The Christmas Tree Farm

After all the Christmas decorating I've done for the shop, I was having a hard time getting motivated to decorate at home. I know, what a terrible attitude, for the mother of a small child! Anyway, Sean put lights up on the house last week, and still, I couldn't get excited about pulling that same old artificial tree out of the attic. But there happens to be the cutest little Christmas Tree Farm on the outskirts of town. They actually provide you with a saw and a cart, and let you do all the rest. Sean had his doubts at first, but I insisted we give it a try (for the sake of building new family tradition) and it turned out to be a fun day for all! So far, none of us seem to be allergic, which was definitely a concern of mine. The new tree was a perfect fit and it even made our old, nostalgic ornaments seem new again. I'll take some photos of the finished tree and post them a little later. For now, enjoy these of Willa running wild though the forest, hiding (not quite behind the tree,) and posing with her daddy.

It's The Simple Things

I woke up this morning, sleep-deprived and surrounded by sickies. (Willa with a vicious cold and Sean with what looks to be the start of a sinus infection.) Glad that neither has gotten ahold of me, I popped out of bed and decided to make the best of this weekend workday. I cleaned up the house, messed around with some sketches for our future dream house (my latest obsession,) ate breakfast and rolled Play-Doh balls with Willa. Then I headed out the door at noon to open the shop on this unexpectedly beautiful, sunny Sunday. On my agenda: shuffle the racks, freshen up the displays, and finish the mess of a rearranging project I started yesterday. And sell, sell, sell, of course. But as I opened the front door, I could hardly believe my ears! The prettiest acoustic music was coming from the restaurant next door. And the warm sunshine and the cool breeze. And the tempting smell of german cuisine and the Christmas decorations lining the street. Oh, I envy the lazy tourists strolling Main today! And then it struck me. How lucky a girl am I? To be my own boss, in the business of fashion, in this perfectly perfect little town. (Not to mention the imperfectly perfect husband and precious tot at home.) Note to self: Next time you are feeling sorry for yourself about all of the hours you work, pressure you're under, and your measly pay - revisit this post, count your blessings, and quit your obnoxious complaining! For today, I've done just that. I've turned off the Christmas tunes on the XM, and am enjoying the sounds of the live music, passing cars, and friendly, slow-paced shoppers. Maybe I'll just sell something while I'm at it.

She's a Tough Cookie, That Willa.

Despite the scowl, Willa was in a great mood last Saturday when she came up to the St. Nikolaus Markt to visit me at the booth and meet St. Nick. She was having the time of her life, running free through the crowds of people, talking up a storm, laughing like I have never seen her do before. But the moment they met, her demeanor turned flat. I wasn't totally surprised by her fear. My mom has a photo of Chris and me with Santa that was taken when I was about Willa's age, and I'm beet red and screaming for my life. But I didn't really expect this particular reaction from her. She didn't resist it. She paid the man behind the camera and walked cautiously toward the brown-bearded stranger. And when I placed her in his lap, she sat perfectly still, eyes fixed somewhere in the space between the photographer and me, and waited for the torture to end. When it did, she bounced right back to her lively old self. I am amazed that this tiny a person can possess such fortitude! Such composure! So much for a good first impression. Oh well, like Sean says, coal is underrated.

Her First Christmas

Every year, on Christmas Eve, to Grandmother's house we go...Sandy makes chili and tamales and a whole bunch of cookies, and all of the Heeps gather for dinner and a gift exchange. The house overflows with Sean's brothers and sisters and their kids and dogs, and throughout the evening extended relatives and friends drop by. If you are familiar with the family, it's needless for me to say that there is never a dull moment. Willa ate half of a Christmas cookie, got a sugar buzz, and became the center of attention. (Imagine that!) And for Christmas, her Grandma gave her some miniature board books, a retro Fisher-Price Corn Popper, and doll, a sweet little white rocking chair.

