The Good, The Bad, and The Pretty...

First the good...last Saturday was Ava's 4th Birthday!  I can not believe my little baby turned 4!  She is doing fabulous in pre-school.  We celebrated with family last Friday night, then Saturday was the big day, we went to the American Girl store in Manhattan.  It was so much fun!  The girls love going there, and I do to.  If only it had been around when I was little.  Here are some pictures from our day.

Then last Monday night, we decided we would go adopt a dog from the animal shelter.  We promised the girls we would get a dog when Tigger died, and honestly, I needed it too.  So we went to Northshore Animal League, where we got our other cat, which is a wonderful no kill animal shelter.  We were looking for a labrador retriever.  We really wanted a girl dog, I don't need to be explaining to my girls about boy parts just yet. ;)  We found the sweetest puppy, a lab and we believe a doberman mix.  She is adorable, and so sweet...although a week later she has settled in, and is getting fiesty.  

Little Miss Coco, who isn't going to be so little.

We are working on training her.  She was potty trained the day after we got her.  She already knows sit, and fetch.  Now to work on the biting, although, I know that is just her teething.  She is a love.  She follows me around, and is my baby.  She even puts herself to sleep in her kennel.  Now I am thinking though, that we should have named her digger, as she loves to dig up my back yard...

Now for the bad...it seems as if we can't catch a break these days.  I got a call Tuesday, and we had a major family crisis.  My mom lives out of state, and she had to fly up on Tuesday.  Unfortunately I can't share specifics, but I spent 4 days last week driving all over Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens.  Probably close to 10 hours driving.  It has been very emotionally draining.

Saturday things finally seemed to settle.  It was the first day in 4 days I didn't have to run around.  I put Emma to bed, and puppy was crying.  I thought she was just crying for me.  She has had some stomach issues, and it looked like she had to go to the bathroom.  Chris grabbed her quick, and we ran her outside.  He puts her down on the deck , and she falls over.  She tries to walk and keeps losing her balance and falls.  Then she goes into convulsions, and is having what appears to be a seizure.  Her whole body is shaking, and she is drooling excessively, so I tell Chris to run and call the ER vet.  I was sitting there on the floor trying to keep her calm, waiting for the seizure to pass.  Well, it never passed.  The vet tells us to come in immediately.  The girls are asleep, so I have to drive her myself.  I am doing 8o miles an hour, trying to keep her calm, all the while, she is still seizing, and her legs are crunching up.  I rush her into the vet, and they immediately take her from me, then I lose it.  It must be a mom thing to maintain composure when one of your kids is hurt or sick until they aren't near you.  I am now in hysterics, and panicking, fearing the worst.  This can't be happening, and I am not going to lose another pet.  We are already super attached.  Not to mention, we just spent over $1300 0n Tigger, and I am stretched very thin right now, having done the Fall line.  They have to keep Coco overnight and she is not trembling anymore, but she is still drooling and not herself.  They aren't sure if she has a problem in her brain, distemper, or, she was given medication for her stomach that day, and it could be a reaction to that.

She makes it through the night, and I stop in to see her the next day after yet another trip to Brooklyn.  She is much better, but she is very lethargic, and she did have another episode in the night.  By 4pm she was back to normal, playing eating, walking fine.  We are pretty sure, it was an atoxic reaction to one of the medications prescribed for her stomach.  She only had her first dose that day at 5pm, and then 4 hours later had the reaction.  Poor thing only had been home for a few days, and she was back in a cage with an IV and a catheter.  Long story short, she was home by 9pm Sunday night.  What an emotional roller coaster.  I said to the vet, who remembered us from Tigger, that leaving without an animal was not an option.  My heart couldn't have taken it, nor the girls.  We have discontinued all meds, and she is fine now.  Now we just have to wait and see if happens again, and that would mean something more serious.

Sometimes, I can't believe this is my life, but that was 3 bad things, so we are good now, right?

NOW...for the pretty!  Our Holiday Collection, Home For the Holidays is done, and sales begin tomorrow.  This is a very limited collection, and I am really excited with how it turned out.  Gina did a great job photographing it.  Please contact a Fashion Consultant, or myself to place an order.  I suggest doing it quickly if there is something you like.  And here it is...

