Change

This doesn't need any jazzed up name or creative title...this is change. Change is a word that terrifies many and illuminates others by anticipating the unknown. I do not really live by the stars aligning and by reading my horoscope daily, however I do, upon occassion, remind myself that when those horoscope signs were beamed up someone had it going on. I am a libra and be assured that I balance everything out and weigh all of my options before making a decision. Robin is a taurus and she definately lives up to the bull-headed demeanor and takes charge without hesitation. Change is a given in life and how we each handle it is as different as our zodiac signs.
Back to the change theme...Robin and I seem to be facing several upcoming changes and know changes we should have already made, but for one reason or another have not. We like comfort and although we are movers and shakers sometimes it feels like we are simply spinning in circles without any particular destination in mind. Our kiddos moved into a new "school" facility this week and we both felt something shift beneath us...an uneasy assurance our children are growing up. This will be the first of many earth moving experiences without doubt. We are also looking at changes on a business front. What is new, what to phase out, what to push, what to pull...life is about changing and adjusting. Oddly enough, change is a constant!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Living in a climate typically described as hot and humid for more than 3/4 of the year, it is unusual for us to discuss "winterizing" our homes. However, we are not only talking about it we are acting on it quickly! Perhaps we are overacting as many people live through frigid temps 3/4 of the year, but for us this is news. We are on Mission Freeze-Out mode and are planning on staying in as much as possible.

We haven't blogged since Thanksgiving and isn't that a little sad? We promised our kiddos that this year we would take the holiday season slow and enjoy it by doing fun things with them. We had more fun than Chevy Chase did on Christmas Vacation (and enjoyed watching it too). We saw a movie, a live performance of the Nutcracker, let the kiddos hang out in their pjs, enjoyed a special Christmas party including a Chinese gift exchange and rang in the New Year with our family.

We also enjoyed a day at the strand near the ocean taking pictures...thanks Amanda Key Photography we had an amazing day of fun and many laughs! Take a look at the ponchos we are now carrying order 1 or 10...everyone will need them because, Baby It's Cold Outside!!! We offer a wide variety of fabric prints and designs, which will be up soon. These ponchos have been the hit at our last 2 shows...they are precious!

Give Thanks

Give thanks for the small things and the really huge things that make our lives worth living. Having shared Thanksgiving with our very small family, we concluded that we have so much to be thankful for. I am all about listing things (A-type personality) from my favorite things to the pros and cons of making a decision. So, here is a list of a few things that were referenced around our Thanksgiving table this year (children had their input too):

Thankful for...

no hurricanes this year!
my entire family (Kylee's input)
health
jobs
wonderful food (thanks Diddi)
my dad (PD...I will remind you of this)
love

As we said our nightly prayer, PD asked why some people do not have coats, food, etc. Is 4 too young to broach these issues...certainly not as it teaches kids and reminds adults to be thankful for what we have and share with others what they may not!

Next up...our favorite holiday of the year and all of the fun and wonder that comes with the season!

Reality Check

Mandi & I have had several of these "Reality Checks" lately. Reality checks concerning alittle bit of everything, especially time, time that we think we have, but time we really don't have. We believe if we have a spare moment, we need to fill it by doing or making something or going somewhere. Down time, what is that? Our kids know the word Go and bypass stop!! We invested, some time ago in an office that needed minor work, could move in quickly and get right to work, WRONG (who is our realtor?)!! Mandi and I went right to work, scraping floors (I thought it would be quick and easy project with sand paper) well the room grew and the project turned into a major overhaul, Reality Check!! Well with this office has a garage apt. that our rentors just moved out, and so the conservative spenders we are were trying to determine how to save money....Mandi hates to paint!!! Well guess what, pulling carpet and paint are on the list of saving money....Reality Check!! Mandi was ready to put a for sale sign in the yard until another REALITY CHECK hit her, not a good market!! Thanks to "Gene" who always comes running when something goes wrong, I do believe we brighten his day because all he does is laugh at our REALITY CHECKS, we should put him on the payroll!!! By the way, Mandi, today is show and tell day....REALITY CHECK...u missed it!!

A First for Everything!

