Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Up Coming Tutorial.... Homemade Brown Sugar Shower Scrub

This weekend my best friend Crissy is coming to visit. We have been friends for many many years. I've been going through a rough patch in life and she's coming to cheer me up :). Everytime we get together for an extended period of time we have so much fun!! We laugh until we cry, eat until we're sick, and make memories to last a lifetime. I thought this weekend I would have her and the girls assist me in my first tutorial!! How exciting right?? My FIRST tutorial!!! We are going to make handmade brownsugar shower scrub!! I can't wait to see how this pans out. I will fill you all in on the great details of our fun girl filled weekend and our informative tutorial come first of next week.... Stay tuned!!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Children and the Memories They Bring

It has been awhile since I have been on here. I read back to my last post and we were on our way to Minnesota. I was never so happy to be home!! Although seeing Nates Grandparents and enjoying the memories that were made there, being cooped up in a small apartment with a very active five year old little girl and two elderly grands made it stressful for this Mom. You don't realize how much you adapt and adjust to otheres until you are in situations. What I mean is that Emme got away with a WHOLE lot lore that she ever woul have at home because of the situation we were in. I didn't want Raulf and Lois to think that we were to hard on her. I think by the time we left they may have been thinking "why didn't they spank that girl" hahaha. No all that aside, she was very good on the trip and it was great to see everyone and for Emme to build those memories that may be harder and harder to get as they age. It sure was nice to get home though... 12 hours in a car with Emme.... KILL ME NOW!!! hahaha

The reason I decided to blog today was because of a situation that I found myself if this past week. Emme started school on Monday... well it is a pre-K program for the summer school part. Anyhow, she was terrified that she wouldn't have any friends and no one would like her. Emme is my youngest and my last and seeing this fear in her broke my heart. I cried all the way to work on Monday after the teacher literally pryed her off my leg. I realized that I would never have this opportunity again. I would never take my baby to her first day of school.... it broke my heart. Needless to say I recouped before I got to work and when I got off work she had all kinds of stories to tell and couldn't wait to go back the next day.

On Wednesday she was outside after school with Rileigh and the neighbor girls. Apparently she was showing the other girls how she was chasing a boy at school and she fell..... From inside the house I heard the scream that no mother wants to hear.... you know the one....  the "I'm HURT and it's not my feelings" scream. I jumped off the couch and by the time I made it to the door Emme and Rileigh were coming inside. Emme was screaming "I fell on my eye!!! I fell on my eye!!!" Immediately, being a nurse, I thought she had put her eye out. I moved her hand and was relieved to find the her eyeball was undamaged. Her face was scraped from her cheekbone on the left side to just under the eye, another scrape on the brow and two on the forehead. We headed to the bathroom to clean up while Rileigh filled me in on what had happened. The damage didn't SEEM to bad after all the dirt was cleaned off. A few hours later she was still whimpering, I would have been to if I was her. Her eye was slightly more swollen and wheeping a little. She said "mom I can't go to school I look like a fool." I said "Emme just tell them you fell down." She replied "Mama only fools fall down." I laughed to myself that such a small girl could make such a big assumption. I made a deal with her that if her eye was swollen the next morning that she could stay home. Needless to say.... it was swollen SHUT!!! She stayed home Thursday and Friday. When I called the school to tell them, the receptionist, asked me three times "so she fell off her bike?" Even though I had told her exactly what had happened it was as though she was trying to get me to change my story..... WEIRD..... in reality it was prolly my own fear that people would think that I had somehow caused the wounds on her face. On Thursday I took Emme to Rileighs softball game. EVERYONE wanted to see her "owie". She was embarrassed at first then she began to just stand still instead of trying to hide behind me each time the question was asked "what happened to your eye." I told the same story over and over again. Friday evening I noticed that there was alot of slough on the wounds. I knew they had to be cleaned and I DREADED the thought of cleaning them. I thought about the fear she would have and the fight she would put out. I pictured Nate and I having to hold her down just to clean the wounds so they wouldn't get infected. I decided to tell Emme that at some point we would have to clean the "owies". She was scared and I could see that in her eyes. She said she would tell me when she was ready. A little later Wade went outside and Emme wanted to go. I told her that she couldn't go out with her face looking like that. She could go out after it was cleaned. She seemed to get excite and was thinking intently. She mustarded up the courage to tell me she was ready.... man was she a TROOPER!!! I was able to get all the slough area off the wounds and they were able to dry out some. She has let me clean them twice a day since!!! Today they look SOOOO much better. It's funny though.... her attitude and demeanor never changed. She still played like Emme, talked like Emme, whined like Emme, and made me smile like Emme.... She just didn't look like the same Emme. Everytime she would jump around, or change clothes...my skin would crawl, I would get chills, I would get this sick feeling in my stomach. This was all because I was scared myself that she would hurt herself. I finally realized that if she wasn't scared, I shouldn't be scared. Kids get hurt, they fall down, they say silly things, they may lie, cheat at school, but no matter what they do.... it is a new MEMORY made that I will forever hold in my heart.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

