New Bookseller and a Pillbag Retailer - Davis-Kidd Booksellers and Decorium Gift and Home

We've been busy at Gorman Headquarters - setting up new retailers for the both the book and Pillbags. I have several new stores with whom I'm working, and I'll highlight two this week and another two next week. Who knows? Maybe I'll have another pair by the following week!

First, the new bookseller: I'm pleased to announce that David-Kidd Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis, Tennessee has found shelf space for Despite Lupus. Davis-Kidd kindly opened their doors to The Lupus Endeavor video that we shot back in February. And subsequently, they were interested in carrying the book. Hooray!

 Here's a link to the video - scroll down to the third video for the one featuring the book signing at Davis-Kidd. Chris, the videographer, got some great shots of the store!


And I'm thrilled that the Pillbags have found a beautiful new home at one of my favorite stores in the whole world - Decorium Gift and Home in Old Town, Alexandria, VA. Jeff Albert, owner of Decorium, and David Chenault, lead interior designer, have truly embraced my Pillbag venture. They've featured the Pillbags in their weekly e-newsletter, and are spreading word of the Pillbags to clients everywhere. And the Pillbags are flying off the shelves! Hurry in to Decorium today to snap up one of the newest Pink Lady designs, or grab a classic navy Pillbag Bordeaux. And be sure to tell them I sent you!

Choosing Wisely: Putting my health above an agenda...again.

Per my post at the end of May, I thought I owed you a follow up to my Lupus Awareness Month to-do's. Why not take a moment to publicly celebrate a couple of  "cross-offs"?

1) That chest X-ray that I needed? DONE!

I found a radiology site within 2 miles of my house, confirmed they take my insurance, called for an appointment (only to learn they take walk-ins), and took an afternoon last week when my babysitter was working to get it done. In and out in less than an hour - so it wasn't too bad. But I'm certainly going to try to keep that nasty pleural effusion from ever coming back. Sitting in the waiting area, registering for the test, explaining to the admittance person why I was there in the first place - it took me back to when those test were all too regular. It made me feel sicker than I was...and no one needs that!

2) Second on my list - box up winter clothes for the move. ALMOST DONE!

I've gathered the clothes, mittens, scarves and boots - now I just have to grab a couple of empty boxes from a collection I started a month ago, toss in, and tape up. One down - 50 boxes to go.

3) Lastly - arrange for help. DONE!

As the world's greatest and most meticulous packer, my dad will be a godsend. He's arriving this weekend, and will have our whole place packed in no time. AND he'll have a smile on his face the whole time. But I'm going to have a hard time convincing him not to pack up everything. We have a few more weeks left, and I know he's going to want to finish the job while he's here. Don't pack baby Dar Dar, Papa!!

Now - while those three tasks are well on their way to being history, a new to-do has been added, and it's one with which I'm struggling. My task? To "Choose Wisely" in regard to our move date. Practically speaking, I know what I need to do. Emotionally, I'm resisting!

Here's the situation: our renovation is scheduled for Substantial Completion on July 7th. Hooray!  That means that by that date, our house will be ready and we can move back in. However, the contractor contractually has two weeks from that date to get to Final Completion, which will include fixing/finishing all of the little stuff that we find isn't up to snuff upon our walk through on July 7th. (This article addresses this distinction well.)

I just discovered that this two week period is a busy one. I thought we'd be able to move in on, say, July 8th, and the construction guys would casually be in and out of the house, working just a few hours a day. Turns out, that's not the case at all. They have every intention of coming to work at 7am and working until 3 or 4pm everyday during those two weeks. Not ideal living conditions for the Gormans!

But oh, the temptation to move in when I thought we could! My pride and the desire to get back into our house are really clouding my judgement. Add to that my penchant for schedules and order, and I've all but scheduled the moving company. BUT - I know how much I like my sleep. I know how mad I would be that first day, waking up at 7am, not getting a good nap, and having the girls experience the same. I'm not going to do it. But it IS tempting.

So here's to putting the health and comfort of me and my family at the forefront. I've had to do it plenty of times before with lupus - putting pregnancy, work, vacation, or life in general on hold while I waited patiently for my body to catch up.

Maybe I can just bury my face in the sand like Darwin and wake up at the end of July!!

Summer Pillbag Sale: Save 15% and tote your pills in style!

The summer is heating up, and vacations are right around the corner. How about toting your medications in style this time? No plastic allowed!


Now through Sunday, July 16th, take 15% off your Pillbag purchase at www.pillfold.com. Choose from one of our newest Pink Lady Pillfolds, like the Winchester Pillfold shown here.



Or cinch up in style with a best-selling Trocadero Pillpouch.



Use the discount code "SUMMERVACATION" during checkout. Type as one word, and you're sure to save!

39 big ones logged for this lupite

Well, I made it. I'm 39 today. Woohoo!

