Still Fancy.

I get upset with myself when I scroll through my blog posts and see Project 52 post after Project 52 post, with nothing Fancy in between.  I swear to you, I've been working!  I don't think I realized how much time I would spend on non-Fancy work when I got my business license, and the first week after spring break was spent catching up on my administrative crap stuff.  Then it hit me that I still hadn't completed the last piggy in a set of three my sister-in-law ordered (my poor family, always getting the shaft).  Luckily, she's been crazy busy working on little things like re-writing elementary school curriculum and growing her own baby that she forgot she even ordered it.  At long last, Nate's puppy piggy bank:

I was also able to order and Fancy up the invitations for a wedding shower I'll be hosting next month.  Since all I have are five Christmasish stamps, looks like I'll be taking a trip to the post office before I can send them off!  

I think this font should be called the Mullet...it's a party on the first line, all business the rest of the way.  The invitations were a printable file from an Etsy shop called Mommiesink...great stuff, great service!  I had my file the next day, sent it off to Sam's Club for printing, and picked up the invitations (along with a surfboard for Brynn) within 48 hours of ordering the file.  Pretty sweet deal!

Ahhhh, feels good to write about Fancy stuff for a change!  Don't forget April's special, which is $7 off any order of $35 or more.  Find me on Facebook or email me at karen.psimas@yahoo.com to place an order.

Project 52: Week 17 - Kids of culture

This week has given me a shove into the reality of what's to come in September...I'll be sending my firstborn off to kindergarten, and my baby will be starting her academic career in pre-school.  As it stands, this will happen on the same day, and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get through it.  The thought of putting my sweet Brynn on a school bus with all those big kids terrifies me...I imagine I'll have to purchase a pair of giant Jackie O. sunglasses to wear at the bus stop when I send her off. 

Camryn, on the other hand, could not be more ready to start school.  She already wears her backpack when she comes with me to drop Brynn off at school, and it's hard to get her out of Brynn's classroom if she manages to sneak by me as I'm kissing Brynn goodbye at the door.  I can only hope Camryn even acknowledges the fact I'm leaving when I drop her off that first day!  

But even though I'm anxious about the big changes that are coming our way in the fall, I'm comforted knowing that the Psimases will be in the Kids of Grace family for another two years.  I cannot say enough good things about this preschool...the director, the teachers, the parents, and the curriculum are fantastic, and I feel so good leaving my child with them during the week.  They do the typical programs at holiday times and have a book fair once a year, but this year, Kids of Grace went above and beyond to make their students feel special and proud of themselves.  The school transformed the chapel area into an art gallery, featuring several pieces of art that each child has created during the school year.  Multiply 4 or 5 pieces of art by 93 kids, and you have quite the art exhibit!  Each child had their own little space with their artwork on display, and there were a few tables set up with "sculptures" (caterpillars and butterflies made from egg cartons and coffee filters) in the center of each room of the "gallery."  The director even went so far as to provide refreshments in the form of mini muffins and donut holes and soft classical music to enhance our viewing experience.  It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen, and I'm so glad I was asked to be a part of it.  I'm even more glad I get to be a part of this kid-centered community for another two years.  Here's a peak at the Kids of Grace Art Show:

The girls with the Fancy art show sign...they're so proud of their hand print contributions! 

Brynn's little section of the exhibit - from top to bottom, a hand print horse with yarn for a mane and tail, jumping a popscicle stick fence, a stenciled polar bear, an autumn tree, and a gingerbread man (lady?).  And yes, her hair had already become this hot mess before school even started.

Hand print horse - Best in Show, apparently

Some other students' artwork and sculptures 

  Another section of the gallery...it looks totally legit, doesn't it?

So cute, right??? 

Project 52: Week 16 - Gotta Psupport the team

Not sure how it happened, but once the calendar turned to March, we became one busy little family.  Aside from the usual hustle and bustle of life with kids and the one man show that is Fancy Fonts, we had both girls in swimming lessons (a must when you spend your summers surfside) and Brynn started playing t-ball.  For the most part, t-ball practices and games haven't conflicted with swimming, but there have been a few nights in the past several weeks where I've found myself hurrying Brynn from one activity straight to the next.  It is during those car rides when I look over at the monogrammed bag in the front seat of my SUV when I get a good chuckle...I'm such a mom.  

As amusing as it is to get a glimpse of my future as a taxi driver, I've thoroughly enjoyed watching my girls participate in these activities.  They both love their swim classes, and I love seeing Camryn spending some one on one time with Daddy in the pool.  I'm pretty sure the two of them are having the most fun out of any of the other Mommy or Daddy/toddler pairs in the pool!  Brynn is now more than comfortable going under water, and in case she's not the next Summer Sanders, she's got baseball to fall back on:

Look out, Derek Jeter...Brynn Psimas is after your job!

