Back on track again... it is what it is

Yep - I am back at Weight Watchers again.  and again.  I lost 60 pounds a few years back - took me a year, but I did it.  I spent all my time and energy working on my weight loss and healthy activities.  Then I got hurt, and then I started my own business.  No more time for Heather.  No more time for anything, actually. (my toilets need to be cleaned before they start creating new life)

ugh.

So, here I am again at Weight Watchers.  I am one week in and 5 pounds down.  (pretty siked, but I know that 5 lbs in a week will never happen again).  I have a great new group of ladies to commiserate and share with and I really like my leader - she really cares!

Why is it that us women never put enough time aside for ourselves?  Why is it considered selfish (by others - not us cool ladies) if we try to get in a workout or a pedicure or a haircut or go out for a coffee with friends (yeah - this morning was fun, ladies!)?  I just don't think it is selfish.  I don't think we ladies put enough time aside to take care of ourselves - we are constantly taking care of everyone else and not thinking twice about it.

I think we would all agree that we love our families and we take pride in caring for them, BUT that we all want time to ourselves too (why else would there be so many sarcastic and funny ecards about hiding from the kids in the bathroom?).  Time to be pampered. (and that could mean just being left alone! amen)

I love the time I get when the kids go to bed to actually get some uninterrupted work done.  Of course, now I don't get any sleep. No time for sleep, no time for exercise and no time to plan healthy meals and snacks.  Sound familiar? 

Ya gotta pick and choose what you can do each day - there is only so much time.  This morning I chose to have coffee with my friends and do some light shopping.  Me time.  I also worked out when I got home and ate a healthy lunch. 

Did I get any work done for my business? nope.  Is the house clean? nope.  Am I packed for my trip tonight? nope.  Oh well - that is life and life happens and as one of my good friends says, "It is what it is".  Good words to live by.  Just chill, relax and go with the flow.  Everyday is a new day and if I gained back my weight, I can lose it again, whatever.  It is what it is.  I just hope I can clean those toilets before new life begins to crawl out of them.

For Gardeners Only - or those that wish the world were rid of groundhogs

It was like Christmas morning today for Andy and I.  We literally both ran to the backyard window to see what we got. 

In the Hav-a-Hart trap, that is.

Please do not read anymore if you have a bleeding heart.  I don't want nasty messages.  I did nothing wrong. 
You see, I believe that the groundhog population should be controlled just as the deer population is controlled with yearly hunts.  These hunts are very important to the environment.  When an animal population grows uncontrollably it can radically harm the entire ecosystem.  (I learned this from my environmental science Yale graduate friend so don't raise your eyebrow at me) 

Here's the thing - I start growing plants from seed in my basement in March each year.  It is a labor (and I mean labor) of love and nurturing.  It takes months to get results people.  Think about it - you plant a seed in March aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand in July you get one head of broccoli from that seed. Well - you would get a head of broccoli - IF YOU DON'T HAVE GROUNDHOGS.

calm. inner peace.

I STARTED FROM SEED 4 types of tomatoes, green peppers (they were supposed to be pepperoncini?? huh??) butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, sugar snap peas, honeydew melon and sugar baby watermelon.  phew.  I even grew decorative gourds.  Yeah, that's right.  I am doing my part to help this earth.  To teach my children about gardening and eating fresh veggies.

So, when your garden is lush and green and flowering and fruiting, you feel like thumping your chest.
(insert Tarzan call here)

Well, lovely - I took the care to set up an automatic sprinkler while our family took a beach vacation for a week.  When I returned, I checked on my garden babies only to find that my broccoli and cauliflower were completely eaten and only stems left behind.  It was like a bunch of middles fingers standing up and staring at me.  So, there go all the veggies I grow that my daughter will eat.

Since then, the little rascal has stolen (seriously - stolen!) 3 butternut squashes.  They are my fave, so this needed to end.  In our last home out in Western NY we would just use a .22 to take care of the nuisance.  Can't do that in Connecticut (can do much of anything here - and I am no redneck)  So, we borrowed a trap. 

Do we have a heart? nope. When my husband and I ran to the window this morning like kids looking for full stockings, our faces lit up like aspen glow.

