CMM

paint with santa

B has been a catering fool lately so the girls joined me at Color Me Mine today. We try not to work Sundays, but with the busy holidays upon us all rules for work/life balance are out the window. 
Today we had a special treat at the studio. Santa came to paint with the kids! My girls joined in on the fun and then painted lots of presents for family and friends. B came over after his catering event and helped me close up shop and we all grabbed a peaceful dinner together. 
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….
Annabelle and her emojis. This girl!
So much sass in one little picture. 
Never too old to visit Santa!
What a bunch of goofballs!

brownies: holiday party

Annabelle helped me out at work today. It was nice to have her along and she really is a good helper. She also made her teacher a mug for Christmas and we went out for a little lunch together. She’s a good girl and I really get a kick out of her. 
Her candy cane poop emoji shirt is a big hit. (so, so weird. my aversion to all things disgusting makes me not want to like this, but you just have to love her and her emoji obsession).

Gwyneth was so excited for her Girl Scout holiday party tonight!

We had a small group but its impossible to find a night around the holidays when everyone can make it. We did a secret santa style gift exchange, learned about being organized (another one of my favorite things!) and went on a holiday lights scavenger hunt. We used this scavenger hunt as a guide and cruised around our neighborhood. The girls found all but 3 or four. It was a really fun night with a great group of little gals.

thankful

We had a busier week than I could have ever anticipated at work. I decided to head in on Thanksgiving morning to get some work done and was pleasantly surprised to find Gwyneth wanted to join me. My friend and co-worker Shennon also joined us along with her daughter Jenna. We glazed, fired, and unloaded pottery and everyone was super helpful! I’m so grateful for this business, my wonderful family and dear friends. I missed a lot of the Thanksgiving festivities this year but we got a big jump on production. I’m feeling great about this holiday season and glad to share it with my special peeps. 
How cute are these little helpers?
Unloading the kilns. We were busy, busy, busy!
Shennon loading those kilns. Doing her thing! She is the production queen! 

malloween

WHAT. A. DAY. 
We are kicking off the holiday season around here. From now until New Years we will be going strong with our businesses. We started it off right and had a great time. Today we had Malloween at the mall where about 3,000 kids came out to trick or treat. We had lots of kids swing by and Annabelle was a big helper handing out candy. She was pretty amazing really. 

Gwyneth and Ella painted peacocks
Afterwards we went for lunch and a few treats

We dropped Ella off at home, took Gwyneth for a playdate at her friend Ruby’s, and then went to visit B at the neighborhood fall festival. He had a big ol’ booth going and he was super busy. We didn’t want to get in his way, but it was nice to see him and his crew in action.

Annabelle and I went back to Color Me Mine to see how the day was going. It had quieted down a bit so Annabelle and I sat down to paint. She just really wanted to spend some quality time and I was happy to be there with her too. It was a busy day, but I’m really proud of how this family pulls together. I sure do love these folks.

painting for reagan

We hosted a fundraiser for Reagan at our new studio and were so thankful for everyone who turned up to support her. 
At one point every single table in the studio was filled and I was a bit frazzled and a bit overwhelmed, but most importantly I was incredibly happy and humbled by the all the kindness and love in my life. New and old friends, from near and far, from school and former jobs, new and old classmates –  all of them dear to us – arrived to paint, meet Reagan and to support our family. 
How lucky we are to know such kindness, to feel so much love, to be the recipients of so much goodness. Thank you to everyone who came out that day!
I was able to snap just a few pictures before it got too busy. I didn’t get everyone, but I really appreciate everyone who was there. 
The smiles from these cousins is everything!


Reagan treatment update: She has started another four weeks of chemo. Her body is responding well. No spinal taps scheduled and she is able to eat some and rest. That girls kicks ass!

It sucks to see her in pain. I hate it. It makes me sick to my stomach and I have to fight back tears.

…And then Reagan, Annabelle and Gwyneth find their groove together. And they laugh. They laugh so hard together and they are always smiling. There is so much good when they are together. And they never want to leave each other. They always want a little more time to play. I am so grateful they have each other. They are good. They are really, really good and that makes my heart full.

paint day with gwyneth

We are trying to figure out this double-business-owning-life. We’re not perfect and we have certainly had our setbacks. We have moments of near-tears and frustration and “what the…?”.  Beyond all that, it has been better than I could have ever anticipated. We are learning new things. We are working together as a family. We are dividing and conquering. We’re doing the best we can. We’re working hard and appreciation our opportunities and each other. 
Both businesses were hopping today, so Annabelle went to the Kitchen with B and Gwyneth joined me at Color Me Mine. It’s not sad to go to work with us. We work at pretty cool places. 
Instead of painting another monkey, penguin, or dolphin I told Gwyneth to pick out something big. Something that she could work on for a few weeks or even better a few months. She picked out this gigantic ice cream cone and got right to work. 
I adore this girl and her positive attitude and her fabulous smile. I was able to get so much done today and got to look over and see that sweet little face all day. I tell ya, this new gig ain’t bad at all. 
Our neighbor joined Gwyneth for some painting time. 
We grabbed a quick lunch and then met Annabelle and B at the Kitchen to help with a birthday party that evening. 
And then we went home and the girls got comfy together for the rest of the night. They were happy to be together and snuggling and watching a movie on Annabelle’s iPad. Our days are no longer conventional, but it’s working for us and we are just glad to have each other. 

color me mine

Gwyneth finally received her birthday gift. She had gift cards just burning a hole in her pocket and couldn’t decide what to do with them. She finally decided she wanted a sewing machine and she got a good one. She’s been sewing every evening and just loves it. I do love seeing this crafty girl in action. 
I finally closed on Color Me Mine at the Orchards. The previous owner wanted to retire and I was ready to start a new adventure. It was a looooong and rather painful process, but now that its finally done and we’re running the store I couldn’t be happier. There is a big ol’ learning curve and I’m figuring it out slowly. The girls are pretty darn happy about it too. 
August 31st we joined the staff for the final inventory count and then took over ownership on September 1st. 
I am blessed to have such a loving, caring and very patient family. I got very lucky in the husband and kiddo department. These peeps sure are good to me. 
We inherited the store in a bit of a mess and spent the first few weeks just trying to get cleaned up. 
There is still a lot of work to be done, but we’re getting there! 
Just a few of the papers that had to be reviewed with my attorneys. This is just my lease. The stacks of papers were endless. I think I had a headache for 3 months straight. 
But the work was worth it and here we are. What more can a gal ask for?