Sunday, April 25, 2010
Winner of the Clutch Giveaway
Friday, April 23, 2010
New Clutches
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Full
One of the problems with blogging is that I'm human. Because I'm human, I have tendency to experience moods, therefore, my posts can represent that. Sometimes, I'm a little giddy and my post will show it. Sometimes I want people to visit my shops and that too becomes apparent. Other times, I want to give stuff away, I think you like those days best, as the number of comments seem to peak, which is good, I appreciate that. Then, there are also those times when I feel strongly about something and I just need to write about it. Today is one of those days.
As a mother who happens to blog, I feel compelled to respond to recent tragic events with which we've been bombarded by the media. I'm referring to more than one suicide committed by a young girl. It's been reported that these suicides were preceded by bullying and that these young ladies saw no other way out. Needless to say, these extremely sad stories make me think about my own daughters and their future.
We have three little girls. Our oldest is six and our twins are four. One of my biggest fears is losing the ability to communicate with them in the future. Now, I know the knee jerk response might be, "Well, get prepared because it's coming" Which, of course, is a response based on the stereotypical thirteen year old girl who can be seen in every sit-com. It's the girl who wants nothing to do with her parents because they just don't understand her. But, you see, that's exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm terrified of losing the connection that I share with my daughters, even for a moment. Frankly, I would miss them terribly. I'm not willing to lose them, even temporarily, so they can go through a phase.
Now, you might expect me to describe the ways that a mother can stop that from happening. But, unfortunately, I haven't a clue. I know I make bad parenting choices sometimes only to realize it after the fact. An example would be, scolding the twins for sneaking into the pantry and taking cookies when I've told them only moments before that they can't have one. Then, they get caught, the cookie is taken and there's a time-out. But, I'm too busy and I don't always take the time to explain to them exactly what's going on. I forget to tell them why I don't want them to have the stupid cookie, and that it's because I want them to eat their dinner so they can be strong and healthy. I guess I just think that they know that (because we talked about it only two days ago) and I suppose, for some reason, I expect them to make better choices. But they're FOUR, their memories fade fast plus, the cookie tastes really good. When the whole ordeal is done, their problem isn't that they ate part of a cookie, the problem is: they were caught. And the only thing that I've taught them is that they need to improve their sneaking techniques which really only pushes them away. It's an issue that I strive to improve everyday.
Today it's a cookie, down the road it could be the boy of whom my husband and I don't approve or riding around with friends or...anything. I'm afraid that my disapproval will push them away and teach them to hide things from me. At the same time, I have no desire to be that "cool mom". Remember those moms from when you were a kid? You know the ones to whom I'm referring, they tried to act young, dress cool (actually, I do want to dress cool) and ultimately befriend their children. It seemed pathetic when I was twelve, and now it seems beyond pathetic.
I hope to fall somewhere in between cool mom and commando mom, I'm just not sure exactly how to go about becoming that person. I certainly don't claim to know that the parents of those young girls who made the decision to end their own lives could have done anything to stop it from happening. I wasn't there and I wouldn't begin to judge those poor people. I'd like to learn something from it though, even if it's only to take the time and stop to think.
I've always thought that it was a mother's responsibility to provide her children with a soft place to fall. That just doesn't seem good enough anymore. I want the girls to seek guidance before they fall. I want to teach them that when life hands them a seemingly hopeless situation, there's always a way out and that it's not outside of them, it's in them. The same can be said of happiness and peace. People spend their lives searching for these things only to end up empty handed. We can't find it, we can only let it in, once we do so, we have the ability to share it with others. It's then, and only then, that we are given the gift of happiness and peace. Yet, I'm left with the realization that that's not necessarily something that I can teach our girls, but thankfully, it's something that I can show them. I pray that I'm up to the challenge and if so, I hope they're watching.
"Example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach."