I went through it in my head right before I got up - what I was going to say to the little critter when I saw it in the trap munching away at my last spaghetti squash, "you ate all my broccoli, all my cauliflower and all of my butternut squash! You are a bad animal."  Yep, I was really gonna reprimand him. 
Instead, when I saw him in that trap I immediately started laughing.  6:30 am is when I (just yesterday)set my sprinkler to start watering the garden and guess where my husband put the trap? HAHHAHHAHHAHHHAHHAAHHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHA
well, I guess the little bugger doesn't need to get reprimanded.  He just got trapped and now is getting a shower and soon after a very, very, very deep bath.  hint hint.

So, have I learned anything?  Yes - groundhogs eat everything and make lots of babies - so my trap is out again tonight.  This is not over.  Oh, and I also learned that I need to fence in my garden next year. uh yeah.

Who has the time?? kids or business??

Well, as you can see, I have been super busy (lazy, ahem).  The summer got away with me - as it should - and now school has started again. 

Hooray!  (I mean, awww the summer went by too fast and I miss having all that time to play with my children)

For the first time in 8 years, I actually have all three kids in school at the same time..................................
.................for 3 hours
................3 days a week.  ha - I am living the good life.

My 2 oldest are in all day elementary school and my youngest is in preschool for 9 hours each week.

I was really excited to have this time to myself and I spent the summer dreaming up all the things I was going to do (join a gym, go back to Weight Watchers, exercise, get coffee with friends, actually read a newspaper - do we even get one anymore?)
Let me tell ya - 3 hours is NOT enough time to get much of anything done. 

I actually thought I could get work done for my business, take care of household duties and maybe take some time to myself. 

***Insert huge laughtrack right here while pointing at me***

I dream of going grocery shopping without having to yell, kick and track down loud children that are basically screaming and waving their arms while running down the aisles - all while the little blue haired ladies are smiling at me and saying things like, "what a cute little helper" or "such a sweet little boy". 

Don't they see the horns on their heads? I swear his head just spun around.....

Oh well - life goes on.  I actually love having time with my littlest guy.....even if it means I have to watch multiple viewings of  the American Muscle Cars series.  He doesn't mind if I fold laundry or cut, pin or sew anything as long as I am around him (that makes me warm and fuzzy inside). 

Of course I love my kids and want to spend as much time as I can with them but I also want to grow my little business so I have something to do with myself when they are out of the house all day.  I DO NOT want to be one of those helicopter parents.  Nope.  Not me.  I will not. 

I will drink coffee, play Words With Friends, read newspapers (if we still get them?) work hard at my little business and patiently wait for them to get off the bus every afternoon so I can bother the heck out of them just like they do to me now. heh heh heh heh (evil laugh)

Empty Bottles

What a crazy week!

Did anyone else feel like it was insane?  Maybe it was just the fact that my husband was away from Monday morning to Saturday night - or maybe it was because it was my 3 kids' first week of summer vacation - or maybe it was the fact that I broke my toe (Monday night, of course) - or maybe it was the fact that I had a lot of work to do.

Who knows.

What I do know is that there were several empty bottles of wine when my man returned and I definitely have a few more gray hairs. 

(how do you spell gray, the color? is it gray or grey? I never know... what is the difference?)
hmmmmmm

Whoa!

So, what do you do when you realize that your handmade gifts that you make only because you enjoy creating are suddenly in demand?  Whoa!

I have come out with several new products this year.  My Seat Belt Pillow was the one item that shocked me with it's popularity.  Originally, I made one of these for a friend (her daughter actually) to say thank you for watching my daughter during a long weekend while I was away.  (I knew my husband couldn't watch her younger brothers AND take her to several planned events that weekend).  My friend had mentioned wanting one for her daughter and wondered if I could make one.  I thought, Aha! A perfect way to say thanks!

So, after a little research - I created my first seat belt pillow with great ease.  I hoped she would like it.  The reception was fantastic.  She loved it, used it and I saw it in use in her car.  What a wonderful feeling.

So, she asked me if I was going to sell them on my site.  I thought about it.  I normally sell baby gifts and the seat belt pillow is mainly for older kids - the ones that are out of the 5 point harness.....not my usual Etsy demographic.  But, I figured, why not?  If she likes it, maybe someone else will too.

Whoa!  What an immediate positive response.  My seat belt pillow design is the only of it's kind on Etsy.  A clear market maker.  Now what?

Almost 20 orders later, I am still having to look back at my own scribbled handwritten pattern/instructions to make sure I make them correctly.  I am still new at making the seat belt pillow but am happy to say that because of it, I hit over 1,000 views in a week.  My best ever. 

