South Hill Designs

Back in November, I went to a South Hill Designs social at my friend R's house. She sells it and was launching her business, so I went to her party. She had posted something online and said the first person who said they wanted a free locket would get one. I immediately commented on the post and said I wanted it, and so she said, "It's yours!"

I honestly wasn't going to buy anything. The jewelry that I wear is very specific and I only wanted to keep wearing the necklace that I was given for Mother's Day. But when I saw all the great things that I could put into the free locket that I won, I was blown away and inspired. I now have a new favorite necklace.

My friend Kathryn and I decided that we'd host a combo party at my house and invite a bunch of our MOMS Club friends over. The party was scheduled for January.

I ended up buying a G for Gus, an H for Hugh, a diamond ring for Steve, a running shoe for me, and a mustache for Hugh. I couldn't wait for my order to arrive. (I now also have a popcorn bucket for Gus inside my locket.)

I decided that I wanted to get a necklace for Claire for Christmas and I wanted to put Gus's name inside and a charm to represent him. So I went onto R's website and bought Clarie's Christmas gift from me and Steve.

When school started back up in January, Gus's bus driver, Serge, noticed my necklace and told me that he wanted the exact same thing for his wife. 

The next week he said he wanted four of them. One for his wife and three daughters and wanted to make them something great and give it to them for Valentine's Day. I told him about our social and invited him to come over and check everything out, but he wasn't able to come. 

Around this same time, several other people said that they wanted to buy from me, but couldn't make the party. It made me think about selling the jewelry myself. So after talking it over with Steve and creating a business plan, we decided to go for it. 

I haven't looked back since and have been doing okay for my first month selling the stuff. I'm having a REALLY hard time finding people to host a party. I can't blame people for not wanting to do it, as I didn't really want to do it myself. But I've got to keep at it. The thing that I really like is that there's no minimum that I have to sell each month, and I can stop at any time and everything that I've bought is mine to keep. 

I really like the company and the business model and principles that it has. I also really love the jewelry and think it's really pretty. It's affordable ($22 gets you a mini locket and chain). So for under $40 you could get a mini locket with chain and three charms. Not too shabby!

Anyway, I've been really excited to see the support that my friends are giving me. Two have thrown online parties and hopefully I'll be able to get others to also do a party. If you're reading this and you're interested in either selling SHD or having an online social, let me know!! And if you're curious to see what it's all about, you can check out my site!! Feel free to buy something while you're there!!
www.southhilldesigns.com/cathywalker

Purry

This past week, we said goodbye to our good friend, Purry Como. He came into our family in October of 2010 when Gus was just five months old. We knew our time with him was honestly borrowed, as we knew nothing about what happened to him while a laboratory animal.

When we adopted Purry Como back in 2010, he was pretty active and was always very loud. Purry was named Perry Como originally because of his loud purr that sounded like he was singing. When we had the chance to rename him, we liked the initial thought behind the name and just tweaked it to make us happy.

Purry was always pretty clueless. As far as animals go, he had zero common sense. Chalk it up to being in a cage his whole life, but he was honestly clueless most of the time. This allowed him to just relax and go with the flow and he'd walk around the house and just wander. Often times, he'd walk right under your feet and have no idea why you'd be upset with him.

The last few months were getting more and more difficult to bear. We watched Purry's health slowly deteriorate. He was peeing and pooping in random places all over the house, and his fur and face started to look odd. I can only describe it as saying if you've ever had a sick animal, you know the look that I'm referring to.

Steve decided to take Purry to the vet last Friday (the 14th) and they did a full blood work-up. They said they'd need the weekend to get the results in and as soon as they had them, they'd call and let us know.

We spent the weekend loving on Purry as much as possible, as we had an inclination that it would be his last with us. 

On Monday afternoon, the vet called with the bad news. There was a tumor (cancerous) and while there were options for us, with Purry's age and already declined health, they really would not have been fair to him to pursue. Instead, we made the agonizing decision to end his suffering.

Steve took Purry to the vet by himself, since I had to stay home with Gus and Hugh. It was so hard to say goodbye to him. He was such a special soul and added so much to our family. There was a selfish part of me that told Steve to just not do it... just let him stay home, but I knew better. After Steve left with him, I fell apart.

Steve was so strong and took Purry to the vet and was with him when he left this life. Steve snuggled him, held him, and loved on him as much as possible in the short time before the vet came in. They took Purry back and put the line in, and then brought him back into the room with Steve.

The vet said that he was not happy about the line. :-(

They fed him a few treats and Steve continued to pet him as the medicine passed through his veins. He passed very quickly, and was not in pain, and was next to a person that loved him and gave him the most wonderful life possible. 

Steve came home with the empty cat carrier and we both just cried. The decision to let a pet go is the most agonizing thing that pet owners have to encounter. It hurts and it makes you question your decision. In the end, I know it was the best for him, as I would never have wanted him to suffer. However, it was the most difficult goodbye and still hurts to think about.

I still hear his purr in my head, and I still look for him in the house. I don't know when I'll see him again, but I look forward to being reunited with him.

Here are some pictures of our sweet Purry.

 Taken in 2010

 So happy to have a home and people that love him

 Gus loved Purry so much

 He was so laid back... he didn't know he wasn't supposed to let Elphie put his head in her mouth!

 Always loved to be touched

 The last weekend with us... he just wanted to snuggle on Gus's bed

 Gus had no idea that Purry would be leaving us soon

 The last pictures of Purry. Taken just before leaving us

He was an awesome cat and had such a sweet temperament. He always wanted to be around people, wanted to be touched, and loved life. Our house a not the same without him, and the sweet sound of his purr is something I'll always remember.