Willow House Wednesdays: thankful for advent

Barbie's “Thankful for Advent” Party

So sorry we missed you! Those who wanted me to post the discussion can read all about it in the wrap up below I made from my notes.

 

PART ONE (Welcome/ Greeting)

• The Call to attention: When everyone had begun settling down, I had the privilege of leading an opening hymn with my friend Cherry and my mother in law on the piano, O Come O Come Emmanuel. I had shivers running up and down my spine the whole time...what a great way to stop and center ourselves on the reason for the season! I have included the lyrics below.
• Opening Prayer : We invited the Holy Spirit to be with us and teach us how to be thankful for what we have and show us how to wait for Him.
• The round the Room intro Each person gave her name, favorite advent tradition, and a question/dilemma about advent we can solve together.

PART TWO: Thankfulness.

• Passed a Bible and had someone read each verse as we uncover what God thinks about giving thanks:

Col 1:12 Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light

1 Thess 4:18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

Is 12:4 And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name and by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare and make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted!
Eph 5:4 Let there be no filthiness (obscenity, indecency) nor foolish and sinful (silly and corrupt) talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting or becoming; but instead voice your thankfulness [to God].

2 Cor 4:15 For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God.

2 Cor 9:11 Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God.

1 Tim 4:4 For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be thrown away or refused if it is received with thanksgiving.

• Asked: “What can we do to cultivate gratitude in our lives?”
• Some ideas-- Create a thankfulness journal or list: at this point I had one of the guests read from the Willow House villa plate I had displayed where each guest has written down (as they arrived) five things to be thankful for. (our Villa collection plates are able to be written on in dry erase marker!) Taking a walk and listing them.
• Asked: What does gratitude build in us or help us to overcome?  PATIENCE. Gratitude teaches us to walk in peace through a season of waiting, like Advent. It's a change in perspective.

PART THREE: THE STORY OF ADVENT

• Asked: “What exactly is advent?” (This is the place to acknowledge the importance of Jesus' arrival as a gift for mankind at Christmas, where we celebrate the birth of the Messiah. Many people don't stop to think on the incarnational reality--- that GOD became MAN and humbled Himself from LOVE to be with us and remain with US.) During Advent, we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ-- in remembrance of His birth, in preparation for His second coming, and in anticipation of the "new" way He will come into our hearts at Christmas. Advent lasts the four weeks previous to Christmas Day.
• Had a guest share her testimony of Jesus at Christmas... I shared mine because Christmas eve was the day I ENCOUNTERED the risen Christ.
• Explained that Advent has two aspects. The first is JOY in PATIENCE. We learn to wait for the good we know is coming to us, believing the Promise. Have any of you had to practice the virtue of patience and perseverance in Hope? When?
• Advent's second “characteristic” is penitential. The Messiah came to save a penitent people with sorrow for their sins, not a proud and haughty people. To demonstrate this, Jesus came to a humble maidservant and was born in a manger. We are sinners, so at advent, we take the time to reflect on ways we have hurt others, God and ourselves. We ask for forgiveness, and we give forgiveness where we have failed to do so. This is a time of inward reflection... we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ!

PART FOUR: ADVENT WRECKAGE.

• Advent season can be confusing in our materialistic society. We spend the day after thanksgiving until the day of Christmas furiously racing around buy, buy, buying and then we take down the tree the day after Christmas and say “Phew, I'm exhausted” and TOTALLY miss the point.
• FACTOR ONE- people are stressed because of money, mostly because they don't have enough to spend on gifts. We brainstormed solutions, like NOT giving money but time, instead. Budgeting, taking advantage of sales (and like one family, two sisters, who were present, maybe making getting the shopping done "right" a tradition-- they have a TON of fun together building memories on black friday. )
• FACTOR TWO- people are stressed out because of extreme loneliness or because of their families. We brainstormed solutions here, like inviting the lonely, picking up the phone more, learning to "accept" life,  and focusing on GIVING instead of receiving love. Someone suggested sharing your large (possibly slightly annoying) family with a lonely person. Hah! :P
• FACTOR THREE- People are stressed out because of Travel. We brainstormed solutions and give ideas like “DON'T travel and focus on home” or “Make the traveling part of your gift.... find a way to demonstrate generosity to each person you encounter during the trip, etc." and make a difference. Even just offering a smile is an act of generorosity.
• FACTOR FOUR- People are stressed out because of Time. There is no secret to time management, but we brainstormed solutions to include slowing down to live well – the liturgical year really helps with this-- and scheduling, setting up routines etc. The two biggest solutions are simplifying and organizing. Cherry recommended a great resource to help women take care of the housecleaning part of time stress: FlyLady.com

