BOGO Christmas Special

At long last, the Hansel and Gretel boots are here. This design was created late one night over a year ago after reading the children the classic bedtime story. I never intended for these to be my first manufactured product, but I had overwhelming interest from one international customer and ended up taking them into production.



They are made of white faux fur with tan suede straps. The boots are lined with organic fleece, have a tan outsole made out of recycled rubber, and have velcro closure. Each pair comes in an organic cotton labeled fabric bag.



The shoes are available in size 1-7. The Hansel boots have straps, while the Gretel boots feature adjustable laces.

SHOE SIZE CHART
Size........ Age(months).......Outer Sole of shoe, in Inches
..1................0-3................... 4"
..2................3-6................... 4.5"
..3................6-12..................5"
..4................12-18.................5.5"
..5................18-24................5.75"
..6................24+....................6"
..7................24+....................6.25"
Sizes relative to age serves as a guide only. Whenever possible, I recommend measuring to ensure proper fit.

HOW TO MEASURE
Have your child stand on a piece of paper {wearing socks or tights, however he/she would wear the shoes} and mark the toe and heel. Measure the distance, then add 1/4" - 1/2" depending on how much growing room is desired.

ABOUT DURABILITY
Please keep in mind that these shoes have soft soles. This makes them light-weight and comfortable for your little one. The rubber soles are thin, flexible, and waterproof, not heavy and stiff. They are durable enough to handle all outdoor surfaces, but are not recommended for heavy playground use.



Mia Joie is an eco-friendly and boutique line of products with limited availability. Normal retail price is $32.50, but I am offering a Buy One, Get One 50% Off Sale now through December 17th or until they sell out {whichever comes sooner.} All domestic boot orders will ship on or before December 18 and arrive in 2-3 days. International customers, please contact me for shipment details and pricing.

Due to some problems with the launch of my website, I am offering this sale via the paypal link below. The honest truth is that it breaks my heart a little to offer them this way. Due to the limited usage of a paypal button, the price of both boots are combined {$32.50 for the first pair, $16.25 for the second.} You will need to put the style and size of your two pairs in the "add special instructions to seller": i.e. Gretel, size 3 and Hansel, size 5. Or if you want the same style in two sizes: Gretel size 1 and 5. If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Hanse / Gretel Boots

2 Pair Hansel / Gretel Boots $48.75 1 Pair Hansel / Gretel Boots $32.50

Happy Birthday, Dad!

This is a picture of my parents taken six months before I was born. Don't you love the afro? Today is my dad's birthday--53. Happy Birthday, Dad!

I love this photo because it reminds me of how young and passionate {and sort of crazy} my parents were. I think it was a year before this photo was taken, my dad was going to college in California. He hitch-hiked from Northern California to Southern Florida to see my mom. He was shot at, almost run over, and hit on {by a priest} during the course of his journey. It's an interesting story.

My dad is generous, spiritual, silly, and impulsive. He is a prayer warrior. He is a to-do list maker and a believer in possibility. When I was in grade school, I remember he told me that I was especially smart and especially strong and I could do anything I wanted to. Because I was 7, I believed him. In fact, it's a part of me now that I am especially thankful for. There are many decisions I wouldn't have risked if those words from my dad weren't embedded in me. So, now I tell my children that they are handsome/beautiful, smart, and strong... and that they can achieve amazing things in life and that God created them for a special purpose.

Thanks, Dad, for your strength, faith, and silliness. Happy Birthday!

They're Here!

Additional details will follow....

Raelynn Boots

Available here in a Paypal link at 9 pm CST tonight. Size 3-8, $38.


SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in 4 minutes. Wow--that was quick! Much faster than Etsy.

Red Boots and the Perfect Teacher Gift

It's that time of year where everyone gets a gift: co-workers, bosses, mailmen, teachers--all of them. The world of virtual shopping is a saving grace for moms like me that would rather have a non-medicated root canal than shop the holiday rush with two kiddos in tow. So, to help lighten your shopping load, I highly recommend buying your teacher gifts from my friend, Kelly. She makes adorable and affordable little apple stationery sets that are personalized with the recipient's name. In addition, they come in super cute bags that might look a bit familiar ;) You can check out additional details here.

Though you can't tell in her picture below, Kelly and I are both red heads--crazy, creative, night-owl red heads. It's not uncommon for us to both be up at 2 am texting each other, snickering over our fashion tastes or poor sleeping habits. Kelly is viviacious and unabashed. She is the kinda girl who looks amazing in a cocktail dress held up by duct tape and just might wear boots with the tops cut off with pinking shears. I love you and your crazy ways, Kelly--don't ever change.



I was also able to finally photograph the red velvet boots. They are lined with organic cotton and have a satin poppy.



They pull on and have black rubber soles. I recommend them for walking babies.


***RED VELVET BOOTS ARE SOLD OUT!!***

As promised, I will list some tall boots tonight. However, the last time I listed items on Etsy it was too inefficient and frustrating on my end. Etsy isn't made for items that get snapped up and sell out. Since my website is not completed, I am going to start listing items in my blog. I will be listing each style of boots on a separate day. Tonight I will be listing the red boots ONLY, size 3-8 for $38 each. They will be listed here IN THIS POST at 9 pm CST in a paypal link.

