A New Year for Puppy

He has been smothered in maple syrup,

rubbed with cherry blossom hand cream,
dropped in mud puddles,
lost in a Virginia Hampton parking lot
only to be found by a good Samaritan
and turned in to the front desk.
He has been to Hawaii,
the Jersey shore (many times),
and Oklahoma.
He was with her for her first steps,
takes naps with her every day,
and stands by for an occasional hug when needed.
Puppy waits patiently in the car while she is at preschool.
He is the first thing that she grabs in the morning
and the last thing that she hugs at night.
To say that puppy is a member of our family is an understatement.
He is ragged and worn,
has had his tail reattached,
and gets a bath whenever he can sneak away
from her for a few minutes.He is loved.
Unconditionally.
Am I concerned she may be dragging
him off to college when she's 18?
Not at all.
Will she outgrow him?
Maybe, some day.
For now they are buddies.If only we could love as she loves him.
To be able to see beyond all appearances,
to see with our hearts the way that she does.
This world would be such a beautiful place.
Happy New Year from Half-Pint Creations.
May you choose to see people with your heart,
love them unconditionally,
and give your inner child
a big fuzzy maple syrup,
cherry blossom hand cream,
mud puddle hug.

XOXO,
Amber

An Imperfect Heart for my Funny Valentine

The snow abounds.
There is more coming, or so the weather man says.
The light of a new day is beginning to shine through the icicles hanging from our front porch.
The fire is crackling in the fire place, and my mug is full of warm coffee.
I can hear little feet rustling around and the squeak of the bedroom door. My Funny Valentine slowly makes her way down the stairs, puppy in hand, crawls up into my lap, and lays her head on my shoulder.
I kiss her head and breathe her in.
It's times like these that make me love her so much I can barely breathe.
She turns, looks into my eyes, holds my face in her pudgy little toddler hands and says, "Mommy, can I have pancakes?".
Pancakes? Little girl I would give you the world.
Pancakes are definitely something I can handle.

We venture into the kitchen and mix up a batch of the prettiest pancakes you have ever seen.

I use Bisquick- I am NOT Betty Crocker. We add a little red food coloring to make things extra magical, because only princesses can eat pink pancakes. I tell her they are her Valentine pancakes, and proceed to make them heart shaped.
Yeah, ok, more blob shaped.
The look on her face was one of awe.
They were pink.
They were semi-heart shaped.
They were made for her- with all the love I could muster.
She looks up at me with her big hazel eyes and says,
"Thanks Mama! They are the best pancakes in the world!"
First of all, she called me Mama- melts me every time.
Secondly, it made me take a step back and think for a moment.
They were the most imperfect heart pancakes ever made. Yet my baby girl knew she was loved, and that I loved making them for her.
Sometimes as parents we think that things have to be perfect. We try so hard to give them what we did'nt have, or work so many hours in a day that they don't get the best of us, they get what is left of us.

As simple as this pink breakfast seemed,
I was reminded of the importance of life's simple things.
Simple joys.
Simple Pleasures.
The importance of my time and a little effort. They are little for such a short time.
Happy Valentine's Day, my Funny Valentine!
Love,
Mama

Mama, I love you THIS much!

My little girl would come running across the room, arms open wide, with big smiles, saying, "Mommy, I lub you all da way to Okiehoma!"(we had just taken her first plane ride to meet my soon-to-be husband's family in Oklahoma). Like any parent, grandparent, or anyone that loves a child, I would melt- and remember why I wanted to be a Mama in that very moment.

To capture that feeling year 'round, on Valentine's weekend, Feb. 13, 14, and 15, all of my customers will receive a free heart magnet with any purchase! It includes choice of skin color, adult name, and can be personalized with all of your children's names.

For your free magnet with free shipping, hop on over to http://www.halfpintboling.etsy.com/ and make a purchase of any item in the store. You will automatically get your free magnet, just convo me with the details and it will come lovingly wrapped in bubble wrap to it's new home.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day with all of your loved ones- and remember to let them know just how much they mean to you every day!!

XOXOXOXOXOX,

Amber