Sasha

So I feel like I’ve been staring at this blinking cursor for a long time, and I’m not entirely sure how this blog post will go so bare with me if it comes out a bit scattered. These past few weeks have been great with Chic Sweets, wedding season, is full steam ahead…but like a turtle, when things aren’t great, I feel myself go inside of myself and I’m not sure why.  Well…I do…but I’m one of those weirdly superstitious people that sometimes believe that if you don’t say it out loud, it won’t happen. Yes…I know…evidently I’m nine years old.

You see…my dog, Sasha is dying of cancer.

Dying.

And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

Sasha is a husky and has been with me for thirteen years. When I was 20 and in college, I brought her to my parents and told them the pet store had loaned her to me as part of a new “loaner program” they had. Truthfully, I had just scored a credit card on campus (free Gator shirt included) and decided that same day I wanted a  dog. But not just any dog. A husky I had my eye on for a few weeks, while working at the mall. Did it make sense, at the time? Considering I was surviving on Ramen noondes, not really. But for me, that was the start of my family, and my new beginning.

So today, I decided to come up with my own “I’m grateful” list, in honor of everything she has taught me and our family.

Sasha–

1. I’m grateful that you have watched me grow up, been there for every moment in college, snuggled with me through every tear shed over silly boys  and tolerated my drunken debaucheries (only a few mom, I swear)

2. I’m grateful for every escape you have had, the escape artist you are. You swam in the lake for hours, ran with the cows and horses and have had numerous neighbors searching for you on more than one occassion. The best escape was when you disappeared for two days, and only found you after posting numerous reward signs across town.

3. I’m grateful I have such an amazing husband that loves you more than anything and is even more sad than me that you will be leaving us soon.

4. I’m grateful you understood when our family had to grow. From you to four children your spot in the middle of our bed soon disappeared. I’m sorry for that Sash.

5. I’m grateful that you treated your brothers with love, despite their usual craziness. You always were “it” when they played hide-n-go-seek and when I saw you creep under our bed for a moment of silence, I knew why.

6. I’m grateful for every shoe you chewed up, the chocolate bunny you swallowed during Easter and to this day I still don’t know how you chewed up a corner of the bed, literally. You ate the foam, padding, everything. How did you do that?

7. I’m grateful you have taught my children huge lessons about love, sickenss and what happens when you die. My children have learned so much from the love you have shared. They amaze me with their understanding of where you will be going and when I cannot stop crying, my children are the first to remind me that you are going to “doggie heaven where doggie Jesus is.”

8. I’m grateful even though your doctor has given you no more than a few days, that you continue to run, play and hang out with your youngest brother after the others have worn you out.

9. I’m grateful for all the stories you have given me, your daddy, your abuelos and our children. So many stories that we will be able to remember you by every single day. My favorite was when you escaped and scared the wits out of our neighbor’s son who had just come home from college. You woke him up that morning with a lick and a scream.

10. Most of all, I’m grateful that I had YOU. And when your time comes, all I will be able to say that I love you and that you are the BEST dog anyone could have. Thank you for choosing me from that pet store window. Thank you, thank you, thank you Sasha.

Love, your Mommy.

Hello July! Lookin’ Good…

Helly Everyone! Hope all of you are having a great week. I’m looking forward to this post since I checked out June’s Goals and realized that amazingly, I’m doing well for tackling some big goals I was hoping to get through. Wahoooo!

So here we go….July:

Business: Giving myself a gold star for reorganzing my workspace. Spring wedding season was craziness so it felt good to purge, organize, file, update calendars, etc. Honestly, there is so much truth that a clean, clutter-free workspace really does make a difference. Other items I still have to tackle include updating my web gallery with this year’s weddings which is completely overdue.

Another biggie for this month is evaluating our client experience from the moment we make our initial contact to how we continue to connect with them through their process with us. As I work through this, I’m looking forward to sharing some pictures and a little glimpse into how this looks for us.

Wife: I’ve lost hope on the whole vacation realities and yes, it may sound sad but with Baby P, the  boys, work, life…you know…I’m pretty much okay with that. Unless we are working, we aim make the most out of every weekend and I’m perfectly okay with our weekend “stay-cations”.  Maybe in the next coming months–we’ll see…it’s still a goal (sort of).

