Seriously, I have no idea how people blog. Having a business these days requires you to be on all the social networks - Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc..... It takes me all day just to keep my Facebook page full of info that I think my target audience will enjoy - but it takes me the other half of the day to find that info on Pinterest and THEN I gotta go figure out how to Tweet about it? Does anybody actually tweet anymore?
Ya know what? I should be sewing right now. Maybe I will blog about it tomorrow. :-)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Friday, September 14, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, September 10, 2012
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)
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)
Sunday, July 1, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, June 4, 2012
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...
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...
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