Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Boy Names...

Now that I know I'm having a boy, I've got to think up some boy names. The key for me is to find some boy names that aren't really common but not too far out there either. It's not as easy for me as picking out girl names...

Here are some boy names I've thought of so far:

Cameron*
Cameron Martin
Cameron Christopher
Hayden*
Lucas Christopher*
Alexander*
Cameron Andrew*
Logan

* means hubby likes it too!

I'll be updating names as they are thought of...

UPDATE-1/21: Looks like Cameron Andrew is in the lead so far!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

IT'S A BOY!!!

Pictures coming tomorrow!!

Found out today at my ultrasound I'm having a boy!! That, like this pregnancy itself, was another surprise because I thought in my "woman's intuition" that I was having a girl. The ultrasound technician even guessed at my 13 week exam that it might be a girl because of what she saw on the underside. Guess my little guy's "parts" didn't make themselves known until after that! I saw my husband's face when they said "boy" and it was like he won the Lotto-it lit right up into a big smile; I'll never forget it. He was convinced we were having a girl too, but really wanted a boy, secretly. You know a lot of guys how they want their boy LOL...

Now that I know what it is, it really does feel strange to say my son, and "he" when I refer to the baby. Seems like I tend to automatically say "the baby" or "it" when I refer to it. There I go again.

I'm really glad that I found out the gender before I gave birth--I wouldn't have been prepared if I didn't. I was so ready to have a girl because I convinced myself so good, and when I thought of the baby after it was born I'd automatically picture it being a girl. I didn't have any boy names except for two picked out compared to the huge list of girls names I had too. I wouldn't have wanted the baby to go unnamed either after it was born too.

I'm a little sad though, that this is my last ultrasound until I give birth unless there is something wrong. Of course I don't want anything to be wrong to have to have another u/s, but I'll miss seeing the baby. At least I know inside that if anything was to go wrong, that I'd probably know by now. That's giving me a lot of peace of mind.

BTW, I took the penny test 3 weeks ago and it said boy, along with all the other old wives tales and the Chinese charts. Me being a natural skeptic, I thought they were all phooey. My penny is still stuck to the wall.

PS-My ultrasound technician said that the Intelligender test (urine test to determine gender) only has an 80% rate of correctness. She asked me if I took one, and said A LOT of the girls who come into the office come expecting their Intelligender result and find out just the opposite--some food for thought, especially considering that test is twice the price of an ultrasound copay.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Pick of the Week: Crossword Puzzle Cards from MyGrandpasPen




Never underestimate the power of a funny idea. That “funny idea” may just turn into something great. That’s how the idea came about for this week’s Pick of the Week.

Etsy seller MyGrandpasPen’s Crossword Christmas and Birthday Cards are this week’s Pick of the Week. Jeanine (AKA MyGrandpasPen) said that the inspiration for the cards was that “funny” idea that ended up growing and growing.

“It was one of those funny ideas that popped into my head and evolved from there,” she said.

The Crossword Christmas and Birthday Cards feature a recycled crossword puzzle as their main attraction, along with a collage of differently-styled and well-coordinated graphics in their greeting. Stamped designs adorn the squares within the puzzle, as well--Christmas tree and present designs for the holiday cards and a birthday cake design for the birthday cards.

The crossword puzzles that are on the cards are the real deal, too. Jeanine said they come from her very own puzzle books.

“I love crossword puzzles and you would think I would finish all the puzzles in a book, but I usually don’t,” she said. “The puzzles are recycled from puzzle books I own. I have some puzzle scrapbook paper too, but it just doesn’t feel the same,”

The cards have blank insides for custom messages, and are available at MyGrandpasPen’s Etsy shop at http://mygrandpaspen.etsy.com. The Crossword Christmas Cards ship in a set of six cards (custom amounts are also available).

MyGrandpasPen AKA, Jeanine, hails from Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and has been selling on Etsy since June of 2008. Her Etsy moniker and shop name came from childhood memories of her grandfather.

“My Grandpa would always give us a pen at Christmas, and that along with all the other craft supplies that were around really inspired me to create and play with my imagination,” Jeanine said.

She also has an Artfire studio (http://mygrandpaspen.artfire.com), and said she loves crafting because she loves the process of creating. Her favorite kinds of crafts are scrapbooking and sewing.

“I really enjoy the process,” she said. “I was an engineer (electrical\computer engineering), so it’s great to do something completely different,”

Her 13-year-old daughter Taylor is also a big influence on her crafting.

“She is such a help—if I tell her an idea, she’ll give me so many different ways to take it even further,” Jeanine said.

MyGrandpasPen’s future plans include taking her love of scrapbooking even further. She would like to start designing her own embellishments with her die cutting machine, among other ideas that are “on the back burner just waiting for the right day to try them.”


Crossword Christmas Cards: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16934910

Crossword Happy Birthday Card:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24941526

MyGrandpasPen’s Etsy Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyGrandpasPen

Coming Soon: Pick of the Week Etsy feature!

Beginning this week, I'm starting a weekly feature that will spotlight a unique item that everyone just has to see from an Etsy seller! It will be called "Pick of the Week," and is a spotlight of not only that particular item, but the seller themselves. As a fellow Etsy seller myself, I know that being seen out of the millions of people on Etsy can be hard and I know I've always appreciated help on promoting from other Etsy sellers when they've extended that opportunity to me.

I'll also be promoting this feature on the Etsy forums and other craft websites (so far I'm thinking Cut Out and Keep, and any national or international site with promotion boards--other ideas on where I can submit are ALWAYS appreciated!). I really want to get this out there to as many people as I can because these items deserve to be seen!

This week's feature will feature Holiday and Birthday Crossword Puzzle cards from Etsy seller MyGrandpasPen (http://mygrandpaspen.etsy.com).

If YOU would like to be featured, give me a holler!