Marlee And Charlie Learn About Too Much Advertising Too Soon

Marlee and Grandma B were getting all ready for work this morning. Marlee was making sure she had some of her birthday money in her wallet because there were still some things that she wanted to buy for her new business. She was happy that B told her that it was okay to spend some of it. She counted it carefully and prepared to go to work.
At work Charlie, and her grandma, Nanny, were having a whole big bunch of trouble. Things were being delivered that Charlie did not order. She had been so careful and had asked for help with the paperwork. She was about in tears. There were truckloads of costumes backed up to the doors of Marleewood. She had no money to pay for any of them. She had ordered costumes with her own money. Remember? There were enough for her to sell and then she wanted to reinvest her money into Christmas decorations to sell.  Things were completely out of hand! Besides the trucks backed up to the door there was a lady all dressed up in a fancy hat that said she was there to help. Her name was Deidre... Oh now that explains some of the mystery. But what about the money for the costumes?

Deidre introduced herself to Nanny and Charlie and explained to them that she loved to dress up in costumes. She wanted to donate or in other words pay for all of the costumes that were in the trucks. What? Free costumes? How wonderful, but they were not ready to display them or hang them up or price them or even sell them because they had not hired anyone to help them. They were going to start out slowly so therefore, they didn't need anyone to help them. But now with all this stuff to put somewhere, how were they going to be ready for customers in three (3) or four(4) days.

While Charlie and Nanny were working their little selves to death, Marlee and Grandma B were taking their time shopping and once again stopped to have a bite to eat. Deidre had gone home and wished them luck with their new business. And there the two of them were with masks and costumes for Halloween and no one to help them. Oh dear, I wonder if there will be anyone to volunteer to help?

About the time that Charlie and Nanny were just worn out and just knew that they couldn't do it all by themselves a young man showed up out on the playground on his 4 wheeler. Charlie saw him out there and asked her grandma if it was okay if she went out and talked to him for awhile. She needed a break. Of course, Nanny said she could.
Charlie found out that the little boy's name was Sawyer and he was bored. He was here visiting his Grandma Phyllis and needed something to do while the grownups visited. Charlie immediately had an idea. She asked him if he would like to help her and her Nanny put away costumes in the Costume Shop. He said, "I sure would,

but do you have any snacks?"  Charlie more or less ignored his question and took him inside to get him busy helping. She sure hoped that Grandma B and Marlee were going to bring in some snacks with them when they got to work.
Well,  Grandma B and Marlee had eaten chicken and had drinks at the food court so they had completely forgotten about buying any snacks. Oh dear, but guess what they did buy while they were gone. They found a really good deal on costumes so they bought a big box full of costumes for Charlie for her Costume Shop! Oh no!

Marlee Couldn't Believe Her Eyes!

Joshua and his mama had watched television when Happy Hank told his audience about the new Marleewood store opening up soon. He didn't want to wait until it opened. He wanted to go see it now! So after his mama took his brothers to school she took him for a ride to see the new Marleewood building. It looked very nice from the front. It was all decorated nicely for the fall. The news reporter said that there was a playground in the back, so she drove around the block and found that in fact there was one. A very nice playground in fact. She and Joshua got out of the car and of course, Joshua wanted to play.
In a little while some other people came to play on the playground. They got to talking and they all wanted to see inside of the Marleewood building. They all wondered when it was going to open.
Pretty soon lots and lots of people started coming. Then pretty soon more and more people, grownups, little kids and babies arrived. Pretty soon there were more people in the playground than you could count! Marlee and her partner, Charlie, and the Grandmas were just coming to work when they saw the whole playground full of people. They couldn't believe their eyes!
It looked like there were preschool children and people waiting in line to see the inside of Marleewood. Oh boy, what were they going to do now? Well, that's what Grandmas are for. Grandma B and Charlie's grandma, Nanny, took charge and went out and talked to the people and told them they were very sorry, but Marleewood would not be open for about three or four more days. There was a lot of work to be done. They were all welcome to play on the playground, but they just couldn't come in yet.
Then they went inside and looked at their "to do" list and started in on their work. The list was a big help. It helped them to be more organized so that they could open up on time. It told them what things should be done first and then second and on down the list.
Marlee couldn't help herself, she had to look out the window. "B! There are people eating on the ground outside. What are they doing?" Grandma B smiled because Marlee had never been on a picnic before. There were children sitting on a blanket with some grownups eating a picnic lunch. How fun. B explained to Marlee that was fine. She was glad that they enjoyed themselves. If they all were nice to them maybe they would come back and buy things from Marleewood when they opened up.

