I'm Floored

Time for a floor update...I know you are excited. I have shown some before pictures of the floor in a previous post but I have kindly included some before shots again for you. I want everyone to see just how much fun we have had throughout this process...

We were delighted to find concrete and what looked like brick pavers under all the layers (this ranged from vinyl and cardboard tiles) of old flooring!

We, (well, not really we, but my contractor) scraped and sanded each tile in the front of the building to reveal my wonderful floor. The pic here shows the floor before I put my sealer on this week.

Now, the creme de la creme, is the platform yours truly designed :) I passed on my grand plan to my contractor who worked his magic and made it all happen. (I love being the thinker-upper of all things wonderful.) The concrete at the back of the storefront area was not in good condition and something had to be done. With so much brick and concrete I wanted a different texture and this is what we came up with...

I love it. My friend wants me to add a pole in the center....

Sneak Preview

I am a slacker for not writing over the past few weeks, but it's been just a little bit crazy! We had a sneak preview the weekend of our local Dogwood Festival here in Farmville, NC! My main goal for the weekend was to gain exposure for the store. I had items from several of the artists that will be featured in the store on display. I really enjoyed seeing the items out of their boxes and on display. Helped to give me an idea of how things are going to look for the real thing!! I have old wooden shutters and ladders for the jewelry and I must say the jewelry hanging on the chipped paint shutters looks awesome! Thanks to mom and Britt who helped a lot! I have no idea what I would do without you girls! Girls ROCK!!

Chocolate...a girl's dream

I have a secret to tell you....I am a chocoholic. I love everything about chocolate from the way it tastes to the way it makes me feel once I have indulged. I smile and then I am nice to everyone around me. Needless to say, they also like it when I eat chocolate.

Therefore, I am thrilled to have found a wonderful pastry chef/chocolatier from a small town near Asheboro NC who is sending me some chocolates I can keep all for me, er, umm, I mean to share and sell, in the store. I will have Luca brand chocolates available beginning next weekend for the sneak preview/teaser we are having during the Dogwood Festival. I cannot wait for the Lavender honey buttercreams and the bacon caramel. Got ya thinking now don't I....

If you are nice, I will share. A little bit.

Typical Ben

So, by now you may have realized I am crazy about my animals. I adore them and have no doubt that they adore me. I wonder if those of you with animals often talk out loud, and not in a baby-voice to your four-legged kids too? Come on, admit it. Well, I do this often. I half-way expect Ben and Max to answer "I had a wonderful day too, Mom, thanks for asking" when I walk in and ask how their day has been. I even know what their voices would sound like in my head. Max would have a monotone sounding voice while Ben's would be slightly higher pitched, sometimes excitable and sometimes non-chalant.

In the past, I have said goodbye to them in the morning, told them I loved them and to not have any friends over for a wild party. I had thought this positive tone of voice and conversation might prompt them to get up and do something constructive. See, many times I have asked Ben why he doesn't do something productive to bring money into the household like model, sing, act...anything!!! Lately, I have begun trying a different, more direct, approach. I now ask if they could mow the grass, mop the floors, dust, clean the bathrooms...basically anything to help mom since she is busy chasing her dream with the gallery. I get no response as you can imagine.

Today, while getting ready to go clean the floors at the store I asked Ben if he would mind mowing the grass. The picture here shows his response. Don't laugh. He did it on cue and then turned away from me as noted in the 2nd pic.

I asked Max the same question and got his typical cat-like response. In other words, a flat-out stare.

I told Ben if he couldn't be productive and contribute at the house then he was going to come with me. That did it. He hopped off the bed, did his little wiggle-butt dance and whined. Off we went to the store and I cleaned and cleaned. He looked at the children coming out of the building next door and chased them from the window when they ran from him. He thought it was great fun and that they wanted to play with him. He was on the inside of the building and they were on the outside and the door was locked so Ben couldn't eat them. I laughed, told them not to run and not to scream so much. They didn't listen and I finally told Ben to come help me. He did so happily and followed me with every step I took while cleaning.

He finally gave up and sat at the window doing what he does best...being pretty and looking out at everyone and occasionally looking at me.

I sometimes wish he were a famous dog model but that would only go to his big head even more. Maybe I will put him to work at the store when it opens. He could be the greeter. Heck, I would just love it if he picked up a broom every now and then. But that's ok. He can't clean a thing, but he can make you smile while you do. Wiggle-butt Ben...

Happiness Is...

