We honor those who served sacrificially (and their families!) today for the freedoms that we enjoy!  Thank you, Veterans!

Big news from Willow House

Hi friends....I wanted to share an important update in my life that I just learned about on Friday...the company I have been with since 2002 will be closing its doors...yes, Willow House will be ending by the end of the year.  We are still liquidating home decor inventory until mid December, and starting tomorrow, we will begin liquidating our Sara Blaine for Willow House jewelry inventory. 

It is a sad time, but one that I am not despairing about.  God always opens new doors when He closes current ones.  So I am looking to the opportunities that will come later next year....stay tuned for those!

With that being said, tomorrow we'll begin a FAB FALL sale, with all the jewelry being discounted  UP TO 50% off.  Sales will start around mid-day tomorrow, so if you want to scoop up some awesome Sara Blaine designer jewelry (Sara still has a retail line in the luxury boutique stores that is growing!!) at discounted prices then plan to shop HERE!!   If you have questions, please ask...I can help you.  Thanks, and I'll be in touch.....

November ONE

So this is GRATITUDE month.....what are YOU thankful for? It is good to have some time set aside to be FOCUSED on gratitude.  We mean to have that attitude every day, right??  But it's so easy to be so busy that we forget to FOCUS on it.  We forget and we take for granted all the things in our lives that mean so much!  So LET'S take Fridays and FOCUS on gratitude.  All other things put aside for the moment, I will list FIVE things I am thankful for on Fridays in the month of November.  I will take everyday to consider and at the end of the week, post my five here.  Please feel free to join in and list your five in the comments!!  Let's encourage each other to be FOCUSED on gratitude.  Besides, it's my ONE move to be sure Thanksgiving isn't overlooked as a one time thing between Halloween and Christmas!!  So let the gratitude fest begin.
For today, I want to tell you that I am thankful for:

1. My God....He is my strength and my salvation, and without Him, I would have no hope of heaven.

2. My family.....what a joy to be a part of this blessing!! I am often in awe of what God has done.

3. My hands....I am often weary of the daily chores it takes to make a household function, but truly I am glad to be here and able to do the things I need to do, day in and day out.  I have many fruits to show from my labors, and I am thankful.

4. Coffee...yes, it is one of the good parts of waking up each day, and I am thankful to be able to enjoy it!!!

My perfect cup is a tall latte mug like this one, with my coffee, some real cream and stevia.  I don't always use real cream....but that's how I like it best!!! What about YOU?
5.  My home.....I REALLY enjoy making a house a home....I love to decorate, and make it beautiful space. I don't always love cleaning, but that feeling is one to enjoy, for sure, when it's all done. Some people love to clean....I wish I had that gene.  But one does what's necessary for life, right??

So tell me, what things are YOU thankful for?? Looking forward to more of November...it's one of my favorite months!!!

So the temptation is to "wait" until I get the blog fixed up before I post again, but I am going to forego that temptation and blog thru the renovation!!  I still have to come up with a plan, so why wait??
I wanted to let you know that we have some Designer Deals here at Willow House today. Here's how it works.  On Tuesdays and Thursday, you'll find new Designer Deals and Steals in our stores.  On Wednesdays, there is a section called Last Chance where you'll find Retired Items deeply discounted.  Those rotate in and out every Wednesday, so if you see something you want, get it while it's available!! It might be gone if you "come back for it"......So this week, I want to tell you about the deals we have going on, as well as a special "ghostly" deal we are offering as a special treat!!  Usually the deals run a week, unless they sell out before then.....so one was offered on Tuesday and one offered today.  Here they are: 

This deal is for the Safari Slim Endless Necklace, a terrific layering piece, on  sale for $59!  You will LOVE it!!

the GHOSTLY deal offered as a TREAT for you, the Tribeca (made in the USA!)  only $39, reg. priced at $99!!

The Awesome deal added today...a SET of the Tribeca necklace AND bracelet in matte black finish for only $59 for both pieces!! 

I'd be happy to help by answering questions or helping you decide on which pieces work best for you.  Feel free to email me if you have any questions!! Thanks and enjoy!  My complete webstore can be found at http://southerninspiration.jewelry.willowhouse.com.

changes coming soon........

