Rebuilding After Hurricane Katrina

It's hard to believe that's it's been 10 years since Katrina set her eye on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. So much of the media was focused on New Orleans, but the entire Gulf Coast especially in Mississippi has yet to fully recover from her wrath.
When it became obvious that here was going to be extensive loss of housing , the Manufactured Housing Institute and the manufactured housing community sprung into action to make sue that people would have a place to live that was safe.
A few years after the storm MHI's magazine: Modern Homes had an article written by Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber with photography by Lisa Stewart Photography that shared what progress had been made, and what an important part of the rebuilding process manufactured housing played.
You can read a copy of the article here.

Trend Tracking

It seems like 2015 is going to be a really exciting year! Social media is becoming a requirement for businesses instead of an option or a folly, and our clients are keeping us busier than ever.

We typically spend January visiting the various trade shows, and this year we are attending more than ever. We will be attending the International Kitchen and Bath Show, The International Builders Show and the Las Vegas Furniture Market to discover what's hot and what's not in 2015.

To find out what we find as we find it, follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Be sure and "like" us on these - we'll be uploading all day long so you won't want to miss a thing.

Keeping Up: Sharing What Took Place at The George Allen International Roundtable

What a crazy busy Summer it has been! So much to do and share, there truly aren't enough hours in the day.

We just got back from speaking on "Being Your Biggest Advocate" at the George Allen International Roundtable and what a wonderful experience it was! Lots of positive, professional men and women dedicated to making a change in affordable housing.

One of the many great things to come out of this conference was that a group of us has decided to start Manufactured Housing Executive Woman - women who are in the manufactured housing industries that are interested in mentoring other women.

The Lifestylist Brands are honored to have taken over the social media responsibilities for this group as well as for Les Dames d'Escoffier Dallas, Stocks&Bondy, Shared Housing, and Chef Joanne Bondy.

If your group or company needs help with their social media presence, please contact us to find out how we can be of assistance to you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

All of us at The Lifestylist Brands would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. May it be filled with family, friends, love and great food!

African Orphans Send Message of Hope to Moore Oklahoma Tornado Survivors

My sister and her family live in Edmond, Oklahoma and are one of the lucky families that have a storm shelter. Tornadoes touched down near them last weekend but what happened to them was nothing like what happened to the residents of Moore, Oklahoma.

Last Summer they had an unbelievable experience - they packed up trunks and suitcases full of shoes, clothes, blankets, and other needed items and headed to Maisha International Orphanage - an amazing labor of love in Kisumu, Kenya. The stories and images they brought back are life changing, and it's a great reminder of how a small donation or offering can be life changing to these kids.

The beautiful souls at Maisha wanted to do something for their friends in Oklahoma City and Moore, and made this video as a way of showing their love and support. What a great reminder this Memorial Day weekend how precious life is and we all need to live ours to the fullest.

Salvation Army Lends a Helping Hand in Oklahoma

It's heartbreaking to watch the news today and see the devastation in Moore, Oklahoma. My sister and her family live in Edmond, OK and I have clients that have land lease communities very close to where the tornado touched down. Sam - my nephew and favorite Jr Lifestylist spent the afternoon in their storm shelter a few days ago having a picnic with his pets -I'm so glad that he made sure they were safe as well as his family.
People always think that "trailer parks" or "mobile home parks" are the worst places to be during a disaster like this, but that just isn't true. I was glad to hear that the Yes! Communities in this area only sustained hail and wind damage and no one was hurt. Their on-site managers made sure that everyone got to where they needed to be and are now busy helping them get emergency supplies and repairs. That's one of the advantages of living in a well run land lease community - there's always someone there to help.
If you would like to help the people of Moore that were affected by the storm, I encourage you to donate to the Salvation Army. They truly do the most good with every dollar that is donated.

Social Media Lifestylist Graces Cover of Women Owned Business Club Magazine

The Lifestylist® Brands are a woman owned and operated business, and we were honored this month to be featured on the cover of the inaugural issue of Woman Owned Business Club Magazine. This is a great networking group for women and gives us a way to network with our peers and learn best practices for our businesses.

The magazine will be a place for us to share our business successes and to give tips to readers on lifestyle, beauty, and family as well. Lifestylist Suzanne Felber will be a contributing writer and looks forward to sharing lots of Lifestylist ideas and inspirations.