Some folks don't know that I am a devout lover of all things horses. You can see this by the hat I am wearing in the picture. (Yes, it was 1980-something and my sister thought I was cool in my hat.) I grew up riding hunter jumpers and thought there was absolutely nothing better than riding and being around horses and horse-y people. My Dad was an equine vet and that just led me deeper into the equine world and I loved it. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful, leathered, tough lady as my riding instructor, Mrs. Wiseman. She was everything a coach and mentor should be. She didn't baby her students and she told us exactly as it was. And what we didn't know at the time was she was always right. I was taught how to care for the horse, how to groom, how to ride but most importantly, how to respect the horse. Along with all these lessons, I learned an awful lot about myself and gained a great amount of self-esteem. I think that comes being a horseman/woman...you develop confidence because you have to trust the animal and they have to trust you. It's a very fascinating relationship.

Mrs. Wiseman told us things like, "Don't let that horse know you are scared." (ah, ok) or "You will not ride my horse with that attitude." (that was directed at me when I was 11) or "Get right back up on that horse." (can't count the number of times I heard that while looking up at my horse from the ground) or "Sit up straight, suck in your belly, stick out your chest and breathe." All of her sayings were applicable to real life of course if you looked at it closely. My favorite thing she ever said to me though was this..."Put your heart on the other side of that fence and go for it." This of course was something she said to help us get over whatever fear was gripping our heart. Just visualizing this worked as my levels of confidence fluctuated and it helped me tremendously.

My all-time favorite horse was named Happiness Is, aka, Izzy. He was part Saddlebred and part Thoroughbred. What a combination for a girl who loves a Thoroughbred! He would jump whatever you pointed him toward and he loved it! He was happiest when he was doing what he loved. We had a very special relationship. (I will post a pic soon of he and I.) We were buddies. We had trust.

My whole point to this rambling is that fear has gripped my heart in the past few months over starting my business. I have panicked and asked myself many times various questions such as, "What are you doing??" "What if this, and what if that??" "Are you SURE??"

The answer...yes, I am sure. I have to trust my instincts. Because the road to Happiness Is...putting your heart on the other side of the fence and going for it.

I am learning you will never, ever know until you do.

Ben again...

As you know, things are moving right along. I spend a lot of time at the store getting things ready and it seems all I do is move something to another part of the store just to move it back out of the way again to the same spot. It's crazy and it's fun and I can't wait. The other day I had Ben up at the store with me. He now thinks this is his very own play space. He runs around and jumps on the platform and then chews on some tape and then gets in my way and then...I captured him in these beautiful poses. He was watching all the people walking and driving by. I seriously believe he thought they were coming by to look at him. And truthfully, I do too.

Let me introduce myself, my name is Max...

And, as you will soon find out from the entries I will post, I am far superior to that Chocolate Dog who is also otherwise known as Brown Dog, Pickles, and various other names my mother decides to call him. Honestly, he isn't all that. I am completely self-sufficient and take care of myself and don't even have to 'yell' at her when I have to have a bathroom break. I have a cool little igloo shaped thing I get to go to. That brown, furry, long-nosed creature cannot even open the door for himself. I understand why I can't, because I am not as tall and cannot reach the door handle, but him....please. He could reach the handle if he tried hard enough. I secretly laugh when mom scolds him. Heck, I thought his name was 'NoBen' the first 3 yrs he was around our house....had no idea his real name was just Ben. I mean all I ever heard was No Ben, No, No, No.

But enough about him. I was happily hanging out in various yards in a neighborhood when a previous boss of mom's decided I needed a good home. They wrangled me up and off I went to live a life of luxury. I never had to search for my food again, it just appeared every day. I have been with mom for 15 yrs and I love her. I really do. I don't show it much because that's just how cats are. Non-chalant and unaffected by things. I am very much the perfect animal because I don't fuss at mom, she doesn't have to walk me and I curl up on her chest when she is sad. She's a sucker for that stuff.

Now, enough about me. I wanted to tell you that mom is getting very excited and nervous about her store. She just oohs and aahs over so much of the artists work and she is so happy when someone lets her know they want to be in her gallery. She is one funny lady. I am the Advisor and get to help pick out the artists. What a cool job.

I am just glad for it all because she is happy. And when momma is happy, everyone is happy.

And my favorite part of it all is I get to curl up on her lap while she works on the computer. My favorite place to be is on mom's couch on a blanket or on the back cushions on a blanket or on a chair on a blanket. See a pattern here? Mom just loves it when I have my little paw stuck out. She thinks it is because I am reaching out for her. But really, its just because it's comfortable, but if it makes her happy....

All the best,

Maxwell

aka, Smartest Animal (ever) in the Wright House

(No worries about Ben, he is well aware of this fact as I tell him everyday)