I forgot to email out the reminder due to the Christmas holiday, so this week's co-hosts are the same as last week! I want them to get equal opportunity of new followers and business!!
Are you trying to get your Crafty Blog and/or Store off the ground?
Looking for more followers for your crafty related blogs?
Looking for more people to “favorite” your store?
Are you looking for new hip and original crafty stores?
If you said yes, to any of the above questions, you’re in the right spot!
*************************
This weeks CO-HOSTS
Each week we’ll spotlight one crafty Blog & crafty Site picked at random via Random.org to be included in the next week’s Wednesday Handmade Store & Blog Hop Linky!
1) Enter your blog and/or store into the appropriate Linky below!
*BLOGS* = 1st set of Linky’s
*STORES* = 2nd set of Linky’s
*For the STORES link, please specify what type of store: ETSY:, ARTFIRE:, etc.!
2) Follow the Handmade Wednesday Hosts & Co-Hosts! Leave a comment letting us know you're stopping by from Handmade Wednesday, so we can follow you back!!
3) Visit & Follow the blog directly ahead of you in the linky! Leave them a comment too, telling them you stopped by!
4) Grab our Button and Linky Codes to share with all your Blogging, Etsy, Artifre, etc. with your friends!
*Please remember that our blogs are Family Friendly and any thumbnails or links that we feel are inappropriate will be removed*
Add Your CRAFTY BLOG Here!
Add Your CRAFTY STORES Here!
*Don’t forget to include what type of store you have (Etsy, Artfire, Personal, etc.)*
The above beauty came from the Secret Santa Exchange with the members of the Trading Post guild on Artfire and it includes: a cupcake tote, a green cupcake ornament, 4 pink cupcake ornaments and lots of hot cocoa mixes (enjoying it a double chocolate one right now!) The tote was handmade by studio914
Candles are a big weakness of mine and obviously my hubby cousin knew it! At the moment I'm burning one of the small and white ones and my house smells wonderfully as gingerbread cookies. Can't wait to lit the huge pink one!!!
I also got make up, nail polish, lotion, a basket of food, a Christmas decorated plate (perfect for leaving cookies to Santa), brownies and cash.
With the cash I'm planning to get me one of these iPod touch like this one
But I'm holding off as I have to fix my car brakes first :)
Are you trying to get your Crafty Blog and/or Store off the ground?
Looking for more followers for your crafty related blogs?
Looking for more people to “favorite” your store?
Are you looking for new hip and original crafty stores?
If you said yes, to any of the above questions, you’re in the right spot!
*************************
This weeks CO-HOSTS
Each week we’ll spotlight one crafty Blog & crafty Site picked at random via Random.org to be included in the next week’s Wednesday Handmade Store & Blog Hop Linky!
1) Enter your blog and/or store into the appropriate Linky below!
*BLOGS* = 1st set of Linky’s
*STORES* = 2nd set of Linky’s
*For the STORES link, please specify what type of store: ETSY:, ARTFIRE:, etc.!
2) Follow the Handmade Wednesday Hosts & Co-Hosts! Leave a comment letting us know you're stopping by from Handmade Wednesday, so we can follow you back!!
3) Visit & Follow the blog directly ahead of you in the linky! Leave them a comment too, telling them you stopped by!
4) Grab our Button and Linky Codes to share with all your Blogging, Etsy, Artifre, etc. with your friends!
*Please remember that our blogs are Family Friendly and any thumbnails or links that we feel are inappropriate will be removed*
Add Your CRAFTY BLOG Here!
Add Your CRAFTY STORES Here!
*Don’t forget to include what type of store you have (Etsy, Artfire, Personal, etc.)*
My little ballerina had a Christmas dance recital last Saturday. After months of waiting out at her dance lessons, I finally got to see the fruit of my time and who know why, she pulled the shy card! But all in all, she was incredibly cute :)
My husband just celebrated his 30th birthday.....yup, we're getting old!! But we have always fun and to the party we invited the black spider man dude and Princess Rapunzel.
