paying the sitter: a part three follow up

Money really gets us chatting, doesn't it?! I had to add a quick addendum post to part 4 of this series. Remember the sitters I interviewed are seniors in high school. They drive themselves to and from my house and can babysit late at night. When one of the sitters saw some of the comments about money, she wanted to add in that before she could drive, $7/hour was big time plenty.

I think we need to factor in the ease of not having to pick them up and take them home as well as the price of gas. And remember, they said $8 was the going rate. I think there may have been some confusion on that as well. I pay mine more than that, for what it's worth. We have 3 young kids and we don't go out that much anyway. I think it's worth a lot and I want them to come back.

Lady Dorothy left a link in the comment section of the previous post for a rate calculator where you can type in your zip code and can get the rate for sitters in your area. For 3 kids in my zip code, evidently I'm to be paying $12.50/hour. I don't pay that much and I don't know anyone else who does either. I wonder what they use to calculate.

Oh, and I have to say I totally stole the above photo from The Nester because I'm too lazy to take my own. So thanks for the money shot, sister.

I hope you aren't too sick of babysitting talk because I have one more installment coming tomorrow. So stay tuned...

things babysitters wish we knew: part three

I've been interviewing some of my babysitters to get the inside information on things they wish parents knew. If you missed the first two parts of this little series, take a look at Monday and Tuesday's posts. Let's find out more.

Written instructions are a lifeline. Whenever I write things down for a sitter, I sort of feel like that mom. You know the one. But they tell me they love when we write things down. Even though they nod their head and say okay when you are giving them verbal instructions, it's possible they won't remember what you said once you leave. The truth is, often times the kids are competing with you for the sitters' attention so they tend to be distracted when they first arrive.

Here is their list of helpful things to have on paper:

• What time the kids should eat. If it doesn't matter, make one up.
• What time they normally begin to get ready for bed. They watch the clock to get this one right. They don't want to be the sitter who lets the kids stay up too late.
  
• How many books to read.
• Any rituals that are essential to a smooth night (like if your kid needs to shake your hand five times each and kiss you on both cheeks before they can relax. Not that I know anyone like that...it's just a random example that I just made up).
• Instructions on how to work the TV/DVD player (if they and the kids are even allowed to watch...write that down, too).
  

But please remember to allow flexibility. Let them know that these are guidelines for them to refer to if it helps them rather than a rigid schedule that would only cause more stress.

Okay. It's time to get down to the nitty-gritty: Let's talk about money. This is by far one of the most stressful parts of hiring a new sitter for me. The bottom line is I don't want to be the cheapskate mom who doesn't pay the sitter enough. So let's get this out in the open.

They are never gonna tell us how much to pay them. They actually said "We will NEVER tell you how much to pay us." I think one of the first things I always want to ask a new sitter is how much they charge. They don't charge. They just get paid. They are students. We are grown ups. End of story. Inevitably what happens is they say "I'll take whatever you wanna pay me." And they always do.

But our interview happened over brownies at about 11:30 at night so they got a little chatty. I found out that $8/hour is the going rate. At least around here. From what I could gather, $10/hour is really good and $7/hour is just okay. The number of kids doesn't change the amount of pay they expect, and neither does age. Although they all agreed that sitting for newborns is extremely stressful because "they're so...new."

I pay the same when they have just one of mine who is sleeping as I do when they have all three awake. From my perspective, it all eventually evens out. That way when I call them to sit, they always know how much they're gonna get paid.

The only time they think they may get a little more money is if they are sitting for multiple families at one time, like if an adult small group needs sitters for all of their kids while they meet. That is a lot of work and a lot of kids. Usually all the families pitch in a certain amount for their own children.

Wow. These are getting lengthy! It's just that these girls had so many great things to say that I don't want to leave anything out. I'll finish it up tomorrow. In the meantime, please check out the comments section if you haven't already. You all have the BEST stories and some great sitter advice as well. Thanks for chatting and I can't wait to hear what else you have to say.

one thing I'm definitely not doing

I'm taking a quick break from the adventures in babysitting to let you all know that I am definitely not on vacation right now. And this is for sure not a photo of my family on the beach this morning. And there is no way that I wrote the previous two posts about babysitting before I left and had them publish automatically. Because, of course, I didn't leave. Because I'm not on vacation.

