A full day and a full moon

Wow...today was certainly a full day. Up since 4:30 a.m. to get the hubby off to work and decided to be productive. I made the cognitive decision, LOL! How many days have I done that, yet found it hard to follow through. Not today!
First I started on a jewelry making frenzy - thus the picture with the fruit of my labor! Washed a few dishes, did some laundry, followed Twitter, checked Etsy, packed and sent 3 packages, went to the bank, washed and vacuumed the van, put dogs in and out, made more jewelry, twittered along with some of my Tweeps and now I am ordering out dinner because I can!

I drove my daughter to our friend's so she can tutor their daughter and on the way home noticed the full, beautiful moon just popping up over the eastern horizon - this at 5:40 p.m. Love the new time change - makes me want to hunker down at home and be cozy.

When I was younger I couldn't wait to leave this area, but now as an adult I have a much finer appreciation for the seasonal changes. I find it wonderous. God certainly shows Himself vividly throughout the year, but season changes are so evident of His work.

The dogs have had more privileges today and boy do they like it! The area where I have placed my workspace had always been verboten (mostly because they can sneak upstairs and eat cat food), but I figured out how to block off a couple exits and they have spent most of the day at my feet. They are so faithful.

So, I have a few more minutes before I have to go pick up the food and I will squeeze in a bit more beading. Another item on the agenda this evening is to list a few items on Etsy and eBay. Won't you stop by my shops and see what you must have? Christmas is coming, ya know!!!!

Autumnal winter

It has been a busy and trying week.
It started with an MD appt out of town - he deemed my vision as likely not to improve. So the only thing to do is accept that. I am grateful I can see what I do!

Later in the week was the estate auction for my Aunt and Uncle's estate. It was a trying day for many reasons. The normal difficult reasons made it difficult but the way the auctioneer company handled the sale was less than adequate for many reasons. The result of this was a nominal return for a lifetime of them both.

I was there to intently bid on a couple family heirlooms. There was a desire to bid on so much more - it was so hard to see it all pass to strangers. I don't know how my cousin was able to hold up.

The following day we spent half the day doing the final clean on the house as the sale closing is pending this coming week. Indeed it was very sad and most difficult for my mother and aunt who were siblings to my uncle, and my cousin - his son. Not that I am without feeling in this regard but having been a nurse so many years, some how I seem to cope with these things a bit more pragmatically.

Thursday morning we woke up to heavy snow flakes floating from the skies. By that evening there was measurable snow! Everything was very pretty - flocked in fresh, heavy snow.

A block away someone built a snowman, but by the time I went to take a picture he was melting.
I have set up a Twitter account and am trying to get the hang of that...interesting.

I have posted a few new items to Etsy and had 2 sales in my eBay store. Tonight I have spent quite awhile in the forums, trying to network. I have been accepted to the Vintage Market Team, which I am excited about; additionally, I have made inquiries to 2 other teams. I love the model of Etsy and am hoping I can grow to success there.

This week I don't have much on the docket and I really need to spend some time creating. While working on the creative process I will try out the lovely "executive" task chair I got from the estate sale, it was my cousin's.

I shall post again soon! Thanks for visiting.

time flies

I can't believe it has been so long since blogging. I have been busy I guess LOL!
Today I have spent HOURS trying to maximize my understanding of twitter, networking and the Etsy community. I am grateful for all who are so willing to share their knowledge. Not enough hours in the day to do all the learn by trial and error, so folks' advice helps tremendously.
I now pledge to do better about posting and I want to acknowlege thanks to the Vintage Market Team for accepting me as a member!

Peaceful Sunday

Yesterday was a lazy Saturday, had a Pampered Chef party in the evening which was a nice distraction. Met a bunch of really nice ladies. This morning we all went to church. The weather is a bit drizzly with the sun trying to peep thru. After church I took my daughter out for lunch, which we seldom do. We tried a new restaurant that served BBQ - it was delicious.

Lounging around right now, waiting for laundry to finish, to start another load. Plan to work on my work area in a bit - need to finish up my work surface and organizing my crafting/beading materials so that I can be more productive in the coming weeks. I have so much stuff I need to get listed on eBay and Etsy. Tonight I will getting together with my girlfriends and playing "Nerds" (card game).

Hope everyone else is having a peaceful Sunday as well.
Thanks for visiting my blog.

Etsy

I am up way too late, especially after recovering from some kind of bug...however I have not spent much time on Etsy in the last few days, so I thought that I would read messages, catch up on forums and join some new forums. I also was getting "advice" about my blog. Part of this was viewing the blogs of other Etsians. This is really interesting.

One of the suggestions is to cross reference other shops on the site to encourage activity. So you will find a link to my friend Laurie's shop, Cutethings6. She and I "met" on eBay (where I also have a store, sweetcindylou62) and we just sort of clicked so we have maintained a relationship for quite a few months.

