Going Home

It's been a really long weekend here, I have been offline for most of it.  My apologies if I am a bit late on responding to any emails, please bear with me and know that I will get to them first thing Monday.  Folks who are waiting for info about the Design your Dream DFH contest, I will have that for you Monday as well.

We have spent this weekend quietly hanging out with our kiddos.  We took a much needed break so we can adjust to our new dynamic.  For the first time in months, things feel like they are starting to be on track again...where they should be.

So what is going on?  I will get to that but first, let me share some of the past few months with you...

This year has been quite a struggle...DFH has been great...same as usual, our home...not so much.  My mom started getting sick and not improving sometime after the holidays.  Her health had been bad before but this time she was not bouncing back quite like she used to.  She spent the earlier part of the year in and out of the hospital.

Meanwhile, those of you who know me personally, already know that sometime back in March, my oldest, Brenna, was in a serious car accident.  In the wee hours of the night, she totaled her car on the freeway and ended up in a 5 car pile up.  She was injured, but not life threatening, head injury, ribs, neck...the usual for such a crash.  Luckily the car did what it was supposed to do...it kept her alive.

Needless to say we were all seriously rattled by it all. 

The day after the accident, I received word that my mom had, yet again, been rushed to the hospital.  That week seemed like it would never end.

We spent the next few weeks recuperating from all the trauma.  The family overall was pretty shook up and my littles only wanted to stay home with everyone.  They did not want to come into the shop.  They did not want us to go in either.  As I said, stressful family times.

We spent a lot of time talking about what was important and what changes we should make to bring us back to the path we should be on as a family.  We pondered several different scenarios.

Then, what we knew was coming since earlier this year, happened.  After several months of suffering  from one illness after another, my mom passed away quietly in her sleep earlier this past week.  She is at rest now...no more Doctors, no more illness.  Friday would have been her 76th birthday. 

Yeah, its been a long week.

(That baby is me btw)

So, why am I telling you all this now? I promise, I do not want to bum you out.
I wanted to share this all with you because these things are what led up to our decision that life is way too short to spend it running around like crazy and not spending as much time as possible with family. 

It is time for a change....time to make our family our main priority once again.  Time to bring it all back home again.

We have decided that we will be closing the physical shop on Austin St. here in town at the end of the month.  Don't worry, DFH will indeed still be around making amazing dolls...I enjoy doll making way too much to give it up.  Our team is going to work from the comfort of our homes.
My self included.

Yes, the number of dolls we make each week will decrease a bit, as well as the availability of clothing and critters.   We apologize, but we need to make this change for us, I am sure you understand.

Weekly uploads will continue as usual....with weeks off from time to time as my family goes out of town on trips. 

We are pretty excited about working from home again.  I am and have always been in my heart of hearts, first and foremost, a homeschooling mom of six kiddos.  I look forward to lots more time spent at the zoo, museums and parks instead of working in a shop all day.  The ladies and I will meet up once a week to assemble and visit.  It will be a nice calm pace. I have a nice little workspace all set up so I can sit quietly and create in the quiet of my little area...and hear the precious sound of my family all around me while I do so. 

The ladies last day working in the shop will be this Friday...Robert and I will spend the next week moving the rest of the furniture out.  It will be weird to see it empty again.

I will miss the shop.  But I am happily looking forward to this new chapter for us all.

Spring Faeries - May 2015

It's that time of year again.  

A time when spring flowers bloom and rainy mornings give way to sunny afternoons.  Some days are warm and others have a small chill.  

Each day brings what seems to be a new surprise for us to see.  

Our Spring Faeries fit right in with this.  A few times a year we are visited by seasonal Faeries.  They arrive all shapes and sizes, in vivid color with dramatic clothing and gorgeous wings.

They are impish and playful.

Calm and serene

They love playing with animal friends

and other Faerie friends

Some even love to play by the water with their water loving friends and sisters

No matter who they are with, they are great friends and always ready for adventure of all sorts

Spring Faeries are quite special as they only come along once a year.  When you see them, be sure to pay attention, because once they are gone, they are gone for the rest of the year.

To see their full previews, visit our Flickr page...

FLICKR

Our Spring Faeries will be available for adoption on Thursday 5/14 at 6pm central US time