What a Week!

Yes, I have been laid-off my regular job. As I mentioned in my previous post, I see it as a blessing in disguise! On Friday I called Monte Gibbs and told him that I am ready to "pull the trigger" on my design business and he said my timing couldn't have been better because he had a meeting scheduled with the rest of the Ames Construction Team on Tuesday afternoon! He asked if I would like to join them and introduce myself to the rest of the team. I had already met Brian of Thompson Electric and Oren of Geisinger Construction when I had them come out to talk about remodeling my kitchen, but I hadn't met David of The Flooring Gallery or Jack of Winkler Painting. The meeting lasted over 3 hours! I think it was very productive and I hope I made a good impression on everybody. After the meeting Oren told me he might already have a kitchen remodel for me! I hope to hear back from him this next week sometime. I also have a lead on an interiors remodel. I've met with the client once already, but have not heard back from them since. I hope they will call soon. This whole week has been a bit of a blur. I did some window shopping for my staging business to see if I could purchase a nice contemporary sofa, dining room set, end tables and accessories that would be useful in staging a vacant home. I found the perfect sofa, but it was still out of my price range. I am going to check back on Monday to see if it has been marked down or if they will take a lower price for it. The company is going out of business, so who knows if it will still be available. If I am meant to get it, God will provide it for me. I am still trying to figure out how I would store these furniture pieces, but may have a solution at my fingertips. After the meeting with The Ames Construction Team, Monte took those of us that were fairly new to the group on a tour of their facility. We had talked about setting it up so we (ACT) would offer kitchen cabinetry and, if so, we would need a show room. It so happens that they have a very large second story space that is empty right now, that just might be the perfect location. I got to thinking later this week that maybe Monte would allow me to store my furniture in that space. I haven't talked with him about it yet, but plan to do that next week.
I am still amazed at how this all started. I have always dreamed of owning my own home-based business designing kitchens, but never truly pursued it until this past year. It really started to click one day when I was at an interview with Life 107.1 as Mrs. Iowa. It so happened that as I was heading out of the recording booth I heard the receptionist welcoming a woman named Kendra. I asked Dave, the DJ, if that was Kendra Smiley (she does shows on their station) and he said no, but asked if I had her latest book. I did not, so he gave me a copy. You will never guess what the subject of the book is!?! How to organize your time & priorities to successfully run a home-based business for mothers! What are the odds?? I can not deny that this was a sign from God!! To me, the latest "nudging" is that I have been laid-off from my regular job! Not only does it give me time to organize myself, but I can collect unemployment to help cover our bills while I am actively pursuing my dream! And then to have the meeting with the ACT was too coincidental for me to see it as anything else but the work of God! I thank Him every day for this opportunity and I also pray that He will give me the courage I need to push on.

It's Official!

