Halloween Festivities in a Skirt / "Day of the Dead" Celebration

Ok, some of you might think Im totally off of my rocker with this skirt... but I just had to do it!  Its a limited edition, but I have been eyeing this fabric for months!  I kept talking myself out of it every time I looked at it... for obvious reasons... but I was like a magnet to it every time I came acrossed it!  So one day, I had my 9 year-old-daughter with me, and I said "Sweetie, do you like this fabric by any chance?" and she said "YES! I LOVE it Mom!!!"  (of course, keep in mind, she's a little wacky herself) but that's all I needed to hear... and off to the cutting table I went! :)  I know there are lots of people out there that love the traditional holiday threads, but I just figure... there are sooooo many people out there doing those... do we really need ONE MORE person making the sweet cutesy stuff?  So here I am... trailing off the beaten path, throwing some wackadoodle skirt out there to have fun with.  Wear it for Halloween, wear it to celebrate the mexican holiday "Day of the Dead", or just wear it because skulls are so incredibly "IN" right now... whatever the reason, if its your cup of tea, there is just soooo much fun to be had with this one...  :) 

Working on uploading this and a few other new styles to the site right now...  http://www.snigglefritz.etsy.com/

Adorable Prints with a vintage feel... Bunny and me

Ok, I'd like to go back in time now to when my daughter was 3 and her best friend was "bunny".  This is the memory that is brought to mind when coming across this print on Etsy.  Sometimes, Id like to invent a time machine so I can go back and savor those years again with a greater appreciation... isnt that always the way?  For now, I will just let it remind me that I need not take any moments for granted... and I will give my not-so-three-anymore daughter a great big hug this afternoon after school and tell her that I love her more than anything in this world.  Today, I am reminded,  to enjoy every single little nuance that crosses our path. 

You can find this adorable print and others like it by clicking on this link... hope you enjoy as much as I did.  Have a great Tuesday everyone!  .http://www.etsy.com/listing/55142936/rabbit-girl-print-archival-5x7

"Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know what another person sees" - Marcel Proust

Testing out my mobile blogging option... Snazzy! ;)

Bada-bing! Bada-boom! Im done! and EXHAUSTED!

This is exactly how I feel right now! I just now finished uploading the last of my 1st Fall release onto the my Etsy Shop site. I have way too much caffiene in my system, starving and could eat a horse right now, my back is killing me, my butt is flat as a pancake, toes and legs keep falling asleep because I have a terrible habit of curling one leg under the other when Im at my computer... BUT BYE GOLLY, IM DONE! Well, Im done with this "phase" anyway! It's Friday, so I plan to put the rest aside for the weekend, chill out, take a break, and pick up on Monday... and then my stocking-up-for-show-inventory marathon begins! Yeeeeeee-haw!!!!!

Tonight is Pizza & Movie Family Night here at the homestead... and right now, such a simple, little, quaint event never sounded so delightful!!! By the way, this is a photo of Alex at the end of this last photoshoot... I wasnt the only one who was tapped! ;)

Have a great weekend 'all! Peace-out!

1st Fall Snigglefritz Collection Release "almost" uploaded....

Ok, so Im taking a break... my brain hurts! My little skirt personalities are draining me... not to mention my toosh is getting flatter! I did a crash marathon of getting all of my new skirt and accessory listings uploaded for my 1st Fall release yesterday. Sat at the computer for almost 6 straight hours! I was extremely thankful for my walking buddy that pushed me out the door 1st thing in the morning before I got started... because my muscles experienced no other excersize other than my right arm (taking coffee cup from disk to mouth, mouth to desk), and my fingers (tap, tap, tap) for the rest of that morning & afternoon!

