...the THANK YOU GIVEAWAY!

You know what I think is amazing?

That even though I keep posting photos of the one thing

that has been keeping me busy these days,

you are still here for me!

I want to thank everyone for the kind words of encouragement and support, 

(and for not forgetting about me in my absence!)

The best way I know how to say thank you,

is to give a little something of myself back to you...

SOOOOOOO.....

I think it's time for a little giveaway, don't you?

One of my followers will win our entire line of 

The Old White House

natural lavender laundry and cleaning provisions

You will receive:

***********

16oz. cotton bag with our lavender laundry soap,

1 organic lavender dryer sachet, made with repurposed fabric,

8oz. bottle of lavender linen water

(we also use it as our room spray, the girls and

I use it as our body spray... it's just that good!)

and

12oz. ball jar of our lavender soft scouring powder

for your kitchen and bath

***********

I try to keep my giveaways simple,

simple is good.

we are all jumping through enough hoops as it is, right?

All you need to do is leave me a comment on this post

letting me know that you want to clean your home and 

laundry with my family's products.

 Please become a follower,

if you aren't one already...

go ahead, join the club!

I would also love it if you would 

"like" my facebook page

The Old White House

o.k. so that's 3 little hoops,

but I promise that they are worth every tiny jump!

I will choose a name from the hat on Sept. 7

so you have until then to throw your name in the hat!

Again, thank you everyone for your uplifting and lovely

words.  I can't tell you how much they have meant to myself and my family.

... you're the best.

love,

Theresa 

xoxoxoxox

linking to:

White Wednesday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

all of our new product photos are courtesy of 

my new wonderfully talented photographer friend

Laura Hathaway!

once upon a time...

I am going out on a limb here people and am going to
share pretty pictures and a story.

Remember this post?

I thought I would give you a little update...

4 days after Duane received his MBA on that beautiful Sat.

he got a phone call from his employer and they reconfigured his

district and he was laid off.

Now, I didn't share all of this before now because I knew

that it wasn't the end of our story.

Why only give you the part that put us into a tailspin?

You need to know the parts that are helping us dance out

of the tailspin!  

We put hope into our soap ;)

The way we looked at it, God gave Duane the tenacity and brains to get through

his MBA program and me the ability and creativity to make soap

and we put them together with His help.

 We are just using what we were given.

The markets that I have been going to and the shows that

we have been applying to are what we are pouring

ourselves into these days.

All of us... 

On Thursday as I sat behind my sewing machine

making 100 or so sachets,

I looked into the kitchen and my heart swelled with love

and pride and I watched Duane and Max fill 200 bottles of 

our linen water.  A little while later I walked into the room

where Hannah was filling bags of soap that her and Duane made,

 and when Danielle came home from shopping for supplies, 

she filled the sachets that I had sewn.

(That's right, I have Danielle home for a while!!)

John and Cam have been helping too, with marketing ideas, 

contacts, research and crazy amounts of support!

This photo is from our booth at the South Haven Blueberry Festival

this past weekend. 

(that's Danielle hiding behind our table)

 We got in on a last minute cancellation, so this past week was CRAZY!!

We had the best time at the show and will be

heading back to South Haven for the Labor Day show.

We have every weekend filled with a show or

festival until the middle of Sept. and are researching more for the upcoming

holiday markets.

Plus I am doing 2 markets during the week.

This weekend we are double booked!!

WOOHOO!

The fact that our entire family is helping in one way or another

has made this time in our life a more positive one than

I can ever remember.

I know that we are not alone in our employment

situation and I have met many people who have stories like ours.  

I met a man at the market that makes delicious

salsa.  Art was downsized from a job that he was very unhappy doing, but

it was a job.  He had been told for years that he should sell his salsa,

but waved away the idea until he decided that he really didn't 

want to look for another job that would make him just as unhappy.

So he made salsa.

That was 1 year ago and now he is in 24 stores and restaurants,

around the state and he is loving every minute of it!

Now that's a story!

I just know that we are only in the first few chapters of our story,

but I will keep turning the pages because I just know that 

our ending is a happy one.

