Bundle of Joy

I know, I know...its been way to long since I updated everyone. My sincere apologies!! As you probably know my hands have been just a little full with our bundle of joy. Saxton William made his debut on August 5, 2009 at 6:52 pm. Weighing in at 8 pounds 13 ounces he is a mini-me of his father!

As any new mother would do, I took time off to spend with my wonderful husband and this sweet bundle of joy. Plus, I needed to learn and understand Mommyhood a little before I juggle everything at once.

Thankfully, we are rip-roaring ready to go back in our kitchens...Shea & Company has opened her doors. Stay tuned for more information regarding our fall and holiday collection. By the way, you can start ordering those gift baskets and holiday items now! For the wholesale clients, we are finalizing the details for the gift baskets. If you would like to custom order gift sets for your spa or store, please contact me as soon as possible.

It's Here

The summer collection has officially arrived. We are still updating the website with photos and information. While the website is being updated, you can still shop. The new fragrances are listed under the body scrubs and body oil.

So what are the new summer collection fragrances? We thought you would never ask! This year we are debuting fragrances that are found in nature and are very simple, thus our Pure & Simple Summer Collection. Savory Strawberry is a classic fragrance. We promise it smells like biting into a sweet, juicy strawberry! The second fragrance, Sweet Lemon, is a clean, bright lemon fragrance. Sweet Lemon is a great summer fragrance that will wake you up in the morning. Tropical Mango Kiwi is a sweet mango combined with a hint of tart kiwi. This is definitely a fragrance you will need if you are heading to the beach! We are so excited with the new fragrances and we know you will be too!

Also, we are closely watching phthlates. These pesky ingredients, found in fragrances, are drawing lots of attention in the cosmetic and body care industry. If you are concerned about this ingredient and are wanting another alternative, Savory Strawberry and Tropical Mango Kiwi are free of these phthlates. Don't worry, we are conducting research on our other fragrances to be able to say they are phthlate free soon.

So go ahead and start shopping the new collection and be summer ready! http://www.sheaandcompany.com/products.html

Mango's and Pregnancy?

Its been a little bit since I have updated everyone on Baby Peters. I had a doctor appointment this morning and everything is going well. The baby's heartbeat was very strong and about 144 beats per minute. Evidently, we woke him from a nap because afterward he was moving around like crazy. I have officially hit a new "pregnancy" milestone. I am now experiencing tiredness and walking in the house causes me to huff & puff. Thankfully, this is very normal but it has caused me to not to be very happy. Have you ever experienced being out of breath walking into the grocery store and having to stop in the produce section to take a break? Over the last week or so, I have experienced this very situation. I learned, from the doctor this morning, that my body was working overtime. Ha,ha, I had no idea!!! Seriously, thankfully, this is very normal and I need to take this new milestone with a grain of salt... The belly is really starting to show and I am feeling more and more pregnant everyday. YAY! I hope to have new belly pictures this week.

We have officially made it to 23 weeks and the baby is about the size of a large mango (approximately over 11 inches long and weighing it at over a pound). Right now, loud noises are becoming very familiar to the baby, such as the dog barking. So Mr. Whitlee has been talking to the baby everyday so Baby P will be very used to noise once he is outside the womb.

We also have started our construction project in the nursery. There is a spare room off the nursery that we are turning into a playroom. The room is getting a true makeover. We are still deciding the theme for this room. Any suggestions? I will post pictures soon now that things are really moving along.

What are phthalates?

Over the last few years, we have experienced a large push to stay away from parabens. As consumers and manufactures, we have been educated on how to spot these parabens on labels and how to avoid them. With our society moving toward organic, natural and green products, our choices are growing everyday on many items that used to contain these nasty chemicals. Since Shea & Company has been in business, our entire collection has never contained parabens!

Now in the cosmetic industry, we are hearing a lot of coverage about phthalates. What are phthalates? What should you be looking for on manufactures' labels? Shea & Company wants to educate our customers on these ingredients and help you recognize the warning signs.