We are offering the clippies shown, as well as a beautiful bracelet.  Again, contact an FC or myself for more info.

Have a great day ladies... 

In Loving Memory...

Last night around 8pm, we finally had to put our cat Tigger to sleep.  I am grateful that we got to spend 3 extra weeks with him, but it didn't make it any easier.  I knew it was coming, and for a bit, he seemed to be doing well, but on Tuesday, he wasn't eating, and having a hard time going to the bathroom, so I brought him into the vet.  They gave him fluids and a steroid shot, and she said it wasn't the time yet.  But he just never got any better yesterday.  He laid on the couch all day, and when I brought him some food, he ate a bit, then about 45 minutes later, he threw up, and you could tell he was suffering.  I made Chris call the vet, because I couldn't even talk without crying.  She agreed, it was time now.  So we took him after dinner, and we were all a mess, especially Emma.  Poor Emma was in hysterics, crying that she wanted him to stay forever.  That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  I could have accepted it more, if he just would have went on his own.  I stayed with him when they did it, and held him, and talked to him.  It just hurt so bad.  Chris buried him last night and today the girls and I will get flowers to plant where he is.  I spent all night crying, and couldn't sleep at all.  I still can't talk, because I just keep tearing up.  He was the best cat.  So sweet and loving, and a giant teddy bear.  People always commented on how big he was, over 20 pounds, and 3 feet stretched from head to tail.  I will miss him climbing up onto my bed, and laying next me, and licking my head when I put it near his face.  

I feel like someone punched me in the stomach today, and my heart literally hurts.  I have had him since I was 19, and he was my first baby.  I needed to share some pictures of him, he was such a beautiful cat.  I don't think there will ever be another cat like him.  He was like an old dog.  I will miss him tremendously...

Cowboy Tigger

Emma around 6 months with her boy Tigger

Ok, so....

It has been quite some time since I posted, and I thank you for your emails of concern.  I'm alive, it's just been super hectic and crazy.  The season is under way, thank you all for your words of support and encouragement, and your purchases!  I greatly appreciate it all!

On Friday, I am pretty sure, Ava had a seizure.  I picked her up from school, and we were going to lunch with my friend and her daughter.  Literally not even 2 minutes prior, Ava was playing and fine.  All of a sudden, (we are in the car now) Ava screams, then throws her head back against her car seat, she clenches her mouth and eyes, and shivers a bit.  She was completely unresponsive to me for about a minute.  She started to slowly come out of it, and it was like it never had happen.  My cat gets seizures, which is why I even thought that.  I called the doctor, and he agreed, it sounded like one.  She has an appointment to see the neurologist.  It could have just been a fluke.  I will keep you updated.

On another note, I had to share a picture from Ava's first day of school.  Not the best pic.  Bad mommy, I was running out the door.

She loves school, and what a difference a year makes.  Last year, she just couldn't do it.  She was glued to my side.  Emma, on the other hand, used to love school, and is having such a hard time adjusting to the long Kindergarten day.  Em still isn't feeling well, and I need to get her diet adjusted.  It's so horrible to not be able to help her when her stomach hurts.  Plus the two pips are already sick with colds.  It's going to be a fun winter!

I hope you are all having a wonderful September!  I am off to go finish the holiday line samples...I think you are going to love our Home for the Holidays collection.  It is a small collection and is very limited.  We will have pictures posted next week, and the line is available to purchase on October 1st.  It's first come, first serve, and we have a few surprises in store for you.

Have a great day!

What A Week!

Where to start.  Yesterday was Emma's first day of Kindergarten!  I have been so anxious about it for days.  Literally, my stomach has been in knots.  She got up early, and was so excited.  We had been to orientation the day before, so she got to meet her teacher and see her classroom.  Chris went in late so he could see Emma get on the bus.  There is only one first day of Kindergarten after all.  We packed her lunch box full, and my sister painted her nails all pretty.  The bus was late, I am sure because every mom, including myself, was snapping a picture as they got on.  Plus the driver would wait until they got their seat belts on.  Here is Emma all ready to go. 

