On Sunday I wrote a post “OOHHH…..I’m Not Looking Forward to Tomorrow”. That tomorrow was Monday, which is now yesterday. I am so glad it is over!! I had to move my warehouse and it is done. Well, not done done as I still have about a week of unpacking to do but the move is done.

My day started by picking up the truck at 7:00AM and luckily it was a balmy 39 degrees, not 12 degrees like the day before. We went to pick up the racking I had purchased and it took much longer to take down than anticipated, like 2 hours longer, ugh! And another 3 hours to put it up.

Luckily my movers could come early and assisted with the racking as well. At 11:00 AM it started to rain, and it poured…. ALL DAY!!

Did I will mention I had a 27 foot truck and a dumpster was placed about 30 feet outside the overhead door of my new warehouse? At least 20 minutes to wedge that huge thing in there and get it back out for FOUR TRIPS!

The truck was dropped off at 11:00 PM. Sixteen hours later! OMG! Yes, I am hurting today.

Here is how my night ended, at a local establishment with my husband toasting the completion of the  move.

In bed by 12:30 AM……up at 4:30 AM. Short night and going to be another long day as I need to make one load with the suburban and sweep out the old warehouse. Then I need to make myself look like a designer for my home staging consultation this afternoon. Wish I could stay in my sweats all day!

Pictures of the Totally Organized New Warehouse to Be Release in a week or two!

Did you ever have one of those days that you just weren’t looking forward to? That you cannot wait until it is over?? I am having one of those days tomorrow, Monday. Nothing horrible, nothing like a medical procedure, nothing that will impact the world in anyway………just that I am moving my warehouse! UGH!

I have spent this past month finding and purchasing racking, pallets, carpet remnants and finding boxes; and that was all after finding the space itself. Then came the endless hours of packing box after box after box. I must have 8 boxes just of candles, probably 15 boxes of books, don’t even make me count the jumbo garbage bags of throw pillows!

I will pick up the truck at 7:00 AM, meet the movers to pick up the new racking and then take it to and assemble at the new warehouse. Next will be  moving the currently owned shelving and pallets. More movers show up at 1:00 to start moving the furniture and boxes. I haven’t even started packing the artwork! I ran out of time!

Lamps will be packed into my suburban as the movers pack the big truck…….trip, after trip, after trip. Load, unload, organizing the items on the racking…..I hope we are done by 9:00 PM. THEN the days and days of unpacking begin. AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

So yes, I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I will be so glad when it is over. I got a huge kink in my neck today, seriously! I think it is a sympathy kink for tomorrow! LOL

I’ll let you know how it goes!

The 70′s were a great decade for many of us. Can you say “Disco”? How about “love the water-bed”. But the 70′s when selling a house is not the best flash from the past. This townhome in Rosemount, MN got a quick ride on a time machine so it can now compete for a modern 2010 buyer.

Selling a home is competitive and your buyer needs to see themselves living in THIS decade.

I love Thanksgiving and all it stands for. Being Thankful for life and all it’s blessings. Some of us have more to be Thankful for than others and it is always rewarding to reach out to those in a tough spot in life.

I volunteer with a charity called “Midwest Challenge”(MWC). It is a faith based organization working to turn men’s lives around from addiction and/or prison. MWC houses men who are homeless and coming out of treatment. They also house men in their last 3-8 months of incarceration. They teach them how to fill out a job application, interview for a job and help them gain employment so they don’t go back to the streets.

Yesterday was the Thanksgiving Party for the men of Midwest Challenge, over 50 of them. I cooked one of the turkeys for the party (if you know me you would understand that was not a small task). My husband carved it and we headed to the Party.

Great appetizers, great music and a message, wonderful food and wonderful volunteers. The best part was wishing the men a Happy Thanksgiving and serving them.

One gentleman I talked to was having a hard time as it was his first Thanksgiving away from his family in Chicago. I held his hand and prayed with him, prayed for his family and prayed that he would be reunited with his family soon.

These guys have very little because of bad decisions but they are trying to turn it around. We have all made bad decisions and shouldn’t judge others. We all need a hand, a smile, a prayer at times in our lives. I was so glad I could do that. As the song says “Reach out and touch….somebody’s  hand, make this world a better place, if you can”.

Listen to the feedback you are receiving on your home or listing and do something about the negative feedback whenever possible. A professional Home Staging Expert can be a huge help.

I was called to stage this vacant property that had almost been sold when first listed but the buyer walked away because they loved to entertain and they didn’t know if they could fit a dining room table in the area right outside the kitchen. Months went by with no more interest so the owner wanted my opinion on whether or not the area could be a dining room.

I took a look and made the decision that is was a perfect spot for a dining room. There was even a light right above the center of the area for a chandelier to be added. The previous owner did not use it as a dining room and the MLS photos reflected this as it showed it with their living room furniture prior to them moving out.