 Grandma B told Marlee that they needed to go shopping for supplies so that they would be ready for customers. Some of the things that they would be shopping for were different kinds of wax scents (things that smell really good). Marlee was having a really difficult time deciding on which things smelled the best. They bought lots of things at a discount store so that they didn't have to spend very much money.
They also needed to go to a food court and taste different things. That way they would know which things they might like to include in their cooking shows. There were so many things to look for and do before Marleewood opened up.
In the meantime Charlie and her grandma, Nanny, had their own work to do to get the Costume Shop opened up. Halloween would be here soon and they hopefully would have their order of costumes in the store in plenty of time. They needed to plan on how they would display them. They needed small costumes clear up to grownup costumes. Did you know that grownups like to dress up for Halloween? It is so much fun for everyone, no matter how old you are. Grownups also dress up in costumes for plays on the stage.
Remember the "bump in the road" we talked about? It was going to happen while Grandma B and Marlee were gone.
Deidre loved to wear costumes. She had seen Happy Hank on television too. She wanted to help with the Costume Shop. In fact she had already started "helping" before she got to Marleewood.
Oh dear, I can see problems next time we read this story.

TV Station HVMO-TV Channel 2 Hears About Marleewood

Things were going as well as could be expected for the girls this past week. There were mistakes made. There were some disagreements, and there were lots of breaks. Lots of breaks mean many things. Lots of breaks mean more play and less work. Lots of breaks for these two year olds mean that the snacks in the break room get eaten and not replaced. No snacks make two year olds very cranky and grumpy. When a two year old gets grumpy it also means that grandmas may get grumpy.

 A meeting was called in order to discuss Marlee's great idea of a big business. However, there was a lack of work that was happening. They needed some structure and a calendar with a "to do" list on each day. They only had a few days before Marleewood was going to open. They had to "tend to business" which meant less goofing around and more working. That also meant picking up after themselves. No dumping toys on the floor and just walking away or grinning at the mess.
The new rule that the grandmas put into place was, "If you take a toy out of the toy box to play with it, when you are done, you put it back. If you are old enough to start your own business, you are old enough to follow a few rules." The girls agreed and they started picking up their mess.

There was a ruckus outside the office door so again, Marlee opened it up to see a TV crew getting their equipment out of their truck. A reporter walked in and saw Charlie's grandma,  Nanny, goofing around. (That's called setting a bad example!) Oh, oh look at Grandma B; she's goofing off too. Oh dear, I do not think that the Grandmas want the television reporters to see them being silly, or do they? Maybe having fun with your family is the key to running a successful business.
Let's see what the reporter has to say to them.
"Hello, I'm Happy Hank a news reporter.  Our television station heard that Marlee and her partner, Charlie, were going to open a new business. We want to find out all about it. Is there anyone here that can talk to us? It looks to me like you are all on break!"
Marlee walked up to Happy Hank, the reporter, and said, "It might look like we are on our break, but in reality, we are thinking. We have picked up our toys, we have had our snack, so now we are checking off things on our "to do" list.
It is our family's turn to have a break now. Charlie and I are working."

Happy Hank asked Marlee what kind of business  Marleewood was and did she think that her small town would support her.
Marlee told him that Marleewood was going to be employee friendly. In other words the company was going to work for their employees. They were going to have a break room and nap room in case someone got tired. Tired and hungry people can't do their work very well. They also were going to have a gym. It was very important that young as well as old people keep in shape. They would insist that everyone get fresh air, so there would be a playground in back of the building. Eventually they would have a nursery for babies which would include babysitting classes.
Marleewood was a production company. There were cooking shows, dance recitals, movie theater, pet store, and also a beauty shop. The beauty shop would be for the employees as well as for the public customers.
Charlie's division was a costume and home decorating store. Her shop would be different every season; winter, spring, summer and fall. She also was in charge of the company's books and ordering.