Family: We are in the midst of summertime with the boys–camps and a mix of mama’s “special field trips.” Exhausting. Um, yes. But every amazing moment makes up for any “I’m too tired” moment times infinity. Does that make sense? Our Sunday church-going days are still a challenge. Personally my faith is always changing, growing but can’t rally the family in time for Sunday mornings. Ugh! Work in progress…work in progress…

Me: I’m happy to have made some leeway since last month. Thrilled to be running again and hopefully back on track. Running has been a passion of mine for years but since this last pregnancy I’ve been completely disconnected from all of it so it feels darn good to get out. I’m starting to feel like me again and it’s been awhile since that has happened.

So there it is. Soooo long June–I have no idea where you went!

Natalie

Taking a Break with Baby P

Hello everyone! Well, today I decided to interrupt my planned post to share a little glimse into a 26lb bundle of joy that I have the priviledge to hang out with on a daily basis. It’s really difficult to put into words what this time with Preston has meant for me.  With my other boys, life was very different. I would see my boys two times a day, before dropping them off to their (god send, amazing day nanny/mommy #2) and then at night around 6:30PM when I got home from work. It wasn’t easy and although I certainly loved the work I was doing, I felt inadequate as a wife and a mama and as the “boss man” would tell me….”you just weren’t really fun to hang out with.”

Now since my big move a few months ago, my life has shifted in such a big have-to-pinch myself way. To even just wake up in the morning and know that I’m going to see my boys more than I ever did, is still hard to swallow. And yes, with running Chic Sweets and taking care of Preston…I can feel the stress, but I’ve decided to take each day in stride and if I can accomplish a few things…I’m happy.

If not, I’m still happy.

1. Spend quiet time in the morning with Baby P. Have breakfast together.

2. Catch up on Chic Sweets. Clean out inbox. Make phonecalls. (Baby P nap time)

3. Go for a walk to the park. Swingtime.

4. More Chic Sweets work but if I can’t, computer gets shut down.

5. Spence and Carson (Between camps, I have them most of the time as well)

6. Boss man comes home…dinner…family time

7. Chic Sweets work when everyone (including the boss man) is asleep

Does any of this happen everytime? Nope, not a chance, but I’m learning to be okay with that. And really, one look at this face and I’m constantly reminded to just be in the moment and enjoy the place I’m in right now. Perfect, not perfect…but extremely blessed.

Have a wonderful and amazing 4th of July everyone! Will return with some great dessert tables SOON!

Natalie

POOL TIME!

Me and the Boss Man (I’m much more fun to hang out with–HAHAHA)

Hello June!

How it it June already? Seriously, June???? Wow. This week has felt slightly odd…spring wedding season wrapped up last weekend for us and I finally have a moment to breathe. Since these past few weeks have been a blur of babies, weddings, events and toddlers, I’m highly determined to get back on track…so I’m sharing a glimpse into my goals for this month:

Buisness: Goodness. Must devote energy into reorganizing my workspace. Spring wedding season hit us hard and the fact that I’m still staring at February’s calendar on my desk is not a good sign. Can’t wait to get started. Also need to start looking into the coming weeks ahead and working on schedule. Take Lara Casey’s Challenge again which is an exercise that I absolutely love to do and always puts me back on track. And finally, taking some much needed time to the website, making some changes and adding a big extension onto Chic Sweets. Details to come soon…

Family: Summertime is here! The summer is here and I have my boys the majority of the time but between a few camps they are signed up for and spending time with their favorite person (amazing caregiver, Carmen), the summer should be busy. And of course, my sidekick Baby P is with me at all times…so let’s just say life is interesting, fun and chaotic all wrapped in one. But honestly, I’m really aiming to more intentional with my time so when the Chic Sweets “hat” is off, it’s off!

Wife: Last night Steve turned to me and said, “It feels weird not to be working late at night. I feel like something is missing.” I didn’t let that statement settle in until today and I guess what’s missing is time with eachother…minus the work. And that my friends, can be hard to do. Working on it!

Me: Spring wedding season is coming to a close and I’m looking forward to coming out of hibernation and spending time with special girlfriends. Also something I’ve been avoiding for seven months now….my health and weight. Having a third child can really take a toll on your body but I can honestly say I’ve made little effort do anything about it. Can’t I just wake up and fit into all my clothes again? No??? Are you sure? Didn’t think so.

