All the moments add up

Happy Friday! It's a super, BIG, fun weekend ahead! My little dream team and I are attending the Playtime show and the ENK show. We're walking the floor to check out space, layout and to get inspired. Then, we're out for drinks to discuss and brainstorm! I'm so excited to have a day with these two wonderful women. They have been rock solid in their belief in me, and what the brand stands for. They are crazy talented, and I have a feeling I'm going to want to move into my booth space by the time we're done designing it! Check out Monday's post for a full update. 

As I close the week, and look towards the upcoming weekend. I've been taking note of all those little moments that have added up to what was really a wonderful week. Because when you look back, do you really remember be stuck in traffic, out of eggs, or mail you forgot to send? Probably not, and if you are, start a new mental record! Perception is everything!

Jonah: (Holding up an Olivia pig and handing me Llama) mama, will you pway wif me?

Me: sure!

Jonah: (pig to llama) hi, I'm owibdia. You my friend?

Me: hi, I'm llama! Yes, I'm you're friend.

Jonah: I wuv you (pig kisses & hugs llama) come wif me, wets pway!

Me: (melting)

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Ava: But, I want to take care of Daddy too! Me and Jonah both want to!!

(after being told she was spending the night at her grandparents when Andrew got out of surgery)

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Walking into the market, a little cutie barely walking come careening down the aisle at me, laughing. A few minutes later, still laughing, I saw him nuzzling his mom as well. His mom now laughing too. Buckling my seat belt I faintly heard the now familiar laughter, and looked out my window to see this happy little guy in his stroller laughing, babbling and pointing. I was now laughing too, again. THAT was joy. I'm honored to have witnessed it. And proof positive you can literally share your joy!

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As we discussed new biz seed money

Andrew: Personally I see this as a much better investment of our money.

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Ava rolling in the grass, frolicking around as she giggles and displays the "beeauteeeful" white flowers (weeds) growing in our yard like Vanna White. All the while she's chirping, happily:

it's spring, it's spring! It's so much fun bc it's spring!!

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Andrew making me laugh so hard coffee dribbled out of my mouth and almost out of my nose.

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Geese proudly, if a bit arrogantly, but certainly with conviction of sense of self, crossing the road while 5 VIPs in cars (myself included) are forced to wait, take a moment and watch. We all  look at each other as we pass, waving, laughing and smiling.

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Jonah: Is that mine?? Is that my big one? Actually, I want a big one.

little head can be seen over the edge of the counter, as he excitedly bobs up and down on his toes trying to see into the bowls of yogurt Andrew can't fill fast enough

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Beautiful, surprise, 70 degree, sunny walk with Andrew, holding hands and everything.

Social Media Storm

Just a quick post today, mostly bc I don't want this to turn into a rant. (read: me freaking out on my blog) 

I'm immerse in figuring out all things social media. I like it, I'm intrigued by it, I'd like to talk about it and brainstorm, buuuuut I'm a wee bit fuzzy on implementing it.

So, I'm home today with Andrew who is recovering from shoulder surgery. The kids have been with the grandparents for almost a full day, and honestly I've been enjoying the quiet time to read through everything I've been bookmarking for later, and attempting to really go through it and try it. It's dense to me. I'm not only learning how to do things, I'm learning the language as well. I'm just an simple artist and designer I guess. Never had the need or use for any of this, and now I'm slugging my way through it. sob. 

...aaaaand scene. I promise I'll quit with the drama. 

Just now I was reading up on pinterest. I ADORE it. Like crazy love. Deep. Crazy. Love. Borderline obsessive-weirdo love. My friend Kim of Design Thoughts first told me about it a good year ago. It had me at hello. Here's what is funny to me, I have friends who don't get it. I don't get that. It's visual bookmarking. If you ever kept a binder of print outs, a box of picture clippings, a pinboard of ideas, a travel folder, a mood board, or bookmarked a zillion websites...then you WILL love pinterest. However you see it best, you create a pinboard (or binder, or file cabinet, or folder...whatever makes the most sense for you as a container for the images), and then you add images that link back to their source (unless you upload off your iphone or computer). You add descriptions. You share. The applications for personal and professional use are endless. I have the iphone app. I've used it when getting my hair cut/colored. I've used it around the holidays. I've used it at the grocery store. I've used it visiting clients. All on my phone, on the go, easily accessible. I totally get all that. Here's what I don't get: how to link this all up properly?

I've over pinning to facebook bc my pinterest is linked to my facebook (both personal and biz page), and twitter. Twitter is linked up to my facebook page. So, if I pin one thing, it pins it immediately to: FB personal, FB biz, twitter... Then twitter does the same thing. If I remove the FB function from Pinterest, then followers can't access my FB page. Meanwhile, I cant get pinterest to link to my FB biz page, it will only link to my personal page. What's a girl to do?

This is just a microcosm of the larger social media storm I'm in. SEO is looming over me like a great big ripening thunderstorm. 

So, yeah, I'm sighing. I'm swearing (a bit). I'm learning. 

In other news, I made two updates to previous posts.

1) giving credit where credit is due: THANK YOU, Lisa Larson Kelley for inspiring My New Boat.

2) adding another suggestion to Diary of a Family Vacation: good, bad and ugly. UPDATE: Decide what a vacation means to you and do it.

As for the rest of business, I'm waiting to hear from factories, waiting to get samples in the mail, and headed to some tradeshows this weekend with my amazing creative dream team, to start brainstorming for belle&beanzer's first show this fall. More to come on that!