Christmas morning came early, as Willa was eager to get up to see what Santa had delivered. Sean and I were only mildly reluctant to roll out of bed at 5:30 and start the festivities. Willa's eyes lit up when she spotted the tree and all of the colorful presents, and she headed straight for the refurbished baby bed, which was thoughtfully passed down from her cousin Alli. In it was her very own Madame Alexander doll, much like my dear old Suzy. After she gave her baby some attention, she delved into the rest of her gifts. She rolled around on her big green donut pillow and devoted minutes (at least) of concentrated play to her wooden stacking blocks and sorting block set. And with my help, she gave her Sit and Spin a whirl. I know she was enjoying herself, even though she never cracked a smile. It was an awful lot for such a little girl to take in. And she is so busy and determined, there just wasn't time for the nonsense of interacting with us. We had pancakes for breakfast and then a good, long nap, while Sean went hunting.

Lunch was spent at Chris's and Wanda's house, where Willa played with her cousin (actually her cousin's cousin,) Gage, who is just a few months older. I forgot to take my camera along, but there were some precious moments shared between the two of them. Willa got MORE presents...some books and puzzles and one of those cute ride-on inch worms.

Finally, we headed to my mom's, where we gorged ourselves with more good food (chicken spaghetti) and opened a ridiculous amount of Christmas presents. Willa's loot included a bunch of fun little items from Dooley's, like noise-making batons, horses, and a Santa light saber of sorts. She also got a barnyard set, a couple of outfits and pajama sets, a little push along car, a melamine feeding set, activity books, and twin African American baby dolls. Once again, she was overwhelmed, overstimulated, and overjoyed with the family and fun.

It was a wonderful first Christmas for Willa. She is so loved by so many. And times like these, spent with family and good friends, always remind me of that. It sure does make a mama proud.

Christmas Time

It finally feels like Christmas at the Heep's. Sean was in charge of outside decorations, and I tackled the tree and anything else interior. He got right on the ball and completed his duties on Thanksgiving weekend. I, on the other hand, came down with a slight bout of the bah-humbugs as soon as I took a look at our dusty artificial tree and considered the daunting task at hand.

My mother's claim to fame is her Christmas Tree. We've even tried to come up with a way for her to parlay this seasonal skill into a full-time career. However, it is probably best that she reserve it for us, rather than letting it become a job. We wouldn't know how to react if she ever lost interest. It is so much fun to see how she will top the previous year. She does it every time, adding an extra strand of twinkle-y lights, rearranging the nostalgic ornaments and sprinkling buckets of fake snow, which, by the way, isn't tacky at ALL! It is always beautiful.

I wish I had inherited that passion of her's when it comes to decorating my own tree. I mean, once I get going, and have gotten past the branch-spreading and light-wrapping, I do enjoy myself. In fact, the other night, as I was putting the final touches on the tree, I stopped to soak it all in. (I know, I say that a lot, I am just so proud of myself when I do it.) Anyway, I realized right then, that as we were all busy doing our things, we were creating Willa's first memories of the holidays, establishing for her, the sense of family and tradition (and all of that warm and fuzzy stuff) that is so important to me. Not that those things didn't matter when it was just the two of us, but now that we have Willa, there's a much greater purpose to everything that we do. And that simple, yet sweet, concept is something I have long craved.

It was a storybook kind of evening...Here we all were, at home on an otherwise quiet Monday night. Sean was in the kitchen cooking up something delicious for dinner (It was spaghetti and it smelled wonderful.) We had a warm fire going and Christmas tunes blaring (one of Sean's fab compilations.) I was singing and dancing (yes, the cd was THAT good) and as I searched for a few vacant branches to place the last of the ornaments, Willa circled the tree, touching and grabbing everything she could, without me noticing. She kept pointing at the bubble lights and saying "hot" (with a silent "h" and a very exaggerated "t.") But the best part was the few times we caught her bobbing to the music. She was really into it, and actually has pretty good rhythm and serious moves. There's the basic bob, which she performs either standing or upright on her knees. She can also "raise the roof" and "dribble" like nobody's business. But most of the time, she just extends her pointer and conducts. One day, I'll teach her my signature Runningman and Roger Rabbit dance moves.

