Spring Break Sleep Schedule Hangover

Today will be a battle to overcome my Spring Break hangover... no... not really a "hangover"... just a hangover from no structured sleep schedule.  Our first Monday back to the grind today after a week long of Spring Break sleeping schedule.. or... LACK OF schedule.  Aaaahhh.. how nice it was to wake around 7:30-8ish to the sunlight beaming through my window... and not worry about getting to bed at a decent hour.  Oh, but how all that catches up to me!  Im pretty sure I should have started reprogramming myself on Friday!  But! It was nice while it lasted.

No big trips... Alex went to her grandparents for some one on one spoiling time, i mean, quality time. :)  Brent and I tried to have a couple nice dinner dates while we were childless, but he was battling strep for Spring Break, so although they were still a rare, nice treat, he wasnt exactly able to enjoy them 100%.  We did find time to fit in a couple of relaxed dinners with some good friends that we hadnt spent time with in a while, along with a little family horseback riding on an absolutely gorgeous sunny day... so that was some really nice quality family time tucked in there.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you'd like to look at it... Brent and I did work like dogs for a couple of days while Alex was away at her grandparents... I had tons of orders to catch up on and he had tons of appointments and office work to catch up on since he's been out of town so much lately... but we were able to do it without the guilt of feeling like we were neglecting our child on Spring Break... so we were grateful for that too.

But needless to say, Im pretty sure is going to be slow moving... its 9:24am already and Im still not upstairs sewing yet... 5 orders still to complete... but no matter how tired I am right now... I am still grateful for that week of flexible schedules!  So I will shuffle back over to the coffee pot, fill'r up, and get my tooshie upstairs and back behind that sewing machine once again... because... by golly... even all droopy eyed, I am still so very grateful that all this hard work is paying off and things have finally kicked into 2nd gear with this biz... I am excited.. and even a bit nervous... on where this business is heading... but I finally feel like its heading "somewhere"... and thats such a GREAT feeling! :)

I raise my coffee cup to y'all... now lets go tackle those to-do lists! ;)

Trying to return back to some "normal"

Im a little extra tired this morning... 3 day weekend... tons of fun... but busy, busy!  Photoshoot planned for Sunday but then bumped up to Saturday due to the weather forecast... sewing non-stop to get everything done right up until the hour before the shoot!  Chaos!  But totally worth the stress!  The pics turned out beautiful!  Very blessed to have such easy going models AND model mommies making things go so smoothly!  I become a bit OCD with the pics after a photoshoot though... I cant leave them alone until I go through every single one and choose all of my "favorites"... sometimes viewing 2000 pics at a time.  Needless to say, I tend to go a little cross-eyed during all of that!  But the photos are truelly what gives these pieces "life"... seeing them worn... in the midst of daily life.. they come alive!  Im having a bit of OCD aftermath with my stomach today though... I think the stress and poor eating habits this weekend has caught up with me... heartburn last night... and getting a little more intimately acquainted with my bathroom this morning.. ugh!  But pics are finished and hubby is back home again after several days out of town... so this week will be spent trying to return back to some "normal" again... HA!  "Normal"  What is that, anyway?!  I certainly have no clue!  :-B  So the 2nd Spring Release is almost ready for its premiere... 2 more weeks.  I keep wondering if 3 releases to this "Indie Charm" line was too bold of a step... biting off a little more than I can chew... BUT!  Im still upright... and still loving every second... so I guess that means we march forward! :)  Random highlight to my weekend:  an extra long tickle war with my daughter last night after playing the PJ race.... she won the pj race, but i won the tickle war... hands down! :}  Enjoy your week everyone... and the wonderful warmth of the sun while it sticks around!

Simple pleasures on a special day...

Ok, so I had a little catching up to do on orders after taking Valentine's Day off... but it was well worth it!  So our usual Valentine tradition is never something spectacular... my husband and I vowed a long time ago not to get sucked into the commercial hype of Valentine's Day... that it was much nicer to get flowers and go out to a nice dinner on some random day vs. some "expected" day. 