So Im almost of there. Still a handful of accessories to finish uploading. I have to take a short break to fill an order, but then back to it. Then there's the 6 other new skirts stacked up and waiting for me to get started on the cutting room floor! I think Im going to have to limit myself to how many new styles I upload on the website... there's just too many different designs Id like to do... so I think the Market Square shows, Private Trunk Shows and Holiday Shows are going to get the bigger/full assortment, and Ill have to keep myself limited on the website so that Im not using up all of my time taking photos, writing descriptions and uploading new listings. Im already dissappointed that I havent had the time to do model shots for the new designs on this 1st Fall release... I havent given up hope, but I just couldnt fit it in and just couldnt wait any longer to get them uploaded.

So my biggest excitement this season is on my gangster ties! They were inspired by that quirky little movie from my childhood, "Bugsy Malone". Anyone remember that movie? My husband says that Im the only one in the world that liked that movie, but hey! I was, like, 8 when I saw it for the first time... I just remember loving all the music and dancing and costumes... thats all I remember about it! Apparently though, according to my husband, the acting was horrible! But looking back, I wonder... How?! There were so many actors and actresses in there that actually made it big... I suppose they had to have their "rough" patches too...

Anyhoooooo... Its our first week back to school this week. We are in 4th grade now. Where has the time gone?! My baby is not a baby anymore. It's such a bittersweet experience... watching your child grow up... We are only 3 days in, but she is off to a wonderful start... she loves her teacher, loves her classmates, excited each morning, feeling good... can't ask for much more than that! :) Well, I close this post with wishing all of our little ones a great start to a new school year... and to our parents too... wishing you a wonderful new year filled with new self discoveries!

Peace!

Big "Christmas in July" Etsy Event!!!!

I just wanted to do a quick shout-out about this big "Christmas in July" Etsy Event that's going on right now.... lots of specials going on. Not just in my Snigglefritz shop but tons of other Etsy shops. Check it out for some great savings! www.snigglefritz.etsy.com

So I think Im in denial that Im just not a "true blogger". A true blogger posts every day... whether mentioning that they've had toast for breakfast this morning, or in a lousy mood because they got cut off on the highway earlier, or maybe that they have worked their tail off today and are ending the day completely exhausted. So here I am, posting once a month if Im lucky sometimes. If Im really on top of things, I actually post as much as once a week!!! Wooooo! Step back! :) But I seriously don't see how people keep up with it all AND get anything done AND how they still have time to have any one on one contact with actual human beings!!! Maybe I just still have a little bit of "old school" tugging at me, but I can't seem to give up on it... Ill figure out the balance... someway... somehow! :)

So in a quick snapshot, the past month has included a 3 week Theatre Camp in Middletown, DE at the Everett Theatre for my daughter... where she just seems to BEAM when she's up that stage... so much fun to watch!!!! This is her 2nd year... and if I had to guess, many more to come! I think she's got the stage bug or something... she just lights up so much... it wonderful to see her light up like that, especially after the tough Spring we had with her being sick and dealing with some anxiety issues. The past month also included some relaxing girl time while daddio spent a week in the South Bronx at St.Anne's Episcopal Church helping with our church mission trip, and a week at Disney in tournaments with his volleyball team. We missed daddio very much, but the girl time was nice too! :)

So now we are on to a visit with Nana and Paw-Paw in Kentucky for a couple days 1on1 visit while mommy and daddy have a couple days down time, and a BUNCH of sewing prep time for the next Market Square show coming up next Saturday (eek!). Its hard to believe that school will be starting again in just 3 weeks... crazy!!!!!! The summers seem to fly by faster and faster each year... you know that "Easy button" that Officemax or someone has? I need a little "Slow-motion button"!!!! Yowza!! I just pray Im not wasting any "moments" in so much of this busy-busy stuff, ya know? Well, wishing you all a wonderful week and many great "moments"!!! :)

Bring on the spit-up! Burp Cloth & Flower Headband Gift Sets

We are now officially enjoying summer break. Things have been busy, calm, busy, calm, busy, calm around here... thanking the heavens above for the small waves of "calm". We play, swim, work, fit in a little VBS, work some more, play, chill, play some more, swim some more... aaaaaaaand repeat! :)

So Ive been carrying my Infant Burp Cloth Sets for a while, but have not added them to my website because I kept tweeking the accessory that went with them. BUT! I have finally settled on what they will be now. So the set includes 1 burp cloth, 1 stretchy crochet headband, and 1 detachable rosette or flower hair clip. I only go down to 12M on my skirts, so Ive been trying to make sure I have something to offer for our wittle itty bitty cuties out there. They are $10/set. Ive went back and forth on whether I should include 2 burp cloths in each set, but then Id have to bump the price up to $15 and I really like the $10 price point... I welcome any opinions you'd like to offer one way or the other on that.