~Albert Einstein
As a mother who happens to blog, I feel compelled to respond to recent tragic events with which we've been bombarded by the media. I'm referring to more than one suicide committed by a young girl. It's been reported that these suicides were preceded by bullying and that these young ladies saw no other way out. Needless to say, these extremely sad stories make me think about my own daughters and their future.
We have three little girls. Our oldest is six and our twins are four. One of my biggest fears is losing the ability to communicate with them in the future. Now, I know the knee jerk response might be, "Well, get prepared because it's coming" Which, of course, is a response based on the stereotypical thirteen year old girl who can be seen in every sit-com. It's the girl who wants nothing to do with her parents because they just don't understand her. But, you see, that's exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm terrified of losing the connection that I share with my daughters, even for a moment. Frankly, I would miss them terribly. I'm not willing to lose them, even temporarily, so they can go through a phase.
Now, you might expect me to describe the ways that a mother can stop that from happening. But, unfortunately, I haven't a clue. I know I make bad parenting choices sometimes only to realize it after the fact. An example would be, scolding the twins for sneaking into the pantry and taking cookies when I've told them only moments before that they can't have one. Then, they get caught, the cookie is taken and there's a time-out. But, I'm too busy and I don't always take the time to explain to them exactly what's going on. I forget to tell them why I don't want them to have the stupid cookie, and that it's because I want them to eat their dinner so they can be strong and healthy. I guess I just think that they know that (because we talked about it only two days ago) and I suppose, for some reason, I expect them to make better choices. But they're FOUR, their memories fade fast plus, the cookie tastes really good. When the whole ordeal is done, their problem isn't that they ate part of a cookie, the problem is: they were caught. And the only thing that I've taught them is that they need to improve their sneaking techniques which really only pushes them away. It's an issue that I strive to improve everyday.
Today it's a cookie, down the road it could be the boy of whom my husband and I don't approve or riding around with friends or...anything. I'm afraid that my disapproval will push them away and teach them to hide things from me. At the same time, I have no desire to be that "cool mom". Remember those moms from when you were a kid? You know the ones to whom I'm referring, they tried to act young, dress cool (actually, I do want to dress cool) and ultimately befriend their children. It seemed pathetic when I was twelve, and now it seems beyond pathetic.
I hope to fall somewhere in between cool mom and commando mom, I'm just not sure exactly how to go about becoming that person. I certainly don't claim to know that the parents of those young girls who made the decision to end their own lives could have done anything to stop it from happening. I wasn't there and I wouldn't begin to judge those poor people. I'd like to learn something from it though, even if it's only to take the time and stop to think.
I've always thought that it was a mother's responsibility to provide her children with a soft place to fall. That just doesn't seem good enough anymore. I want the girls to seek guidance before they fall. I want to teach them that when life hands them a seemingly hopeless situation, there's always a way out and that it's not outside of them, it's in them. The same can be said of happiness and peace. People spend their lives searching for these things only to end up empty handed. We can't find it, we can only let it in, once we do so, we have the ability to share it with others. It's then, and only then, that we are given the gift of happiness and peace. Yet, I'm left with the realization that that's not necessarily something that I can teach our girls, but thankfully, it's something that I can show them. I pray that I'm up to the challenge and if so, I hope they're watching.
"Example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach."
~Albert Einstein
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Mother's Day Corsage
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Clutch Giveaway!!
1. Follow this blog
2. Become a fan on the Looking 4 Lilly facebook fan page. (click here)
3. Comment here telling me that you've done so.
That's it! I'd love for you to visit my shops and mark them as a favorite but, I'm not going to require that in order to enter the drawing for this giveaway. Here are the links:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/looking4lilly
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thevintagelilly
The drawing wil be held Sunday, April 25. The winner will be notified via email and I will announce it here as well. Good Luck!!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Clutch Giveaway Soon!
