long overdue

I'm way behind on a lot of things right now (one of them being actually getting around to posting all the blog entries that are floating around in my head), but I'm easing my anxiety with "better late than never." This past Tuesday (April 25th), I finally put together my planner from Paper Source. Part of the reason I had put it off so long was I couldn't find the PVA glue I bought when I made my planner last year and I didn't feel like spending $7 on another jar that was going to get misplaced since I only use it once a year. Sure I could've borrowed some from Hannah who works at Paper Source, but that would've meant actually remembering to ask her to borrow her jar. I found my jar when John and I cleaned out the basement last Friday night (isn't our life exciting?) in the one box I had a feeling it was in but had not seen since we moved back in June. I had sort of resigned myself to the fact that this mysterious box had probably been lost in the move, but didn't understand how it really could've been lost. I mean really, where would it have gone to during a 45-minute drive? Misplaced seemed a more likely solution, but honestly there are not too many places to misplace a box that size in our house. Anyway, the box has been recovered and it's a good thing. Not just because I relocated the coveted jar of PVA glue, but also because I found the checkbook from my previous job and I figure it would be a good thing if I returned that to them. So, my plain, manilla-colored planner has gotten a facelift. When I showed it to John he said, "Good thing you've still got 8 more months in the year to enjoy it."










Part of the reason I'm so behind on blog-posting is because I've spent countless hours downloading ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THREE photos from the night of the fashion show to our flickr account so I could share with the blogworld what consumed much of my time at the end of March/beginning of April. John and I felt it went pretty well for our first fashion show. We learned A LOT. Like that we will most likely never have another fashion show AT the store. Initially we thought it would be cool to have it in the space...well, because the space is cool. And it gets people in the store. And we thought it might be nice for people to be able to purchase merchandise after the show that they had just seen modeled. Well, it ended up being more work than we bargained for -- moving all the fixtures and product out of the store to make room for the runway, chairs, tables, Vespas (Vespa was one of the three major sponsors we had and they loaned us three retro Vespas for the evening to display). There was no way we were going to be able to bring all the fixtures and re-merchandise all the product that night with all those people milling about. So, it worked out to have it at the store space this time, but next time we will definitely hold it somewhere else. Here's a teaser to whet your appetite, go here to see a short slideshow of the other photos (not all 123...I narrowed it down to the top 50):



The superb photography is courtesy of Becca Spears. She was just experimenting during the fashion show for us as a favor, but the lighting was not the best for photos. If you're in the market for a wedding or portrait photographer, look her up.

All of the shoes and most of the clothing and accessories are from Habitat. You can view the product up close on our flickr account (our website will be up and running in May!). The beautiful silk dresses were designed by Jocelyn Himes and are for sale at her store, Nui Kai, which is around the corner from Habitat. Chadwick, who owns Shuttlecocks (also around the corner) loaned us the men's raincoat and his styling skills for the evening. Many of the female models were showcasing jewelry designs from our friend Kari Heybrock (her husband was also one of the models). And the models looked amazing because of the skills of Amber, Becky and Kimberly from the salon next door to our store called The Darling Room. If you live in KC, you definitely need to schedule an appointment with one of those fabulous girls! A big THANK YOU to all our friends who modeled and helped make it all work behind-the-scenes. We seriously could not have done it without the expertise, input and hard work of all of you.

If we did anything right with the fashion show it was making it a benefit for "Let's Make a Movie" -- an awesome afterschool program for youth in the urban core of Kansas City that our friend David founded. Check them out.

OK, all my other overdue posts will have to wait...it's about time I go to bed, it's 2am.

stupid parenting decision #73

To the faithful few who still check here occasionally to see if anything new is going on -- I apologize for my absence...and for the fact that you've had to stare at a photo of me for over a month now. I have high hopes of being a more consistent blogger, I just haven't had the energy for it lately. My husband told me today that he still checks my blog everyday thinking that maybe I will have finally posted a new entry. To at least give him something new to look at when he visits here...

Today when I put Margot down for her afternoon nap, I chose to not remove the four crayons she was gripping for dear life out of her hands. Mostly because I didn't want to her to get all riled up and upset and then not go to sleep. The thought did cross my mind that when I returned to get her up after her nap that there was the possibility crayon marks would be on the wall, but I figured the chances were slim to none since she seemed pretty tired. I assumed she would fall asleep holding them and she would eventually just let go of them. Oh Kristen, are you really that naive?

When I heard Margot talking to herself (the first sign that she's awake), I decided to go right up and get her up so as not to give her any time to see the crayons and use them. Oh, but I can quickly run to the basement and change over the load of laundry so I don't have to do it with Margot in a few minutes. Well, a few minutes was all Margot needed. Here's what I found when I walked into her room...Margot's latest canvas:


I wasn't upset at all. How could I be? I was the one who sent her to bed with crayons. Presented with the same circumstances, I'm sure I would've done the same thing. Honestly, all I could do was stand there and and try to stifle my laughter (plus, I've been enlightened to Washable Crayola crayons, so I was pretty sure the sheet would be as good as new after a load of laundry). Kids, you gotta love them.

