Scared little man

Lets just say that Otto was scared out of his mind, and the mean parent that I am made him go on the ride! Ha

Hula Mula Fall 09

Here is a little sneak peak.......CLICK HERE

Magical Christmas Adventure

We are off to Disney World in the morning......wish us luck! The kids are excited out of their minds. They have been playing non stop with their cousins for the past 4 days, and now they get to go and have some fun with Mickey, then back to Atlanta to ring in the new year with cousins again! We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas, we wish could see all our family and friends!!!

Trent Trent he's a lego maniac!

Remember that great old song? Well that sums up our house lately. All the kids (and Trent) have found their obsession. I guess the little lego guys are collectors items and hard to find. So, Trent and Otto have been on the hunt for the cool ones. Surprisingly enough Ruby doesn't really eat them, and there have been few fights since there is more than enough to go around. At least it is creative right?

Please help Knuckleheads!

As most of you know I own and manufacture a children's clothing business, and as of February 10, myself and thousands of others in the children's industry will be deeply affected financially or will be out of business.

Remember the outcry last holiday season over lead in imported toys? In order to combat such safety issues, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has passed legislation called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The law sets stringent guidelines for children’s products containing lead and phthalates (a chemical used in some vinyl products). 

It is supposed to go into effect February 10th, 2009, and after that date any product intended for children ages 12 and under must meet these guidelines, and have a certificate of compliance from a CPSC-accredited laboratory. This includes not just toys, but clothing, jewelry, blankets, sheets, books, bibs, strollers, carriers, and anything else that a child under 12 might come in contact with. Sounds great, right?

In theory, maybe. But in actuality the law is so far reaching that it may succeed in turning the economy upside down. For starters, the CPSIA requires end unit testing on every product intended for use by children under 12. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to do this testing, regardless of how small the business. That means that manufacturers (like myself ) will have to pay to get every different product they offer tested. These tests have to be done at a CSPC accredited lab, and cost tens of thousands of dollars. For example if you offer 3 different types of dresses. Each dress contains 2 different fabrics, as well as buttons, and thread, so that's potentially $600 to test one dress. But if you have 3 or more styles, that's $1800. And when you get a new bolt of fabric, you need to start all over again.

At present, there are no exemptions for small businesses and "micro" manufacturers and most handcraft artisans. There is no exception for quantities made, where the garments/products are made or anything else. Nor is there an exception for unadorned fabric components, unfinished wood components, materials which, by their nature, are free of lead and phthalates.

Also, the Act takes a "guilty until proven innocent" approach, which would treat a handmade, unfinished wooden toy that doesn't meet the certification deadline of 2/10/09 as a "banned hazardous substance" which would be illegal to distribute in this country. Each infraction carries a $100,000 felony charge. This legislation is also retroactive for any pre-existing inventory as of February 10th, 2009. This means that everything on the shelves in those big (or small) stores will also be "banned, hazardous substances" - contraband. 

Larger corporations that can afford testing will incur thousands, maybe millions of dollars in fees, and this expense will be handed down to the consumer, probably making the prices for children's products go through the roof.

This also means that after that date, even selling your kids old things on eBay or Craigslist will be illegal. Charities will not be able to accept donations without a certificate of compliance either. February 10, 2009 is being dubbed “National Bankruptcy Day” by many people in the apparel and toy industry. If this legislation is not amended, it will affect everyone from port workers to parents looking for legal products. Billions of dollars worth of children's products will have to be destroyed because they can’t be legally sold, and this will cause major environmental problems.

While I am all for higher safety standards and keeping our kids safe, this law is so overreaching as to put thousands on manufacturers of children's products out of business -hurting our economy and causing even more loan defaults. Though this legislation was well-intentioned, it cannot be allowed to stand as is.

Please help us defend the American dream and our entrepreneurial spirit! This law affects every stay at home mom trying to help put food on the table and every grandmother knitting blankets for the local craft fair. It makes the thousands of us who have found a niche in the burgeoning children's market have to make a tough decision - continue to produce items illegally and possible incur a $100,000 fine, pay the enormous fees and raise costs of goods sold, or close up shop!