So there you have it. My June at a glance! Now for just staying on track…

Natalie

Taking a Moment…

So as you can see I’ve taken some time to hold off on blogging.  Since I’ve always been one to maintain total honesty here, in my blog, I can just say that it’s taken me some time to adjust to my schedule, transitioning to working Chic Sweets full time from home, and also taking care of my toddler boys and Baby Preston.

My life feels so very different now and part of my avoidance in blogging has been not quite knowing how to put everything in words. It seems like just yesterday my life was quite different. I was “the working  mom,” dropping boys off at their daycare by 8:00AM, an hour commute to work, home by 6:30PM (if I was lucky), hug the kids, make dinner, then bed. Most nights as I kissed my boys and tucked them in bed, I would be okay. Other days, I would drive home through my tears and  into my husband’s arms, wondering how it was possible that my kids spent more time with everyone else other than their own mother. And on and on the cycle would go…good days…bad days…but when I became pregnant with Baby P, my gut was telling me that it was time for a change, that I needed the change whether I was ready for it or not.

But working from home? With Baby Preston? Could I even do that? Am I built for that?

When you’ve spent so many years, going through the same routine it honestly felt daunting at first. With my other two children, they were already going to their “special school” at 8 weeks old. Now to imagine that the same wouldn’t happen with Baby P was a little scary. When my leave was officially up and I made the decision to stay at home, I was nervous and unsure. The first few days felt a little unreal…working at my desk…turning around to see my son sleeping or playing in his swing…then going to pick up the boys from school. It’s exhausting–undoubtedly. But the constant emotion I feel is happiness. Happy because a year ago I would dream about being in this spot and today, here I am. Are some days not so great? Yup, of course and those icky feelings of self doubt creep up and take over. And as you can see from my blog-hiatus, I’m still adjusting and I’m allowing myself the time to adjust without beating myself up. I’ll get there…soon enough.

Also never to far from my thoughts are the millions of mamas still out there, still getting up at 8am…going to work…coming home…tucking in their child late at night. Those mamas are never too far from my prayers as I was there just a few months ago.

 I know exactly how you feel times a thousand. Believe me, your child loves you  even when you are at work, burning the midnight oil. I’m here to be the little voice and remind you that YOU are doing the BEST you can for yourself, your family and of course, your career–what YOU are passionate about.

So there you have it. A little piece of where I am today. Hoping to catch up with some blogging goodness soon, but if it takes a little longer. Well…you’ll know why!

Happy days everyone!

Natalie

Introducing the new Chic Sweets!

And we’re off! Welcome to my new blog, Chic Sweets’ website and new brand. To my supporters, my readers, industry friends, my clients–thank you for stopping by today!

This has been quite a journey, a labor of big love and today, I can tell you that I just feel extremely proud. All day I’ve just been smiling because *finally* I feel like “me” is staring right back at me. The patterns, colors, gorgeous collateral materials, updated logo, everything is an extension of what I love the most. The process of rebranding has been a long one, much longer than I ever thought–I was forced to dig deep into what I really wanted from Chic Sweets and more importantly, what I wanted potential clients to experience.

So with all this deep “soul searching” I needed to pull together the BEST team to be on my side (and this may start to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech so bear with me). A year ago, MTH was the catalyst in my life that opened my eyes and pushed me in the right direction. From there, I knew that BIG changes had to happen in my life, so thanks to Lara Casey, Natalie Norton, Emily Ley, Gina Zeidler and some of the most remarkable women that continue to remain in my life, today.

Now for my favorite person who I LOVE to bits and pieces: Karrie Pyke Designs. Karrie is a remarkable designer whose work amazed me to no end. From the very beginning she poured over inspiration boards, answered every question, took the time to go over proof after proof until we got it right. *Karrie: thank you for your constant encourgement and for taking this project and turning it into something that I am so proud of. You. Are. Remarkable.

Also a big shout-out, high-five to my “web-guy” Tim Brandon, from Skip Agency who brought this site to life and endured endless going back and forths and my daily “how’s it going?” emails.

One of my favorite parts of my new site are the wonderful images…so as a reader, I encourage you to take a peak at our gallery and press pages. Without a doubt, part of my success as a business is having images that convey my work in a great, amazing way and for that I have to say THANK YOU, to those photograhers that have so generously shared their work with us.

The Old Look

The New Look

And saving the best for last, Steve, who recieves TONS of awards for being my biggest supporter throughout all of this…even during the not so easy times, he is always there to challenge me and there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for his love (and yes, it’s Valentine’s Day so I can be that mushy).