This and That

Nathan, Emme, and I are preparing to make the 12 hour trip to Wilmer Minnisota. We will  be gone from Thursday thru Monday. Our neighbors are kind enough to care for our house while we are gone. We are going up there to help Nate's grandparents finishing moving out of the house they have lived in for over 40 years. They are no longer able to care for the house. Nate has such a great family and I love spending time with his grandparents. We are so excited to make this trip and on the other hand we are dreading the 12 hour drive with 5 year old Emme. If we didn't take her they would be so disappointed though. I am sure we will come home with items that they no longer want or don't have room for in their new apartment.

While we are gone I will be unable to manage our etsy store. I added a couple new items this evening and will try to add a few more before we leave. I really need to get some hairbows made to place on etsy. I just haven't found the time or the energy to make them yet. I think that once I get some made they will be a hot seller. I have made some vintage windows with vinyl on them. One of the windows is a chandelier with rinestones.... it's really awesome. The other one is a kitchen inspired window with silverware and scrolls. I will take pictures and post them tomorrow.

I really wish I could get feedback as to what people would like to see in our etsy shop.

As I mentioned in a prior post $5.00 of every sale is donated directly to Lanie Watkins. She is 2 years old and is at St. Judes battling cancer. Once I have a lump some of $300 to send Lanie, I would like to research another child in need. Granted doing this makes some of the items we sell on etsy nonprofitable to us but soing this gives Nathan and I a sense of satisfaction that we are able to help a child and her family in need. It really has ment so much to us.

I was talking to a friend today at work and we got on the subject of poetry. I really got to thinking..... I love poetry and I used to write alot of poems. I looked some of them up today and they brought a smile to my face. Possibly in the near future one of my blogs will be one of my poems with the story behind the inspiration that I had to right the poem.

Soon I will post a tutorial on making vintage tin flags.... that is in the works.... stay tuned.

Until next time.... Be at peace with who you are and be thankful for all you have in your life.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Introduction to Rustically Chic

Hello!! My name is Kristal Duncan. I am with a wonderful man named Nathan Seybert. We have three children. Wade is 13, Rileigh is 11, and Emilee just turned 5. We also have a tea cup chihuahua named milee. We are a very family oriented group with very strong personalities. Any of you with children these ages know exactly what I am talking about when I say "drama". Hahaha. There is always daily drama of some sort.... Rileigh has no clothes, Emme won't stay out of Wades room, Wade keeps changing the channel. One wants cheese pizza and one wants pepperoni. I became a mother at a very young age and I have learned as I have gone. I have gotten the chance to grow with my children. I have told them that if given the chance to have the exact same children as I have today I would have waited a few more years but I wouldn't change a thing. My children are my life, my pride, and my joy.

During the day Monday thru Friday I am a nurse. I work for a very respected longterm care facility as the MDS CarePlan coordinator. I love my job and I love my residents. My job is the most rewarding career I could have ever chosen for myself.

Recently Nate and I have started a small business called Rustically Chic. We started making handmade bows.... this business has grown greatly. We now make custom signs, vintage windows with vinyl pictures, and much more. We started an etsy store and also feature vintage items there. This venture has brought the two of us so much closer and I wouldn't change a thing for the world.

Our newest venture is to raise money for a little girl named Lanie Watkins. I do not know Lanie or her parents, though they are from my hometown. I began following her story through a friend on my facebook. Her status would read "LANIE UPDATE". In the comment section she would copy and past the update that Tessie (Lanies Mom) would send out. They found out a few months ago that Lanie has brain cancer. She has undergone surgery to remove the tumor but cancer cells still remain. She is currently at St. Judes with her parents battling this awful disease. It was while reading her updates that I became so attached to this story. My heart reached out to Lanie and to her parents. I started a fundraiser in honor of Lanie. Every sale from my etsy shop will donate $5.00 directly to Lanie and her family. So far this has been a slow going process but I know that with time and effort along with prayer, we will be able to raise a lump sum of money to send to them. This project has made such a difference in my life. Everyday I thank God for the health of my children and for the life I have been blessed with. Each day I think of Lanie and how she is progressing. Everyday I want to do something to better myself and my family. I hope my children grow up with the same thoughts in their minds.

I am starting this blog in hopes to raise awareness of cancer and those who suffer from it. Once we raise a lump sum of money for Lanie I will research and begin raising money for another child in need. The items that we sell on RusticallyChic on etsy doesn't make us alot of money but every little bit helps and every little bit is just a little bit more that I can donate to someone in need.

I hope to use this blog to share my ideas, projects, and recipes in hopes that you will enjoy them as much as I do. This craft business and vintage shopping has really brought my family closer and I hope it will yours too.