Coffee...Chocolate...Diva moments...

Summer is upon us.

Yes, dear ones, you heard me correctly.
Summer.

Do you believe
that the last time this lazy blogger posted
was the beginning of the New Year?
Blog neglected.

Yes,
I can make plenty of excuses for the blatant disregard
of putting words to keys.
Let's have at it.
I am Mama,
wife,
business woman,
singer, .....

and the list goes on.
Enough said.

Has the panic and anxiety at the thought
of having your children home full-time set in?
The delightful thought of them
arguing over what's mine and yours
and his and the dogs?
Ugh.
Don't get me wrong.
My girls have fun together.They are 4 and almost 12.
Sometimes the mind blowing fun
turns to full fledged diva moments
and this mama's lip starts to twitch.

Chocolate and coffee....
possibly some Xanax....
are my standbys that will allow me
to sail through the summer.
Let's pray I'm not 20 pounds chunkier
due to the partaking of these on an hourly basis.We are lucky enough to live in the woods.
(It is especially beautiful in the fall
when the big yellow school bus arrives.)
Oh come on,
don't act like you don't do the
"happy first day boogie"
when that day arrives.
I am getting ahead of myself here.
Let's get back to the serious reality here.
Summer Momentertainment.
I have promised the girls some serious fun this summer.
I am a fun Mom.
Please no laughing
or choking on your own spit.
I may make muffins from a mix
and pancakes with bisquick,
but I can be amazingly fun.
I am so much fun,
that I still hug and kiss my tween goodbye
in front of her friends
while smiling at the fact that
she feels both loved and disgusted at the same time. I am THAT kind of mom.
My toddler is the fun one.
She still lets me hug and kiss her goodbye
in front of her friends without too much animosity.

As difficult as the first week is for us,
we soon fall into a routine.
Ahhh...routine.
My girls have been routine babies from the start.
THAT is when the true summer fun starts.
Trips to the farmer's market for our weekly stash of fresh fruit...
Trips to the local water ice shop to cool down...
Blenders full of smoothies...
A short but loaded July vacation....

Yes,
I do believe this mama and her itty bitties
will survive the heat,
the bugs,
and the diva moments
until the big beautiful yellow school bus arrives in the fall.

I am reminded that they are only young once,
and I am determined to make some memories
with them this summer....
and enjoy myself in the process.My two best friends will be joining me daily.
Coffee and chocolate.
They will get a girl through anything...
even the diva moments of summer.
Strap on those flip flops girls!
Enjoy the ride!

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

Where's the hair?

I have a bald beauty.
I may be a bit partial,
but she is my gorgeous lil' girl.I look at all of the "purty" boutique hair bows and accessories...
and sigh.

She is three and half and still can't wear hair bows or flowers.
Sigh.
SO,
we buy some crochet hats,
with big beautiful flowers.
They last 10 seconds.
Sigh.
My solution?
With her semi- bald little head,
she is already wearing a fleece hat in the morning.

SOOOOO,
I designed a cozy fleece muffin hat
with a loop for interchangeable flowers,
bows,and beautiful boutique hair accessories!The "Posh Tot " hat includes three different flowers with a gem center.
They have hair clips on the back for wearing in their hair
(or in Mama's hair).You choose your hat and flower colors,
the size,
and then a custom hat is made for your Half-Pint.
Cool huh?

The verdict?She wears it!
Sweet!
Order your Posh Tot hat today to keep your bald beauty
or "long locked" babe
cozy and warm
in the cooler months to come.
Have a cozy warm fleecy goodness day!