Waiting for the bus

In front of the bus...

I did good, I didn't cry, although I wanted to.  It was more her getting on a bus that freaked me out.  But I made it, lol.  And Emma loved the bus.

She came home from school, and of course when I asked what she had done at school, I got the "nothing".  So, I emptied out her lunch box to see what she ate, and she had almost all of her snacks with her.  I asked Emma what she ate for snack, and she said crackers.  I said "what" panicked.  She started crying and said she told the teacher she couldn't eat them, but she said no she had to.  You can just imagine how "you know what" I am.  I turned in her paperwork stating that she had celiac disease, and was not to eat anything except what comes in from home.  It is also on her file through administration.  I also told her teacher less than 24 hours before the same thing.  I immediately called the school, and asked for her teacher.  I got the I'm so sorry, I didn't have anything from the nurse, yadda yadda.  I explain how sick it makes Emma to eat anything with gluten, and that is basically damages the lining of her small intestine, as calmly as I could muster.  I said Emma even told you, and you told her she had to eat it, it was the other Emma in class that had allergies.  Emma spent the night is severe pain, couldn't eat dinner, and still isn't right today.  Mad isn't the word!  She wants to take the bus today, so I will be driving behind her to speak to the principal and the nurse.  Maybe then, this won't happen again.  What if she had a nut allergy and couldn't breathe?!  UGH!

On Wednesday, I went out back around 5pm.  I hear this bird that I knew wasn't an outdoor bird.  I am standing there looking at the trees, when all of a sudden, this guy swoops down at me!

Scared the you know what out of me!  I am not a bird person.  I think they are cute, but I am just not comfortable with them.  He kept trying to land on me and be my friend.  But after being attacked by a dog only a few months ago, I have a new respect for animals I don't know.  I call my mother-in-law, and tell her she has to come get this bird.  She is in the middle of dinner, and I tell her, I don't care, you have to come.  She has an African Gray, and is the only one I know who will handle a big bird.  Meanwhile, this guy tries to fly into my house behind me.  That's when I snapped this picture.  He was very sweet, whistling at me, bobbing his head.  So I kept talking to him to keep him near me.  But, he flew off.  Now I feel bad, because I should have let him in the house, and shut the downstairs door, so my mother-in-law could get him.  I spent a half hour out back whistling for him, but no birdie.  I am keeping my eyes out for him, hoping he will come back, so my mother-in-law can give him a good home.  Plus, he won't be able to survive when it gets cold here.  Poor birdie...

And one last thing...

Aren't these beautiful!  My girls, my FC's, sent them to me to celebrate our opening day.  I am so lucky to have them all!

I have not been getting all my emails lately.  If you have emailed me, and haven't heard back from me, email me again.  I only know this, because one of my FC's kept emailing me, and I wasn't getting it.  So if you emailed me, and haven't heard back, I am not ignoring you. :)

Have a Happy Friday!

Happy Belated Labor Day!

I hope you all had a restful day yesterday.  And as you know, it was the first day of our Fall season!  All of the FC's and myself are extremely excited by the feedback already coming in!  A big thank you to all for supporting my dream!  If you haven't checked it out yet, click on the catalog tab above for the on-line catalog.

Chris was home yesterday, and he and the girls made bird houses.  Emma wanted a lemonade stand, but Daddy didn't have enough wood.  So he whipped up two cute bird houses and the girls painted them.  I must say they certainly add color to the oak tree they are hanging in, lol.  Some pictures of the girls hard at work.

Tomorrow is Emma's Kindergarten orientation, then Thursday is the BIG day!  Her first day of Kindergarten!  I am already feeling anxious and sick to my stomach.  I know I am going to cry putting her on the bus.  It will be all I can do to wait until she is on the bus before I go into hysterics.  I can't believe she is already going to Kindergarten!!!  She of course is so excited.  And the topper, her first adult tooth has cut, and her bottom center right tooth is loose.  This is just too much for me...kindergarten and loose teeth!  So sad, that she is growing up.

I have to share these two GenMarie cuties with you!  Thank you to Ana and Corina for the sweet photos!

Have a great day!