Monday with Melissa: My Pre-Sew Routine :)

I can sew (and I GET to sew) for 6-8 hour sessions at a time. To be able to do a stretch like this, I have to do my little "pre-sew" routine. I try to be completely focused on sewing while I work. If I am not completely, mind and body, focused on sewing then mistakes happen. So before I sew I like to indulge in some cotton candy for the brain. 

I start by picking out a show or movie to play on the TV while I work. It has to be something I've seen 8 million and a half times so it can just play in the background while I sew and I won't look at the screen or end up sitting and watching it. This week has been:

Next, I browse a few of the online groups and stories I follow. I am a huge nerd for hauntings and paranormal activity. I'm not a huge conspiracy theorist. You'll very rarely hear me participate in conspiracy conversation. But for some reason I LOVE to read about them! On my own time, I've been writing a collection of short stories called, "All The Ways In Which I Die." It's gross exaggerations of everyday normal events that actually occurred in my life, by I die at the end of them somehow. It's a collection of dark comedic horror. So I like to stay sharp by reading a horror story once a day :) Depending on my mood, I'll read the latest haunting, paranormal, horror, or conspiracy story. This week it is: 

Then I turn on the difuser with an essential oil. My favorites are lemongrass, peppermint, wild orange and serenity :) Does any one have any essential oil favorites I should try? I'm thinking of getting Juniper Berry next!

Then I get a gatorade. I am usually prepping throughout the day for a run in the evening. So I start with hydration!

Then, to get into sewing mode, I look at any emails my assistant couldn't answer and enjoy customer appreciation photos. This morning a few came in.

Or I write a blog post :) Then, when I feel sufficiently that I am thinking about pretty and pleasant things (not horror and conspiracy), then I can proceed with a full six hours of sewing!

What are some of your pre-work routines? What do you do to get in the "groove?" Especially on a Monday morning if you are feeling sluggish or like you didn't want the weekend to end?

I'm about to go pop some "wintergreen" in the diffuser and then I'll be ready to go!

I want to hear from you! Leave me a comment and tell me what your prep rituals or slow down rituals are :) I like to change things up every once in a while. Give me some ideas :)

Happy Monday.

Where we've been and where we're going.

Where we've been and where we're going.

Earlier this year I did some work for Bellini Baby Furniture. Our shades are not being sold through them as they just do furniture. I helped with their staging set ups. The shade in this image of their "Jessica" dresser is our bordered shade with a four inch border down the length sides and across the bottom.

Our Flat Roman Shades were also featured in HGTV magazine.

We are looking forward to this fall when we will be featured in the Land of Nod catalog! 

Enjoy more pictures from Michelle at Land of Nod on her blog by clicking here. Thank you, Michelle, for the amazing opportunity! We are grateful to be a part of this project!

Returning to the blog world!

Hello readers! We have spent this year up till now restructuring the business. We now have a much more efficient way of handling orders and have an extremely talented team assembled and ready to tend to your window treatment needs.

We have a great team assembled. Allow me to introduce them. First, if you aren't talking directly to me then you are talking to Ashley Peters! Ashley lives in Oceanside, California. She is a veterinary technician and in the Army Reserves! AND she answers our emails, distributes quotes and addresses many of the questions our clients may have.

This is Ashley with 8 Saint Bernard puppies she helped deliver a few months prior to the photo.

Natasha Hartman lives in Madison, Wisconsin and makes our Flat Roman Shades. She is currently learning the Greek Key Roman Shade as well. She is mom to a two year old daughter and maybe more coming soon, but that's not my business to share. . .  ;)

Karyn McBride lives in Tucson, Arizona and makes Flat Roman Shades and Relaxed Roman shades. She is mom to a daughter and is taking a little break from working for us as she expects baby #2 any day now!

Shantelle McBride lives in Peyton, Colorado and makes our Flat Roman Shades, Ribbon Trim Roman Shades and Cordless Roman Shades. She is mom to four! Shantelle and Karyn are married to brothers. So they are sisters in law. Lots of fun!

Heather Pilz lives in Clay, New York. She makes our Flat Roman Shades and our Nonfunctioning Roman Shades. She is mom to three, two daughters and a son. She has been with our team the longest of its current members.

Jeanelle Stark lives in Roanoke, Virginia (with me)! She makes our Flat Classic Shades and Nonfunctioning Roman Shades. She is mom to four boys! It's nice to have a seamstress that lives nearby!

