Today Is My Grand Daughter's First Birthday!

A year ago today my granddaughter was born at 9:53pm!

I can not believe it has been a year since my grand daughter Abbygail was born. I remember that night very well, my daughter Ashley had to go to a hospital about two hours away when she went into labor. I had the flu and was very sick with a bad cough and fever. I wanted to be there so bad but there was no way I was going to get past the doctors being as sick as I was. Ashley and Alan were so good about keeping me updated with her progress by text messages, emails and of course a phone call any chance they got. I couldn't even keep my grandson AJ while they were at the hospital because I didn't want him to get sick and then pass it on to the new baby or his Mommy & Daddy, so it was a very long lonely night. I remember updating my status on Facebook constantly and posting updates to my blog just to keep busy so I would go crazy waiting for the next update.

After a couple of hours of updates and feeling terribly sick and anxious all at the same time I realized I had not heard from Ashley or Alan in over an hour, I tried to call them and no answer. So panic sets in and my anxiety level goes up as well as my fever, I start to cough and then can't stop, I feel horrible and can not find out what is going on at the hospital. Finally after another horrible hour of waiting I get a text message that tells me "She's here" as my daughter said it in the text message. I was so happy and so relieved to know all was good, even as I write this tonight I can still feel those emotions and have tears in my eyes. Here we are today a year later my darling little granddaughter Abbygail Lyla is a year old, wow it is so amazing and Ashley & Alan are wonderful parents to Abby and my grandson AJ who will be four in July. I could not ask for anything more and I would not change a thing. I am so blessed to have them in my life, they are my world and I love them all so much!

Congratulations! It's your Abby's first birthday!

Can you believe that an entire year has passed since the birth of your child? And what an incredible journey it has been! As your child reaches his first birthday, you may reflect on the year that has passed or even back to when you were trying to conceive, or first found out you were pregnant. You may remember the first fluttering in your tummy, those first little kicks that soon turned into power kicks, and then your first labor pains. You may think back to the car ride home from the hospital and those first few nights at home, and all those diapers!

Your child's first birthday marks their graduation from infancy to toddlerhood. Over the past year, your baby has reached so many impressive milestones with your love and care. You, your partner, your baby's siblings and other caregivers should all be so proud! The upcoming year will be just as exciting. Among the developments to come, your child will begin to interact more with other children their age and their vocabulary will begin to increase at an amazing rate, reaching up to about 50 spoken words in the next 12 months!

Babies born on Friday, March 11, 2011

Were likely conceived 6/18/2010

And are 366 days old!

Fun Birthday Facts:

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Birthstone: Aquamarine

Birth Flower: Daffodil or Jonquil

Chinese Zodiac: The White Metal Rabbit

Half birthday: September 9

Babies born on 3/11/2011 will start kindergarten in 2016,

be old enough to drive a car in 2027, finish high school in 2029,

and will graduate from college with the class of 2033, give or take a year.

Can you imagine?

Today Is International Women's Day 2012!

International Women's Day is on March 8!

 Hundreds of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Organisations, governments and women's groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues.

Some years have seen global IWD themes honoured around the world, while in other years groups have preferred to 'localise' their own themes to make them more specific and relevant.

So while many people may think there is one global theme each year, this is not always correct. It is completely up to each country and group as to what appropriate theme they select.

2012 Theme: CONNECTING GIRLS, INSPIRING FUTURES

For information about International Women's Day visit www.internationalwomensday.com

March Is Women's History Month!

Congressional Resolution Designating the Month of March "Women's History Month"

The public celebration of women's history in this country began in 1978 as "Women's History Week" in Sonoma County, California. The week including March 8, International Women's Day, was selected. In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women's History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women's History Month.

Whereas American women of every race, class and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways;

Whereas American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home;

Whereas American women were have played a unique role throughout the history of the Nation by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force of the Nation;

Whereas American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation;

Whereas American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement;

Whereas American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and

Whereas despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued, in the literature, teaching and study of American History;

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that March is designated as "Women's History Month." The President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation for each of these months, calling upon the people of the United States to observe those months with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities.

http://www.macswomenonline.com/magazine/read/march-is-national-womens-history-month_23.html

Sweet PoTatum Accessories Is Helping Jacob's Fight!

