So Much and Too Much

What a crazy last month it has been and I am sooo glad things are getting back into a normal routine.  Here are a few of the things we've had the last few weeks:

1. End of year Banquets/Recitals:  Baton, Gymnastics, Wrestling, Football, Tennis
2. Graduations:  Maegan's High School, Sophie & Lillie from Pre-K, Maegan from Seminary (early morning scripture study) and Maegan's AA Degree
3. Birthdays:  Maegan's 18th, Wade's 16th, Sophie & Lillie's 5th, Neices & Nephews and Austin's 14th coming up in just a few days
4. Monumental Events:  Maegan's College Decisions:  BYU or UF, Wade gets his Drivers License
5. Summer Begins:  Maegan has 2 weeks left of Summer to complete her AA then will begin work, Sophie & Lillie are now home...all day long...
6. Sports:  USTA Tennis League, Off Season Wrestling Practices & Tournaments, Spring Football & Games,
7. Injuries:  Wade hurt his hip during football and is able to rehab through it using Physical Therapy.  I hurt my shoulder playing tennis and we are hoping to avoid surgery with rest and physical therapy.  "D", a friend of Wade's (who always dates my neice), was in a terrible car accident Memorial Weekend leaving him with 2 broken hips, a punctured lung, and broken ribs.  "D" cannot put any weight on his hips at all and is wheelchair bound for 3 months.  Being a huge part of our family's life it has had quite an impact.
8. Chickadee Shops Storefront:  Slowly, but...slowly the store is coming together.  Lots of setbacks and hidden problems during the demo. Paint & Carpet is set to begin in the next day or so, A/C goes in next week.  Our goal is to open July 1st - with or without all the store fixtures/shelving/etc.

So with all of that behind us we look forward to what Summer will bring:

1. No School:  Did I mention yet that the twins are home all day?
2. Sports:  I took the summer off of tennis to rest my shoulder but I get to play 2 days a week!  Wade has 2-A-Days: Football in morning & Wrestling in afternoon
3. Rosemary in Brisbane, Australia:  This is a tough one.  My mom and I are very close as well as she is a huge part of Chickadee Shops AND teaches our Quilting Classes.  She leaves 4th of July to head to Brisbane where my little sister, Amanda, is due with her 3rd baby and first girl. 
4. Amanda's Baby:   It's always exciting for a new baby - but Amanda gets her first girl!
5. Travel & Camps:  Costa Rica, Wrestling, BYU's Especially for Youth (EFY), Youth Conference, Secret Surprise Trip to Las Vegas to see Garth Brooks
6. Chickadee Shops Opens in the Oaks Mall Plaza in Gainesville FL

Okay, so now I am overhwelmed all over again! 

Here is the good news!  Amanda is going to join me in keeping everyone updated through our Blog and Facebook page with all the Chickadee News & Highlights.  Very Exciting - besides, she is much better than me at all this stuff anyways :).

I've got so much to load and share..., Upcoming Lines, Christmas Lines, Patriotic Quilts (just the quilt tops are completed so far), a fun new Hexagon quilt I tried, and photos of the store and it's progress!  AND I'll give you a proper introduction to Amanda!!

Which storefront is the one for me??

We have been waiting for the landlord of our Oaks Mall Plaza lease to get back to us with finalizing some of our buildout issues.  A few days ago I was talking to our agent about wanting to get open quick and that I was concerned about how long each step was going to take:  inalizing lease contract, permits, demo, more permits for the buildout, flooring, paint some electrical...the list just keeps going. Today we were told about another spot that is pretty much ready to go.  This spot is across the street from the Oaks Mall, behind Books A Million, McDonalds/Burger King, a few other stores - next to Yamato Japanese Steakhouse.  The spot is an endcap that has these gorgeous windows that wraparound the store.  The space is smaller than the one at the Plaza and it costs a bit more.  BUT, I can be in in a few weeks vs a few months.  Another positive is there is a place on the other side of this space which is another 1500 sq ft that I can add on/move into later, so I would have the entire endcap with an 2 entire walls ALL windows.

The good news is I have some time to think about it.  I'll take the next few days to pray about it and I have complete faith and trust that the Lord will inspire me with the right space.

A busy weekend

Last weekend finished the last high school wrestling weekend for us.  Wade made it to Regionals and his first match he goes down with a knee injury.  I deserver major mom points for not running out on the mat! 

He is already doing so much better but tomorrow is our follow up with the doctor.

On the storefront, I am waiting for the lease to be delivered.  Once we get this out of the way the demo can begin! 

