Espresso Patronum: My Small Victories

Today, I'm going to share a secret with you.  The secret... to my relative sanity.

Recently I received basically the coolest mug ever from my best friend Kate.  It hilariously depicted a rather creepy picture of Mr. Potter, holding a cup of espresso, with the caption: Espresso Patronum (Harry Potter fans unite!). It was a really special gift that only my best friend could send.  Of course I had to share the mug with my awesome baristas at the local coffee shop right away, and the moment was magical.   It pretty much made my day.

This lead me to ponder the value of a single moment. Mindfulness can make the smallest thing pure magic. I've mentioned in previous posts that our family tends to live super slowly, we're painfully aware of the moment sometimes as we attempt to muddle through a day of vigilant special needs care, work, cleaning, life, relationships, etc., but it also provides so many opportunities for me to truly cherish the basics.  I think that that is one of the keys to our survival.  Perhaps survival is the wrong word... Because I feel like I'm flourishing, not just getting by. 

So here is my special secret: if you want to be happy, revel in the smallest victory.  Find joy in the small mundane moments we overlook so often. When I go to a coffee shop, it is an event.  I make it one. I take the opportunity to lend the event a lot of significance, so that it is more than just another errand to run. It's a vacation, it's a spiritual practice!  Even if I am in a hurry, or have a million worries, when I step across the threshold of a coffee shop door I leave all of that behind.  I devote myself completely to the moment.  I smile as I wait in line peacefully un-harrassed by my adorable children for a minute or two (I'd gladly wait 10...). I feel genuine joy and give my full attention during my brief exchange with one of the several awesome baristas (possibly the only adult conversation I will have that day). I sit quietly even if I only have a minute, and enjoy a sip or two of my favorite drink, and I'm replenished.  The added bonus is of course the energy coffee provides as I power through the day. So that's it... It's not really a secret at all I suppose, but if you are experiencing a lot of stress or responsibility, just remember to stop and revel in little moments. Don't let your brain trick you into thinking you don't have time to drop everything, just for a minute, and be present. These little magically mundane moments truly make life worth living, and there are plenty to be had, my weird obsession with coffee shops is just one example. 

Happy Holidays!

Getting Personal With my Awesome Customers

There are many things I love about having my own handmade business.  I seriously love it. I love setting my own hours, setting my own quality and ethical standards, working independently and challenging myself, being artistic 24/7 a day, working with my hands, being there for my kids whenever they need me, long walks to the post office, problem solving, marketing, finding the perfect materials, you name it,  I love all of it.  However, one of my favorite and most unexpected joys in running my own handmade business, is getting to catch a little glimpse of my customers' lives, right at one of the most precious times in their life.

Most of my customers are either expectant mothers, mothers just starting their journey with a new baby (whether it's baby #1 or baby #6), or perhaps mothers planning a special photo shoot to preserve adorable memories on special occasions. It's an exciting, nervous, and loving time that is only too brief, and I love playing my own small part in it! It is a really special thing to me for example, that so many of my "going home outfits" that ship out, will be the absolute first thing a baby ever wears.  How amazing is it to know that this new little person is about to be born and will be coming home to change their parents' lives forever (in one of my tiny outfits no less!)? I know I sound cheesy but I mean come on, it really is pretty miraculous. These are the times of joy that we genuinely do remember forever like it was yesterday, and  it's just a real honor and pleasure to catch a tiny glimpse of it as I work with my customers to get their order delivered on time.

I must stress my many thanks and warm wishes to all of my customers (and every family for that matter), as they embark on the exciting and nerve wracking journey of parenthood :)

Awesome Hike!

This weekend we decided to go check out the awesome views from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain! It was a nice steep hike to the top (during which Lyra insisted on daddy carrying her in his arms rather than the fancy hiker carrier of course!) and then 360 views as far as the eye can see.  It was great.  Here's some pics from our hike. Stay tuned this week as we plan to take both kiddos to the pumpkin patch, we're super excited!

Balloons!

Baby Lyra's favorite thing in the whole world right now, would have to be watching the local hot air balloons rise and fall early each morning.  We live directly under their flight path, and that has been such a great and unexpected perk to buying this house. Sometimes they swoop so close that they brush the tree tops in our backyard! Almost every morning when we wake up we hear the soft roar of their flames, and Lyra gets so excited!
Here are some pics of us balloon watching this morning. 

Hiking With Lyra

We had a ton of fun today doing one of our favorite easy 5 mile hikes with Lyra up in Nederland.  We'd never seen it during leaf changing season and decided it was time! We had a blast.  Here's some fantastic pics we took along the way.

Sunday Art Show

I had an awesome time this weekend doing the Lyon's Art on the River show this weekend.  My mom had a booth next to mine and we got to share our work with the locals in the prettiest venue I've ever been to! I met some great folks and got to explore a tiny home that was being displayed on site, it was super cool.

Alex Steps Outside

I have really been enjoying spending time outside with Alex this fall.  Alex is usually reluctant to leave his seductive little collection of IPAD gadgets long enough to really enjoy much anything else, but lately he's been taking a refreshing interest in the outside world.  His respite provider introduced him to sidewalk chalk, which I thought he would hate for sensory reasons and never tried with him myself! Turns out he likes it.  Thanks Galen! We've been coloring up a storm, and also just sitting quietly in the grass, picking little weeds and experiencing the way nature feels in our hands.  I've noticed his energy kind of settling down just a tiny bit, and it's nice!