April 23-May 6, 2012

It has been a great few weeks, busy and fun, and inspiring all at the same time.

April 25th I went to the big book sale in Bethlehem with my best friend. I picked up great books on running, macrame, bobbin lace, and cooking. Each year I add to my awesome collection of vintage fiber related books because of this stellar sale. The 26 was the Craft Night Out put on by the IndieMade Craft Market. I was hoping turn out would have been a little bigger, but I had so much fun that by the end of the night I didn't care. I got top meet some great customers face to face (they often only see Dad at farm markets) and got to get into wonderfully deep conversations about ingredients, labeling law, and a host of other subjects.

Then I got to go visit my mom. This is always such a great time for me. This year we fit in a visit to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and explored Massachusetts and Vermont for a few days. We went to a candy manufacturer, a yarn shop (of course), one of the most awesome fabric store I have ever seen, and a hots of other places that we stopped at just because they looked interesting. The food was great- we had franks and beans one night for dinner at the local diner! She made me a few more skirts for the Kutztown Folk Festival, new table covers, and a great sun dress. It is always just such a fun, laid back time together. Now I have tons of photos of plants, flowers, birds, and butterflies to try and base new soap color combos off of in the future.

When I got back it was time to pack up and get ready for show season to begin. Dad had the Strawberry Festival at Peddler's Village both the 5th and 6th. He did really well. Sales were up and the the weather held out to give us the first rather dry Spring show in years. There were a few booth placement missteps- we were close to another Soapmaker, and a few potters were right next to each other, but besides that the show was set up and run like a well oiled machine. I loved the fact that they brought the check-in/out table to us so there was no running through the village trying to get paperwork in.

Sunday I had the Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Show. We were back in front of Jenks School (in the fall my booth was moved... I applied late... it was my bad) and my customers had no problems finding us. The day's sales were not quite as solid as last year, but not too far off either. I was very happy and felt very tired at the end of the day. Always a great sign when you are too busy to eat!

So now I have a few days to get ready for next weekend. Lots of administrative to deal with and I need to pack inventory and forgotten items (can you believe I forgot to bring business cards??). Right now I am getting over an eye doctor's appointment. They dilated my pupils so everything is bright and weird looking. Typing this has taken me longer than expected.

Hope to see you all soon and have a great week!

April 2-11, 2012

Well it was a lovely week off. I recharged, got re-inspired, and relaxed. A few of the highlights of the trip include a walk through Old San Juan an Friday. I went with my niece on this annual pilgrimage to tour and pray at seven churches in the old city. Although I am not much of a "go to church" kinda gal, to see the architecture was amazing. So many are in the process of being restored. As i looked around, K prayed in each church, as did thousands of other people. There were even lines to get in all of them! I have to say that the singing, the prayers read out loud, and the music brought me to tears a few times. The faith and love was overwhelming. And then to think that this was going on all over the island, in most towns and cities, people were walking or driving from cathedral to cathedral to pray. It was an experience of a lifetime that I will never forget.

I continued my running plan and finished both week 4 and the week 4 supplemental of the 5k101 running plan. I started week 5, but about halfway through my first interval I fell and rid some damage to the skin on my elbow, hand and knee. So I guess it will be a few more days before I can run again. It isn't so much the knee, that is fine, but my elbow is pretty sore so just sweating burns like crazy.

So here I am, catching up on orders, paperwork, and making some soap. I am finishing up on getting my social networking sites all working and linked together. That is a chore! I have a ton of emails to reply to and phone messages to return. Just going to be a busy day.

But show season is just around the corner, so I have go to keep going :)

Week of March 25- April 1

Well it has been a busy week. We tried vending at Kutztown University but it didn't go as well as we hoped. It is funny how things go like that in this business. You go into an event thinking that you are going to do great, and then you don't. Then there is that one gem, that one thing you expected to be mediocre at best and it comes out shining like a small diamond.

I have been busy at the computer. I have kept the web site up to date as well as the blog. I figured out how to post items for sale onto Pintrest. I also got a Facebook page for the business going. I am kinda bummed about that because there seems to be a whole bunch of things (like my newsletter application) that makes you have a personal account as well. I don't want a personal account. I had one for a week and I don't like it. Now I need to go and figure out how to get an account, make it so no one can see it, possibly block of unfriend a bunch of people in order to get it all straightened out, and then I can post my newsletter directly into the Facebook page. I also think I need to do that for my tweets to update too. And I would like blogger to update to it, but I am not sure if they talk to one another or not.

What I really want is to be able to only have a few places that I post, but to have them cross post to everything else. So I have been giving myself a crash course in social media. Wow, this is a pain, no wonder large companies have people that just do this stuff.

I have been working on getting new product pictures taken. I started with the easy stuff: bath soaks, shaving mugs, etc. Now I have to move onto the small stuff. I think that will all be much harder to photograph.

But I hope that by the end of April all the photos will be up and then I can start in on some other things I would like to do online. I was thinking of starting an Etsy site, and the Soap Guild has a place where I can sell too. Good photos will make that all much easier to get going on and make it look nice too.

I will be taking a week or so off for Easter Break and then will come back all ready to work hard and accomplish lots. Hope you all have a great Easter/Passover/Spring and see you in a week or so!

