Grandma Penny

My love of business and true entrepreneurial spirit comes from my mom, Penelope Jay Hansen (Penny).  She has always been involved in various activities while still managing to be a superb mother and now, grandmother.    Her love for business and keeping busy with multiple tasks while still placing family first, amazes me and I'm always in awe of her ability to drop whatever she has going on if one of her children (or grandchildren) need her.  While I am fulfilled in my role as a mother and wife, I knew from the very moment that I thought of starting a business, my challenge would always be to find the balance between family and Vintage Hem.  My mom continually encourages me, as she has from day one, to find that time for all things that are important, but that family should always come first.  

My mother has always been feminine in her dress and ignited my love for fashion at an early age.  As many can attest, you would have been hard pressed to find me in anything other than a dress when I was young, and I'm thankful that my mother possessed such a love of femininity that she enjoyed seeing me in dresses every day.  She taught me the value of good manners, not to lift myself up, but to help others feel more comfortable around me; she and my Grandma Sheila are responsible for instilling a love for manners and etiquette that I continue to try and polish which is like trying to polish a huge silver punch bowl, a continual process.

Penny is famous (at least in my circle of friends) for her one-liners.  She is always creating new ways to instill important principles in our lives and this is a great and creative way to do it. Things such as "don't throw the baby out with the bath water" or "Never allow how another person to determine who you are going to be and how you are going to act".  These phrases, among many others, have been embedded in my heart; they are an integral part of who I am becoming as a woman, a wife, and a mother.  

Whenever there is a spare moment, my mother encourages me to read to my children, ask them about their day, take special time with each individual child, and verbally praise them for their unique personalities; she also encourages me to spend time with my husband and prize him for the wonderful man that he is. The best way to lead is by example and my mom has paved the way for me through her perseverance and survival through hard things, her love of life, and her immense dedication and loyalty to her family.  Thank you for being my friend, my shoulder to cry on, my babys' grandma, a great travel companion, but most of all thank you for being my hero.   I love you mom~  Janine