update on the teaser

Last week {I think, who knows, the days & weeks are running together} I snapped a quick photo of the massive amounts of paint we'd purchased and told y'all I'd give you an update soon.

I wish I had great before and after pictures to share, but not yet.   My house need not look like a construction zone for it's debut.  I am super excited to be painting the interior of our house (literally all of it...even the laundry room and it's trim).  I can't decide if I love my aqua island (swoon), the new magnetic chalkboard that Dr. Chick framed out on the back of a wall of cabinets that divides our prep area from our eating area in the kitchen or the fact that now all of the ends of my cabinets and the island are framed out with beadboard panels (thanks again to Dr. Chick--who is quite the trim carpenter!).

Pretty sure, we're going on 2 weeks worth of late night painting and cutting, but it is coming together!  Tonight we're putting the cabinet doors back on their bases (I can't wait to stop looking at my un-orderly tupperware--which begs for organization:  another project for another week.) and I plan to paint the trim in the dining room and kitchen.

Last weekend we called in reinforcements.  Kiki, Coco, Parker, my Mom & Dad ventured to VR for paint-a-palooza.  Without them I'd still be sanding cabinet doors and they would not be covered in 2 coats of oil based enamel.  While here, we ventured into the studio and I snapped a couple pictures of Master P exploring.

My goal for this weekend is to paint the rest of the trim in the main part of the house and get after my laundry room (a lighter shade of aqua than the island!!)  i'll be sans the extra hands but think we'll make quick work of it!

A Little {More} About the Chick

Sometimes I get lost in Tweet Deck.  I find myself reading tweets instead of working.  This morning, @hLr2013 "favorited" one of my tweets (about Southern Plate's Cafeteria No Bake Peanut Butter Bars...which by the way are delish and I could really take off on a tangent about my days teaching and school lunch but I'll save y'all the read :)).

Anyway, once she favorited my tweet and I clicked her name, then clicked over to her blog and read some of her posts (see how this becomes a time suck?!) I came across this little A-Z all-about-me and thought I'd do it too!  Thanks so much, Young Southern Prep!

A-Age:  32 (eek!)

B-Bed size:  Queen

C-Chore you hate:  Emptying the Dishwasher
D-Dogs:  Bailey, our Australian Shepherd
E-Essential start to your day: Coffee!!
F-Favorite Color: Green

G-Gold or Silver:  BOTH! I love to mix them together.
H-Height:  5'4"
I-Instruments you play:  None--can you believe that?!  Is that a dis-service my parent's did me?  I think not.  I am tone def and it would have been a waste of their money, I'm certain.
J-Job title:  Chief Creative Chick :)
K-Kids:  None
L-Live: Georgia

M-My mom's name:  Marcia

N-Nickname:  Sissy
O-Overnight hospital stay:  I've never spent the night in the hospital 
P-Pet Peeve: mouth noises
Q-Quote from a movie: Father of the Bride, Steve Martin:  "You have to pass a test to get a driver's license, but anyone can have a child"

R-Right/Lefty:  Righty
S-Sibling:  Kiki
T-Time you wake up:  I am one of those annoying "snoozers"  the alarm starts going off at 6:15 and I often don't get out of bed until 7:00...I am SO NOT a morning person.  Hence, the necessity of coffee.
V-Veggies you dislike:  Butter/Lima Beans

W-What makes you run late:  Snooze buttons!

X-Xrays you have had: Too many to count. Most recently of my knee when I broke it skiing last year.
Y-Yummy food you make:  Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Z-Zoo animal: Monkeys

blues & green = baby boy

So, my sweet web friend, Nina, will be birthin' a bebe shortly.  Every itty bitty newborn needs his name and monogram plastered across bibs and burps and roadies, oh my!  Recently, we sent Jack a little care package.  Check out Nina's schwag & while you're there tell her hey.

You'll notice in her pictures, one of our newest items...a monogrammed gown for newborns.  Available in pink, white and blue!

busy weekend

trips to home depot & lowes ranked in the double digits this weeend. details and lots of photos to come, pinkie swear.