Where have I been??? To celebrate Gabriel graduation of course. December 15th, 2011 will be date that my family will never forget, an important milestone in Gabriel's life and reason of pride in the family.
Some of you are readers here from years and now all about the tales, my worries, my frustration, the progress about Gabriel condition. But some of you are probably here for the first time, so I want to share our journey with you, as briefly as I can.
When Gabriel was born I was a college student and my husband was serving in the Navy. As any parent, we read all the books about parenting and children. We wanted to give Gabriel all the love, warmth and happiness that we could give. With time tho, we found out that it wasn't enough. Something was amiss but we could not put our finger on it.
By the time Gabriel was 3, his sister Michelle came along and we moved away from Italy and established ourselves in the United States of America. Gabriel lack of verbal communication was at the point very noticeable. I had a 6 months baby girl that called me "Mommy" more times in a day that Gabriel ever did in 3 years.
While the ghost of Autism was slowly but surely appearing in our life, we started seeking help from doctors, specialist and professionals. All of them kept telling us that Gabriel "seemed just a little slow" but generally fine, dismissing the possibility of him being autistic altogether.
At 4, Gabriel was tested by the Child Find. His IQ was only 85, had down probably 50 words total and was slipping away from us socially and emotionally. Those tests qualified him for PreKD in the public school, a free preschool program for kids with special needs that seemed to slightly help.
During the summer before he starts Kindergarten sorry goes terribly wrong. Tho he has always been a very picky eater, he stopped eating altogether and when he tried, the food won't stay down. He's loosing weight, sitting idle all day in the living room. No physical grow = No developmental grow. I think was the scariest time of my life and the doctors were useless. I sat down with him everyday, kept a diary with the food that he ingested, what he could keep down, what made him sick and finally understand: Gluten and dairy are a not go.
On September 2008, we started are gluten-free and dairy free diet and Gabriel health and his development made a 180 degree turn. His weight was going up, his smile was back, he was learning in school and at the end of the Kindergarten school year was even able to perform in the school recital, dancing and singing with all the other kindergartens. The road was still long, but progresses were made, his vocabulary was about 200 words now, 4 times the number where he started from.
On August 2009, Gabriel started First Grade and things went down hill fast. The school wasn't providing the services that Gabriel needed and the helped him so much during the past year. No speech therapy, no occupational therapy, his classroom doesn't have a teacher for a long time and when they finally get one, she's totally unprepared and not qualified to deal with Gabriel. Trouble started at 5.30 in the morning with my son crying and begging me not to send him to school 'cause everyone is mean to him. few hours later in the morning, the teacher calls hysterically to come and get Gabriel because "once again he yelled at me, doesn't listen to me and I don't know how to deal with him!" Every time my son comes back from school it's always a new bruise, a new cut, a complaint from the teacher. His health take a turn for the worse after a visit from the police officer at the school that explain that bad people goes to jail. As his teacher always tells him that he's bad, Gabriel starts loosing sleeps over this.
After my countless attempts to communicate with school personnel without success, it's clear to me that I've done all I can and I need to find Gabriel another school. We had to seek help in the private sector and in January 2010, Gabriel is enrolled in ECAC Stacy Berryman and her wonderful staff worked with Gabriel for a little less than a year and simply made a miracle. My boy is BACK.
Sempterber 2011, Staci informed me that Gabriel will be able to graduate from the school soon, so I started to look around for the best school for him. Since my daughter is now in Kindergarten, he expresses the desire to go in her same school, so I start from there and the result is a fight that is still today going on.
December 15th 2011, Gabriel is ready to graduate from ECAC. His behavioral problems are almost all gone, in the past 3 months he was tested again, this time scoring a perfect IQ.....no more special Education classrooms!!!!!! Although the fight with the school is still going and I'm preparing for a big match on January, nobody can convince me that this boy cannot accomplish anything he puts his mind to and no wonder....he takes after me!!!