That is why I'm posting. Because today is just a regular day, just like any other 'ole day that I'm not at the beach eating my weight in ice cream and sea food. I haven't been watching great movies with the man at night or swimming with the kids till my fingers get pruney. So to all you people who want to fork my house or put toilet paper in my trees while we're on vacation, think again because we're totally inside.

And we're watching you.

(More things babysitters wish we knew coming tomorrow).

things babysitters wish we knew: part two

I realize a lot of this information will not apply to all sitters and situations. The girls I interviewed are rising seniors, can drive, are good students and generally spectacular people. They also are southern girls, so if you are reading this from Minnesota, well I don't know. Maybe teenagers are different out there.

All that to say, this information isn't from the sitters who trash your house when you leave or make out with their boyfriends in front of the kids or steal your iPod from your dresser drawer. These are the good girls, the kind of sitters you want to have. So even if all girls don't think this way, I hope this will give you a good handle on what they could be thinking and maybe help you become the family all the sitters want to sit for.

They don't like to talk on the phone. This really works out for me, because neither do I. And even though I still feel 18 on the inside, to them I'm a grown-up and it's awkward. For the past year, I have gotten almost all my sitters scheduled through Facebook. They tell me they like this. A lot. Texting works, too. Any sitter I've ever texted gets back to me within minutes, which is about a quarter of the time it took me to actually enter the text. Do they have texting classes? Because I totally need lessons.

If when you read "facebook" and "texting" you decided there was no hope left for you in the world, chin up. If you have to make the call, give them all the information and then say something like Call me back when you know if you're available. Even if we don't expect an answer right away, they think we do. And they haven't been around long enough to know they can say I'll get back to you. They told me it really helps when parents do this because it gives them time to plan and think about their schedule.

When the sitter arrives, don't linger. I was shocked at how adamant these girls were about this. In fact, it is worthy of a quote: "It's awkward. Awk. Ward." There's that word again. Basically, they all said when they arrive for a job and the parents are leaving but haven't left yet, they don't know if we are still in charge or if we expect them to be in charge. They are basically just as worried about us watching them as we are about them liking us. Go figure.

Do you like to have sitters arrive early on purpose so you can get ready without having fighting children watch you shower or pluck your eyebrows? They said it is much less awkward if there is a simple plan, like a puzzle or game for them to do while you get ready. That way the sitter doesn't feel like she has to dance a jig to keep the kids happy while you're still in the house and the kids can have their minds occupied if they are reluctant to let you leave.

If they say they ate before they came, don't believe them. Even though I did it too when I would babysit, I was still shocked to realize these girls feel guilty about eating our food. If something is traceable, chances are they won't touch it, like things that come individually wrapped. They eat lots of chips and crackers that come in bags because those foods are all jumbled up and are more anonymous. They would never drink a juice box or touch something that hasn't been opened, unless the parents said the kids could have them. And even then, it's risky.

If y'all are anything like me, you would hope that your sitters wouldn't starve themselves while at your house. But if they aren't sure it's okay to eat, they simply won't. So help a girl out. Put signs on the Breyers that say "Eat me, Sitter!" They will thank you for it.

Believe it or not, there is more. Check back in the next few days to find out who the sitter calls when she has questions. Hint: it ain't you, sister.

things babysitters wish we knew: the introduction

The shock of having twins didn't completely wear off until about 8 months after they were born. Even sometimes today, I look at them and wonder how we did what we did that first year. Because we had 2 babies at once who were born premature, I was nearly always with them and if we absolutely needed a babysitter, we would get Nana or Grandy or another family member.

Inevitably, the twins began to grow and the idea of a teenager staying with them was no longer so daunting. It was time to enter into the world of The Babysitter. It was more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. Not because I didn't trust them. After all, my husband is a youth pastor. I have quality, highly experienced, dependable, loving babysitters at my fingertips.

Then why would I sometimes rather stay home than try to find a sitter? I have recently begun to realize that I have this weird guilty sense about asking a high school student to watch my kids, afraid that they won't say no if they don't want to just because of who I am. Or that they have tons of fun and wonderful things to be doing, and I'm putting them in the position of having to come to my house and play "me" for an evening. Granted, I pay them. But still, the guilt.

Can anyone say co-dependent? I have total issues.

But I decided to do something about it. Maybe for you these things are a non-issue. You need a sitter, you call a sitter, they sit, you pay, end of story. But I have a relationship with these girls beyond just babysitting. They are in our youth group, so I'm genuinely interested in what they are thinking and in making things as non-awkward as possible.