So this year was no different.  It did start out a little rough though... found out my husband had volleyball practice that evening... "Wha?!!"  "On Valentine's?!"  Ok, so typically, that would not be a huge deal, we would just celebrate another night... no biggie!  But!  Daddio has been out of town a TON lately, so our "family time" has been far and few inbetween.  So after being sprung the news of practice that night... I didnt get mad,  I totally understood that we all have responsibilities that we commit to, and sometimes it works out not-so-conveniently.  But, none the less, it still made me "sad".  Well, the tentative hubby that he is, tapped into that... and gave me my first Valentine gift of the day... he cancelled practice. :)  Now, this might not seem like a big deal... but this guys doesnt even cancel practice when schools are closed for snow!  He takes this gig very serious!  And for me, usually, I would not be happy about something like that... knowing it may have messed other people's schedules up... but in this particular case... on this particular day... I was just happy to know our family would be spending a nice evening together at home. 

So the evening was filled with simple pleasures... the grilling master creating some of his finest work under some rare warm sunshine weather, fabulous dinner with all of us sitting around the table, chit-chatting with family without ANY distractions (no tv, no phones, no computers!), this simple little gift of a framed photo for daddio, old swing music turned up on the tv music channel... and then came my 2nd highlight of the night... Alex and I swing dancing (ok, "attempting" to swing dance) in the family room for the last 30 minutes of the night... giggling at one another as we tried to twist and turn one another while never getting the timing just right... such sweet and simple little pleasures... probably some of the happiest 30 minutes of my life! :)  I hope it was a day filled with special moments for all of you too!  XOXOXOXO

How to celebrate Valentine's without buying a bunch of junk!?@$%

So, I am vowing to celebrate Valentine's Day WITHOUT buying a bunch of junk this year!  I get sucked into the commercial hoopla every single year and this year, Im going on strike!  Now, granted, I have done my usual procrastination and have waited until the last minute to figure out exactly what I AM going to do... but somehow, some way, I am going to make this day special WITHOUT a bunch of junk!  So, my daughter has been on this YO-YO kick for some reason the past couple days, so a YO-YO will be my only purchase... the rest must come from a loving and creative thought process.... hmmmm.... hmmmmm.... hmmmmm... ok, might take a little longer than my time writing this blog.... Ill report back later what I came up with! :)  But my goal... to let my family know just how much I appreciate the most prescious blessing that they are to me and make them feel like the most important people in the world for ATLEAST 1 whole night... no distractions allowed!  Tough task for someone who is EASILY distracted... but if I can see it through, it just might be the greatest gift I can give!  Love to you all!  Have a delightful Valentine's Day!!!!  :)

Thanks God for good friends & nice cows!

Soooooooo.... photoshoots dont ALWAYS go quite as planned.  See these cows... um. and that one giant bull to the left?  Well, they were quite curious about what we were doing in their field during our last photoshoot and wanted to see, first hand (or hoof?*), what all the commotion was all about. 

So a wonderful friend was lovely enough to check with her inlaws to see if we could take some pics on their farm for our last photoshoot... they were much obliged and welcomed us with open arms onto their property.  So we meander inside the gate, put down our props, and start taking pics as the girls run around having fun.  So we were about 5 minutes in to the festivities when a big herd of cattle come strolling around from the barn so see who's broken into their field.  So we did a little of the whole "Shew!  Shew!"  with some arm wafts... must I say?  Yea, didnt work!  So we start backing up all the props as they were strolling up closer and closer... a bit beyond our comfort.  Just as we went in to get our last "load", their curiosity peeked and by golly, they were going to check it out!  So our poor antique school desk and guitar were left to weather the snorts and sniffs! :}  So we stood back as we watched then nudge and lick our lovely little posessions... yelling "No! No! No! Don't LICK it!!!  Shew! Shew cow!"  Now, keep in mind... watching the bull to the left staring at us... we said this while tucked behind a giant pile of concrete blocks!  Lesson of the day:  When you're trying to get that real down-to-earth setting for your photos, with the farm & cows in the background... you might want to have the farmer put up a gate between you and the cattle BEFORE you start clicking!  Just sayin'.... ;)

A huge thanks to some wonderful friends... Katie & Donna... not to mention Katie's inlaws... for helping create this wonderful & hillariously entertaining afternoon! :)

Indie Charm Collection is now available... miracles DO happen! Nap time!