The rush has died down almost as fast as it went up but I am still trying to catch up on the orders I already have.  Hopefully, I will just keep a steady stream of orders coming in from now on....and hopefully, some of those moms/dads-of-older-children will purchase some of my other lovely baby gifts for the people in their lives that are now having newborns....this way, I can create a relationship with those new moms and dads too...

Full circle. 

New Products!

New products galore!
I have been lucky enough to have customers request new items from me.  I guess they like what I have made (or my prices) enough to want more!  The feedback says it all. I have gotten some amazing feedback and it makes me so proud to read.  Thanks peeps!  Customer service is important to me!

Anyway - new products - The carseat canopy - the seatbelt pillow - the shopping cart cover - the boutique style burp cloths - the swaddler - the crib sheet - the crib skirt - curtains/valances - the bumbo cover - the pacifier clips - and more if you want! 

Just ask!  Check out my facebook page for more pics...

New Family Members!

I am super excited about the two newest members of the family!  Two of my cousins had their very first little babes just a day apart! Two sweet little (over 8 lbs?) boys!  Being in the business that I am in, of course, I would be excited about new little ones to make goodies for!  The first one came early and so I am scrambling to get my gift out asap - the second one is already outfitted with my Michael Miller "Giraffe Love" nursery set. 

My father is the oldest of six kids.  My older sister and I have grown up with LOTS of younger cousins and I always considered myself very blessed to have them.  Even though we didn't see each other often growing up, when we did see each other, we would just pick up where we left off last time.   The feeling of closeness was like brothers and sisters, not just cousins.

I was the first one to get married.

I was the first one to have children.  I had three of them.....

My kids are now 7, 5 and 3.  After having my third, (and being the brunt of a big joke about whether or not I was pregnant as Thanksgiving again....) the next oldest cousin had his first baby.  Finally, I am not alone!  Three years later my older sister had her much anticipated first baby (my sweet, sweet, sweet little niece - who BTW, is a huge fan of my Tiny Tag Teething Toy).  Now, all of a sudden there are two new babies to add to the fray!  Hurray!  I am no longer the one with "more than half" the kids! HA!

Cat for Hire: Isis

Everyone should have a cat as a co-worker.

They sit on your lap when you are trying to type and they purr in your ear when you are trying to listen.  Sometimes they will even try to play cute kitten with your fabric scraps.  Mine will even sprawl out on top of my cutting mat when I am rolling around a seriously sharp rotary cutter! That's smart - we should hire her for her obviously superior knowledge.

Well, everyone needs a moment to just enjoy - even when yer busy.  A cat certainly knows how to relax.  Maybe she is trying to tell me something when she wedges herself between me and the sewing machine.  Hmmmmmm.....

Thanks, Isis, for your unconditional love and your super smart moves....
You're hired!

The Grass is Always Greener

One of the downfalls of having your own small business from home is that you are never "out of the office".  I enjoy the fact that I can work at night while catching up on some Up All Night or Hell on Wheels with my husband, BUT, I also would enjoy being able to turn it off and just be free to enjoy the time with my family.  If I had an "office" job, I could be able to come home from work and give my full attention to the house and family simply because I had no choice - MY work would not be able to be done at home! 

Unfortunately, that is not the case - as I sit here after having a lovely waffle breakfast with my family, I am working.  Ooooookaaaaaaaaay, so blogging isn't technically working, but I am off to sew after this.  Simply because I have to get some work done. If I only had time to do my work at the "office", I would be more productive with my time during the week.  On the other hand - if I were at the "office" during the day, I wouldn't be able to have lunch with my boys, play basketball with them in the morning or be home to do homework with my daughter in the afternoon.  So, we pick and choose.

The grass is always greener. 

My husband is out in the family room right now playing with our youngest and I am off to sew.  Well, it sounds like I may be doing some cleaning first - what was that crash?

What Does It All Mean?

I cannot explain how things get done around my house.  Some days, I am in a good mood - energized and ready to tackle housework, laundry, cooking, kids and my own work as well.....Some days, I just wanna curl up on the sofa and play Angry Birds or Plants VS Zombies (ya know, I can't even play Words With Friends because I am so lazy those days) Today - I told myself I HAD to get work done - because it is a day off for me from the taxi driver "job" I have and because I have not made a sale in one week. EEK! The holiday is over and it is time to get back to work.  So, I get up this morning - put on my cozy unattractive sweats, shirt and enormous grey Mokee (from Fraggle Rock!?) sweater and get it on!  I don't even know where my brain was, because I got sooooo much done.  Unfortunately, my kids were little hellions today a (especially a certain Kindergartner)  Maybe it was the early release day that put everyone on the wrong schedule, but wither way - there was a lot of noise, yelling and crying in this household today.
Did I get my work done? Wow! Yeah!  I did - but how?  I just downed a beer and ate some frozen pizzas - literally threw my kids into bed and now am off to do more work.
I just wanna say - I rock!