Blogger re-invention in progress...I really do want to get back to this blog 'o mine.  I miss regularly communicating with some friends that I have only known thru blogging.  Since I have only blogged about twice or three times in the last year or more, I figure that a re-introduction might be in order....things change, and unless we are publishing or communicating those changes, it gets hard to keep up, hard to write all the changes, and such. 

First of all,  my business has changed, so I want to be able to tell you about that.  We at Willow House have almost completely phased out our home decor division.  I know I loved it, I know so many of you loved it, but business is business and it was no longer able to compete with the big box stores....that we all love.  So we began a new division of designer jewelry by Sara Blaine.  Sara Blaine has a line of retail jewelry in boutique jewelry stores and is now partnering with us on an exclusive line of hand-crafted jewelry that is made in Bali  using semi-precious stones and precious metals.  We are among the first to have a company in direct sales to have THIS kind of jewelry.  There are many companies, but ours is hand-crafted by silversmiths in Bali, it is DESIGNER jewelry, so every piece is designed by Sara as well as designed in a way the complements and coordinates with many of the other pieces we already have.  Just take a look at this video of how our jewelry is designed and hand-crafted, and meet Sara Blaine!
I will need to do some re-design on my header, obviously and decide how to incorporate my new business into something that will include my life, my new role as grandmother, and my business. I don't want every post to be about jewelry, but I do love fashion and accessories, so I will be sharing some of those things, too......so hang on, stay posted and let me know in the comments what you'd like to hear about!!!!

Gentleness needed.

Last week, I had numerous friends who had life-changing events happen in their lives, and I watched as if their story was a plot line in a sad novel, as if I were looking into the window of their lives, seeing heart-wrenching details that brought them to their knees.  One friend's dad died, and although he had lived a rich, Godly life, it was nonetheless difficult to say goodbye to the loved one that had raised her, that had poured himself into her and her family's lives for over fifty something years.  Another friend that I hadn't seen for over 25 years, though we had exchanged Christmas cards and family letters, died from a three year battle with cancer.  She dances in heaven today.  A friend suffered from her third miscarriage, after a few weeks of nausea that had her hoping this pregnancy would "take" and that surely sickness in this case was a GOOD thing.  Another dear friend that lives hours away, shared with me that her husband of over 25 years had left her for a younger woman.  Another young woman, a family member, called me in tears, realizing that the depression that she thought was abating, had hit her full force again, and slammed  a blow with the  perfectionistic battles that haunt her. 

Then today I read this blog post:   http://www.mamamia.com.au/health-wellbeing/her-husband-had-an-accident/.

Life is hardly EVER fair.  Life is not always fun and games....although sometimes it is!  Sometimes life can be about fashion, and home decor, and fun meals, and books, and games, and sports and dancing.  Sometimes life is about swimming and vacations, and school and extra curricular activities. Sometimes life is even about GREAT businesses, enjoyable work, and rewards for a job well done. For others, life is about finding the next meal, having enough money to pay the rent and utilities, or having the money necessary for meeting the basic needs of your family like clothing and shoes and healthcare.  There are plenty of people who suffer mental illness and depression, terminal illnesses and painful injuries.  There are people who want to live and love without having to deal with heart-wrenching conditions that make them long to feel NORMAL again.  We just never know what other people are going through.  As the author of the blog post above says, sometimes you just want to wear a sign.  There are really FEW people who are carefree. Really FEW people who can go through an hour, a day, a week without hurting for someone else.  The real truth is that if you see someone who appears to have it all together, then there is a piece of the puzzle missing that you are not seeing.  Rarely does someone have it ALL, have it ALL together, and have no need for others.  As the author says, if we could just see the "signs" people wear, we might truly be more gentle with our neighbor, with that stranger who appears to be different, with those who even look like they have it ALL together.  People hurt, people ache, people need to have grace extended to them.  We really only have the ability to offer the grace that God has given us.  We are selfish and want to be sure we are cared for.  My challenge today is to us all to watch for the signs others are wearing, and be gracious to them.  Watch for ways to bring a smile to others and enjoy doing for others for the mere pleasure of seeing them touched by a caring friend. 
Go, be gentle to someone today.