Meanwhile, still working on this whole "being in the moment" thing. Such a tough thing to do when the to-do list keeps growing... especially when daddio is out of town and such a vital part of our daily family functions. Alex and I are really missing him... he's in New York on a mission trip with our church. We usually go up there as a family... atleast that's become a tradition over the past couple years... but Alex really needed some extra down time this summer to chill out and relax, so we cancelled all of our usual travel trips except her theatre camp in Delaware. We miss our mission trip crew... and all the kids at St.Anne's Episcopal Church After-School Program in the South Bronx. It's been pretty cool though... Brent and I have figured out our video functions on our phones and have been utilizing them to send little video messages back and forth between the kids and the family. It helps Alex continue some of those friendships she's made up there... we're already looking forward to being a part of that again next year... what an exhausting and unbelievably amazing week that is... those kids are so unbelievably strong and honest... and "real". What a blessing they are.

Ok, enough rambling and jumping around... sorry! :} I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! Will post more soon... new designs being photographed this week.. hoping to have pictures back to share in next week or 2. Yippee!!!

Simple pleasures... being in the moment!

So I think I finally found a day of "moments"! It was a wonderful, fairly uneventful, living-in-the-moment kind of day!

We've had a busy couple of days with a bunch of "Schools out little girl sleepovers". Other than the occasional "THUD!" on the ceiling, all of our guests have been lovely and they all seemed to have such a good time... pizza, movies, ds games, nails, makeup, pool, board games, and lots of giggling! Our last guest was taken home last night... ahhhhhhhh! A chance for a little quiet time. This morning, something very unusual happened... we slept in 'till 9am! Unfortunately, we missed church because we slept so late... but I have to admit, the extra rest was WONDERFUL... for both of us! So it started with a wonderful cup of coffee and some nostalgic cartoons... like the Smurfs! :) After about an hour of cartoons, Alex looks over at me and says "Mom, maybe we should read some scripture from our bibles since we're not going to church." Of course, I thought to myself... Wow! I can't let this one slip by! So I said "I think that's a great idea!" So we finished watching The Pink Panther (which, by the way, why do I remember this show being way funnier than it actually was?!) Anyhooooo... we took 3 turns each using our "faithful finger"... that's where we just open the bible and close our eyes 'til out finger finds a spot. We had a couple scriptures that really connected and we were able to talk about and share examples... and then there were 1 or 2 that neither of us had much to offer to the story... BUT! That's ok, because the ones that connected, connected so beautifully! It was wonderful... and my 8 year old daughter initiated the whole thing! Needless to say, it was a very proud parent moment for me! :)

So from there... I went out to pull a few weeds, while she began concocting some sort of scented bubble solution where she was finding flower pedals and plant substance to add to several different scented bubble solutions. She had me come smell test several times and by the 3rd or 4th time, I told her that there were some different extracts/flavorings in the kitchen cabinet she could use if she'd like... then that lead to letting her know we had several different scented oils... then after a while, she was mixing up her own blend of essential oil body sprays... it was great... you could just see the creative juices flowing! She had these little tiny squirt bottle left over from her pixo kit, so she emptied those and now has 2 little exclusive "Alex scented body sprays"! She was so excited... and needless to say, I was very excited for her!

Well, from there, I told her there were places she could go to buy different scented oils and little spray bottles so she could make more if she wanted... and that that would be a great thing to use her chore money on if she wanted. Well that just kicked her into chore mode... went upstairs and cleaned her bathroom, vacuumed her room and then even cleaned her cat's little box! She was working on cleaning out my wallet! But that's ok... she was motivated and who was I to get in her way!

