It's Autumn Time!

So, it's been a few weeks since I have posted.  I don't know about you, but it seems that as soon as school starts our lives get busy, busy, busy.  I'm sure this is true of anyone who is either going to school, works at a school or has children in school.  It's just a fact of life.

Now that it is almost October, I thought I would reflect on autumn.  Fall or autumn is actually my favorite time of year.  In Texas, it meant the weather would cool off finally and marching band was in full swing.  I was a bell set player in my marching band and those memories are still to this day some of my favorites.

It's also a time for football games.  The funny thing about football is I attended every game for four years because I was in the marching band.  Did I have a clue as to what was going on?  NO!  How silly is that?  I just knew that when we scored a touchdown we played the fight song.  :)


Homecoming was always a really big deal.  It is not a tradition here in Utah that I have seen,  but in Texas at Homecoming girls would receive mums and boys would receive garters.  The mums were usually gold because my school colors were black and gold and they were HUGE.  I mostly remember the smell.  It was something to receive a live mum with an awesome smell and glitter and ribbons.  You had to make sure you wore a tight enough shirt in order to keep from exposing yourself  :) I loved getting the live mums but you could also get fake ones and hang them up to enjoy all year long.  I actually had a boyfriend who took the time with his mother to make one for me.  So wonderful.  To this day,  I still love mums and the smell. 

This weekend is Homecoming and my 20 year high school reunion.  I will not be there, but I will definitely be thinking of all those that shared that special time in my life with me.  Facebook has been a wonderful tool in enabling me to connect again with those people and not feel so isolated from my past.  It helps me to remember who I am because of who I was and how I was raised.

I love autumn here in Utah because of the colors.  There is a true turning of the leaves and the mountain that I look out my window at every day is alive with oranges, yelllows and reds.  We always try as a family to go up the canyon and enjoy nature's show once during October.  I also love the crispness in the air in the morning, the smell of wood smoke and the winding down of the garden and harvesting of goodies such as pumpkins.  It seems that it comes faster and faster each year and I guess that's just part of getting older.

As always, I have some cute autumn magnets in my Etsy store.  Do you have a favorite thing about autumn?  Please share!

Until next time,

Crazed Momma

Chihuahua Chum

Hello readers!  You may wonder why it looked like I titled this post chihuahua "fish bait".  Well, I'm not talking about that definition of the word today.  I am referring to this one.


chum n. An intimate friend or companion


This Sunday marked a sad day for my mom, dad, and little sister.  They had to say goodbye to Robbie, their little chihuahua. He was more than a dog, more than just a pet.  He was a part of the family.  For anyone who has grown close to an animal, this is a hard thing.  There are so many reasons why. 

Dogs especially are wonderful.  As Josh Billings an American humorist said, "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."  I am sure most parents would disagree with this statement but you get the point.  Besides, you can't snuggle with a fish.


In honor of Robbie, who by the way was a character and lots of fun to have around, here are some fun facts about these little canines.

• Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog in the world.
• Aztec and Toltec tribes of Mexico considered the Chihuahua to be a sacred animal.
• Chihuahuas make up the oldest dog breed on the American continent. They were brought to Europe at the end of the nineteenth century only.
• In comparison to the size of its body, a Chihuahua has the largest brains amongst all the breeds of dogs.
• Most of Chihuahuas are born with floppy ears. However, they stand up as the dog gets older.
• The dog Chihuahua is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
• Chihuahuas were used as hot packs in ancient times for aches and pains  (it's true, they do love to burrow down in the covers near your back etc.)
• They have a life span of 15+ years (this was a major surprise to my husband.)  Cheeto is my chihuahua and he is still getting around even though he is an old man at 15.

One fact that is neither fact nor fiction is that chihuahuas help people with asthma.  I mention this fact because it is the reason that we acquired chihuahuas in the first place when my baby sister was small. 

I have had the pleasure of being around six chihuahuas in my lifetime so far and these puppies can be fierce and protective and very loyal.  They may not be for everyone, but they have been a part of my life and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.  Thanks for the love DJ, Picante, Charlie, Cheeto, Chiquita, and of course Robbie.  

I even made some magnets with these little guys!




Until next time, 


Crazed Momma
Naquai

I LOVE CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN IN AUGUST! (said sarcastically)

Hello class!  Today were are going to discuss something that drives me crazy.  I know what you are thinking.  She is so calm and happy all the time how can something possibly drive her nuts.  For those of you who don't know me I am most of the time in a snit about something.  I just hide it well.  Maybe it's because of my Texan upbringing.  :)

I have noticed a trend over the last several years where the retail markets and stores in general are putting items out for a certain time or holiday earlier and earlier.  I HATE this.  Part of the reason that I enjoy living in this area is because we have true seasons.  There are only two seasons in Texas where I grew up.  Extremely hot or extremely cold with freezing winds.  This part of Utah has genuine seasons.  We have warm summers, snow in winter, rain in spring, and beautiful autumn leaves in fall.  I love to decorate my house each month with a certain theme or for the appropriate holiday.  It's something I inherited from my mother.

So anyway, back to my point.  I am tired of having the kids get out of school and the next week seeing lunch boxes and notebooks in Wal-Mart.  I am sad about the fact that my local craft store has it's Christmas stuff out.  When I was looking for things for my Christmas tree I actually found ornaments that were perfect for my tree that were meant for Easter.  Ok, maybe that was a good thing, but still. 

Having opened an Etsy store I am understanding more and more why this is important.  There is competition to get your things out there in the market first.  It is hard for me because most of the time I don't have money for the items I might like until the holiday actually rolls around and by that time everything is gone or mangled.  You can get some great deals that way if you are willing to store things.  Wait...I am trying to say this is a bad thing. 

Having thought about this a lot I made a firm decision to wait until September 1st to place Halloween things in my store.  It was difficult in the first part of August when other Etsians were lovingly  posting orange and black all over the place but I resisted and it's finally here.

Thank you dear readers for listening to my rant and if you see me out in a swimsuit and boots shoveling my walk you will know that I got the swimsuit for a great deal! 

Have a great fall! 


Crazed Momma

Here are some apples and back to school magnet sets and only one Halloween set.  I contained myself.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80805750/apple-magnet-glass-set-of-five-1-inch

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80326464/school-teacher-magnet-glass-set-of-four

 











http://www.etsy.com/listing/80952559/halloween-glass-magnet-set-of-five-1