Tag Archives: Stella & Dot

Day 28: A Zen Moment Before Stella & Dot Trunk Show

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Ahhhh…. my shoulders are tight and heavy. Work is almost done for the day, just after I finish writing, entering my Stella & Dot orders and picking up a bit.

I did have a quiet moment of tranquility before the BIG trunk show. Marcia and Rob have a beautiful, deep pond in front of their house. As I was rushing in to set up with all my bags of jewels and look books, I first noticed the sound of the waterfall, that was quite calming. And then after another trip back out to the car, I noticed all the koi fish circling around, dancing just for me! Well, actually they were hoping I was Rob, ready to feed them. They were playful and colorful and made me smile.

I stopped to enjoy their playfulness for a minute and was surprised to see a turtle pop his little head up. So cute, but he didn’t stay up long enough for me to take his picture.

Marcia and Rob’s Pond

I also loved the colorful orbs floating in the water and the little brown perch for the turtle to relax in the sun.

After my 2 minute nature break, I was ready to go again and had a fabulous time meeting new women and helping style them in gorgeous Stella & Dot jewelry. It was a GREAT show and I’m going to miss this part of my life when I move to the Netherlands. Several women asked if I would continue with Stella & Dot there, but since S&D is only in England now and soon will be in Germany and France, I guess I’ll have to wait. I think I’ll be busy getting us all settled and searching out a new role for me. I wonder what that’ll look like… hmm… thought for another day.

Good night.
p.s. We stopped for ice cream again today and thanked Colleen. xo

Day 63 – A little bit of this and a little bit of that

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I’m not too busy! That’s my new motto. Today I found my newest card partner and I’m so excited! Playing cards is one of my favorite summer past-times and today we broke out the cards. Little does she know, she’s in for a challenge!  😉

Today I played tennis, talked with my new friend and expat consultant and gathered a few tips, cooked a savory family dinner that the kids loved, helped with math homework, took two kids to sports practice, and talked with an international moving consultant. I washed dishes and folded and put away laundry and decluttered the castle. I helped two new Stella & Dot Stylists and helped a Stella & Dot customer with her order. So that’s just a little bit of this and that from my non-busy day!  Now it’s time to go relax, and look… it’s not even midnight yet!!  Life is good!

Day 65: Planning

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Jeff came home safely from Amsterdam and was able to stay awake until 7 pm. I made a pot of yellow Thai curry and we all enjoyed a family dinner together. The kids were very hyper today and overly excited I think, driving me a bit crazy!!

Jeff was showing them pictures of the new house. They began arguing over who would get each room and we all seemed to have different opinions. I began to make a list of things we might want to bring with us to the new house, hoping to leave as much behind as possible. I thought CJ would want to bring all his Legos, but instead he surprised me saying he didn’t really play with them anymore. When did that change and how did I miss it? I think the PS3 and Minecraft have replaced his Legos.

J said she’d bring the flag pendant from her room and maybe some art supplies, along with my old Miss America Barbie and the Dutch doll that sits on her shelf.

C will want to bring his cars and stuffed animals and all his sports gear, I’m sure.

And for me, I want to bring my Stella & Dot collection, my paddle board and my tennis racket, my Kindle and iPhone and Mac, along with my measuring cups and spoons and a few photo albums. I guess that tells you what I love.

Tomorrow I plan to confirm the taco truck guy for our going away party, and book Laser Quest for C’s birthday party. It’s all coming together, slowly but surely. So much to still do in 65 days and I want to do it all!

Day 69 – Beautiful Things, Beautiful Women

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Feel so much better today, knowing that it was just PMS!  Damn, hormones!! 

I had a busy and full day and I feel so lucky. I started today by volunteering at the Nearly New Shop (a local thrift shop) with my PEO sisters. PEO is a philanthropic educational organization where women celebrate the advancement of women, educating women through scholarships, grants, awards, and loans and helps women achieve their highest aspirations. I spent three hours, organizing the displays, categorizing the books, toys, jewelry displays, helping customers and working the cash register. I love being here and knowing that we are raising money for an important cause and I was working side by side with women I love. I left there with a big smile on my face.