As far as supporting their new company? She was certain that they would because they all knew and loved the girls as well as their family members. Marleewood would grow as soon as their customer base grew. This meant that as soon as people found out about Marleewood they would go there to shop.
 Marlee and Charlie had big dreams for their company and told that reporter so. The TV crew left and the girls and their grandmas went back to work. That night on television the same reporter, Happy Hank, was on the news talking about Marleewood and the spunky Marlee that pretty much told him that nothing was going to stop her and her family and partner from making Marleewood a success.
Have you heard the expression "that's a bump in the road."? Remember Charlie said that they should advertise? Guess what. TV Happy Hank just did a whole big bunch of advertising for Marleewood.  Marlee's face would look a little like this in the morning.

Marlee And Charlie Learn All About Small Towns

When you live in a small town, there is very little that the people that live there don't know about you. They know your mama and daddy; they know your grandparents. They even know where you went to school and what your parents do for a living to make money. They know where you live and they even talk about you at their breakfast table. They talk about you at the beauty shop and the hardware store and always at the local cafe. The hot topic in Marlee's little town was, "Did you guys hear what Marlee and Charlie are going to do? They think they can start a big business here. It will never work."

"They are too young and don't know anything about running a business." Others gave them the benefit of the doubt. They said, "Well, I had their parents and grandparents in school. I was their teacher and they ended up being successful business people."
" Marlee's Grandma B had her own beauty shop, Country Clippers and her Mama has her own beauty shop now; Studio 754. Even Marlee's great grandfather had a barber shop in town. I'm sure they will help the kids. I think that Charlie's grandma had a beauty shop at one time. Now she helps people that live in a nursing home. They are all successful."
Little towns are wonderful because you do know everyone or almost. But little towns can also give you a headache because you get tired of everyone "butting into your business."

The grandmothers and Marlee and Charlie decided to have a business meeting and decide exactly what they were going to work on first. They had the outside of the building looking very nice for fall. Most of what they decorated with was free so that was good. Marlee spent almost all of her money on food for the break room so that was not good. Charlie had invested what little money she had on the costume shop. She had ordered costumes for Halloween. Hopefully people would come in their store and buy some so she could reinvest some of her money and buy some things for the Christmas season. That left them with little to no money to hire employees to work in their store. They had big problems.
All of a sudden there was a knock on the office door. They all jumped because they had not expected anyone to be in the building except themselves.

Marlee got up and opened the door and there was a lady and her little girl. Marlee knew the little girl, it was Hannah. Hannah was there with her mama! Well everyone welcomed them to sit down and have a piece of pie that Marlee had spent her dollar on. Grandma B got some drinks that she had brought with her and Nanny had brought some silverware and paper plates and paper cups.
Mary Beth said, "We were at Hannah's Grandma Dawna's beauty shop this morning (Extremes) and the customers were talking about your new adventure. We want to be part of it. We think you guys can make it work if people help you and believe in you. Here is the catch, we don't want any wages, but we can only work part time. Hannah has experience working at her daddy's shop, remember? So she can help with the office work here when she can. We have heard rumors that there is going to be a cooking show here and Hannah wants to be part of it as well. Do we have a deal?"
At first there was dead silence. Nobody could believe their good luck. Then all of a sudden everyone was talking at once and laughing and hugging. Yes, they had a deal. And Hannah's grandma had sent over some snacks for the break room as well. They were all set. They thought.....

Marlee And Charlie Learn What A Compromise Is

It was off to kind of a rocky start with Marlee and Charlie. They had both been the one to make the decisions in their young lives so far. When another person has their own ideas a lot of things can happen. However, they were both very smart little girls and asked for their grandmothers' advice. This is what they came up with.
Charlie would let Marlee call their business Marleewood, if Marlee wouldn't charge her the dollar and thirteen cents and also let her be in charge of the costume shop. Marlee was not a bit happy! This is where Grandma B stepped in and said, "You know what, Marlee, this is part of growing up. You give a little and take a little. You can't always have your own way. Give and take is called a compromise. It is a really big word, but an important one to remember all through life."