There is a "first" for everything!! For us, a First thought of putting Doodle Designs together and of course, our Diddi being very apprehensive, a First for Market ( you can tell the new comers as soon as they walk in the doors), a First for embroidery orders ( many mistakes) and of course our all famous First show!! You have to experience the "First" in order for it to happen or to feel the emotions that it brings with it!! Well, this weekend, we experienced a "First" that was monumental, our little Doodle lost her first tooth!! How Ironic, she lost her tooth in the fabric shop while picking out the new colors for our new line of ponchos....we value her opinion!! She is out to prove to us all that early, determined, and all out stubbern is her Motto in life, just as she came here! This was a shock and a very emotional day, as I was not prepared for this at all, I thought this came later in life or it should come later in life...but there again we are talking about the early comer, Doodle!! I hope that Doodle Designs takes after Doodle herself, in that we are determined, early with the "First" trends out and yes, we are all stubburn on different fronts!!! Congrats, Doodle!! Our new colors for ponchos will be up very soon---She did pick out great colors!!!

Inked Up!

Inked up is an understatement to most who see us in our "Wild Rose" tattoo shirts. I have worn my tattoo sleeves to several functions, but it is the team roping functions that we attend that we get the most looks, awhs and what happened to you replies. We have alot of fun with our shirts and sleeves, and love the attention that we get from them. I attended a college steer riding contest last night, where of course our guys were the oldest in the contest and came out 1st First place, Go Rest Home Boys!!! I wore my Wild Rose shirt that has the tattoo sleeves attached and had more people comment on my shirt, how cool!!! They are just that COOL!!! Yes, steve even barrell racers can wear these types of shirts and still be cool!! You and Chuck are welcome for the drive home, thanks for not shutting up!!!!

We have the solid black shirts, burn out grey and burn out white with the tattoo sleeves attached and we have the tattoo sleeves that are seperate from the shirt to wear with anything....Look Cool!!

Popular

Remember walking into high school for the first day...apprehension, tension, fear, giddy butterflies? A basic need was to "fit in" to be popular in some hormonal driven competitive way. Popular can really come in many shapes, forms and faces...some good and some not so good. As we age, thank goodness, we realize popular is not life and it is not survival as we once thought.

What is popular, what is the new trend, what is hot right now. Well, these leg warmer designs are the most popular for us right now. We wear them everywhere and love, love them!


Pink Rock Star
Red/Pink Stripe
Give Peace a Chance
Flame
Snowman
Christmas Trees

Check them out on our site!

Motivation

Let's face it...we all need motivation at some point (some more than others). Motivation comes in various forms some peppy and some demanding, but whatever the method...motivation drives each of us. Some begin each new day taking a deep breath and smiling at what life holds while others wake up and pull the covers over their heads dreading what may lie ahead. We are all hardwired differently, but I believe in sunny-side up.

Rob and I were raised finding the balance between the scales of motivation. One parent motivated with the brightest, you can do it, never say never and can't is not in my vocabulary parent and the other our steadfast cheerleader with more grounded and well...skeptical outlook (skeptical cheerleader was driven by the idea that it was never good enough until you accomplished it). While they both encouraged us to be whatever we wanted to be their approaches were totally different.

Still to this day, we watch our parents balance each other and it is amazing to watch. Today, however, I want to grab Diddi and shake her and remind her that there is a bright side to everything...but even some situations deserve the quiet reverence of a sad moment and we can accept it for a few minutes. Once it passes...put on a brave sunny face and move forward, who knows what is ahead!

For the Children

Being involved in a non-profit/child centered organization is truly rewarding. It is often asked of us, "why do you volunteer for this...it is not worth it"? Well, it is worth it...notice I did not say it is always fun. Our motto for the fair this year was, "We're on it" because for everything that was asked of us...from the ridiculous requests to the most serious...we were on it. We truly made every decision and walked the 1 million steps for the children!

So, when someone or some group claims that we are not in it for the children...let's just say it is a slap in the face. This does not just apply to us and our situation. So many volunteers can understand this exact situation...from t-ball coaches to choir leaders and everything in between. Yes, there are those who are in certain positions for the wrong reasons and often times those individuals seem to bring the rest of the group down. All the more reason for those who truly are in it for the children to stick with it!

I suppose the lesson learned for us is that even if you are being bombarded and berated...stick with what you know is right. You are there for the children and they are number one. The decisions you make and the 1 million and 1 steps you make will be worth in the whole scheme of things.

More Favorite Things

I have a few additions to the list of, "A Few of My Favorite Things":

1. The power of a group of individuals coming to a like-minded decision and standing up
for what they know is right even though it is not popular.