Afterwards, I went over to Stanford Mall to buy a present and return a couple of things. I took a ton of pictures of all the beautiful floral displays. Here are a few:

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Aren’t they so pretty? And they’re all at the mall. Wouldn’t you love to be the gardner there?

Afterwards, I had more errands to run around downtown Palo Alto. I found an easy parking spot and enjoyed walking a few blocks, soaking in the sun and trying out a new yogurt place. Palo Alto has such a strong community feel – and it’s cozy and flat and has nice stores and restaurants, lots of trees and people young and old, outside walking all around. I love this feeling and think that is what Amstelveen and Amsterdam will feel like, with maybe a little less sunshine. 

After picking up C from school, we had our afternoon snacks and did some homework. We SKYPED with Jeff and looked at all his pictures of our new little neighborhood, while Christine stopped by to drop off a nice little gift and pretty flowers in the bag she was returning. Wow. Thank you. And the tile guy came by to fix some grout, we cooked some TJ’s Orange Chicken, and got ready for the baseball game. I asked my new good friend, Allison, to give the boys a ride home from the game, because I had a Stella & Dot show tonight. Again, I’m so thankful that I have such good friends that support me and my family. Without the help, it’d be really hard to do all the things I’m doing.  

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And I’m thankful that my kids are old enough to stay home alone now for a couple of hours, even though that still feels really weird. I called two neighbors to let them know I’d be gone and to check in on them. They did great and are such good friends. Lucky me, let’s hope it lasts.

And to just close out a great day, Elizabeth hosted a Stella & Dot trunk show with me at her beautiful home. I sell S&D jewelry for several reasons. First, I love Jessica Herrin and the company she’s built. It’s local – right here in San Carlos and she went to Stanford and is a mother of 2 – she’s inspirational and loving and beautiful and smart and giving and is helping to promote women in business and creating a community – things that I love!  I sell the jewelry as a hobby – to pay for my “habit” and to get out and meet new women. I love hearing their stories and seeing them try on jewelry and how they feel when they’re wearing it. I was never into jewelry and now love it and feel put together and cute when I’m wearing it. I love watching women admire me and want to be like me. That’s cool – I want women to feel powerful and beautiful and see their own beauty – whether they wear the jewelry or not.

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The women I met tonight were fun and smart and cute and were enjoying each other’s company. It was fun to hear their stories and to see the connections – one woman brought her mom. Another woman was about to give birth. There was a spunky and fun lawyer who almost moved to France as expats and another who brought her new baby. One mom brought her 11 year old son and his homework.  One came really late. One was the cute mom I used to admire at PELC and there she was again. One grew up in Sunnyvale, one was from my home town, One was from Canada and is an Expat Consultant. We’re gonna meet again for coffee. Several shared stories and now I’m bummed I’m moving but I know I’ll be back in a year! So they say…  

I’ll be back to enjoy and admire all these wonderful people in my life – because in the end, it’s all about our relationships and the love we give and receive.  I’ll be back… xo

 

xo

 

Day 75 – Really only 75 days left?

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Talk about living life to the fullest, today was so busy that my feet hurt and my heart is full.

I started today by cleaning the house and decluttering because the Relatives were coming to town!  I know I don’t have to clean for them, but still, I want the house to be presentable and ready for them. And I had a full day planned before they arrived at who-knows-what-time-they-were-coming. 

At 9:30 am, Marcia came to take me with her to Filoli Gardens in Woodside, which was such an honor. Typically she goes every year with her wonderful mother, Pat Hunter, but today Pat couldn’t go so she invited me to attend with her. We really enjoyed walking through the Filoli House and admiring all the artistic floral designs and displays. 

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The Secret Garden, Discover the Magic – the theme for the day.  Doesn’t this door and garden look inviting?

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This was my favorite display – I loved the texture of the rose silk ribbon tablecloth, and he pink and orange ribbon covered vase, and the gold place ware. It was formal and whimsical – I liked it a lot.

