Preparing & Evacuated for Hurricane Gustav!

Dear Family & Friends, Update on Hurricane Gustav!

This storm has seemed to really put things into perspective... living on the Gulf Coast is a risky choice in the summer months, the outrageous insurance we all pay definitely is the 1st warning for these storms. I want to say thanks for your prayers & thoughts for the people here... It's been a very stressful week since word of this storm first came out & threatened everyone on the Gulf Coast. My DH has been away all week working with the hurricane hunters & weather crews first hand. They have been investigating this storm as much as they possibly can. All I can say right now for the two of us is that I have prepared for the worst, but pray for the best. We have a good chance of getting at least flood damage, but we are not in the direct path of the eye of the storm. I know many of my family, friends & customers have been asking & e-mailing & I cannot possibly keep up with everyone, so this is the best way to keep you updated as things unfold. One of our sweetest cats, Tommy, (the Orange Tabby above) ran away about 2 weeks ago & I have tried to locate him in every way I could think of. He has not come home. We love out pets & they have quite the life in our home as you can see this is the kitty condo tower for them right in the front foyer area of our home.

I evacuated last night, took mainly important papers & documents, photos & our pets (3 cats & Misty) with my laptop so I have some communication here & can work on my business, website & quickbooks as I am learning this system for my business. I will have a few days here at least. Ross will be away for the coming month as he is scheduled to leave for a Navy/AF Mission in Guam for weeks on the 8th. I know this storm is bad, but I do have faith & believe everything will be ok.

It's been a while since I've written here & I will do better in the days to come to keep my customers, family & friends updated... There are a few more storms building out there, so we are watching those as well. I think in the years to come I may be out of commission for the mid month of August - Sept, as these storms tend to show their BIG Face in this month especially. It's been quite stressful, but this is my first hurricane to evacuate & experience since we moved to the MS Gulf Coast in 2007. Our home is about 1/2 mile inland from the Gulf Coast Waters.

Thanks for your prayers & well wishes!

Bonnie & for Ross, too

New Designs, Model & Photo Session! 8-10-08

It's Monday Morning, A New Week with New Photos to share!!!

Check out this little Cutie Pie; What a FUN Adventure with this little one, photos with her new outfits!!! She & her mom were so kind to help me show off to add to my line options for my site! My favorite is the Ballet Dress & Coordinating Bag with initial! Every one is an original as can be ordered on my site.

I am currently updating my site, listings & drop down menu options. It is complicated to put together, but hopefully self explanitory, I would appreciate all of your feedback on the workings of my site if you get the time to navigate & provide me with your feedback, I would be SO APPRECIATIVE! I will be finshing up my site in the next 2 weeks & will send out my grand opening BIG Discount as I will be cutting my ebay sales back in the future & selling mainly from my site ONLY!

Thanks for all of your help, care & support along this business path. It is a lot of hard work & some days are quite stressful; filling orders & trying to keep on top of e-mails & website construction & of course the finances. Ebay has not proven to be worth my while, only in gaining the interest towards my site & the many more options & personalized care I can provide with discounts & one on one attention!

I hope you will share my blog with your interested friends!

Thanks, Enjoy your week!

Bonnie

BonEful Website & A HOT August in Mississippi!

It's been so hot & humid here in MS! I have been working & working on my website & trying to have it ready for orders with custom build your own designs with my drop down menu system. I hope my customers will find this exciting & get used to shopping with add on options. I had an order last night for Minnie Mouse sets for a Customer's Disney trip, she was able to order 2 different sets in a size 18M & 5 with the top she wanted, ruffled capri's & added hair bows for each child in their size. It is exciting to be able to meet specific needs of each customer this way.

Ross continues to work hard which allows me to grow my business & take the time I do to perfect the options while continuing to meet my orders on a timely basis. Thanks for all of your continued support & JOYFUL spirits with replies for my HAPPY Customer section on my website! I'm working on my gallery section this week.