Please help us!

Contact your Congressperson using this link: http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476

It only takes 30 seconds!

If you have an extra minute send a hard copy of the letter as well!
To sign the online petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html
Read more about it here: http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/

Please copy and paste this on your blogs, we need all the help we can get!

Ruby finally did it!

She pestered Stretch (our miniature Daschund) enough that he nipped her. She kept pulling at him, tugging his ear, sitting on him and he finally had enough. He bit her cheek near her eye. I don't know who was more shocked, Ruby or Stretch. They both stood frozen for a few seconds. He knew he did something wrong. And yes he did get in BIG trouble! Poor Ruby, she loves Stretch so much and he couldn't tolerate her any more. She cried more from hurt feelings.

Beach house continued.....

Beach house...enjoy it!

Here are some pictures from our first weekend at the beach house. The kids loved it! No TV, No internet. Just our family enjoying each other.

Please come and love it with us!

Warning: you will get hooked!

I found this great site and now I am hooked. You create a complete outfit or look from thousands of clothing options, then it tells you where you can buy it. Even if you don't buy it, it is fun to dream about that perfect outfit. Or in my case inspiration for Hula Mula. Here is my dream outfit that I created.

hot boots by cadichick


melissa's wish list2 by cadichick

holiday 2 by cadichick

holiday look by cadichick

Click Here

Dinnerware anonymous

I love dishes, and yes Trent does think it is a problem. Since we have been married we (I) have purchased at least 10 different sets. My latest obsession (collection) is the vintage FRANCISCAN STARBURST dinnerware. And since I have bought a few pieces, it is officially a collection. So, if you ever happen upon this pattern while vintage shopping..............

Does this make you drool?

I love Canadian candy......and we totally stocked up!

Canada eh?

I am in Canada! Be back Tuesday.......

looky looky over here!

Click Here  for KH fall 09 preview

Thanks Ryan for letting us photograph you and your boys.  (Ryan and I go way back, he is old friend of mine from Escondido, CA -where I grew up. He lives in Portland with his beautiful wife and 4 handsome boys)

This is what you do when it is raining outside

We have way too much fun with the camera on the computer. 

My kids (and I) could spend hours laughing at ourselves.

Ruby on the other hand is deeply afraid of the warping application on my mac...she cries when you show her a warped image of herself. Otto and I were laughing our heads off. 

Your baby is no longer a baby when she feeds herself with a real fork. These milestones are killing me!

Dear Santa

Is it just me or is Christmas starting a little early this year? Whatever, I don't care. I love Christmas, the music, the baking, decorations, shopping, you name it. I love it all. 

This year we are kinda skipping christmas, not really but kinda. We will be in Florida/Georgia for Christmas this year. We are heading to Georgia to see family and my lil brother, then we are off to Disney World for 5 days (hopefully Santa will find us at the Hotel), then we are back to Georgia to ring in the new year with my family. 

We won't be getting a real tree to decorate, since it will be a total fire hazard! So, I am living through images that get me in the holiday mood. I have been having a bit too much fun on Flickr lately, I made some awesomely cool Christmas photo collages. 

Brunette again

Yep, I am brunette again.......with bangs.

Some love

Here are the proofs from the recent shoot from our awesome photographer here in Vancouver.

New Blog

Hey everyone......I just started a new public Blog for knuckleheads, I will add this to my web site and keep it for business stuff. Please check it often for sales, new pictures and giveaways!!!

http://knuckleheadsinc.blogspot.com/

Sneak Peak Fall 09

Our newest photo shoot,

Love this........

I want this necklace, found here.

Come one come all!

We are opening our doors and inviting you to our semi annul sample sale. Everything must go!
This saturday from 9am-3pm. We also invited a few friends to join us to sell their goods too!
Baby Star & Lil Squirtz. Shop early for christmas!

