Friday, May 18, 2007

Practicing What I Preach

Hello & Happy Friday!

You know, most of the time I stay up beat about my MS diagnosis. Having the store now really helps too, but sometimes, it's easier than others. Today started out one of those "other" days.

I don't know what I have done that has been so exausting, though I suppose with MS (or any illness that brings with it chronic fatigue) we can feel like we just climed Everest even if we didn't......

I slept late today, almost until 10:30am. I was wearing a raggedy old pair of PJs....scuffed out to the kitchen like it was some early ungodly hour to get the coffee started. It's trash day and the trash guys had already come by - so I considered whether pulling the bins back into the garage was worth the effort and decided it was. I moseyed down the driveway in my less than couture PJ ensemble. (I might add, they are Victoria's Secret PJs and they USED to be really cute! ;P) My neighbor was out and she and I began to chat. We really have not had the opportunity to chat and it was great talking to her. I actually told her all about Chronique Couture, too. Then I stopped in my tracks and laughed. I said to Elsa, "OMG, I can't belive I am going on about Chronique Couture and look at me today!?"

Elsa and I continued our chat, nailed down a date for our big garage sale (yay! - bye bye ugly couches!) and I returned inside to my fresh pot of Starbucks. (By the way, Starbucks' Arabian Mocha Sanani is where it's at! I never thought I would spend this much on a pound of coffee, but I LOVE it!)

So.....I started thinking... the day is still quite young and not at all lost. I still have time to turn my sluggish mood around and turn this day into a "Chronique" day! You know what - YES I DO feel like staying in my PJs today! You know why? BECAUSE I CAN! :) But, I took my shower, slipped into a brand new pair of Frankie & Johnny PJs made of super light cotton poplin. The style of the PJs are called "pampered kitty" and that seemed to fit the bill for what I needed today. I also slipped into a new pair of Patricia Green pink, fuzzy, shearling, flip-flop slippers called Snow Cub, but NOT BEFORE I painted my toe nails and my finger nails! As I was painting my toes, I thought, "hey, I should blog about this". Though I knew full well I would have to wait until the polish dried!

I mean it when I say - I feel 100% better then I did this morning! Better about myself, better about what I want to accomplish today and God knows, I feel better about my toes! ;p

Sometimes it's hard to push ourselves to tend to the little things that make us feel "prettier", when valuable energy is needed to pick the kids up from school, get them to soccer practice and then feed a hungry husband! All this particularly because it takes up more of our "spoons" to tend to these little things we used to take for granted....like toe nails and such. (If you are not familiar with Christine Miserandino's Spoon Theory it's a great read, quite accurate and can be found on her But You Don't Look Sick website.)

Ladies, a couple of extra spoons or no, pamper yourself. In the longrun, you will feel better that you did! A little retail therapy never hurt anyone! Go buy some PJs that would normally be out of your price range or a little black dress, for that matter! Splurge & enjoy! It's amazing what happens when we show OURSELVES a little TLC.

I am off to do my Arbonne Thermal Fusion face mask and continue my little mini spa day. Take some time and do the same!

Be well!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Chronique Couture ~ Now Open!

Well, it's feels like it's been a long time coming....but...we are open for business! We are thrilled to finally open the virtual doors and welcome you into our boutique.

This "running your own business" thing is tough work! I am used to being "the sales girl" or "the phone girl" or "the marketing girl", etc. Well, now I, along with my partners Allyson & Lisa - we are all wearing a variety of hats! From the IT hat to the advertising hat....the last 6 months or so has been a real education. All of the hard work put in to Chronique Couture makes it that much more satisfying now to open the doors.

If you have read the updates here before, you know what the concept of our store is. The tag line is Tres Chic for the Chronically Unique and that says a mouth full! We feel strongly that a chronic disease or illness should not rob a woman of her "girlyness". It's important to hold onto our sense of self; keep it in tact as it was before our diagnosis.

We hope Chronique Couture can add a pleasant twist to otherwise not-so-pleasant circumstances. Know how beautiful you are and pamper yourself - because you deserve it.

Be sure to visit our message board - Cafe Chronique. Super cute!

I am going to make a real effort to utilize this blog for updates regarding Chronique Couture, but also to use it as a diary of sorts for thoughts and feelings I have currently and have had along the way before and since my diagnosis of MS back in June 2006.

Be well!