The reason I am listing only the red boots is because I haven't sold a high volume off a paypal button. I want to make sure it will work without glitches before I offer hundreds of the white furry boots that way. Also, just to clarify, the BOGO {buy one, get one 50% off} special applies only to these boots. As soon as I know the Paypal link can handle lots of people shopping at once, I will post the white boots with the sale.

I know--it's confusing. I'm confused. Or maybe it's just that my sanity is hanging on by a thread over the current screaming of my kiddos. If a Paypal link makes you uncomfortable, don't worry! I will have my website up soon, and you can wait to make a purchase then. However, I know that it's Christmas and some people are anxious, so I am doing the best I can given the circumstances. Please feel free to ask all sorts of questions in the comments in this post, and I will answer. And don't forget about those cute apple cards!

See {some of} you at 9 pm CST tonight.

Happy Birthday, Robert!

"Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is active, effective, a matter of being reciprocal and mutually beneficial.

Love creates righteousness, or justice, here on earth. Loving involves struggle, resistance, risk. The most compelling relationships demand hard work, patience, and a willingness to endure tensions and anxiety in creating mutually empowering bonds.

For this reason loving involves commitment. Love does not just happen. We are not love machines, puppets on the strings of a deity called 'love.' Love is a choice -- not simply, or necessarily, a rational choice, but rather a willingness to be present to another without pretense or guile. Love is a conversion to humanity -- a willingness to participate with another in the healing of a broken world and broken lives. Love is the choice to experience life as a member partner in the dance of life." ~C. Heyward*

Thank you, Robert, for being a wonderful father and an excellent provider, but most of all for your steadfast commitment to an always growing and better us. I love you!

P.S. Thank you, too, for being minimally begrudging in letting me take your photo. You wear your 30's well, baby! ;)

*note: I have some major theological disagreements with Heyward, but I think her excerpted summation of a committed loving relationship is spot on.

Tall Boots

I think this post would be more appropriate titled "Flaky" for two reasons. One of those is because it dumped thick, heavy snow flakes on us here in Houston today. Now, you Northern folks are probably thinking, what's the big deal? But it snows so seldom here in Houston that when it does, it is in fact a very big deal: schools close, businesses shut down early, and everyone murmurs a very solemn "be safe" to those brave enough to drive in it. I'm not kidding! That's how it is!

For me, it is a quiet exultation to see the ground covered in wintry white. I miss the seasons that demarcate the coming and going of each year. I miss the winter experience: pink cheeks, fireside glow, hot chocolate, cozy-tucked-inside feeling... all that. So, I sent the kiddos outside to experience it.

Mia must have her father's blood because she was indignant and immediately wanted back inside. Then, when her hands turned pink from warming after the chill, she was sputtering, "Hands! Hands! Hands!" as if they would come clean off. {Yes--she was outside without gloves for all of 10 minutes. We don't own any.}



Aidan loved it and was happy to roll around it in. {The snow was very, very wet.} He also had strong opinions that his jacket was unnecessary {ironic considering the birthday pictures} and given to his own volition, he would have been happy to play outside all afternoon in a t-shirt and crocs.



"About the woodlands I will go,
to see the cherry hung with snow."
~A.E. Housman

I love the snow! It was gorgeous! I don't know why I seem to always be making the same ridiculously solemn expression...



I was able to get just a few pictures of Mia in some new boots, the Raelyn. They are so cute, much cuter than they look in the pictures in fact...



I cut all the patterns extra wide; the boots tie in the back, so they can be worn snug with tights or looser to accommodate pants. I also accidentally cut a size 8 pattern, so I decided I will offer a small selection in that size as well.



The second reason this post should be titled flaky is because I know I am changing dates all the time. I said I would list some items Saturday morning, and I am not going to. One of those reasons is because the fuzzy boots are still held up in customs. I can't even accurately articulate how I feel about that. {It's not good.} Also, I have several additional styles of tall boots, but it was just too wet to shoot them. The snow was so thick that it came down in a mixture of flurries and rain, and everything was cold and sopping wet before I was able to get all the images I need.

This week has been much, much too stressful for me. Between the midnight conference calls, website content, and other business growth projects, I've been up until the wee hours every night. I have been falling asleep fully clothed with all the lights on, then waking up around 2 or 3 am, acquiescing my to-do list with a feeling of defeat. Robert is working a lot right now. It's the kid's birthdays. Robert's birthday is Sunday. The timing of everything just feels wrong. All wrong.

The furry boots were originally supposed to launch in August. August! G'ah! How did we get to December?! The good news is that you know I am an avid planner, so I have some ideas to avoid these kinds of delays in the future. Furthermore, I know exactly what I need to do to have better balance. {I'll tell you more later.}

The listing of the tall boots in a range of sizes and styles has been moved to Monday evening, 9 pm CST. If you want a sneak peak of the riding boots, click here. Thank you for your patience--and I mean than with utter sincerity. Have a lovely weekend!