Enjoy everyone and thanks again for stopping by!  Feel free to leave a comment to introduce yourself and let me know what you think!

Natalie

MTH Tampa: One Year Later

Hello everyone! First off, THANK YOU for the wonderful words of support and encouragement for my latest blog post–words cannot adequately describe how comforting it feels even just reading words of encouragement. It truly fills my heart.

So this has been a whirlwind of a week–big announcements, my birthday (wooohoo 32) and prepping for our site to launch early next week, but this evening, I wanted to take this post to acknowledge something very near to my heart and that is a workshop (movement) I took exactly a year ago (today) called Making Things Happen with Lara Casey, Emily Ley, Gina Zeidler and Natalie Norton.

A year ago, I was a different me. I felt stuck, in a funk, unhappy in my current employment and as a wife and mother, feeling like I was failing miserably.

When I signed up for Making Things Happen, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had long followed Lara Casey’s blog and figured “why not?” When the first day came and I walked into the room, all I feel was a sense of relief that I didn’t really  know anyone else. Not sure why I felt this way other than the fact that If I was gearing up to bare my soul, it would be easier to speak in a room full of strangers then with people I knew…don’t ask me why…but that’s how I felt at the time. As a workshop (and I really have to find another word because “workshop” just doesn’t cut it) unfolded, I found myself letting go of a lot of feelings that had been built up for sometime and seeing that my path was right there in front of me, ready for the taking. But to get there would require a lot of guts, hard work and most of all, deep seeded passion which I, and everyone else in the room had. I knew that I had to feel the fear that had paralyzed me for some time and take action to change my life. It was going to be hard, but oh, so worth it.

And it wasn’t that Lara, Emily, Gina or Natalie sprinkled fairy dust on everyone and magical things happened, but in their own, very personal way, reminded all of us that we had what it take to make things happen, it was just a matter of opening our eyes and seeing the big picture.

So I, along with several other women embarked on a wonderful (and hard) journey this past year and I’m privileged to consider them my friends. The week before when I was getting ready to resign from my position and needed my “pep talk” it was a godsend to sit down with a few of them and be reminded of where I was going (McKay, Desiree and Kate-Thank You).

But most of all, I’m honored to see their successes and growth everyday. I love everyone of you and can’t wait to see where all of us will continue to go from here!

On that note, the one thing I’d like to leave all of you with a picture of my latest love and newest addition to the “Clamp clan.” He’s a bundle of 12lb joy and partly (okay, hugely) responsible for my delayed post today.

If you haven’t heard of Making Things Happen, PLEASE click on the picture below for a link to the tumblr for the latest on their next tour and frequent updates!

Have a great weekend everyone! Natalie

A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CHIC SWEETS

So it’s with a mixture of excitement, nervousness and deep pride that I share with all of you that starting January 18, I will be devoting my love and attention to Chic Sweets on a full time basis. I’m leaving an amazing job as the “Network Manager” for The Network of East Hillsborough Neighborhoods, a wonderful organization aimed at engaging residents in a BIG way and spreading out quality programming in several East Hillsborough communities. This decision has weighed heavy on me for some time but I can tell you that this work fills my heart in ways that make every sacrifice, both big and small, worth it x’s 1000 (maybe more).

This year I realized that in order to make things happen I had to take the plunge, set goals and most of all, take action. My work has always been a part of me, a big part of who I am….and when things grew in ways I never imagined, I found myself deeply torn between doing what I was good at, versus taking the plunge into a business that was still growing. Add the pressures of being a wife and mother, well, I can’t lie–it was more than I could handle at times. Ultimately, though, I made the decision that in order to be the best wife and mother I can be, I had to wake up in the morning doing what sets my heart of fire and that my friends, lies here in Chic Sweets.

Thanks again for all the love and encouragement I’ve felt from all of you–my friends, my supporters, my family and most of all, my husband, Steve, since the truth is, without him, I just don’t make sense.

Love you all!

Natalie

PS–I swear it’s just coincidence this announcement happens to fall on my birthday! LOL! 🙂

Thankful

Hello Everyone!! Hope all of you have had a great Thanksgiving Holiday! I know I have as I’m sitting here, three days later, in my stretchy pants. This has been a different Thanksgiving for us, family, Baby Preston, growing business…the list goes on. So in honor of the craziness, I thought I would share the three very things I’m *thankful* for today.

