So is it really cheaper to manufacture offshore?  Patty calls this a myth in the interview, detailing the importance of keeping manufacturing local, as well as how to keep that manufacturing profitable.  She also discusses the impact of buying local:  acknowledging that Made in the USA products may cost a little more upfront, she counters that they are typically higher quality, making them a worthwhile investment and an overall better value.  This quality assurance supports American small business and the economy for local manufacturers and consumers alike.

Be Better at Business TV is part of Sigma Business Management, Inc.  They are dedicated to making small and medium business owners better at their business through improved communications, planning, and business knowledge.

Visit the Doctors Without Borders website at: http://doctorswithoutborders.org

These hooks are the ideal garden accessory for increasing space in your lawn and garden, as well as ensuring that your beautiful wind chimes are truly an eye-catching piece of décor. They are crafted from stainless steel and powder-coated in an attractive Black hue to best withstand the elements and display your chimes season after season.

These sturdy tree hooks are particularly ideal for larger chimes that may not fit well on a patio or freestanding shepherd’s hook. Designed to fit snugly on your branches, this hook is available in four sizes (12″, 18″, 24″, and 36″) with the two larger sizes boasting an even wider top section to fit around larger branches.   These tree hooks will instantly increase your lawn or garden’s appeal, no matter how big your chime or small your space!

Hooks sold individually.  Wind chimes sold separately.

As my youngest child nears the end of her first semester of her Sr. year in high school, I realize my days as field trip volunteer are nearly over (at least until I’m a grandma).  I’ve learned many life lessons during field trips with my children over the years.

1. The easiest way to contain first graders at the National Air & Space museum is to buy them all tickets to the planetarium.

2. When a middle school aged boy looks you straight in the face and says he’s not going to follow the group, don’t argue with him, just go tell the poor exhausted teacher and be glad you are only the chaperone.

3. High schoolers can come up with creative excuses as to why they are not eating lunch. Pack an extra snack that you are way too full to eat.

4. The Ronald McDonald House in Charlottesville can be a life-saver to a family with a little girl who was very eager to enter the world.

During the long bus rides, I’ve heard some chaperones try to have an off the record parent-teacher conference. I have more enjoyed hearing about the teachers’ lives.  Details that I can share with my children about a teacher helps humanize him/her.  Some teachers carry an aura passed down as legend by former students that makes the teacher sound less than fully human.

This past spring, I was touched by a conversation while riding to and from Washington D.C.  The teacher was leaving after school to drive to Charlottesville Ronald McDonald house where his wife was staying while his daughter was a patient at the University of Virginia Hospital Medical Center.  She was born unexpectedly early.

I heard the story of Josephina’s birth. The awe at her tiny fragility combined with his love combined with exhaustion and worry seemed next to overwhelming. He told me how he had never even really thought about the Ronald McDonald house other than to see the coin boxes at McDonald’s restaurants.  Now, he and his family were experiencing first-hand the love and care given by the volunteers.

I was touched.  I secretly vowed to have QMT Windchimes make a donation to cover their stay.  Until now, he has not known about this donation.  We did it completely anonymously, only the Director knew why the money came, designated for Josephina’s parents, from a seemingly random business miles away.  However, I want to tell the story now.  We have decided January 2013 we will donate our customary 20% of every online purchase to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville, VA. I want you to know how they were chosen.

Please join me in my salute to Josephina and all the other children and their families served by Ronald McDonald Houses all over our country!

Patty Baisden

All of our wind chimes ship from our warehouse in Manassas Park, VA 20111.  Refer to the map below for UPS Ground transit times to your state.  Note that the transit times shown on the map are the time it takes UPS to deliver from our dock to your door.  The map does not include our processing time.

If you need your chimes faster than the standard ground times, select one of our expedited shipping options to be sure that your gift arrives on time.

QMT Windchimes® is excited to share that Corinthian Bells® wind chimes were recently featured on We TV’s Living In Style Special Edition: “I Gotta Have That!”

This holiday season, you may be in the market for a beautiful, unique garden gift, and Corinthian Bells^® wind chimes fit the bill! These popular, Made-in-America wind chimes are available for sale at fine gift shops and garden supply stores nationwide—support your local small businesses and American manufacturing with a quality hand tuned wind chime.