Week of March 19-25, 2012

So it has been a busy week here at home and in the workshop. Tuesday we vended at Muhlenberg College and as usual it was both fun and profitable. It has been just about one yearn now since we started and we really are seeing the same faces each month (as well as some new ones) and making lots of friends. It has been great as I have gotten to make a few special orders for students as well. It is a very invigorating day because I can just watch and see what is trendy and get inspired by my day.

Our new cat has suffered a name change again. it is still Theodore Harold but instead of the Houdini it is now Edward... Why.. well, first, he has stopped hiding and escaping from everything and now he is officially T.H.E. Cat. Which dad says was the name of a show about a retired cat burglar in the late 60's. I am going to have to IMDB that one sometime and see if I can Netflix it.

We made soap every day and are only a few weeks away from being up to our desired starting inventory. I re-designed lip balm and soap bag labels, and the lotion bars are next on my list. We got fizzys made as well. So we are in good shape. I am confident that we will start the busy season in good shape.

I am also scheduling a soap making demo and hands on fizzy making day for a local home-school group. I have done this for Girl Scouts, a Montessori School, and for other customers in the past, so let me know if you have a group that would be interested in a demo as well.

I have been keeping on my exercise and diet pretty well. Last week was a no loss/no gain week, but I am now on Week 3 of my 5K training program and am running 15 of 33 minutes (in intervals) so I am feeling good.

I am setting up the photo booth for my products and I should be getting some pretty good photos taken and posted in the next few weeks. It has taken me a bit to learn the new camera and figure out what look I like, but it is all coming together and soon we should be able to see the rewards.

Oh and in case you haven't noticed, I changed the blog.. kinda by accident. I was exploring templates and forgot to back up my old one.. so poof.. it was gone. I still have some things to tweak on this one but it is much easier to manage and I think easier to read as well. So for now this is it until I can hire a blog designer...or do it myself...

That's it! See you next week! I will be able to update and tell you all about our first day vending at Kutztown U. We are very excited about it!!!

September 3-9 2007 Week 36

Monday my dad was here. The day was dedicated to painting the bedroom and going through our extensive DVD list and making sure it is up to date.

Tuesday in the morning I brought my dad to rent a car so he could continue on his vacation. I put chlorine in the hot tub, paid bills, made a few phone calls, cleaned the cat pan, took out the garbage, went to the bank, bought more cat pan liners, cleaned the cat water bowl, made some salads, rearranged my cookbooks and got rid of some I don’t use, and finished arranging the DVD’s.

Wednesday I helped H get together his application for MLAC. I answered S’s email so we could arrange when she could deliver my purchase from Fire Mountain Gems, I typed up and e-mailed out my newsletter, and I finished a project I had to do regarding zip codes and my average sales.

Thursday I printed out my newsletter, went to MLAC for the jury session, stopped at Trader Joe’s for some groceries, finished my fragrance spreadsheet of all my samples, and C and I went to Kohl’s to buy a rug for the bedroom.

Friday I cut up soap into bars and milled as well. I also made soap, labeled my fragrances and go a bunch of new purchases rebottled, and did both laundry and dishes.

Saturday I finished painting the wall, packed the van, gardened, and went to a bazillion yard sales where I found some cute glass bottles, a cool green ceramic bathtub, and some books on gardening and knitting. Dad came back in the afternoon and we all went to a nice dinner out.
Sunday: We got up early and went to the Nyack craft show and after the show we all went to dinner at a place Dad had found while biking around town

August 27-September 3 Week 35

This week I was back to making soap and doing lots of stuff around the house. C took the long weekend off so we started some home improvement projects as well. My dad came in on Sunday so I also got to see him for a few days and although I didn’t get as much as I would have liked to get accomplished actually finished, it was a pretty good week.

Monday: I started cleaning my tent and it was a mess. Once they get wet they need to be dried out as soon as possible or the black algae starts to grow and just turns the tent into a grey gross mess that makes it look so bad and dirty forever. We had to pack it after Folk Fest in the rain and the rain over the next week kept me from having the chance to dry it out any earlier. I called some customers about their orders, made a doctors appointment, got a prescription refilled, called the pest control place so they could come out and tell me how to get rid of my mouse in my house, did laundry, paid bills, made soap, and froze some goat’s milk that I had been given for future use. I picked up C from the airport late at night, but at least the flight was on time so it wasn’t all that bad.

Tuesday: The pest control guy came and gave me an estimate, and don’t you know, I haven’t seen the mouse since he came! I cleaned up some soaps (the soap on a rope need the ropes cleaned from excess sop before packaging) and went to the grocery store, it was my first home cooked meal in weeks. Also did some chores like cleaning the cat pan, taking out the garbage and putting chlorine in the hot tub. I also finished freezing the last of the goat’s milk.

Wednesday: I mailed orders, caught up on the blog, measured out lye and oils for soap and made one match of my dad’s special soap, that I poured too hot- so it volcanoes right out of the mold and onto the floor.

Thursday: C was home and I got some things for the business done in the morning. I blogged, answered e-mails, ordered fragrance, got a application sent out and made two batches of dad’s soap (cleaned up my mess from the day before). C and I went to Ikea for some things, and then tried to find where I could test drive the SMART car I want when it comes out but I got lost and never found the location of the event. We also got paint chips to help us decide what color we want to paint the upstairs rooms.