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This display caught my eye because it was called Book Worm, and used ferns and monkey tails as the worms. I liked the mixed textures and pieces of wood with the giant green leaves, and a book tucked inside.

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 Marcia and I enjoyed our lovely tea sandwiches and scones with lemon curd. I love her S&D necklace!! Too cute.

After the trip to Filoli, we both rushed back. J was receiving an award at school today at 2 pm and I still had to prepare my Stella & Dot displays for Christine’s party at 7 pm before my Relatives arrived at 4 pm and get to the store by 3:30 pm!  Phew – are you tired yet?

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We are so proud of this girl – she is smart and sweet and cute and fun and loving! What could be better? And what was even better than her Reading award, and winning as a runner up in the yearbook cover contest, was that her Math Olympiad team placed in the top 10% in the World and there were 3700 teams in 25 countries participating this year. What a huge accomplishment, demonstrating their ability to think critically and solve problems. I am so proud of her, and her classmates, her teachers and the parents who volunteered. Thanks a million!

After the awards banquet and grocery shopping, the family arrived. I was ecstatic! They are spending Mother’s Day with me. How cool is that? I was so happy to see them, I had that permagrin thing going on again. Maybe I’m just tired and giddy but I think it’s more…

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Can they be any cuter?

Shortly after it was time to take JC to his friend’s birthday party – pizza, cake, Game Truck, friends, sodas – what more could be better for a young boy on a Friday night?

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And after dropping him off, we came back to the house for a speedy appetizer / snack type dinner before heading over to Christine’s to host a Stella & Dot trunk show with her friends. It was fun to visit, see her new remodel, share a glass of wine and nibbles, stories, jewels and girl time!  

Well, that’s all for today. I am tired now, but I think I deserve to be and to go to bed! Good night, friends.  xo

 

Day 76: Living the American Dream

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Coke and Baseball and Stella & Dot arm candy – It doesn’t get much better than this!

Today was a fabulous day and it started out with a HUGE surprise for Ms. Pettee – J’s 5th grade teacher. Because of email and being able to quickly connect a great group of parents, we were able to collect $365 in one day to purchase an HP Netbook for her and give her a CASH bonus (because don’t teachers need bonuses too?) as part of Ponderosa School Teacher Appreciation Week. It was cool to be part of the process to inspire others to share and contribute and be part of the “team” gift and to feel the passion and enthusiasm that everyone had to give. Ms. Pettee was so thankful, and one of the dad’s is looking at matching the donations through his company, so Netbook might even multiply into two! Isn’t that such a cool story? I wish you could have been there to see her face. 

After that joy, I enJOYed getting a pedicure with Christine and also sending pictures to my cousin, Shellee, the Birthday Girl in San Diego, who was getting a manicure at the same time! We had fun swapping pictures from our phones, pretending we were celebrating her birthday together. Too bad we live so far away, but the pictures were fun to share. And the pedicure was oh, so relaxing and my tangerine colored toes are so Holland and the Color of the Year!! That made me smile!

After those fun events, I was off to run errands and shop for my company that is coming to see me tomorrow! My parents and my sister and my niece are all joining us for the weekend and I couldn’t be more excited.  Now the fridge is ready and stocked for the weekend. Do you think there’s a Costco like store in Holland? 

From the Costco run, I ran C to the baseball field, and then back home again to unload the groceries. It was a beautiful and warm day and didn’t even need a jacket until after 7 pm – the game went on for a long time! It was fun to sit with Rachel and Allison and the girls, chatting and watching the boys play. C did great as catcher, and hit a double and a single. He loves baseball and I love being with the other mamas watching and enjoying each others’ company.