I have officially launched my home-based business!! It's been about a year in the making and with many clear signs & "nudgings"(sometimes a strong push!) from God, I have followed my heart & intuition! Like any new venture, I am a little nervous (ok....a lot nervous!), but I think I am more excited to finally be realizing this dream! The name of my business is ReD Staging & Design. You may wonder why ReD is the way it is. Let me explain........
I had it down to 2 names; ReD Staging & Design and Main Staging & Design. I talked it over with my kids & husband and we decided on ReD. Now how did I come up with ReD, you ask? Well, I wanted the name to reflect/include my family because they will all be a part of this venture with me. Obviously, "red" is not any of our initials (Louis, Laura, Nala, Caisha, Zach, Wyatt) so where did it come from? ReD stands for the three birthstones in our family. Ruby, Emerald, & Diamond. Since there are 3 of us (Myself, Nala & Zach) with the ruby birthstone, it was the logical choice to put first. The "e" is for the emerald birthstone, which Caisha is the only one with, hence it is a small "e". The "D" is for diamond, which Louis & Wyatt share, making it a capital "D" since it is the 2nd most represented stone; But it didn't make sense to put it 2nd in the arrangement of letters. RDE just didn't seem catchy enough. So, "ReD" was born! The kids are excited about this and have volunteered to help out. Nala has said she will be my Webmaster, Caisha will be my Marketing Manager, Louis will be my business partner (of course), Zach will be my "muscle" when I need help moving furniture & all-around "go-to" guy, and Wyatt...well, he'll just be the cuteness factor for now!
You may be wondering what services I offer at ReD Staging & Design. Well.......The Staging part of the business is Home Staging. Basically I will stage your home for sale. If you have watched the news or, better yet, any of the HGTV, DIY, TLC networks, you are familar with what a home stager does. Why would you want to pay someone to "stage" your home? Because it is proven that your home will sell 33% faster and anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 more! It is definately worth the money! I have talked with a few Realtors in my area and they are excited to offer my services to their clients. I will be charging $50/hour for my services, plus the cost of renting furniture, if needed.
The other large part of my business will be Kitchen Design. (that is the Design part of the name ;P) Designing kitchens has been my passion for over 10 years! I will consult with the client on what they are wanting with the space/how they are going to use the space and then I will provide them with, what I call, working drawings. You will be able to use these drawings to show your electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc. as to what you plan to do with the space. The cost of these drawings will depend on the size, or scope, of your plans.
Another aspect of my business will be decorating/design consulting. If you just need some advice on what to do with a space......furniture arrangement, paint colors, flooring, etc......I will be more than happy to meet with you. One consultation session is $50 for the first 2 hours and $50 for each hour there after.
So there you go....that is ReD Staging & Design in a nutshell!
Some of you may be wondering why I am starting my business now, with the economy the way it is. Based on what I have been reading and hearing in the news, now is the perfect time for me to offer the kinds of services I do. The housing market is pretty soft, and your home needs to stand out from the "crowd" of houses on the market. And a lot of people are remodeling instead of buying a new home, and we all know that updating your kitchen/bath is the best investment you can make in your home. Better yet, if you make those changes now and live in your home for a couple more years, not only will your homes value increase, but you will get to enjoy the "fruits of your labor"! And it doesn't look like you made the changes just to sell the house!
I also have a couple of great people in my corner to help me get started. My current boss, Mike, has generously offered to send, what he considers, small projects my way. As a larger firm, he just can't make money on these small projects without charging almost outrageous prices. I can't tell you what a confidence boost that has been! Another person that will be "sending" me projects is the plumber I consulted with to remodel my kitchen, Monte Gibbs! He has helped out another lady with her design business and she now has so many projects coming her way she can't take them all! I feel pretty confident that Monte and I will be able to build a great working arrangement.
Another aspect that I consider a blessing in disguise is that I may be getting temporarily laid-off my current job, starting March 16. I won't know until this Friday or even Monday (the 16th), but if I am laid-off I will be able to collect unemployment while I am getting my Design business off the ground. I will have more time to concentrate on networking and making appointments. Once I am called back to my "regular" job (which I really enjoy) I can still continue with ReD Designs in my "off hours". I currently work 8:30a - 2:30p, so I will have some flexibilty on when I can meet my clients in the afternoon and early evening, if necessary. I know God blessed me with Mike as a boss. I remember when I first interviewed for this job and wasn't too thrilled when it turned out to be the one I felt fit my needs. Being from Minnesota, I really didn't want to move to Iowa, but I can say now that I am so glad that I did follow my instincts. Mike has to be one of the best bosses in the country! He allowed me to take 3 months off after Wyatt was born and then when I came back from maternity leave, he has allowed me to work until 2:30p so I can pick the older kids up from school, and get Wyatt from Louis on his way into work. Wyatt does not have to be in daycare! That was a burden off my mind! Mike has also been VERY understanding about my pageant pursuits and never has a problem giving me the time off I need to pursue my "hobby". He's very supportive and understanding. If my business really takes off and I just can't continue at Stott & Associates, I would be more than happy to recommend his company for anyone looking for an interior design, architectural drafting, or architect position!
Ok.....enough with the gushing! :) This is getting pretty long, so I will sign off for now!

Keep thinking positive and great things will happen!!!

The New Haircut is Here!