1. Love. Love. Love. Love for my husband, my best friend and my business partner. We met almost ten years ago, working together for a national, soccer league in Tampa. And today, we work together as partners with Chic Sweets. I have to tell you, there is something very special about being able to work with your spouse. Steve is not only my husband, but my true partner in every sense of the word. Someone I turn to as a friend, as a colleague, someone I can brainstorm fantastic (crazy) ideas with, and then someone I can come home, lay on the couch and watch “Dexter” with. I’m a lucky girl.

2. Children: Brendan, Spencer, Carson and Preston. I can’t lie. It’s crazy. It’s busy. There are times when Steve and I look at each other and want to run for the nearest exit. But it’s our life. And the craziness is our own and that is something we are extremely protective and proud of. This was our first Thanksgiving with Preston and all I can tell you, is that we are silly-happy with our lil guy.

3. My Work: Three years ago, I sat down on couch with my husband, debating what our next jobs would be. We both worked full time but had frequently picked up second jobs every now and then to bring extra income into our household. This time around was different. I didn’t want to pick up a second job that didn’t mean anything to me, that I didn’t love and most of all, that I didn’t feel fulfilled in. So after some brainstorming, Chic Sweets came about and I’ll be honest with you…not a day has gone by that I’m not grateful for having made that decision.

Does that work ever end? Nope. Is it insanely much harder than I thought it would be? Heck, yes.

Do I love it? So much, my heart bursts.

For that, I’m thankful.

Preston George Clamp…20 days

So here I am with, laying in bed and staring at the most beautiful, bundle of goodness you can ever imagine. Can everyday be like this? It’s been almost 20 days since Baby Preston came into our world and it’s been a mixture of total bliss and exhaustion.

I gave birth about a week early before my due date. It’s amazing, the process of child birth. This is my third son, and you would think I would be an ol’ pro at the this, but every experience was so very different. My last birth was very quick, labor was under five minutes and without an epidural. So this time around, I was very much on board  and determined with going “all natural.”

So finally, on October 28, I was induced at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital. My little guy didn’t waste anytime because within the hour, I was grabbing the rail, drenched in sweat, both my husband, Steve and mother becoming a painful blur in the background. I could see their mouths moving, but was just completely lost in my pain that I couldn’t hear anything. My wonderful nurse, Sandy, gave me a knowing glance and said, “Natalie, you are at 7cm. This is it, if we don’t do the epidural, it will be too late. Don’t worry, you have nothing to prove by trying to do this without the epidural.” “Okay, she’s totally right. Let’s do this.” Now, this is where it gets slightly funny. By the time my epidural was put in, my stubborn-self was already pushing. And within 20 minutes, Preston came into the world. Ironically, since the epidural takes about 20 minutes to take full effect, it only really kicked in, once he was born…yeah…I know…too funny. So there I was, holding my bundle of joy, but with no feeling left in my legs!

After the labor, Steve and I settled into our hospital room and examined every bit of goodness, that I call Preston. I mean it. Serious. Perfection. There is just no way to describe it.  Although it was a two-day hospital stay, I truly cherished the time alone with Preston and with Steve. Then it came time for Spencer and Carson my little boys to meet Preston. Wow…10 months of preparing them is nothing when they got to hold them for the very first time. The look on their faces is something I will never forget. And of course, there just aren’t any words to thank my parents for holding down the fort at home while we were at the hospital…I know it wasn’t easy!

So since coming back from the hospital, our lives have been a total whirlwind. Adjusting to life with Baby Preston, introducing Preston to Spencer, Carson and Brendan (my stepson), breastfeeding, trying to not to feel too bad about still walking around in my maternity sweatpants, having a few whytheheckishecrying moments. And oh yeah, still running Chic Sweets. Is our life crazy? Um, yes. Would I have it any other way? No, in fact, I can honestly tell you as sleep deprived as we are right now, I could not feel more blessed than I do right now. This pregnancy and this past year, have been unbelievably difficult, yet, Steve and I have managed to come out of this, stronger and more committed to making our lives work. God is definitely GOOD.

On that note, instread of  turning this blog entry into an epic-novel, I opted to give all of you a slideshow of a few photos, played alongside a song that literally brings tears to my eyes everytime I play it.

Enjoy and THANK YOU so much for all of your support and sweet messages on my facebook page. My family, Steve’s family, all of our amazing friends…Love. Love. Love.

Natalie and Baby Preston