After the game, we were home together, doing homework, cleaning up the house and getting the kids ready for bed.  There’s always work to do before company arrives and my office piles and laundry piles were HUGE!!  That’s why this post is so late tonight. BUT – the killer part of my mess, was my Wife texted me to see if there was anything she could do to help me get ready for tomorrow (which is booked solid even before the relatives arrives). I of course, said No, that I should have everything done by midnight, and that she should finish baking for the teachers tomorrow. And off I went to kiss the kids and tuck them in for the night, when my phone kept buzzing with texts. I finally went to check who was trying to reach me, and it was her. She was at my door, and knocking softly, but I didn’t hear her knocks, only the dings from my texts that read “Knock. Knock.” She came to fold my laundry with me. OMG – is that the best or what? We had so much fun catching up and sharing stories – we hardly have time to chat this week at all for various reasons. But boy did we laugh and have fun! Who knew laundry could be fun? I wouldn’t even believe you if you said it, but I lived it. I’m still smiling…Life is good and I’m glad I’m living it!

Oh, and P.S. – the other good news is we heard back from one of the two International Schools today and we have a spot! Thank goodness I won’t have to be home schooling the kids, because I’m way too busy “relaxing.”

Day 100

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Day 100 – Today was a busy day. This is an image of my desk which captures a little bit of my messy little world. It has my new Dutch book, dreaming of my first trip to Hawaii, a few Dropjes, my paper organizer that I still love, my Stella & Dot clutch/purse that carries my wallet and essentials and can be easily transferred from tennis bag, to car, to school, etc., fun sunglasses, and lots of papers! But back to my busy day…

This morning I had my first dutch lesson with Ilse. Finding Ilse was such a cool story. I was playing tennis with a friend and I mentioned we were moving to Holland. She asked if I knew Ilse and that she taught Dutch. I told her I had met Ilse at our church and had seen her at school, and riding her bike all over town, but I didn’t know she spoke Dutch and hadn’t really talked with her much. But the next day I saw Ilse at the Kindergarten playground and reintroduced myself, explaining my story and now the rest is history. She agreed to tutor me and today was my first lesson. She came to my house for an hour+ and we chatted in Dutch while drinking tea and coffee. I learned the alphabet and dipthongs, and practiced asking questions and used lots of repetition. My brain really had to think and I loved learning something new, even though it was challenging. The other cool thing about Ilse, is that she introduced me to another woman who is also moving to Amsterdam with her husband and 4 kids. I love how our little world is so connected. My new friend and I met a couple weeks ago and introduced our kids and will hopefully be neighbors in Amstelveen soon. I love my friends and how we’re all connected.

While Ilse was hear tutoring me, the gardner came to remove our favorite tree that has been infested with a nasty bug called thrips. This made me really sad because I loved this tree. Is it weird to love a tree? But really – it had character and was architecturally beautiful with great “bones” and has been with us for 11 years. But the tree had been dying for the last several years. I have great memories of C climbing to the top and J finding a middle branch to sit in and read a book. It used to provide a great shade canopy over our patio for our many BBQs and potluck dinners, but recently it just provided shadows. With the tree gone, our patio is very bright and the yard looks so much bigger. I guess that’s a good thing.

J was home from school today with a fever and double ear infection. I’m thankful that I was easily able to bring her to the doctor and get antibiotics for her within a few hours. This is one worry I have moving to Holland – will we be able to have as good and quick health care there and will I be able to communicate with the health care professionals? I guess I better keep practicing my Dutch.

And the sun was shining brightly today, so little C was able to go out to baseball practice this evening. I’m hyper aware of the sun shining and that my son gets to play baseball and that he probably won’t get to play in Holland. I’m aware of the changes that are coming and I feel a bit melancholy, even though I want the changes that are to come, I don’t want them to get here too fast. In a way, it makes me enjoy what is even more. I like that.

At the dinner table tonight, we talked about our 100 days left in the states and what we want to do before we leave. We came up with 3 more plans: 1) Big C decided that he wants to have his birthday party be a movie and sleepover party. 2) Little C came up with a guest list for his Laser Quest party and 3) We decided and booked tickets to Colorado to see Jeff’s grandparents and family before we move. It was a lively discussion and felt good. But now I’m exhausted. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get to play tennis and “relax” a bit!!

Good night. Sweet dreams. Tot ziens! – A.