Well, here it is! And I LOVE it!! I had over 14" cut off and donated to Locks of Love in honor of my mother, who is fighting breast cancer. It's so nice to not have hair always in the way and dealing with all the static! The biggest surprise is that Louis actually likes it!!...for now, he says. :) I am thinking I will keep it short for a while this time. It is definately a big change for me, but I am enjoying it. I'm actually a bit of a trendsetter in my area, as a couple of my friends have now followed suit. Thanks for all your input!

New Hairstyle!

Well, I am looking to cut my hair. I hope to donate my hair to "Locks of Love" in the very near future, but I can't decide exactly what style to go with....so I am asking for your help. Below you will find 4 different styles with a number circled to indicate that choice. I would love to hear from everybody on what style they think would look the best on me. Just leave your number choice in a comment. I will check the site often and will let you know, hopefully before Christmas, which style I am going to go with. Can't wait to hear from everybody!

New Flooring for the Kitchen

I finally got around to putting down the new linoleum tiles in the back part of the kitchen! It looks so nice! I hope to get the main part of the kitchen done this winter, but I want to add a cabinet or two before I do and possibly replace the double sink with a single sink, put in a nicer faucet and a new countertop so it will finally cover the dishwasher!

Shortly after I got the flooring down, I moved the sink cabinet over 9" so I can add another cabinet next to it. This will give me room on the left side of the sink, finally! Anyway, as I was moving the cabinet, the drainage pipes were being moved as well. I wasn't planning on replacing any of the drainage pipes, but I found myself duct taping joints together so they would stay together. As you can imagine, I had problems with leaks. So, not only did the drainage pipes leak but the hose to the cold water faucet was too short, so it was leaking! I had to get an extension hose for that and while I was at it, I picked up all new PVC piping for the drainage system. I had the guy at Lowe's put it together for me, so I knew for sure that it was put together properly. I have found that I don't have much luck with plumbing stuff, so I wasn't going to take any chances!! And would you believe, it all fits nice and neatly and doesn't leak at all!!! I would like to redo my bathroom upstairs, but I have problems just doing the little plumbing things...I can't imagine what a fiasco it would be to tackle a whole bathroom! I am hoping that we will be able to afford to have Tim Miner come out again and do the bathroom plumbing stuff. He is the contractor that put in our new doors and did such a beautiful job on replicating the existing molding. That is probably down the road a bit since money is so tight right now.

I am hoping to get a portion of a privacy fence put up between us the the neighbors to the north. They have 4 dogs in a chain link kennel area in their backyard, that happens to be our side yard. Anyway, they are a little more "country" than I am, I suppose because they also store their hunting boat in this area. I don't like looking at this eye sore, so I want to block the view. It would also keep Bronx from barking at them when they go into their backyard (our side yard). He just doesn't think they should be there. I also, wanted to seperate Wyatt's sandbox area from the view of the neighbor's dogs, as one of them always growls at him.

Speaking of Wyatt's sandbox.....I got the hole dug and have put a little bit of sand into it. Wyatt absolutely LOVES it! When the weather is nice he will play in it for at least an hour, all by himself! He gets totally absorbed in driving his tractors and trucks around and digging with his shovel. I knew he would enjoy it.

