Bringing You A Shop Of Happy Things This Fall!

Autumn Event is September 6-10

Hello Everyone!

I’m sure you’ve already felt it from my posts on Facebook, that I am so ready for the Fall season to arrive. I’ll be showing you some of my new fall pillows that we’ve received as well as revealing what I’ve been doing the last two weeks. At the end of July, I try to add some new learning opportunities for myself to incorporate for the upcoming year. This year is no different even though in those two weeks my wonderful husband had kidney stones and then surgery to remove the large ones. This has been his year from you know where. But he’s back to working like a horse (not sure that is the correct metaphor I was looking for) but you get the jest.

I promised you last week that I was going to reveal my latest chair project. This one coincides with my new paint projects. Now you expert painters please excuse the fact that I am not perfect. But I figured that if the painters for McKenzie-Childs are not perfect, then I would show you my latest learning experience.

As I’ve grown as a person and a “wanna-be artist” I have adopted a saying from one of my daughters who is the extreme perfectionist, “It’s good enough to move onward.” Wow what freedom. And guess what, “I don’t even care if what I’ve done is not perfect. I’m not giving up and I’m not going to listen to those voices within that would want me to.

So I’ve got lots of different projects scheduled to do with the new skills. Some even include my husband who is a willing accomplice.

I love McKenzie-Childs products. I love the look and I so appreciate the time and talent it takes to make these projects. So therefore, I wanted to create a look for my chair that took on a McKenzie-Childs vibe. It was fun and I created a lamp to coordinate with it. Hope you can’t see it but it has some finishing touches I’ll add this week and get it out to the shop. Hopefully, if time allows, I’m going to do more lamps this way. I had so much fun with this.

Another facet of the business as we talked about last week is the how and why of our buying that we do at market, We are always thinking of our customers and what we buy and how it will look in the types of homes they have. Our goal is not to make a person’s home look like Memories of Home. (I know some of you say your homes do and we thank you for the compliment.) But our goal is to make it look like YOU. The things you love and who you are. Many times when picking out products we say, “Doesn’t this look like so-and-so?” Then we buy it.

And as the business has grown we’re thankful that we’ve attracted customers that are OK with their homes looking like homes and not museums. I think as we’ve aged we all learn a little more about life. And sometimes we learn it from children and sometimes we learn it from older people who’ve learned no one is perfect. And we’re OK with where we are now. But always striving to be better.

I remember I was teaching a Sunday School class many years ago when a nine year old girl made a very mature comment to something I had said. It has been with me all my life. I was teaching the principal about friendship and said, “I could tell my closest friend something terrible that I had done and she would still love me.”

This girl raised her hand and said, “Mrs. Futhey, I’m sure she wouldn’t believe it.”

We learn so much as we grow older and we learn not to take ourselves quite as seriously as we did when we were younger. This was something that I read one day and thought was so good for me to remember. I wish I knew who wrote it so that I could give them credit, but I don’t know who the author is. But here it is:

I asked a friend who has crossed 70 and is heading towards 80 what sort of changes she is feeling in herself? She sent me the following:

1. After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have started loving myself.
2. I have realized that I am not “Alas.” The world does not rest on my shoulders.
3. I have stopped bargaining with vegetable and fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.
4. I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.
5. I stopped telling the elderly that they’ve already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.
6. I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.
7. I give compliments freely and generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment never, NEVER turn it down.
8. I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.
9. I walk away from people who don’t value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.
10. I remain cool when someone plays dirty to out run me in the rat race. I am not a rat and neither am I in a race.
11. I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.
12. I have learned that it’s better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relations, I will never be alone.
13. I have learned to live each day as if it’s the last. After all, it might be the last.
14. I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!

– Author-Unknown

So as I close this newsletter, I am doing what makes me happy! And that is, bringing a shop to you that has some of the best “happy things” on earth. From the bottom of my heart – I love you all!

Mark your calendars – our Autumn Event is September 6-10. I’m working hard to bring you a shop filled with fantastic Autumn feelings even if the temperature is 100+ degrees.

Debbie