Janeen Syme is returning to our team. She was with us a few years ago and is coming back! I consider myself very lucky to have her rejoining the team. She made lots of customers happy in her time with us :) She is mom to two daughters and a son and lives in Orem, Utah.

And let's not forget Garren, my husband. :) He cuts all the mounting blocks and dowels. And he keeps the books for the business. He is. . .  well, amazing, supportive, encouraging, . .  you name it!

And there is me, Melissa Laymon. I am mom to one son and one daughter. We all live in Roanoke, Virginia. I make all the styles of window treatments :)

And we are pleased to be adding Batya and Leena Harrel to the team! They are currently in training and will be making Flat Roman Shades, curtain panels and valances. They will be joining our team in September. I also hope to add another member from my husband's family in California. She is very talented and I hope to convince her to hop on board!

We've got a solid team of extremely talented women and we're ready to handle this upcoming holiday season. The fall and winter are our busiest times as people prepare their homes to receive guests during the holidays. If you haven't started thinking about that, get some ideas together and send them our way! We're ready for you!

Click here to go to our website.

I have trained all of these women myself and they have been on them team for several months now. I've been waiting to introduce them because I've been taking the time to make sure they put the Window Treatments by Melissa standard into each of their pieces. And after a few months on board, I am now confident in saying that each of this woman will deliver a quality product that will meet your needs and be a pleasing addition to your home. We take care to mind even the smallest of details here at Window Treatments by Melissa. You can expect quality functional products when you order from WTbM.

Click here to go to our etsy store.

I hope you will consider us for your window treatment needs. Please contact us and let  us know your ideas. Share your inspiration photos with us and we will provide you with custom window treatments that will complete the look and feel you are trying to achieve in your home.

Thank you for considering us and for reading our blog. I look forward to hearing from you and creating something beautiful for your home.

Stay in bed mom

"Stay In Bed Mom"

 

Hello, readers. Every six months I like to write a personal blog post rather than one about our projects, decorating, etc, just to let you know what is going on behind the curtains at WTbM.

 

There have been A LOT of good changes in the past 6 months to the business. I will be sharing them with you shortly. But first I want to share a personal experience to let you know why and how these changes came about.

 

Here at Window Treatments by Melissa, we understand the importance of families and the import role a mother plays in children's lives. I have hired a team of women that work from their own work rooms in their homes wherever they are in the country so that they can stay at home with their children. For me, I work while my children are at school and some evenings and weekends.

 

 

I am a very selfish mom in that I like to sleep. Wait, wait. If I'm being honest, I L.O.V.E. to sleep. I'm also a selfish mom in that I should probably be saving up for my kids college expenses instead of saving up for my vacation home in Europe. . .  I paid, errr am still paying, for my college so they can pay for theirs! Right?! amiright???

 

Let me tell you what's been going on in my heart and my  mind this past year. Let me preface by saying that I think self esteem is stupid and fake and made up by therapists. (I know I'm inviting some controversial comments with that one, but I do feel that way). I think self esteem is just another way to focus on ourselves and how I feel, how everything around me affects ME and makes ME feel a certain way ME ME ME ME! I think if we focus outward on others we are too distracted to think about we feel. So rather than saying "self esteem," I'm going to use the word "value." I've never felt like I held much value as a mother. I'm sort of introvert, so I really don't care for large groups and play dates. If I never sing "The Wheels on The Bus" again, it won't be too soon. I can't make bread. In my community, homemade bread is the mark of a good homemaker. ;) I try to teach my kids good morals and values and have never felt like anyone is listening or absorbing anything. I had been feeling like I was of more value to the family if I brought in an income rather than being the provider of emotional support, life lessons and maker of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

 

A few times this last year, I kept telling myself not to give up just because I thought my kids weren't absorbing anything I said to them. Both of my kids had experiences that demonstrated they had learned something from me.

 

My son is the least confrontational person on earth. Ever. He told me one day he was having some trouble with a boy on the bus stealing his mittens and gloves from him and turning them inside out and bunching them up so he couldn't use them. I told him the important thing to do would be to forgive him and remain friends with the boy because people change and you might want him to be your friend later. And how would he know if he changed and got better unless you forgave him and continued to treat him as a friend? Recently I asked who he sat next to on the bus and he told me the name of the boy who was picking on him. And he said he was glad he had a friend now to sit on the bus with. I was very proud of him for not wasting time and a perfectly good friendship over being upset and hurt about something that had happened in the past. I've taught him something very important that I have learned this past year: to live in the present. I told him to ask himself when he is feeling hurt by what they did, "Are they doing it right now?" And if the answer was, "no," then he could just play with them or whatever they're doing as if it never happened and just be friends.