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Baked Banana Oatmeal

It is no secret that when I'm not stitching I love to be in the kitchen.  It is cathartic.  When I'm stressed, my first choice of places to be is the kitchen.  Something about following a recipe and creating something leaves me feeling a little less up-tight.  While I wasn't stressed the other morning, I was in the mood for a delicous breakfast.  Anytime banana's and oatmeal are involved, it is considered a delicous breakfast in my book.

I came across Kath Eats Real Food.  Kath and I share a love for oatmeal.  Kath is a WAY BETTER blogger & posts multiple times a day with fantastic photos and delicious looking recipes.  One particular recipe caught my eye and I knew I had to try it.  Baked Banana Oatmeal.  <---Here is the link to the recipe, I won't give it here so as to entice you to comb through Kath's page and find treasures for yourself.  I will, however, give a little photo re-cap of my baking of the oatmeal.  {I did not decide that this was a blog event until well into the process, so the pics are not step by step}

  I decided a little late in the game to document this.  The above pic is midway through baking.

I pink, puffy heart our ipad, especially in the kitchen.  It is so handy for recipes!  I was able to follow Kath's excellent directions very easily thanks to my digital friend.

Towards the end of baking the oatmeal, the recipe says to add a "heaping tablespoon" of brown sugar and then broil.  What do y'all think?  Is this heaping enough!?

Straight out of the oven, with caramelized sugar on top....thanks to my heaping tablespoon of brown sugar.

I enjoyed the yummy-ness with coffee (of course).  A few notes....I only had frozen bananas.  They were kinda soft and mushy when trying to layer them on the top and bottom but I think they turned out okay after baking.  Also, I used Almond Milk since that is what we keep on hand, and I think that with real milk the taste/texture may have been a bit better.  Overall, this was super tasty and something I'll be making again.  I did re-heat it for consumption later in the week and definitely think it is better fresh from the oven but was a delicious and easy to grab on my way to the studio.

ALSO....

While you're on her site, check out here giveaway!  Kath is giving away a VitaMix.  I haven't posted about my adoration for my VitaMix but trust me, y'all...you'll want to enter.  I use mine just about everyday and lurve it...almost as much as Tory Burch revas!

Product Sighting!

This past weekend we were in "the 'ham" for Master P's baby dedication service at Kiki & Coco's church.  I'm somewhat partial but I think he was the cutest kid there, what do you think?

Imagine my utter delight, when walking around the outdoor couryard where the ceremony was held, when I came across this

Monogram Chick's Chocolate Blooms Toddler Backpack!  Perfect to keep an older sibling occupied at the baby dedication.  Lurve it!  

And lurve this cute little chunk-a-muffin!

GroopDealz

Happy Friday Chickadees!

We all know that there are so many group buying "events" out there. My inbox is full of emails each morning touting all the savings that are meant to be had.  Often, if the subject line isn't catching, I hit delete.  This morning, when I opened my inbox GroopDealz cought my eye.

I love to find a good deal and share a good deal.  If you don't know about GroopDealz, they are a site similar to Groupon however, they promote handmade (much like etsy...just in Groupon format).

 

I have a ruffle camera strap on my Rebel and get so many questions/compliments about it.  Mine was an etsy purchase about 2 years ago from a shop called EclecticWhatNot. Today, GroopDealz has ruffled camera straps at a great savings {$20 for a $33 value}!  These are super cute and such a great deal!  What a great opportunity to add a little "ta-da" to your camera strap!

That's it for today, chicks, just sharing the love.  Have a great weekend!

i have a hunch

My hunch is that Blue Eyed Bride's Straw Tumbler Giveaway will ending very, very soon....if you haven't made your way over to her fantastic slice of the blogosphere, do so.  Now.  And while you're there, enter to win one of 3 Personalized Straw Tumblers we'll be giving away.  There is also a discount code that will be active until the end of March hiding away in her giveaway post, snag it up and shop, shop, shop!

pre-order your white ruffle robe now

Happy Monday, chickadees!  

I am as excited as y'all are about the White Ruffle Robe.  I had emails and twitter messages asking about one of the newest additions to our shop as pictured in our trunk show recap post.

Here's the deal. 

* They are limited edition... we've ordered a couple dozen and aren't sure if we'll get any more than that.  