My little pumkins

Today, it is 1pm and I am still in PJ's and still havn't brushed my hair. I watched Backyardigans twice and Sponge bob 3 times. I sat on the couch with Ruby, her blanket and binky. I don't care if the house is a mess and I don't care if I have emails to answer. Just me and my Ruby.

My baby's are getting big and I can't stop their growth. Little miss Ruby is so independent, more so than the others at this age. She is a sweet girl with lots of  bossy. She tells you where and when and we all jump at her demands. I guess being the youngest has it's perks, and she gets away with it.

Otto is declaring himself as a little boy, and seeks Trent's attention more than mine. It is hard to accept that he is growing up and won't be little forever.

Last night he came in into our room sometime between 1-2am, and I told him he could snuggle up with me. He won't want to snuggle with me forever, so I will take what I can get even if it means a crowded bed!

We only have a few days left to make a difference

If I can convince at least one person, then I have done my civic duty...so I will continue to post more truth's about Obama.
This quote below is from a man named Antonia Sosa, I chatted with him in another chat group and this is his view on the election (at least we can impeach Obama if necessary);

Antonio Sosa said:
As someone born in Ecuador with friends and relatives in Latin America, I’m terrified watching how people in the United States are being manipulated just like people in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador to put a Marxist in power.

The similarities between Rafael Correa’s campaign for president of Ecuador and that of Obama for U.S. president are amazing. Correa had no experience but was young, charismatic and had good speaking skills. Correa’s slogans were the same as Obama’s: CHANGE, YES WE CAN, etc.

Informed Ecuadorians were not able to convince their clueless compatriots that Correa was a fake and not the young and wonderful savior the media was portraying. They could not compete in ads with the millions Correa had (mostly from unknown sources).

Once he took over, Correa dissolved Congress and took control of the legislative and judicial powers. In other words, he became a dictator. Ecuadorians are poorer than ever. The CHANGE has been toward Marxism and greater poverty for all.

It’s now obvious that Correa works with Chávez and terrorists AGAINST Ecuadorians and the United States.

Most informed Ecuadorians, when they realized the similarities between Correa and Obama, felt confident that Americans could not be fooled as Ecuadorians had. However, it seems many Americans are as clueless as the poorest and most ignorant people in Ecuador or Bolivia.

I hope it’s not too late and Americans realize that Obama is a Marxists with ties to Islamic terrorists, just like Castro, Chávez, Morales, Correa and Odinga (Obama’s Marxist Kenyan relative).

Nash Family Halloween

Once again grandma Nash amazed us with her sewing skills! The kids put in their orders 2 months ago and grandma made the perfect costumes with each detail the kids requested!

My kids take Halloween very seriously, they even stay true to character all night...even the week before and the week after. I don't blame them, they are pretty cool!

Brooklyn was straight out of the 50's with the perfect poodle skirt. Grandma sewed and appliqued the poodle perfectly. She even found her the perfect saddle shoes.

Lily is a Geisha, and played the part well. She stayed in character as much as possible, and didn't want to mess up her make-up. Her costume was made from stunning tan & fuschia satin. She even had satin PJ's underneath!

Otto was in FULL character all week. He is obsessed with Indiana Jones, and loves wearing this getup.  He has even slept in this a few nights, and won't take it off. 

Grandma Nash made the leather jacket for uncle Teddy when he was 4, so the jacket is actually 20 yrs old. Trent made sure that Otto had everything that Indy had, he even had a sound effects whip that played the theme song to the movie (yes, it got old really fast). 

Ruby was a beautiful witch. This is my all time favorite costume. Grandma made this for Brooklyn when she was little. It is the prettiest witch costume ever. Since we are done with it, let me know if anyone wants to borrow it next year!

And finally, Trent and I actually dressed up this year. Our family was invited to a Halloween Party and Brooklyn insisted that we all dress up or she would be "really really embarrased" if we don't dress up. So, I searched my closet and found some 80's looking stuff and went for the 80's look, and Trent was Jason (horror movie icon).