 

My daughter is in pre school. She was asked by her teacher what her favorite thing to do with her mommy was. Her answer was that she liked to lay down in bed with me under the covers and have "talks" with mommy. It never even registered in my mind that this was a significant thing. Every evening we go to my bed and for about 5-10 minutes I ask her to tell me about her day and she'll tell me some things that happened at school and we talk about them and talk about how she can be a better friend (while her brother doesn't like confrontation, I think she welcomes it ;)). It's just a tiny little thing we do and I never realized it had any significance at all. But I realized that she probably learns more in those 5-10 minutes than any other time during the day.

 

I started to realize in these past few months that I do have more value to my family than bringing in an income. Even if I can't make bread and refuse to take my children to play dates ;). I am finally starting to appreciate what it means to be a stay at home mom and what it means to be a mom altogether! (Wanted to be clear, I think if I were a working mom outside the home I could still have value as a mother).

 

 

I've never been confident in my skills or abilities as a mother until recently. I don't feel too much mom guilt as I am more of a "live in the present" kind of a person. When I make a mistake I just learn from it and move forward and dwell on the fact that it happened. So a few months ago I decided to accept the fact that I probably did a lot of damage to my family while I felt like I had no worth in the unit except financially. I decided to make my worth and value in the position I'm in in the family and to move forward.

 

In order to accomplish making my roll as mom more valuable in my family, I had to decrease my work load significantly. The thought behind this is that I hope to have lots more 5-10 minute moments throughout the day with my kids rather than using those 5 or 10 minutes to answer email or do quotes. So I added to the team!

 

 

 

THE WTbM team!

 

Heather

Heather is a mom of three and a military wife! She has been with us since late spring this year and makes our Flat/Classic Roman Shades and is eager to learn to create other items in our shop.

 

Heather is very talented and also makes doll clothes and clothes for her children. We're lucky she's on our team!

 

Becky

Becky has been on the team for two years! She is a mom of one and the wife of Bryan Gentry who created our website. She is able to make almost every window treatment we offer, but currently makes all varieties of our curtains.

Becky is loyal, trustworthy and takes a great deal of pride in her work. In two years of work she has never once had a complaint! I always know I can count on her! It's very comforting to have a team member like Becky!

 

Trena

Trena has also been with us. . . forever. . . . She's a mom of two and also a nursing student! She is very talented and can make almost anything! She currently makes our pillow covers, poufs and window seat cushions.

 

image provided by Trena ;)

 

She is a perfectionist and I am very lucky to have her on the team.

 

Karyn

Karyn is a mom of one and came to us at the recommendation of my sister in law. I'm very glad my sister in law recommended her because she has been a tremendous asset to the team. She currently makes our Flat/Classic style Roman Shades.

 

Still waiting on Karyn's pic ;)

 

I never have to worry about anything I put in Karyn's hands. She is very skilled and professional and I am glad she is on the team!

 

Kelsie

Kelsie is a friend of mine from college. She waited patiently for a job with WTbM as she wanted to be able to work from home and stay at home with her baby. We had a short wait list for positions and Kelsie submitted her work to us for consideration during the training process and it was stunning! She is talented and makes many other things like her own clothes!

 

Kelsie's pic coming soon.

 

Kelsie is reliable and professional and I am so lucky to have her on the team!

 

Jeanelle

Jeanelle is a friend of mine here in town. She is just fantastic at everything she does! She is a mom of four boys! Hats off to you, Jeanelle! :) When I trained Jeanelle, the thing I admired most about her work is that she was very patient and took as much time as it took to make it right. She also is very talented at making her own clothes and other fun things like Halloween costumes!

 

 

Jeanelle is a wonderful asset to the team and I am luck to have her!

 

Moving Forward

While I still plan to improve on and progress in the business, I will be delegating most of the production end of things to my fabulous seamstresses who, let's face it, probably make better products than I DO!

 

I have started to make some goals for myself to be a better mother. We started by making a family goal book. They are our "goal-den" plates. ;) That's for our Mormon friends. For our non-Mormon friends, you can learn about The Golden Plates here.

 

 

Every Sunday night we start the week off by making goals for the upcoming week. Then the next week we revisit the goals and make new ones for the next week.