*  We expect them to arrive around May 1st.

* I am currently taking pre-orders.  If you want to put your name (literally & no pun intended) on one of these little gems email me {sarah @ monogramchick.com} and we'll discuss the deets to ensure you are one of the first to have our Ruffle Robe.

I think pearls are a must-wear accessory with this robe, don't you?!

The Trunk Show {A Photo Recap}

We had the best time this past weekend!  Not just because I was able to visit my mama and dad but also because we had a great time showing off all the new {and old} Monogram Chick goodies.  Here is a pictoral recap for those that couldn't make it...

Monogram Chick Giveaway @ Blue Eyed Bride

Good Monday morning, chickadees!  What a great weekend we had.  Dr. Chick and I booked it to Florida for a Mongoram Chick Trunk Show.  We had a great time and so appreciate all those that came to shop and visit.

In other, equally exciting, news.....my blog friend, Blue Eyed Bride, is being ever so sweet (actually, she is always super sweet) and offering her readers {3 of them, to be exact} the chance to win a Personalized Straw Tumbler.  

If you've never read BEB's blog, now is a great time to start.  She is 31 weeks preggo with her second peanut and always has something interesting and real to share with her readers.  She is one of my daily reads and I can't wait to see what she'll share...from funny stories to personal confessions, she's great!

Check out her little piece of cyber space and enter to win a Monogram Chick Personalized Straw Tumbler!

Lakeland Trunk Show Tomorrow!

My bags are packed, all the samples are stitched and I'm on the road to my parent's house in Lakeland, Florida for Monogram Chick's {somewhat} Annual Trunk Show.  I always have a great time with those that hang out & shop with us and I am espcially looking forward to this years's show.  For the first time, some items will be available for next day pick up including our super popular Straw Tumblers, Recipe Boxes & Preppy Travel Mugs to name a few.

Anyone in the area is welcome to join us!  If you need the location/directions email me (sarah @ monogramchick.com) and I'll hook you up with all the deets!

Now is the perfect time to shop for Graduation, Mother's Day, Easter & Summer Fun!  Can't wait to see y'all there.

Friday 3:30-6:30

Saturday 9:00-12:00

Wipeout

So the hubs and I are laughing our heads off tonight. We've never really watched abc's Wipe Out and at the expense of those poor contestants we're laughing until our bellies hurt.  Rarely do we stray outside of Dr. Chick's trifecta of stations (history, discovery, tlc) however, we find ourselves laughing out loud at not only the contestants but also the commentary of the "hosts" as each contestant found themselves plunging into muddy waters and flying over padded bars in an effort to win the green.

I think we all need a little mindless entertainment every once in awhile, don't you?  What is your favorite show or your go-to for mindless entertainment?

{As an aside...this is not my favorite show.  Not even close.  One of my new favorites is Modern Family; thanks to Kiki & Coco.  While with them this past weekend we watched 4 episodes...in a row.  At one point I was laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face.  Definitely a show I recommend.  And then there is one of my old favorites: The Good Wife.}

Dr. Chick is Blowing out the Candles Today

Happy Birthday to my best friend, my buddy, my "Only One" ..... Dr. Chick!

You are my favorite friend, and best adventurer.  Happy, Happy Day!

I love you.

gulley washer

Dr. Chick had the sweetest neighbor while he was in dental school.  Edith was about 75 at the time and very active.  She mowed her own lawn, tended to her tomatoes, went to Home Depot and the grocery store weekly as well as had her hair done each Thursday.
It is tradition to spend the July 4th week in Hilton Head Island with Dr. Chick's family.  Edith would collect his mail and keep an eye on things while he was away.  One particular spring we had painstakingly filled his yard (by shovel and wheelbarrow) with 4 dump truck loads of dirt and then sodded the new yard.  Edith kept track of the rain that July 4th week.  One day she had written "Gulley Washer!" next her measurement in inches of rain.  I'd never heard of a gulley washer and thought it was the cutest thing ever.  Since then, we always call big rain storms gulley washers.  Edith is the best and now looks after Dr. Chick's younger sister in the same townhouse.

I think we're in for a Gulley Washer this afternoon in the West Georgia Area.

