Oh, For Evan's Sake!

This is my grandson Evan.

We spent the day together.
Just him and I.

That doesn't happen very often.
(One of my New Year's Resolution's too)

I asked him if I could take his photo and he said "Sure".

He sounded much happier about it then he looked.

He's almost 4 and the middle grandchild.

He is adorable and

I LOVE his beautiful eyes.

 He's a sweetie too despite this evidence to the contrary!

And he's r.e.a.l.l.y good at making faces!

No Way!

It has NOT been 5 weeks since I posted! It's been a busy summer. We finally went camping at Detroit Lake here in Oregon. Of course the weather didn't cooperate....it rained very hard one night. We stayed dry but it wasn't a very warm trip. We still took the boat out and had a good time.

We had all the kids and grandkids come along this time. I think they all enjoyed it. The bees took over whenever we sat down to eat! The same is happening at home which reminds me of why we stop eating outside in August. Sleeping is always a challenge even with the inflatable mattresses. I had to yell for help when I fell off of mine at 3 am! My husband thought it was funny...he had stacked 2 on top of each other which isn't a good idea. So I fell off the side and was hanging onto the tent pole...also not a good idea.

The weather was best the day we left to go home so we packed up, all got in our boats and took a short ride around the lake. It is a beautiful place! I took LOTS of photos too.

I'm still working on my family genealogy and helping others with theirs when I can. I really enjoy doing it. I know how I excited I was to get even the smallest tidbit of info that would lead me to some new discovery. I enjoy helping others do the same! I'm still working on my Rondo line...hoping to find that elusive long, lost relative who has all the info I am seeking. I know it will happen some day!

Fall is coming soon! I can feel it in the air. School will start. I will be driving my granddaughter to school everyday so my life will have more routine. Therefore my blogging will be more regular...I hope! Keep checking in! Thanks for visiting me.....

Vintage Family Fun!

Clarence & Clara DeChaine circa 1911

Melvina Rondo Forcier and Mary Elizabeth "Bessie" Forcier McAllister

Melvina Rondo Forcier and "her girls"

Melvina Rondo Forcier and Mary Elizabeth "Bessie" Forcier McAllister


These are some of my relatives that I've spent the past few months researching. I received the photos from a distant Forcier relative in Washington state. So excited to see these and thought I'd share.

The top photo is my grandmother Clara DeChaine and her twin brother Clarence. They were born in Brainerd, MN. My great-grandmother had sent a photo to her family in Washington.

The other photos are of my great-great-grandmother Melvina Rondo/Rondeau who was born in February 1850 in Vermont. The story is that she was a nurse and lost one of her legs during the Civil War in Vermont. She married Damase "Thomas" Forcier in 1866 in Vermont. They moved to Sauk Centre, MN in 1870. They eventually had 10 living children over a span of 25 years! The family moved to Seattle/White Center, WA in 1889.
At some point they moved to Redmond, Washington and were pioneers in that area.

I'd love to hear from anyone who is related to this line of Forcier's!
I'm a descendant of the Forcier, Peterson, Olson, DeChaine, Marineau and Paulson lines from the Brainerd, Minnesota area also.

My entire family tree is on Ancestry.com under Bergh/Peterson.

Penelope The Beagle

A few months ago my daughter Kristina moved from a house that she shared with roommates into a small studio apartment in Portland.
Her boyfriend had bought her a cute Beagle pup for her birthday the year before.
Long story-short: She couldn't take Penny to live with her.

Well, somehow we ended up with Penny even though I really didn't want another dog at the time. I have a hard time saying no to my kids!
It's been good times ever since and I say that with the utmost sarcasm!
Penny is a bit of a trial.
She's cute to look at but I never knew all the trouble an innocent looking dog could get into!

Despite promises of her being trained to potty outdoors.......she isn't......even when the back door is left wide open for that purpose.
But she is getting better.....we're working on it!

Since Penny went into heat for the first time she has taken to humping my loveseat cushions! Totally unacceptable and really....kind of gross too.
The worst part is......if you aren't careful....she drags them outside to do her dirty deed!
Much stuffing has been found! It looks like it snowed!
I think I'm going to buy her a large stuffed animal to be her new "friend".
Since Kristina likes to sew....I have a repair job for her!
You owe me, girl!