Source: midnightlunacy.tumblr.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Isn't this perfect for the first chapter of our story?
Remove the word SHE and insert THEY.

Like I said, I didn't tell you about the page that
started this chapter of our life because I didn't want anyone
to feel bad for us.  I just knew that whatever came our
way, we would be fine.
We have made lemonade out of life's
lemons before and we are actually pretty good at it.
So stop on over, have a seat and I will pour you
one of the best glasses you have ever had.

Right after I turn this page...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit, I know that that
I have been MIA alot lately so I thought it was
time I stopped in with a bit of an explanation.

You support and love means the world to me,
along with our wonderful friends, and family around
here...
THANKS EVERYONE!

love,
Theresa
xoxoxoxoox

p.s. I will update you on the kids soon,
there are some great stories there too!

i miss you!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer,

time keeps slipping away from me and even with the

best intentions to pop in with a short post I have come up short myself!

I miss everyone and can't wait to play catch up on what you all have been up to!

We are still adding markets and shows for the laundry provisions,

but I had an idea for the sachets after so many

customers said how much they loved giving my items as gifts

to friends and family.

So yesterday I worked on door sachets...

something pretty to hang from your door

or desk, something you can give a little squeeze to

that will help relax you through a hectic day!

These have been listed in 

The Old White House

and I am now making more to take to the market.

I am headed out to work myself, and really need to 

get ready but I couldn't wait to share something new with you!

Have a fabulous weekend!

love,

Theresa

xoxoxoo

linking to:

Vintage Inspiration Friday

... my first party in way too long!

a little of this, a little of that...

Let's start with this...

Last week I helped my good friend Julie put together a 50th birthday party for her husband, Tom.

She had so many great ideas for the decorations, the food and the entertainment so it was

an easy job!  This guy, Tod Parkhouse,  the caricature artist was a big hit,  

the guests, young and old alike were lined up for him to draw a silly picture of them.

Here he is drawing one of Max and Hannah

How adorable is that!!!  

GAAAAAAAAA!

It cracks me up every time I look at it!

Duane and I had ours drawn too, but nobody to take a photo of it happening,

Thank goodness for small favors!

Julie hired great local band to play on her beautiful wrap around porch

 while the guests relaxed on the  front lawn

visiting with friends in their lawn chairs.

Also a big hit!

(one day I need to take you on a tour of her gorgeous home)

I am so bummed that I didn't have more time to take some photos of the

decorations with my camera before the guests arrived.

 (I did take a few with Julies before I went

home to get mine but that doesn't help me show them to you now!)

anyway...

I made these chalkboard tags out of precut wood from the craft store

and them we used my new favorite tool, the chalkboard paint pen

to write on everything.

If you haven't gotten one for yourself yet and you love chalkboards as much

as I do, you must head to your nearest craft store

WITH COUPON IN HAND

cuz they aint cheap and I couldn't find any single pens,

you have to buy the set for $12.00

but go get yourself some,

I promise you won't be sorry!

I was able to use the 50% coupon though so I did my famous

Happy Dance as I walked out the door!

We also wrapped some vintage ice buckets with a strip of burlap and topped

them with huge burlap fluffy flowers and filled them with hosta leaves.

Julie also bought plain white paper napkins and stamped the corner

with cool vintage looking stamps.

Plus everything was in galvanized buckets or tool boxes.

She had so many wonderful details that I wish I could show you right now.

anyway...

now, here's some of that...

We have added some really colorful lavender sachets to the mix of 

our laundry provisions

and they are a big hit at the market!

All vintage materials, curtains, tablecloths,sheets, a pillow case or two,

and some mens dress shirts because Danielle said we needed something for the men.

She was so right!

and finally...

Oliver has decided that this large wash basin

is his favorite new hang out.

As I took this picture I had to laugh because we 

recently watched Jim Gaffigan, Mr. Universe,

and he talks about how we are becoming obsessed with taking

pictures of everything.  One of his lines is 'The cat is sleeping,

I should take a picture of him'

...and tweet it.

Seriously though, could you help but take a picture

of what we like to call,

"kitty in a bowl"?

I didn't think so.

Happy Saturday,

make it special!

love,

Theresa

xoxoxxo