Project 52: Week 15 - Spring Break...WOOHOO!

Remember the episode of Friends where Ross is dating one of his students and doesn't trust her to go on Spring Break with her college friends?  Obviously I do, because any time I hear the phrase "Spring Break," I think of the line "Spring Break...WOOHOO!" that recurred throughout that episode.  Somebody please tell me they know what I'm talking about!!!


Anyway, Spring Break (WOOHOO!) 2012 was certainly one for the books, so I'll walk you through it photojournalistically.  Yup, I just made up that word.  Like it?


Day 1:  Good Friday.  Ryan had the day off from work, so I jumped at the opportunity to do a little Easter Bunny shopping by myself.  Coming out of Target (duh, it's where all the cool Easter Bunnies shop), I saw what I first thought was a huge plume of smoke in the distance.  Ever the optimist, I convinced myself it was a patch of dark rain clouds among some lighter ones.  My first thought turned out to be right, as this is what I spent the rest of the day watching on the news:





Ummmmm, yeah.  That would be a fighter jet that crashed into an apartment complex a few miles away from my house.  I live a few miles from a naval air station that's been here much longer than I've been, so I'm totally accustomed to seeing, hearing, and feeling these low flying feats of aviation every single day.  I'm not, however, used to them crashing and have been a bit spooked ever since.  Not a single person died in this crash, which most you ask will say is a miracle, especially considering that it happened on Good Friday.  Call it what you will...but holy hell, I still can't believe this happened!!!


Moving on, Easter Sunday was a fun day with the girls.  They had such a good time searching for the eggs the Easter bunny hid in the backyard:

Playing with the goodies the Easter bunny left was a riot as well:

The girls got all gussied up in their Easter dresses and stood for a few pictures.  This one pretty much sums up my daughters - Camryn is a wisenheimer, and Brynn quickly grows tired of her antics:

We stuffed our faces at the Psimas Family's Big Fat Greek Easter, and tried to get a good night's sleep to face the week ahead, which started with babysitting the girls' cousin Lucas:

We had so much fun with this smiley little guy, even if it did put the nail in the coffin that is my baby-making days.  I love me some babies, but I just can't imagine starting all over again!  Good thing Kevin and Meghan will share little Roy George with me when I need a fix.


Our day with Lucas was filled with laundry, packing, and prepping for our girls-only trip to New York.  I recruited Grandma to come along for the ride and help meet my children's demands while I drove.  After dropping Grandma off at Aunt Patti's house in New York, we picked Dayna up from the train station and headed over to Scahhhhhhsdale for a sleepover with Ali and her now enormous family.  And then it happened.  Ali's husband Tony came home from work and casually stated that one of the New York Rangers was signing autographs at an ice cream shop down the street.  This conversation ensued:


Ali:  "Really?  Who is it?"
Tony:  "Ummm...Richter or something?  Mike Richter?"  


At this point, I may or may not have blacked out. But in my mind, I felt much like Elaine Benes when she shoves Jerry, George, or Kramer and yells, "GET OUT!!!"  I LOOOOOOOOVE Mike Richter.  I had newspaper clippings of his puck-stopping prowess all over my bedroom wall in high school (yeah, and college too!).  Hell, I even dated a guy who looked like Mike Richter.  Who also played hockey.  But I digress.  Once I realized Tony wasn't yanking my chain, we gathered our shoes and our children and walked down to the ice cream shop.  Sure, I paid a little too much for a picture of a retired hockey player and his scribble of a signature, but screw it!!!  I got to chat it up with him AND have my picture taken with him too, so I consider it money well spent.  Be still, my heart:

And our night only got crazier from there.  The girls eventually all went to sleep, leaving the adults to tend to the babies and a couple of bottles of champagne:

Just to clarify for all you mandatory reporters who read this blog, the champagne was for the adults.  The babies were drinking formula.  I swear on my autographed picture of Mike Richter.


The next day included bowls of Cheerios on the couch while watching the new Muppet movie:

That's too much cuteness for one couch, if you ask me.  That day also took us to the Bronx Zoo, which was well, a zoo.  Turns out everyone gets into the zoo for free on Wednesdays, so it was just a wee bit crowded!  We saw a few exhibits, bought some cute stuffed elephant souvenirs, and took a picture for prosperity before heading to Brooklyn for the remainder of our stay:

That little one is not normal.  And someone stole my license plate:

In Brooklyn, we spent some quality time with Dayna and Michel, which is always good for the soul.  The only thing Brynn specifically wanted to do in New York was go on the subway, so that's just what we did on Thursday.  We took the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan, where we got on the Staten Island Ferry so the girls could get a closer look at the Statue of Liberty without actually having to take a tour.  

