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Never is the only too late // Our intentions can be good, while our actions make the most impact. Thankfully, grace exists. People often forgive. I intended to send this months ago. My intentions don’t mean squat. My action is delayed. My hope is that the only too late is never. This is your (and my) reminder that showing up, even when you think you missed your opportunity, is far better than not at all. There is something simple and honest in saying, “I wanted to get this to you sooner, however I hope you can enjoy it now.” Zero excuses, honest goodness. #dothepolka
GIVEAWAY (closed)✨Wearing many hats is a part of this life we live, amiright? While our brains can only focus on one thing at a time, we can still celebrate that as women, we are multi-faceted and can do a quick change between hats at any given moment. Right now, my mom-hat is getting the most use. Other hats are collecting dust and it leaves me feeling irrelevant and lost. I choose to believe they will be worn again soon. Here’s where you come in. Choose to engage. Comment below and tell me your hat story. You are a woman who wears many hats, are they all getting perfectly balanced play? No? Shocking. Join the conversation for a chance to win a $50 gift card to @gigipip 👩‍🌾 (One recipient will be chosen. Entries accepted from Instagram + Facebook. Your engagement in the conversation is your entry. Show up and let’s get real!) #realwomen Recipient added in comments by 12:00pm CST 12/9/2019 ✨Recipient selected and notified! Thank you for participating!
It almost startled me. The reminder that in the midst of the longest breath I seem to be holding in, the world continues to turn. Somewhere between Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, she showed up. A woman, a wife, a mother...she remembered this little shop even when I am searching for my way back. She made a purchase that felt like a gift. She is still here. Here for more, I believe. And that impacted me. While my focus is where it simply must be right now, I am reminded that there is something good here at Polka Square. I’m eager to get back, to curate my creativity, to pour stories because sometimes the written word is just too much. “In Between” finds a new home and the story continues. I’m feeling profoundly grateful for a sense of community that sticks. As November comes to a close and we welcome the last month of this year, I’m encouraged to look back at what feels unfinished and see it as opportunity, to cling only to hope and look forward to what will be. Cheers to #smallbusinesssaturday, little did I know how much it would impact me today. #dothepolka
I joined the circus recently.🎪But only for an evening. It was an escape from anything expected. That first flicker of movement on the stage until the crowd’s final standing ovation was more than a show...it was an experience. I won’t pretend to speak on behalf of the audience, but the majority walked away slightly worn out from the belly laughs, the ear-to-ear grins and all the hand clapping. Because most of us can’t relate to their talent, strength, balance and agility. Few of us understand yet most are amazed. I didn’t expect to come away from @cirquemechanics at the @mcknightcenter feeling imapacted the way I did after one act in particular. When Tatiana Vasilenko (@tatiana_juggler) fascinated the crowd with her juggling skills, it changed my perspective. While the wooden horse beneath her feet circled the stage around and around, Tatiana moved and bent while remaining impeccably balanced. It was only a matter of time before three bounce balls were dancing in the while air barely skimming her hands. “Of course,” I scoffed, “Isn’t that the expectation? Look amazing, move beautifully and balance everything perfectly.” And then she added a fourth ball. Then a fifth. Seriously?! And a sixth. Just stick a fork in me. But then it happened. Right in the middle of an unfathomable juggling act, a ball bounced away. You know what happened? She kept going. Her teammate tossed in another ball and she continued like nothing ever happened. The crowd cheered for her. They adored her. And me? She was my favorite. Because she reminded me that juggling is a part of this show called life. And sometimes I drop the ball. I could quit. Throw in the towel. Or, I can remember that the show must go on. I can remember my team. The people who pick up the pieces when they fall and remind me to keep going. We all have our limit. We can juggle a certain amount before it becomes too much. I’m reminding myself to protect my peace this holiday season. What matters most? Juggle that. Cheers to Thanksgiving week! 🤹‍♀️
It was everything but a typical Monday. In a season that I’m taking one day at a time, this day forced, no allowed, me to pause and slow my roll. I slipped on a skirt that I last wore to the funeral of our middle child. Because today’s occasion was fitting. It was another “setting sail”. This wasn’t a goodbye, rather it was a sort of end. A project I have personally poured into emotionally. First, an idea and now, fruition. The fruit. And like the opposing burst of a cranberry, this is similarly bittersweet. The fully renovated PICU at @ou_childrens is immaculate, bright and advanced. It is everything a parent never realizes they need when their child is critical. Today, Chris and I were allowed the humbling opportunity to view the Comfort Care pieces purchased by Wings for Audrey on behalf of our daughter. When a family’s situation becomes an opportunity for Comfort Care and the end is drawing near, our hope is to help honor their child and the family with dignity and grace during that unimaginable time. When we were escorted through the doors to the PICU room arranged how it would be used in a bereavement situation, I expected to feel grateful or happy. I don’t have a connection to that rocking chair. I never sat on the recliner or slept on the bed. So why did I suddenly find myself crying in front of a room of professionals? I suppose it’s the connection to everything these pieces stand for. It’s the stories they will hold. The comfort I pray they bring. The memory of the couch I did curl up on after I felt her heart pause for good. Because it was. For good. It was finally finished. I may never know the stories here, but I know this matters. It doesn’t change what was. It won’t even change what will be. But it might soften it. And we all can use a little cushion when we feel like our world is crashing. Join me in praying for the families that will find themselves in this story. For the ones who will rock a child in that rocking chair. For the bodies that each piece will hold. Pull up a chair and stay a while. There is no rush. We are here for you. THAT is what they will know. They are welcome at Children’s.✨
