Ouch my arms

I told you all all a couple of days ago that Todd got me a wii Active trainer for Valentines.  Yesterday was upper body and today...oh my.  I am hoping that every 'day after' gets a little less painful.  I do know that it is all forward movement and pretty soon it will be good endorphins, yada, yada, yada.  For now hot showers and Aleve are my friends.  I have also discovered that even if we won the lottery I would not be able to have a personal trainer, because no one would put up with me swearing at them like that :).

I got to go to school yesterday and talk about Emily's senior year and what we need to start looking at colleges for, yikes I don't think I am ready for this, but she is.  We found out that she will start college as either a freshman about 3 credits short or a sophomore.  I am really proud of her but I can't believe we are already here.  We are so proud of her!

So I admit, it was a cloudy windy day on the prairie yesterday, and it was my Birthday soooo I did take a little nap.  Between that and school I wasn't as productive as I thought I would be, so I will need to make up for it today.  I did get Anne Hildreth's softshell done.  If you need an Equine Chiropractor I highly recommend her.  Emily would have had to pull out of showing at the State Fair, Beau was lame, she spend about 10 minutes with him and he did this about 30 minutes later...well I was going to insert a really awesome picture, but it's copy write protected.  Go to www.cowboycalendar.com, photo gallery, State Fair, 4-H Western Horsemanship 10 and it is picture 27 of 68.  Definitely NOT a lame horse.  I should probably order that picture huh? Hey Niome, feel free to share that picture with your student that say he won't do anything ;).

I am off to get ready for another crazy day, getting JuJu Belle put together for the photo shoot and I WILL get to strechy rings today!!!!

JuJu Belle and other exciting things

I have exciting news! I found out last week that I was one of the the consultants selected to be in the JuJu Belle catalog that will be released NATION WIDE April 1st. So once the shock and excitement wore off, I realized I have a lot of work to do this week.  They asked for a re-write to my story, which was done exceedingly fast basically because I pawned it of on my Journalist sister, and figure out head shots.  I was a little disappointed that they aren't going to use the pictures of Darcy and I, but I understand.  There isn't time for Diane to come down and take them, so off to Wal-Mart I go. April is going to help me find the perfect JuJu and if I go curly hair or straight.  THEN the wait is on, I'm gonna try to just forget about it for a month so I don't drive myself or you all crazy.

I think there is going to be some stretchy ring action in the studio, between craziness and a couple  meetings, I also have a softshell that needs one more color stitched out.  I will share those tomorrow.

I thought I would add a couple pictures of some of the awesome JuJu Belle I have created, jealous?  Yeah you should be...

One step forward, two steps back

I fell off the blog wagon for a few days, but like it or not I'm back.  I was informed while we were having a company meeting at the Legion Bar in Roland (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) that someone likes to see what I say about her in the blog. So I figured I needed to get back to it on a somewhat daily basis. 
It was a crazy week, not necessarily for TSI but for me.  My kids had a late start Monday, early outs on Tuesday and Thursday and no school Friday.  Oh then I was home Wednesday with a sick one.  So when I had to miss the candle party I was invited to Friday night because the oldest had plans and Todd was working late, well lets just say there wasn't a lot of convincing on my part to have Todd pretty much pushing me out the door for some R&R later on Friday night.

So, back to our meeting,  It pretty much consisted of peach schnapps mixed with stuff...but alas I didn't get a receipt so no tax right off, but I think my family has enjoyed a mama that is a little less stressed.

Todd got me the EA Active 2 trainer for our wii for Valentines, so after Sarah helped me set it up on her sick day home from school (yep we got it last year for Christmas and I didn't even know how to turn it on), I worked out Thursday and Friday.  Let's just say I thought my abs were gone, they are not, and are not happy with me right now.  I think they liked their dormant state, but no more!!  We have some really cute ideas for recycling old t-shirts into really cute tank tops and well, I can't exactly wear them right now and I have saved a couple of the t's back from the stacks just for me.  So you might here some now and then about Weight Watchers and EA Active, but it really is for the good of the company ;).

Off to have some 'quality' time with the family!  I will be back tomorrow with some exciting JuJu Belle news!!

A little of this, a lot of that

So it has been crazy around here lately and not getting a lot of TSI stuff done, it has been more family crazy.  I do have to share that we were on our way to Tandy's on Friday, Niome's car, well has been challenging lately, so instead of buying leather and conchos and all that fun stuff we spent the afternoon riding in her dad's truck. But, thanks to Clark we back on the road and did manage to have a lot fun watching Gwen re-stock her wardrobe!

