Miracles Supply and Childbirth Services 

Jessica Mullens is a woman who loves a beautiful party. When she discovered that she was pregnant, she trusted her most stylish friends to throw the perfect shower. They collaborated with the team at Premier Baby & Child and together conceived an art inspired shower perfect for Jessica’ s masterpiece in the making.

The team began by enlisting the design help of custom invitation specialists, The Green Kangaroo. The Green Kangaroo’s Kristen W. Klett and Melissa Windley created a Piet Mondrian-inspired design complete with a three dimensional paintbrush. As the location, her friends chose The Cotton Company for it’s connection to the arts and it’s urban, artistic ambiance with exposed brick walls and open duct work.

When the big day arrived, guests were greeted with an art project of their choice. Some decorated onesies for the new baby. Others choose to decorate wood hooks or frames for the nursery. After choosing their project, each guest found their seat at a table adorned with taffeta linens. At each place setting, they found a place card situated on a tiny easel. In the center of each table, a bright and whimsical centerpiece was arranged in an empty paint can and a palette blooming with paint and blossoms rested against it. Dangling above each table were brightly-colored paint palettes and polka dot paper lanterns.

With art projects complete, guests mingled over an artistic conversation piece, a cast of Jessica’s pregnant belly done by belly caster, Sonya Pailes. They enjoyed a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, quiches and canapés all artfully presented on wooden palettes.

After the gifts were opened, guests enjoyed slices of cake with brushstrokes of sugar flourish. As they departed, they took with them tiny water color palettes and cookies from Whimsical Cookies in shapes like paint brushes and palettes, or circles featuring inspirational words like, “create.”

Love the look? See the next page for how to get it!

ALL PHOTOS OF SHOWER: www.tamaralackey.com

From :http://www.premierbaby.com/pdf/showers/0607_showers.pdf

Sonya Pailes
Event coordinator

North Carolina Friends of Midwives to Host International Day Of The Midwife Celebration at Halifax Mall in Raleigh, NC.

The World Health Organization has proclaimed May 5th as the International Day of the Midwife, a day set aside in 1991 by the International Confederation of Midwives. This day honors midwives, who deliver 80% of the babies born worldwide.

To help commemorate this momentous event, The North Carolina Friends of Midwives, a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting, supporting and protecting midwifery in North Carolina, will host a celebration to honor North Carolina’s midwives at Halifax Mall in Raleigh on Wednesday May 2nd from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. All are invited to attend this exciting event.

The celebration will include a park and ride, various speakers on the state of midwifery in North Carolina - including a Dr. a CNM attending Homebirths in NC, a researcher and families who have used midwives as their birth attendants and a special address by NCFOM’s Director, Victoria Brown. Information booths and tables will be set up to provide attendees with information on midwifery services and the proposed legislation that will license Certified Professional Midwives in North Carolina. There will also be fun children’s crafts and a delicious catered lunch will be served all at no cost to attendees.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted the impact midwifery care has on improving infant mortality and reducing cesarean birth rates. WHO also recommends the training of more professional midwives, as they are the appropriate care providers for normal pregnancy and birth. NCFOM hopes that by passing legislation that licenses CPM’s (highly trained and educated professional midwives,) more North Carolina women will have access to maternity care, thereby improving birth outcomes. Certified Professional Midwives are currently licensed in 22 states and others are now considering legislation.

For more information, directions and a information pack please visit www.ncfom.org

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Raising a family on one income can be difficult, but Chuck and Sonya Pailes say they managed quite well for a time. Buying in bulk, growing and canning vegetables and establishing a cooking day to prepare and freeze a variety of casseroles to be served the following month have gone a long way to help the family of five live frugally.

It has also helped the Pailes parlay their "back to basics" philosophy into a growing business that now brings in a modest second income.

Chuck Pailes works full time for BFI Waste Systems Waste Aid. And for the past year and a half, the couple also has operated their own online store, offering a variety of items to appeal to those with like minds.

Since relocating to New Port Richey from Garner, N.C.,three months ago, the Pailes have decided to expand their business to walk-in traffic. Miracle Supply opened May 5 in the Tanglewood Plaza on State Road 54 and stocks many of the the same products that the Pailes sell online. (Their Web site can be found at http://www.miracles-supply.com.)

"I'm always looking for more things that touch my heart, things that I would use," said Sonya Pailes of their hodgepodge inventory.

Because the couple homeschool their three children -- 11-year-old Tricia, 9-year-old Valarie and 5-year-old Steven -- they sell curriculum items, such as books and science kits, that they use in their home classroom. There's also home canning kits, food dehydrators, doughmakers and grain mills -- items found in their own kitchen.

For the environmentally minded, who like Sonya Pailes bristle at the thought of using what she considers harmful products such as pesticides, there's natural soap, makeup, pet products, bug repellents and organic diapers. Those on a health kick might want to check out the wheat grass seed kit or perhaps the natural juicers.

Carrying emergency supplies such as dehydrated foods, survival kits and candles that burn for 42 hours is an idea the Pailes hit upon when Y2K became a concern for many and a couple of hurricanes hit North Carolina.

"A lot of people think these are just for survivalists," Chuck Pailes said. "But these are things you could use in a hurricane or other emergencies."

Wind-up and solar powered radios, a hand-powered ice cream maker as well as an environmentally friendly machine for doing laundry are items the Pailes sell that can help reduce electric bills. Those non-electric items also come in handy on camping trips, which is a favorite pastime for the Pailes.

And because Sonya Pailes knows the appeal of flea market items -- "kitchen gadgets and those fake soup cans to hide jewelry and money in" -- they decided to stock those as well.

Online transactions make up the bulk of their sales, the Pailes say. Some customers have come tothe storefront, mostly curious shoppers visiting other businesses in the small plaza as well some traffic from fellow homeschoolers Sonya Pailes has met at local meetings.

The Pailes say they hope to appeal to more homeschoolers by offering to sell homeschool supplies on consignment. "That makes sense; you might as well sell your books after you're done with them," Chuck Pailes said.

And many of those homeschoolers, said Sonya Pailes, "are likely to go for the all-natural items."

Because the Pailes homeschool during the morning, store hours are from 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

"People say those are weird hours, but family and school has to come first," Sonya Pailes said. "And if you can't get us here, you can always check us out online."