Kristy's profits are going toward Jacob Hill's cancer fund!

100% of Sweet PoTatum Accessories' proceeds are to help Jacob fight Neuroblastoma. 

Kristy is the creator behind Sweet PoTatum Accessories. Sweet PoTatum Accessories are custom handmade accessories using polymer clay. Please visit her Facebook page for more information at: http://www.facebook.com/sweetpotatum.

How Do I Order? You can find most of my bow centers in my shop here. If you are looking for something you do not see there, feel free to email me at: sweetpotatum@gmail.com.

Custom Items: I love creating custom orders. If you are looking for something specific, feel free to contact me. I will then send you a price quote.

How Long Will My Order Take? I work on orders on a first come first serve basis based on payment date. My typical turn around is 7-21 from date of purchase. If you need an item by a particular time, please email me ahead of time. Please note: I DO NOT work on orders unless they are paid for. While I have some items ready to ship, most items are created after payment. Custom items (items I have not created in the past) take the longest to create, so please keep that in mind. 

Shipping Info: All of my US orders are shipped USPS. Bow center shipping is $3.00 for the first item and .10 each additional. Ornaments/Tags are $3.50 for the 1st item and .50 each additional.

Please note: My shipping prices are for shipping AND handling. You are not just paying the cost of shipping alone. Unfortunately, the cost of materials has to be factored in as well. (I do not ship through paypal, I take the package directly to the post office. I have found that works best for me and my packages. AKA, less people handling the packages=less chances of breaking.) International. Any customs duties, taxes, fees, etc that are charged upon delivery are your responsibility and are not reflected in my shipping charges. 

Refunds & Exchanges: I try my best to package all of my items securely to prevent item damage. I package every individually in bubble wrap.

If for some reason the item(s) arrive damaged, please contact me asap via e-mail (sweetpotatum@gmail.com) or my contact tab and I'll gladly find a solution. 

Due to the custom nature of my items, I do not accept returns. 

Please note, I am not responsible for any shipping damages caused by the post office while in transit. (ie...the box looks like it has been stomped on) 

Misc Info: Polymer Clay is very strong, but these are not toys and will break if not handled properly. If you are a bow maker, please make sure you secure them really well to the bow and keep in mind that the post office is not kind to our packages. 

I love the challenge of creating new ideas, please feel free to contact me with yours.

Current turnaround time is 2-3 weeks from payment. 

A note from Jacob...
Hello to all my family, friends and wellwishers. My name is Jacob Hill. I'm 3 years old. I live with my mom and three sisters in Rockwall, Texas. I am a very energetic and curious little boy. I love dinosaurs, playing with my sisters, riding my scooter outside and everything Spiderman. I have a fearless, sweet and loving nature. I am surrounded by tremendous amounts of love and support from... all of my family and friends as I continue my fight against Stage IV High Risk Neuroblastoma.

To follow Jacob's journey and show your support as well as get updates as to how he is doing please visit his Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/JacobHillsJourney

Vietnam Veteran's Needs Help Fulfilling Last Wish!

Vietnam Veteran Delmar Lilly wants to go home!
Posted on Facebook by the Facebook group "Vietnam Veterans" on March 6, 2012.

I think it is important to post this: 

An open letter to ANYONE that can help.

A dear friend to many and a Nitro High Graduate 1967, Nitro, WV, is losing his battle with lung cancer as I write. He and his family live in Shallotte, North Carolina.

He was at Duke University, however, he now is at the Mayo Clinic, in Jacksonville, Florida. There is nothing more that the doctors can do for him, and he wants to go home to die. Returning home in their RV is out of the question. 

They have located an ambulance service that will drive him home for $3,000.00. Jay Rockefeller's office in Washington were asked for help and we were told, the military would airlift him home, HOWEVER, the government would need to be paid $6,000.00 first.

I told everyone that he is a Vietnam Veteran, and the very least our country can do for him as a last ditch effort to thank him for his service, is to get him home to die.

ANY donations would be appreciated by Delmar and his family to get him HOME.

Checks should be made payable to Brenda Lilly

Post Office Box 3288, Shallotte, North Carolina 28459

For more information on how you can help please contact:
Pat Sharp or The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, re: Delmar Lilly.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vietnam-Veterans/107850425917458