Good Ol' Granny Smith

During this season of Autumn fabulousness,

one of the fave flavors in our house is the glorious apple.We eat apples and peanut butter,
apple cobbler,
apple strudel,
apple sauce,
apple butter,
apple muffins,
and apples and cheese.
We eat them red and green,
gold and yellow,
and every shade in between.
Our Sunday dinner needed to be easy and fun,
due to the fact that my girls insisted that
it needed to include the Granny Smiths
that we picked up at the farmer's market a few days ago.
We are also big fans of cheese at our house,
and the apple and cheese flavors mix well.
Throw everything that you know
about grilled cheese
out the window
and embrace the ooey gooey goodness
that IS
"Granny Smith -n- Swiss"!You'll need :
1 gorgeous green tart Granny Smith Apple
(peeled, cored, and sliced thin)
4 slices of whole wheat bread (makes two sandwiches)
Butter or Olive oil
1/2 to 2/3 cup Swiss cheese
(we like ours uber cheesy)

Heat your skillet/pan/griddle to medium heat.
Lightly brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil.
If you prefer, lightly butter them instead.
Put one slice of bread,
oil side down, on your skillet
and arrange the apples evenly on the top.
Spread half of the cheese on top of the apples
and lay the other slice of bread on top,
oil-side up.
Cook until the bread is golden brown and then flip over.
Cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

I know of one recipe that adds bacon bits.
How about making it as a panini?
Tomorrow's lunch for us?Trying it with cheddar cheese and red delicious apples^_^.
Enjoy!!

My Favorite Things...

I wait....
somewhat patiently...

all Summer long...
for the first day of September...

when big beautiful pumpkins will find their way to my home.You see dear friends,

Fall is my absolute,
hands down,
favorite season of the year.

Living deep in the woods
surrounded by vibrant yellows, oranges, and crimsons,
one can't help but feel full of life.

Thankfulness and peace abound
while stepping out on the front porch and breathing deeply.

Lets not kid ourselves Mamas,
another one of my favorite things to arrive in the fall?
The big yellow school bus!

This year was slightly bittersweet
as my littlest one blew kisses from her new big girl desk in preschool.
"Goodbye Mama!" she shouted with a smile
as I quietly left smiling,
choking back big huge Mama tears.
That lasted just a few minutes when I suddenly realized...
2.5 hours to myself?
Whatever will I do?
It was time to head home,
sip pumpkin coffee,
nibble on pumpkin bread fresh from the Farmer's Market,
and sew some of the new items that I have since added to the shops.
Stop by and check out a few of our fall goodies!

Back for Autumn...
our Half-Pint Pumpkin Muffin hat!
Also Available for purchase is our
Cooked Turkey hat
which was inquired about by the Martha Stewart show.
They are great for photo props
or durable enough for everyday wear.
My little one sports hers through the month of October
and then switches to the Turkey in November.
It is then followed by the Elf in December.

Yes,
she will eventually resent me for this act of child cruelty.
I'll take my chances^_^. For now,
I will cherish her toddler laugh,
tickle her little toddler piggies,
and find warmth in the way she cuddles my heart.Enjoy the stunning hues of Autumn as it dawns upon us.
Eat pumpkin until it is coming out your ears.
Relish the feeling of crackling leaves down your pants
from jumping in piles with your kids.
Go apple picking in your dorkiest overalls.
For these are a few of my favorite things...
minus the overalls.
Happy Harvest!

Dad's Special Day

Father's day is obviously a day to celebrate the men in our lives.
Old Dads,
New Dads,
and all of those in between.
Usually my blog is a place of girly goodness;
a place for scrumptious ruffles,
delicate stitchery,
and fabric deliciousness.
Today I ask you to join me
in celebrating the manliness that is DAD.

I was lucky enough to grow up with the most amazing Dad
that a girl could ask for.
He is kind and loving,
and always does his best to do the right thing.
He is a man whom I admire with all that I am,
whole heartedly respect,
and adore more than I can ever express in words.
He has taught me to love God,
love others-
even when it hurts,
and to never compromise my beliefs.
Daddy’s girl?
Yep, I’d say so.

In a couple weeks it will be five years
since my first husband passed away.
He was killed in a truck accident
on his way home from a fire company meeting.
After he passed away,
I wasn’t sure where my life was headed.
It had been a rough marriage
and I was ready for a new start.
I prayed for God to help me find a man like my own father;
a kind and gentle man
that would be good to me
and my five year old daughter.
He answered that prayer pretty quickly when I met Darin.
For the first time in a long time I had some serious fun -
I knew he was “the one”.We married less than a year later and came home from our honeymoon
with baby on board.He has been such a blessing to us as a husband and father.
He works hard.
He drives several hours a day
commuting to a job that he loves.
I am then able to stay home with our daughters and run a small business.I am a lucky woman to have him and his love.
Things aren’t always perfect, but darn close.
Just ask her….

