop because we started him on formula. I'm sure there are moms out there who will lecture me, say I didn't try hard enough, judge me...that's okay. Feel free. I'm okay with our decision and I know the ultimate reasons behind it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dillon - 1 1/2 days old at home</td></tr>
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We came home less than 48 hours after birth with a super healthy baby boy - doctors and nurses said he was "perfect"...we'll see. :) No jaundice, hearing and cardiac tests passed, eating and blood sugar perfect.<br />
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I'll write more because I want to document our experience with our new boy...and Marshal too. This is kind of a diary for me.Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4532998911446846313.post-84972170993745574262013-02-18T13:56:00.000-08:002013-02-18T13:56:23.966-08:00Free Ketchup and Cheap Cereal at TargetI had an absolute blast at Target today. While adding to my baby registry I also went shopping. :)<br />
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Here's what I got...I paid out of pocket $13.98 AND got a $5 gift card back.<br />
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The Ketchup was free...it's $1.99 and there is a Target $2 coupon (click on the Target picture to the right to go to their coupons).<br />
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Valentine's Day stuff was 70% off so I got Marshal some playdoh for $1.20 (he's been wanting it) and a few other things for pennies.<br />
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The Red Velvet cake was on sale for $1.32 and I had $0.50 coupons.<br />
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I LOVE the smell of the Glad Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice and they were on clearance for $2.54. I had $2 coupons...so each was only $0.54.<br />
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There is a mobile coupon for the Market Pantry fruit snacks making them $0.44 a box.<br />
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The cereal is my favorite find though...<a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/02/target-get-5-boxes-of-general-mills-cereal-for-just-0-10-each.html" target="_blank">Money Saving Mom</a> helped me do this one. I didn't do it exactly like she did because I had a few different coupons. Her scenario has boxes at $0.10 a piece but mine came to around $0.25 a piece.<br />
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Buy 5 boxes @ $2.50 each and get a $5 gift card.<br />
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I bought:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Cheerios Multi Grain $2.50 - $0.75 coupon</li>
<li>Cheerios Medley Crunch x 2 = $5 - $2.00 in coupons</li>
<li>Peanut Butter Crunch x 2 = $5 - $2 in coupons</li>
</ul>
Target Coupon $1/3 General Mills Cereal<br />
<br /><b>Total out of pocket $6.75</b> and Earned a $5 gift card.<br />
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I used the $5 gift card I earned from my last trip and my Target debit card (NOT the credit card) for an additional 5% off. Total out of pocket was $13.98 plus the gift card.<br />
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And I updated my baby registry...fun times all around!Duck Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03195049356122249141noreply@blogger.com0