I thought this would be a nice chance to fill you all in on the demographic of the Miller house. We live on an acreage in Central Iowa.  When I say we I am talking about my husband Todd and our four daughters Emily, Claira, Lillian and Sarah.  Lillian and Sarah are identical twins.  At our house we have the two Weimaraners, Gus and Belle, Johnny Cat, the cat in black (get it?) and Alexis the bunny.  Darcy and Snowie live at Sensation Stables, Emily works there and has informed me that even when we get the fence up and the one side of the building set up Darcy will stay there, because let's face it I don't have an indoor arena and unless I win the lottery it isn't happening!  My other big interests other than the horses are hunting and NASCAR.  I am kind of redneck but in a girly kind of way.  You will also hear a lot about my volunteering.  We are pretty active at our church and in the county 4-H program.

Well that is about it for this morning.  The kids have a late start so I am going to go and really enjoy my cup of coffee!

Success!!!

Niome came over last night, and guess what?  We successfully got a beaded bracelet sewed with the machine!!  This means (we hope) that production time will be shortened and they will be a lot more durable.  The true test is yet to come...our friend Johnny is going to wear it and see how it holds up.  If it can take him, we are good to go!

I also wanted to share a picture of Connie with her new quarter sheet.  We were joking that she can now wear her snuggie when she rides! 

Well it's a short entry today.  My coffee maker croaked and, yep I'm buying a new one today!

Office, studio, sewing room, the hole?

I will set the scene:  We were looking for a bigger place to live, there were 6 of us in a 16x18 trailer.  I have to digress for a moment.  This is not a sad country song story, it was a nice trailer, real roof, siding and windows kind, actually in some ways I miss it.  Anyway we still needed more room! So we were looking.  At the time I had started sewing for other people and my sewing room was the in the huge master bath and my office was in our room, I love what I do but I will say waking up in the morning and the first thing you see is your workload for the day is not a real motivator. 

So we are looking for a new place preferable acreage, five bedrooms, and yes the twins can share and the 5th is supposed to me "MINE"!!!!!!  So we find our new home, it is out of town quite a ways, our kids have to open enroll to stay in the same school, but for me and Total Show Image, it is perfect.  Four bedrooms upstairs and the fifth is downstairs and off of the dining room and bathroom, good light, I tell you it's perfect.  Perfect for school papers, the kids craft projects, things no one knows what else to do with, you get the idea.  So a while ago I laid down the law and told everyone to get there stuff the heck out of my office.  My family has been very responsive to my head actually rotating around 360 degrees while I yelled this so that issue has been solved.  I still have a little trouble keep them out but their stuff is at least gone.  I did have to acquire a makeup mirror and move my make-up in there and I am in the process of trying to figure out how to get my hair stuff in here and where to put a mirror.  5 women/girls in one bathroom trying to get ready? Yeah I give up on that one. 

So this room is now called the office, but I really don't like that name for it.  I think this is a much more creative space than that.  I am a fake it till you make it kind of a girl.  I feel that if I view this space as a creative, productive space that is what it will become.  Don't worry I'm not going to start chanting, I am a good Lutheran :).  To some, my husband and kids included, I'm silly.  It's the same room no matter what you call it.  So I will keep pondering and dreaming on the day that it is IKEA cabinets floor to ceiling with my table always fully extended in the middle and counter workspace and sewing tables built in. 

Oh, for you guys out there, don't feel bad for Todd, when we were house shopping he just really wanted a garage and he got a 40x60 building, (well, half of that is for the horses...:)).

Lots done, lots to do.

Have you ever noticed the productivity, leads to more productivity?  I have noticed that in these few days that I have started my day with this and wake up my mind when my body wakes up, I'm getting so much more done.  I LOVE IT!!!!

We didn't get the amount of snow they said we would get, I guess south of us got more, but that is okay.  I was able to get out and get horse feed and dog food.  I also got my self a stash of Diet Mt. Dew for the duration of what we now know was a non-blizzard.

It was such a productive day for TSI though, got some Carhartt's hemmed, I don't know what is worse fixing Carhartt's or horse blankets, dyed (well I really assisted, but I did learn how to do them myself now) my new to me Anderson Bean boots black, and got a couple of embroidery things done.  Not too shabby for a Saturday with all of us stuck inside together.

I posted a picture so you can see my fabulous embroidery skills! Of to get the coffee on and get my rear in the shower.  Gotta leave for church in a couple of hours!

Winter is finally here, maybe?

It's a gray day here, and winter might actually show up.  I for one am looking forward to it.  I have the Ham and Bean Soup in the roaster and will get some bread made later.  Yes I am one of those women that like to do that kind of thing, I love to think and knead bread and see the look on people's faces when they find my food doesn't come in a box.  I think I would have been a pretty good pioneer woman, I can cook, sew, butcher about anything, grow a garden, put it up for winter; all that stuff.  Especially living in a soddie cause then no one would have noticed the dirt! (The only part of my 'housewife' personality that is majorly lacking :)).