Instead of speculating, I decided to break the ice, to dig a little deeper, to go straight to the source. So I sat down with 3 high school girls last week and asked them what they wish parents knew about babysitting. Two hours and lots of laughs later, I realized that co-dependent highway is a two-way street.

Stay tuned.

yeah, what she said

I have enjoyed reading all of your comments about your houses and the ways you think about cleaning them. One comment struck me in particular, as I think she says so eloquently what I have been thinking about in my heart:

"When I started thinking of my chores around the house as less of a drudgery and more of a way to provide comfort, ease, health of environment, and pleasure to my family, my whole attitude changed toward those chores. I would LIKE to say that scrubbing toilets became an act of love, but it didn't go quite that far. But I resented it less, and appreciated the home more, and appreciated more what our home provided for our family: shelter, a place for us to be together, to enjoy ourselves, to make memories. I think that viewing it as house KEEPING vs house CLEANING has helped transform our shelter into an abode, from a house into our home."

Well said, Mercy Project. I think this is a major point of Cheryl Mendlesons' book, the difference between keeping house and cleaning house. After all, I could technically hire someone to clean my toilets. But keeping can only be done by me. I am the keeper of my house, the one responsible for making it a safe little society for my family.

I really like that.

it won't get any more random than this. i promise.

**UPDATE: INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO FIX CACHE PROBLEM IN COMMENTS SECTION.**
A note from my Fairy Blogmother:

"I was just reading comments and noticed that some people are still having trouble. They need to clear their CACHE. Computers remember what webpages look like so they don’t have to load each and every item that they frequently view every time they load Chatting or Nester or whatever. So, all the people who view you often and are still having problems are viewing the old version that is being 'remembered' in their computer’s cache."

Got that? If you are still having issues reading then A: you won't be able to read this message or B: you are going to ask me how to clear your cache. And I will look at you funny and scratch my head.Then I will say how lame this is for a 200th post. Then I will tell you how fun it was for me to read all the comments about housekeeping yesterday and how I have so much more to say about that but all my time is being taken up doing this:

taken by Alisa

That's me, taking a photo. Have I mentioned I'm going to be shooting a wedding with my friend Alisa in a few weeks? With a real bride and groom? We've been busy taking their engagement shots and her bridal portraits. And I'm realizing I have a hard time deciding which photos to keep and which ones to toss. Lots of work, this is.

But, they're gonna pay us money. Real money.

Not to be confused with "cache".

housekeeping

What really does work to increase the feeling
of having a home and its comforts is housekeeping.

When I first read this in Cheryl Mendelson's book Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, I wasn't sure I liked it. I love coming home, making home, being at home. But cleaning my home?

I had been pondering this concept for a few days, when the following happened: While helping me clean the windows, I heard one of my girls say I love this place as she scrubbed happily away. I think for her, especially being in a new place she is supposed to call home, taking care of it with her own little hands gave her a sense of belonging.

A sense of home.

The man thinks so too, although he explains it differently. Yes, I am married to one of those men who enjoys cleaning. Attention: I did not say he cleans. I said he enjoys cleaning. He is usually too busy hunting in the wild and bringing home the bacon to actually clean. But he recently spent some time at home alone and when I returned, the house was fresh: floors swept, counters wiped, things stacked in general neatness.

I looked at him when I walked in the door and this is what he said: "It's been good to clean this afternoon. I feel like I've spent some time with the house and I'm getting to know it a bit." I was so touched by his sentiment that I didn't have the heart to correct him. Her, I said under my breath...you are getting to know HER a bit. I hope she wasn't offended.

What about you? Do you find that the act of cleaning your house gives you a greater sense of home and comfort? I know that most people would say a clean house does this for them, but what about the actual act of cleaning it?

fairy blogmother to the rescue!

Y'all are so awesome! Thanks for the communication on the blog crisis. My fairy blogmother fixed it up right. She just had a birthday and was on an internet vacation but managed to cheat just long enough to bibityblogityboo our blogs back to health.

Right now I am having the following conversation with one of my girls:

Her: Mommy, do I still cry when I get shots?
Me: I don't know...
Her: But MOMmy, do I still cry when I get shots?
Me: No. No, you don't cry because you're a big girl.
Her: (half smiling, but still whining) MOMmy, I wanna get a shot right now. Can you go get shot stuff and give me a shot?
Me: I'm not allowed to give shots. Only nurses can give shots.

Pause. Pause.

Her: (still whining) MOMmy, when can you be a nurse?