The final puzzle pieces finally came together... long night last night... early morning this morning... but it came together... the 1st release of INDIE CHARM is now online and available for purchase!  I sometimes wonder if Im absolutely bonkers for trying to do this... running my own business thing... wearing 10 different hats.  There are soooooo many different aspects that are required to make it all work.  People do it every day... my respect for those people grows greater every day too!  It's tough... you really need to have a passion for it... you really have to want it... I mean REALLY want it!  There is no doubt in my mind that I really want it... so many experiences along the path of my life has lead me right here to this place... doing exactly this.  It just takes a little extra faith from time to time... when you're feeling worn out and out of fuel... to get you over the next hump, recharge, and then go at it again.  I love doing it all... I really do!  I just wish I had 10 extra hands to get it done!  One of these days... there will be more hands than just mine... THAT will be a GREAT day! :)

Until then, Ill try to keep pacing myself... so that I dont calapse along the way or forget that my family friends still exist... I would have never gotten to this point had it not been for each one of them.  I think back on the encouragement I was given as a teenager when I first realized what I wanted to do... everyone from my mom, to my highschool art teacher, to some of my friends, some of my instructors in college, some of my best (and even worst) colleagues... it all helped me get to this point.  I am very grateful for each one of them... and the experiences that the Good Lord layed along my path.  I hope I can pay it forward and be one of those people that helps someone else along their path... offering some sort of encouragement that will lay the foundation for their path/paths/dreams in life... it was such a precious gift to me... I can only imagine it would be a precious gift to someone else too.


Time to close up shop for a few hours... to dream of a 3-day nap... and try and to recharge and start all over to prepare the 2nd release in March... YEEEEEEEHAAAAAWWWWW!!!!  Happy Monday to you my friends!  :)

Time for family...

Ok, so short post today... had a surprise visit from hubby's family this weekend.  Totally not figured into my time management of getting everything finished this weekend... but completely worth slamming on the breaks and just figuring it out!  I am truelly blessed with some of the best inlaws ever (and no, I dont say this because they will be reading this... pretty sure they dont even realize that I have a blog! :) But its a quick and unexpected visit that we dont get many opportunities for so wanting to take advantage of every minute we have before they go back to Kentucky. 

So, another sneak peak pic of what is to come tomorrow, Feb.7th...  my 1st Early Spring 2011 release...again, Im so grateful for all of my beautiful models!!!!!!!!! :)

http://www.snigglefritz.etsy.com/

TGIF!!!

We made it!  It's Friday!  Yaaaaaaaaay!!!!!

Ok, so any moms out there that tend to have some helicopter parenting in them?  Well, I learned this about myself about 5 years ago in a parenting class at church... eye opening experience, let me tell ya'!  Ever since that little reality check on myself, Ive desperately been working at it and trying to figure out ways NOT to be a helicopter parent... I mean, c'mon... face it... I really don't want my child starting her 1st job out of college and me chasing her around going "Do you have your briefcase? your lunch? a jacket? your brain?!"  So my daughter and I have these occasional "talks".. they are usually caused by some sort of blow-up.. of me finally getting tired of saying "what? you forgot your homework?... what? you forgot your karate belt?... what?  you forgot your sweatshirt?..."  Because, as I said, Im trying DESPERATELY not to be the one constantly going "Dont forget your...!"  So with that, comes the other end of it, my child stumbling some.  Well, when "some" becomes "all of the time"... thats when its time for one of our meeting of the minds.  So it came to that point the other day... so after my long diatribe about how God wants us all to be a kind, loving, generous, caring, and responsible people... going on to say that she really takes the cake most of the time on the "kind, loving, generous, caring" part, however, when we get to the responsibility part... we tend to fall off of a cliff.  So I had her make herself 2 lists... I figured Id take a different approach... make HERSELF the boss (heck, Ive tried everything else... why not?!)  So I had her write 2 lists... 1 was a list of Chores with 2 small chores listed for each day except Sunday.  The other list was a list of Responsibilities... I told her to write down things that she seems to have a hard time remembering on her own... like when she goes to Karate, putting her belt on and grabbing her karate bag before walking out the door... or when she goes to school, grabbing her backpack without being reminded... or filling out her reading log in the mornings without being reminded 5 times... etc, etc... So she made herself the lists (I know, Im one of those crazy list people!).  Her responsibilities list is just a general checklist for herself... to check as she walks out the door to go to school... or to karate... or whatever.  The other chore list is a list of her 2 small chores that will need to be done each day after school... before we go off and play, watch tv, etc... I figure, if we, as parents, cant be disciplined about letting her know what is expected of her on a consistant basis... then what makes us think SHE will be disciplined about it, right?  So this is my solution for THIS week!  Ha!  We'll see how all that goes... Ill keep you posted... but honestly, the biggest part of this battle is keeping my helicopter parenting tendencies in check... and letting my child stumble some along the way so that she can learn some things on her own watch... maybe I need to invest in some duct tape for myself! :)  Bottom line, we are truelly blessed to have this spunky, loving, befriend-anyone-who-comes-around child in our lives... and if this is the toughest hurdle we have to go through, MAN!  Did we get lucky!  ;)

