Sunday, November 22, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

Hot tea on cold days.

Foggy mornings.

The days we have a little extra time before school, and all Rowan wants to do is hop in the front seat and read to me while we wait.


Kindness from friends and neighbors.

Hope.

Zo always wanting to help.  Their new favorite thing to  do is quiz Rowan on her spelling words...although illustrating all the words for Zo to "read" is it's own challenge!


Trips to the library.

Adventures with my kids.  In our one mile walk down town, hereafter known as "our long journey", we found a mystery, possibly solved it, and almost found a portal into a magical world.

Creative kids.

Helpers in the kitchen.


Getting ready for a busy Black Friday and Small business Saturday.  I hope everyone will remember to shop local and bring their visiting friends and families downtown too!

Beginning the shop holiday decorating, it really gets me into the holiday spirit.


A great meeting with Rowan's teacher.

Cute school pictures.

The amazing teachers and staff at Redwood school, I feel very lucky that my kids get to be in such a caring environment.

Surprise visits with Grammy and cousins.


For the kids and hubby having this week off of school.

Sweet conversations of day dreams and ideas.

These sweet and silly kids, they remind me every day how lucky Marshall and I are.


Monday, November 16, 2015

Your Downtown Depends On You

 
Holiday's are right around the corner.  That means cool weather, family gatherings and holiday shopping are also right around the corner.  Fort Bragg downtown is ready for you, lovely locals and visitors alike.  We have stocked our shops full and are just waiting for you to get in here! 


The big push for Shop Local has calmed down with the economy picking up in the past years, but don't stop! We still need you to shop local, shop downtown and shop with small business to keep our downtown vibrant.  The more you shop the more we can grow.  Of course when you shop local your tax dollars stay here, which is great.  But, when you shop local you are also supporting your friends and neighbors.   You are helping us pay rent, and put food on the table.  Your support means the world to your local shop keepers. So put together your holiday shopping list and come downtown, we can help you check off those lists.


See you Downtown!

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Gratitude Sundy

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:


The chill in the air.

The holiday season beginning.

The lovely wedding we were lucky to be a part of.

My two sweet kids.  They loved being a part of their Aunt & Uncle's wedding.

Getting to spend some time with some of my aunts, uncles and cousins whom I rarely see.

Looking forward to our holiday visitors.  (I can't wait to have the extended Carr family up again this year!!!)

Christmas fast approaching!

Elves and gnomes and Christmas decorations.


All the new coziness at Pippi's.

Kids tights finally arriving at Pippi's!

Card games with Ro and Zo.

Stone soup with Rowan's class.




My Grammy visiting this holiday season.

Quite time with Marshall.

Cuddling up and reading books with the kids.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 

The leaves from last years gratitude tree.


{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

Rain.

Mornings of story time and toddler chatter.

Working with my girl.


The opportunity to spend one on one time with Zoey this year.

Helping in Rowan's class.

Spending time with friends.

Having one of Marshall's best friends living in town; it is so good to spend time with someone who has known him longer than I have, and is so sweet and easy to spend time with, (I can totally be myself and not worry because he is all love and 100% supportive of us always.)

Halloween fun.


Spending time with my parents.

The special traditions that my parents are making with my kids; like "Nino's Circus" they love it and totally associate it with Gaga and Baba.  (I am so happy that they will always treasure these moments.)

Small town traditions.

Supporting local businesses.


Unexpected offers of help.  Even when I can't accept the help the thought is so meaningful.

My family.

The Gratitude tree, we started ours this morning.



Story time.

Cuddles.

Quiet times.


Looking forward to a wonderful celebration at the end of this week...my little brother is getting married!!!  Looking forward to this special day and  the gathering of family to celebrate our family and our hearts expanding once again.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

The little bit of rain we have been getting, I hope there is more on the way.

The kids I have at Pippi's they are such great people.

Rowan's teacher, she is wonderful.

Fun days.

Harvest Festival with the kids, I loved to watch them do the sack race.


Planning surprises with Zo.  Zo LOVES to surprise Rowan.
Rowan and Zo's love of books just growing and growing. 

I am reading the new illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with the kids, I am so happy to be sharing it with them.

Make your own pizza night.



A nice weekend with my family, it is going to be our last mellow weekend for a while...

Pumpkin carving with the family.
 

Endless hugs from my kids.

Rowan's growing independence.

The extra time I am spending with Zo lately, it has been very special.

I love how proud they are of their creations.



Thursday, October 15, 2015

Winter is Coming...


Yes, winter is coming, and hopefully bringing cooler weather and rain to the Mendo Coast!
You can see by the coziness that Pippi's is packed with, that cool weather is just around the corner.
Just look at all this goodness:


We have plenty of coziness in store for you. Hats, gloves, warmers and obviously socks.
One of my favorite things to do is cozy up on the couch with a good book and my cashmere socks after a long day, but guys like to get cozy too, so we have them covered as well.
Our men's section has expanded, guys it's time to fill up your sock drawer.  We have everything from crazy to classic to cashmere socks for men as well, so come in and stock up.

