A new year

Here we are beginninga new year, and possibly a lot of new challenges. Personally I have chosen this year to be a year of wellnes, of body, soul and spirit. Starting with body, I have had some health issues taken care of and am now looking forward to a healthier physical year which should help me to achieve more wellness of soul and spirit. So, with that in mind, I shall try to focus on all those small important things that make this life worthwhile. I wake up each day with the opportunity to choose how the day will effect me. This year I choose to be as positive as I can and try to face each day and challenge with grace and confidence. OK there is my resolution. Now the hard part, trying to actually live up to that. Well we all set goals and if we didn't set them, we could never reach them . So that is my bit for now. Talk again later. Linna

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

Thanks sister Nancy for being more on the ball than I am! At least someone gets things posted now and then.

Where have we been?

Good question! Yes, I know, we went off on our annual retreat and that was it. No newsletter, no emails, no stories, nothing. Anyone curious as to why? We each have our reasons, but the bottom line falls to me [Denise] because I put the materials together that each sister sends, and do the web work on the newsletter. So slap me with that wet noodle, because I did not 'git 'er done', obviously!
The good and the bad; most of this fall I have spent my 'free' time working on bears! Each morning before going to work, each afternoon/evening after work - creating bears packed with memories from the boxes of clothing and stories folks sent me. The upside is that my business did well, topping last years, and helped many with their memories in a special way. The downside is .... no newsletter.
Let's hit the high spots: we had an awesome retreat (see Nan's report) and wish we could win the lottery so we'd have more time to work on our projects without the daily commitment to the 'day' job. Of course, that does require buying tickets, and then the chances are still slim to none!
Veteran's Day: Thumbs up to all our veterans, and those who serve for us now. We will never forget.
Thanksgiving: Linda and Rhett trekked over to Eastern Oregon to spend it with Mother Teresa, and Ruth & Jerry. Nancy and George were able to visit while they were there, and had a great time going through boxes of treasures helping Ruth get things into her new house, sewing room, office, etc. Lynn had to work, so couldn't go with them. Clyde & Chrysta came down and spent a restful weekend with us. Yes, I kept working on bears!
Christmas: We're all getting ready for this special time of year, each in our own way. Snow has hit most of us, and it looks like we'll have a white Christmas for sure. Our biggest Christmas wish is that everyone be safe, whether staying home or traveling.
New Year: We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous year. We'll try to be consistent again! Oh yes, at our corporate meeting we resolved to continue our production of handcrafted, often one of a kind, definitely unique custom made heirloom quality gifts and useful things for the delectation of any interested parties. Now did that sentence confuse you? Good! Bound to keep you tuned in to see what additional craziness we manage!!

God Bless you all, and if you want to sign up for the newsletter, send an email to newsletter@homesteadline.com, subject: Sign me up!

October gathering

Our annual Ocotber retreat/gathering/corporate meeting was once again a resounding success. This picture is but one of many taken during our stay on Whidbey Island, Washington. We were hosted by sister Linda's youngest son, Erin, who graciously let us take over his house and also served as an excellant tour guide. The absence of stress, the wonderful company, and the creative conversations, along with some shopping at some very quaint shops was enjoyed by all of us. Somehow this annual retreat refuels our creative juices and gets our brains recharged so that we may continue to expand our businesses.
The most important part, though, is the fact that just being together for this short time is a balm for our souls. One Mom, four sisters - how much better could it get!!!! Watch for more news in our monthly newsletter. Go subscribe at www.homesteadline.com.
Now its back to work on our embroidery business which is underway. Have a great weekend.

New "toy" great embroidery to come!!

Good morning everyone. My husband & I have just purchased a commercial embroidery machine. It arrived yesterdery and is set up and running beautifully. We look forward to creating some unique and beautiful items for our customers. I am totally impressed with the ease of operation for this 12 needle machine. Also it is quiet and very well made. Now we must become students and learn about all the wonderful options and nifty things one can do with this machine.

We have just relocated our sewing/craft room and along with that put in new flooring in that room and the adjacent room as well. Whew! Lots of moving stuff around and sorting and pitching (well some pitching anyhow) as well as aching backs.

Fall is coming soon it appears so we want to get these projects finished up so we can settle in for the winter and make beautiful things.

Happy Fall all!!!

Nancy

Who is busy, busier or busiest?

The answer would be down to a photo finish, the Michael Phelps 100th of a second, if we could even figure it out! However, everyone is....too busy!
Subsequently our August newsletter became our August/September newsletter. Lazy days of summer is something we have not seen in years. Denise's job allows her more summer flexibility [school is closed!] but then other things take over and the only lazy part is not having to 'dress up' every day. Sweats, jeans, shorts - all good for working at home.

We hope we are back on track, the newsletter is up and running, and you too can get on the list for this FREE newsletter just by emailing us at subscribe@homesteadline.com . We do NOT share or sell our mailing list. You will receive a link to the online newsletter and can look or delete. It won't fill up your mail box!

I didn't say we weren't busy any longer, just on track again. We are each juggling multiple responsibilities which include full time jobs, home businesses, families, and other things we get roped into!

It's Summer!!

Summer is here with a vengeance it seems. The forest fires have begun, but luckily for us they are not close by. Unluckily the smoke has drifted here from N. Calif. and is clogging the air.

The last three weekends, I've gone to Saturday Market at Brookings with sister Linda and a trailer of gorgeous flowers from Nelsen Family Farms. We took some of our Homestead Store items along as well, offering some 'Saturday Market' pricing. There has been renewed interest in our Northwest Primitive Bear. This little stuffed guy comes with 3 Salmon which can be fed to the bear. Once the feeding is done, they can be removed [velcro tab on the tummy] and re-fed as many times as you like. Interested? Email us at BEStore@homesteadline.com for info.

What else? Besides the regular daily 'stuff', we are working on some new projects and will share when we can!

God Bless,

Busy? Us?

Oh yeah!! School is finally out, and my 'day job' wrapped up for a few weeks. Now the real work begins as I try to catch up at home. My sisters of course are still stuck with their day jobs, so I dare not 'brag' too much! However, so far I have come to the rescue of one twice - giving up my Saturday and part of Sunday to go to the coast. Rough duty, hm? grins!!
At the Nelsen farm, they are planting, and planting and planting. Brother in law Rhett is on the tractor most of the time and yet flower baskets needed to go to the Saturday Market at the coast. I went with Linda as the 'hired help' and also took some Homestead Store items and advertising [and of course bears]. We sold lots of flowers and fresh peas, the weather was nice both weekends, the farm bought our dinner each day [crab, we had crab!!] I got my exercise loading and unloading.....you think I should have paid them?
Today I am going to alternate between unfinished "Oh My Gaudy" fashion projects and working on my watering system at home. Came home with hoses and fittings yesterday, had to search half the darn town for the simplest thing for my drip system. Go figure.
Bye the way, we are having a photo shoot for Oh My Gaudy in July and then will upload new pictures. They are usually much better than the ones taken hanging on a hanger or on Dumb Dora, so we tend to wait until we have live models!
Finished my coffee, so I better get busy doing some other stuff......
Take care!