Monday: Blogged, paid bills, sent out my dad’s taxes, worked on schoolwork, registered for my spring classes, cleaned, put up items on eBay.
Tuesday: More schoolwork (I should just think this is assumed as being done each day), edged soap, cleaned up the workshop some getting ready for March, laundry, set some soap to cure, made olive oil soap (still need to make more), caught up on my January accounting (yes, I know February is almost done), knit a hat for my dad, planned my garden for this year.
Wednesday: UWBW meeting today with B. I miss having D with us…updated my web, but messed up my FTP somehow so I can’t upload the changes- need to get that fixed pronto, laundry, and school. I really woke up feeling quite under the weather, no fever, but I felt as though I had been in a car wreck, so many things I wanted to get done, just didn’t get done. C thinks I am pushing myself too hard trying to get so much work done the first few months of the year- I think it will be nice to be able to relax and just do shows come May. We’ll see who’s right…
Thursday: Blah…I felt blah.. I cut up some soap and put it to cure, measured out oil to make basic soap, laundry, school, sleep…
Friday: Errand Day! Post office, drycleaner, groceries, BJ’s. Got back and did homework, cut basic soap and just generally procrastinated toll C got home. We left for Baltimore a little after 4 and it too forever to get there it seemed.
Saturday: Day in Baltimore- perused the American Craft Council Craft Show, walked around the inner harbor, had a nice dinner
Sunday: Came home but tried to stop in Wilmington for lunch first and couldn’t find anything open near the riverfront (so weird!), so we decided to stop at IKEA and pick up some drawers for our armoire and have lunch there. Once I got home I immediately put on my PJ’s, caught up on e-mail and stuff, and watched the NASCAR race while I worked on my statistics homework (both were about as equally interesting this week)…Now I pay bills, blog, and try to catch up on paperwork before starting next week.
2.26.2006
2.20.2006
February 13-19 Week 7
Monday: Last three days of my Perl class so the bulk of the day was spent concentrating on homework. The rest was spent labeling bath fizzys, sending out orders, paying bills and updating the blog.
Tuesday: Did some laundry and edged some soap. I run a potato peeler around the edges so they are not sharp when you use the soap directly on the skin. This leaves me with a pile of shavings that I used to not have a use for- not I pack them into muslin bags and used them as sachets. I also got these great containers that organize ribbon and I got most of my stash of ribbon into the containers and put away. And of course, I did more homework- but this time I am done with class! Yippee!
Wednesday: Ran errands: post office & bank. I then went to the Vet with my friend B and her doggie, Paddy Mac. The Macadoodle had a tumor on her foot. The Vet was a really nice man who explained everything well in a way we could understand, but after B herd the term “Malignant” she pretty much tuned out… what it came down to was he thought the tumor was one of three types of cancer and that he planned on removing as much of it as he could and biopsy it so he could then suggest further treatment. After trying to keep her mind off of it all day, she finally called, and an answer to our prayers, he had removed the entire tumor, and no longer thought it was cancer (but still had to run the tests to be sure)… so now we wait to see if it is cancer or not…
When I got home I did some more laundry- is it just me or in the winter do you seem to have 10x more laundry than you do in the summer? Is it just the bulk of the items? The fact we are wearing layers?
Then I set up a vidcam I need for my next class- presentational speaking. (At least I don’t need it for my other class- Statistics..)
Thursday: I edged more soap, did more laundry (what a surprise) and started on my next classes homework. I think these classes are tough, but not overwhelming, and if I can work a few hours a day on them I should be able to get through them just fine.
Friday: I updated my web site, after getting an order for things I planned on taking down. I got the orders out the door and spent more time edging soap. I have a little blister on my thumb now, bummer….
Saturday: C introduced me to these things called Yahoo Widgets. Now I have my to do list right on my monitor rather than on paper on my desk. It is pretty cool. There are thousands of different ones you can choose from, but I’m being simple for now. C and I ran errands- drycleaner, groceries, etc.. I worked on my classes some more and I knit a hat for my dad.
Sunday: We went house hunting. Out of 7 only one was cool, but still not right for us. The other 6 we didn’t even bother going into. Some weren’t open, some were just ugly, some seemed downright scary…When we got home I enjoyed watching the NASCAR race and then installed new software on the computer for school.
Tuesday: Did some laundry and edged some soap. I run a potato peeler around the edges so they are not sharp when you use the soap directly on the skin. This leaves me with a pile of shavings that I used to not have a use for- not I pack them into muslin bags and used them as sachets. I also got these great containers that organize ribbon and I got most of my stash of ribbon into the containers and put away. And of course, I did more homework- but this time I am done with class! Yippee!
