Momma Me

i love feeleez: (my first giveaway)

I have been wanting to write this post for days, but the past week has been chaotic to say the least. I've been under an undue amount of stress and seem to be racing against the clock constantly. There have been quite a few days, when I have felt like this:

 

Frazzled

Thank goodness I have the opportunity to workout regularly. I don't know what I'd do without my kickboxing classes. After those, I feel like this:

 

Strong and Empowered

My emotions are difficult to get a handle on these days. Imagine being a kid and just learning to deal with the plethora of emotions that we all possess. It's a challenge. The older The Inventor becomes, the more I realize I can't just give him a kiss and make everything better. Like all of us, he needs to learn to understand his emotions and cope with them in intelligent ways. So, when I saw the Feeleez game online, I had to get it for us. 

 

The concept is simple. The tin includes 25 pairs of feeling cards, plus ideas on how to use them. You can use them for a simple matching game for younger kids. It helps kids learn to identify different emotions that we or they might feel or encounter someone else feeling. Also included are instructions for using the cards with older kids. With The Inventor, who is six and a half, we use them to find cards that describe how he is currently feeling and how he wants to feel. Sometimes he and I have different impressions of how he is feeling and we will pull out different cards. This leads to great discussions and a learning experience for us both. We also use the cards to make up stories, which gives us the opportunity to create scenarios and talk about coping strategies. These simple cards have proven to be remarkable communication tool in our home. I cannot say enough good things about them.

 

I love Feeleez so much that I contacted the company to see if it would be okay with them, if I let my readers know about them. They agreed, something about which I am thrilled. They were also terrific enough to offer a FREE Feeleez game to the winner of a giveaway on my blog. All that you have to do to enter is leave a comment between today and Monday, November 26th at 8 PM. I will close the comments at that time and using a random number generator, select the winning post. I will notify and announce the winner. All you then need to do is email me your address and we will have a game shipped to you. Good luck!

Cool Stuff: I Found It...Finally

First, let me make this really clear. This is not an advertisement. I'm not even sure it qualifies as a review. I am simply in love and bragging about my knitting bag!

Several months ago, I went onto Ravelry seeking information in the Remnants forum. Here is the link to the thread, if you are interested and have access. I wanted to find the very best knitting bag ever. In the past I have used a Vera Bradley Villager tote, an Amy Butler Sweet Design bag, and most recently a Lexie Barnes Flo knitting bag, all of which served met some of my personal requirements for knitting bags. Yes, I have a thing for awesome knitting bags. Can you tell? It's a bit of knitting bag lust, I will admit. One gripe that I had with all of them was how busy the fabrics were. I am just not a "print" person, floral or otherwise, when it comes to the exterior of a bag. I love snazzy linings though. Snazzy linings make me happy. 

Many people posted in my thread. There were numerous suggestions, links and photos. Some were nice. Nothing was exactly what I wanted. Then at the very bottom of the page, I saw an advertisement for Julip Bags. I clicked on the link and it took me to an Etsy store. The bags were awesome. I especially loved the Lily tote. Here's one that darling! I thought I'd found my favorite bag ever, but I couldn't find it in a solid color in her listings. I sent a message. I never send messages to Etsy sellers, asking about the details of other than what I see on their pages. That's how much I was drawn to this bag. I wanted it. I just wanted it in a solid color. I asked if she did custom orders. She did! Then I came up with this crazy idea. I had a pair of jeans, 7 for All Mankind. They'd never fit right and never would (I am just too old to wear jeans that low-cut. I'm not sure anyone should, but that's another post.). However, guilt prevented me from getting rid of them because they were expensive. I asked her if she could use them somehow to craft a bag, a one of a kind bag, just for me. I think the new term for that is upcycling. She said she could and was willing to try. Oh, the joy and excitement I felt. I never get anything custom made. I sent her my beloved jeans and a favorite belt. She sent me images of linings to choose from. We talked details and specifics via numerous convos. The personalized and professional attention was amazing. It was like Nordstroms on Etsy. It took a couple of weeks for my new bag to arrive in the post. I was like a kid at Christmas because I'd decided to be surprised rather than view images of the finished product. I'd come to trust her judgment and knew I would be delighted. 

Oh my God. Amby of Julip Bags did it. She created THE PERFECT KNITTING BAG for me. Just for me! my dream bag.

It is lined with Amy Butler Nigella fabric, Passion Vine in Lime. There are inner pockets and because the outside of the bag was a pair of jeans, there are outer pockets as well. The handcrafting is amazing. Amazing. There isn't a loose thread. The straps are reinforced. She added something to the bag to make the bottom sturdier, so that it can pretty much stand especially when it's full. Now, I know that everyone will not think my bag is perfect for them, but it the most absolutely perfect thing for me.

I am so in love. Oh, and there is an adorable matching pouch for my stuff. I filled it with my beautiful handmade stitch markers, my tape measure, etc. 

Did I mention I was in love?

Amby, I cannot thank you enough. A dream come true!