Monday, January 25, 2010

The Drama Queen Diaries

"Would you PLEASE get your socks and shoes on! Would you PLEASE brush your teeth! Would you PLEASE brush your hair .....NOW!" Yes, it is the same as it was yesterday, and it will be the same tomorrow. We are running out the door to get to the bus stop 2 miles away... only to see the big yellow beast whizzing by before we get there. AAGGHH!!! My nerves are shot..yet again.
Mornings are rough. At times they drive me outright insane. But this, my dear friends is the daily struggle in the life of my child with ADHD. She forgets that we have to brush our hair every day. She can't organize her thoughts without a list. She gets overwhelmed, mouthy, and weepy. She is a handful. A beautiful, vivacious, and at times, downright difficult 10 year old with a whopping case of ADHD. Believe me, I will be hiding under the bed when the teen years come around. I am afraid, very afraid.
When I begged God for a baby, after two years of trying to get pregnant, I never imagined how wonderfully frightening, completely fulfilling, and amazingly difficult being a parent could be. When this big, pink, screaming baby was dropped in my arms, I thought, OK, what now? She continued to scream through 3 months of colic. What was I thinking? THIS is motherhood? Crazy. I must have been crazy.
That little one, who was 10 pounds and 5 ounces, now looks me in the eye, wears my clothes, and has surpassed my shoe size. That "little" girl has changed me. She has made me a woman- she has forced me to grow, as a believer, and as a mother. I watch her with her little sister. She loves her. Deeply. She adores her. I have never seen such unconditional love between sisters. It is almost as if my youngest is saying, "Yep, this is my crazy, rammy, beautiful sister, and I love her for who she is, and not what everyone thinks she should be". I need to take a lesson from that insightful toddler. My Elizabeth is my heart. Are there times when I want to pack her bags and ship her to Borneo? YES! Almost every day. Especially in the morning. On the other side of that golden coin is my 10 yr old baby girl; loving and giving, passionate and compassionate, driven and confident. When she loves you, she loves you deeply. Sometimes we need to step back and take a look at the big picture. We need to be thankful for our blessings, our trials, and for all of the things that make us who we are. Life can change on a dime. If I lost her tomorrow, would I have regrets? Yes, we all would. It is my job as her Momma to make that list of regrets as short as possible.
I spent a few days at the shore with my Grandmother for her birthday and to get a "Momma" break. I missed my girl, I truly missed her. She has the day off from school today, and I intend to have some fun with my whirlwind princess.
God, I thank you for my crazy beautiful life, with all of it's trials and tribulations, and for my children who own my heart. You are truly gracious. Help me to be a better Mama than I was yesterday, and an even better Mama tomorrow.

Friday, January 8, 2010

My addiction...

Yes, I am not ashamed to admit it...I have an addiction to luscious, beautiful, colorful fabric. It goes far beyond the edge of reason, I'm afraid. I have hundreds of yards of this delicacy, yet I always seem to need just a bit more. With a recent large order being paid for, I set out to find a new fabric store that carried all of MY favorite designers. I am a sucker for a beautiful Tina Givens creation, and just melt for Anna Maria Horner.
With my Spring designs jumping from the pages of my sketchbook, I started the web surfing- looking for the best prices for the fabric for my newest creations. Lately, I have preferred Etsy to ebay, because I can't seem to get the same customer service as I do with Etsy; however, I had the time to check it out, and started the ebay search. Lo and behold, I found an amazing store! Cotton Fabric Shop carries my favorite designers, has the best prices that I have found ANYWHERE, and has the most wonderful store owner- what a bonus! I got amazing customer service. As a business owner myself, it's the customer service that makes me return.
For those that share my addiction, please stop over to Cotton Fabric Shop and browse. I can guarantee, if you have a true addiction, you won't leave empty handed! Thank you so much Laura, I will be back. Often.
Have a wonderfully whimsical day =)

Monday, January 4, 2010

New Shop Contest Rules Expanded!


Half-Pint Creations is expanding! I have decided to open a new shop by the beginning of next month. My new shop is in desperate need of a name. I am holding a contest to find that new name. The shop will carry appliques, fabrics, scrap packs, hand sculpted buttons, and patterns of some of my designs.
I had originally asked for music related names for the shop. There have been a few great suggestions! I would like to open the contest rules to suggestions that are not exclusively music related. The winner receives a gift basket tailored to the ages and interests of their children. Not a Mom? Then the gift basket is a basket for you!
Keep those suggestions coming... I just love to see the creativity of my online friends! You can suggest as many names as you like.
Have a wonderful magical day!

Friday, January 1, 2010

New Year, New Shop, New Contest!


What is MY New Year's resolution? I resolve to update my dear blog more often! Half-Pint Creations has been blessed with some wonderful friends and customers this past year. Business has been good and steady, and I have decided to open a second shop filled with many items for the do-it-yourselfer. It will offer custom and ready to ship appliques, hand-sculpted buttons, fabric, scrap packs and much, much more! I will also offer some of my designs as PDF patterns as well as sewing kits including fabrics, patterns, and step by step tutorials.

Half-Pint Creations will exclusively carry children's clothing, baby items, and a new line of items for Mama too!
The new shop will open by February 1st; however, it does not have a name yet! SOOOO, I am holding a contest that will run until January 10th, to NAME THAT SHOP! The winner will receive a gift basket filled with goodies tailored to the ages and interests of their own children. If you like, you can also choose a prize basket of goodies for yourself =)
All you have to do to enter is leave your new shop name suggestions in the comment area on this blog, on my facebook fan page , or send your suggestion to halfpintboling@yahoo.com. I will then make a decision among all of the entries on the morning of January 11th and contact the winner to send them their goodies.

Here's a hint....I would like to incorporate my love of music (I sing in a band) into the shop name...something like "Symphony in Fabric" or "Noteable Creativites". Good luck to all! I look forward to seeing what my wonderful online friends can create!I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year filled with promise, creativity, and your heart's desires! Abundant blessings to all of you and please, take care of one another =)