 

My long term goal is to realize that my "Stay in bed mom" status can change and that I can learn to appreciate and embrace being a mom and what that requires of me. 

 

 

I've always considered myself an artist. I have been blessed with many talents and am able to do many things. But these past few months I have realized that I am the artist and my children are the art, the clay ready to be sculpted.

 

 

I have thought often these past few months of a friend who was struggling with remaining with the church. He asked me what I do, commenting on my not fitting the typical "mold" of members of our church. I told him on several different occasions that you have to do something you know is right even if you aren't good at it. I've thought of this many times these past few months.

 

 

I sleep in and let my kids fend for themselves in the mornings with gogurts and dry cereal. I've talked on the phone with my sister right through having to pick up my son from the bus stop. I can't make homemade bread. I have threatened on many occasions to trade my kids for magic beans. And my son will tell you I'm the best mom because I let him have peanut cereal for lunch even though he just had it for breakfast! I'm not the best mom in the world. But I am a mom. And the value of that roll is based on my efforts. I have to keep doing it even if I'm not good at it. If you're a mom, you're a mom and that's the bottom line. If you're a mom, be a mom!

 

 

I have decided to delegate more work to my wonderful, amazing seamstresses so that I can focus on being a little better as a mom. It's only been these past few months, watching my children interact with other people, that I have seen how much influence I have on them to be good people and assets in society. I am going to be spending more time improving myself so I can improve them. I'm going to keep trying even if I'm not good at it.

 

Half Marathon and trip to Ireland

My Half Marathon and Ireland trip

 

I ran in Dublin's inaugural Rock n Roll Half Marathon!!

 

 

But let's back up a bit to the beginning.

 

I decided to run this marathon last November. I was at my sister in laws for Thanksgiving and was reading that my friend was going to run in a Ragnar race and looking for a team. He was dealing with his own health issues at the time and I thought, "If he can do it, I certainly can!" So I said out loud, "I think I'm going to run a marathon." My sister in law laughed at me. That sealed the deal :) She did explain that she laughed because she thought I was joking since I have a joint disorder. :)

 

So I started training! I had lots of bumps along the way. I suffer from joint pain, my spine is collapsing on itself, I have numbness in my legs because my spine is pinching nerves that make my legs feel asleep, I have plantars fasciitis, and, above all, I just plain didn't like running.

 

At the peak of my training I cut my finger and severed an artery. I couldn't run until the artery healed. It took about 2.5 weeks.

And that's why you always leave a note. ;)

Then, a week and a half before the race, my Grandma died.



There was just not enough chocolate in the word that day.

Then, on a practice run to see if I could make the race in the allotted amount of time my toes started bleeding. This was a week after the run. My toe nails were shorter at the time. But they don't make my size shoe in a woman's shoe. . . :*(

We got to Ireland early so that we could adjust to the climate, time change and get over the exhaustion of travelling.

 

 

 

I brought my kids and my husband. My kids are excellent travelers, so I am never afraid to stick them on a plane for 8.5 hours.

 

My mom ran the race with me. She also has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type III--Hypermobility. It was great to get to experience this with my mom (even if I did leave her in the dust right at the start line ;)). Just kidding, Mom. ;)

 

 

 

 

So, allow me to tell you a little about this race. Last November when I started training, I was going from zero, nothing. Walking to the bus stop to pick up my kids was the extent of my exercize. I worked very hard. With the help of my wonderful and supportive husband, I was able to complete this race in a reasonable amount of time for my first half marathon. My husband would come home from work and immediately take over with the kids so I could go out and run before I lost the light. He was positive and encouraging.

 

Excuse the ghettoness in the background.

 

My mom and I got to St. Stephen's Green early so we could check our gear and find our corral. As it was our first race, we were confused by some of the behaviors, clothing, etc of the other runner. We were running with Elvis, woman wearing flame sequin bras, a family in kilts and a man wearing a woman's bathing suit and a long blond curly wig.  !!!!

 

Then everyone started doing a warm up and my mom said, "What are we doing?" I said, "I don't know. Just do it!"

 

 

 

The beginning of the race was kind of. . . anti climactic. They released everyone in 10 second intervals to keep the course from crowding. So they did the countdown and everyone was shouting and yelling and excited and then we just had to stand and wait. By the time they got to our corral, the countdown was not quite as enthusiastic.