So after chores and and some lunch, I told her I had to go upstairs to do several hours of sewing and that she was more than happy to come up with me, or she could do whatever... but we were laying low for today without a bunch of friends running around. So she came up with me and I started my sewing. Well before I knew it, she was in the midst of making her doll a pair of shorts... all by herself! Now, dont get me wrong, she had to remake the shorts 3 times because the 1st time they were too small, and then the 2nd time, she didnt have enough waist area, and then by the 3rd time, they were just right! (well, just right for an 8 year old making a pair of shorts for the 1st time! ;)

It was a day filled with "being in the moment" and enjoying every bit of it! It was WONDERFUL! Alex and I enjoyed some quality mommy-daughter time together without it having to be some "planned event". There was no complaining of being bored, of having to do her chores, of me having to sew, of not getting to watch more TV, etc, etc... we both just enjoyed the day... for what it was. What a wonderful gift... Im so very thankful. I wish all of you many "moments" during this long holiday weekend! :)

"Be present in the moment"... HA!!!!!

Just giving everyone a big shout out to come down and join in Knoxville's Market Square festivities every Saturday... 1st Saturday of every month in particular (that's when Ill be down there! ;) Working my tail off to have plenty of variety in skirt styles and sizes, but even more so, plenty of accessories to choose from too!

Summer has officially started, school is out, so now the challenge of working while kids play all day kicks into gear. My goal this summer is to find the "Balance".. balance? whats that? I sometimes believe there is no such thing. But my goal is to make out a schedule for myself... part work, part play. I figure if I make out a schedule, then maybe it will allow me to "be present in the moment" more... instead of constantly feeling guilty for playing while i should be working... or working while i should be playing... and never fully being present in any of the moments because Im constantly thinking about some other moment (oo! sorry! major rambling there!). Why is "Being in the moment" so difficult? Am I the only one that struggles with this? It does happen from time to time... and when its happening... I tend to realize it right in the middle of it.. and go "Wow! I need to work at this more often.. THIS is what its all about!" But thats the thing... if you work at it too hard... its not "real"... so anyone with some words of wisdom on this subject is urged to share please!!! :)

Snigglefritz skirts - Adorable customer shots

I am just so lucky to have the most adorable little girls running around in my skirts! YEA for me!! :)

Snigglefritz skirts - Adorable customer shots

Im pretty sure ANY piece of clothing would look adorable when paired with this sweet smile, but hey... lucky me! :)

Snigglefritz skirts - Adorable customer shots

Ive been meaning to do this for a while now.... but wanted to share some adorable customer shots of the skirts... some of my mom customers have been sweet enough to send me some candid shots of their girls wearing their Snigglefritz skirts... makes me smile! :)

Keeping Faith... Proverbs 3:5-6

So my regularity in posting on my blog has not exactly been great lately... my sincere apologies for that (for those few actually checking). We've continued to battle the mysteries of Alex's health right now and it just seems a little depressing to post the same struggles day in and day out. So! I told myself I could not post again until I had something uplifting to share. So, first, I post Alex's beautiful smile... that, in itself, is uplifting. Second, I have a little scripture to share... now, keep in mind, I was raised Catholic (Episcopalian now) but I wasnt exactly raised well versed in scripture... but desperate times call for desperate measures, so Ive really tried to start doing what I need to do to try and strengthen my faith and hand things over... for myself... and for my daughter. I feel a little like I keep trying to walk into a revolving door and cant quite get the timing right so it keeps smacking me in the head making me fall backwards a bit, then I just keep doing it over and over and over again. I feel like Im missing something that has been layed right in front of me... so Im trying really, really hard to take long, deep breathes every day and keep my eyes and my heart wide open. So for those that might be going through their own struggles right now, this brought me some comfort, and hope it does for you too....

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Much love, strength and comfort to you all...

Spring Break aaaaahhhhhhh.....

Its Spring Break.... aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.....