 Marlee was still not happy about that. Charlie, however, was ecstatic! "Yay, I get my own costume shop. I have to make plans and do some ordering and get prices and oh, Marlee, we have to advertise. Plus, you and I have to have some meetings to get things organized. We have to 'get cracking' as the old folks say."
Well, Charlie had saved money by not having to give up her cash to "buy in" with Marlee, so she had a little money to put in the books to start ordering costumes and to decorate with. But they had to decide where to start in the building.
 Charlie was not going to be happy. The grandmas said they had to start with the what real estate agents call curb appeal.  That means that when people drive by or walk by your building it looks very nice. When a business looks nice from the outside, people like to come in to look around and maybe buy things that they like.
All of a sudden both girls had an idea. They would go to different places and ask for free stuff. That should be easy. Old people always gave them pats on their heads and offered them suckers at the bank and other stores. Good ideas don't always work out, yet sometimes they work out better than anyone could imagine. There is a lesson to be learned here too. If you think you have a good idea, don't be afraid to share it with a friend. A good friend will always tell you the truth. Sometimes they will like it and sometimes they won't. That's what friends are for.
They talked it over with their grandmothers and they agreed. Some businesses could have extra decorations and flowers that they might share.

These pictures show what the girls got for free. The fall decorations on the porch and the bench made their new business looked very nice.
  Marlee had a dollar bill because she knew that not everything was going to be free. She wanted a break room for their future employees and that meant that she had to buy food. After Marlee went to the apple orchard last week she loved to eat apples. She liked apples that were in pies too. She showed the grandmas and Charlie what she wanted to do. They all thought it was a good idea or at least didn't tell her no.

Then Marlee saw a great big bunch of things that she and Charlie both thought should go in their break room. There was a problem, though. Marlee had spent her dollar on an apple pie. She only had thirteen cents left. Charlie had put her money into the costume shop. We have an "oh oh". Sometimes we can't always have everything we want at the store, can we?
Something else is not quite right.  Marlee and Charlie don't have any people to work for them yet, still they bought food for the  break room. I think that the girls were hungry, don't you?
Maybe the Grandmothers knew what was going to happen. You just can't spend all of your money in one place. Marlee and Charlie learned two or three lessons today.
 What do you think that the two grandmothers will do to help their granddaughters?  They just might have a plan in mind to help Marlee and Charlie in their new adventure. Or something completely unexpected will happen to make the girls' dreams come true. We will find out next time.

Marlee Gets A Heads Up For A Business Partner

Oh my goodness, Marlee was so excited this morning! She had a lead on a partner for her new business, Marleewood. She had to make a good impression so she started out by brushing her teeth. That is always a must. First you wash your face, brush your teeth, and of course, your makeup and hair if you have time! She wanted the day time business woman look so she didn't apply much makeup just some Chapstick that Grandma B had gotten her at the surprise party at the cafe. Remember the day she got to meet Jo Ann and Grandma Lu? That was a fun lunch.

Marlee went into the room she was thinking about making into her office. She had decorated it with a nice plant and a colorful tablecloth. Remember, Marlee and Charlie have to like some of the same things, so let's see what happens.

There was a knock on the door and Marlee said, "Come in" and there was Charlie. Marlee invited Charlie to sit down and proceeded to explain to her what the plan was for her new company.

She wanted to call it Marleewood. She had seen companies similar to what she had in mind on television. She told Charlie that she wanted a production company with cooking shows, a dance studio, of course, a media room (tv room) which would always show cartoons that she liked. There would be a gym and a beauty shop. There also would be a room that her employees could rest and even take a nap so they could have more energy throughout the day.
Charlie listened to Marlee carefully and thought things over. Then Marlee dropped the key phrase, "You have to have at least a dollar and thirteen cents to be my equal partner. Without that much cash I won't have enough to start remodeling this building. Right now all I have is a small kitchen, porch, and a bathroom with a bedroom close by. What do you think of my ideas, Charlie? Do you want to be my partner and always have a job when you want one?"
Charlie did not answer Marlee right away; she had to think things over. Secretly she really liked the idea, but she had to come up with the money. She also had some ideas of her own. So she told Marlee, "I like some of your ideas, but If I'm going to be your partner and give you cash up front, I think I would like my name on the company sign out in front."