Family Updates

Here are some updates on what the Johnson Family has been up to!
I am having a great time as Mrs. Iowa! It has given me the motivation and opportunity to follow-thru on implementing my presentation on abusive teen dating relationships. I am trying to expand it further by having some theater friends of mine write a script for a short skit that I can use during my presentation. Caisha thought it was a cool idea and thinks that will help capture, and keep, the attention of teenagers! She has been a great help in developing this with me, as well as Louis. I also have hopes of possibly teaming up with the Ames Police Department on putting something together for the general public. In their last news letter they expressed an interest in some way of preventing or slowing down the domestic abuse epidemic. I think my program is the start of that, since I will be talking to teens and hopefully getting the information to them early enough to prevent those situations later on. Being that Louis is a dispatcher for the Police Department he can direct me to the right people and even open the door a little for me. I just need to stop procrastinating (& being scared) and move forward with all this and tackle my nerves and fears of speaking in front of a crowd! The first time is always the hardest!!
Anyway, things have been pretty busy with both kids in sport activities. Caisha is in soccer again this season and absolutely loving it! She was kind of hesitant about doing it again because of the dynamics within her team, but they did things a little differently this year and she is thriving and thoroughly enjoying herself! So much so, that she has increased the amount of time she practices at home! I am very proud of her!
Zach chose to do football (tackle) this season instead of soccer and everyday after practice he tells me he is so glad he chose to play and thanks me over & over for letting him participate! I am so glad he is having such a great time! It's been a real learning experience for him and his team, as well as their coaches. They have not won a game this season, but are steadily improving. This past Sunday they got their first touch-down and you would have thought they had won the game!! The final score was 6-13 with the other team winning. It was a fun game to watch. Zach had some GREAT tackles!
Wyatt is growing by leaps and bounds, as babies tend to do! He is now 18 months old and really starting to work on his vocabulary. We are starting to hear words clearly, which is exciting! We also know he clearly understands us! One day, as we were getting ready to head out the door, I told him to go get his blankets in the living room and bring them to me. He looked at me and said "Go go?" (that's what he calls his blankets) and I said "Yes. Go get your blankets and bring them here." He took on last look at me and ran into the living room and came back with one of his blankets, handed it to me, and then headed back to the living room and came back with his other blanket! He knew exactly what I had asked him to do! He's also done it with his sippy cup. The jig is up.....He can't fool us into thinking he doesn't understand anymore! It's so much fun watching him learn and grow every day! I am so thankful that I only work 8:30-2:30p. Because Louis doesn't work until 2:45p, Wyatt gets to spend the morning with his daddy and then the rest of the day with me and his older siblings! It's great to be the primary caregivers, instead of a daycare! We do put him in daycare for a half day about once a month so he can have some socialization with kids his age, and he LOVES it! He never cries when we drop him off, but when we come to pick him up he doesn't want to leave! For me, that is a great sign. I always hated dropping Caisha and Zach off when they were little, because they would cry and cling to me.....it was so hard to leave them there! With Wyatt it is the opposite. I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with him!
Louis is still working for the City of Ames as a Public Safety Dispatcher. Basically, he is the one that answers the 911 calls and police department calls and then "dispatches" the fire department, EMT's or Police to the correct locations. He loves what he's doing, but does get a little frustrated with some of the people he works with and the way things are run sometimes. He has taken on additional responsibilities within the police department to challenge himself and to help make more of an impact on what is happening in Ames and the surrounding areas. He's given numerous presentations and has many ideas to share. Sometimes bureaucracy gets in the way, but he is very persistent and patient!
As for me, I am actually hoping to get involved in a small way at the police department, also. They have a Community Police Academy that they offer a couple times a year. I don't have all the details on what they "teach" us, but I do know that learning to handle & fire a gun is part of the training. I have always had a fear of guns, and with good reason, I think, after what happened to me in my past, and I am tired of being scared of them, so I want to face this fear by educating myself on the very thing that frightens me. After all, knowledge is power! In addition to the Community Police Academy, I am starting the wheels rolling on a home based business of Home Staging. With my knowledge and experience in Interior Design and Architecture, I know it is something that I can excel at! I have practiced a little on my own home and have made some suggestions for both my sisters, Tracy & Colette, on redecorating their homes. So far, I think they are pretty happy with my assessments....unless they just don't want to tell me otherwise! :-) I would also love to incorporate my passion for kitchen design into this home based business. When I tell people this they always ask, "I bet you have a fabulous kitchen!" to which I have to say, "Actually, my kitchen is probably one of the biggest disasters!" Oh...., I have plans for my kitchen, but what I want to do, would price our house right out of the market!, so I have scaled my vision down to fit into these new boundaries. Being that money is tight, things are happening pretty slowly! I did get a portion of the kitchen floor redone and will be tackling demolishing a portion of a wall next. In the near future I will also be adding a small lower cabinet, a new countertop for the sink area (& possibly a new single bowl sink & faucet) as well as painting the walls a vivid baby blue with white trim. None of these projects are very costly, but when you are pinching pennies just to cover the monthly necessities, "extra" projects take a back burner.
Well, I think that about covers where we are at. Feel free to contact me anytime! I would love to hear from you.

