Category Archives: Transitions in Life

caregiving, challenges, Curbside Service, Hardware Store Life, memories, Shop Local, Transitions in Life

Our Family… Always First

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Total honesty post…

The picture I’m sharing with y’all today is from our trip back from Yadkinville last night. The sunset was breathtaking. Richard commented on its grandeur as we began our drive back from Mountain Valley Hospice House. I was able to capture only a small portion of the skies natural state. Richard & I have made this trip together regularly for the last week now. Spending a few moments each day with a very sick loved one, are minutes that I will treasure always. 💕

So I’m just getting it out there, these times are hard. Everyone is struggling somehow in life. Life is not “normal “ anymore. COVID 19 has changed how we live and work or not working. Changes have been coming fast in the last few months and some folks have been sick. People are ready to get things back to normal.

That being said, I am going to address the next phase of business for us at Wilkes County Hardware and what our current vision looks like.

After May 8th, WCH will still do curbside service only at this time. We will slowly proceed with caution. Our WCH staff is like our family. Many of you know, Wayne has been home waiting out the brunt of the COVID crisis and we miss him dearly🤗. Our staff has been great to work through such a unique & challenging time. We love & appreciate each and every staff member at WCH. As a business owner, we feel compelled to create a safe & healthy working environment for our staff, they are our family too.

Many folks have been gracious, kind and understanding of the new normal at WCH, curbside service only. Please know that we value each and everyone of you!!! We must take care of our family first, immediate family and our staff. So business will not be normal for us for a while longer. We appreciate your kindness and understanding as we do our best to help you with your hardware store needs.

Eventually our plans are to gradually reopen our doors, welcoming our customers & community back inside the rustic walls of Wilkes County Hardware. Social distancing and other criteria will be in place when we reopen based on the current CDC recommendations. Please stay posted for further updates and information.

Thank you

Richard & Angela Searcy

Hardware Store Life, Transitions in Life

Advice for my sister…

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My sister called me the other day, & she had news to share with me. Her announcement was that she could not be a teacher. I giggled. We both laughed for a minute and I told her that she was a great nurse and I’m glad she chose that as her career path.

From the phone conversation, I could tell she was struggling with this newly founded homeschooling situation that so many parents have been thrusted into as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.

As we continued to talk, I just simply let her share her story. By the way, she has 3 kids at home, all under the age of 15. The problem was obvious… all 3 kiddos were not feeling it, & lacked a bit of motivation. My sister was getting an influx of information from 10 different teachers… 😳😬 I really felt for her and I knew she was still trying to do the impossible- teach her kiddos, be mom, and work!!!!

In the last few days, I have really been thinking about all this change for so many parents and the homeschooling struggles playing out in the social media world. Some of the posts are quite funny, people are searching for what to do, & even the Today show did a feature on this topic this week!!!

So how we “teachers” do it in the classroom and make it all work???? Here is a working list for you today from a teaching veteran… 25 plus years of experience… turned Hardware wife. I hope this is helpful for someone out there as well as my sister… Love ya sister… hope this brings a glimmer of hope & insight to you today.

1. Keep a routine going for each day – begin & end at the same time-their school day is based on routine and specific schedules your kiddos are accustomed to

2. Allow for Brain Breaks, games, outside time. Simple yoga or meditation time can be used as well and many schools are using it now

3. When you are teaching new concepts, make connections to things they already know – build upon their prior knowledge is crucial to learning

4. Teach for 10 minutes & review for 2 minutes – we teachers like to call this concept “chunking”. Remember the attention span of a kiddo is 8-12 minutes (depends on age and gender) Adult attention span can be 15-20 minutes… well enough said

5. This one is my favorite and my students loved this one as a teacher-Read together- read aloud novels/chapter books… use your voice to project different characters, mood / tone of the story… stop and ask questions for comprehension along the way, discuss new vocabulary, integrate other subjects from story- science, math etc when you can!!!

6. Rome wasn’t build in a day… Adapt when things don’t work out like you expected. It will be ok if you don’t accomplish everything you need to in one day.

7. Overplan!!! & Communicate with your child’s teachers. Set your daily expectations out there to your kiddos, let them know what they will be learning/doing. This will help them to take some ownership of their own learning.

8. Integrate technology- use online resources, games, videos( music/movie clips), Pinterest, blogs etc. Honestly, this one is time consuming but well worth it… dig deep for your kiddos and you will reap rich rewards!!! (If your students are working with online learning from their school districts, use these as a supplement to learning)

9. Don’t forget to use YouTube- great wealth of resources!!!!

10. Start small!!! Begin with a few hours of learning when you tackle this undertaking, and work way up to longer instructional time

11. Share resources and information/inspiration with others!!! I always hated to work with other teachers who never wanted to share resources or ideas. The more help/ resources you have the better off you will be!!!

12. Have your kiddos to reflect on their learning… this could be a daily discussion at the end of the day, journal writing, checklist, etc. This will put ownership of learning back on them and what they need to do differently tomorrow. Checks for understanding of content should be frequent.., like daily

13. Don’t worry… your kids will know you are not an academic expert. At the beginning of each year, I always told my students we will learn & ask questions together… learning never stops for anyone!!! Set this expectation early!!! We are learning together…

14. Try Create & Make projects – hands on projects or creative projects are great for kiddos

15. When a task is hard for your kiddo, don’t forget this… “you are not there yet” – the power of “yet” is not failure… you are still working on it… ie., learning in progress. Grant your child a little bit of grace to keep learning and growing.