For more information on the unique features and design of the popular Corinthian Bells^®, check out the “I Gotta Have That!” video!  (Originally aired on November 14)

As a sponsor I had a table at the event. I featured For The Girls® chimes at my display table. Many women purchased the chimes for themselves or gifts. However, the stories I heard of survival, struggle, frustration at being diagnosed a second time, or heart breaking stories of losing a friend or mother were more touching than the money I was raising for Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

I realized that the real value in the conference was in the relationships being nurtured not the content of the speakers’ messages or the money being raised. Rarely do I have a chance to meet women for a day getting to know each other better. For one day, it doesn’t really matter if you are a teacher, student, lawyer, business owner, massage therapist, or real estate agent. We were there because we are women and have the value of sharing with and gaining from being with other women. We were there as leaders, all admitting we have fear, uncertainty, doubts, and suspicions.

It seems to me, that in life, it often isn’t the activity we are doing that is the most important part of our day. It is how we lived it interacting with other people.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am going to try to remind myself that the details of my table settings or the perfect recipe of sweet potato casserole is not what will be remembered. Moments with the people in our lives, sharing stories, laughing, or crying is what adds depth to our lives.

One of the speakers at the conference referred to a quote that says something like “I don’t want to just live the length of my life, I want to live the depth also!”

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! This year let’s be thankful for the people in our lives willing to share our journey.

~Patty

The trend for American made  products is growing every day—American-made products are not only excellent quality, but by buying them, we help to support American jobs and strengthen our economy.  As an American manufacturer ourselves, we understand the challenges involved in running a small business, particularly in creating and selling first-rate products.  We also understand the difficulties that consumers can face in trying to find these products! Therefore, we have partnered with many other American manufacturers to provide one destination for a multitude of Made in the USA garden and home décor products.

Each and every product on the Gift & Garden USA website is American made and something that you will be proud to own or give as a gift!  All are ideal for anyone who loves gardening and nature, but we offer such a wide variety of products that there is truly something for everyone. From serving dishes and kitchenware to birdhouses and garden décor to patio furniture and more, we have endless ways to beautify your home, indoors and out!

Gift & Garden USA is a great resource for finding Made in the USA Christmas gifts for everyone on your list, as well as making your own home more beautiful during the holiday season.  Your kids will love setting out cookies for Santa with the St. Nick Platter by Peggy Karr Glass as much as you will love serving your famous biscuits in our Oval Bread Basket from Eucalyptus Stoneware. Any of our Christmas ornaments will be a beautiful addition to your tree, and our aromatic Cross Lantern candle will make any home feel blessed and cozy.  Browse by category, brand, occasion, or simply use the “Search” function to quickly find what you have in mind!

We are proud to connect our customers with other Made in the USA products, and we hope you will enjoy our site and join us in supporting American small businesses!

Most people may have heard of The Salvation Army as a place to donate clothes and household items or because of its work in disaster relief- but The Salvation Army is so much more. Serving 124 countries with over 15,000 corps, The Salvation Army has 2,570 Community Development programs that benefit over 750,000 people.

The Salvation Army began in 1865 when William Booth, a London minister, gave up the comfort of his pulpit and decided to take his message into the streets where it would reach the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. The organization is an integral part of the Christian Church, although distinctive in government and practice. The Army’s doctrine follows the mainstream of Christian belief and its articles of faith emphasise God’s saving purposes. Its objects are ‘the advancement of the Christian religion… of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole.’*

Work of The Salvation Army includes several programs worldwide from family tracing to disaster response. For those in need, the Salvation Army runs a number of addiction rehabilitation programs based on taking the holistic approach to attack the roots of the addiction. The Family Tracing Service has become one of The Salvation Army’s most distinctive international services in many territories where it continues to be in operation 120 years on. The mission of the Family Tracing Service is to restore or sustain family relationships by tracing relatives with whom contact has been lost, either recently or in the distant past.

The Salvation Army works together with communities to develop education, literacy, water and sanitation, alternative energy, HIV/AIDS education, programs for orphans and vulnerable children, horticultural training, feeding programs, housing, home-based HIV/AIDS programs and many more community-initiated programs. For almost as long as The Salvation Army has existed, it has operated hospitals and clinics in some of the most needy areas of the world. The Salvation Army currently has 183 health programs in 39 countries, focusing on healthcare and the prevention of disease. The organization is one of the largest social care providers in the World. There are social programs running in almost every country they operate in. From sites of natural and man-made disasters to places of human conflict, The Salvation Army is there to provide compassion and practical support to those in real and sudden need. The Army strives to provide first for the immediate physical needs but beyond that, ministry for the aching heart and the weary soul.

Your online purchase this month at QMT Windchimes will help The Salvation Army further its goals in helping provide relief, education and aid both locally and internationally.