Friday: In the morning I made a batch of soap, got a money order for my dad so he could pay his speeding ticket, cleaned the cat pan, checked the hot tub, and got soap out of the molds it was in. C and I went and bought paint and then started to paint the ½ bath and the master bedroom.

Saturday: More soap from molds, cut some soap into bars, started making samplers, cleaned molds, and pots. I went to the garden and harvested what will be almost the last of my cucumbers; I may get 6-7 more, but not many. I made a bunch of salads and started some others. And C and I painted more, starting the second coat.

Sunday: I left early in the morning to pick up my dad, C finished cleaning the tent while I was gone. We went to dinner that night and had a great meal with an interesting selection of imported beer as well. Dad and I started going through our DVD collection- we keep a list and keep it in alphabetical order so once a year or so we try and go through and make sure everything is where it belongs and we haven’t missed anything.

August 20-26 2007 Week 34

This week very much was a time for me to unwind and rejuvenate after a long three weeks. C was gone a good portion of the week and it was exactly what I needed- some time alone, to not have to cook dinner, to not even have to take a shower if I didn’t feel like it and to not have to leave the house either. When C first started traveling for work I sort of liked it, I used the time as a way for me to pamper myself, to go for sushi almost every night, to sleep late, and to really do nothing. Then as he traveled more I started to use the time to work my tail off. I would work long days while he was gone and then not do all that much while he was home except to hang out with him and pamper him all I could. Later, I just started to resent the travel, to feel abandoned and like everything was on my shoulders. I started doing things he would usually do (like taking out the garbage) and then when he returned, some how these things remained on my plate, never to be taken back by him to do again. Then I hated the travel, the time alone, the things to do, and the feeling like when he returned that I was just a maid and a cook. Doing the cleaning, making the bed, doing the laundry. He still does that, for a week after he travels he leaves the bed unmade, for it to be mysteriously made by the in hotel maid (or in this case by me). Now I just accept the travel, I still dislike it, and I still dislike his decompression from his travels, his reuniting with home live versus hotel life, but now I just plan my days and go on, if he is here or not, just do what needs to be done and that is that. It’s still lonely, and depressing, but it is the way it is. I would give up soaping and get a real job if it meant we could go back to a normal life, without him being gone so much, but if I just hang on, maybe I can have both someday.

Monday: Finally some time in the garden. I think my cucumbers have vine wilt. I just don’t know how. I didn’t see any beetles this year and it seems pretty late in the harvest for it to be this problem. Honestly, I am not heartbroken no matter what it is, I have had a great crop of cucumbers and am getting tired of eating them and figuring out what to do with them. The rest of the day was chores: chlorine in the hot tub, cleaning the cat pan, taking out the garbage, changing sheets and doing laundry. I also took a looong hot shower and scrubbed the Fest off, ran the last credit cards, did the final show inventory, paid bills and put together a grocery list. That night we brought team KB to Sogo for dinner, great sushi, lousy service, but they enjoyed and so did we so that is all that matters.

Tuesday: I got my application to the MLAC fall show complete, finished my mailing list, paid more bills, answered some emails and brought B to a doctor’s appointment and then out to lunch.

Wednesday: Went to the bank to make the Fest deposit, went to the grocery store, mailed orders, K came over for her last day and we emptied the van and did a inventory of what I had left and what I have to make. K and I brought C to lunch and then to the airport, and then stopped at the local yarn shop for a bit.

Thursday: Another trip to the airport, brought B & M so they can go on their Alaska trip. I cleaned the fridge, emptied the dishwasher and repacked it, did laundry, made salads, cleaned the coolers out from the Fest (yikes!), went to Michaels to find ribbon and stopped at AC Moore too, and then went to my sewing circle (we more knit and bead then sew, and drink, and eat, and talk….)

Friday: It was a day of yarn. I went through my stash and my pattern books and matched the two together- only 31 projects to do. I must stop buying yarn. I also balled all my cotton yarns from hanks into balls so it is easier to grab them on the way to a show so I can knit washcloths and bath mitts. I have plenty to finish this year’s inventory and to get me into next year’s as well. It took me just about all day to do this and still had a dozen or so left to ball the next day.

Saturday: I finished the yarn, hit the garden again for a few more tomatoes and cucumbers, cleaned the cat pan, took out the garbage again, and put chlorine in the hot tub again. I started knitting a vest and it looks great, now lets hope I have enough yarn.

Sunday: C was supposed to come home but had to stay one more day. I cleaned out pain brushes from when I painted the workshop, started putting clothes in my closet, did the dishes and mopped the floors. I knitted my vest more and am thinking that the pattern has a typo. I am running out of yarn and I had 100 more yards than I needed and I am knitting to gauge. This is the second time trying this vest that I have run out of yarn, the first time I thought it was because I didn’t gauge and I was using a weird lumpy yarn, now I think it may be a typo. I may have to rip this all out and try again, I hate the thought of that.

August 13-19, 2007 Week 33

Although tired and worn out from Musikfest I had to push through and get ready for the Philly Folk Festival. I would say that these 17 days- from set up of Musikfest to the tear down of Folk Fest are my hardest of the year. The weather is hot and physically draining the hours are long and emotionally draining and I feel as though everything goes completely out of balance and takes me weeks to recover from. After watching the ‘EMPTY” sticker go up on box after box of inventory, I am already stressing about what I need to make, what I need to buy, and how much time I do or do not have to get it done in.