In a word, it was therapeutic. My first attempt at foraging a bouquet of fall foliage turned out to be a bundle of wisdom. She’s riddled with talent and floral design is one of her many facets, @uprooteddesigns inspires me regularly and I have her to thank for my morning in the forest. At first, I couldn’t see it. Anything. I felt overwhelmed by nothingness. I looked again but with a different perspective. I realized I was looking at too much at once. I couldn’t take it all in. Instead, I zoomed in. I slowed down. I wasn’t sure what would work, what wouldn’t. Before I knew it, I was snipping here and clipping there. By default, I searched low to the ground. A mistake. Just out of reach were some of the most unique stems, they were worth the extra effort. With my textured bunch of the Oklahoma wild in one arm, my eye caught something. If I didn’t know better, it was a single stem with what looked like the sweetest little rabbit ears perched tall. That was the moment the story of our little Audrey Bunny helped me draw perspective. The reminder that there can be such beauty in death. What can be hard or uncomfortable to talk about is actually one of the only promises of life. I believe that in death there is new life. This foraged arrangement tells me a story. It is the reminder to look more closely when the big picture is just too much. To remember how important my point of view is. Look up. When something is just out of reach, check your foundation and leap.
It’s #worldkindnessday. Good thing is, none of us have to spend a dime to make it happen. Is it more important today than the other 364 days in each year? No, definitely not. Whether our kindness impacts one or one hundred, it matters. It isn’t a competition, it is a way of life. Today, and all the days, let’s #dothenicething✌️
The middle is messy. At least for me. The middle is when I detach. I’m better after. Looking back and drawing perspective is my comfort zone. I’m taking notes on how to thrive in the middleness. I know, it’s not even a word, but today it is. Being mindful in the middle is something I long to do better because life, it seems, is mostly made up of the middle. I used to believe that being a believer was more like a healing crystal, that Jesus would ward off the hard and the turmoil. I’ve spent the better part of my 30’s relearning my belief system, understanding what I misunderstood and acknowledging that easy was never the promise, or the point. The older I get, the more questions I seem to have. Why is that? See, another question. A wise friend recently encouraged, “It’s okay, normal even, to have doubts. Just make sure you are doubting your doubts as much as you are trusting your truths.” It hit me right in the gut. Because the middleness I’m in has me spending too much time trusting my doubts and doubting my truths. I read about those who go through hell and back while thriving in the middle. Perhaps the difference for them is that they don’t see life the same. It isn’t a “middle”, it isn’t a phase, a season…they are steadfast no matter what their circumstance. And when I peel back the layers that are keeping me comfortable, I’m afraid. Not too many years ago, I did the middle as well as I knew how and darn it, I had no reason not to trust and believe. I clung to hope. And when the story didn’t turn out like I imagined it would, everything I thought I knew looked different. It forced me to ask hard questions and understand more clearly. Now, any sort of middle season, no matter what the circumstance, feels uncomfortable. Going all in sounds easy and feels everything but. Yet, I’m thinking steadfastness is actually the cure to middleness. Spending more time embracing what is true and good, that is the cream that rises to the top. When I do make it through the middle, I always look back to see the Lord was right there in the middle, but I was too focused on the mess to notice His presence. Here’s to thriving in the middle this week.✨
The creative team over at @letterfolk has done it again, and again and again. I continue to be inspired by Joanna + Johnny’s ability to innovate with simplicity. The brand new Tile Mat is no different. For those of us who love a personal touch to the world around us, this is like a revolving door of creative personality. I love how Letterfolk’s products involve the user. Whether it is the Letterboard, a journal, or this mat, engagement is the entire point and that is something special. It allows us to change, update, rearrange, and go back again. For me, practice makes good, never perfect. When my new mat arrived I felt a tad overwhelmed by the vast emptiness and the array of options. I didn’t know where to start. The graphic artist that I am couldn’t help but take it to the computer (swipe to the end). I decided to create an actual, true-to-size template to keep the guesswork at a minimum. I even had a pair tiny hands helping me (briefly 🤪). A couple of insider tips: Place your tiles and complete your design PRIOR to pushing them all the way into the mat. Also, be patient, the more tiles you use, the longer it will take. Get creative!

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Polka Square January 31, 2019 0 Comments

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