See that recliner she's laying on in the photo? Chewed up the arm rests on that!
Yes.....good times....good times!
Our back yard will look like a bomb blew up if we don't keep a close eye on her.
She likes to chew on things, dig holes, drag things around the yard, etc.
My cute yard flags were shredded within minutes of hanging them up.....yes, I should have known better!

I've often thought of finding her a new home but Kristina loves to see her when she visits and now my son Daniel is attached to her and so is our dog Daisy and well.....she IS cute.

Just not sure how much more I can take!

Summertime and the Livin' is BUSY!

Nye Beach, Newport, Oregon

I really meant to keep up with this blog but I've been so busy with so many different things over the past month!

I've been to the beach....
I went camping....
I've been on the boat at the lake....
Went to my nephews high school graduation....
I went to 2 parades....
Spent the night in Portland at the Hotel Lucia.....
Had more BBQ's than I can count.....
Made lots of jewelry findings.....
Went to a rummage sale and found something incredible.....
Changed the focus of one of my etsy shops....
Walked in the Relay For Life Marathon as a Cancer Survivor.....
Spent lots of time with family....

It has been almost a year since I quit my full time job. I'm just now starting to feel the freedom in having done that. At first I was afraid it was the wrong thing for me to do. I thought my fears were correct when my husband was laid off around Christmas time and only working half of his normal hours. Yes, that was a struggle but we came out of it fine. I'm happy to say he is back at work full-time (he loves his job!).

My goal now is to work harder on my business and put more time and effort into making it more successful. I'm going to keep spending more time with family and doing the things that make me happy! Things are looking up!

The Grandsons: Evan and Ezra

Evan just turned 3 years old the other day! It seems like he was born yesterday. He obviously didn't want his photo taken but I took it anyway. That's just what Grandma's do.

Ezra is a drooling machine. He soaks everything! Hoping those first teeth will come in soon. Guess he's a late bloomer. But still a little cutie! He smiles all the time!

Emma is missing from this post! I don't have any new photos of her. I need to work on that.....

Fun Project: Make Your Own Pinhole Camera

I found this website using StumbleUpon the other day! Make these for World Pinhole Camera Day! Here is the link to the PDF patterns for making each of these colorful and unique cameras: http://www.corbis.readymech.com/en

I passed this on to my daughter, Kristina because she loves photography and I thought she'd enjoy making some of these. Even if you never use these for their intended purpose.....what a fun project to display! Each camera has printable patterns and directions.

I don't know much about pinhole cameras but thought this was a fun family project and it's a cheap one too! Give it a try!

New Year's Resolutions In Spite Of Myself

I think this is the first time in many years that I haven't made any "official" New Year's Resolutions before the end of the year. I didn't write anything down or even think much about it. It's starting to sink in now and I realized there are a few things that I would like to accomplish in this New Year! Go get a cup of coffee or tea...this is going to take awhile!

I did buy a treadmill that is supposed to arrive any day now. I want to be healthier so rather than sabotage myself with unrealistic expectations....I have decided to consider it a life change. I'm reasonably sure I can manage to walk on the treadmill in the privacy of my own home at least a few minutes a day if nothing else. If not then I will have a very expensive clothes rack and a very disappointed husband . But I know I can do it!


I need to spend more time on my etsy shop and less time on the etsy forums. It's such a time waster for me! I love to interact there but I spend way too much time there "lurking" instead of interacting! Therefore, my shop has been sorely neglected along with a few regular customers who used to count on me for vintage jewelry to make their own altered jewelry. To them: I'll be back soon!

Is that a resolution? Spend less time on the etsy forums this year? Maybe....

I have so many things that I would like to accomplish this year but my enthusiam doesn't match my low energy level! I'm hoping to overcome some health issues and get on with my life as I would like to live it. I'm taking some new vitamins and supplements to try and help myself. I hope it works!

I'm trying to stay connected to friends near and far. I haven't been the best friend and vowed to change that too (Hi, Diane!) I have some great friends that I've been neglecting over the last few years. Hopefully, they will all forgive me and we can visit and *do lunch*.