Monday: I ran the last of my credit cards, paid bills, blogged the last day of Musikfest, harvested from the garden, made a bunch of salads from my harvest, and met with B for our bimonthly meeting of the minds. It won’t be for another month till we meet so my list of things to do is long and I can only hope I find the time to get things done before she comes back from vacation and grills me.

Tuesday: I did lots of chores: Put chlorine in the hot tub, took out the garbage, did my inventory for the show, did laundry, changed the sheets on the bed, went and got cat food, went to the bank, did dishes, packed the van with what I need for Folk Fest, finished making some salads, and talked to a woman about a show that I cannot attend because I am already booked for the weekend. ~ OK so that’s my pet peeve for the week- the fact that 1) if you have picked up my business card, then go to my web site, check my events page, and see if I have a show listed before you call me, and 2) don’t you think your event will get better crafters if you don’t call us all last minute? I mean those of us that are the most serious plan months, if not a year ahead of time.

Wednesday: I finished packing the last of the things into the van, K came over, and we left to set up Folk Fest. I picked up another K and the girls camped that night. (Better them than me). I got home and tried to relax a little. It was a hot day and although set up went fast, it was exhausting.

Thursday: I printed and folded hundreds of flyers, printed labels and put them on my small soap bags, delivered my order to Stone Soup Studios, filled an order to be mailed out, and imputed the mailing list additions from Musikfest.

Friday: I got up, packed my lunch, packed the van, and went to Folk Fest.

Saturday: I did inventory and ran the credit cards in the morning, printed and cut more labels for soap bags, showered, packed my lunch, and went to Folk Fest.

Sunday: Inventory, ran credit cards, packed lunch, went to Folk Fest.

August 6-12 2007 Week 32

It was the week filled with Musikfest and I started out trying to be as normal as possible and still maintain balance with my personal life and with the business. But I quickly learned that sometimes the extra sleep is worth the trade off in whatever else I wasn’t doing instead of sleeping.

Monday started out normal with the morning filled with chores- doing bills, running credit cards, counting inventory for the day before, blogging, doing laundry, changing sheets, packing my lunch and packing the van for the show, working on making pickles, and cleaning the cat water bowl, only for it not to work when I was done. Then off to the show…

Tuesday a busy morning yet again. I blogged, mailed an order, ran to the bank, checked the hot tub chem levels, ran my credit cards, packed the van with inventory, and the went to a meeting at MLAC. I got back, packed my lunch, and then ran to the show….

Wednesday I was winding down and coming to a screeching halt. What did I do before the show? I blogged, packed my lunch, packed the van, did inventory, and made some salad. I’m doing less and less…..

Thursday: Blogged, did inventory, ran credit cards, packed my lunch, and packed the van. I might have even napped a bit before I left.

Friday was a little burst of energy due to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and learning that it wasn’t a train… blogged, inventory, credit cards, printed and folded flyers, laundry, gardened, checked hot tub chems, packed lunch, packed the van, and made some copies of patterns that K wanted to try.

Saturday and Sunday- my last chance to conserve some energy- morning routine consisted of blogging, inventory, running credit cards, packing lunch, and packing the van.

C was great this week and stayed home Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night to fight through a huge list of things to do that I had left him. It included everything from dealing with the cat pan, to running errands like Target and Staples. All the work he did really let me relax quite a bit and let me sleep better knowing that it was ok, that things were getting done around the house too and that he had my back.

July 30-August 5, Week 31

This week was all about prep for Musikfest, NOT!. I sure wanted this show to be another week away rather than a few days away. But I did my best, tried to eat good, get plenty of rest, and drink water, really just take care of myself before the onslaught of 10 furiously hot days.

Monday I ran CC’s from the weekend’s sales, and did my inventory. I also did my chores, like paying bills. C and I emptied my van filled with inventory so K and I could go to Ikea for the day and pick up some new cabinets for my workshop. When we got back we reloaded the van with inventory and displays. I started to clean off my desk, which means wading through my list of things to do and actually doing them. I also froze some green peppers and some eggplants to use later in the year.

Tuesday: I caught up on my blog- only 4 posts behind. Did chores (cat pan, dishes, cleaning the fridge, garbage, laundry, hot tub maintenance, etc). I went to a meeting in the morning with Stone Soup Studios and they are going to be carrying my most popular fragrances right after Musikfest is over and in the afternoon I went to the Mayfair meeting which I blogged about in a separate post. I also went to the post office, bank and Home Depot to get paint and supplies. Oh and I wrapped some Soap on a Rope too…

Wednesday: Blogged, did laundry, K came and we emptied my workshop, painted the walls primer grey and he first coat of my floor beige. After she left I went to the grocery store to get food for the festival. That night I made Taziki (spelled wrong maybe) and some pickles. I also tried to clean up the kitchen the best I could.

Thursday: K and I set up for Musikfest. I also did laundry and went to that darn Post office again. That night I had been invited to a Sewing Circle by my friend Sue so I went and had a great time. I knitted, Sue made some jewelry and the rest of the ladies bottled handcrafted beer and wine. It was fun to see and learn about the process. It was also a nice way to feel normal and human pre-Musikfest.

