Store Bought or Handmade?

Helloooooooooo and welcome to October 28th,07. Glad you are here to visit with me.

This week I'm going to get right to the point. I spent a delightful Saturday with my fun friend, Lydia Briggs. Lydia is a great person to use a sounding board. I guess what I love about her most is she is always straight forward, tells it like it is, and is not afraid to give her opinion. We always have the best discussions and pretty much, if I'm on the road alone, Lydia is the one person I always hope is home to answer the phone so I can drive with company! Love ya Lyd!!!!

Anyway, we went to Raleigh, NC to do a little shopping as we live in New Bern, aka "bo-hick NC." On the way to and from we had a lenghthy discussion about store bought things and handmade things. I find I enjoy visiting a big city on occassion for certain things (such as clothes for a 5'1" 88lb. woman). However, I'm truly board with the "chain" stores and "chain" restaurants. I find myself happy that my home does not reflect the current "trend." I love the fact that my home is welcoming, charming and one of a kind, (OOAK). Being in the homebuilding business, it is so delightful to work with clients that have created a "home" instead of a magazine page. I love to see what people have collected and gathered and the personalization that comes with adding things over time instead of stamping them out of the Pottery Barn catalog. Not that I don't enjoy Pottery Barn, but I really don't enjoy seeing everyone's house look exactly the same. BORING!!! Your home should tell a story about you and your life. It should reflect your personality, not the personality of a designer. If you think about it, what do you want people to remember about you when they leave your home? Personally, I want them to say "her house looks just like her," not her house looks just like 100 others in the Pottery Barn, Pier 1 catalogs!

So after a long day of shopping for clothes to fit a midget with no boobs (that would be me), I came home to find my latest copy of "Romantic Homes" magazine. Being the total magazine junkie that I am, I read each and every page! Low and behold, the editor's note smacked me square in the face! Jacqueline deMontravel, Editor of the magazine wrote this. "There are two catagories of people-- the store bought and the handmade. The store bought drinks grande latte mochas, finds inspiration from a "Pottery Barn" catalog and buys their Christmas cards 12 to a pack. The handmade person grinds their own coffee beans, decorates with one-of-a-kind finds, makes their cards from saved paper and has the most innovative ideas on what chan be created from a single piece of twine." Hello, can we say "step onto my soap box please!" She further goes on to say, "entering a home that shimmers with possessions culled from different places and time periods, each piece connected to a story, is to us, boy-intercepts-girl-at-the-airport romantic. These are the homes brimming with stacks of old books, their pages worn and inked with notes, and a collection of rolling pins your mother used to shape dough into something sinful. It is the way one's childhood jewelry box is perched on a dresser with a variety of empty perfume bottles. It offers a more intimate glimpse of the owner than the contents of a handbag."

Being a person that creates one of a kind (OOAK) things, this editor's note struck a cord with me. Make your home a reflection of you. Buy things that make your heart sing! Buy things that have a story! Surround yourself with things you love! Because... no one really cares about a designer home. People that come to your home love you and you truly LIVE in the home that you love!

Hugs, Best Wishes and Bunny Kisses to You!

Shell

P.S. Visit my website www.theraspberryrabbits.com if you want to purchase something one-of-a-kind.

Hellooooooooooooo and welcome to another Sunday!

What an incredible week again! I had an AWESOME launch party last Saturday for my new adventure with Silpada Jewelry. Can I say that I just love this stuff?? I had 22 people come to the party. I sold $2,264.00!!! I made a paycheck for $679.000 and then, since I was the hostess, I made another $679.00 in FREE jewelry! Bling, Bling, Bling. I had so much fun with all my guests and I already have 6 parties "girls nights," "girls coffee's" scheduled for next month. Yipee! I love it!

