Home Staging Pennsylvania- Hart & Associates Servicing the Main Line, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

Ok so I think I jinxed myself by starting this blog today. As soon as I finished writing my entry this morning the phone started ringing and the day's crisis started:

9:17 I am late to meet my staging team to destage a model because I was caught up in my blog. I call them and warn them that I will be 15 minutes late when a call beeps in. It is the Sales Office for the condo we are destaging- they have decided to keep the items for another month. Is this a problem? Well technically no, I can bill them for another month but I have people who I have to pay waiting for me in the parking lot. Cheerfully and fully caffeinated I tell that it is no problem and hang up so I can let everyone know of the new plan.

10:03 Thinking I had to destage today, I do not have another appointment until noon so I meet up with one of my staging team members at a local diner. She drove an hour to meet me this morning and did not stop for breakfast. She is also 7 months pregnant. She dives into the Challa French Toast while I down a bagel. So much for the diet! We talk projects for the next month and plans for the Summer. She will stop staging in July and not come back until October. I do not know what to do! I am tempted to get pregnant myself so I can have a break :)

11:58 I arrive in the city to go meet a Realtor I have worked with before. Typically I do not like to stage in the city- too much trouble parking and the additional taxes are killer but this is a repeat client and those are important to me. It is a gorgeous high end home and I am happy I made the trip. It is a cool space, very clean, very modern and I am hopeful that the client will accept my proposal. I am pretty sure that I am the only stager he is interviewing so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get the job.

12:41 I am back in my car. 7 voice-mails to return. One is my assistant telling me that one of our design clients does not like any of the 45 window treatment fabrics we brought her. I quickly duck into the design center parking lot to do a run through a few showrooms to get some more samples for their meeting next week- my assistant cannot do it- she has to get her hair straightened the Brazillian way and claims she cannot leave her home for 4 days due to the process! I am lucky if I get to brush my hair every 4 days.

2:19 I am on my way back to my office when the phone rings. My design assistant informs me that the window treatment person I have been using for 4 years will not be able to help us with our current client. She will not be able to do anything until the Fall- she wants to take the Summer off!

2:47 I stop by my storage unit to pick up some things to drop off for a client tomorrow- I staged his house last week and the bathrooms were not finished. I have to go back tomorrow and finish them before his showing at 6:00 pm.

3:02 I run by Cort Furniture to see their new line- I hope I can use some of it for the place in the city. I am so tired. I want to lay down on one of their sofas but realize my babysitter has to leave in an hour and a half and I have 3 proposals to write.

3:36 I get home and my kids are awake. The sitter informs me that they did not "feel like napping" They are inside watching TV and it is 65 degrees out. I shoo them outside despite their protests to play with me and I get to work returning calls, emails and writing proposals.

5:30 The babysitter has left and I make pigs in a blanket with the boys. They love to cook and it is the one thing I can do with them while I work on my laptop.

6:01-8:02 I cram in three proposals, kiss two boys good night, throw together dinner for mommy and daddy and now I am signing off because the season finale of 24 is on! This will be the only time I have sat down all day except for the 72 miles I drove in my car.

Things I learned today- Never expect things to go as planned. Schedules change, people's tastes change, services they offer change. And the only way for me to get a break is to get pregnant, get my hair straightened, take the whole Summer off, or fall asleep at the Cort showroom....