Margot's been good for a lot of laughs lately. For the past three days, she's been carrying around her Easter basket filled with plastic eggs. She calls them bubbles. After about the twentieth time of trying to teach her to call them eggs, I gave up and started calling them bubbles too. Each morning she wakes up I think, "She's probably forgotten about the eggs," but every morning after we come downstairs she starts saying, "bubbles, bubbles" and walks around the house looking for her basket. At least she's finally realized that carrying the twelve plastic eggs in the basket is really is OK. The first day I gave her the basket, she tried continuously to wrap her tiny hands around four of the eggs and carry them around. Of course she kept dropping them, and then would get frustrated when they would split in two after hitting the ground. If I tried to help her pick them up, she'd get more agitated because she wanted to do it herself (yes, her independence is already coming out), but couldn't ever pick up all four eggs by herself. I started tucking one egg in each hand and one in the crook of each elbow, which seemed to help her carry them around a little bit longer. Eventually she set aside her independence long enough to let me show her the usefulness of the basket. Life is good now. Hey, maybe she's figured out that putting all your eggs in one basket isn't so bad after all (oh, that was bad).

i love short hair

I am reminded anew why I like short hair...it takes about 2 1/2 minutes to dry. Gotta love that.

It's a week late and most people that read this blog have already seen my new hair, but I said I'd post a photo of myself, so here it is:


I think this is the first time I've used the self-timer on my camera, which is probably why Margot looks so surprised in the shot...I kept grabbing her very quickly to get situated before it went off.

This is definitely the most hair I've cut off at one time. I was sort of jealous of Amber for getting to grab my ponytail and just cut right through it. I almost stopped her in the middle and asked her if I could finish because it seemed like so much fun.

day one in vegas

Consecutive hours awake: 22

Steps taken: 3,827

Shoes purchased: 0

Trips to the bathroom: 3 (can we say dehydration?)

Meals consumed by 11pm: 1 (really half of one...John and I split a cheeseburger and fries at 10:30am as a snack because we were so hungry and ended up not eating again for 12 hours)

Needless to say, the pregnant lady was extremely grumpy when told the wait for dinner was going to be 45 minutes...and then was ferociously grumpy when it ended up being over an hour.

We've already returned from our four-day buying trip to Las Vegas, but I'm just now getting around to posting anything because I had zero energy to blog, check my email, or pretty much do anything else during our time there.

Shopping for shoes for four days straight may sound glamorous, but let me tell you, it's not. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to pick out shoes (and apparel and accessories), but the pace we keep at trade shows is exhausting. I can tell myself all I want beforehand that we're going to stop for meals at normal times, we're going to take breaks to sit and relax and take in the surroundings, we're going to drink water, but everytime (or at least the two times we've been) we've gotten caught up in the pace that everyone else keeps (well, not everyone...many of the reps we know stay out and party until the wee hours of the morning, which we have neither the desire or the energy to do).

[Side note -- The two standard questions EVERY rep asked us:
1) Where are you staying?
2) What did you do last night?

"The Hilton Garden Inn" (because my aunt gets us an amazing deal) and "went to bed" aren't exactly answers that launch you into some interesting conversation. Add that to the initial question that new reps ask us, "Where are you from?" and they think we're the most boring people on Earth. Seriously, when people find out we're from Kansas City, their demeanor changes instantly. You can tell their thinking, "Kansas City? Do people out there even care about fashion? Doesn't everyone dress the same in the Midwest?" It's enough to make you want to flip them the bird and walk right out of their booth.]

When John and I return from trade shows everyone asks us if we had fun. Fun is not the word I would use to describe those trips. "Was the trip productive?" might be a better choice. Yes, it is fun to see fashion trends six months ahead of time...and it is fun to purchase them for our store. But, it's also stressful: Are we choosing the right shoes? Did we order too many? Did we order enough? Are we going to be eating the cost of those snakeskin mid-boots or are they going to fly out the door? We like these shoes, but will folks in Kansas City like them? And more importantly will they buy them? Ultimately you have to get over that worry or you would be paralyzed and never make a decision. Making mistakes is all part of the journey.

Honestly, the shows would be a lot more fun if they weren't in Las Vegas. I can't stand the place. I want to leave before I even get there. The constant sound of slot machines. The photos of nearly-naked women EVERYWHERE. The traffic. If you've ever been to Las Vegas, you know what I mean. And if you haven't, take my advice and DON'T EVER GO. I am begging John that before our next round of shows in six months we figure out if our vendors go to shows in L.A., New York, or Chicago. Someplace that I don't feel like I need a shower every ten minutes.

So as you can tell I'm glad to be back. Mostly because I didn't think I could be away from this adorable face for another minute:



A HUGE THANK YOU to my mom and stepdad who took care of Margot for FOUR WHOLE DAYS! And also to our dear friend Sarah who slept at our house while we were gone so Margot could sleep in her own bed and we wouldn't have to go through a week of therapy like we did the last time Margot spent the night away from home.

"whatever you do in word or deed"

Who knew that interpretive juggling was a God-given talent? My friend Carey sent this to me and I couldn't keep it to myself (be sure to watch it long enough to see the music change tempo). John, here's a new item to add to your "Kind of Like Resulutions:2006."

happy heart day

This is not a belated Valentine's Day wish (I'm not really into the day), but an announcement that I'm pregnant. Yesterday we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Even the second time around, it's an amazing experience. Of course, John beat me to the punch getting the news out. He usually does...just call me snail blogger.

note to inattentive self

Next time you are pulling the humidifier out for the winter months, check to make sure it contains a filter. Otherwise you will spend 45 minutes scraping lime scale off the inside of the apparatus. Worse, you will spend at least another 45 minutes wondering what kind of mold allergy or horrible disease your daughter might now suffer from because of your inattention.

The mystery of why I have had to refill our humidifier every other night versus filling Margot's every two weeks has been solved.