So here it is sister… my advice to you as you navigate this new chapter in homeschooling with your kiddos. I hope this will help you 😉 and everyone else out there who might possibly need this.

caregiving, challenges, Hardware Store Life, memories, southern cooking, supper, Transitions in Life

Cornbread & Caregiving

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Southerners know that cornbread is a staple at the dinner table. I grew up with it, & ate it religiously. As I grew older and moved away from home, the desire for “Southern style” foods were… if I’m honest, not as visible on my grocery shopping list. I guess you could say I had gotten away from my roots in Southern cooking. But, a trip back to my grandparents house is always a great way to get a “Southern cooking fix”, ie- cornbread, homemade biscuits, mustard greens, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, fried chicken… we always seem to have a feast for a crowd.

My blog page has been fairly silent the last few months. My grandparents have experienced health setbacks that have been keeping me busy since January 2nd as I am one of their main caregivers.

Both of my grandparents will be 92 this year!!! Another milestone they will reach this year, their anniversary of 74 years of marriage!!!! Honestly, how many people can say they have been married that long???? It is amazing & beautiful to see how connected these two people are to each other.

During these last few months, I have cooked a lot of Southern style meals for my grandparents, because that is what they love to eat, and are accustomed to eating. Many meals around the grandparents house will always include a biscuit or cornbread. Biscuits, are usually a morning favorite, & cornbread served at lunch and supper. Cornbread in a small Lodge skillet is easy to prepare while the rest of the meal is cooking.

My husband has become quite envious of the fresh cornbread in the Lodge skillet and I believe it will be a regular addition to our routine at our house soon. He has always loved all things cornbread- sliced or cornbread muffins.

Caregiving is hard. Most of us will undertake this task at some point in our lives. If you know someone who is currently a caregiver for a family member, take time to check on them. A simple text message, phone call, visit, etc can mean a world of difference to them. Caregivers need support too.

Caregiving has been quite a journey. I have met some wonderful people, and I have learned a lot about elder care. That could be a totally separate blog post but… First and foremost, cooking and caring for my grandparents and doing all other things they need is what I do.

I have come to realize that these small little moments in time should be treasured because my time with them is fleeting. We are not guaranteed time in this world forever, so I will always enjoy the hot cornbread and company of two very special people in my life while I can.

challenges, Hardware Store Life, seashells, Transitions in Life

The Oyster Shell 🐚

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I love walking on the beach. Picking up seashells is one of the most relaxing tasks that I could simply do all day. Richard will always say, “don’t you have enough shells 🐚 already at home”? I always give an explanation of what I plan to do with another new batch of seashells and he relents.

One of my favorite shells to collect is an oyster shell. I’m not really sure how my fascination with this specific shell began, but I seem to have many of these in my shell collections.

So why am I sharing this information with you today? Life’s journey is very much like the seashell. Sometimes we get battered by the sand, wind, storms, waves crashing over the shells with fierce power. It doesn’t seem like an end is in sight….

We all have those stormy times in our lives where nothing appears to be going well and it seems that the storms will never end. Once the “weather” begins to clear, you can see/feel smooth places on the 🐚 shell… all better from the “wear” of the stormy weather. Of course you might find some rough edges along the seashell from the storm. Upon continued inspection, if the oyster shell is intact, the grit from the sand has helped to create a beautiful pearl…. alas the struggle of the storm, creating a lasting goodness & beauty.

As business owners, the “stormy struggles” can be quite real. For example, some months are much slower in the hardware business than others. We must be ready to “ride the waves” through to the other side. “No grit, no pearl” as they say….

In the past few weeks, a major retailer with a huge local impact in our hometown, has just announced another round of shifting/job changes, & layoffs. The “stormy season”for many local folks is just beginning to unfold.

My hope is that a goal of our local leadership will be able to minimize the impact of these job losses and strive for greater economic diversity within our community, bringing more businesses to our area, and created “a pearl”.

As local business owners, we have been given a unique opportunity to reach out to our local community and connect with them in new ways. Those who were accustomed to going to the “box retailer” may begin to shift ideology and visit our stores. Are we ready to connect with these new folks??? It is time for us to remember this age old phrase, ” the world is your oyster, you are the pearl”…

Our mission at Wilkes County Hardware, treating our customers like pearls 😊, a rare & precious find .

Transitions in Life, Uncategorized

Transitions

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Buying a hardware store was a huge transition for our family. Richard had never ventured out into owning his own business, and here we were new business owners of an old historic hardware store! Wow!!!

We went through many transitions as a family, getting used to being local business owners, and also taking full responsibility of the staff who currently worked there. Our store and staff has transitioned-Lots of changes have occurred over the last few years. Customers can now easily find items they need, we made constant updates to our store layout,  &  foot traffic has increased in our store. We are no longer a store of just “bolts, nuts, and keys.

Honestly, we all face transitions in our lives. The hardware business is not unique in that aspect. But, I think our hardware store transitions are constant. I suspect they will continue to be the norm for us as we journey towards a better shopping experience for our local community.

Change is harder for some than others. As a business owner we see which employees quickly adjust to transitions, and we see those who are slower meeting the transitions, in hardware terms “under construction” . The point as an hardware store owner- adjustment made or not?  Those who struggle with transitions may need some guidance on how to meet the new change.

As a mom, I may need some assistance myself, just being truthful! At home, we are again experiencing transitions as a family- our son has completed drivers education class! We will soon have another driver in our family. That is a hard one folks…  I am wishing time would slow down a bit.

The reality of transitions, is that sometimes they happen whether you wish it them too or not. Change is constant. How we decide to meet the challenge or be defeated by the change can influence your outlook.

I have decided to rise to meet these transitions in life. Being thehardwarelifewife a great learning experience for me each day. I am still “under construction” – and a work in progress and I’m ok with that.

Thanks for reading along and enjoy life with all its transitions- under construction or not!