So we started our Spring Break with Alex & I going to my mom & dad's house in Delaware for a couple of days. We both needed a little change of scenery and...well... I just really needed my "posse" backup. Things have been challenging with Alex being sick off and on. Brent and I do not understand any of it and as much as we really try to be understanding and patient with her, we are not always winning the "parent of the year" award! This anxiety thing that the docs think she has is just such unfamiliar territory for us. We try so many different things, so many different approaches, tools... but sometimes, nothing seems to work and we feel like beating our heads against the wall. So Spring Break was welcomed with open arms for all of us! Having my mom, dad and brother around for a couple days felt great... like I had someone there to catch me if I fell.

While I was home, I found out an old highschool classmate had passed away... major mortality reality check! It wasn't someone I was super close with but I graduated in a class of only thirty-something, so we were all like one big family growing up together.... so it still hit pretty hard. A bunch of old classmates went... it was so great to see everyone... not under the circumstances at all, but its comforting to know there is still something good that can come out of something so horrible. We all gathered after the viewing for a bite to eat... we hugged, laughed, shared photos of kids... it was wonderful. It was a bitter sweet evening that was the stuff that truelly feeds a persons soul.

So for the last half of our Spring Break we have just tried to chill at home... working on getting through Alex's anxiety stuff... having some good days (as seen in the photo).. and some not-so-good days. But all in all, I think we are making baby steps in the right direction... 2 steps forward then 1 step back. We've had beautiful weather, which certainly helps freshen the spirits for everyone! :) So I come upon Easter with a thankful heart... for the blessings I have been given. With some of the frustration of trying to understand Alex's new situation with this anxiety stuff, I have not said my thanks enough... Life is not always a box of chocolates. Its the grace in which we handle ourselves with each trial and tribulation, right? Oh how I do not feel so graceful lately... but I wake up each day... trying to do things just a little bit better than the day before. So Happy Easter 'all! Let's celebrate this unbelievable gift we have been given... and a chance to start a new, fresh day today...