Clutch made with Lilly Pulitzer vintage fabric in the pattern: "Our Joan" by Suzie Zuzek dePoo
I have two etsy shops (you can see links for both in the right hand column), The first: Looking 4 Lilly, is where I sell items made with contemporary Lilly Pulitzer fabric patterns (1994-present) and the second: The Vintage Lilly is where I sell items made with vintage Lilly fabric prints (1959"ish"-1984). The majority of patterns seen in the vintage shop were designed by Suzie Zuzek dePoo who was, as I'm sure many of you know, Lilly's head fabric designer for nearly twenty five years. Ms. Zuzek dePoo's work is amazing. Like Lilly's tigers? You can thank Ms. dePoo for them, as well as so many other animal prints and floral pattern styles that we fans immediately identify as quintessential "Lilly". I love how Lilly's current pattern artists/designers sometimes borrow from the past and provide us with an updated version of the earlier Lilly prints. We get the best of both worlds.
On to the clutches...
The clutches that I make, which have so far been available in my shop: The Vintage Lilly, have exceeded my expectations when it comes to customer interest. So, as true believer in "giving the people what they want", I've decided to do a clutch giveaway. I'll post the details this Sunday, April 11. The drawing will be held towards the end of the month. I haven't made the clutch for the giveaway yet...please feel free to visit my shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/thevintagelilly), take a peek at the patterns you see on the headbands and tell me which one you would like to see used on the clutch for the giveaway. I'm always more than happy to take suggestions. Keep in mind though, I currently have about 120 vintage Lilly patterns on hand (I search endlessly folks) so, it could be any one of them. I will definitely use a vintage Lilly print for this particular giveaway and it will look something like the ones seen here. So, stay tuned!
Shopaholic in Alabama Giveaway
I want to thank my friend Lori of Shopaholic in Alabama. She is currently featuring a giveaway, including four headbands from my shop, on her extremely popular blog. I'm so excited to participate in this event. She's encouraging people to get started on their Mother's Day shopping. Love that! Thanks again Lori. The items seen here are featured in the giveaway.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tiger Talk
I was just downstairs cleaning up the wrappers from the Easter candies that met their final fate at the hands of my three daughters. I have laundry to do, orders to get out and playdates to arrange. I had the tv on and the girls were sort of half engaged in whatever was on. Then, there was a live interruption announcement which I thought might be followed by information regarding another earthquake here in California. But, to my surprise, there was a break in broadcasting so the Tider Woods press conference could be aired live. I thought, "How ridiculous, who cares?" Then I sat down and watched every second of it.
At first, I have to admit, I was drawn in because I wanted to see him squirm in discomfort. Thinking of his poor wife, his mother and his young children, I suppose that I wanted to see him experience humiliation in front of the world. He didn't.
He sincerely answered questions, all of the questions. Some were difficult, some weren't. I quickly realized that I wasn't watching a humiliated man, I was watching a man make the choice to exhibit humility...huge difference. It's the difference between wallowing in guilt or learning from your mistakes and, most importantly, moving forward. Was it at his wife's expense? You bet. But, he's not making the same mistakes today. Did he have to get caught in order to make that change? Apparently. But, he's not making the same mistakes today. Was he horrible for making the choices that he made? Maybe he was.
I sat there feeling so grateful for the fact that the mistakes I've made in my life weren't followed by a press conference. This morning, the Tiger Woods conference provided me with a reminder that my desire to judge others is really only a synthetic way to go about improving my self image. When I look at another person's perceived shortcomings, I don't have to look at my own and let's face it, that's much more pleasant. But, it's only when I look at myself, the good and the bad, that I stand a chance to improve the lives of those around me, both today and in the future.
I didn't expect a motivational pep talk from Tiger Woods this morning but, turns out, that's exactly what I got. By the way, Mr. Woods, thanks for that.
At first, I have to admit, I was drawn in because I wanted to see him squirm in discomfort. Thinking of his poor wife, his mother and his young children, I suppose that I wanted to see him experience humiliation in front of the world. He didn't.
