Things that peak my interest

J Crew Smiles - I am always looking for items to add to my wardrobe that I think are trendy.. yet a bit different.  I am sure I am not the only one who does this.. I found these on J Crew today.  Love 'em

It's Friday - Thank God!!

The plan was to post a picture I captured in my phone on Friday mornings of something/someone that made me smile this week.

Didn't do that, but here's s pic I took a while back of my favorite girl.

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Eye Candy -- Sitting Room

Our home is still a work in progress.  I am always looking for inspiration to complete our sitting room, and I loved the feel of this room, so I thought I would share this room I found on Design Trade.

Belated Happy Valentine's Day!!

I sent this post out on Valentine's Day via email, but didn't realize that it was too large, so it never posted.  The sentiments remain the same.

Faith Moment: I'll Fly Away - Hezekiah Walker

Pink and Brown.. Beauty..Baby Shower Inspiration Boards from Google Images

In my kitchen searches..

I came up on this picture, not my style, but for some reason I still loved it.  

Can you imagine how cool it would be to be a kid that lived in the house with this kitchen?

Some Kitchen Changes

I have been trying to come up with a plan for decorating the top of my cabinets in the kitchen.

At first I thought I would spray paint some cardboard block letters, to spell out F-A-M-I-L-Y.

But, our kitchen cabinets are recessed at the top, so I worried that it would lose the affect I was going for.

Then, I thought maybe something like this would work.

But, even if I changed up the color of the frames and the letters, it still seemed better equipped for a nursery.

So, then I settled on these shadow boxes with the painted cardboard letters in it, I think it will draw everyones eyes to the top of the cabinets.  And, then I would put some lighting up there in the recessed kitchen cabinet.

What do you guys think??

My Babies...

Jaime

Proud Big Brother.. and the Graduate

Baby Girl!!

Goings On...

This week has been both busy at work and at home.  DH has an Upper Respiratory Infection, the girls are not sleeping through the night, and both have minor colds.  I am just burnt at both ends, but alas that really is the story of my life.  In addition to all that, Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  And, although I love celebrating Valentine's Day and exchanging gifts with the hubby.  What's on my mind is Jaime's Valentine's for her class.  I always find myself trying to out do what I did the year before.  I don't know if anyone really cares, but I guess I just want her to remember that Mom always goes the extra mile.  I may be abandoning the chocolate heart cookies and opting for Chocolate Cupcakes with some cute Valentines Design on it and I am still going with the Marshmallow pops, which excites me to no end.  For me the activity is just as fulfilling as the pictures.

This week on my GReader, I read so many blogs that kept me smiling.

One such post was for this way cool box spring cover that alleviates the need for dust ruffles, which I am soo over.  I loved it.  Another thing on my Future Project List.  You can read this here.

Then the Hostess with the Mostess posted an awesome Rock Star Party here

Heres is my favorite pic out of the bunch...

Then an awesome challenge that I may throw my hat in the ring to do, from Bobbi and Mikis blog.

And..  lastly something that made me smile was when my sweet girl said, Mommy do you like my foot nails?  We had Mommy and Daughter Mani and Pedi Time.  I love those moments?

Things Morgy hearts...

Morgy is my ten month old, in case you are just tuning in.

Fun Knit Rattles

Her Gumdrop Pacifier

Which in all honesty, she has almost chewed through all of them, now that she has four whole teeth.

And her absolute favorite "Geoffrey", her toy giraffe.

The Toilet Tissue Caper...

I know all Mom's dread when their little ones have colds, because they are miserable, which in turns makes us miserable.  I am no exception, but I also dread the amount of toilet tissue that is used during said colds.

A couple of days ago, I walked in the bathroom to find my six year old surrounded by tissue.  I mean she was literally sitting on a bed of tissue(wish I would have gotten a picture of that).  And, when I asked her what she was doing she said she was wiping her nose.  She was sitting next to a garbage can full of more tissue.

Aside from the $$$$ signs dinging in my head, because 2 ply toilet tissue aint cheap.  All I could do was laugh.. Woe is me...  And, so go the adventures of the TP Caper..

Drained

There's something about cold days with a wintery mix (rain and snow) that makes me want to stay in bed. But duty calls and unfortunately I can't screen her calls.

So up and at 'em. TGIF.

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Need a little Sunshine...

With all the cold and rain here in Atlanta lately, I am channeling sunshine and thoughts of Spring.

For your viewing pleasure..

Where my Heads At..

This year I turn 35, and I realize that the older I get (grimacing, as I type this), the more I have begun to feel comfortable in my own skin. I like what I like whether or not anyone else likes it. Over the last couple of years, I have made it my mission to surround myself with the things and the people that I love. Of course, I have to come to work.. to collect a check, so clearly that is not always possible. (I dont neccesarily love everyone there). But, I have made some headway.