Friday: The morning before the show was busy. I blogged, cleaned the fridge, brought out the garbage, cleaned the cat pan, packed the van, folded flyers, packed my lunch, and filled and order. I also made a point to cross the street and buy some lemonade from the kids with the lemonade stand. I guess being a crafter gives me a soft spot for the entrepreneurial spirit. I stopped by Stone Soup to pick up some flyers to hand out at the show and then went and set up and did the show.

Saturday: Before the show I blogged, mailed another order, did inventory, ran credit cards, packed my lunch, packed the van, printed and folded flyers, gardened, and started making refrigerator super sweet pickles.

Sunday pre show I did a lot of the same things I did on Saturday: blogged, packed the van, packed lunch, printed and folded flyers, did inventory, ran credit cards, worked on those pickles more and made some marinated cucumber and tomato salad.

July 23-29, 2007 Week 30

Monday: It was the usual, pay bills, run credit cards, do inventory, input the mailing list additions, and go to the bank to make a deposit. But I also had a ton of orders that came in on Sunday and Monday, so I had to get those filled and mailed, I mean it was an unusual amount of orders for two days, but I’m not complaining. I also ran to the grocery and picked up some dill so I could make dill pickles, which I did, and they are way to dilly for me. I also harvested my first big crop of green peppers from the garden and got them cleaned and chopped and frozen for future use. That is one thing about me gardening; the harvest starts when I eat the least- craft show summer season. So I am learning lots of preservation techniques, such as pickling and freezing. As for the business, I also did some dishes, washing soap pots, and doing a bunch of filing, but that’s it!

Tuesday: Chores, Chores, Chores. Poured some Soap on a Rope (only a few more batches left), filled sachets, milled soaps, and did some major accounting catch up.

Wednesday: I caught up on my blogs (4 days worth!), filled sachet bags (almost done now), milled more, and mailed a few more orders. Busy week…and that day my throat felt scratchy and dry, but I just thought I was talking too much…

Thursday: Blogged and then met with B for our bi-monthly kick each other in the butt meeting that we call UWBW (United Wonderful Business Women). But I was coming down with a cold for sure. I couldn’t swallow very well, and my head was full of, well, snot, for lack of a better term. We got lunch, and met, and then when she left, I slept, and slept, and then slept some more…

Friday: The morning was full of chores, and along with them I printed flyers for the show, did some laundry, and blogged. K came and we packed the van for the show. I wanted to do more, but my body just wouldn’t let me. We drove around getting me medicine and stopping to check inventory at Out of Our Hands, waiting for a local place to open for lunch, that didn’t open that day. And then, after she left, well I slept.

Saturday was Emmaus Heritage Days. I finished packing the van, and my lunch, folder flyers, jumped in a shower and then C came with me to help me set up. The rest is in another post.

Sunday: I got up and printed handouts for my demo and started gardening until the rain came down hard. I prepped for the demo anyway and then ran to the grocery to get what I needed for the demo. I forgot to get avocados and realized it when it was too late and stopped at another store to pick them up. I then went over to Out Of Our Hands and it was just pouring so they cancelled them demo. I went across the street to the Farmer’s Market and got great plums, eggplant, and wax beans, along with some blackberries, and edamame. After I got home, about an hour later, the rain stopped and the sun came out (sort of) but it was too late to do the demo. So really I just stayed home, still a little sick.

July 16-22 Week 29

This was a strange week indeed. J lost her grandmother’s husband (I know that translates to grandfather to most people) and I once again was brought face to face with a few things: 1) how inflexible my schedule is sometimes, and 2) how much I give up for work. It is a tough thing to go through the year being so flexible most of the time, but having a set craft show schedule keeps me from doing some things that I should do. Like going to the funeral, like going up and being with J’s mom and grandmother because she couldn’t be there. Those are things that I should have done, but I couldn’t, I had a show and I couldn’t get help, and I couldn’t not to the show. I know many other people who give up things too for their 40 hour a week job, but I always think that these are the reasons I work for myself and no matter what, I still have to give up some things.

Monday I did my usual routine (blogged, paid bills, post office, etc). I didn’t have to do laundry because I only have a few things to wear while the house is still in turmoil, so I have to keep doing laundry in order to stay dressed. I made soap on a rope, K labeled and shrink wrapped lip glosses, I made samplers, and later went to Target and Staples. I spent the morning arguing with my bank about security questions, what a hassle.

Tuesday K labeled the last of the glosses whule I make soap, made a special order of lotion, filled orders, did accounting, put together a gift basket for a friend of my dad’s, and did my Tuesday chores. Later I went to the bank, and then the grocery store to get things to make Bread & Butter Pickles, Zucchini Relish, and Squash Pickles, which I made later in the evening. I received a purchase of some new clothes which I tried on and sent back a bunch of stuff that either didn’t fit or was way ugly compared to the picture online.

Wednesday I did laundry, made soap, filed, K and I filled sachets for a few hours, and later that night I got my hair cut. J lost her grandfather and in a way since we were so close as kids, so did I. At least it brought back all the memories of loosing my grandfather almost 15 years ago. I wanted to be there but I couldn’t get there and back again in time for my show on Friday.