The subway

Waiting for the ferry

The ferry

The Statue 

The girls' first view of Lady Liberty

 Someone is sweepy

I call this "Brynn, the immigrant"

All the single ladies!


The children were rewarded for their good behavior on the ferry ride with pizza and another subway ride uptown to Dylan's Candy Bar.  You can imagine how that went with my sugar fiend of a toddler.  The kid went straight for the lollipops:

The girls were great at sticking to the rule of only buying candy you can't get anywhere else, and I've been great at eating the candy they forgot they bought.  Win win, really.  


That night, we ate yet another fantastic meal by Chef Michel, and rested up for the long journey home in the morning.  It was another whirlwind of a trip to New York, but I think it was one of my favorite visits to date.  


Even with my kids being wonderfully well-behaved and sleeping quite well during the trip, I was left shattered and thanking my lucky stars that the girls were scheduled to have a sleepover at my in-laws' the night after we returned from New York.  Ryan and I got to ride bikes out to dinner with Meghan and our neighbors, have uninterrupted conversations, and sleep until 8:40am on Sunday!  Sunday morning, the grown up time continued with more beach cruising under warm, sunny skies.  We headed to Waterman's Crushfest and enjoyed many an orange crush and the company of thousands:

An early birthday celebration with Kevin.  Or as his shirt reads, Kevin Bacon.


And no spring break is complete without posing for a picture with a drag queen.  At a campground:

It might be near impossible to top Spring Break (WOOHOO!) 2012.  I spent time with so many of my favorite people, met a man of my dreams and the two new little men in Ali's life, treated my girls to a bit of city life and American history, and topped it off with a kidless weekend with the hubster.  This spring break may have kicked my ass, but it totally kicked ass!!!  WOOHOO!!!

Project 52: Week 14 - A dollar and a dream

If you're from New York (or are just the average Notorious B.I.G fan), you're quite familiar with the phrase "All it takes is a dollar and a dream."  I'm not one to regularly buy lottery tickets, but with a chance to win like a bajillion dollars by only spending $1, I couldn't resist.  Hours before the Mega Millions drawing, I threw the girls in the car and headed up to the gas station on the corner.  Should we have walked or ridden bikes?  Yes.  But that's neither here nor there.  

I wasn't able to stay awake late enough to see the drawing live on television, but you bet your arse the first thing I did when I woke up was grab my phone and search for the winning numbers.  Good news first...I got the mega ball number!  And another number in the same row as the mega ball!  That gives me what?  $3?  Fiddlesticks.  Bad news...my dream(s) weren't going far on a $3 payday.

What exactly were those dreams, you ask?  Here they are, in order of importance:

1)  Plan three vacations.  Yes, three.  One for me alone, one for Ryan alone, and one for the four of us together.  Indulgent, yet reasonable and much needed.

2)  Hire a cleaning lady.  I can't stand cleaning my house anymore.  If aliens are looking down on planet Earth, or at least my little dot on planet Earth, they're wondering what the hell this fool is doing.  It's a losing battle and I give up.

It's a short list, I know.  And while I really, really, really wanted to hire that cleaning lady, it felt good to realize that my list is short because I'm already living the dream...the dream of a younger me who always wanted to stay at home and raise her kids for a living.  

Breakfast meeting

Seeing double

As someone who has had her babies one at a time, I marvel at moms of multiples.  How does one keep more than one newborn/infant/toddler fed/clothed/happy without losing their ever loving mind?  Hats off to you all, including the parents of the 7 month-old quadruplets I saw in the aquarium earlier this week.  I bow down to you!

In the spirit of multiples, I want to share a pair of piggies I made this week for a friend's twin nephews.  I had no registry to draw inspiration from, so I went with simple and sophisticated, similar, yet different.  Hopefully these little piggies will help Mom and Dad save for the double trouble in their future!  In no particular birth order, we start with Quinn:

And now Mason:

Piggy #3 for the week belongs to Miss Leah, and the inspiration for her came from some crib sheets on Mom's registry:

Leah's piggy bank was quite the family effort.  I'll do anything not to have to ship piggies via the post office, so I jumped on the opportunity to send this one to PA with my brother and his wife, who were going up for the holiday weekend.  And to meet the deadline of when the Raftery train left Dodge, I enlisted the help of my mom, who kept the kids entertained while I completed this piggy with minutes to spare.  Thanks everyone...go team!  

Hoping to finish two more piggies before the week is through, leaving my slate completely clean when I go to NYC next week!  I'm happy to take orders while I'm gone, but I won't be able to start work on anything new until at least April 16th.  Email me at karen.psimas@yahoo.com or find me on Facebook with orders and questions.  Have a Fancy Easter!