Wednesday: Ran errands: post office & bank. I then went to the Vet with my friend B and her doggie, Paddy Mac. The Macadoodle had a tumor on her foot. The Vet was a really nice man who explained everything well in a way we could understand, but after B herd the term “Malignant” she pretty much tuned out… what it came down to was he thought the tumor was one of three types of cancer and that he planned on removing as much of it as he could and biopsy it so he could then suggest further treatment. After trying to keep her mind off of it all day, she finally called, and an answer to our prayers, he had removed the entire tumor, and no longer thought it was cancer (but still had to run the tests to be sure)… so now we wait to see if it is cancer or not…
When I got home I did some more laundry- is it just me or in the winter do you seem to have 10x more laundry than you do in the summer? Is it just the bulk of the items? The fact we are wearing layers?
Then I set up a vidcam I need for my next class- presentational speaking. (At least I don’t need it for my other class- Statistics..)
Thursday: I edged more soap, did more laundry (what a surprise) and started on my next classes homework. I think these classes are tough, but not overwhelming, and if I can work a few hours a day on them I should be able to get through them just fine.
Friday: I updated my web site, after getting an order for things I planned on taking down. I got the orders out the door and spent more time edging soap. I have a little blister on my thumb now, bummer….
Saturday: C introduced me to these things called Yahoo Widgets. Now I have my to do list right on my monitor rather than on paper on my desk. It is pretty cool. There are thousands of different ones you can choose from, but I’m being simple for now. C and I ran errands- drycleaner, groceries, etc.. I worked on my classes some more and I knit a hat for my dad.
Sunday: We went house hunting. Out of 7 only one was cool, but still not right for us. The other 6 we didn’t even bother going into. Some weren’t open, some were just ugly, some seemed downright scary…When we got home I enjoyed watching the NASCAR race and then installed new software on the computer for school.
2.13.2006
February 6-12 Week 6
Monday started off normal: update the blog, pay bills, make soap, and organize organza bags and edge soap. It ended at a great baby shower for A at MLAC. I was surprised that they actually kept the party a surprise to her. There was great food, great friends, and she got some great presents as well.
Tuesday: I had to run to the grocery store for some soaping supplies, I paid for my shows that needed to be applied to, I edged soap, and I began the next few days or grueling homework. I am very glad that this class is over next week, there will only be a few more days of homework to do. I have decided to toss my final project out the window- this starts me with a "B" as the highest grade I can get rather than an "A", but it keeps my sanity. I know that one of the biggest problems I have had with this class is the lack of true teaching in the course. I could have bought a book and worked through it at an insane pace and not understood it much, all on my own for a heck of a lot cheaper than a course at Baker.
Wednesday: I got a few orders mailed out, ordered labels for bath fizzys and bath salts, cleaned up my computer files and got rid of 99% of the old junk on the machine, and did homework, hours and hours of homework. I made no soap, got nothing done, and couldn't get any of my programs to run either.
Thursday: can you guess.. more homework…but not that much. My dad came in to visit so after I picked him up at the truck we went to the bank, the post office, the grocery store, and the drycleaner. I worked on homework some that afternoon, but B & M called and asked us out to dinner so besides the fact that we just like hanging out with them, I jumped at the chance to get away from Perl.
Friday: This was supposed to be a UWBW meeting. It was just 8 hours of B helping me decipher Sendmail and other fun Perl functions. We talked about the businesses a little during lunch (I ordered pizza) but mostly it came down to that she hasn't done much, and neither have I.
Saturday: Because of B's huge sacrifice of her day dedicated to me and my Perl class, I had the opportunity to spend time with C and my dad at places other than at the computer screen. C and I went to Target. I paid for a few more show applications, and I posted 10 new items to Etsy.com. I really need to bring the camera downstairs and get some new good shots of product. It will help me here and on the new web site that I am designing in the next few weeks.
Sunday: C and I went to a few open houses. It had snowed like crazy so many of them were cancelled but a few were still on. One was at a house we had been dreaming about going inside of, and then had nightmares about! It was awesome on the outside- nice yard, great 3 car garage, new windows, inside the water damage and structural red flags were abundant. Out of 7, four were cancelled (one of these was actually sold), 1 was a horror, 1 was awesome, awesome, awesome, and one had no basement so it would never work. The awesome house C and I need to talk about more. He is not sure the basement will work for me, I just think I need to be more proactive about my organization and space utilization skills. We'll see. If we go for it we'll have to move in just a few months. I also got my web site updated, and started trying to download booked for dad onto his Ipod but Auduble.com wasn't happy so I gave up.
Next Week: Last three days of class so I have a bunch to get done, and then I start my next classes so that is always busy. I need to make soap like a mad woman. I think it may be a few late nights.