Balance & Faith - Celiac's & Anxiety

For those handful of friends and family that might be checking in on my blog, I apologize for neglecting it the past month or 2. Our family has been on a constant rollercoaster ride since the New Year began and apparently, this ride is on the runaway track! To try and give the short story of it (and for those of you who know me, know that's virtually impossible), it all started with our trip to Disney 2 weeks after the Christmas holiday break. My husband and several family members had signed up for the Disney marathon so we all planned a rare family vacation down at Disney for the week... something we just can't seem to find time to do anymore. So we were all very excited (not necessarily about the additional travel after 2 weeks worth of driving back and forth between Tennessee, Kentucky and Delaware for Christmas, but so be it, it was part of the deal) So while we were down there, Alex seemed to come down with some sort of viral sinus stuff... had her down and out some of the time we were there but we still seemed to have a good time in small pockets here and there so we were thankful for that. We didnt really think much of it... struggled back and forth on whether to take her to a clinic down there but decided against it and just tried to let her get some extra rest, water and kept plenty of children's cold medicine and tylenol on hand. So we were on our way back from Disney and stayed with some friends in Macon, GA... Alex got to visit and play with her old buddy, Peyton and they were very excited. Well, right before we took off to head home the next morning, Alex sits down and says she feels shakey, next thing we know, she's throwing up... a lot! We clean her up, get her a sprite and crackers, say our many apologies to our friends for their couch (ugh!) and get in the car to head home... that was our focus at that point... get home! She was very pale when we left... but slept for 2 hours and woke up seeming much better. From there, we thought things were ok. But these random 30 minute mild shakey/nausious episodes were happening about twice a week... that went on for about 3 weeks. Then Brent's grandpa passed away and we had to hit the road again for Kentucky for funeral services... everything seemed somewhat normal, but understandably sad at times. So we get home from that on a Friday afternoon and Brent and Alex repack to hit the road again for Louisville for a big volleyball tournament... that night, at midnight, she popped up and started throwing up one time after another... until they finally ended up at the ER. ER doc thought it was a stomach virus, gave her anti-nausea meds and said she'd have a rough 48 hours. From there, she could not eat or drink much of anything for 2+ days but vomitting was under control. She was becoming increasingly more weak and pale, so by Monday morning we had her back at the ER for IV fluids due to dehydration. From there, we have battled these 30+ minute episodes an average of 1-2 times a day now for the past 3 weeks. The only thing that seems to cure it is for her to lay down for about 30 minutes until it passes. Meanwhile, docs have tested for diabetes, thyroid issues, hormone levels, blood levels... all coming back fine causing the mystery to continue. So more blood work was done and we are now waiting on test results for Celiac's Disease and Abdominal Migraine. My gutt says its not abdominal migraine (after doing some research - some symptoms are there, but my gutt says no)... im sure the docs would appreciate my "gutt diagnosis". But based on the research Ive done on Celiac's Disease... the symptoms definately line up! Now, the longer this has went on... especially ever since the all night vomitting and dehydration, the anxiety levels for her have seemed to go through the roof at times. She has become very clingly, needy, fearful, and anxious at many times throughout the day... especially about going to school. She has been having 1-2 episodes a day at school... and when she has these episodes, if you cant sit and work through them with her and talk them through telling her she's going to be ok and that she just needs to sit down and wait it out... if you try to have tough love with her on these and try to just tell her to suck it up... she ends up having an emotional breakdown... which then just adds to the anxiety because then she has kids making fun of her for crying... just an aweful downward spiral. And unfortunately, kids will be kids... she's had 2 of her friends make fun of her before for crying.. whether its because she's hurt herself or because they are making fun of her for some reason (before these episodes began) and typically, eh! it is what it is! no big deal! she'll get over it and move on! But then you add all this to the current situation, and it just elevates the anxiety... nowwwwwww... we are worried about our friends seeing us cry, so add that to the already building anxiety and now we probably have a child that's about to emotionally fall apart on us! So! Here we are... trying to hang on for dear life during the dips and turns on this rollercoaster ride... waiting for the end of this ride to come.... hoping and praying it will come soon. Since having the possible Celiac's thing come up, we have taken her off of all gluten foods for the past 3 days... and whether it was just enough to make her feel in control again and gave her some emotional stability or it actually made her start feeling good again physically so she was back to her running and playing self again on Friday and Saturday... now Sunday (yesterday) seemed a little peculiar... she came home from church and was a little quiet and clingy, but it was also our first rainy, dreary day after 2 beautiful sunny spring days... so who knows? it could have just been the rainy blues... or the rainy day syndrome where you just want to slip into your comfy clothes and watch movies all day... Unfortunatley, the poor child is secretly being watched like a hawk and analyzed every second of the day right now. Also, this peculiar yawn type tic has started... I dont think its a yawn though... she just opens her mouth really wide like a yawn but its not the same elements of a yawn... Ive been told kids get little tics around this age and that I shouldnt read much into it, so trying not to. Uh boy! Trying to keep my own anxieties from getting all up in arms so that my child doesnt feel MY anxiety so that it doesnt just adds to her ALREADY anxieties makes me very anxious! And its one of those things where you just know people are tired of us talking about it... but we're trying to put it out there... because we know NOTHING about all of this and the "ride" we are on right now, so the only thing we know to do is talk to others and put it out there so that maybe someone else has gone through something similar and can offer some words of wisdom and comfort. Meanwhile, trying to work during all of this is insane... but ya know, I think it just might be the thing that IS keeping me sane at this point... its a little like meditation for me... designing and sewing... makes me feel good inside. So although my focus might not quite be what it needs to be right now, Im very thankful I have my SKIRTS! Much love to you all... you have all been a wonderful support with your care, concern and prayers! I just so hope we are not neglecting our other friends and family's needs right now because we so focused on this one thing... if we are, please slap us and wake us up, k? :) Have a great week all... and keep Alex in your prayers for us please.

Getting back to some normalcy!