2. Leaves changing colors...although ours are not nearly as pretty as those in the north.

3. Starting the morning with a smiling child (I live with a most serious little person)!

4. Huge families that accept others as their own without requirements, strings attached,
recommendations or applications!

5. Anticipation ~ Christmas music, plans, family, friends, food and the well anticipated
birthday celebration for Miss Doodle herself!

6. Girls Weekend Out!

Love My Leg Warmers

NOW ON doodledesignsgifts.com:

The leg warmers are back....from way back when, but these are not your 80s Flashdance leg warmers. These are fabulously fashionable and snuggy warm on little legs or adult arms. I love mine so much so the white stripe is now turning dull because I have literally worn them at least twice a week.

I throw them on before heading into a cold store, when dining out in the coldest of eateries or for a short trip outside. Robin's little one wears hers to dance, to play, for dress with skirts, over leggings, on her arms...little Doodle even snatched mine to wear on her arms with a vest (they were cuter on her for sure).

At our last show...these topped the list of hot items along with the net skirts and the fleece ponchos (those are coming up soon...get a move on Diddi).

Peace, Love and Leg Warmers!!!

Busy

I use this word liberally as we were busy at the Holiday Market and our booth was equally as "busy". We have so many different items and variaties of goodies that the small booth could not contain it all. We will definately invest in an additional booth for next year as we had outgrown it before we packed up to go!

Holiday Market

Diddi has taught Robin and I many lessons over the years. These lessons ranged from minor to monumental and some we accepted and others we balked at until we conceded a loss. On Monday, Robin and I used one life lesson we learned early...pack like rats and stuff where you cannot stuff anymore.

We had a Holiday Market on Monday and Tuesday of this week. This market was a venue for tons of holiday shopping with Christmas music, oversized decorations, tons of color and lights and shoppers...oh my! Getting to the show was a most interesting event and our stringently honed packing skills came into play. It was flooding while we packed up and we had to stuff things in places we didn't know existed, made it to our destination, unpacked (with the gracious help of kind people who seemed very apprehensive as we looked like drowned rats), and got started working magic. We needed some decorating magic as our space was horrible, like a budget hotel room from the 80's horrible...grey and maroon and navy (seriously).

As for one of my favorite things: vendors who share (and our neighbor did...thank you iron works lady) and zip ties. Another favorite: gossamer and tulle they covered more than ugly this week. Our space was transformed into a precious shop full of all things boutique for girls, babies and even some funky fashion minded women!

I will post some pictures later, but we had fun...laughed a great deal and realized that even when they bring their husbands, ladies love to shop! We are very thankful we have jumped into this venture as it was a stress relief even when we were stressed.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

For the approaching holiday season, I always created a bulletin board outside of my classroom door titled with this theme. Teaching 4th grade allowed for so much creativity and I usually got right in the middle of the madness when it came to decorating. It has been several years since I was able to use my holiday season theme outside of a classroom for all to see. So, this year I want to express a few of my favorite things.

Despite the obvious things we should all be thankful for and love...A few of my other favorites include:

1. Big and bright green and red Christmas decorations (if it looks like Dr. Suess' "The Grinch",
I'm loving it)
2. Zip ties and shop owners who share (more on this in the next post)
3. Gossamer and tulle (covers a multitude of ugly)
4. Watching ladies shop while their husbands try to look as equally enthused
5. Sunday Football
6. Cooler (not colder) weather
7. Halloween parties (when they are over and the kiddos take a nap)
8. Birthday dinner (on time or late...yummy)
9. Finding my shoes after the dogs hid them
10. County fairs

My favorite things will change...but two things will never: wonderful family and super special friends!

Catch Up

It seems like forever since I last posted and well....I guess it sort of has been forever. After many sleepless nights and long days, we completed another year of our local fair and rodeo. The livestock show went off without a hitch...until the last day. That is what happens when you think you are on the home stretch. However, this one minor problem will not set us back. We can celebrate many and I underscore MANY laughs, tons of hilarious conversations, many visits with old and new friends, some karaoke, and crawfish pies and funnel cakes to boot! It was really awesome and although we are all still so numb...I am sure we will begin generating the ambition for a new year and new preparation for another show. Many thanks to all who helped make this show a success. And for the last call, "Happy Birthday to Me" rendition courtesy of too late of a night and too much adrenaline and sugar!