Here are some things that tickle my fancy:

My Google Reader Subscription List is something kind of fierce -

Here are a few blogs that I love to read - they are a perfect way to start my day, or my afternoon, or even make for appropriate bedtime reading:

I love cupcakes so.. I love the Cupcake Blog Cupcakes take the Cake- Something about it makes me feel ambitious. It makes me want to outside the box projects with my daughter, that I would normally shy away from and it kind of gives me a sugar high without the calories.

These two blogs, I also love because they radiate positivity, and energy. The first one The Style Statement, lead me to the second one Zen Habits.

And lastly, Peeking at Pearls which I was just turned on to from another blog I frequent. Shes a teenager with her own blog .. about things I actually find blog worthy. She has such.. I dont know.. something about her post are a breath of fresh air.. Especially with all the cheeky teenagers.. I know these days..

So there you have it... I am on a Strictly.. Feel Good.. Reading Diet.. hope you will share this journey with me. What blogs do you read.. that you think are... Absolutely to Die For??

A Must Read: For those with Start Up Businesses in the Service Industry

Almost three years ago I joined a Yahoo Group for Errand Services, I have received lots of advice, direction and comradery from many of the members of this group.  Recently, one of the members, and an established member of the concierge service industry posted a message, that I felt others could benefit from.  So, I asked his permission to copy it here to my blog. The initial question was from a member wondering how much luck she would have trying to break into the industry as an intern for an already established company.However, this post was not just about internship it was also about the cooperative business model versus the competitive.  It's a must read for entrepreneurs in the service industry.

This was his response:

For many years I offered internships to people. There is plenty of business out there and I believe the cooperative business model is much more powerful than the competitive one. It breeds cooperation, understanding and support between us and builds the business. Ours is still a very young and fragmented industry. Yes, concierge have been around for ever but as an organized business, we are in the early development stages. **(I think this applies to most elective service industries, party planning, interior design, anything that people feel they could do just as well on their own.) Even though I created management systems for our business, I constantly get push back from people that say, they just don't need it yet or they don't see the value. This is mainly because of the stage of development of our industry.

In early stage industries there is a lot of internal competition as people try to figure out what works and what works for them. There are no tried and true methods that have been solidified and used repeatedly. So people just keep looking for things that might work for them. It's like Stephen Covey's sharpening the saw concept (one of the Seven Habit's of Highly Effective People). You have to stop and sharpen the saw to cut through the tree without exhausting yourself over and over. Early stage businesses typically don't understand that sharpening the Saw (i.e., getting coaching, using technology or understanding marketing) can make all the difference in the world; from how successful you are to how fast you are successful. Most plod along and live in hopa-hopa land. Hoping they get clients that will actually pay them enough to make a living.

I would often get calls from people that pretended to be interested in my service but actually wanted to learn how we did things. It was pretty easy to tell who was really interested from a client perspective and those that just wanted to get information out of us. Most of the time when I busted them on their intentions they were too embarrassed to continue the conversation or the charade. While many of us are threatened, with the right understanding up front, I was not hesitant to bring people on. They had to pull their weight and do what was required, but we never had anyone try to take our clients. Our clients were organizations, businesses and individuals with whom we were contracted. Additionally, as I have said in this forum a gazillion times (that's a lot) this is a relationship based business. If you do not have a strong, open, honest, trustworthy relationship with your clients, then you need to re-think your business and why you are in the industry. It's all about trust. If your clients are going to jump ship because someone who works for you approaches them with a cheaper price, then you do not have a real relationship OR maybe, they shouldn't be a client.

So all-in-all, I have seen internships work very well and I have seen them be disastrous. It's all about understanding the objective, having clear expectations and knowing what results BOTH of you want - UP FRONT.

Thank you,

Todd Wheeler*

*Remember, the only people that you should ever try to get even with*
are those that have helped you.*

A friend hears the song in your heart and sings it to you when your memory fails.

todd@conciergeresource.com
[1]http://www.conciergeresource.com[2]
http://www.linkedin.com/in/toddwheeler[3]
http://www.facebook.com/people/Todd-Wheeler/1606749127[4]
http://twitter.com/toddwheeler[5]

My commentary**(I think this applies to most elective service industries, party planning, interior design, anything that people feel they could do just as well on their own.)**

This entire post was written by Todd Wheeler, please note all of his information listed above in case you want to contact and or follow him, he is a great resource, and very willing to answer questions, and offer advice.  Thank you Todd, for giving me permission to repost this on my blog.

My First Baby Boy Nursery Design

**  It took a lot longer than I thought.** - Buttercup Blueprints ®