Well, it feels pretty good to be getting back to a little bit of normalcy the past couple days. Its been a long 5 weeks... between the loss of Grandpa Carter and Alex being sick with a terrible long drawn out stomach virus, it has been quite the rollercoaster ride around here lately!

This picture reminds me what Im thankful for... for all these beautiful kids (grandpa's great grandchildren), for the loving family we have (on both sides), for the time we had with grandpa in Florida last month, for Alex's returned health, for my mother-in-law and the moral support she gave us while she was visiting this past week, for the Good Lord always sticking by us, for our lovable pets, for our wonderful friends that know when to reach out, for the bible study group that refuels my spirit and soul every time we meet, for the sunrises and sunsets, for the roof over our heads, for the food on our plates, for skirts! :), for yellow roses, for America's Funniest Home Videos, for the PJ game, for safe travels, for people who can love without judgement, for coffee, for peace of mind, for rest.... I could go on all night... I have so much to be thankful for.... but its time for that "rest" part. :) So night'all! Have a wonderful and restful weekend!

We love you Grandpa!

Rest in Peace Grandpa! We love you!

Eek! Chaos! Releasing Part 1 - Snigglefritz Spring Skirt Collection

OK, so do you see this picture?! Well, this is a perfect representation of how my 1st release to the Spring collection has gone... just pure chaos! Photo shoot day was hilarious and infuriating all at the same time! So this shot captures the whole mood of the day... it represents the girls' own individual ideas of what they had in mind for that day (which, needless to say, was opposite from what I had in mind). This is their earned "end-of-shoot goofy shots" They only earned about 5 free shots on this day (they usually earn about 30!). It certainly can't all be blamed on them... Im not sure what I was thinking to take this event on on this particular day... Im pretty sure my hormones were flaring high and my patience were nowhere to be found. Im just very thankful that they escaped unscathed at the end of the day!!!

So, as with "life", all obstacles have been thrown in my path to keep me from getting the 1st part of this Spring collection completed. Grandpa in hospital, Alex dealing with some sort of 1/2 passing out sugar low episodes with multiple trips to the doc (blood work results come back tomorrow morning), family drama stuff, snow days with kids shuffling in and out of the house, PTO yearbook stuff, PTO spirit wear stuff, dog illnesses... not to mention keeping up with the normal stuff like school work, karate, piano, awana, church, excersize, bible study, volleyball... and on that very rare occasion, fixing a home cooked meal, doing a load of dishes and maybe a load or two of laundry! The distractions have been at an ultimate high! But I am bound and determined to get this knocked out! We did the 1st initial photo shoot last weekend, I took individual pics this morning, edited pics this afternoon, and got the skirts listed this evening... now if I can just get the coordinating accessories listed and one of the skirts reworked (decided at the last minute it just wasnt working for me so Im changing the under panel... I just thought I needed to add ONE more thing to my to-do list! :b

So, here I am, trying to take a deep breath, using my long overdue blog posting as a place to breath, vent and reflect. Whats really on the forefront of my mind is Grandpa and Alex... Grandpa apparently flat lined twice today... docs just arent sure if he will make it through the night (sigh). I pray God's will be done... and all who love him will be at peace with whatever that is.... We love you Grandpa! And then there's Alex... with these odd & sudden episodes of extreme fatigue, weakness and nausea. My guess has been some sort of sugar low... but that is a very unprofessional guess. Blood work was done today at Children's Hospital... results tomorrow. Friends and family have thrown out several guesses and Ive surfed around on WebMD... speculation can be a dangerous thing, let me just tell ya! Trying to just hang on until tomorrow morning to get actual test results... but you just cant help but worry about your baby, ya know?!

So anyhooooo... I wish everyone a ver peaceful Friday night sleep... Im so very tired... nighty-night all! Oh! and a special Happy 40th Birthday Bro'! Love ya!

Finally back from holiday hiatus!!!

