This spring, a dream I had for 10 years became a reality. With years of research, years of saying, "One day...", and years of using the product daily, I opened my own Polish Pottery Business! Polish Pottery is not 'polishing' pottery. It is Pottery imported from Poland. It is hand painted, hand stamped stoneware made with a very unique clay found in a small area in Poland. Many military women discover Polish Pottery when stationed in Europe. These women are, in large part, why this pottery is so popular among women in the USA.
'More Polish Pottery' opened in June 2011. The name was inspired by our movers from Germany. When we were packing to move back to the United States, the movers kept commenting on the boxes of pottery they were packing. It wasn't just in my kitchen, but dining room, living room, basement storage, etc.
For so many years, I wanted to share my love of this pottery. During many events at my house, people would comment on the beauty of it! I realized one day this spring, that our new home would be a perfect location for a display room of pottery. I know that my goal was to eventually get the pottery into gift shops throughout Chicagoland as a regional wholesaler while having a retail shop on site. Its very difficult to import and also very difficult for consumers to find this pottery. I wanted to make it more accessible to find! People LOVE Polish Pottery one they try it. With all the guidance, research, and connections I have made since moving back to USA from Europe in 2001, it paid off!
An aspect of dreaming is that it sometimes isn't always the plan you 'think' it may be. Little did I know during this process, that my job that I held for 8 years would be no longer. Homemade Gourmet closed June 30th. I had such mixed emotions. Do I still move forward with my pottery shop? Or, do I hold back and wait and see what happens. It could be a gamble opening a new business in this economy. I realized, that I would be selling myself short of my true potential if I didn't continue moving forward. I have dreamt for this for such a long time!
Yet, when one door closes, another door opens. When Homemade Gourmet closed, they worked out an agreement with Tastefully Simple to offer us the opportunity to join at a special rate as a former HG consultant. I decided to continue in the food industry as a Tastefully Simple Consultant July 1st. In our first month of signing up as a new consultant, I was blessed to have 41 team members who wanted to continue that relationship and learn alongside me! This has been such a whirlwind last month but yet so rewarding! And, after our initial tears of sadness or fears subsided, we have been having so much fun! I have always loved sharing great meals with families and I can continue doing that at Tastefully Simple.
Change is inevitable.
Dreaming is optional.
Yet BELIEVING is the key that dreams can come true. Change can get us to that destination. We may not always see it along the way, but when we look in the rear view mirror, we can see exactly that the experiences and relationships we have built, are the reason of where we are today.
So today, I am the proud owner of 'More Polish Pottery' and Tastefully Simple Team Manager.
Check me out on the web! Become a Facebook friend! I am so humbled when someone gives me feedback or encouragement. It's never easy starting something new.....yet BELIEF that 'the best is yet to come' will be the thing that I am going to wish for my family dreams.
http://www.morepolishpottery.com/
www.tastefullysimple.com/web/bgengler
facebook: More Polish Pottery
Where the Dreams Begin...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Just Bubbles
This morning, I expected a blustery and cold day when I took Alex down our driveway to wait for the bus. It has been cloudy and rainy in recent weeks and I expected it not to be pleasant. However, I was surprised to walk outside to a warm wind with a hint of humidly attached. I actually thought for a moment, "I should go get his spring jacket. His winter jacket will be too warm."
This was a pleasant surprise as we have been cooped indoors in recent weeks. The kids have been stir crazy. So, when Ellie asked late this morning, "Mommy. Can we go outside and play bubbles?" I thought that this was a PERFECT day to venture outside!
Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere! The wind just took the bubbles off to wherever they desired. The girls were in heaven! Johanna decided to take dandelions and put them in her bubble mixture while Ellie disliked this idea completely. "Johanna, they will turn the bubble water BLACK!" Ellie harped at her twin sister. They spent an hour making up magical stories about bubbles, castles, etc.
Nonetheless, 'just bubbles' inspired me to get dressed and moving myself. Those last seeds that I had been meaning to plant in the greenhouse finally got seeded for a late harvest crop. The girls were already amazed at what green plants were already coming up from a previous planting. They knew exactly how to put the dirt in the pots, add the seeds, and of course fought over who would water the plants. I am really proud of how smart my 4 year old children are.
Katarina also got to play in water puddles when she woke from her nap. We also were able to dodge a few sprinkles and black clouds while we rode our little bikes and played with chalk in the greenhouses.
For a while, I felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Swirling black clouds, wind that made it difficult to walk - I could imagine myself in Kansas! The wind living out in the country is SO different then living in town. It gives me an entire different view on watching the weather.
Just Bubbles turned into a magical play day. .
Sometimes, to just live in the moment of our children, we can appreciate life an entirely new way.
Had I not had children, I may not have even ventured out of the house today and missed the beauty that today brought! We had a lot of fun exploring and make believe.
It is nice to know that my children enjoy my company as well. We have so much fun just doing simple stuff - and the inspiration didn't cost much. Just Soap and Water.