Oh, Marlee didn't like that idea at all. She explained to Charlie that it was her idea so it should be named after her. Well, just like most people that go into business together those people sometimes disagree about things. When that happens they call in experts to help. Here are the ladies that they called on, their grandmas, of course. It will be interesting to say the least to hear what the grandmas come up with. Will the girls get along? Will the girls become friends? Will the grandmas even get along? There are all kinds of questions. Lessons to be learned when you become a business woman are many. One of them is "Give and Take" That is so very important in partnerships of any kind. Maybe Charlie will come up with a solution so that Marlee won't have to change the name of her company, but may have to give up something else. These are all things that grownups have already gone through as they were growing up. Now let's see what these girls will do with their new business and of course, their employees as they hire some.

Marlee Wants To Start Her Own Business

Marlee has tried several times to get a job. And several times she either didn't get enough money to suit her or once she got a job, she didn't like it.
She has a treasure chest as well as a lavender treasure bucket. At one time Marlee did have some coins in the lavender bucket. She also had gotten some cash for her various jobs as well as some coins for doing chores at her Grandma B's house.
Marlee has decided to start her own company. If no one will hire her, she will always have a place to work if she owns it. Marlee is a smart little girl and knows that she alone cannot finance a company by herself. She needs a partner!
 She knows what kind of company she wants. She wants a production company that she will call Marleewood Enterprises. She heard something similar to that name one time on television. She has thought and thought about the name and decided since it will be her company she should have her name attached to it. (But Marlee if you get a partner, she might not agree with that name belonging just to you.)
Of course, Stashia thinks she has gone over the top this time. She is completely exhausted just thinking about it.
Marlee has so many plans for her new company. She can just visualize the lights, the cameras, the action!
And on it goes, dear readers. We hopefully will be back soon with a little girl that has the same business expectations as Marlee does.
I wonder what the interview process will be like? Hmm.

Marlee Thinks That She Has Spotted The Thief In The Orchard

Marlee was a little overwhelmed, or shy of all the people at the orchard. There were so many people! There were people picking apples, babies in wagons, and a suspicious character in some kind of disguise. She couldn't see very well because there was an old pickup in the way. It was covered with pumpkins and weeds it looked like to her. You remember that Marlee was used to disguises because she worked undercover for a little while because she was taste testing at a cafe not too long ago.
Well, she and her parents were looking at all of the pretty benches, flowers, and fall decorations. The people that owned the orchard had made sure that everyone enjoyed their time there. Marlee was thinking about Grandma B's porch. She loved to do fun and different things, but she almost wished that she was back on the Mini Farm again.
All of a sudden Marlee started pulling on her mama's pants leg. She said, "Mama Mama, that man with the purple sunglasses just put a green apple in his pocket!"
 Marlee's mom pretty much pooh poohed Marlee since she was just a little girl. She told Marlee that the man she was pointing at was just having a good time. He was a happy jolly man. So she waved Marlee away and had her start walking to another part of the orchard.
 Marlee was so disappointed. She wanted to solve another mystery like Naynay & Family Detective Agency had done several times, but she had to mind her mama.
Marlee's mama and daddy had rented a car to take them back home. So they gathered up the apples that they had bought and started out towards the rental car place. Then Marlee knew for sure she was right about that man because she saw him get back on the big balloon and go up high in the sky. He had gotten away. There were so many balloons she couldn't see which one he got on.

You know, Marlee, sometimes you just have to hope that the man's family was going to enjoy the pie that the man's wife was going to make for them. And by the way, he had not put a green apple in his pocket, it was a surprise for his wife when he got home that he had paid for when he bought his apples.
Here is a picture of that man looking very pleased with himself, that's for sure. His wife made a yummy apple pie with the apples that he brought home to her. She also gave him a big hug to thank him for her surprise.
There is something that Marlee doesn't know. The magic that the green apple was blessed with was love. Once you put love in anything you bake for someone you love, it is just perfect. It doesn't have to be a green apple, or a special recipe for chicken noodle soup to make you feel better when you are sick. Love is magic, Marlee. Love is magic.