I am also blessed to have four other “Dads” in my circle.
Our band,
THRU ME,
is definitely a family of sorts.
We are complete with family drama
and ups and downs,
but we have a mutual respect for each other
as people, parents, and musicians.
I am deeply thankful
that God has brought us all together
to share our faith and our gifts
that He alone has given us.
I want to wish them all a very Happy Father’s day.

Our talented drummer Brianis celebrating his first Father’s day
with the most gorgeous baby boy... ever!


Our rhythm and lead guitarist, Jim,has a breathtakingly beautiful
18 year old girlie girl who owns his heart.
He has also helped to raise two grown stepsons.
Don’t let the scary pic fool you, he’s a really nice guy.
Shhhh…….

Our lead guitarist,
Brian,has his hands full with two handsome teen and
soon to be teenage sons who are
becoming awesome musicians
with the guidance and direction of their Dad.
It is amazing to watch them grow into men.
They now tower above me.
As do most toddlers at this point.

My co-lead Kevin,my partner on the mic,
is an amazing Dad with two teenagers and a grown daughter.
He is a kind and gentle man
(with a rockin’ fantastic voice)
who works hard to be a Godly man and father.

The bass player is my handsome hubby Darin…
Enjoy your day guys!
Whether you are celebrating your dad with a
phone call,
a card,
a gift,
or treasuring him in pictures and memories,Happy Father’s Day to all of you.
I wish you all peace, love, and less gray hair this year!

Summertime Mamahood

Vacations and camping,

pools and fireworks,
picnics and sweaty kids….
Summer is here!

As Mamas we are ready for summer to begin
and thankful when school starts!
I have been known to dance and sing when the school bus arrives.
Having kids off school for the summer also lets you know what you are made of.
I have an independent toddler and a pre-teen (entering 2nd toddlerhood)
who will be keeping me quite busy this summer.Before I became a Mama,
I got to sit and eat leisurely meals,
sip coffee,
and read a good book for hours if I was so inclined.
Before I became a Mama
my clothing was stain free
and I got to talk on the phone- for more than 5 minutes at time.
Before I became a Mama I got to stay up late and sleep in as late as my heart desired.
Before I became a Mama I got to take long hot showers
and spend hours getting ready to go out.
Now I am lucky enough to wear the Mama ponytail!
Before I became a Mama,
I hadn’t been
peed on,
pooped on,
spit on,
chewed on,
or had the skin under my arms pinched by little fingers.
Before I became a Mama,
I never had to hold down my little ones while the doc gave them shots to keep them well-
and cry right along with them.
I never knew what it felt like to have my heart hurt when I could’nt stop their pain.
I didn’t know what it felt like to look into little crying eyes
and feel the tears streaming down my own face.
I never knew what it felt like to see that first smile,
cheer for that first crawl,
and cry with joy at that first step.
Soon our lives will be filled with more firsts as our oldest starts 5th grade.
Boys, ugh.Before I became a Mama,
I never held a sleeping toddler for two hours
simply because I didn’t want to put her down-
I wanted to cuddle her and smell her hair, knowing she’d be up and running in minutes.
I now know love at first sight.
I now understand how someone so small can change my life in every way.
I now understand how it feels to love someone so much my heart hurts.
Before I became a Mama I didn’t know I was capable of so much
joy,
strength,
and wonderment.
Being a Mama has taught me so much about myself-
a never ending lesson in humility,
selflessness,
and heartache.
We love them with every fiber of our beings
and cry with them as we give them their wings to fly.

I plan on using this summer to help my daughters add feathers to their wings.
I keep reminding myself as stress creeps up,
my nerves fray,
and my body aches
that each day is a gift with my girls and to treat it as such.Have a wonderful summer dear friends,
I hope to have many Half-Pint adventures to share with you!