Before the rodeo came to town, we had a show of our own in a large city fairly near us. We, me Diddi and Robin, headed out to the big town and we had many laughs ourselves. Our Doodle Designs store was totally funky and won rave reviews from many visitors and vendors alike. We had a tremendous time and sold tons of goodies throughout the evening. A Ladies Night Out is never dull and the evening ended with some older versions of dances I cannot even name. We were able to show-off some of our most precious products and got tons of wonderful feedback and met some really great new friends. Thanks to "Dirt Road Divas" for loaning some awesome equipment that saved the day! These girls are funky and fabulous.

What is next...catch up. I hope our friend Amanda is loving her Las Vegas Wedding shoot...roll one time for me and hope you and Josh are having a fabulous time~can't wait to catch up!

Rodeo Time

We have worked all year long for this event...this culmination of meetings, phone calls, preparation, work days and everything else that goes into putting on a huge event is finally here. Our small town and adjoining communities look forward to this event and it has continued in various capacities for 101 years.
This is not just an event it is a week long celebration where you see friends you haven't seen in exactly one year. It is a venue to eat the most delicious foods that you indulge in just once per year, a place to watch surprise and anticipation on the faces of every small child when they descend upon the fairgrounds, an arena filled to capacity with rodeo enthusists and a carnival with all the bells and whistles to delight those from one to one hundred.
This is truly a special event that could not happen without hundreds of volunteers and gracious donations. We love our small community and love this time of year. This one event promotes agrigulture and its importance in all of our lives, community, responsibility, whymsical fun and most of all a sense of place...our place and oh, it feels good to have a place to call home because even if you leave...you always come back for the fair!

Cheap Therapy

Have you ever considered that we could all use therapy for some reason or another...or another? We always joke with Diddi that sewing is cheap therapy as it is something she absolutely loves and it gives her a sense of calm. Robin and I cannot thread a needle (our machine does this for us...love technology), but we have our own sense of calm...to each his own.

Often I take it upon myself to research and find things we need to do or places we need to go. I take great care to locate the right item or great bargain we just have to have. This weekend, we had a "girls weekend". As the term implies...no husbands to shift our focus or bring with them their nagging. We had an awesome weekend and were provided the greatest therapy ever offered because it is free...laughter and tons of it.

I will say this laughter was at my expense and it wasn't really free, although the laughter was. See, I made a major snafu a mistake if you will and assumed I knew everything about this particular event and well...I was wrong. However, you never know where life will present the greatest laughter moments and "cheap therapy"

Blessed

I was corrected, well over many years ago, by a relative of a relative that I was not lucky...I was blessed. I think the conversation went something like this, "I am lucky that I did not get caught speeding on my way home to beat curfew". She informed me that I was very blessed to have made it home safely before curfew (especially if I had been speeding).

Since that moment...many years ago, I have vigorously fought the urge to use the commonplace term, "lucky". Recognizing that you are blessed is very enlightening and it can be in everyday events like the sunrise or monumental moments where your blessings are compounded by the fear, hurt and/or illness of others.

I counted my blessings when I saw so many very ill patients at a hospital on a recent visit. I also hoped that each person I passed would be blessed with an awesome day and take stock of their own blessings....count them one by one.

Wear them, Wear them Everywhere

Perfectly paired with little boy toddler onsies or a girl's chocolate tutu for dance.

Precious posies for dance or everyday.

Awesome for the older boys with graphic tee and jeans!

I have the perfect black ensemble for these...I tend to have black in every outfit.

These and so many other patterns are perfect for the following:

Toddlers paired with onsies or other outfits for an easy day/night out.

Dance, gym, playground, school....

Tweens paired with tights, leggings, skirts practically anything

Sports and/or cheer and dance squads (perfect to slip on when it gets cool out or just to be cool)

Adults...Moms share the chic factor and slip these on your arms (moms can be just as cool)

Many other uses can be found and potty training for little ones...these are the ticket!

80's But Much Better

It is early to mid 80s and big hair, fish net stockings and visions of "Flashdance" were every girls passion. I can vividly remember wanting to be that girl on the movie with the tiny figure and perhaps the magical leg warmers that helped her move so well. Who knew leg warmers would make a come back as such a fashion frenzy sensation.

Well, they are back and are more precious than I can remember. They are even cute for boys...flames under t-shirts with jeans is so awesome! Big tip for adults...even you can experience the leg warmer look as they are perfect to slip on your arms in a cold building. A big fashion perk...everyone will either think you are nuts or think you are the coolest. Either way, you will turn heads and that alone is a reason to say "I want those".