I just can't win. I will try to have a real post up later today. But I can't promise anything, as I'm sure I'll be busy explaining to my daughter why I can't perform open heart surgery on her.

Do you have a Mac? Are you getting a weird background on my blog? Can you read anything besides these titles? I must solve this mystery.

My blog is doing something funky. But only on my 3 year old Mac. Evidently, it looks normal on PCs and on my MacBook. It does it on out on a limb and chasing the calm too. At least, on my computer. Is it doing it on yours? It says "Bandwidth exceeded. Upgrade to Pro today." What? I had to send out a message in the title because apparently, that is the only thing that is readable. I feel kind of cool sending out a message. (Anyone else singing "Sending out an SOS" in their heads right now?)

the next step: FABRIC

As promised, here is what we did with some of that fabric I bought last week. I am amazed by what that Nester can do with a hot glue gun and 5 uninterrupted minutes. Here is what our half bathroom looked like before we moved in.
Notice the custom made cornice board over this window. They were on nearly every window in the house.
And here it is today.
We haven't changed the floor, the tiled wall or replaced the counter top and sink. I have begun to clean the grout on the floor in the far left corner, but I can only do it in small chunks. There is a lot of grout. We also haven't gotten around to replacing the clam shell toilet seat, either. Though after seeing it in a photo, it has climbed several spaces on the priority list. But don't you think it looks better already?
The fabric on the window was $5/yard and I had 4 yards of it. The ribbon was about $3 for the spool. The hot glue stick was about a penny. And The Nester, well...she works for 2 large pieces of chocolate cake. She did this window mistreatment in about the time it took me to walk upstairs, and take 1/2 a shower.
Here's what I did with the leftover fabric. This one I actually did myself, though you and I both know where the idea came from.
See how hard that was? I already had that little tension rod and all I did was drape the fabric over it and fluff. Too bad our A/C vent is under that counter top. Who needs to be cool when you can be cute?

he's home

This is a photo of the man saying goodbye to the wee ones at the airport. He has been out of the country for a week. Judging from yesterdays post, my mind went with him. I am happy to report that my sanity walked back into my arms in the form of a six foot two, dark eyed man. As fun as it is to stay up late and watch reruns of Friends and eat girl meals with no meat, it was starting to get old and fast.

Rest assured I will not be posting anymore photos of myself. Or Trinity. Back to serious stuff...like what we did with that cheap fabric. Stay tuned.

in which i waste time and think i'm funny

Most of you know about my sister, The Nester.
But you've never heard about my twin, Lilly Mae.

We're the best of friends. Ever since we were little, we have loved singing together. She sings soprano and I'm an alto. For the most part, our lives are in sync just like our signing voices.

Still, sometimes we fight. She's been jealous lately that big sister Nester has been spending time with me.

But we always work it out.

It is good for us to remember how great it is to have a twin.
One day maybe I'll introduce you to our other sister. Her name is Trinity.

She doesn't get out much.

me and my imaginary brides

Yesterday while driving alone, I passed the site where the man and I had our wedding reception. The grass had grown up around the sidewalks and the many windows were cloudy with dirt and disregard. I found myself wishing it weren't up for lease. As I drove, I began to think about brides and weddings and the beginning of marriage.

I thought of all the brides and grooms who live in my town who will be getting married this weekend. I thought of all the families on their way, the luncheons, the rehearsals, the last minute dress alterations.

And then I thought of one bride. For one imaginary bride, I wished her day to be everything she dreamed it would be and some of what she didn't. I wondered if she was giving herself permission to enjoy this week or if she was at her bridal breaking point. And then, I prayed for her photographer. Prayed. Out loud and without a second thought, I prayed for her photographer to be wise and smart and creative. I was alone in my car and that is what came out. I sort of looked at myself sideways. Are you kidding me?

She doesn't even exist. I made her up. And then, I prayed for her pretend photographer. What about the bride herself? The groom, even? Or the marriage? Why not pray for like, the important stuff?

I could have done all that, I guess. But that's not what came out. Though I don't know her name or what she looks like, I do know that one day seven years from now, she will be like me. And a major part of her abilities to remember the day when she and her love became one will be from the photos.

The job of a photographer is to be the teller of a story that is vulnerable, colorful and true. I'm not a wedding photographer. I haven't gone to school to be a photographer. But when I see a bride and groom on their wedding day, there is something inside me that feels compelled to capture it.

