Frosting is the perfect, sweet mix of butter, sugar, and milk. A white butter cream slopped in gobs on top of a deep chocolate cupcake is enough to send any toddler screaming with delight, and her mother too for that matter.

The process of creating frosting is pure fun.

On one particular day, my little one became the frosting.

She unwrapped the butter quarters, plopped them into the mixer, and watched as the wire whip cut and creamed the hard butter into yellow fluff. She helped measure the sugar?well, she poured it into a measuring cup and purposefully made it overflow onto the counter. He eyes increased in size as she stuck her finger deep in the middle.

?Yum.? Can I do that again, Mommy? She grinned.

?We need to make sure we have enough for the frosting,? I said.

?Oh, okay.? She momentarily understood. Though, the overflowing sugar part of the process was especially wonderful, the final product would be ecstasy?if she could wait that long.

The butter, sugar, dash of vanilla, and milk spun in a dizzy dance. She leaned over the mixer and reported several times, ?I think it?s done.?

Each time I checked, her level of anticipation increased; she leaned into the mixer more, her knees dug into the counter, and her feet tapped the stool.

At last, the creamy treat was ready.

?MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!? She was frenetic. Heaven was within her grasp?inside a shiny, aluminum bowl. ?Can I please lick the bowl??

?Of course!? While I spread the frosting on top of the warm cupcakes, she sat on the stool with the bowl between her legs. Frosting covered her hair, her cheeks, her shirt, both legs, and some became toenail polish.

She officially became my cupcake.

To save this event for posterity I created the Simply Chickie t-shirt design?I am the frosting.

She is the frosting on my life.

  Filed under: Chick-ism, Uncategorized by  Gwen  3 Comments »

Go ahead look at your shadow. The shadow knows.

Lurking shadows can slow your business down.

What are you avoiding? What or who is following you around that you don?t want to deal with? Do you have a problem shadow?

Frank Asch in the children?s book, Bear Shadow, reminds us about business problems we need to confront in order to move forward.

Bear went down to the pond to fish one afternoon. Bear saw a big fish. ?I?m going to catch that fish, thought Bear to himself.?

Something scared the big fish away?his shadow. ? ? Go away, Shadow!? cried Bear. But Bear?s shadow would not go away.?

Is there something you keep avoiding doing in your business? What?s nagging you? Do you have a problem client? A legal issue? Have you not dealt with public relations? Or, getting your product submissions out to magazines in time for the holidays?

Bear?s shadow does not leave him alone. Bear tries many ways to eradicate his shadow. ?He ran through a field of flowers, jumped over the brook and hid behind a tree?But when he stepped from behind the tree the first thing he saw was Shadow.? Shadow is in capital letters!

A small problem that is avoided can become a big one.

Bear sees a cliff. ?Bear walked over to the cliff and looked up. I?ll climb so high Shadow won?t be able to follow me, thought Bear. Bear climbed higher and higher until at last he pulled himself up to the top. Huffing and puffing, he smiled with pride. Then he looked down and saw Shadow.?

Problems have a terrible way of taking up so much of our time. We obsess over not dealing with ?a problem.?

Bear tries to hammer the Shadow to the ground, but that doesn?t work. He digs a hole, but his shadow does not fall into the hole.

When he finishes filling the hole??the sun was high in the sky and Shadow was no where to be seen. ? At last! sighed Bear. ?No more shadow.? ?

Bear is tired, so he goes to bed. The next morning when bear opens his door—his shadow greets him again! ?He slammed the door, hoping to lock Shadow inside. But Shadow was too quick.?

So, sit down and make of list of stuff you are avoiding?the stuff you will do after you get to x, y, and z. Reverse your list. Put that ?stuff? at the top. Deal with the issue one phone call at a time, one thought at a time, one letter at a time.

Bear talks to Shadow. ?How about this?if you let me catch a fish, I?ll let you catch one too. Nod your head like this if it?s a deal.? When Bear nodded his head, Shadow nodded too?.By this time the sun was in a different part of the sky, which made it easy for Shadow to keep his part of the deal. And when Bear caught that big fish, Shadow caught one too.?

So, make yourself do the tough stuff in the morning?when your shadow hasn?t had a change to take full, sharp form!

Cheers,

Gwen

  Filed under: Chick-ism, Uncategorized by  Gwen  No Comments »

Newport, RI (August 19, 2009) ? Simply Chickie (www.SimplyChickieClothing.com), a line of 100% organic baby clothes and accessories has received The Baby Planners? Picks? Seal of Approval – an accolade program designed to help expectant parents prepare for their baby’s arrival with an exclusive list of products and services chosen based on quality, reliability, value and style.?

?We are so excited in having earned The Baby Planners Seal of Approval,? said Gwen Gardner, CEO & Founder of Simply Chickie.? ?This award is a testament to the quality of our product line and reaffirms our commitment in offering organic baby selections!”

Free of dyes and using only certified cotton grown in fields that are free of pesticides, Simply Chickie?s line of products are made in the U.S. and feature whimsical designs created by the CEO and Founder, Gwendolyn Gardner – who strives to capture the wonder of childhood by printing whimsical sayings and graphics on clothing that do not contribute to the pollution of our environment.

The line includes onesies, t-shirts, and hats in some of the following designs and motifs:

• I Toot Toot?
• I Am The Frosting?
• May Contain Peanut?
• I?m Well Bred?
• Inside Me ??

The eco-friendly line is offered for both girls and boys, with sizes ranging from 3 months to 6T.? Retail prices range from $14 – $24.

About The Baby Planners?

The Baby Planners? Picks? / Seal of Approval Program is an exclusive list of products and services that The Baby Planners endorse based on quality, reliability, value and style!

The Baby Planners showcase hundreds of product picks on their frequent television appearances, magazine features and online. They highlight everything from the tried and true, to the fabulously new and unique on such shows as Rachael Ray, Access Hollywood, KTLA?s Morning Show, iVillage and most recently on DisneyFamily.com.? Some of their top picks are also featured in Pregnancy Magazine, The Cradle, Tibesti, The Bump, and the Hot Moms Club where they are featured columnists and experts.

For more information on The Baby Planners and the Seal of Approval Program, visit www.TheBabyPlanners.com.

About Simply Chickie

Simply Chickie Clothing is a line of 100% organic baby clothes and accessories made in the U.S., and free of dyes and pesticides.

?The line was founded by Gwen Gardner, whose creative background and living in Japan, served as inspiration for the company. Gardner comes from a long line of artists and writers and is in fact, a direct descendent of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter.

?Visit www.SimplyChickieClothing.com for more product information and selections.

  Filed under: Press Release by  admin  4 Comments »