According to the website Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (http://www.safecosmetics.org/),
Phthalates (pronounced THA-lates) are plasticizing chemicals that are probable human reproductive or developmental toxins and endocrine disruptors. Phthalates cause reproductive birth defects in laboratory animals, particularly males.Two phthalates often used in cosmetics (dibutyl and diethylhexyl) have been banned in the European Union. Unfortunately, phthalates are still found in some nail polishes and hair sprays, and are commonly hidden on ingredient labels under the term “fragrance.”

The Mayo Clinic suggest checking the product labels on your cosmetics. But other products, such as perfume, are not required to do this. You can contact the manufacturer, if you have questions about the phthalate content in a specific product. There are Web sites that claim to provide lists of products that contain phthalates, but the accuracy of such Web sites isn't known.

While this information can seem scary, you probably want to raid your bath room cabinets to start looking for these pesky ingredients. I don't blame you. Since I have become more educated about these ingredients, I have been searching for fragrances and ingredients that do not contain phthalates. Our Spring & Summer collection is set to debut very soon. With the impending collection about to take center stage, we are proud to announce that two of our fragrances do not contain phthalates. Plus, our labels will announce, easily & clearly, which fragrances will not contain these ingredients.

Like the Mayo Clinic suggest, for questions, please contact us. We would love to speak with you via phone or email and answer any questions about our fragrances. Stay tuned to this blog page and our web page for more information on the release date of the new collection.

Happenings at Shea & Company

Spring seems to be quickly approaching. In Austin, we have already been experiencing weather in the 80's and that will definitely give a girl spring fever. However, the last couple of days our weather has been cold and rainy. But never fear... Spring is here!

We are busy putting the final touches on our Spring & Summer Collection. While we don't want to give away the big collection, yet, we are preparing for a fun summer! Last year our collection was very tropical and beachy. This year, we are preparing a classic, pure and simple collection; fragrances that are reminiscent of summer. We are preparing to debut the collection in April. So stay tuned to our blog and website for additional information on the release date.

In the meantime, if you are dealing with cold weather and snow or need a little dose of spring, visit our website to check out our favorite summer fragrances. We had such a wonderful demand for these fragrances that we allowed them to remain on the website all year. So go ahead and get your spring on. Try Papaya Breeze, Tradewinds, Bourbon Vanilla, Citrus Yuzu & Coconut Lemongrass as these fragrances will promise to deliver a dose of spring that your body is craving.

Baby Peters...A Boy or a Girl?

Today was the big day; the day that we find out if Baby Peters is a boy or a girl. As the ultrasound tech said, "There is no doubt."...Bill and I are expecting a Little Baby Boy!

This is the first Grandson on Bill's side of the family and this is the first Grandchild for my family. While the details on the nursery are being finalized, I have a feeling there will be lots of boats and trains in this little one's future.

During the ultrasound, Bill had the tech laughing the whole time. We even found out from the doctor that the tech said she had a fun time with us. I believe we are well known in that office...

From the visit, we have lots of pictures to add to Baby P's photo library. We saw long legs, fingers and toes. At one point, he was even playing "Peek-a-boo" with us. During this little game, you could definitely see a cute chin already taking shape. With the movement that I am already starting to feel, I have a feeling that we have a future quarterback on our hands! Right now, everything is going well. Our little baby boy is weighing in at 11 oz (great size at this stage)...about the size of a mango or deck of cards.

While we still are deciding on names, we are open to suggestions. If you would like to suggest a boy name, please do. You will see "comments" at the bottom of this blog, click and add your name.

We Are Growing

It is amazing how quickly things change; skin condition becomes drier, body starts to put on weight, nausea over my favorite foods and the realization that my favorite jeans and pants no longer fit. That is the fun of pregnancy! I have experienced all of these changes at some point in the last 17 (almost 18) weeks of being pregnant.

While I have welcomed all of these changes with open arms, some are very humbling. I am now officially in the "middle" as they say. I can't fit into regular pants and maternity pants are way to big...what's a girl to do! So I have done what all first-time-mom's do, I have taken photos!