So even though I feel crazy praying for a photographer who I'm not sure even exists, I like to believe it makes a difference for someone. And I will probably check the Celebrations section in the Sunday paper to get a real life peek at one of my imaginary brides.

the most important ingredient

I forgot to mention in my last post the fuel behind all the creative work that has been going on at my house.
I'm not saying that stems and fabric can't be arranged without the chocolate. I'm just saying why risk it?
Look how happy we are! And look how difficult it is for me to know where to look when taking a photo in a mirror.

the next step: STEMS

Thank you all for your encouragement on the baby steps I've been taking with the extras in my home. You will be glad to know my sister has arrived in town and she has been encouraging as well.
Here are the stems I talked about yesterday. This is what happened when Emily walked in the house from Hobby Lobby. I saw a vase, I put them in it. Done. I kind of knew it was not the right size, but I didn't have anything smaller and wanted to get a feel. The Nester pointed out that they actually don't look bad there, but the vase is a bit too tall for this space: tall lamp, tall vase, tall lamp. Too much tall.

So this is what happened when The Nester came over and saw what happened when Emily walked in the house from Hobby Lobby.
She got out the glue gun and went to work.
And she shot out all that hot glue all over my black hat box that had been on my bookshelf. I had also bought those green things when I went to Hobby Lobby. Again, didn't know what to do with them, but thought they might come in handy with stems.
Turns out I was right.
The key to this project is to buy what you love. Buy what looks real. And buy a lot of it. I did all that right. You don't have to know exactly what you are going to do with it all. If you love it, you will use it.
Or you will get your sister to use it for you. Either way, you win. Or in this case, I win. And I feel a lot more confident on what to do with stems.
So much better. Stay tuned for what we did with that $5/yard fabric. I will be using the term "we" very loosely from here on out, just so you know.

baby steps

When we were first married 7 years ago, I was a decorating idiot. I remember nearly having a nervous breakdown because in one room of our house we had 15 foot ceilings. The walls were all white and I knew I wanted color but the idea of choosing one brought me to my knees. I'm not exaggerating. Like, literally crying on my knees, an emotional new-bride basket case. The man wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into, I'm certain of that.

I've gained confidence in what I like over the years: a lot less crying and a lot more trying...and buying. At least when it comes to the basics.

I've been encouraged and motivated the past few weeks to do some more things in our house, namely adding fabric and layers of texture to help it feel more cozy. I've been waiting for stems to go 1/2 price at Hobby Lobby. This week, they did. So I bought these.

I have no idea what to do with them.

I've also been waiting for a good chance to drive south to a discounted fabric store. Today the chance came, so I bought these.
I have no idea what to do with them, either. Are you seeing a pattern here? Other than the obvious checks and toile?

I have the basics down. I can pick out a couch, no problem. I can pick out a table without help. I know a must-have tassel when I see one. I have confident taste in paint colors, back splash tiles and light fixtures. It's the the little extra things that give me problems. Like how to arrange those stems that I love. And how to mistreat a window without being laughed out of town.

Seriously, I mistreated a window in our half bath. Yeah, there is no way in Tinsel Town I would show you the result. It was an abomination to all things Nester. Forget the normal Window Treatment people, I would have been arrested by the Mistreaters as well. It was a crooked hot mess.

Do you have trouble with the extras? The layering? The textures and patterns? I think my biggest obstacle is a lack of confidence in that area. I need to give myself permission to try something, hate it, and then try something else. I would do well to remember The Nesters' mantra: it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Still, what to do with all those stems?

the solution

As I've said before, the people who previously owned our house must have been small people with magic clothes that apparently never got dirty. Otherwise, they never could have tolerated the washer in the kitchen for TWENTY YEARS. What about the piles? Where do you put your detergent? What about the piles? Oh. I said that one already.

I can't really take credit for this next transformation. It was decided more by the men involved than by me, but I nodded my head a LOT while they were talking about it.
As you can see from this wider shot, the kitchen was not lacking in the sink department. There were three. I could have washed both my hands and my right foot all at the same time in three separate sinks. Anyone up for a friendly game of sink twister? I could see the reasoning behind having a prep sink on the island, but the secret sink behind the back door had to go. But what to put in its place?