PART FIVE- THE GOOD STUFF...TRADITIONAL OBSERVATION

• Liturgical tradition is the root of all advent traditions. Because Advent comes from the Catholic Church's liturgical season, you might want to know that the traditional colors are purple (just as they are at lent, for the penitential aspect.) and the traditional concept is to NOT have Christmas but anticipate Christmas. We dont' put up our decorations, like our Christmas tree, until DEC 24^th! (there is no "hard and fast" rule about this, but traditionally, we decorate for Christmas AT Christmas and for the following weeks, and we keep advent decorations simple and focused on the anticipation of Christmas, not Christmas itself.)
• An advent wreath is the number one "advent decoration." It consists of a wreath surrounding four candles (usually purple, again to represent contrition for our sins) and often has a fifth white candle in the center representing Christ. We light one candle the first week of advent (during a family meal, at a family prayer time, etc) and none of the others. We light TWO candles the second week of advent, etc etc. until Christmas when we can light ALL the candles. This is a visible "calendar" that marks the sacred time of Advent for us.
• the Jesse Tree is a tree, named for the Root of Jesse, on which we hang ornaments that represent the scriptural events in prophesy that lead us to Christ. Each day, a new ornament is hung (or drawn, pasted, etc) and a new scripture is read. Again, there is no "right way" or "wrong way" to do a Jesse Tree.
• Advent Calendar is a drawing that has built in doors or windows which we can open on each day of advent. These often have candy, chocolate or a treat behind each door to delight children, but are best used as tools when they have a scripture representing the messiahship of Christ.
• The Creche is a manger scene. Where I am from in the South of France, we make these figurines from clay representing all of the villagers. Then we add them to our Creche, decorating with moss and cotton and sand and twigs and many other things that make it come to life. It all starts with the stable, of course, and a figure of Mary and Joseph, but then you add the other characters as the days go past--- the villagers, the shepherd, the animals, and eventually the Magi. The villagers often represent the family. For example, when I had my first child, my grandmother added a woman carrying a baby to represent me in our village.

  

  This is my Grandmother in Provence, putting the finishing touches on our Family Creche during Advent.

  
  
• Caroling. Advent is a time to bring the anticipation of Christ to people, so making time to do things like going door to door to Carol is amazing. We have all had transformative experiences in caroling and can't recommend it enough for the simple joy it brings people.
• Focusing on giving (not just money) by giving time to people, making things for people, etc etc. We talked about making an anonymous gift for someone you know is really in need, or making cookies for strangers and neighbors.
• Because we Catholics observe a liturgical year, we have MANY occasions to give gifts during the year: at the birth of a child or on a birthday, on a feast day, at easter, the beginning of lent, or epiphany, etc. Why not put gifts to GIVE AWAY under your tree this year? What's stopping you?

WRAP UP

• Remember that Thanksgiving teaches us to slow down and be grateful, which breeds the ability to find patience during a long wait. Advent, then, is the celebration of waiting for the fulfillment of Joy, which we find at Christmas. What a powerful season of inner reflection this should stir in us!
• I had a Willow House table set up to remind my guests that now is the perfect time to book a party and share TIME with your friends. I made sure to give one of the party guests a Willow House gift as she left to ensure that she understood that Willow House means what it says: that we want to instill generosity as a virtue in our consultants. I am certainly thankful to be a part of such an incredible company that fosters this spirit in others.
• Because we should all want to GIVE MORE and GET LESS this season, I asked each guest to start now. As we closed, I challenge them to commit to praying for at least one person present during ALL of advent. We held hands and prayed the Our Father and some Words of encouragement for each woman present as she prepared her heart and mind to meet Christ in a powerful new way this Thanksgiving and Advent season.
• BELT OUT: O HOLY NIGHT or another O COME O COME EMMANUEL
  
  
  O Come O Come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.  

The following is technically a Christmas song, but captures the REASON for our joy at Christmas so completely. It also contains personal significance for me and for a family I love dearly. As you sing it, listen to what you are singing-- Scripture says that there is POWER in the words we speak and St Augustine says that "he who sings prays twice."

O Holy Night!

The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

My love and prayers for you all this Thanksgiving and Advent season.
Barbie.