Here is the short list of things that I would like to accomplish this year:

1. Organize all of my geneology papers and get them into binders.
2. Get all of my photos and videos onto CD's and DVD's.
3. Visit my special friends...and do lunch!
4. Go through all of my vintage linens and organize them. I'm "willing" them to my granddaughter Emma someday.
5. Paint my livingroom and hallway...pick a color.
6. Organize my kitchen and declutter.
7. Finish organizing my office.
8. Go to the Beach...soon.
9. Visit my brother and his family near Seattle...soon.
10. Actually do some yard work this year. I did very little last summer.
11. Spend one on one time with each of my 3 grandkids doing simple things like baking or going on a walk to the playground.
12. Go on more *Girls Only* trips with friends and family....got one planned already!
13. Go camping more often this summer....more all family trips.
14. Take the boat out and go fishing even if it's raining!
15. Mop my floors more often! That's why I got the Steam Shark for Christmas!
16. Stop worrying so much about.....everything!
17. Enjoy my life as it is....everyday!
18. This one should be FIRST on my list: Be kinder to my husband as he is so kind to me :) He really is a SAINT!

Note: The photo above is Ezra and my daughter Kristina's dog Penelope(Penny) the Beagle at Christmas 2008.

Creative Christmas Gift Tags

My daughter Kristina is the most creative girl! Every year she finds the perfect Christmas gift for each member of our family(on a budget too). Each gift is thoughtful and perfectly suited to the recipient. But it is her choice in creative name tags that we enjoy just as much as the gift! Last year we each had a Moo card attached to our box as a name tag. Every card was a photo from years past. I had a photo of all 3 of my kids when they were young. There was a photo of my Grandpa on one. There were photos of my grand kids for me and their Mom too. There were older family group photos. All meaningful and appropriate to each person receiving a gift from her. We all oohed and aahed her creative choice! We all wondered what she would do this year?
This Christmas she found vintage black and white photos on what must have been an exhaustive search of vintage and antique shops for the perfect photo to fit each member of the family! These were sweet and quaint photos from another era. She wrote "To Mommy" and attached the vintage photo of what were clearly 2 sisters from the 1930's or so. Her sister Chantel's gift had a cute photo of 2 young sisters holding hands. I had another one with the silhouette of a young girl. Yet another was a proud little girl, with her head held high, arms clasped behind her back with her lovely pinafore dress on. All of these photos spoke to me of family, times past, tradition and love.....perfect for our family Christmas.

I look forward to seeing what Kristina comes up with next year. We expect this sort of creative genius from her now! Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
From Emma, Evan and Ezra
(and me too!)

Here are a few new photos of the grandkids that I took today. Some of these are going to be used for my daughter Chantel's Family Christmas card. I thought they all looked so cute but they weren't very cooperative! Oh well.....I did manage to get a few good ones in spite of them!

I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with the entire family on Christmas Eve. We have the most fun watching them open their gifts. It's Ezra's first Christmas and that is always a special time! Evan is very excited to open his gifts too and is looking forward to toys most of all, of course! Emma is looking forward to a few special gifts this year and spending time with family.

I'm hoping we can do something a little bit different this year and have a yummy Beef Pot Roast dinner with lots of sweet carrots, onions and potatoes! Just like Grandma used to make for me on special occasions. I guess I'm tired of turkey and ham. I must confess that Pot Roast is my favorite and I like it over cooked until the meat shreds! I think I would be banned from the family if we didn't have mashed potatoes and gravy too!

For dessert, I will be making chocolate fudge, pecan nut toffee and chocolate chip cookies for my son Daniel (who was very disappointed when I didn't have time to make them on Thanksgiving!). I'm sure the traditional Pumpkin pie will be there and so will the homemade cheesecake that Chantel always makes. Yum!

We will spend our day eating, opening all our gifts and visiting with my sister and her 3 kids who are going to celebrate Christmas Eve with our family. I have a lot to be thankful for this year and I look forward to 2009 with much hope! I wish you and your family well too! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I Love Autumn

I've been busy with family lately and spending more time with them. I put my etsy shop on the back burner for the past few weeks even though I've still had a few sales a week. I just felt a little bit overwhelmed with home ,family and business obligations. I spent some time helping my sister move, babysitting my nephew one day and the grandkids a few times a week. We all got together for a family birthday at a restaurant the other day and had a good time. I've just been taking it easy. Today, I went outside to take some photos of jewelry for my etsy shop and noticed how pretty the fall colors were so I took a few photos....

I finally did it....I quit my day job!

Well, I finally did it! My last day at work was the night of August 13. I thought it would take me some time to get back on a normal sleeping schedule but it happened the next day! I've been busy with family and haven't been spending as much time working on my etsy shops as I thought I would. That needs to change! It seems like everything that could go wrong has lately so my "extra" money has been dwindling fast! So, I need to get on the ball and get some work done and add more to all 3 of my etsy shops! Hopefully sales will pick up soon. It's been quiet but I always do best when I continually add to my shop and I haven't been doing that.....