I got my Central Park by Kate Spain laminated cottons today.  I am SOO excited.  I have spent the last little bit looking for ideas to make some samples of.  Something more than a table cloth! 

I think a diaper case, changing pad, diaper bag is a great place to start!  This will be my first tutorial for the blog!

We got the storefront!!

OH MY HECK!  I am just speechless between I got the call this morning instead of waiting a week AND they agreed to everything I asked for!

Whoo Hoo!!!

So from here...I have to wait for the lease (probably next week since the Landlord is out of town), get that signed and give them some money.  Then they will begin the demo, clearing it back to a rectangle with 4 walls, some generic carpet, & a bathroom.  Once that is complete (30-60 days depending on permits), I then come in and customize the space with the design I want for my store.

But the very first thing I need to do...is express my gratitude.  I am so amazed at how the Lord responds to prayers and if we are patient and if we listen to the promptings and then ACT on them, the blessings will come.  I am so grateful that I listened to the prompting yesterday to switch spaces.  I am so grateful that I was able to have this opportunity. 

Oaks Mall Plaza...here we come!

Cheerfully and with patience...

We found out Monday that a national chain hair salon and submitted an application to the same retail space I had (it wasn't quite the Happy Birthday news I had been looking for).  Unfortunately, they submitted first.  When I questioned my agent, he said, "During negotionations, they did say someone else was looking at it, but I hear that all the time.  I guess it wasn't a ploy."  UGH!  The landlord offered 2 other locations located in the same plaza.  One is upstairs and a tad bit smaller, the other is downstairs and bigger.  My knee-jerk reaction was I am so going with the downstairs one.  I don't want to go upstairs and I didn't really like the space and there were a dozen other reasons.  So we began negotiations on that space. 

The next two nights I prayed over this decision again.  As "J" & I read our scriptures before bed I kept waiting for that inspiration aha moment where I would know the answer.  This morning as I was doing my usual scramble, again I thought about just not getting any answers that I felt really good about.  I didn't know what to do.  After a great morning playing tennis - it always seems to clear my mind - as I was driving home it hit me.  The upstairs location.  As I thought about it and what it had to offer, that feel good moment hit.  The feeling that I didn't have even as we were in negotiations for the other space.  I called "J" and said - HONEY!  I know this is crazy and we've already worked so hard on this other space, but I want to take the upstairs place.  As usual, my loving husband just listens to my antics, hears my reasons why, and without question says, I'll call the agent.  I had an appointment in 2 hours and he was leaving to go out of town for the next 3 days, so for us to see it - a lot had to happen considering the listing agent lives 6 hours away.  30 minutes later - our agent called, had gotten a key, and we were on our way to see the space. 

This is where things aren't so great. The space is in terrible shape and will need to be gutted and rebuilt out.  Even with all the added work, it still felt good and right.  So we put in our offer for this space and the waiting game begins again.  This afternoon I get an update call stating the Landlord is out of town until next week.  Oh my heck!  What a test of my patience. 

Tonight as I read through a talk given by Elder L. Whitney Clayton at General Conference, he talks about Alma in the Book of Mormon and how the Lord will give us strength and support, in His own time and way (that is the tough part).  He shares a scripture in Alma:  "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." 

What jumped out at me on this scripture is not only do we have to have patience, for the Lord works in his own time, but again we are promised that our burdens will be made light and we can handle them with ease.  The biggest part was how Alma submitted "cheerfully and with patience."  Patience is not so easy for me, being cheerfully patient is usually not how I will be described.  But his has given me a gentle reminder to be cheerful and patient.

It is a good thing that the rest of the week will be super busy.  Thursday I have a tennis match, the twins have gymnastics, & "W" will need to be picked up from wrestling.  Friday "W" & I will be leaving early for Jacksonville, FL where the 2 day Regionals wrestling tournament is being held.  We'll end Saturday with the Gold & Green ball.  Somewhere in their I need to prepare for Sunday - I am teaching the lesson in Relief Society.

On a fun note, Central Park by Kate Spain arrived today!  I love her fabric designs - those little animals are so dang cute!

Pins & Needles

I have been sitting on pins and needles as I wait to hear on our lease for a storefront.  We are all the way to the very last step...it is down to Yes we want to add your shop to our plaza or No, we do not want a Quilt Shop in our shopping plaza.

Ugh.  Patience is not my strongest attribute...ha...so we just keep on waiting.

Today is my birthday so I am hoping that this will be a great birthday yes!  (I even sent a message to our realtor saying, "If they are on the fence in their decision, tell them it is my birthday!".