We enjoy keeping up with each other's lives and when I chat with her, I almost feel like we have always known each other. This is one of the awesome benefits to this type of business - the networking and fellowship that can develop between people that would have otherwise never met.

So take a minute and look at her site...she is really creative and has great vintage stuff...I have been a customer, myself, a number of different times and have always had excellent experiences!

http://www.cutethings6.etsy.com

A day of errands and such

Feeling a bit discouraged about lack of sales on Etsy.
http://sweetcindylouwho.etsy.com is my URL. I want to list more items but don't want them to sit stagnant, so I guess my next move is to list some stuff for auction on eBay. I love the philosophy and community of Etsy and would like to be successful on that site. I have read numerous articles about success on that site and am hoping that it will pick up soon, as I try some of these interventions (having this blog was one of the suggestions). I requested to participate on one of the teams and the input I received was to take better pics and need to have more of a presence on Etsy...that is hard to do without selling stuff! I shall keep on keeping on, prayerfully hoping that my work will pan out.

Time management is certainly an issue for me. On the days when I feel great and can get alot of things done, I am encouraged. Then there are those days where I get the basics done and that is it. But I tell myself, and my counselor reminds me, that things got out of sync over the years, it will take more than just a couple of days to resolve it all. Hmmmm, sounds good, eh?

It doesn't look good for racing tonight. It has been steadily, gently raining all afternoon. This morning started cool with sunshine, the overcast appearance moved in and then the rain. Darn, I was going to try mow the lawn today also. Perhaps the rain will hold off for racing tomorrow in Little Valley. I would like to go there since I haven't been there in a couple years.

Palpitations...still having them. It makes me a bit uneasy but no significant sequelae at this time, so I am just monitoring them at this point...nurse heal thyself, right?

I have almost finished the Mulvaneys book, couldn't put it down this morning. Should probably finish it in a day or two.

Met with the counselor at the alternative education academy for Steven today. It sounds like an excellent program and I hope that Steven will grasp this opportunity and run with it. He really is quite gifted in many areas and this is a wonderful venue for him to be involved in. I doubt he would agree to go back to mainstream public school again. It is a shame that his experience was that bad, for him to feel that way.

No profound realizations to share today. Hope you will visit here again.

Late at nite or early in the morning...

...however you would choose to interpret that...

Had trouble sleeping again, after having 4 or 5 nites of decent sleep. I guess I can't have it all!

So I decided to do some Etsy posting and exploring. I am an Etsy newbie and have so much to learn. Learning the points of connection TO learn is a challenge as well. Some of the means I have tried, that seem logical enough to try, haven't panned out all that well. So I am going to keep trying and see how things work out.

I guess I am the only one in the house not sleeping, even my Rottie, Dozer, is snoring!

The round and round of the ceiling fan can almost become deafening at this hour. As the various sounds of night are occurring that one seems the loudest right now. But wait, the refrigerator just kicked on and I can hear the drone of the dehumidifier in the basement. That poor guy has been working hard this summer trying to keep the damp down in the bowels of the house. We have had plenty of the rain and on more than one occasion I have thanked God for no loss of power and well functioning sump pumps! Squeegy-ing of the floor as I may the water just returns. The cellar hasn't been dry since spring.

Perhaps a little reading will carry me thru. Might as well try. And why try to sleep at this point - the man of the house will be awakening in an hour and a half anyway, then there will be coffee to make and the lunch to pack....you get the idea.

Hope you are getting a better night's sleep than I am...

Time for Etsy

Today I sent out 3 eBay packages...nice to have a little business flow. I really need to post some new auctions, that seems to drive the most business to my store. Certainly a good idea to cover over the next couple days.

Currently I am taking a break from posting on Etsy. I am just itching to make some new jewelry but I have made a pact with myself that I WILL NOT until I get all this current jewelry listed. Although I must create fairly soon because I will need new items to display at the quilt store for consignment.

Todd is working on the race car, Steven is out with his buds, Kate is at Young Adult Small Group bible study and I get some time by myself. No TV, just the noise of the traffic - vehicles and pedestrians --- and the dogs charging the door everytime they hear an extra sound. Also heard is the expressway, now the interstate. It evokes sweet memories of my youth when I would stay at my grandmothers. You see, I recall when they constructed the expressway. Hacked away some of our hills for the thing. I remember staying over at her house when the road was starting to be used and then after. Windows open on a summer evening, hearing the cars hum by and then off into the distance...some how brings peace.

Occasionally a train can be heard. The tracks aren't real busy but it is nice to hear them active again after being dead for so many years. When I stayed at grandma's that was another common sound, as the tracks were less than 1/2 mile out behind her house. Then the tracks were much busier than today. It seems so much more is trucked by the semi trucks that pass along the interstate.

So enough for the thoughtful break, time to get back down to business and get those postings going! Wish me well with sales!