This was a pleasant surprise as we have been cooped indoors in recent weeks. The kids have been stir crazy. So, when Ellie asked late this morning, "Mommy. Can we go outside and play bubbles?" I thought that this was a PERFECT day to venture outside!
Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere! The wind just took the bubbles off to wherever they desired. The girls were in heaven! Johanna decided to take dandelions and put them in her bubble mixture while Ellie disliked this idea completely. "Johanna, they will turn the bubble water BLACK!" Ellie harped at her twin sister. They spent an hour making up magical stories about bubbles, castles, etc.
Nonetheless, 'just bubbles' inspired me to get dressed and moving myself. Those last seeds that I had been meaning to plant in the greenhouse finally got seeded for a late harvest crop. The girls were already amazed at what green plants were already coming up from a previous planting. They knew exactly how to put the dirt in the pots, add the seeds, and of course fought over who would water the plants. I am really proud of how smart my 4 year old children are.
Katarina also got to play in water puddles when she woke from her nap. We also were able to dodge a few sprinkles and black clouds while we rode our little bikes and played with chalk in the greenhouses.
For a while, I felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Swirling black clouds, wind that made it difficult to walk - I could imagine myself in Kansas! The wind living out in the country is SO different then living in town. It gives me an entire different view on watching the weather.
Just Bubbles turned into a magical play day. .
Sometimes, to just live in the moment of our children, we can appreciate life an entirely new way.
Had I not had children, I may not have even ventured out of the house today and missed the beauty that today brought! We had a lot of fun exploring and make believe.
It is nice to know that my children enjoy my company as well. We have so much fun just doing simple stuff - and the inspiration didn't cost much. Just Soap and Water.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Getting Back on the Horse
I wonder how many times a toddler falls down while learning to walk. How many bumps and bruises they sometimes have - and yet they continue trying. Parents pick them up and say, "Its OK. Let's try it again."
As an adult, do we have a mentor that believes in us and helps us overcome obstacles?
Do we have someone who is willing to give us tough love and yet believe that we can do it?
Sometimes, as adults we forget that sometimes it is the process that gets us where we will be - not the end result. With a mentor, it makes it easy to stay on track!
As parents, we have encouraged our children to clap, roll over, crawl, walk, say mama (or Dada), and many other countless activities. We are continuously encouraging them to reach new levels and expand their skills.
As adults, what do we do to expand our knowledge or skills? What do we do to enhance our quality of life? Or, are we just 'settling'? Too tired? Or perhaps realize that the process may be longer then we are willing to wait? Walking didn't happen overnight for my children. Yet, why should I expect differently of learning something new as an adult?
I purchased a rocking horse for Katarina a few weeks ago. Two weeks ago, she was afraid of it, not wanting to even touch it. After seeing her older siblings try it out and perhaps enjoy it too much (after all it is a toddler toy), she slowly started checking it out. A few days later, she would sit on it but didn't want to rock. Days later, she would walk around it and sit backwards.
Today, she was a wild little cowgirl....rocking back and forth with a big grin on her face!
Now, this skill took time to overcome fear, willingness to fall down, and also perseverance in learning to sit and rock. However, she did it!
Sometimes as adults, we lose sight of our goals. It may be easy to say, "There is always tomorrow."
However, instead of tomorrow - why not '2 more Oh's!' Why not surprise ourselves in expanding our skills and dreams and instead of thinking 'no' we are now thinking 'Oh! This is so exciting! I am on my way to something bigger then I can imagine today." Or, sometimes it could be, "Oh....not so cool. I guess I won't do that again" and try a new technique.
Katarina reminded me today that sometimes we just have to get back on the horse and try try again.
And, perhaps while watching her grin while masterfully rocking on the horse, I could tell in the sparkle in our eyes that she was proud of what she had accomplished. Yet, it was because of encouragement of others that helped her get there.
As an adult in a new season of my life, I am so thankful for all the amazing people that have inspired myself and others to greatness through the years. I am lucky that I have amazing mentors in my life that continue to stretch me and help me grow as a business woman and as a mom. I am ready to take on a new challenge of inspiring and encouraging others. I hope that these lessons learned will be captured in helping others grow and dream big!
Getting back on the horse is not always easy but having the right people around does make it easier and more fun...And, it's nice to be on both sides of being encouraged while also being encouraging. Thank you to all my mentors both past and present who have helped me learn to take the ropes and ride off into the sunset.
As an adult, do we have a mentor that believes in us and helps us overcome obstacles?
Do we have someone who is willing to give us tough love and yet believe that we can do it?
Sometimes, as adults we forget that sometimes it is the process that gets us where we will be - not the end result. With a mentor, it makes it easy to stay on track!
As parents, we have encouraged our children to clap, roll over, crawl, walk, say mama (or Dada), and many other countless activities. We are continuously encouraging them to reach new levels and expand their skills.
As adults, what do we do to expand our knowledge or skills? What do we do to enhance our quality of life? Or, are we just 'settling'? Too tired? Or perhaps realize that the process may be longer then we are willing to wait? Walking didn't happen overnight for my children. Yet, why should I expect differently of learning something new as an adult?