Progress

I know it has been a while since I wrote on this site and that is because most of the things I have been doing are connected to me being Mrs. Iowa, so I have been writing on that site instead. Check it out at http://www.mrsiowaamerica08.blogspot.com/.
Well, I wanted to catch up on a little bit of what I have been doing (when I'm not being Mrs. Iowa). I recently got around to laying the new linoleum tile in the back part of my kitchen! It feels good to have that done! Most of the sheet linoleum was tore up anyway and we were using carpet squares to cover the floor. I have taken pictures but need to develop the film before I can post them (yes.....I use a 35mm film camera, not digital). I hope to someday soon put in new flooring in the entire kitchen. Finances don't allow it at the moment, but it is on my list of things to do!
I have already started my next project and that is knocking out a portion of the wall between the basement door/ bathroom hallway and the kitchen. My plan is to open up the space above the shelves so it creates more of an open feel. When I am done, the existing wall will be about 7'-4" high. The existing wall goes to the ceiling which is a 10'-0" ceiling, so there will be approxiamately a 3'-0" open space above my shelves. I am excited to finish that project and find myself punching holes in the wall whenever I get the chance! It's certainly not a pretty sight right now, but, boy, is it fun to demolish something!! After I get the wall project done, I will tackle putting a decorative tile backsplash around the stove area and the sink area. If you are familiar with the layout of my kitchen it makes a little more sense why I am only doing those two areas. My sink area is recessed into a small alcove area and needs something to brighten and spice up the space. My stove is actually located right next to a wall, so I find myself constantly washing the wall and in the process I have pretty much stripped off all the paint to reveal this ugly hospital green color underneath! It's not pretty! Not only will the tile serve as a nice accent in the space, but it will be functional as well. By doing the stove area and the sink area I will also be "connecting" the two spaces as they are in two seperate rooms. I may have to scan the drawings of my kitchen into the computer so I can post it here for you to see the entire layout. Before I can do the tile, I will be painting the kitchen a vivid sky blue with all white trim and cabinets. With the new flooring, paint, tile and a few small cabinets, I think the kitchen will be much more conducive to resale of the house (in the future!)
Once I get the kitchen done I will be tackling the bathroom upstairs! I want to tile the entire floor, as well as the walls surrounding the tub/shower. I would also like to add a floor drain, so we can eliminate the totally encompassing shower curtain. It competely encircles the tub. I suppose it would make more sense why that is, if I told you that we have a free-standing clawfoot tub. I think in order to get the floor drain in, I will have to hire someone, but I am hoping that maybe I can enlist some family members to help me lay the tile (when the time comes).
Now on to my garden! We are finally getting some sweet bell peppers! And, wow, are they good!! They sure beat anything we have ever bought in the store! I have also planted some spinach and radishes for fall harvest. I was really surprised with how fast they germinated and are growing!! I really need to make my garden bigger next year!! I want to include tomatoes, onions, more bell peppers, carrots, beans, sweet corn and maybe even some potatoes!
I have been making slow progress on Wyatt's sandbox. He is pretty content just playing in the dirt right now, so I haven't really "attacked" this project yet. I have a shallow hole dug showing the boundaries of the proposed sandbox and Wyatt plays pretty happily within that space.
And Louis has been let off the hook this fall, too!! He was suppose to tackle the big pile of carriage house timber and burn all of it. Well, our neighbors, Mark & Joelle, have been more than happy to burn all that wood for us and Mark has the pile essentially all gone! Now the next phase in "removing the carriage house" is to dig up all the bricks that were the foundation and transfer all the rock that was inside the carriage house to the driveway (or a seperate rock pile for future use). My backyard is actually starting to look like a yard!!! I am so happy!
Come for a visit and you can see all the progress we are making!