Thursday K and I packed the van full of inventory and ran to the bank for change. Later I went to the grocery store for lunch food for the weekend, stopped over at the post office, and later painted my toe nails bright purple. It was fun and its been a long time since I had fun toes.

Friday In the morning I did my chores and then finished packing for the show. I also sent in all my sales tax for what is starting to feel like a bazillion states. It takes forever! C came with me and helped me set up the tent and then I helped B set up a little and then the show started. By the time I got home I was just so tired I curled up, turned on the TV and went to sleep.

Saturday: The show started in the late morning so I got to run some errands and do some chores before I left. I gardened, ran my credit card purchases from the day before, packed my lunch, etc...before finally heading out. The show ended at 8 and once again, I pretty much came home and went to bed.

Sunday: another late morning start, but I slept a little later too. I ran my credit card purchases, packed my lunch, and blogged before heading out. C didn’t get called into work so he did stuff around the house and then came over to the show to help me pack up. When I arrived home I had the greatest surprise- my bed was back in the bedroom where it belonged! I got the best sleep ever!

July 9-15, 2007 Week 28

The week my life has been in turmoil. We are having some work done on the house- having the hardwood floors refinished. This means that three bedrooms and one and a half baths along with my dining room are off limits to me. I can go in the kitchen, the living room, the office, my workshop and the bathroom. The cats are in worse shape, they don’t get the living room or the kitchen because of how the house is set up, and they are cranky cats for sure. For the lack of anything else to do, and the fact that C has been working late a lot, I have been getting lots of things done, if not just to try and stave off full boredom.

Monday: Monday chores (bills, blog, laundry, cat pan, change sheets etc…). I folded newsletters and addressed envelopes, and stuffed said newsletters into the envelopes. I made my last batch of shampoo bars, and another batch of soap on a rope (just 6 more to go). I worked on lip glosses and a special lotion bar. I also went to the bank and to Target in the afternoon. When C got home we moved some furniture in prep for the floor work. I also emailed A about getting B & H onto the MLAC mailing list and installed more software onto my new computer- this time it was so I could ship out an order, I needed my postage software.

Tuesday: Chores (check hot tub chems, bring out garbage, and post to the blog). I made up a special order of lotions for a loyal customer, worked on lip glosses more, put stamps on and return address labels on my newsletter and got it mailed out. Cut up soap and put it in the cure racks, packed the spare room and moved more furniture when C got home. I also made pesto, my basil was about to flower so I cut it back and made a bunch of pesto to stick in the freezer.

Wednesday: I posted to the blog, filed, did some paperwork, and cleaned my desk while I spent over 4 hours on the phone with QuickBooks trying to get my Credit Card Processing Kit to install on my computer. It is supposed to be Vista friendly, but it wasn’t. C and I moved the last of the furniture when he got home and our bed is now officially installed in our living room for the next week to ten days.

Thursday: I work up early, because sleeping in the living room sucks. The light os different, the sounds are different, blech! I blogged, cut soap and got it in the curing racks, cleaned my soap on a rope molds to get them ready for the next batch, mailed an order, cleaned up my kitchen, vacuumed the carpet that was being taken out the next day (can’t have the workmen taking out dirty carpet now can we?), chores (cleaning the cat bowl, groceries, pot office, and hot tub), and met B for our UWBW meeting. As usual the meeting was great. What we do is try and meet every two weeks and check up on one another, we have lunch, get goals to reach by the next meeting, talk about things we are having trouble with accomplishing, and pretty much lend each other both support and a kick in the butt all at the same time. I love these meetings and don’t know what I would do without them; they really keep me focused and on task, even through all the personal drama.

Friday: 8 am sharp the floor work began. A small crew of three came in, ripped up all the carpets, installed a new floor in my half bath, sanded all the rooms, and put down the sealer on the floors. The sealer smells terrible and the work was loud. The cats were scared all day and hid in the garage. I tried to spend as much time down near them as possible, hoping my presence would calm them some. Before they arrived I brought out the garbage, and cleaned the cat pan. After they arrived, I ran to the drycleaner before C went to work, blogged, and worked on my web site just about all day. I finished my contact page, and started my photo gallery pages, and started writing my FAQ as well. My new blocking board arrived, and I spent some time in the garden- my first cherry tomato was ripe for the picking, so I picked and ate it, yum! Once they were gone I ran to Joanne Fabrics for T pins and some unexpected yarn, as much to get the T-pins as to get away from the smell.

Saturday: The floor work continued as they installed new molding, buffed the floors, and put down the first coat of finish. It looked beautiful and smelled awful (but not as bad as the sealant). I worked most of the day in the office, blogging, and finishing both my FAQ page and my photo gallery pages. In the garden I harvested my first four cucumbers, two of which I made into freezer pickles that night. And I blocked my sweater!!!

Sunday: The floor work was finished with the last of the buffing and the second coat of finish being applied in the afternoon. Just 24 more hours before I can walk on it and another 24 before we can start moving in some furniture. I should be sleeping back in a bedroom by Wednesday night, hopefully! I posted my blog and worked in the garden- finishing planting some plants in the front landscaping and finishing putting in the mulch there as well. C helped me with the mulch which was awesome, because those bags are heavy. I saw my first slug in my garden, time to get the beer out and get rid of those critters. And I did laundry, just a few more days till I get my closets back and I can put it away, for now I live off the clothes on top of my washer & dryer…

Monday Recap July 2-8, 2007 Week 27

Well I made it through my first week of blogging every day. Whew, it is a lot f work but I am really enjoying it. I have already heard some positive feedback and I hope that you all are enjoying it.