I certainly have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for - a wonderful family, good health, a thriving business that I love (my career coach sister tells me the "love" part is important), and a fabulous agenda for the future. I mean, look at these two - who wouldn't want to wake up to these two smiling faces for years to come?

While it's been a long time since I've thought about lupus and my longevity, I had a chance to do so when I came across a biography about Flannery O'Conner, American novelist and short story writer. She, too, had lupus, but grew up in a time in which the understanding and treatment of the disease wasn't at all what it is today.  In fact, born in 1925, she died just 39 short years later, in 1964, from complications of lupus. So while it may seem a bit macabre to mention her today, on my 39th birthday, I want to celebrate the fact that today, I'm alive and well, and thriving in the face of lupus.  There's nothing more I could ask for than that. Ten years ago, I wasn't sure I was going to make it to my 30th birthday. Today, I have every intention of living to my 100th!

Architect knows best

After working together for almost two years, my architect thinks he deserves his own label on my blog. Granted, we love our architect, we don't make a move without his approval, and hiring him was the best decision we've made regarding our house project. But he's just going to have to accept that the "Renovation" label encompasses him, too. (Sorry, Steven!)

He did, however, earn himself a post today. He has to share the glory with a few other professionals with whom I've been working lately...but on more than one occasion, he's steered us in the right direction with the following advice:

Take a day and think about it.

When we were contemplating the contractor to use for our renovation, Johnny and I weighed the options, came to a decision, and presented Steven with our choice. He replied, "Great. Now take a day and think about it." And you know what? It was worth it. While we were 90% sure we'd made the right choice, allowing our decision to sit for 24 hours made us absolutely, positively sure. And that's exactly the feeling you want when you're undertaking a major project like we were.

Most recently, we were deciding on the exterior colors for the house. We finally (and I mean, finally!) came up with the color scheme of our liking, and he said, "Okay. Now think about it for a day, and let me know your final selections tomorrow." And again, it was a good move. We had a night, without any pressure, to just let our choices be, and by the next day, we were 100% sure that we'd picked the right colors. Here they are, from left to right:

Benjamin Moore Enchanted Forest (lower 1/2 of house)
Benjamin Moore Dakota Shadow (trim on lower half of house)
Benjamin Moore Davenport Tan (trim on top half of house, which is covered in wood cedar shingles, also seen below)



 

Oer the past year, I've received the exact same "Wait a day" advice from my patent attorney regarding a decision I had to make on a trademark filing, and from my printer regarding the design for my Pillbag hangtags. Am I the only one out of the loop on this one?

Even so, it works. I plan on continuing to use it in future decision-making, too. In regard to lupus, it totally applies.

Considering a new medication, but aren't sure whether to actually take the plunge?
Make your decision, and then take a day and think about it.

Thinking about getting a second opinion, but not convinced that you should "cheat" on your doctor?
Make your choice, and then take a day and think about it.

Contemplating a change at work, an alteration in lifestyle, or a major shift in the way you do something, in order to accommodate your disease?
Decide on what to do, and then take a day and think about it.

I bet you'll find clarity that you didn't even know you needed in those 24 hours.

In an upcoming post, I'll pay tribute to my architect once again, and share with you his sound advice on the actual mechanics of decision-making. Oh, he's just full of handy information!

 

  
 

Pillbag Charity of the Summer - The Lupus Endeavor

I'm happy to announce that the Pillbag "Charity of the Month" Program has taken on a new 3-month twist for the summer. Instead of just one month, during all three months of summer (June, July and August), 5% of every Pillbag sold will go to The Lupus Endeavor, whose fundraising efforts go directly to the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center in Baltimore, MD. They're making tremendous strides in research and the treatment of lupus. I've heard Dr. Michelle Petri, renowned lupologist, Director of the Hopkins Lupus Cohort, and Co-Director of the Hopkins Lupus Pregnancy Center, speak at many a Lupus event...and I'm positive she's keeping them on task! 

I'm thrilled to be teaming up with such a worthwhile organization, and it appears that Jessica Mathews, TLE's President and Founder is, too. Here's her blog post announcing the fundraiser - thanks for the kind words, Jessica!

I've just added a page on the Pillbag website detailing the lupus organizations that have benefited from the purchases you've made from Sara Gorman's Pillbags and Despite Lupus. Thousands of dollars have been donated thus far. Let's keep up the trend - why not choose to tote your pills in style while supporting the cause with a Pillbag today!

A little dose...of my bedroom

As we continue to make progress on our house, I thought I would give you a glimpse of where our master bedroom is headed. 

You can see the progress below -- vaulted ceiling, arched sitting area, and french doors that go out to a small balcony. We're so excited - clearly, Bernadette is, too! 

 

Ben Moore's Pale Sea Mist will be on the bedroom walls, and Ben Moore's Limestone will be in the sitting area and adjoining bathroom.



 

And here's a new duvet cover I got for our rental...I think we may keep it for the new house! 

More pics to come...the tile in our bathrooms is being laid as I write!