Willow House Wednesdays: Anatomy of a Party

Considering having a Willow House party of your own but not sure what to expect?
If you're anything like me, you may be slightly put off by the whole concept of in-home party sales. As I've said before, I used to be the first to roll my eyes at someone if they tried to give me their Mary Kay business card! I had never attended and I didn't care to. But since I started this business, I've really discovered how beneficial it is for EVERYONE involved, how much fun it is, and how totally in sync with my concept of family enterpreneurship and things like that being involved in direct sales can be. Now I not only LOVE my Willow House job, but I totally support all other women in direct sales jobs and love to have parties myself!! And that Mary Kay card? I'll probably be using it and passing it on, not rolling my eyes over it! Direct sales has become synonomous in my mind with "Family Business" and the "Enterpreneurial Spirit." I think it's an amazing opportunity, no matter who you work for, but I sure am glad to be working with Willow House!!
Willow House parties, first, are good for the Party Host! Through them, you get to have an enjoyable event with people you are interested in knowing socially-- whether it be your closest girlfriends, a house full of your husband's work buddies, or simply a chance for your big family to get together. We can have themes, fundraisers, bridal showers---- any number of reasons to celebrate. Or we can have nothing at all and keep it super simple: just coffee, donuts and our PJs! Anything goes. The Hostess gets to have all those people she's been meaning to invite over, and with a good Willow House party, she wins big by getting plenty of free and discounted product. Who doesn't like that??
Next, they are good for families: Think of your Willow House party like a design class. Our job is to fix the problem spots in your house by giving you tips, tricks, and GREAT products. When a house feels good, and breathes well, and when clutter is gone and organization has happened, a family thrives! It really is that simple.
Having the right pieces and knowing how to use them takes all the work out of housekeeping-- and it creates a strong sense of heritage in our children. Our husbands are happier when they can see that we are building beauty into our environment and accomplishing a lot!

Willow House parties are good for your guests: All of the party guests are special to the Design Consultant and they will be made to feel that way too! Guests enjoy a great party, relevant demo, practical solutions to their every day problems, and often win free and discounted items themselves!
Lastly, Willow House is good for me! And anyone else who is looking to make some money but isn't willing to give up hope that they can set their own hours and be their own boss. If you haven't noticed, I'm building a big team and I would LOVE to have you!
The basic structure of the party is this: I help with the planning and logistics IF the host wants the help,and the host makes the guest list. When party times goes down, I get there early to help set up. We greet guests at the door and the party begins! People eat or drink a little and then I launch my presentation: which can be tailored to meet YOUR needs! I've also had parties where I didn't do a demo at all, but where I was able to simply have a "stand" in a corner where guests could meander over and get a one on one presentation if they wished.
After the presentation, I take questions and orders. I pack up, and get out of your hair! It's so easy.
There is no pressure to buy (although some people feel that just by agreeing to GO to a direct sales company in home sales party they are being pressured to buy. I can't help that! But I can say that -- at least for me-- it's far more important that I find someone who is willing to book a party or to refer me to someone who will than that I make a killing at your party via sales. That means that I am focused on pleasing people and making sure they get the experience they WANT out of a Willow House party rather than pushing myself or the products onto them) The whole thing takes me just about two hours and I can't say enough how much fun the entire process is!
I also do e-parties and catalog parties. And since I have Skype-- I can do the design demo right from living room and transmit it to your guests via the internet! It's so easy.
So that's it-- the anatomy of a Willow House Design Party. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them! I'd LOVE to do a  party for you so you can experience first hand the magic of Willow House!

Willow House Wednesdays: Decisions, Decisions!

