The Monkey is BACK.....on a Tuesday....

Well, after a much-needed trip around the world (this is my story and I'm sticking to it!), the Monkey is back...

Come on, I know you've been waiting with wringing hands and anxious thoughts...r-i-g-h-t??

Where oh where did that Monkey go?

Now if I have lost you, please hang on (seriously, I have not lost my mind)...I am about to explain....

Last Spring, we started a little weekly feature called "Monkey in the Middle Mondays"...and it was starting to catch on...A very simple idea, but scary for allot of us....show me your "Monkey (on or off your back-heehee) in the middle, the project you are in the midst of, on any given Monday. It can be anything, any medium, just something you are working on with your own two hands....

I love to watch the creative process (And there are some great blogs out there that share step by step). I think it is awesome to watch a creative crafter (or even an arteeest) take a lump (whatever that lump may be) and turn it in to something beautiful (or cute or clever or all of the above)...it inspires ME to look at things with a new perspective...

Another thing I loved (And hated) about the monkey was that HE NEVER LEFT MY BACK...he kept me creative and creating, because I had to have something to share on Monday morning...

Back in the good ol' days, a few folks join me (My friends Kathi and Lisa for starts)...things were headed in a good direction for a solid weekly feature. And then Mr. Sunshine left for Iraq. That kinda threw a big ol' monkey wrench in the well oiled Sunshine family (wait a minute, I think the Sunshine family were toys in the 70's....I thinkI had that set...they were crafty, if I remember correctly) machine. Needless to say, allot of things (including the Monkey) were put on hold until the kids and I could find our groove again.

We *think* we have a decent routine now....things move a little slower (orders don't get processed and things don't get created quite as quickly when you're doing everything else to keep two kids healthy and happy). This is not our first deployment, but it is always a HUGE adjustment when Dad leaves...there's a different rhythm every time and we have to find it....sometimes it takes awhile.

But enough from me, the main point is that Monkey in the Middle Mondays are returning and I am formally inviting you to join me...PLEASE!?!?

I promise to share the good the bad and the ugly, and I won't even make you do that. Show me your prettiest project, something you know is going to be spectacular when it's done and hide the duds (but I am showing it all)....

If you are willing to participate in my craziness, post a response or shoot me an email. If I get enough interest, I will put one of those cool link thingies at the bottom of every Monday's post So we can visit each other's Monkeys...if not, I'll keep chugging along and you can visit every Monday for a very cheap form (FREE!) of entertainment (because I am going to show it all, I promise!)....

And with that being said....I have a Dentist's appt. in an hour....I will post MY Monkey for the week this afternoon....

Until then....

FRONT PAGE, Baby!!

WOOOHOOO!!

My treasury made the front page of Etsy!

And while I have already shown it to you, I think I got a better shot of it, so I will share one last time....

And how do you like my new look? Very chipper, don't you think?

One more time, if you have a little bit of HTML knowledge (not too much, I managed without pulling all hairs out) and a yen for a whimsical blog, check out Shabby Miss Jen!

Treasury on Etsy...

Got a Treasury going for a few more hours....It's very....polka dotty....

Thought I'd share....

Just click on the pic to see a bigger version...Or better yet, visit and click on links on Etsy....

There's some very cute stuff....I had fun picking this one....

Tinkering with Stuff...

Well it has been a while since I have written a real post and, quite frankly, I was in need of a "blog-iday"....

but then I ran across this website....

I could not NOT purchase one of her very FUN blog templates... thinking all along, "I can do this", because installation is NOT part of the package....

So things will be "Under Construction" for a few days...

Just make sure you don your hard hat before you visit, becasue things could get a little scary.....

Until Next time....

And you think it's HOT where you are?

A cropped version of a photo Mr. Sunshine mailed home a few weeks ago (don't know how much of the actual photo I can share, so I will err on the side of caution, although I would love to show you his handsome face)....I will never complain about the heat again, because this isn't even the hottest day they have seen in the six weeks or so they've been gone....

Where's the Sunshine??

Yours truly, has become the world's biggest soccer MOM, or so it seems....

That's my son Connor in the photo...between him and his sister I am at a practice, scrimmage or game five, sometimes six days a week...

Phew!

I'm not used to that....life is much easier when there are two parents home to share the bus driver duty...

One season is winding down, however, and then we have a few weeks before soccer camp season starts...

SO I should be blogging more often.....hopefully...

Show-n-Tell Sunday...

This weeks theme is Flea Market Finds....sharing your favorite find from the flea...

This week's "hostess-with-the-mostest" is Heidi (thanks!) at Birds of a Feather and this is how she describes this week, perfectly (make sure you visit her to see what she's sharing and then hit the links list for your Sunday afternoon blog "drive"-it's always a scenic route):

You know, the one that made your heart skip a beat when you spied it out of the corner of your eye, the one you slowly meandered towards hoping not to draw attention to, then casually asked the dealer in your calmest of voices, "what's your best price on this?" Which was quickly followed by, "I'LL TAKE IT!"

Well, my favorite find is always my latest find as well...I have mentioned my love for boxes before, but when those boxes come full of pretty little pieces of the past, I tend to swoon.... just a bit....

Imagine my excitement when I spied this hot pink box sitting amongst piles of drab old junk Friday morning...it just screams fifties kitsch to me. Now I'm not a huge fan of poodles, but I just had to see what was inside....

Sweet!

How much is that Doggy in the window? Only $1.50 for a lovely assortment of 15 all occasion cards-what a deal!

Hmmm..this could be a dud...looks like lots of tiny gift cards....keep digging....

Wait! My own personal invitation....must be a sign...

YES! Adorable little buzzy bees....next...

A whole set of pretty pastel note cards...

flutterby.....

The little birdies are my favorite...buttery yellow and....

Peachy pink....

Another blank note card...love the faded colors and simplicity of this one....

Instead of a birthday card, how about a birthday folder, protected forever and sewn into sheets of plastic (just like Grandma's couch!)...

Such pretty colors....

....and a nice snowy landscape inside...perfect if you were born in January....the opposite page was blank with a horizontal slit. I suspect it was to hold a pad of paper or something similar, long since gone...

I love finding a date on things....and the always elusive "made in the USA", that's always a treat to see....

Ahh....MORE poodles, this time with Santa....

Not too hard to date this box, is it?

And last but not least....

our cover girl- think I shall call her FIFI....the original owner of this stationary box must have liked these cards....only two of the fifteen sat at the bottom of the box...See the sparkle? YES! Glitter!

Fifi spent all of her bling on the front, however. The inside is a very simple "Get Well Soon" wish in black and white....

So there you have my current, latest, favorite find....don't ask me what I will do with all of this paper goodness (suggestions, anyone?)...I'll get back to you on that one...in the meantime I will just enjoy.....

Now, go forth and explore Show-n-Tell in Blogland!

Oh yeah, and a very HAPPY Father's Day to all...

'Til next time....