I love you Gabriel and your smile means a lot more that any score test, but you did it dude!!!! You've shown every body that is possible if you believe!!!!
Enjoy a little video everyone, I proudly show you MY charming, silly, funny and autistic SON :)
Are you trying to get your Crafty Blog and/or Store off the ground?
Looking for more followers for your crafty related blogs?
Looking for more people to “favorite” your store?
Are you looking for new hip and original crafty stores?
If you said yes, to any of the above questions, you’re in the right spot!
*************************
This weeks CO-HOSTS
Each week we’ll spotlight one crafty Blog & crafty Site picked at random via Random.org to be included in the next week’s Wednesday Handmade Store & Blog Hop Linky!
1) Enter your blog and/or store into the appropriate Linky below!
*BLOGS* = 1st set of Linky’s
*STORES* = 2nd set of Linky’s
*For the STORES link, please specify what type of store: ETSY:, ARTFIRE:, etc.!
2) Follow the Handmade Wednesday Hosts & Co-Hosts! Leave a comment letting us know you're stopping by from Handmade Wednesday, so we can follow you back!!
3) Visit & Follow the blog directly ahead of you in the linky! Leave them a comment too, telling them you stopped by!
4) Grab our Button and Linky Codes to share with all your Blogging, Etsy, Artifre, etc. with your friends!
*Please remember that our blogs are Family Friendly and any thumbnails or links that we feel are inappropriate will be removed*
Add Your CRAFTY BLOG Here!
Add Your CRAFTY STORES Here!
*Don’t forget to include what type of store you have (Etsy, Artfire, Personal, etc.)*
This year I've been very busy for the Christmas season with sales at the point that I have to say (and I never thought I would!) that I cannot guarantee delivery for Christmas any more! eeek!
So I wasn't able to get out of my head all the ideas I had, but I made a couple of new designs
....Gabriel's graduation that is! Just few days, it's so close!! And even tho we have hoped pried and waited for this day to come, it's seems just yesterday that he started this journey and how much growing he did!! More picture of the event to come, stay tuned :)
Are you trying to get your Crafty Blog and/or Store off the ground?
Looking for more followers for your crafty related blogs?
Looking for more people to “favorite” your store?
Are you looking for new hip and original crafty stores?
If you said yes, to any of the above questions, you’re in the right spot!
*************************
This weeks CO-HOSTS
Each week we’ll spotlight one crafty Blog & crafty Site picked at random via Random.org to be included in the next week’s Wednesday Handmade Store & Blog Hop Linky!
1) Enter your blog and/or store into the appropriate Linky below!
*BLOGS* = 1st set of Linky’s
*STORES* = 2nd set of Linky’s
*For the STORES link, please specify what type of store: ETSY:, ARTFIRE:, etc.!
2) Follow the Handmade Wednesday Hosts & Co-Hosts! Leave a comment letting us know you're stopping by from Handmade Wednesday, so we can follow you back!!
3) Visit & Follow the blog directly ahead of you in the linky! Leave them a comment too, telling them you stopped by!
4) Grab our Button and Linky Codes to share with all your Blogging, Etsy, Artifre, etc. with your friends!
*Please remember that our blogs are Family Friendly and any thumbnails or links that we feel are inappropriate will be removed*
Add Your CRAFTY BLOG Here!
Add Your CRAFTY STORES Here!
*Don’t forget to include what type of store you have (Etsy, Artfire, Personal, etc.)*
This is a little conversation that went on between my and Gabriel (my 7yo son) few days ago.
Gabe: "Mom, is Santa Real" (His way to ask if Santa really exist I think" Me (sweating profusely): "Well, what do you think? Is he real?" Gabe: "I think he is if I believe it" Me (sigh of relief): "Very well then, I think you have a clear picture of that!" Gabe (now leaving to go play): "I think I do."
I was just grateful that I didn't give it away. I really don't want him to stop believe in Santa maybe for a couple of more years.....too much???
Why the stone? Found it while I browsed to put this collection together :)