He sincerely answered questions, all of the questions. Some were difficult, some weren't. I quickly realized that I wasn't watching a humiliated man, I was watching a man make the choice to exhibit humility...huge difference. It's the difference between wallowing in guilt or learning from your mistakes and, most importantly, moving forward. Was it at his wife's expense? You bet. But, he's not making the same mistakes today. Did he have to get caught in order to make that change? Apparently. But, he's not making the same mistakes today. Was he horrible for making the choices that he made? Maybe he was.
I sat there feeling so grateful for the fact that the mistakes I've made in my life weren't followed by a press conference. This morning, the Tiger Woods conference provided me with a reminder that my desire to judge others is really only a synthetic way to go about improving my self image. When I look at another person's perceived shortcomings, I don't have to look at my own and let's face it, that's much more pleasant. But, it's only when I look at myself, the good and the bad, that I stand a chance to improve the lives of those around me, both today and in the future.
I didn't expect a motivational pep talk from Tiger Woods this morning but, turns out, that's exactly what I got. By the way, Mr. Woods, thanks for that.
Delphinium- Amador Flower Farm 4/4/10
Friday, April 2, 2010
Bring On the April Showers
The darling Lilly shifts that I picked out for the girls to wear this Easter are going to remain in the closet. We are expecting tons of rain here in Northern California. Every year we go to the Amador Flower Farm after services. The Easter Bunny makes an appearance and they have one of the best Easter Egg hunts around. It's a good one where they have age catagories and tons, I mean tons, of eggs.
I'll never forget taking Sadie to an Easter Egg hunt somewhere else when she was barely three. She was all dressed up and so excited but stood there with an empty basket while eight year old boys ran circles around her collecting piles of eggs...NEVER to be repeated. Seriously, I didn't let her see it but, I cried. She, on the other hand, did fine, which is pretty typical. Feeling rather homicidal towards eight year old boys (actually their parents), I decided it would be best to find a different Easter Egg Hunt in which to participate during the following years. So, the Flower Farm Hunt is a hit with parents of any child under five because the little ones aren't competeing with kids 2-3 times their age. In addition to the hunt, we take a huge picnic (actually my Mom brings a huge picnic, We bring the cute kids-thanks Mom!) and just make a fun day out of it.
Sadly, we decided to skip the traditional Flower Farm this year due to forecasted rain. But then I decided to take a look at their website. It says: "Easter Egg Hunt 1:00pm Rain or Shine". Then I realized, our girls are completely water-proof. I may not be a big fan of mud but, our girls just love it (they totally get that from their dad). So, why not?! I'm pulling out the rain boots and rain coats and we're going to give it a shot. A little rain can't scare us, we are way tougher than that...now where are my pink Wellies and my Lilly umbrella? After all, let's not forget that it's Easter.
I'll never forget taking Sadie to an Easter Egg hunt somewhere else when she was barely three. She was all dressed up and so excited but stood there with an empty basket while eight year old boys ran circles around her collecting piles of eggs...NEVER to be repeated. Seriously, I didn't let her see it but, I cried. She, on the other hand, did fine, which is pretty typical. Feeling rather homicidal towards eight year old boys (actually their parents), I decided it would be best to find a different Easter Egg Hunt in which to participate during the following years. So, the Flower Farm Hunt is a hit with parents of any child under five because the little ones aren't competeing with kids 2-3 times their age. In addition to the hunt, we take a huge picnic (actually my Mom brings a huge picnic, We bring the cute kids-thanks Mom!) and just make a fun day out of it.
Sadly, we decided to skip the traditional Flower Farm this year due to forecasted rain. But then I decided to take a look at their website. It says: "Easter Egg Hunt 1:00pm Rain or Shine". Then I realized, our girls are completely water-proof. I may not be a big fan of mud but, our girls just love it (they totally get that from their dad). So, why not?! I'm pulling out the rain boots and rain coats and we're going to give it a shot. A little rain can't scare us, we are way tougher than that...now where are my pink Wellies and my Lilly umbrella? After all, let's not forget that it's Easter.