Good thing I've got my new monogrammed umbrella!  Won't I be cute with my wellies and preppy little rain deflector?!

April Showers will be here sooner than we know it.  Make sure you're ready with your personalized umbrella.

Jimmy John's Wisdom

Wow, 2 references to Jimmy Johns in 2 days.  Pathetic?  Perhaps.
While their sandwiches rock and there really is no other reason to venture in to your local sandwich shop, their wall signs are entertaining.  We've eaten at the same location (which I hate to admit is about 45 miles from our house and anytime we are "in Atlanta" we make every effort to snag a sandwich) dozens of times but we've never noticed this sign.

For those of you that are Kenny Chesney fans (as a side note:  he is not my fave but he does have a few good songs; I like songs that tell stories) you may know this song:

The Life

The other night whilst feasting on our Slim 1 & #2 easy on the mayo we were mezmeriezed by the sign on the wall and I knew that I had to post both it (as well as a legible version on the story) and KC's song taken from this story.  Seriously chickadees, they both give me chill bumps.

How Much is Enough:

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”

The American then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then?”

The American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

“Millions?” asked the fisherman, “Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evening, sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos!”

-Author Unknown

today's letters 'mc' style

I mentioned last week one of my new found blog addictions...Today's Letters.  In no attempt to rip Em off (because she is the best letter writer), I thought I'd give it a go and post my own, Monogram Chick Today's Letter.

Dear Dr. Chick:  Thank you for making me laugh everyday.  I often ask you if I can put your witty comments on Facebook and you tell me no.  In fact, three different times I nagged you last night and all three times you told me no.  It's a shame that so many miss out on your quick wit, sure glad I don't!
Dear Jimmy Johns & Your 36 oz Fountain Diet Coke:  I love your sandwiches.  Even more, I love the bread on which your tasty sandwiches are made.  You have fountain Diet Coke & for that you get 2 thumbs up.  However, I do not love your 36oz Diet Coke prior to bed.  It was not your fault, Mr. Jimmy John, that I chose to consume a exorbitant amount of caffeine after 8:00 but rest assured I will not make that poor decision again so close to trying to get some shut eye.
Dear Bib Supplier:  Your lack of stock puts me in a pickle and I really hope you can round up some more bibs, my customers need them--pronto!
Dear Dr. Chick (who, like Mr. Loerke, gets two letters):  You really are the funniest person I know.  And yes, when you buy $325 shoes, shoe "protection devices" are necessary.  Guess that's who buys them.

The Chick Turns 5

Taken from the "About Us" page.... 

***

After spending four years in the classroom as a seventh grade science teacher, I longed to change careers. Using my innate love for all things crafty and a new nephew as inspiration I began making burp cloths with fancy little fabrics, cute ribbons and finished them off with monograms.

Soon, I was traveling around Atlanta searching for the cutest fabrics, most unique ribbons and highest quality burp cloths. Before I knew it, business began chirping along and in a few short months Monogram Chick hatched! I strive to create an expanded selection of unique personalized items using the highest quality components, please check back often for new items. Thank you for visiting, come again soon, and tell your friends about www.monogramchick.com!

...Hard to believe that was 5 years ago!  2011 marks the fifth anniversary of the hatching of The Chick.  We've grown leaps and bounds and continue to look for innovative and creative ways to (as Beyonce might say) "put a monogram on it".  We are so thankful to our faithful, repeat clients and to each of our new clients.  We know that times are tough; you have a million choices about where to purchase your gifts and spend your hard earned money.  We're so thankful that you chose Monogram Chick.

I look forward to many more 5 year anniversaries and to continued growth and innovation.  Thanks for making the last five years so great, I couldn't live out my dream without y'all!

***

We've "decorated" the website for our year long party.  We are thrilled that we've been chirping along for 5 years and want to put our party hats on and celebrate.  

I'd love your input...as a way to celebrate, each month a different product will be featured at a "celebratory price".  We have some clear cut best sellers that we plan to feature at great prices but I'd love to hear what items y'all love and would like to take advantage of purchasing at our "celebratory" prices.

I'd love, love, love to hear from y'all.  Pretty please, leave me a comment with the item(s) you'd like to see us "celebrate" with.