So here are some pictures of our Christmas decor. I'm a less-is-more kind of girl, remember? So the fact that we have a snow-skiing polar bear on the roof is a pretty big deal. Also, notice the snowman...it was a gag wedding gift from my brother, and we have proudly displayed it every year. Today, I'm going to use my Willa-Wednesday to wrap presents at the shop. I'm just feeling so Christmas-y all of a sudden. Must be the decorations.

Christmas Parade '08

Another tradition I'm excited to make ours is attending the Christmas Parade. It was tonight, and we stood out in front of the shop to watch. Willa was in rare form as the marching bands and illuminated floats passed by. She was an observer, for a change, not the star. She worked her flawless parade wave and made a few attempts to say "dog" as the SPCA float rolled by. Other than that, she watched quietly, purely mesmerized. Sean was even impressed. This was his first Christmas Parade, too. He kept talking about how neat it was. So I am pretty confident that this tradition will be a keeper. I've always felt blessed to live in such a charming town, but tonight, I am especially appreciative.

A Big Month Ahead

December is here! That means its time to start preparing for Willa's First Christmas (pause) and also her First Birthday. As tempting and natural as it would be to simply lump them together, these two very significant milestones deserve some individual attention. Willa's birthday may fall only two short days after Christmas, but mark my words, it will not be overshadowed. It'll be a busy week for sure, but I'm a mom on a mission, and I embrace the challenge. I've rounded up some great gift ideas for each occasion. And these are my favorites:

(Clockwise from the top) Kit+Lili Big Red Dot Dress, Wooden Stacking Chicken, Elephant Puzzle and Carrying Case, Monkey-in-the-Box, Eco-friendly Doll Stroller, Madame Alexander Doll (just like Suzy,) Olive Felted Wool Boots, Wooden Puppy Pull Toy, Elmo, Colorful Wooden Building Blocks, Pretty Christmas Stocking, Slipper-fetching Hound

(Clockwise from the Top) Owl Beanie, Mod Teepee, Classic Sit-n-Spin, Plush Bunnies, Designer Denim, Pink Donut Pillow (in lieu of the dog beds,) Wooden Sorting Blocks, Actual Sneakers, Activity Book for the Outdoor-sy Girl, Numero Uno Tee over Long Sleeve Kit+Lili Wave Tee

There Is A Bright Side

Considering the recession, the past weekend went as expected. Black Friday didn't put us in the BLACK. We're making ourselves rather comfortable in the RED, actually, as I've resolved to the fact that its going to take a while to get out of this. Sales have been soft for several months now, and the effects of that have gradually added up. Credit cards and industry factors, which I use to buy merchandise, have imposed new limits on my accounts, so instantly I've become "maxed out" and cut-off. The burn is that I am contractually obligated to orders I placed months ago, so the goods are still being shipped, just as C.O.D's. And as I prepay for this excess merchandise, I in turn, render myself unable to pay down the credit card and factor debt. Its a perpetual downward cycle, and I could make myself sick worrying about it. BUT I'm not. And that's the good news, and the reason for this post. After a mediocre weekend at the shop, I decided to take Sunday off and spend it at home with Sean and Willa. I'm so glad I did because it put things into perspective and cured my bad attitude. Instead of tainting this season with financial woe, I will use my past 7 years of experience to ride the retail rollercoaster with a cool head, even though it is currently more frightening than fun. This week, I will assess the situation, and devise a plan to best salvage the remainder of 2008. I'll just keep doing the best I can. And I certainly won't let it spoil the holidays. Money will be tighter than expected, but luckily, Willa doesn't need much. This has given us a nudge toward the things that matter most, not presents under the tree, but family and holiday tradition. Don't get me wrong, there will be presents, but they will not be the focus. And it will be the best Christmas ever.