I thought I would kick off Willow House Wednesdays with a blog about the company- who they are, what they're doing, and why I chose them.
I've been an Independent Design Consultant for a little under a month now and I'm increasingly convinced this is one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I'm in my seventh year of marriage and my fifth year of motherhood. For almost ALL of that time, I have sought to find work that suits our family's lifestyle, to no avail. Any job I take will require time away from my family, that's a given. But most would mean that I'm gone during the day and must put my kids in daycare (which I just would never do) or that I would be gone at night and leave them in the care of my husband, which hardly seems fair to him OR me because I would be working around the clock (children never sleep) and so would he.
I turned to the "work from home" idea, but everything I found was either a scam or completely illogical for someone who had kids because I wouldn't be able to care for them. Little by little, I began to notice a trend-- many of my girlfriends, also stay at home moms, were making good money and really enjoying themselves in direct sales. Trouble was, they were selling "romance enhancement" products, which I definitely didn't feel like I could sell. I looked around for Christian alternatives and found a few but none that really stood out. Until I found Willow House!
 I fell in love right away-- they sold homewares that were just spectacular, common sense entertaining that really popped, and had a bit of a southern feel to them. They just seemed to sparkle among all the other companies out there. For a few days I was torn between Willow House and another Housewares Party Plan, mostly because that company was "obviously" Christian. As I studied and compared the two, however, I was amazed at what I saw in Willow House that I saw no where else.
Willow House is the very first company of it's kind in the multi-million dollar Direct Sales Industry.
It is an innovative business model called the Community Commerce Model, which is brand new and groundbreaking for other companies who do the same thing.
Basically, the founder, Bill Shaw, looked around and saw potential for community commerce thanks to the advance of internet technologies.
Willow House is first and foremost an in-home party plan that really connects with it's consultants. My experience so far has been incredible- I've never felt so supported in all my life. Almost all of my training has been online, via webinars and videos and recorded training call. It's absolutely PERFECT for someone like me who has kids, because I decide when I'm going to do the training and the work-- I set office hours and keep them, but if something comes up and I have to spend my Tuesday office hours holding a teething baby, I know that I can accomplish my tasks that night at 2 am while feeding her.Thusfar I've done virtually ALL of my training at the kitchen table, cup of coffee in hand. And yet I am equipped, motivated, and supported in such a way that I have never been at work and in life! Willow House knows how to use the internet to it's advantage, and it shows!
Our business model thrives off the in-home parties, but as consultants, we are offered the opportunity to make multiple streams of income through our online Willow House store where people can buy at any time, our outlets where they can find deeply discounted product, and soon our E-Villages (design focused social networking communities) and E-Boutiques. Forthcoming we can look forward to Willow House TV and even reverse auctioning to help boost our sales, and all of this technology is explained and marketed thoroughly on the company's end, so that really all we Consultants have to do is step out using the resources we are given, and meet people to talk about it with. It's so fun!!
I literally get to blog, twitter, facebook, and party for a living! I get to do bible studies and theme parties with people I love to be around! What job does that??
Willow House hostesses (people who decide to book a party with one of our consultants) are truly the heart of the business. They love our products, and they book parties to earn wonderful discounts (up to 70% off if their sales reach just $250) and free products.They get to have all their friends over and enjoy a fun night out. As consultants, we have a great time-- getting to meet new people and making money that really makes a difference.
Willow House perks are so incredible- we earn wonderful bonuses and they work with their consultants to help them achieve their goals-- whether that's a car, a private school for one of the kids, or a full-time income.Earning free trips and incentives is just another day at the office with Willow House!
 Next, there are the products. Here's what Willow House has to say about their products: "We believe strongly in a philosophy of simply good design for our extensive product line. A well-designed product is something that will last, passing from one generation to the next. And it should make you happy each time you use it — in fact, each time you look at it. Good design should be accessible and affordable, because the days of fussy and overpriced products are gone forever." Now THAT is a philosophy I'm already on board with.
Another thing I absolutely LOVE is the presentation. Everything from the logo to the catalog to the consultant experience has been thought over and tweaked to perfection. For a consultant, Willow House brings to mind peace, prosperity, comfort, and family... those things which create true success. All of the consultants I have met exude the same sense of confidence and joy that only people who have learned to overcome and be creative can exhibit. Each of us works hard to ensure that the Willow House experience is what the Company promises it will be, but the tradeoff is that no where else could we have this same experience. Willow House creates meaningful lives.

Though I never imagined I would work in sales, I find myself amazed every day that I'm using all of the skills I gleaned from journalism, Customer service, publishing, and other work experience. I'm learning new things every day, so it never gets boring. And since the company gives total freedom to it's consultants (within reason) to market and party the way we were made, I am able to incorporate my conservative Christian values in every single way to infuse them into the secular culture around me. It's not just a job-- it's a ministry and way of life.
One last thing to mention: Philanthropy. Willow House donates to, promotes and supports the Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation and Cut it Out, a foundation devoted to helping victims of domestic abuse. It has been amazing to me to see how easy it is to make a difference  in the lives of people in desperate need of assistance and compassion. In every way, Willow House is changing lives!
I am thrilled to be a part of this company and I hope that reading this has given you some sense of who we are and what we do.

If this sounds like the kind of company YOU want to work with, let's talk! I would love to have you on my fast-growing team, and I am quite sure that your experience can be all that you want it to be.
Visit my website for more information: www.southernstar.willowhouse.com to find out how you can be part of such an amazing vision for America's future.

At Willow House, we embody grace, warmth, and a bit of magic. Like our namesake willow, we sway with the trends but are not overwhelmed by them. We are strong, responsive to the seasons, and always beautiful. Our roots keep us firmly grounded in our core beliefs as we impact the world with a touch that is ever-confident and feather-light.