Winter at my house means a couple of things, NO MORE MUDDY FOOTPRINTS!!!  I told you you were going to hear about my dogs alot.  Any way we, really I, have two Weimaraners Belle and Gus they are 4 and 2 1/2.  Yes they live in house, all the time.  We have an outside kennel for them and I do use it in the summer if we are going to be gone for a long time but in the winter, well let me say it this way.  At County Fair, (the kids are in 4-H, FFA and I am a club leader and on the Fairboard, so you'll hear stories about that too) someone asked how their coats come in and how they handle the winter.  The look on their face was priceless when I stated that they don't really get a winter coat because they just go outside to potty. Back to my original thought, winter, real winter, also means time at home.  I know that we are all busy but I really enjoy the forced time at home, I mean when you live even 10 miles from town like we do sometimes you just have to go without for a few days.  I grew up in the country and remember those days fondly.  My husband however grew up in town and we lived in town until our oldest was in 7th grade.  When we had our first big storm after we moved out here, I can remember the conversation we had and how they both looked at me like I was crazy when I said you just stay put until the snow plow goes by.  Remember we don't live out the the nowhere lands of the Dakota's or Wyoming.  We live in Iowa pretty much the longest you are going to be snowed in is a day once the storm goes by. Perspective folks!

So I don't know how much I'll be in the studio today, oh that is a good blog subject I'll cover later, right now I am enjoying my coffee and looking out over the brown fields slowly turning white.

Oh trial and error

It is another fine day on the prairie, or at least I think it will be, it's a little dark. :) Last night was another fun night, but hey they all are!  We did inventory, looked at the calendar and realized that a certain rodeo schedule web site doesn't actually have the dates of 2012's season, they just take last years date and change the year.  No wonder the other sites didn't have much yet. For some reason I don't think most of the rodeos in Iowa are going to be on Monday's and Tuesday's this year.  I found out from a friend that most don't go on the schedules until March and April, so I am going to at least get all my family's stuff on the calendar and will fill in the blank spots with rodeos!

Niome does absolutely beautiful bead work, she works on a loom and I swear can make anything out of them.  She has made a fireman belt, playboy bunny hat band, broncs, praying cowboy, to name a few.  She also makes just some really pretty designs including zebra!  Anyhow, we are trying to figure out how to attach these to the leather the best way so that they last.  She had been stitching them down by hand, that works, but the time...yikes!  So she talked to a saddle maker we know and they said they just sew them down, perfect!  So I put a leather needle in the machine and got busy no problem, right.  Next step, glue the beads on the leather let it dry completely and then sew them down.  Hopefully this will keep them straight.  I think at one point I did look at Niome and say "Just once I would like us to have a new idea works the first time we try it."  I suppose there would be no fun in that though.

I guess at trip to Tandy's Leather Store is on today's agenda.  I am going in a consulting role, I have to be good and it is so hard in that store!  But today my job is to let Niome know what I can sew through and what I can't.

Everyone have a great Friday, I think I need to go find a cup of coffee!

Good Morning Everyone!!!

Well I finally have a g-mail/google account.  Wow I thought I was pretty up to date on technology (I can facebook and twitter with the best of them) but I ended up making a new account and couldn't figure out how to import this blog so I just made to administrators, so if one of me wasn't enough, there are now two!!!!  So if you see a post was written by Eileen or Total Show Image, yep both me!!!!  (okay just looked at the preview, two contributors, Eileen and Eileen Miller, I'm schizophrenic I guess, not a surprise to some)

Anyway back to the business at hand, Total Show Image has gone through some interesting changes this year.  I am now working along side a good friend that does some amazing bead work and though it isn't part of TSI; we more work along side of each other, help each other out, share vending space and most important bounce ideas off each other.  Okay more important than that we are good friends and hey if you can come out of a vendor event, hot, dirty, tired and with no sales and still be friends?  In my book that is worth a lot!

My goal with this blog is to show you what we are up to.  I wanted to let you know we do have a facebook page and there are tons of pictures on there.  I'm not going to re-post a bunch of old stuff on here.

I don't know if you really want to know my whole story, but face the facts.  I am a mom and wife who runs a business out of my home, stories about the fam are going to find there way on here.  Oh and stories about my dogs, some Physiologist would have a field day in my brain figuring out why I humanize my dogs they way I do.  I know it and I don't care, they are my babies.


I also am a consultant for JuJu Belle, an awesome company that make interchangeable jewelry.  They recently had a contest for the consultants to share their JuJu Belle story and a picture for a chance to be in the new catalog.  I will expand my techno skills and post one or two with this so that you can see me, my daughters new pleasure horse, and just how crazy I can be.  Oh and check out the awesome necklace!