goodbye,nellie.

our family lost a very dear friend this morning. i'll be taking a wee blogging sabbatical as i deal with the loss of our sweet nellie. she was a jack russell we adopted 2 years ago. she came as a rescue and had been severely abused by a young pup. this resulted in the loss of her sight in one eye and a serious trust issue.

over the past 2 years she became a total mush. she thrived on cuddles and attention and loved to play ball... soccer ball. a jack russell playing fetch with a soccer ball? so funny. a half-blind jack russell playing fetch with a soccer ball? even funnier. she loved everyone in our family equally, but she was totally "my girl".

this morning she was hit by a car and killed. it was a shock and a heartbreaking blow. we cherish the time we had with her and wouldn't trade those moments for ANYTHING. the unconditional love of a four-legged friend is beyond compare and she will be sorely missed.

thank you, nellie for the snuggles, the laughs, and the soft, soft ears that just begged to be rubbed. you are forever in our hearts...

to market, to market

off to the alna market day in town tomorrow. town being the alna store. the alna store being the ONLY store in alna.
the shop will be closed till about 2 while i schlep some goodies from the shop and lay them out for the hungry crowds to feast upon...
the picture? the only one i could find under "alna, maine" in google images.
ayuh, it's a very small town.

getting over it

today was one of those days... you know the kind i'm talking about. i came home from the shop and was drafting a pattern for some kick-butt wool felt slippers (you'll see 'em, don't worry) and reflecting on a nasty comment i had heard made just enough behind my back to not be "behind my back". you know the kind i'm talking about.
i was kind of absorbed in my thoughts and must have looked a bit upset because olive stopped her playing and asked,"mommy? whatsa matter? you sad?". i told her not really, i guessed my feelings were just a bit hurt. we both went back to our "work" and a few minutes she returned... and gave me a band-aid.
"for your hurted feeelings"....
awwwww,shucks. i love that kid.

a break in routine

there has been a lot on my plate lately... for those of you that don't know, i'm flying solo in the shop these days. kim is on sebattical due to some major health issues and that leaves, well, just me. oh, and 4 kids and a husband and a coupla dogs and a coupla cats and my own clothing line and mountains of paperwork... and a partridge in a pear tree.
i'm not going to let it beat me, though. my husband is super-supportive and helpful(he thankfully owns his own business, too and can be a bit flexible), i work in a great little town among very supportive friends and neighbors who cheer me on and cheer me up all the time (lately, cheering me up, most of all).
i want everyone to know how totally dedicated i am to making it work and that i will keep those hours and plug away and market and support our cause and product until i just can't do it anymore...
so, although i want to welcome some new friends to the shop, i want to lighten the load on my chest and the mood even more. i have been thinking about my greatest joys and inspirations in an attempt to refocus my mood and lift my spirits. always,always i come right back to my kids. so i figured we could all join in and share some funny, great or inspirational things or stories about our kids. even parenting stories would be great. anything. your kids, your neighbor's kids, your grand kids, any ole' kids at all. maybe we'll even come up with a prize for the best "kid story"?
i'll start...
the funniest thing i heard a parent say to their kid this week: "we don't hit our ball with lunch meat". yipes.

greetings from thailand...

no, not me, sillies. the grocery store is about as far as i go these days! i'm talking about our newest addition to the children's section! welcome "vivi mimo"! smitten? ah,yes indeed.

"vivi mimo offers unique and lovely children's clothing and accessories for ages 3 months to 7 years.
We never produce many copies of a piece, and some items are truly one-of-a-kind. Fabrics and embellishments are gathered around the world resulting in a delicious mix of pattern and texture throughout the collection.
Much of our clothing is hand-made at Hot Chilli Concepts; a fair-trade project supporting women in need in Thailand. Our beautiful clothing is doing good works!
You will also find some other colorful surprises now and then including bags, creatures, jewelry... our whimsical collection is constantly evolving."

adorable aprons...


"vision of broome street" dress

there's more, too! cute with a cause? love it.

bento... it's what's for lunch

"A bento lunch is a compact, balanced, visually appealing meal packed in a box. Historically, it’s a Japanese box lunch, similar in concept to the Indian tiffin, the Korean dosirak, or the Filipino baon lunch. In Japanese, “bento” or “obento” refers to the packed meal, and “bento-bako” refers to the bento box itself. See the Wikipedia entry on bento for more details."

Ummmmm, does it make me sound shallow to say that we love 'em cuz they're "wicked cute"? at the risk of sounding shallow, I will say it certainly encourages healthy eating, portion control, and an eco-friendly way of toting your lunch around. We think it ties in great with the whole "handmade" thing because it's a great way to "handmake" a lunch for yourself and the kiddos. It encourages creativity and family time





And they're WICKED CUTE.

somewhere over the rainbow...

A little love to our new t-shirt company! okay, a lotta love. Rainbow Swirlz has come on board in recent months and really outdone themselves with the latest shipment.octopus field bags? robot tees in 3 different colors for the wee ones? gauzy baby doll tanks for the ladies? seriously... yum. and we did'nt forget the menfolk either. feats your eyes on a lil' selection and order up... they're gonna go fast!

more colors and styles in the shop and coming soon to the site!