This past week was a momentous one- I have officially finished my “starting” inventory for the year. This was meant to be complete before I started doing shows in April, but life was well, busy, and I finished it just about 2 ½ months later than I thought. But it is a good start- about 5400 bars of soap, 3000 bath fizzys, 900 lotion bars, 1050 lip balms, 360 bath salts, and 450 lip glosses. There are also hundreds of bath mitts, soap savers, wash cloths, soap samplers, and sachets in that list as well. Some of these things will last me the year, others I will need to make more of in just a few months time. I hope that in October/November I can start on stuff for next year and really be able to meet my goal in 2008- inventory complete, BEFORE I start shows!

Monday: Paid bills, caught up on two weeks of blog, did laundry, and figured out the dinner menu for July 4. In the garden C and I finished installing the edging, bought stones and put them down (realizing we STILL needed more). We worked on the front landscaping buying plants and mulch, we decided on mostly annuals for this year and next we will research and plant perennials, this planting every year is too much work.. I pickled my beets from my garden- 6 beets got me 1 pint, and it is harder and messier than I expected it to be, but it was fun and now I don’t want to eat them because of all my hard work.

Tuesday: I did my typical Tuesday chores, planted some pepper plants I had bought the day before. I had planted green peppers when I started the garden, but decided early on that I should have put in yellow or red peppers as well, so when we were looking at plants for the front of the house I found some yellow pepper plants and decided to try and see if I could get them not to die and actually produce peppers. I picked up groceries for the July 4 BBQ. In the front landscaping C and I mulched around the plants that we got installed, and still have just a few more to do before we can call that section done.

Wednesday: In the morning we cleaned up the house and B&M came over for what is now our annual July 4 BBQ. We had burgers and hot dogs, potato salad, cole slaw, and cucumber salad, brownies, and fruit salad. We hung out for quite a few hours and we all had a lot of fun. It is so nice to have a relaxing day with friends and not have tons of drama and stress. The rains came so we didn’t even have an opportunity to see fireworks even if we had wanted to…

Thursday: I finished and e-mailed my July/August Newsletter. Made soap and made lip glosses. It was a day back to work, but it was exciting because I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and it was just a few more days……

Friday: More soap and more lip glosses made. I also did my Friday chores. I wrapped some Soap on a Rope, and printed my Newsletter so I can get it mailed soon. I also poured some lotion bars that I am working on in a research and development sort of way.

Saturday: In the morning I worked on the garden cutting back tomato plant suckers and replanting some seedlings I have sprouting. We went to see the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute with B&M. It was amazing to see. The quality of the workmanship and to think how old everything is, that it was all buried, just mind boggling. The Egyptian pharaoh wanted to “live forever” and if you believe that eternal life comes through being remembered, well than they sure have reached their goals. After that we went to the Chester casino. The place was packed because the PA gov’t was most likely shutting down in a few days so everyone had to loose their money before it did. Actually C and I did well, almost doubled our money, not bad. We had a great buffet. B & M both got the extra crab legs and since they couldn’t eat them all, I got some too, yum!

Sunday: I woke up with a terrible headache and didn’t do all that much all day. I picked up groceries for the week and then C and I started to clean out our bedrooms so the floors can be refinished. We brought all the clothes into the attic and much of the other stuff was loaded into the bathroom. We have to work on it a little every day till Friday when they come. While I napped in hopes for my headache to stop, C went and bought the last of the stones for my garden and some potting soil so we can finish the front landscaping. Later, once the sun went down and it cooled off a little I finished putting down the stones in the garden.

June 25-July 1, 2007 Week 26

The week started out slow but still much was accomplished. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and soon I shall have my inventory complete (only two months later than I had planned, but complete none the less). With the push of shows soon upon me I am searching for balance and harmony these next few weeks. This means working shorter days, eating well, finding solace in hobbies, sleeping enough, and generally enjoying my last few weeks of freedom. Although I do shows in April, May and June, I really think if my “season” as starting mid-July. This is when the fun starts- five shows in a row (18 days total), two weekends off, then six more in a row (10 more days total), two weeks off (our vacation cruise), then 8 more in a row (26 days total) . It means that soon I am in reaction mode and all the planning in the world is out the window…

Monday: Monday chores, making cutting and putting soap away. Made soap samplers.

Tuesday: Tuesday chores- which were interrupted by an almost 2 hour power outage leaving me to find things to do that didn’t need electricity (finally got the new bird feeder up). Since we bought new bath towels over the weekend that meant I got all the old ones as shop rags, so I went through and threw out the worst of the worst of my existing shop rags. Made soap, cut soap, got soap out of molds, cleaned molds and all that good soap making stuff. I finished knitting my sweater and bought a blocking board online. I can’t wait till it comes so I can block and assemble my sweater…

Wednesday: More soapmaking~ put away molds, cut soap, made soap, sent out an order, cleaned molds & pots and made lip glosses (my almond oil had arrived. I started knitting a new vest out if banana silk- weird stuff to work with, and when C got home we emptied the hot tub and refilled it. It is supposed to be done twice a year and we were a little overdue..

