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...