Happy Halloween!

Obama the Messiah

This guy should be the media contact for the McCain camp.  How can you argue with him? (link goes to Utube)

I love this web site too CLICK HERE, it is so funny. Actually it makes my skin crawl, but that is the point. And if you don't get it, yes it is ripping on Obama.... or is it? He really does love himself doesn't he?

Behold the Obama Seal (he changed the presidential Seal incase you didn't know.....can you say arrogant?

Vintage Christmas

I am so inspired...........

Even though we won't be home for christmas this year, (we will be at Disney World) I still can't wait to decorate. I have been collecting vintage christmas decorations for years. I am excited to get them out and get into the christmas mood.

vote YES on prop 8

With the election so close, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with information all around me. Some is the truth, and some appears to be the truth, but is actually really bad and just "spun" by witty writers.

Aside from the presidential vote, there are a lot of propositions that are trying to be passed. Even though I don't live in California I feel very strongly about prop 8, the reason is because if this is NOT passed in California then chances are we will see this in our own states also.

Proposition 8 appears on the ballot titled as "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry".
If it passes, it will add a new constitutional amendment to the California Constitution that will say "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" and it will be known in law as the California Marriage Protection Act[1]

My first reaction when I read it was, "why should I care if a same sex couple get married, why should it affect me? Let them get married."

The problem is that there is actually a lot more to it than that, and it has nothing to do with bigotry, it actually takes rights away from parents and churches and allows the government to tell us what is right and wrong, which takes away many freedoms that we are privileged to in this country.

The first word that comes to my mind is communism.  Where a government TELLS us what to do and think. This should be our biggest fear, not the fear of appearing to be prejudice. 

In the scriptures we are taught that marriage is between a man a woman. This is a religious belief, and we have the freedom to religious belief in this country don't we? Even if you don't believe in God, you have the same rights.  But if you do believe in God and what the scriptures say, your children will be taught in school that the scriptures are actually wrong, marriage is between party A and party B, not man and woman.  

This is where you should be concerned..........

If it does not pass then schools are obligated to teach that same sex is OK- regardless of what parents say, even send home literature against parents wishes. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs.

1. Churches are not allowed to turn away same-sex couples.

2. Churches will be sued if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings that are open to the public.

3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston has already closed its doors because of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

4. Religions that sponsor private schools and which provide housing for married students will be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if it runs counter to church doctrine, or lose tax exemptions and benefits.

5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages will be sued for hate speech and could be fined by the government.
It has already happened in Canada, one of six countries that have legalized gay marriage.

While there are arguments for both sides, I have boiled it down to one basic question:"Is it appropriate and desirable for public schools to be teaching second-graders that same-sex marriage is just like any other marriage."

I don't think so. As a parent, I have the right to teach my child what ever I want. Especially when it comes to personal beliefs and religion. My rights are a stake here, my right to teach my child.
If prop 8 does not pass, the government will tell me what I should be teaching my child regardless of religious values and that would be mixing state and religion.
I think that the question is not one for the courts, but for the people.

Please urge your family and friends who live in California to do their research and VOTE YES on prop 8, not because they are prejudice, but because they don't want their own government taking away their right to speech and freedom of religion.

My Dream Living Room..........

New York Pics

I am the worst at taking pictures when it is just Trent and I. The only pictures that I took the entire trip was when Trent and I saw Wicked on Broadway, when we were in our seats waiting for the show to start. I got in trouble....you are not allowed to take any pics in the theater. So, here we are before the show, and a picture of the stage.

I liked the show, Trent thought it was ok. I read the book a couple years ago, so I kinda knew the story. But they left so much out that you really don't need to read the book if you plan to see the show. We were lucky to see the original cast. (Glinda and Wicked Witch).

If you are ever in the city please go and eat at Ruby Foo's in Times Square, near broadway. We had THE best chinese food, seriously it was so so good! I dream if eating there again and the service was so fast, we told them we were in a hurry to see a show and we had our food faster than McDonalds.