Tuesday: I had to run to the grocery store for some soaping supplies, I paid for my shows that needed to be applied to, I edged soap, and I began the next few days or grueling homework. I am very glad that this class is over next week, there will only be a few more days of homework to do. I have decided to toss my final project out the window- this starts me with a "B" as the highest grade I can get rather than an "A", but it keeps my sanity. I know that one of the biggest problems I have had with this class is the lack of true teaching in the course. I could have bought a book and worked through it at an insane pace and not understood it much, all on my own for a heck of a lot cheaper than a course at Baker.
Wednesday: I got a few orders mailed out, ordered labels for bath fizzys and bath salts, cleaned up my computer files and got rid of 99% of the old junk on the machine, and did homework, hours and hours of homework. I made no soap, got nothing done, and couldn't get any of my programs to run either.
Thursday: can you guess.. more homework…but not that much. My dad came in to visit so after I picked him up at the truck we went to the bank, the post office, the grocery store, and the drycleaner. I worked on homework some that afternoon, but B & M called and asked us out to dinner so besides the fact that we just like hanging out with them, I jumped at the chance to get away from Perl.
Friday: This was supposed to be a UWBW meeting. It was just 8 hours of B helping me decipher Sendmail and other fun Perl functions. We talked about the businesses a little during lunch (I ordered pizza) but mostly it came down to that she hasn't done much, and neither have I.
Saturday: Because of B's huge sacrifice of her day dedicated to me and my Perl class, I had the opportunity to spend time with C and my dad at places other than at the computer screen. C and I went to Target. I paid for a few more show applications, and I posted 10 new items to Etsy.com. I really need to bring the camera downstairs and get some new good shots of product. It will help me here and on the new web site that I am designing in the next few weeks.
Sunday: C and I went to a few open houses. It had snowed like crazy so many of them were cancelled but a few were still on. One was at a house we had been dreaming about going inside of, and then had nightmares about! It was awesome on the outside- nice yard, great 3 car garage, new windows, inside the water damage and structural red flags were abundant. Out of 7, four were cancelled (one of these was actually sold), 1 was a horror, 1 was awesome, awesome, awesome, and one had no basement so it would never work. The awesome house C and I need to talk about more. He is not sure the basement will work for me, I just think I need to be more proactive about my organization and space utilization skills. We'll see. If we go for it we'll have to move in just a few months. I also got my web site updated, and started trying to download booked for dad onto his Ipod but Auduble.com wasn't happy so I gave up.
Next Week: Last three days of class so I have a bunch to get done, and then I start my next classes so that is always busy. I need to make soap like a mad woman. I think it may be a few late nights.
2.06.2006
January 30- February 5- week 5
Monday I got up early and updated the blogs, paid the bills, took care of the cats, and paid for some upcoming shows.
Paying for shows is always a pain. Every show wants something different- 5 slides, 6 slides, put your name on the top of the slide, on the bottom of the slide, put a red dot on the lower left front of the slide, send pictures, send pictures of you making the product, send a description of how you make the product, send a self addressed stamped envelope, send 2 envelopes… the differences go on and on. It is also hard for me because I have to make a decision about exactly what shows I want to apply for. Sometimes I am waiting to hear about one on a particular date while the application for another for the same date comes due- I have to decide- apply for both? Hope I get in to one? With jury fees costing more and more each year the $10-$25 each just to apply for a show it really adds up.
Around noon we went to Atlantic City.
Tuesday: Atlantic City. It was so much fun. B and I went, it was a girls day and night out. I got a free room at the Borgata and she brought some comps for food. I only lost half of what I expected to, so that was cool. We went swimming in the indoor pool and sat in the hot tub for a while; we went casino hopping and ate some really goof food. All in all it was exactly what I needed- a day to rejuvenate, to unwind… and we actually talked about our businesses some too!
Wednesday: I paid bills, did laundry, and ordered some supplies. I also cancelled the hotel for the show I was supposed to be at this weekend, but circumstances weren’t right so I backed out.
Thursday: I ran errands: groceries, post office, bank, and drycleaner. I also want to MLAC to jury the spring show. I swear it gets harder and harder each show. We get better and better applicants and it gets harder and harder to decide. It took three hours for us to choose just over 40 applicants. As usual I just learn so much about other crafts its not even funny. I learned about jewelry, about pottery, about fabric arts. I think that it makes me a better-rounded artisan to better understand other people's mediums and what they are trying to say through their work. I also stopped to get a friend a present for her upcoming baby shower, and visited my friend A for a few hours. We haven't seen each other for a while and are going to schedule a day of knitting soon (so she can teach me how to make button holes..).
Friday: I applied for health insurance. It's been many years since I carried any and C and I decided it was finally time. It is one of those new HAS plans where I can put my deductible each year into savings and it is a tax write off, plus it carries over from year to year, and I can use it for retirement of there is anything left over by then. I did more laundry- I was so behind! And lost of homework- I was really behind in that too..And I finally had a great experience with a supplier. I purchased some supplies from Nashville Wraps and there was a mistake with my order. Not only did they ship out the right item within a few hours, but they asked me to donate the wrong item to the charity of my choice as I see fit. Bravo Nashville Wraps!!!