Ladies don't forget about tights for your fall wardrobe!  They are super trendy right now and always practical on the coast! Pippi's has more colors and patterns then ever before, and we also have the perfect black opaque tight, (seriously though you need it!)


When it comes to wool socks everyone loves Smarwool, and we have them.  But we also have great wool options from B.ella and Socksmith this season.   Treat your feet for fall at Pippi's!

Boot toppers, legwarmers, boot socks, lounge socks, slipper socks knee socks, we have it all!
Don't let winter catch you under-prepared, update your wardrobe, step up your sock game and get cozy.  Pippi's is ready for winter are you?


Sunday, October 4, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

Socktober.

The amount of people in this small community that care so deeply for one another.

The open honest answers that Kathy Babcock and Cynthia Audo for School Board 2015 gave at the school board debate this week.

Hope for positive change in this school district.

That trips to the library make this girl, this happy!


Lovely days with my little Zoey, (I feel like I have to soak it all in before she is off to school 5 days a week next year!)

Special traditions.

Sunrises and sunsets and sharing them with my family.

October first pumpkin ice cream at cowlicks.


The amazing teachers and staff at Redwood School, I am so happy to see how proud and cared for my daughter feels when she comes home from school.

Great visits with family.

Learning new board games.

Chickens in my yard.  (Although I wish the egg production was still going strong!  Darn shorter days!)

This beautiful place we live.


Pippi's filling up for fall with cozy goodness and perfect gifts.

An old Pippster coming back to help us out this holiday season. 

Watching my dear Marshall's podcast following grow. He has even been receiving care packages from fans!!! Check it out... The Usual Podcast ... they cover geek and pop culture as well as everything star wars and SWTOR.

Coffee in bed.

Sweet kids, and sweet birthday parties.

Sunday mornings.


Sweet gifts from Zoey, pictures and cutouts delivered many times a day.

Rowan telling me about Frida Kahlo this morning! (I love Frida Kahlo and thank you to Mrs. Reynolds, I love being surprised by these tidbits of cool stuff she is being introduced too!)

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Socktober Sock Drive

Well sock lovers and Pippi friends, as you may remember we have been doing fun Socktober things for quite a few years now at Pippi's.  This year we will be doing a little something more.

Pippi's will be participating in  Kid President's  Socktober event.




We will be having a NEW Sock Drive all month long. 
This is what we are going to do:
100 pairs of the socks we collect will be donated locally to the homeless in our community, everything we collect on top of that will be donated to our neighbors affected by the valley fires.
In addition, Pippi's will contribute 100 pairs of socks on top of  what we collect in store.

We will also be doing our awesome in store raffle (because we love treating our customers!)
You can enter the raffle 2 ways:
Spend $50 in store
or
Buy a pair of Pippi Socks for our Socktober new sock donation drive.
or you can just go ahead and do both!

The donations will be totaled and donated November 2nd and the raffle winner will be picked.
Happy Socktober, I hope you come in and help us do something awesome!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

The rain.

A lovely birthday gathering for my mom, so happy to spend another year (many more) with her.


Fall, finally I can wear sweaters, tights and cozy socks every day!

The generosity of our community.

The great turn out at the city council meeting!  I am so grateful for all the locals who showed up to support social services in our downtown.

The many opportunities that I have to show my kids that by helping others and getting involved we can make changes in our world.

Making a new curry soup recipe that the whole family enjoyed!

Playing outside with my kids.

Harvesting seeds for next year.


The great teacher and class Rowan has this year.

The opportunity to volunteer in Rowan's class.  Zo came and had an amazing time, and I really enjoyed getting to meet and work with some of the students that I don't yet know. What a sweet group!

Rowan gaining confidence in the social aspect of school.  She has made a few new friends in this class and is feeling pretty happy about it.

For time with my two lovely nieces.


The awesome downtown we have.  Visitors and locals alike tell us at Pippi's all the time what a joy it is to shop here.  I love hearing from visitors that they wait to shop in Fort Bragg because they don't want to support the box stores near them.

The amount of love our customers have for our little sock shop.  Thank you !!!


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Segregation of our Downtown


Each day the National news has stories of injustice, brutality and bigotry.

Even now, in 2015 social and racial equality, and justice are hard to come by, even in Fort Bragg.

In Fort Bragg this has become painfully obvious with the group "The Concerned Citizens" of Fort Bragg trying to put an initiative on the ballot to ban all Social Services from our downtown.

Why you may wonder, why in the world would anyone want to do that?