I purchased a rocking horse for Katarina a few weeks ago. Two weeks ago, she was afraid of it, not wanting to even touch it. After seeing her older siblings try it out and perhaps enjoy it too much (after all it is a toddler toy), she slowly started checking it out. A few days later, she would sit on it but didn't want to rock. Days later, she would walk around it and sit backwards.
Today, she was a wild little cowgirl....rocking back and forth with a big grin on her face!
Now, this skill took time to overcome fear, willingness to fall down, and also perseverance in learning to sit and rock. However, she did it!
Sometimes as adults, we lose sight of our goals. It may be easy to say, "There is always tomorrow."
However, instead of tomorrow - why not '2 more Oh's!' Why not surprise ourselves in expanding our skills and dreams and instead of thinking 'no' we are now thinking 'Oh! This is so exciting! I am on my way to something bigger then I can imagine today." Or, sometimes it could be, "Oh....not so cool. I guess I won't do that again" and try a new technique.
Katarina reminded me today that sometimes we just have to get back on the horse and try try again.
And, perhaps while watching her grin while masterfully rocking on the horse, I could tell in the sparkle in our eyes that she was proud of what she had accomplished. Yet, it was because of encouragement of others that helped her get there.
As an adult in a new season of my life, I am so thankful for all the amazing people that have inspired myself and others to greatness through the years. I am lucky that I have amazing mentors in my life that continue to stretch me and help me grow as a business woman and as a mom. I am ready to take on a new challenge of inspiring and encouraging others. I hope that these lessons learned will be captured in helping others grow and dream big!
Getting back on the horse is not always easy but having the right people around does make it easier and more fun...And, it's nice to be on both sides of being encouraged while also being encouraging. Thank you to all my mentors both past and present who have helped me learn to take the ropes and ride off into the sunset.
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Art of Discovery
Spring is finally here! With that comes time for the kids to start exploring. We have lots of yard work between burning overgrown grasses, cleaning out greenhouses, mowing, pulling weeds, and preparing for a new garden. However, we are having fun DISCOVERING all these new things!
The kids have turned 'work' into fun opportunities. They carry piles of grass for us and happily are wiling to work. We hope this strong work ethic continues into the teenager years. We turn a simple task into something fun! Why not make a thatch roof or a tee pee out of gigantic 15 foot reed-like grasses? Isn't that what EVERYONE does each spring?
There have been many discoveries along the way. A hidden 'path' that was overgrown by tall grasses. A beautiful hosta popping its head out of the ground. A kid size shovel that was left behind. Two utility knives hidden in the grasses (probably to cut twine, etc). A place we can hang a flagpole. A waterfall that we can plug in! Golf balls in the yard...and many many other things.
When we decide to turn 'work' into discovery, it becomes more fun. Instead of pressuring ourselves to think of doing a task to accomplish XYZ, we are now allowing ourselves to include creativity into finding a means to an end result. And, many times include JOY into the activity.
I cannot express enough how happy we have been since moving out to our new home. I was singing the Sound of Music at the top of my lungs one day while running through the prairies (yes! I must have looked like a lunatic). However, the feeling of complete freedom and ability to dream freely is AMAZING! Each day - I wake up to my own 'Swiss Alps' out my bedroom window. Its an amazing view.
Each day has new possibilities.
Each day we have the choice to make it what we desire.
Each day we can choose what we will uncover that day, who we will include, and who we want to become.
The art of discovery is an exciting way to live.
What will we discover today just by allowing ourselves to explore that possibility?
The kids have turned 'work' into fun opportunities. They carry piles of grass for us and happily are wiling to work. We hope this strong work ethic continues into the teenager years. We turn a simple task into something fun! Why not make a thatch roof or a tee pee out of gigantic 15 foot reed-like grasses? Isn't that what EVERYONE does each spring?
There have been many discoveries along the way. A hidden 'path' that was overgrown by tall grasses. A beautiful hosta popping its head out of the ground. A kid size shovel that was left behind. Two utility knives hidden in the grasses (probably to cut twine, etc). A place we can hang a flagpole. A waterfall that we can plug in! Golf balls in the yard...and many many other things.
When we decide to turn 'work' into discovery, it becomes more fun. Instead of pressuring ourselves to think of doing a task to accomplish XYZ, we are now allowing ourselves to include creativity into finding a means to an end result. And, many times include JOY into the activity.
I cannot express enough how happy we have been since moving out to our new home. I was singing the Sound of Music at the top of my lungs one day while running through the prairies (yes! I must have looked like a lunatic). However, the feeling of complete freedom and ability to dream freely is AMAZING! Each day - I wake up to my own 'Swiss Alps' out my bedroom window. Its an amazing view.
Each day has new possibilities.
Each day we have the choice to make it what we desire.
Each day we can choose what we will uncover that day, who we will include, and who we want to become.
The art of discovery is an exciting way to live.
What will we discover today just by allowing ourselves to explore that possibility?
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