Saturday: Laundry and homework- finally sort of got caught up on both. C and I went out to celebrate our Anniversary. We had Italian at Stefano's. Great food, even better dessert. We brought Tartufo home with us and got extra for the next few days snacking. It is a ball of ice cream, chocolate and vanilla filled with nuts and a cherry and covered in chocolate shell.
Sunday: We went to see two houses. One had the space we need, but it was built in the 50's and really needed some major renovation work to become what we want. The other was just too small. It was built in the 20's and was in great shape, but the house was too narrow, and to make the bed and bath the size we want, we would be converting it into a one bedroom house…not a good idea…I finished the laundry (is laundry ever really finished.. I think not), I got the workshop ready for soapmaking in the morning, took care of the cats needs, and put some items up on Etsy.com. Now what is Etsy.com- its Ebay for the handcrafter… very inexpensive to list, just starting- only has about 20,000 members, and automatically builds your own little store. It was easy to use and I had 10 visitors to my items within the first few minutes (no sales yet though)… I want to put up 5 items a week until I have just about everything listed and give it a try as a new venue…
Paying for shows is always a pain. Every show wants something different- 5 slides, 6 slides, put your name on the top of the slide, on the bottom of the slide, put a red dot on the lower left front of the slide, send pictures, send pictures of you making the product, send a description of how you make the product, send a self addressed stamped envelope, send 2 envelopes… the differences go on and on. It is also hard for me because I have to make a decision about exactly what shows I want to apply for. Sometimes I am waiting to hear about one on a particular date while the application for another for the same date comes due- I have to decide- apply for both? Hope I get in to one? With jury fees costing more and more each year the $10-$25 each just to apply for a show it really adds up.
Around noon we went to Atlantic City.
Tuesday: Atlantic City. It was so much fun. B and I went, it was a girls day and night out. I got a free room at the Borgata and she brought some comps for food. I only lost half of what I expected to, so that was cool. We went swimming in the indoor pool and sat in the hot tub for a while; we went casino hopping and ate some really goof food. All in all it was exactly what I needed- a day to rejuvenate, to unwind… and we actually talked about our businesses some too!
Wednesday: I paid bills, did laundry, and ordered some supplies. I also cancelled the hotel for the show I was supposed to be at this weekend, but circumstances weren’t right so I backed out.
Thursday: I ran errands: groceries, post office, bank, and drycleaner. I also want to MLAC to jury the spring show. I swear it gets harder and harder each show. We get better and better applicants and it gets harder and harder to decide. It took three hours for us to choose just over 40 applicants. As usual I just learn so much about other crafts its not even funny. I learned about jewelry, about pottery, about fabric arts. I think that it makes me a better-rounded artisan to better understand other people's mediums and what they are trying to say through their work. I also stopped to get a friend a present for her upcoming baby shower, and visited my friend A for a few hours. We haven't seen each other for a while and are going to schedule a day of knitting soon (so she can teach me how to make button holes..).
Friday: I applied for health insurance. It's been many years since I carried any and C and I decided it was finally time. It is one of those new HAS plans where I can put my deductible each year into savings and it is a tax write off, plus it carries over from year to year, and I can use it for retirement of there is anything left over by then. I did more laundry- I was so behind! And lost of homework- I was really behind in that too..And I finally had a great experience with a supplier. I purchased some supplies from Nashville Wraps and there was a mistake with my order. Not only did they ship out the right item within a few hours, but they asked me to donate the wrong item to the charity of my choice as I see fit. Bravo Nashville Wraps!!!
Saturday: Laundry and homework- finally sort of got caught up on both. C and I went out to celebrate our Anniversary. We had Italian at Stefano's. Great food, even better dessert. We brought Tartufo home with us and got extra for the next few days snacking. It is a ball of ice cream, chocolate and vanilla filled with nuts and a cherry and covered in chocolate shell.
Sunday: We went to see two houses. One had the space we need, but it was built in the 50's and really needed some major renovation work to become what we want. The other was just too small. It was built in the 20's and was in great shape, but the house was too narrow, and to make the bed and bath the size we want, we would be converting it into a one bedroom house…not a good idea…I finished the laundry (is laundry ever really finished.. I think not), I got the workshop ready for soapmaking in the morning, took care of the cats needs, and put some items up on Etsy.com. Now what is Etsy.com- its Ebay for the handcrafter… very inexpensive to list, just starting- only has about 20,000 members, and automatically builds your own little store. It was easy to use and I had 10 visitors to my items within the first few minutes (no sales yet though)… I want to put up 5 items a week until I have just about everything listed and give it a try as a new venue…
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