Ok, Woo!!! I'm finally trying to get back into the swing of things after a long holiday hiatus!!! To to give you the short story of it... our family all live out of town, so we always go trompling all over creation during the holidays so we can see everyone... it all starts with a trip to Paducah, KY the week before Christmas, then back to Knoxville, TN for the real deal, then off to Middletown, DE for the week after Christmas.... well, then this is where things got a little chaotic... 2 days after we got back home from Delaware, I found out my dad had to have emergency open heart surgery, so I hopped back in my car (by the way, we DROVE to all of those previous destinations I mentioned) and drove up to Nashville to catch a direct flight to Phili since that was quicker and cheaper than getting a last minute flight out of Knoxville (where there are NO direct flights to ANYWHERE!! note:that may be just a slight exageration) so the family is very nervous about how this open heart surgery is going to go, but 4 bypasses later, my dad is good to go!! :) SO! I fly back to Nashville, then drive back to Knoxville, where we are getting a nice little wintery mix mess and about 20 cars are parked at the bottom of our subdivision because every time someone tries to go up our big hill at the entrance, they are playing ping pong with the parked cars on the side of the road as they slide back down. Well, by golly, my neighbors warned me, but I had 4 wheel drive and I had a big suitcase of stuff that needed washing so that I could repack to leave again the next morning.... yes, I said the NEXT MORNING!!!! We had a planned trip to Disney... a bunch of family, including hubby, were running the Disney Marathon.. (most of them 1st time runners of a full marathon)... they all did GREAT... then we stayed for the week for a very rare family vacation at Disney with a bunch of my uncles, aunts and cousins... great, great time!!!! Started off VERY cold, but warmed up by the end of the week... and had a blast! Even got to stop in Macon, GA on the way home to see one of Alex's oldest and best buddies from Preschool, Peyton and her family... great visit there too (although ended with Alex yacking all over their couch... ummm, that part, not so good!)

And so, believe it or not, thats the short of it.... we are back now... trying to get our heads back into reality again... catching up on things we missed or fell behind on while gone for so long (like taking down the Christmas decorations... eek!! we are thinking about just leaving them up 'til next year... its only 10 more months until they have to go back up!!! ha! just kidding neighbors!!! :) Not to mention I am chomping at the bit to get started on these Spring skirts... its been a killer to have my fabrics for 3 weeks now and not be able to do anything with them... so this week is the week... yippeeeeeee!!!!!

Meanwhile, my heart continues to circle back around to a couple things... The Restaino's.. a family of a guy, Mike, I used to work with at Goody's Corp... they just lost a son to cancer... Diane, the mom has been journaling her daily thoughts at www.caringbridge.org/visit/joerestaino Im not sure why this one hits my heart so hard.. I wasnt very close to Mike... and people die of cancer all the time... but this is a good family... a really good family... and Diane's words are so touching and graceful in her journal... you just cant help but extend your heart out... I just cant imagine. And then there's the Haiti earthquake... and our close friends have direct ties to an orphanage over there... some of them were in the middle of adopting some of the girls... one of the girls died in the quake... I think they are trying to get the rest of them over here to Knoxville until things calm down and improve over there... I pray that all goes well.... and my heart goes out to the family who lost the little girl... again, I just cant imagine. And then there's a little 6 year old boy from our Sunday School group at church... John Henry... another sweet, sweet family... they found a 5lb cancerous tumor in his abdomen that they just had to surgically remove... last I heard, tests were being done to make sure it had not spread... again, I just can't imagine. Maybe it's because these are our children... and being a mom of an 8 year old daughter... well, again, I just cant imagine.

Now, I did not intend to leave this 1st post of the year depressing everyone... but I needed to share whats been weighing heavy on my mind... but it sure does make me give extra thanks for my family and the blessings we have been given... I seem to have that little whisper that stays in the back of my head... "my time will come... of something tragic... that will test my faith... test my strength.... please God, help me when that time comes" I think my biggest fear (as it is for most mothers I think) is for my child to pass before my time.... so today, I suggest we all give our children an extra tight squeaze at the end of the day... tell them how much we love them... and celebrate their life... what better time to do this, than today? Hugs to you'all.... have a wonderful week!