Please let me know what you honestly think of my site & any changes that you think would help the overall look & goal I have for this business... I'm very delighted with any feedback you are willing to give, including constructive criticism. Thank-you for following & sharing my blog!

Blessings, Bonnie

The Apple Of My Eye!

* AN APPLE A DAY... Keeps the Dr Away, right?*

A Sweet Back to School Twirl Dress!!!

THX for all of your modeling, C!

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You're the Best!

Love, Bon

Christmas in July & Back to School!!!

What a HOT July it's been! Ross & I spent all day in the yard mulching b/c he is actually home & not flying into any hurricanes. This was something we could do & spend the day together being productive, not spending too much money... Of course an afternoon storm rolled in & sent us running inside after working until the very last minute. This is the South & Summertime, the storms seem to come from the wild & out of the blue!

It's Back to School time folks & Christmas in July!!! Getting ready for all of the special events as soon as possible is smart~! I know over the Holidays, I tend to get booked up very quickly & stress myself out over getting things done, this year I will be taking off two weeks b/f Christmas. Please get your orders in as early as possible.

I'm keeping this one fairly short as it's getting to be bedtime here & I still have a few things to do b/f closing out my Saturday! Church is tomorrow as well as my BD Boutique Designer Christmas in July & Back to School Launch on ebay. This is a group of 75+ professional designers, like myself, whom we've come together to form a fun group & explore our options & share new ideas & trends. I also had a TERRIFIC little friend & one of my favorite models come back to help me last week, you will see her in several of my new auctions! Don't miss out, I have all .99 starting bid listings on ebay. It's A HUGE risk & not enough attention these days, so PLEASE, please... share my site's & locations with any interested friends!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, too!
Blessings & Smiles,

Bonnie

Bon's Design & Sewing & Fabric Work Spaces!

I just wanted to take a moment this quiet Saturday morning to show you a collage of my sewing work spaces. Ross was up at 2:30 AM to work with Hurricane Bertha. Hurricane season is very busy for him! So, I could not get back to sleep & got a very early start today.

Please note that my rooms are NEVER this clean, Honestly... this was ONLY for the photo! :) Then after a few hours of work, the mess begins & accumulates as you can imagine.

Bon

July 4th Picnic & Boating in Mississippi!

It's been a nice relaxing weekend for Ross & I. We needed this adventurous time, even though we were lost in the dark waters after watching the fireworks from our boat, we eventually found our way back to the US~AFB at Keelser, they have a great Marina there! Misty is now 6 months old & keeps us busy... She LOVES the water & is such a JOY in our lives!~ Here is a photo of her watching her Daddy on the boat! :) Ross used to train Police Dogs as a Military Cop, so she is learning at a very young age. I would not trade her for anything, as my first experience with a puppy & dog of my own has been nothing but the best. :)

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Ross has been on the go with hurricane season kicking in & attending classes in Florida last weekend. Now, hurricane Bertha is a threat & they will be deployed out tomorrow to the Island of St Croix, which is where they fly all of their missions from. The hurricane hunters do actually take their planes right into the eye of the storm & fly in the storm for a few hours to get all of the readings necessary to report back to the National Weather Center in Miami, Fl. We are storm watchers here as we are only living about 1/2 mile from the Gulf Waters!

I like to keep my customers updated here on my business & personal life as I appreciate everyone's support & care. Ross & I attended a new church on Sunday here. It was a breath of fresh air here & I'm very excited about the possibilities for attending & being involved with the church. I need more outlets outside my home where I do work constantly. I may teach a few sewing classes at an arts center here which will also help me get connected in the area here. Since we are military and very likely moving in the next 2-3 years, I find myself not getting connected as I should. I miss my friends from VA & often just focus on my business & marriage with life here. Please pray I will find the strength to step beyond my comfort zone. I have enjoyed teaching Sunday School every Sunday this past year for 2nd & 3rd graders at the Presbyterian Church.

Thanks for your interest & continued support!

Bonnie