What's Babylon and Why is is on My Computer?

Much more productive today.... 4 teethers, 3 bibs and loads of fabric purchased, cut and washed.  Clipart is still unaccessable.....just staring at me from my desktop, but not letting me see it or use it.  I dunno what I downloaded - but now my web browser has changed - (what's Babylon?).  I give up.  I think I just heard a bottle of wine calling me, gotta go.

I'm Sorry, Heather, I'm Afraid I Can't Do That...

I just want some simple clipart - is that so much to ask? I downloaded something and mcafee detected a trojan.  ugh.  I should just stick to sewing because this computer stuff just isn't for me.  I keep reflecting back on the movie 2001 (or was it 2010) a space odyssey where the computer speaks to Dave in that soft scary voice and tells him "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave".  I think mine is about ready to speak to me in that fashion pretty soon - I am almost positive I am pissing it off with my lack of computer lingo.
Well, I'll just put her (or is it is he?) down and go sew - no harm there.  Oh wait - my sewing machine is computerized as well - eek!  There could be a conspiracy in this house!

Big Work Day????????

Tuesday - a big work day for me.  My youngest has no preschool, so I technically do not have to leave the house............ ever!  So, I try to plan my Tuesdays and Thursdays as "work" days.  I expect a lot to get done.

Wait, what time is it? 12:30? eek!  I have made NOTHING yet and the day is half over.  Oh, I spent the morning on social networks (Facebook, Branchout and Etsy on Facebook) trying to promote my Facebook page and Etsy shop.  I have less than 100 Likes and I know I have more friends than that........

AHEM.

So, come on peeps - I know I have less people following my lazy blog, but could ya please Like my Facebook page and Etsy shop? If my numbers get high enough, I will be sending out another coupon!!!!!

C'mon - 100 likes - you can do it........for me!

MY ETSY SHOP

MY SHOP FACEBOOK PAGE

The Taxes are Done, Man!

It's April 1st tomorrow.  Time flies.... My business taxes are completed (my man is happy about that).  I am getting the call of the outdoors - the spring weather, the little green tufts rising in the garden......  This is a bad time of year for my business.  I almost completely shut down last summer because I was outdoors the whole time.  I cannot do that again this year.  I need to dedicate an allotted amount of time to this job every weekday.

Again, the whole question about working from home comes up...how do you do it?  How do you balance the time with your job and your family (especially when the sweet warm breezes and little giggles are flowing in your window)?  I was lazy this year - after a snafu with an online gardening supplier, my seeds are not yet started for the veggie garden.  I MUST do it this weekend.

My man has been away since Monday and is on his way home right now.  When he goes away for work for a week, we always spend the evening together when he returns.  So, I know I won't get any work done tonight.

 My daughter wants to have a playdate with a neighbor I have never met, so if we decide to do that, I gotta clean my disaster of a house (and it IS a disaster after this week of laziness).

So, why am I here writing about it? Procrastination.

I gotta get out of it.  I need a protein bar and something to pump me up because I got a full day ahead of me of laundry, vacuuming, mopping, bathroom cleaning and dishes to do.  My children tend to get crabby after their daddy is away for the week and let's face it, I am much more snippy too! Ugh.  I would so much rather be playing words with friends on my kindle and sipping coffee.

Oh well - at some point I will figure out how to juggle work and home while being home.  If anyone has any suggestions, I would be grateful! Help!

Back to Reality

 The holidays are over and I took on the beginning of the year at full force!  Had a great Etsy turnout in January - made 25% in January of the money I made all together in the past 6 months on Etsy.  Whoa!  So, now I just need to keep up this new strategy that is obviously working - that will be the hard part. 
My goals for this year are to get my items into a few boutiques or shops locally and keep up with custom orders.  I want to try and post new items on my site atleast twice a week and hope to come out with new Nursery Sets every month.
So, can I do it?
Only time will tell....
Until then - I gotta figure out my taxes for my first year as an official business - save me!