The first photo is taken at 11 1/2 weeks of pregnancy. No bump but the jeans are definitely getting tighter. Notice Whitlee, do you think he looks excited over the changes that are coming his way? The second photo is at 16 weeks. You will notice the small bump that is developing. Thank goodness for the Bella Band...those pants are unbuttoned and you can't notice.

Also, this week we have experienced a first, the movements. While they have been small and gentle, its amazing to feel the little guy or girl moving around. In the midst of the day, its very nice to feel a little poke to remind me that my bun-in-the-oven is still cooking.

For the ones of you that haven't placed your guess, on our fun game website, it's time to get your guesses in quickly. Before we go to the doctor on March 10, we will lock the game. You will be unable to make changes to your gender guesses. Here is the website http://www.expectnet.com/game.php if you need it, the game name is BabyPeters09 (no spaces between words). Be sure to log on, make your guesses on gender, weight, arrival date, hair and eye colors. Hopefully this weekend, will be adding a name poll so stay tuned!

Meet the family

Since this is our first baby, we tried really hard to make the announcement very memorable. I believe a lot of our family had given up hope of us having children. We surprised them!!! For Christmas, we traveled to my parents in Tennessee to announce the big news. A few weeks later, we traveled to Ohio to announce the news to Bill's parents and family. While the announcements took place on different occasions, we wanted the "main announcement" to be very similar for both Grandparents.

Both grandparents were given a gift. The gift was a picture frame with a stork. In the frame, held an ultrasound picture. In Tennessee, it only took a few quick moments for them to figure it out. With tears and laughter, my Mother said, "I had given up hope on you both! I am so excited." Since I am only child, Mom & Dad (Roger & Margaret) were super thrilled. At the family Christmas gathering, Dad did the honors of announcing to the rest of the family.

Here are Roger, Margaret, Papaw (the Great Grandfather) and me.

The gathering in Ohio was a little different but the gift was the same. The family gathered for dinner since Mary's, the future-grandmother, birthday was approaching. She opened birthday presents, not suspecting a thing. Once she showcased the gift, as she was crying and laughing, everyone caught on. The one image I will remember is Cheryl, the soon-to-be Aunt, doing a happy dance in the kitchen. I only wish I had that on video!!

Here are Mary, Stan, Me and Bill, the Daddy-to-be

Love is in the Air!

Happy Valentine’s Day! We are anxiously working on two projects this Valentine’s Day; both personally and professionally. First on the Shea & Company side, we are developing our summer line. While we can give you a few hints, the line is still in production so a few changes could occur. However, this collection will consist of summer worthy fragrances and nourishing ingredients to help the sun-drenched skin look beautiful. Another hint is the collection will definitely be pure and simple with a focus on mother’s natures’ unique gifts.

On the personal side of Shea & Company, we are joyfully awaiting the arrival of Baby Shea. The baby is expected to make his/her debut in August so stay tuned for more details, pictures and updates. We are using this blog to keep excited Grandparents, thrilled family members and friends up to date with the happenings of Shea & Company’s arrival.

Please don’t fret. This isn’t the end of Shea & Company…only the beginning of a wonderful new chapter.

Happy Birthday Bash

Happy New Year! 2009 is here and starting with a bang. Today is my birthday!!! Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me. Since I am eating my cake & ice cream, I want to share the celebration with you.

Starting today through midnight CST on January, 31, 2009, (Yes, birthday's should be celebrated all month; not just for one day!) several of our Holiday Edition items are on sale. Sugared Vanilla, Spiced Pumpkin & Refreshing Peppermint Body Scrubs are all on sale for 20% off. Also, we have included the Holiday Edition Body Oils in the Holiday Fragrances in our New Year/Happy Birthday Sale.

Visit www.sheaandcompany.com to start shopping. Use coupon code: BDAY when checking out.

Be sure to stock up on these Limited Edition Items before they are gone.