During the middle of the week, I got one of my wicked migrains. It lasted on and off for three days until we finally got some rain! We sure did need it. My migrains come with change in the barometric pressure. I've suffered from these since I was five. Not fun! Thank goodness though that four Advil and a major dose of caffiene will stop it if I catch it in time. It's pretty interesting to see what triggers migrains in other people. Isn't it amazing that there are oodles and oodles of cures for erectile disfunction (as I get emails every day), but they can't cure migrains or hot flashes or other pain in the butt issues. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm? What's wrong with this picture? Oh well...

Then, during the week I got a case of the "oh no, I'm almost 40 panic." I won't be 40 until March, but as fast as this year has gone, it seems like it will be here tomorrow! 40! 40! 40! For the first time I looked in the mirror and thought, "Damn, you look old!" Of course, my dear and darling husband says, "no, you just look exhausted and beat up from working three jobs." Not sure if that was comforting or not. It pretty much meant that I look like CRAP! Well.... crap! I look like crap! Isn't that fun to say? Crap, Crap, Crap! Ok, I'm on my second glass of Chardonay and everything is funny! Anyway, I can't believe I will be 40! (mom, now don't you feel old?)

Well, since I'm working three jobs, I have decided that against my personality, my better judgement, my stomping my feet and well, my temper tantrum, I have put myself on a schedule. Just the very thought of being on a schedule is disgusting! That really means I'm old! Soon I'll be scheduling when I take a crap! There's that word again... :) But, if I want to get everything done that must be done, I need to follow a blooddy schedule. I know my three jobs won't last forever, but while they do, I need to be even more anally organized than I already am.

I think this just about ends my tantrum for this evening. I hope all of you are doing well. I love you all bunches and wish I could spend time with everyone. One day, I will and I won't be 70! I have attached pictures of me and my own personal, fabulous, cutie, sweet, furry children and of pictures of me and my niece's Laura and Noelle and my nephew Jonathan. All of these precious critters make me happy I'm alive.

Love and Hugs to all,

Shell

PS. Happy Birthday Deb! Love you!!!!

Catching UP

Well, here we are two weeks since the my last post. Hello! Where did that time go? Lots has happened of course. I honestly can say that I am NEVER bored!

David and I flew to Jacksonville FL on Sept. 26 for Michael's (my brother) wedding to Robin. They got married on Friday, Sept. 28. What a wonderful time we had! We finally got to really spend some time with Robin and get to know her. All I can say is WE LOVE YOU!! We are so glad Michael found her. Of course, we all said he better be good to her or we would kill him!

Robin has two boys, Devin and Dean. They are funny, kind and really great guys. It's so nice to have them as a part of our family. We also really enjoyed getting to know Robin's mom, Rita and her husband, John. Of course, my mom, Ellen, kept calling Rita, Ruth and Rita kept calling my mom Helen. They didn't even realize they were calling each other the wrong name. It was very comical.

We stayed at Club Continental in Orange Park. Our room overlooked the St. John's River. Our bed was pretty and the pillow was perfect! You know how hard it is to find the perfect pillow in a hotel???? I was a very happy camper that mine was squisshy just the way I like it. Anyway, we went to St. Augustine and had lunch in a cute little local place called Harry's. Yummy! We ate an awesome breakfast and a local place called Metro Diner. Yummy! Then Michael and Robin went all out on the food at the wedding. Incredible!!

I didn't gain a single pound as I danced and danced and danced at the reception. I think I wore my mom out as she was the only one out there dancing with me most of the time. She and I both had our "groove" on! So much fun. I even made Michael dance with me since he made the mistake of telling me that dancing was a waste of time! WRONG! I'm looking forward to visiting them again so Robin and I can go out dancing and drag the hubbies along. I also didn't gain any weight because I got that nasty, puking and other nasty stuff virus. I was sick all night long on Sat. and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get on the plane Sunday! Needless to say, when we landed in New Bern, I went straight to bed.

All in all it was a fabulous trip and we were so happy that we could go. It was my first trip this year and even though it was only 4 days, it was a bunch of fun!