The Other Side of Life

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We just finished up the third week on Lost & Found’s new blog platform! It has been a lot of work establishing new traffic and getting the site up and running, but I’m so happy with its progress.  My faithful wordpress.com followers have come with me, and 20 of you have become new subscribers! Thank you!  The best part by far though has been getting to better know my fellow bloggers.  Thank you to so many of you blog ladies who have stopped by to comment, introduce yourself, and say hello: Dawn from We Call It Junkin, Marty with A Stroll Thru Life, Nita at Mod Vintage Life, Rachel from Maison De Pax, Alison with Nancherrow, Linda at Itsy Bits and Pieces, Lisa with 161 Street, Camille with Gustave Voltaire, Cassandra at Renaissance Ministries, Kathryn with The Dedicated House . . that’s not an exhaustive list, there were more and please forgive me if I forgot to list you! To all of you though, I look forward to continuing along with you in our blog journeys.

Now on to something else . . . this week has not been the most productive week for antique dealer Melanie.  Sometimes I seem to be able to fly through projects and inventory flies out of my space, but not this week! My sales have been down and my projects are stalled . . . I share that to encourage you who wear many hats like I do, that sometimes our entrepreneurial selves have to take a backseat when “life” happens.

My most time-consuming project this week was prepping items to put in a local children’s consignment sale. If you are a mom with young children, you definitely should explore the consignment sale world.  I have bought a good portion of my 3 boys’ clothing and shoes through sales, and this will be my fourth time as a consigner.  It’s a great way to save lots of $$ on your kids’ clothes and gear, and then make a little bit along the way. I’m hoping to make enough money in this sale to pay for my youngest’s preschool registration fees.

There are several consignment sale companies out there, but my favorite and the one I participate in is RheaLana’s. I actually know the namesake of the company, Rhea Lana Riner, from our days back in Arkansas.  Mu husband and I were co-workers with she and her husband in a college ministry.  I used to volunteer to work her sales back when she only had two sales in the central AR area.  Now she has franchised out her sales nationwide! Her story is amazing, and would be an inspiration to all you mom-preneurs out there. Check out her site and her bio, and see if she has a sale near you!

My other big task of the week is related to the above . . . I need to buy some clothes for my kids! My oldest son is especially rough on his clothing and shoes.

These shoes were new in August . . . ughh.  He has also worn at least one knee hole in every single pair of pants he owns.  So, we will be heading back to Rhea Lana’s when it opens tomorrow and to a few other places to find some non-hobo clothing for my kids.

I did manage to do a tiny bit of work on my chair project. I shared last week about the awesome Wisteria-inspired gray finish I achieved on the frame.  I was in love with the look, but when I put the fabric up next to it, it just didn’t look right.  I think there wasn’t enough contrast between the paint and fabric detail.  I debated for awhile about getting new fabric, but decided to stick with what I had.  My only real option was to paint the chair again . . . which I did using a light coat of ASCP Aubusson Blue.

It works fabulous with the fabric now, but has taken the chair from elegant and chic to fun and whimsical–which I’m ok with, but it wasn’t my first vision.  Sometimes that happens in a makeover project, and you just have to go with it.

So the chair is sitting painted, again, waiting for fabric.  I probably won’t get a chance to work on it this weekend, because along with the kids clothes shopping I also have my next race on Sunday!  I’ve been training hard (with exception of 2 weeks out for the flu) and am really excited to run the Cowtown Half Marathon in Ft. Worth.  I have a goal time of 2 hrs and 8 minutes, which is getting me much closer to breaking that 2 hour mark which is the line between competitive and recreational running.  I’m running with (well, more behind . . .) my friend Amanda, who is awesome!

Sorry for the dark cell phone picture . . . Races are so much fun and I honestly think they bring out the best of humanity.  I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true!  People of all different shapes, sizes, and colors gather together and are so happy and cheering for each other–it’s just an amazing. I’ve you’ve never run in a race, at least try a 5K sometime in the spring. You won’t regret it!

I’m looking forward to adding to my medals–yes, you get one just for finishing!  My boys always think my medals mean that I won; I think I’m going to let them believe that a little while longer.  It makes mommy seem more cool than I really am.

So it’s been a week of having to wear my other hats more–wife, mom, budget planner, friend (and I didn’t even tell you about the extra doctor’s visits and broken dishwasher . . .). When you’re running a business in this stage of life, that’s just how it goes sometimes.  If you’re there with me, be encouraged, you’re not alone!  And for my readers, thanks for being patient with me.  Next week there will be more great Lost & Found content.  I appreciate you all!

This post is based upon my own experience and knowledge of Rhea Lana’s Children Consignment Company. I was not compensated in any way by Rhea Lana’s.  

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