Ok, so on to business... here's another little sneak peak of whats to come this Monday! :)  Ok, I know this handsome little model steals the show and I could have probably put ANY tie on this little fellow and it would have looked adorable...  BUT!  Im lovin' this little tie as part of the collection as well!  Im pretty sure its my favorite tie thus far!!!!  :)

Ok, so... Monday, Feb.7th.... http://www.snigglefritz.etsy.com/   Happy Friday all!!!! :)

Let's make it feel like Spring! Who cares if its only 24 degrees! :)

So here we are... in a major cold spell sweeping the nation... hearing about people getting strep and flu... pipes bursting... cars stuck in snow and ice... and we are in Tennessee where its like some sort of heat wave compared to everyone else!  And here I am... trying to release my 1st Spring Collection of the year!  And by golly, I might have everything working against me right now, but Im on a personal mission to give everyone a taste of Spring if it kills me!  :)  So I say three cheers for Punxsutawney Phil!  Bring on that warm, sunny Spring weather and "Hasta la vista, baby!" to this bitter winter weather!

So here we have another little sneak peak of whats to come on our Feb.7th release coming up this Monday!  (did I mention I was excited?!!!  I mean... pee my pants excited?!! :)  Again, a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE thanks to all of my gorgeous models... without them, the collection would never have the chance to come alive on a screen!

Time is ticking though... still lots to get done before Monday! So before I get caught rambling on for too long, its off to the sewing room I go! Have a fabulous Thursday... and stay warm! 

P.S. I occasionally check the "word of the day" on dictionary.com and there's something I really like about the word for today!!!  So Ive decided to share....  :)

eclat (ey-KLAH) - noun-1-brilliance of success, reputation, etc. 2-showy or elaborate display  3-acclamation; acclaim 

I even love the little speaker option where you can hear the word in case it looks too totally bizzare for me to pronounce... this one sounds like "a clock" to me without the "ck" at the end.. lol!  ok, there's my useful, yet useless, tidbit for the day!  If anyone can share a sentence using "eclat", please feel free to share in the comments!!!! :)

New Year... New Habits? Naaaaaaaaaaa......

So will the New Year bring new habits for me with this whole blogging thing??  Hmmmm.... I really just dont think so... 1 person can only do so much.  While I remain a 1 woman show with this gig, I think I will just have to be satisfied with the occasional blog, which really, is mostly for my own piece of mind.  I mean, face it, people like me that blog once every month or every couple of months dont get much of a following! :)  But that's ok... my time and energy has to be carefully balanced between designing, sewing/creating, photography, advertising, marketing, website management, accounting, and shipping.... oh! and then there is that thing I call a family too!!! :)  It's pretty nice to hang out with them once in a while as well!  So, I repeat... will the new year bring new habits?  I think, no, when it comes to blogging... but Im hopeful for other areas... my goal this year is to carefully manage my business... make it cohesive... bring it all together... really focus on identifying my customer.  This is a HUGE task for me since I love doing so many different things... creating different looks... but if the business is going to grow, it must be done.  So Im really trying to take the best of the best of the best... colors, fabrics, sillouettes... and just try to knock it out of the park... without making myself insane by biting off more than I can chew (THAT habit, I am trying desperately to abandon for the New Year!)  So here is a little sneak peak of what is to come this Monday, Feb.7th... my 1st Release of the New Year!  So this is my first pic posted of the 1st Collection Release of the Year...  Early Spring 2011!  My first adult skirt released to the public!  Yippee!!!!  And isnt my beautiful model just absolutely rockin' it?!!!!  I love my models!!!!  They are the key to making all of my pieces come alive... a bit like the story of Pinocchio... my models are like my little Geppettos! :)  I am so excited about this collection!!!!  Of course, as excited as I am... there is still much work to be done between now and Monday... so I bid you a wonderful Wednesday my friends!  And dont forget... check out the new threads... this Monday... Feb.7th!!!!  http://www.snigglefritz.etsy.com/