 I just came back from our annual Willow House meeting in Colorado!  Oh, my...what a trip. The weather was fabulous, of course. When one is used to 95 degree temps in July, 70's can be OH.SO.REFRESHING!  And it was!

We learned the latest news in Sara Blaine for Willow House, which I cannot wait to share with you!!  And we saw the new Fall 2013 line that Sara has designed for us.....can I just say WOW! She is one talented designer and such a sweetheart.  We feel so fortunate to work with Sara and Mendel, her husband and business partner.   They are right there with us when we have our annual meetings!  It is awesome to be able to ask them questions and make suggestions and feel like they actually CARE what we think!  I will be posting some pics of some of the new line in days to come.  You are going to LOVE it, like I do!  But first I just have to share with you the NEWS that Sara Blaine for Willow House is going to offer starting Aug. 1st!! Read below to get a grasp of this idea......it's going to be great!

 This helps describe our new associate program....and anyone, anywhere can join it for FREE.  No fees, no obligation!!!  Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have!

I’m a Rep for Designer Sara Blaine, maybe you've read about her. I have a strong client business and a growing digital business on the web. I’m looking for people to help me expand my digital business and I’m willing to pay them well. It doesn't cost a penny to set up your very own Sara Blaine Boutique and the company will pay you 25% of every dollar of jewelry purchased by your friends and contacts on Facebook and Twitter. All you have to do is “click open” to set up your store and “click share” to post special offers from the company to Facebook! We realize that you’re helping us reach a person that we normally couldn't reach through traditional advertising and that’s why we’re willing to pay you 25%. And if you’d like to help us even more by signing up your friends as Sara Blaine Associates, we’ll pay you 10% of what is sold through their e commerce stores when they “click open” for free and then “click share.”

But the best part is our Grand Opening bonus! For your first 101 days the company with match your 25% cash commission with 25% of free product. They will even match the 10% bonus on Associates you sign up direct to you with 10% free product during their Grand Opening. There’s no limit to the number of Associates you can enroll and no limit to the cash or jewelry you can earn. What a great way to earn extra money and gifts for Christmas!

Click the link to my store and then click “Start My Own Boutique” to get started earning real cash and free jewelry today.  This option will go active on Aug. 1st...on my website, http://southerninspiration.willowhouse.com.  As I said before, it costs you NOTHING to open your own e-boutique. 

I am thinking of coming back to blogging, but it seems things have really changed for me.  I would be blogging about various things as I did before, adding in my Sara Blaine for Willow House designer jewelry business into the new mix.  I recently had a "light bulb" moment that I have always enjoyed being a "connector". I love connecting with people, I love connecting people TO people and I love connecting people to things, ideas and products that help or delight them!  I love innovative ideas that actually DO connect a need to a solution!  I even love puzzles, I suppose because they are like reconciling the big picture!! 
I also realize that the blogging world has really changed.  What's going out there in the blogging world?? What do you want to see when you visit blogs?  What kinds of blogs make you want to re-visit??  I'd love to know your thoughts!!!
In the meantime, you can check out our new line of Sara Blaine jewelry for Willow House on my website, http://southerninspiration.willowhouse.com.  Just so you will know, there are a number of very low priced home decor items, still over there on the outlet on my website....we've sold so much of our home decor at a greatly reduced price and there are STILL great inexpensive bargains!!  You might want to check it out!!

Diet and Nutrition....

Man, I am learning so much about diet and Nutrition...remember earlier this year I posted about Insulin Resistance?? Well, in doing research about that and research for my daughter about Gluten Intolerance, boy have I run into LOADS of info about diet and nutrition.  So I am thinking of doing a series on it; would YOU be interested? What kinds of diet and nutrition challenges do you find yourself up against?    I'll be sharing more of my story, but I thought I'd first do a poll on what issues YOU face....I am learning that Diet and Nutrition are SO individualistic and needs vary so much!!!  Tell me in the comments about your situation and we'll dive in SOON!!
While I am no expert, I've found so many great websites, blogs and Facebook pages about various kinds of nutrition that I'll be glad to share those with you, too.