Marlee Lands Safely In The Apple Orchard

Once again, Marlee has shown her family that her ideas are not only exciting, but so much fun! The balloon trip was cold, noisy, and especially fun because her mama and daddy surprised her by being in the balloon to accompany her to the apple orchard.
When they landed, it was a bit scary because the balloon didn't go exactly where it was supposed to. For some reason they landed just outside the apple orchard. They landed gently though. There were lots of people there to make sure everyone on board was okay. Marlee is finding out at a very young age, that people are generally there to help her even if they don't know her.



They were taken to the orchard by a special fire truck that was used only for very special people. The driver even had the siren go "ooga ooga" since it was so old it couldn't make a "wee ooh, wee ooh" sound. Marlee was a very special person, of course. All of Marlee's family laughed and laughed. Such fun it was to ride in an old fire truck.
Soon they arrived at the apple orchard. Much to everyone's surprise there were

lots of people there. There were grownups and children. There were grandmas and grandpas. There were babies and there were children that could walk. There were also people that lifted their children way up high so that they could pick their own apples.

There was a person there that gave a little talk. That person told the group that there had been a theft. A theft is taking something that doesn't belong to you. Well, it seems that someone had stolen the Magic Green Apple. That particular apple was extremely important to anyone that wanted to make apple pie. This apple mixed with red apples made the pie taste just perfect. Anyone knows that perfect apple pie is extremely hard to find. If you look very very closely you can see the Magic Green Apple mixed in with red apples.
There seems to be two people that are competing to find the Magic Green Apple. One is very young and one is not. The young people live close to the orchard, the older person has a long trip back if he has sneaked the Magic Green Apple in his pocket for the trip back home.
There are two other people that are very wise and also know about the Magic Green Apple. Oh, I think that their names are Grandma and Papa. They are friends of Grandma Lu's. If they took it, they are destroying the evidence, aren't they? Just look at all of those apple peelings. Using an apple peeler is so much fun. The apple goes round and round and it comes out just perfectly peeled and sliced for a pie.

Marlee Can Go High In The Sky

Sure to his word, Orion got Marlee's message to his cousins, Justina and Teslee. The girls were older and a bit worried that they shouldn't help Marlee for fear of getting themselves in trouble. They were absolutely right, weren't they? So what they did was call their mom and then she called Marlee's mama and daddy. This is a crazy story! Marlee's idea is getting everyone involved in this. Why? Because they are friends and family and want to keep her safe, but also want her to have fun. So Marlee's mom and dad decided to have a little fun with their little
mischief maker too. They just happened to know someone that was a balloonist. They were sure that he would take them for a ride. They called their friend and then they called Grandma B. They were all in on the surprise for Marlee. She was going to the apple orchard and for a balloon ride. How fun is this?
Grandma B got Marlee all dressed up in her warm pink sweatshirt because when you go up high in the sky it is colder than it is on the ground. Isn't that interesting?
Soon there was a knock on Grandma B's door and two little boys, Justin and Tim asked if Marlee was ready to go on the balloon ride. Grandma B just smiled and said, "She sure is! Have fun you three." And away they went. I wonder why Grandma B didn't go?
Marlee's parents were already in the field with the balloon waiting for her. I think they were as excited as they knew that Marlee would be.
As soon as Marlee saw the balloon she got a little nervous. It was really really big. The heater made a lot of noise too, especially for a little girl's ears. But she was grinning from ear to ear. She did not see her mama and daddy. They had their backs to her. There were a few more people in the balloon too. They all wanted to go to the apple orchard.


Would you go on a hot air balloon? No, no wait a minute, this isn't the balloon that Marlee is going on. She is going on a balloon that has a Tweetie bird on it. It's a little dark outside yet. They were leaving really early in the morning.
While Marlee is getting ready to fly high in the sky there are some children already at the apple orchard. In fact, there are a lot of children and grown ups there.
 There is something not right going on, but no one knows about it yet. It has something to do with a missing Green Apple. Hmmm.