Rooms With Style staged the property to reflect a dining room and in addition I put in a larger table in the eat-in space in the kitchen. The kitchen area can now seat four instead of two; the “formal” dining area right outside the kitchen can now seat 4-6.

This home went from showing an area that only two could eat comfortably to seating for up to ten.

The first showing after the vacant home staging was a couple that looked at 32 homes. They listed this one as their Second favorite and it was their Realtor’s favorite. How is that for changing opinions! 

Listen to the feedback, when it is negative address it and do something about it whenever possible. Ask the advice of a Professional Home Stager.   

I stepped out of my comfort zone totally for this “Pay It Forward”. I visited someone in prison.

I had gotten to know this gentleman while volunteering with an organization that works with men coming out of treatment and prison to turn their lives around. I met Fred a couple years ago and he always said I was the big sister he never had.

Fred violated his parole by using alcohol and was sent to prison for 18 months.  I asked Fred to put me on his list of visitors and I filled out all the forms and was approved to visit him. That was ten months ago.

I’ve been so busy……isn’t that a rotten excuse. Well, I just finally went to visit him.

I drove 45 minutes to the prison, went through security, waited a half hour and finally my name was called.

 I walked through the first set of electronic steel doors. When that one slammed shut behind me it was a little unsettling standing in a small holdling hallway waiting for the next steel door to open. It did and it too slammed shut behind me. A voice behind a black mirror asked me to pass my ID through a slit in a wall.

Then the final steel door opened and there was Fred! Oh the look on his face when I walked in! That big beautiful smile and sparkling eyes. He had no idea who was visiting him and he was shocked.

We were allowed to hug “on the red carpet section” only. We took our seats and the guard told us when we had 5 minutes left of the hour. It was the fastest hour I can remember.

I asked Fred how his Faith was holding up in Prison:

Fred:“Shar, one night another guy and I decided to pray together in the rec room 15 minutes before being ordered back to our cells for the night. We started doing it every night and each night more and more men started to join us. We hold hands in a circle and pray out loud”.

Me: “Wow”, “how many men are there gathering at night now to pray?”

Fred: ”About 30″, 

Can you believe it? I would love to see that sight! Thirty men, in prison, holding hands, and bowing their heads in prayer.

Did I ”pay it forward” by taking half my day to visit him? Maybe……but that isn’t what I learned. He is the one paying it forward to others in prison with no hope. And what a gift he gave me in return.

Last night I went to dinner wearing a short sleeve shirt with a light jean jacket. Tuesday I was in Flip Flops and my husband was golfing. This is what I was greeted with when I woke up:

It is beautiful….it is stunning….it is tranquil. It can be Spring now.

I think an extremely simple “Pay It Forward” gesture to a Veteran today shocked him, how sad.

I ran into the grocery store to pick something up and I passed a very elderly gentleman walking stooped over and with a bad limp. He was wearing his VFW hat and all his pins on his shirt. He was so cute.

I smiled and simply said, “Happy Veteran’s Day. Thank you for serving our country”. He looked up and his eyes were wide with amazement. Then he slowly smiled.

I wonder if he hears that from strangers…..ever. He wasn’t in combat fatigues at the airport or at an event honoring soldiers, he was just walking in the grocery store and I don’t think he expected that.

Thank You sir and Thank You ALL Veterans today and everyday. You have my utmost respect and gratitude.

The Social Room at this large apartment complex in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN is done! Do you think we can rent it for a party?? Oh, I guess we have to be a tenant.

I was hired to Redesign a new social room for one of the properties of a large management company. After gutting and redesigning their model apartment unit, then their offices, then another social room at a different complex….we finally got started on this one.

We took out one of the sliding glass doors to close off traffic flow through the sitting area. We also put in new smaller windows along the wall overlooking the pool area to make room for a fireplace.

I think the tenants of this wonderful apartment complex are lucky to have this great social room!

If you need assistance with the Redesign of any of your Home or Commerical Properites, Rooms With Style would love to help!

I have been wanting to Pay it Forward at the Drive-Thru for months and I finally did it today. The Drive-Thru where it happened was Star Bucks.

I had to wait a bit to make sure a car would pull in behind me, then I went ahead to place my order at the microphone. I saw that in the car behind me was a young girl and she was driving a fairly old car.

When I pulled forward to pay I told the attendant that I wanted to pay for the car behind me. She said..”Well that is nice of you”. Then she came back and told me that the amount for the car behind me was $9.41. “Do you still want to pay for it?” she asked. I said “Absolutely and please give her this note”:

It’s a little thing….but I hope it made her smile. I prayed for her as I was driving away.

Maybe she was having a rough day, feeling down or grumpy and this brought a spark of happiness. Maybe she was already having a great day and feeling on top of the world. It doesn’t matter….hopefully by me paying for her order her day got even better.

I am going to keep a supply of these notes in my car so I can Pay It Forward – Making a Difference at the Drive-Thru!