June.......it was FULL!!

I know June isn't quite over, but boy has it been full so far.  And July promises to be just as busy. 
First of all, as you know, my son got married to a lovely girl the first weekend of June.  The wedding was beyond beautiful, with so much attention to every detail.  The bride and her family are so very creative and talented.  It was a true blessing.  Speaking of blessings, my other son and family came to share in the wedding with us, and that meant two little blessings of grandbabies came here, as well. Oh, they are too precious.  I know every grammie thinks that of their babies, but what a blessing this role of being Peaches to two sweet little granddaughters has been so far.  They are adorable, and I so look forward to the future with them and our blossoming family. 
Then a week later, my husband and I left for a trip to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  I had decided to join him on his business trip, and I am so glad I did.  It was delightful. The temperatures and weather were great, got lots of walking and sightseeing in, and just LOVED being transported to another place and time to relax and enjoy.  It was fantastic.  We stayed a few days past my husband's meetings and got some more sightseeing in.   To name a few of the highlights, there was the Anne Frank Huis, the Van Gogh museum, the Rembrandt House and museum, the Rijkmuseum, the Muiderslot Dutch Castle, and lots of sites and miles in between.  What a special place.  I'll leave you with a few pics and then over the next while, I will take some time to tell you about a few of them.  Have a great day, y'all!!!

hubby and I

my two handsome sons

The bride and groom

My sweet daughter in law and granddaughters

In my absence......

not the current edition, but just for illustration purposes!! 

y'all I'm crazy busy getting ready for the wedding!! I'm so excited.  In my absence, I'm posting some ideas from REAL Simple magazine for you to peruse....I do love that magazine, and they have such great tips and ideas. Check this one out for The BEST Everyday Cleaning Items!!!
 http://ebm.//ebm.cheetahmail.com/c/tag/hBPz1UHBAuBI6B8jW0sNUcJKs.BAuBI6JO/doc.html?t_params=EMAIL%3Dsuzanne.joffrion%2540gmail.com%26RSM_SOURCE%3Dpurewow_sweeps_jan12


hHopefully, I'll be back soon!!! Y'all have a great week!!

Bells will be ringing......

Wedding bells, that is......
This is a big week for us....my middle child, my second son, is getting married next weekend.  A week from today, he'll be a married man!  Wow, doesn't time fly??  So, as you may or may not know, there is a lot less to do as the Mother of the Groom, as opposed to the Mother of the Bride.  I still have that role to play sometime in the future, hopefully not TOO SOON!!  The wedding will be held in a lovely little wedding chapel, and the bridesmaids will be wearing navy dresses and simple sandals.....carrying a bouquet of wildflowers.  I am excited to see how months of planning actually play out and look. My future daughter in law is very talented and has a wonderful eye for detail!

We, as the parents of the groom, are responsible for the Rehearsal Dinner, so I have been busy planning that.  I have been making some burlap runners to put on each table.  On each runner, we will have a square vase of daisies and babies breath, with lemon slices around the outside of the container the flowers go into.....onto that I will tie a navy ribbon around the outside of the square vase.  I also plan to have another container of candy (kisses) as part of the centerpiece.  Sure hope it turns out as cute as I think it will!! =)
The week will be fun, and gathering the family together will be a real blessing!! I am very excited.  Of course, I will post pictures next week of how things turn out.
Grandbabies will be here on Thursday!! So excited about that, too!!!  Can you imagine??!
What a week it is going to be!!! 

What do YOU do to get motivated and turn a long list of To-Do's into a list of TA-DA"s???  One thing I do is set my timer for 45 minutes, turn the music on and see just how much I can get accomplished in that amount of time. Then depending on what else I have to do that day, I may set it again, or I may move on to something else.......it sure helps me get into an accomplishment set of mind, and makes me feel like I'm making some progress!   So that's what I am doing this morning........we're down to two weeks away from my son's wedding, and I have a long list of things to DO!!!  Are you with me?? Do you need to set that timer??  What's on YOUR list of things to do??

Memorial Day

Sunday focus....

Have a wonderful day, y'all!!!!