Thursday: I answered a huge pile of emails that had been building up, sent out show paperwork that was due, made soap, worked on lip glosses, and spent a good part of the day knitting.

Friday: Busy day~ Friday chores (cleaning the cat water bowl and cat pan, taking out the garbage, stuff like that). Made soap- cut soap, milled soap….all that jazz…I also sent out an order, a box of samples to a wholesale inquiry, and stuff out to J she wanted. I also worked on my newsletter and on information for an upcoming demo I am doing.

Saturday: Started the day in the garden staking the pepper plants and thinking that I will be over run with cucumbers this year. I brought in some beets to pickle and got them boiled. C and I tried to rearrange our living room furniture and gave up. We try this every few months- move things around and the don’t like it any more than the previous configuration, only to move everything back the way it was. Its good exercise… C hooked up my new computer and now I have a tone of things to install, fix, and just generally make it the way that I want. While he messed with it I took a nap. Then I made a late lunch/early dinner and we were amazed by how quickly the day passed us by.
Sunday: I ran to Michaels in the morning to get cotton yarn that was on sale. Then I started working on my computer- installing office, configuring my e-mail, wondering why everything in Itunes was doubled and how much of a pain it will be to fix it. And then we gardened- we clipped back this tree that we dislike into something that looks like it just came from a Dr. Seuss book. We ripped out a huge thing of creeping Juniper, which made my arms itch and turn red. We went and looked at plants at a local nursery and sort of decided on a few we like. I made lunch while C cleaned up some of the yard waste and after that we went back out looking for plants. But the places were closed. We went to dinner with B &M which was good food- but the menu was SEVERLY limited by what they were not out of and we were disappointed that we felt like we had no choices. But the company was great and B gave me some awesome retro knitting pattern books that I can’t wait to look through and try some stuff from.

June 18-24, 2007 Week 25

It always seems that when C goes away for a few days I have this huge burst of energy to get things done You would think it would be the opposite, that I could let the house get dirty and only eat cereal for dinner, and hang in my PJ’s all day, but instead I work long days uninterrupted by cooking dinner or other household tasks.

Monday: I always start Mondays doing my chores- bills, blogging, laundry, etc…this week I also washed my table covers for my display, since next show I do starts the mayhem and I won’t have time again till late August. I worked in the shop unmolding soaps, cutting soaps, pouring soaps, milling soaps, putting soaps away, and making soaps. I also started labeling inventory for Out Of Our Hands since I finally received the organza bags I was waiting for.

Tuesday: The morning started with me taking C to the airport, he needed to go to Mexico for a few days. On the way back I stopped at the Post Office, I never check my box mail enough I think, although most of the times when I do, its empty, and only when I miss a week is there an order waiting~ more soap made, cut, milled, and labeled. I finished labeling the Out of Our Hands inventory, this will being them lots of stock and get them 99% of everything I make in stock as well. I started making lip glosses, I really want to get these done in the next few weeks. I ordered the almond oil in order to be able to finish the glosses~ what was cool was a place I order from used to do a “points” rebate and they discontinued the program, however, I still had enough final points to get a bunch of supplies for only $5. That was a nice surprise! And then I knit. I have been working on this great sweater and don’t have much left to finish it…

Wednesday: C still being in Mexico I worked long & hard yet again today. Mostly it was the usual: making soap, milling soap, cleaning molds, sending out orders, I poured a batch of Soap on a Rope but I mixed it too thick and it wouldn’t go into the molds- I hate it when I loose a batch like that. I ordered some more displays to use both at shows. The new ones I got earlier this year for lip balms and lotion bars seem to be working very well and sales of lotion bars even seem to be up. Sales of baths salts seem to be up as well. I think this is because they used to share a display with lotion bars and now that they are on their own they command more attention, thus bringing more sales. I spent the evening filling sachets. I have TONS of sachets to fill and it is one of my most unfavorite things to so. I just need to sit in front of the TV and do them, ick….

Thursday: I got a box of stuff out to my dad and ran errands: bank, grocery, post office, and delivered the inventory to Out of Our Hands. I ordered mold and tins for a project that I am researching- it’s a secret but it has to do with Lotion Bars…Then I relaxed and knit until I had to go pick up C from the airport. The plane was actually on time for once, pretty amazing…

Friday: Does it surprise you I made more soap? Cut soap, unmolded soap, cleaned soap molds and equipment, and in general just had a soapy day.

Saturday: I started the day going to a neighbors yard sale. Its sort of voyeuristic to see what they are getting rid of, but it also gave me a chance to meet a few more neighbors. I then worked on the garden for a while till C got up and we went to breakfast, Target, Best Buy, Wild Birds Unlimited, Harbor Freight Tools, Office Depot, Marshals, and Dan Schantz’s Greenhouse, as well as dropping some stuff off at charity. Then we stopped for dinner at Red Robin and then went to BJ’s before heading home. It was a good 9 hours of errands, whew; we were tired (and broke). Then when we got home I started laundry- washing the new bath towels we had just bought…

Sunday: I worked on accounting in the morning and then went to the grocery store before coming back and cleaning up the house. B & M came over in the afternoon so we could help them get plane tickets for their vacation. After that C had to pick up a coworker at the airport so I sat around, knitted more and watched the NASCAR race…