 

The course was gorgeous. We ran along the Liffey, then past St Patrick's Cathedral, the Guinness Factory, then into Phoenix Park where the majority of the race was run. It was beautiful. I confess, I was often distracted during the run by the beautiful scenery. That is, distracted by the scenery when I wasn't distracted by men running past me in women's bathing suits.

 

By the time I got to mile four I ran past a few ladies walking. I turned to them and said, "Well, that was fun! I think I'm done now."

 

At mile 8 there was a hydration station and they gave us this Isotonic, blabbidy blah, grossness drink. It made me feel sick and then I had to run the rest of the way feeling like vomiting. I also felt bad about throwing trash on the ground since you just throw your cups as you run. Does anyone know what I am talking about??

 

There were bands playing at each mile marker. It was so fun!

 

By this time I was back on the south side of the Liffey and heading back to St. Stephen's Green. So many times throughout the race as I felt my toes bleeding, muscles spasming, keeping vomit down from that disgusting drink, I kept wondering if I would finish. I had sacrificed so much. My husband and kids had sacrificed so much in my preparation for the race. I just kept going, one step at a time.

 

The finish line was right around a corner. I turned that corner and right there were my kids jumping up and down for me! Yelling my name! And my husband recording me. And it was the best experience. It gave me that little extra umph I need to run through the finish line. Immediately after the finish line they handed us our medals and a water bottle and took pictures. It was amazing.

 

 

I am so glad I ran this marathon. Everything in my life has come naturally to me. I never pulled an all nighter in college, I often get new things on the first try. But this was something that did not come naturally. I had to work. I had to change. I had hurt and push and pull. And it didn't feel great most of the time. And to have completed the race was a huge accomplishment, and not just because I have a joint disorder and my doctors said I would never do this.

 

We hung out in Ireland for another week after the race.

 

 

We spent a lot of time in Dublin. Temple Bar was awesome. Lots of great music on the "Pub Crawl." And the Craic was mighty!! ;) jk . . .

 

We spent some time in Belfast and Cork at the Blarney Castle. And, NO, I did not kidd the Blarney stone. What can I say? I'm a giver, not a taker. I like to give more than I get and that stone was gonna give me somethin', for sure!

 

 

This was the dungeon. My kids are standing on some stairs that take you to a narrow passage that you have to crawl through. I stuck my camera light in a whole in the wall and it lead to a room. THEN I saw the spiders the size of my FACE and ran out of that faster than you can kiss a duck!! It was definitely an Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom moment.

This is looking down out at the grounds of Blarney castle.

 

This is literally looking down :) Straight down. There was a little wind tunnel. Hence the crazy hair ;)

 

This is the Blarney Stone.

 

And this is my husband kissing the Blarney Stone. No, he is not allowed to kiss me for a month. Everyone has been kissing that thing. Gross.

 

The legend of the Blarney Stone says that Cormac Laidir McCarthy, the builder of Blarney Castle, was in a law suit during the construction. He pleaded to the goddess, Cliodhna, for help. She told him to kiss the first stone he saw on the morning of his court appearance. He did, and was able to plead his case with great eloquence. He won his case. From that point, this stone was said to be able to impart "the ability to "deceive without offending." The stone was then incorporated into the construction of the Blarney Castle.

 

People would travel long distances to be able to kiss the Blarney stone and receive the gift of eloquent speech. But, I don't think there's any hope for my husband. (Side story-- I miscarried once. My husband came into the bathroom and said, "It's okay, when we get to heaven the baby will be there. It will be like finding $20 in your pocket." I sobbed! Then he said, "Sorry, you're right. It will be like finding $50 in your pocket." Hopeless. . .  ;)

 

 

So, What's next??? My son wants to see the pyramids in Egypt. It's not very expensive to travel there. I assume that has something to do with the lack of government control and growing civil unrest in Cairo. . . :) But maybe that will calm down a bit by the time we save up for the trip. I found a marathon that runs along the Nile. But that just screams Malaria to me. My friend went to Africa in college and was vaccinated for Malaria and still came home with Malaria! So we'll just have to think about this one. . . . .

 

My kids also want to do Kids Rock. They run a marathon by running in the weeks before the race. They record their distances each day or week, or however often they run. Then they run the last mile on race day. It's a really neat opportunity for them and a great way to get them involved.

 

 

Does anyone else run races? What races do you run? Rock N Roll was my first. I don't have much experience with races so I would love to hear of other races and learn more!! Leave me a comment and feel free to leave links to other races. I am very interested!!

 

Enjoy!