I feel so much better not working right now. I'm not tired anymore! We took a 3 day camping trip to Suttle Lake, Oregon (near Sisters) the morning after my last night of work which explains how I got right on track with my sleeping schedule! We had a good time sitting IN the lake with the canopy over us because it was so hot...over 100 degrees. The whole family got to go this time so it was nice spending time with my 2 younger kids who live up in Portland. I don't see them as much as I'd like to and they are very fun to be around! It took us 4 hours to find a camping spot which wasn't so much fun and I think we got the last one at Suttle Lake! We took our boat and our new towable and had fun taking the kids on rides around the lake. Got lots of photos of all the excitement! We slept in tents.... the old fashioned way! But can't live without the air mattress! My neck still hurts WITH the air mattress and we could NEVER get comfortable enough! We wanted to buy a trailer for more comfort but know it won't get much use so why bother? Still thinking about it though...

I've been having FUN cleaning my house and decluttering too! Imagine housework being fun....or enjoyable. I guess I feel a sense of accomplishment that I haven't had for over 2 years...since I started working nights and I guess that's my idea of fun for now. I love my house and spending time at home so I like it to be enjoyable to be here. My laundry is caught up, my entry closet is clean and organized-shoes all in a row, my kitchen cabinets and drawers are clean, my refrigerator and freezer too! I spent several hours this morning gardening in my very neglected front yard and got rid of some very overgrown bushes and plants. What a difference it made too! It was like the Curb Appeal show! I made a very overgrown corner into a cozy seating spot with a wooden bench and lots of potted plants. Too bad I won't have any "before" photos. I will post an "after" photo later! Wow, what an exciting blog post! Sorry, I'm excited about the smallest things now.

It just feels good to have a life. I babysat all 3 of the grandkids this week. I love them all so much. It's fun getting to see them more often and being awake and coherent for it. I will post a few new photos of them here today. Might take them to the park next week if the weather cooperates and have lunch...Emma's special request so it must be done!

Well, I need to get back to working on etsy so please check out my shop if you get a chance. I am offering free shipping right now until Sept. 1. I'm participating in a 24 hour vintage sale starting 10 am Aug. 31 to 10 am Sept. 1. It's called the Vintage Market and may be a monthly thing with many of the vintage sellers on etsy. Lots of good deals and some freebies too! I will post about any giveaways that I'm going to do in the next few days.

I will try to post more often as I get used to a schedule! I will try to have less mundane topics too!

Work & Family

After much thought I have decided to quit my day job! I'm very excited but scared at the same time. I just decided that I had too many obligations and my family was being shortchanged. Now to let the bosses know......

My family is very happy about this though and that is what matters most. I've been through alot in the last few months including cancer so I am very aware of how short life can be. I need to pay attention to my gut feeling that this is the right thing to do. It's been a long time coming. I will be very busy but enjoying every minute of it! I will be babysitting my grandkids during the week. Emma is 9, Evan is 2 and baby Ezra is 3 months old. They are all adorable of course!

My goal is to spend more time creating and gathering for all my etsy shops. I sell vintage costume jewelry and I like to create my own one of a kind jewelry using parts and pieces of vintage costume jewelry. I have a fascination with resin and I like to use that as a medium too!

I hope to start to feature some of my favorites on etsy and to maybe have a giveaway or two in the future. I can answer some questions about vintage costume jewelry but I'm not an expert. I think I've learned a little over the years so we'll see.....

Hello! I'm new here.........

This is all new to me and I'm still trying to figure this blogging thing out! My name is Kitty and I live in Oregon. I wanted to post mostly about my etsy business and what I do there but I think you'll read about my family too! You'll hear lots about my grandkids!
I sell vintage costume jewelry on etsy. I really enjoy it alot. Sometimes it takes over my life but I still can't help myself! I work full time too so I keep myself busy between my family, "real" job and etsy! I also make new jewelry from broken bits and pieces of vintage costume jewelry from my huge collection. I will add some photos soon. I'm always trying new techniques and hope to get some new designs into my 3 shops for Christmas. Yes, I do have more than one shop on etsy!
I will also be adding links to my favorite etsy shops too! There are so many great things to be found there.
Please come back and see my photos! Kitty