We didn't want to spend money to buy any new cabinetry. So it was jigsaw puzzle time.
See that cabinet there on the left in the breakfast area? Pretty random, right? Well, we took that out and put it in place of the 3rd sink. Here is a peek at the process. Look how awkward that fridge is there!
Then, the other cabinetry on that wall was simply rearranged, the sink was replaced with a counter top and moved to the far left and the fridge fit perfectly in the space where the washer and dryer had been. Again, we didn't have to buy any new cabinets, we simply rearranged what was already there. Here is the end result.
And by the way, we do still have a washer a dryer. You can read about that room here.

For you who are interested, the paint color in the kitchen is Ivoire from Sherwin Williams (the same color I used in my former kitchen), the granite is New Venetian Gold and the back splash is a bisque mini-subway tile. I'm not sure the official name of it. I think the wall color looked better in my other kitchen because the cabinets were black and it was a nice contrast. But this kitchen is still in progress, so stay tuned.

pizza and picasso

We found a highly skilled artist to pencil sketch this portrait of us...
...who happens to be an anthropomorphic mouse.
It only cost us one token. And it's signed. Stupid rat. I'm gonna make a killing from this on eBay.

another kitchen do-over

If you are coming over from Today's Creative Blog, I invite you to stay awhile and chat at the sky! Kim included some before and after photos from my old kitchen in my old house (we miss you, Sophie Marie). It was just the inspiration I needed to go ahead and post some before and afters or our kitchen in our new house. I haven't done this yet because some of it is still in progress, but I think the results so far are drastic enough to make it interesting.
Here is a view of the kitchen on the first day we walked through the house. Notice the laminate that goes all the way up the wall. Notice the green. Notice. Just notice.
I couldn't wait to get rid of that green. I am still testing out hardware, as you can see there are many knobs missing. And I definitely miss my black cabinets from our old house. Maybe one day these cabinets may see some paint as well.
Obviously, we left the cabinets as they are. We did replace the countertops, added a back splash, some under cabinet lighting, changed a few fixtures and painted the walls a nice, neutral Ivoire from Sherwin Williams.
And this is what you get. As much as I miss my old kitchen, this one is bigger. It also has a lot more natural light, which I love. Can you spot the 1960's light tube in the ceiling? And two points extra if you can tell the color of the paci in the child's mouth.

I will be posting more before and afters of the kitchen soon. After all, I've got to show you how we remedied this:

the shameless promoter of sisters

As many of you know, last week I did a couple of guest posts over at Nesting Place because her computer was in trouble. It has been running slow and loud for some time now and over the last few weeks, it began to present symptoms of an incurable disease. Hospice showed up towards the end of the week and by Friday, they paid their last respects and laid that fella to rest.

My sister has been open on her blog about her and her Manly Man Husbands' desire to get and stay out of debt. They are committed to buying their computer with money they already have rather than putting it on credit. She has been working her little bird tail off making tassels and other goodies to sell in order to raise money to buy another computer.
So she's hosting a giveaway. All you have to do to enter is buy something from her etsy shop and you can win this basket of lovelies. For those of you who have compassion towards the cause but don't think you have any use for something made from ribbons and fringe, allow me to try to change your mind.

Enter: The Tassel.

According to The Nester, this is the prettiest thing you'll never need. I completely agree except for the part about not needing it. I saw this bird tassel listed in her Esty shop and couldn't buy it up fast enough. And I'm her sister. She would have given it to me for free. But still, I was willing to pay for the birdie goodness.
Look, she has a birdie bustle with her trademark Nesting Place ribbon peeking out from underneath. I just love this bird. I look at her every night before I go to bed. And since The Nester fussed at me for buying a tassel when she could have just given me one, she threw this surprise in the box with the birdie when she shipped it out.
A bonus tassel. A church for birds. My bird tassel loves Jesus. And she goes to church in this little church house. For bird tassels.

The bird was the first tassel I bought, but it isn't the first tassel I've ever had. When the twins were born, along with the garland she made for them, she also made several tassels to put in their room. Here is a close up of one of my favorites.
I am beginning to realize I am somewhat partial to the tassels that have an animal as a topper. The dogs are to die for. My girls love the rabbits. And the horse. Oh my. The horse. I saw one on her blog yesterday and I nearly spilled my coffee for all the lurching I did toward the screen to get a better look. Then I clicked on the image to make it larger. Then I just left it up there on my screen and gazed. Oh, that horse.

I know not everyone can afford to buy something they don't need, no matter how pretty it is. I respect that for sure. But if you have had your eye on any of those tassels and have been meaning to get yourself one, I would encourage you to do so this week. And be sure to pat yourself on the back for contributing to a worthy cause.