Feed Your Body and Soul in this issue of Chick News. Recipes for food for your body and food for your spirit contributed by women from all over the country. Plus, great gift ideas for Mother’s Day gifts, a 10% off promotional code, and a scholarship opportunity for three sessions with a life coach. Click on the photo above or HERE to read on!
According to the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement index, the average gift amount spent for Mom will be $135 this year, so we’ve put together some little Mom Gift Kits that will help you spoil your mom on Mother’s Day. You can buy everything in the kit or individual items, depending on your budget. Just click on the Mom Kit Box to see the individual items.
This innocuous looking timer, retro in design and feel, is hiding an interesting secret that defies explanation via the written word. Enjoy this video about making a 9 minute egg using the Fred-O-Matic timer. If it can make boiling eggs fun, think what it can do for the brownie-making experience.
One day in the fall of 1973, I was standing around thinking about what to do for the annual 9th grade Science Fair Project. The idea was due on Monday and this was Sunday and I was really stumped. For one thing, I hated science. And, for another thing, I was really intimidated by this project. There were always the kids who built super complicated science ‘things’ and then there were the kids whose parents built those ‘things’ for them. I fell into neither category. I went downstairs and walked around and into the laundry room where my eyes idly landed upon the cage that we had used to house various (now deceased) gerbils and guinea pigs. Hmmm….I was thinking. What if I put a bunch of different stuff inside this cage, put it outside on the back patio for about 3 months, and then came back to see what happened to it? I quickly stuffed different items from our home: pieces of paper towel, a plastic bag, a paper bag, a battery, anything I could lay my hands on, inside the screened cage. Then, I set it out on the patio to see what happened.
You might think that this was the beginning of a career in environmental science, but sadly, it was only an attempt to get away with as little as possible for the Science Fair. And, frankly, I thought my project was a little bit lame (especially when compared to those volcanoes that were spitting up toothpaste or baking soda or something). In reality, my idea was applauded by the judges in the Science Fair as being original and noteworthy. Imagine that!
I tell you this story for two reasons. First, interest in the environment isn’t something that has just begun in the past ten years. Biodegradable was a big word back in 1973 and my mom was reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson before that. And, secondly, I’m a little embarrassed that my environmentally auspicious beginnings haven’t really panned out. Of course, I don’t want the polar ice caps to melt, but if I’m being honest, I haven’t really done anything to prevent it.
So, in celebration of Earth Day, we’ve made some changes at The Happy Woman store. Gone are the disposable microfiber cloths that we used to clean anything and everything. We’re using microfiber cloths that can be washed and reused. Same for the stuff we’re using on the floor. We’re steam cleaning now, so no soap is being poured into the sewer system. The pads we use on the cleaner can be washed and reused. And, all of those boxes that pour into our establishment on a daily basis from UPS and FedEx? They’re being broken down and taken to our local recycling drop off area. Not huge differences, I admit, but changes that may make a difference in the long run.
You may wonder what became of that gerbil cage. Well, after I removed my First Place ribbon from the top, it went back into the basement to become the home of a hamster. I guess we learned something about recycling after all.
SAVE 20% ON SELECTED PRODUCTS FOR EARTH DAY! HURRY — SALE SENDS AT MIDNIGHT ON APRIL 22ND!
Write down 15 wishes for your mom and mail them along with a package of our Flying Wish Paper – she can write each of your wishes on the wish paper and watch them fly. Or take a package of Flying Wish Paper to your Mother’s Day Celebration. Have everybody write a wish or mom memory down and light them all at the same time….for a wish extravaganza.
This is a new display table that Sarah, my awesome employee put together yesterday. It’s incredibly pulled together, especially considering that the direction from me was pretty vague and went something like this: “Please make this table look better.”
The girl on the right is my old next door neighbor, Nicole. She used to run the fabulous antique shop, Up North Antiques, but closed her store last year because she is studying to become a nurse. And the girl on the left, well she’s a girl ahead of her time. She’s covered with vintage seed packets and, in case you didn’t notice, she’s extremely tall. She was a left over in Nicole’s shop, so she was wheeling her around town looking for a new home for her. These are the kinds of things we do in Suttons Bay on a sunny day in April…..
This month (April 19th to be exact) marks our 9th year in business. I know, I can’t believe it either. Our new location in Suttons Bay is our 4th location for The Happy Woman store and, in all that time, I’ve never had a display window to merchandise. So, imagine my glee at the thought of thinking of crazy stuff to do in this one. This is the first display of the year and it’s about to be put to bed so that Earth Day display can take its place. I thought I’d share it with you. We are going to be painting the building (as soon as it gets above 50 degrees for more than 5 minutes) and my sign will be hung outside at that time, but for now, I’m just happy as pie, pleased as punch, and delighted as all get out that I have another place to play. P.S. — sorry about the glare — I’ll have to work on that.
We opened our Suttons Bay store this week and thought you’d like a Sneak Peek at what our new location looks like. We love it here — there is so much light, there’s more space and there’s a really good vibe going on. Shopping hours for April are: Tuesday - Saturday from 11am to 5pm.
And, we stayed true to tradition — we opened in the middle of a snowstorm. This year, though, there was another interesting twist. For about an hour, the road through town (M-22) was closed as the entire county’s worth of fire trucks descended upon our block. But, more about that tomorrow….
We’ve done it — we’ve drawn the lucky number for the Women’s History Month Giveaway and that lucky number is ‘2′! It belongs to Jennifer P. from Houston, TX, who is now the proud owner of all of the groovy things pictured in the photo below. Congratulations, Jennifer!