Why would a group of "concerned citizens" ban services that help people who are in some kind of need?

This group of people are the same group that was against the Hospitality House using the Old Coast Hotel as a wellness center. Because they are hell bent on taking the Wellness Center at the Old Coast down, they are willing to take other social services down with it.

The CCFB obviously do not want help the homeless and mentally ill that would use the Wellness center at the Old Coast. They would rather not see them at all. But they have also now attacked every social service that our town offers, (which is a lot.) No social service business would be able to locate, re-locate, expand or move in Fort Bragg Downtown.

Our downtown or the "central business district" is just that. It is centrally located and easy to get to. Yes, we want people to come downtown to shop, bank, eat, and I think to fulfill their social service needs. I do not think that anyone would be served better by having to go, farther, like say, the other side of the tracks, to get services.

I have a businesses in our central business district and I am not worried that helping people will hurt my business. I do not think that our retail and other businesses are so fragile. I bank downtown, walk downtown with my family, and shop downtown, and I am not afraid to do so. I am afraid of allowing people in our community to be treated so unjustly.

If we let this hateful initiative on the ballot , that is just doing this whole town a disservice. Fort Bragg has a reputation of being progressive in helping those in need.  Right now in our downtown we already have social services offered at Parent's and Friends, Art Explorers, Project Sanctuary, and of course the Hospitality House. These businesses would have to stay where they are not move or expand in our downtown, and none of our other great social services would be able to relocate into our downtown.

This initiative is wrong and hateful on so many levels.
If you are approached to sign an initiative please, do not sign it!
We can't let hatred, fear and prejudice make decisions for our city.

Join me, at the next city council meeting.  Let's show the "concerned citizens" of Fort Bragg  and our city council that we do not agree with this measure being put on the ballot. 
The meeting is September 14th at 6pm at Town Hall.
Meet me early and get a button and some more information regarding this issue. 
I will be at  Perfect Circle T'ai Chi at 330 N. Franklin St. at
5:30 pm
, lets walk to the meeting together!

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

Days with my little girl.

Reading with my big girl.

New sweetness at Pippi's.

My mom and dad and their 36 years of marriage. 

Dinners from our garden.

Working with like minded folk to bring awareness to local issues.

Craft Fairs.

Face paint.

My brother and his family.

A old friend moving to town.

Hand-me-downs.

Our towns Labor day traditions.


Sunday, August 30, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

This week has been, crazy busy but also crazy good.  I feel exhausted but happy.

We had a nice treat this week with a visit from the best man in our wedding, and happy news that he will be moving here!!! Hooray!

We also had our annual visit with my grandma.  She gets to the states once a year, and I am always grateful to spend time with her.

Catching up with my aunts as well, I always enjoy our talks.

We got lots of boxes with great socks in this week.  Hint... novelty bamboo socks from Socksmith... Trust me, you will want them all.


We got many new, reusable, grocery and gift bags as well.

That Zoey's close encounter with a wooden swing only left her with a few scratches.

Family gatherings, the laughter at the kids table, and watching cousin shenanigans. (It reminds me of the Turner cousins when we were small.)

My little reader.  She follows one of my favorite rules, never leave the house without a book.

 

Grandma and Grandpa Carr visited this weekend as well, and we had a blast.  Grandma and Rowan also found a few good books at The Bookstore downtown.

Grandpa and Zoey went on a crazy ride...of course a good time was had by all.



Sisters, walk to schools, sunny days and silly faces.



Finally a bit of time to catch up with my mom.

Back to school night at Redwood, it is a great school with so many sweet teachers.

Great big zucchinis in our garden, and tomatoes turning red.


I hope that next week is a bit more mellow but just as full of love.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Gratitude Sunday

Inspired by:  Wooly Moss Roots -Simply Joys of a Soulful Life Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 



{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
This week I am thankful for:

So I missed a few weeks.  Life, it's is too good to stop and write about sometimes.  This Sunday is a catch up gratitude day.

I am so grateful for:

Summer time.

Reading time.

Quiet river time.



Time with my family in the woods, unplugged from the world.

 My kids getting to spend quality time with their Aunties.



Spending time with my sister.

Long talks and quiet walks.

Game nights.

Watching my kids enjoy and study the world.


New socks at Pippi's.

Rowan and Zo always wanting to help with work at Pippi's.

Working with my kids at Pippi's.


First day of school sweetness.



Rowan loving her school and her teacher.

Teachers that genuinely care for their students.

People who work to change the system for the better.

Spending time with my little niece.

Cousin love.



Living in a community that works to take care of each other.

The kindness and generosity of others.

Passion in the day to day, art, work, community  and family.

And as much as I love summers with my family, I am grateful to get back into a little routine with my day to day life.  Sometimes it feels like it's slowing down and sometimes like it's speeding up, but either way it's good.