Busy Busy Busy

Adoring Husband and I set up the tables for art on the weekend and decluttered all the sheets of cardboard that have been stored against the wall for over a year.

I ‘started’ a few things on my ‘to do’ list and did not not finish any of them.

I started to fill out a form for the bank.

I started to price Corina Corina’s jewellery and she dropped in with some displays for me to use.

I started to check my emails.

I started to claim my domain name.

I spoke to Artsy Mae about which art of hers I would keep at the shop.

I took some timber work from the Men’s Shed to sell in the shop.

I received a delivery of Sassy Duck bags to unpack, price and display.

I served customers until 3pm.

AH replaced a fluorescent tube in one of the ceiling lights, but another light is broken and looks like the entire casing might need replacing, so I called an electrician. Actually, I called The Gypsy’s partner who is an electrician.

I sold two pieces of my art for $110 and $120 🤩👩‍🎨😮

We left the shop after 3pm and I cooked an early dinner because AH had SES training tonight. I got some lamb and caramelised onion sausages from the local butcher. They were SO good! Served with cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mashed potato and gravy.

I watched the Roosters thrash the Cowboys in the NRL.

Now it’s time to sleep, but I’m thinking of going into the back bedroom where there is no steam train in the bed beside me!

Nite all.

Morning Struggle

It was a real struggle getting out of bed this morning.

My alarm went off at 6am and I hit the ‘snooze’ button.

Adoring Husband brought in some warm lemon water for me and I sat in bed sipping it until after 6.30am.

We had to leave the house at 7.05am so it was my amazing time management skills that had me sitting in the car, ready for work, at exactly 7.05am!

Meditation was great and we even had an elderly male join us! He joined in the discussions and seemed to enjoy himself.

Afterwards, while The Gypsy and I had a catch up at my desk, some of the ladies from meditation bought themselves coffee and returned to sit in the training room for a giggle and a chat.

I received a delivery which included bulk coat hangers and a couple of gifts for two of my friends.

I had some sterling silver chains arrive in the mail too.

Sales were average, but the cold, damp day probably contributed to that. Even ‘I’ felt cold when I stepped outside.

Even though I made a ‘to do’ list, nothing was achieved from the list. Instead my time was spent changing my registration details with some suppliers, ordering stock on sale for EOFY, discussing business with the Howard Men’s Shed to sell some plant stands as well as having them possibly make a “Local Arts and Crafts” sign for my yellow wall.

My work days pass so quickly!

AH and I had a late lunch and then stuffed our faces with delicious muffins from the FROG box.

We spent about an hour in the pool shed sorting through my jewellery making trays and I gathered a few bags of beads, charms, chains and findings for Corina Corina to make more jewellery to sell in the shop or the markets. I hope she’ll find them useful.

AH had leftovers for dinner. I was still satisfied from the late lunch.

I bathed psychotic dog Ruby’s eye before I climbed into bed and now I’m listening to AH snore like steam train. I nudged him to be quiet but he claimed, very assertively, that he was NOT snoring. He could end up with iPad slapped on his forehead if he’s not careful!

I shall now attempt to sleep through the commotion.

Nite all.

Good Start

It was a very good start to the week and the day passed so quickly!

I really enjoyed morning tea with my girls and there were seven of us enjoying each other’s company.

I’m not even sure what time they left, but I think it was pretty close to 11am.

Sales were great and there was a steady flow of customers all day, then, before I knew it, my 1pm appointment arrived.

My appointment was with a local lady who makes jewellery out of repurposed pieces that she finds in op shops and garage sales. She is very creative and does an amazing job. She brought with her four boxes of her pieces. I took almost all of it and bought two sets for myself!

Here is a small selection of her repurposed, handcrafted jewellery ...

Now, I really need to get serious about displaying all of the local arts and crafts that I’ve collected from various people in the area. It’s all piling up in the corner with nothing to attract attention or show it off to its best advantage.

I need Beautiful Girl With Long Blonde Hair to come and wave her magic wand, but sadly, she can’t get here til Christmas.

It was getting close to 3pm when we locked the shop and I did nothing until dinner time. We had easy tacos.

Time for sleep because I have an early start with meditation tomorrow morning.

Nite all.

Brain Overload

Today, I began teaching myself how to create an app.

😳

After 45 minutes, and three different teachers, I realised that, while apps are much easier to create these days than they were five years ago, they are still quite complex and will require my fully focused attention, so I have set it aside until I finish everything else ... signage, website, filing system, bookkeeping system, local art & craft display area etc.

The app will be placed at the bottom of my current priority list.

Oh and I still have two courses in progress, one of which is teaching me how to create an e-course and I hope to incorporate that with an app as well.

Who knows if my brain and my motivation levels will remain active enough to complete any of these things! Wait and see.

It’s midday as I write this and Adoring Husband is preparing to go to the SES shed for their weekly maintenance day.

I need to bathe psychotic dog Ruby’s eye, make some lunch and do some more studying.

It’s midday as I type this, so I’ll add more later.

It’s now later.

I’ve been up and about for around seven hours. Took my washing off the line, watched a movie with AH, prepared dinner, watched Big Brother, made a long ‘to do’ list for next week, packaged up 16 containers of bone broth for the freezer, packed my stuff for work tomorrow and returned to bed.

Found this in a memory on Facebook. I was flower girl for my Uncle and Aunty’s wedding in 1964. The dress was made out of a pink shimmery material and I thought I was a princess ...

Have a great Tuesday!

Nite all.

Something Special

I found this on Facebook today and it drew me in ...

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY
WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL
ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM
FEEL.

At the bottom of this great story was a request to forward this - I deleted that request because if you have read to this point, you won't have to be asked to pass it along you just will...
Thank you, my friend...

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance..
-unknown

I spent my day in bed.

I studied, I read, I played, I wrote, I listened, I took notes, I researched, I planned and I made lists.

I got out of bed to cook dinner - Peking duck with veg smash (cauliflower, broccoli, potato, creamy Brie, loads of butter and salt n pepper all smashed together. It was really delicious!

Now it’s time to sleep.

Nite all.

A Long Day

It was incredibly busy in the shop today ... mostly with tyre kickers, so sales were below average.

For the first time in 5 months, the Howard (a town 29 minutes from here) markets opened today and apparently there were huge crowds there. Quite a few of my tyre kickers explained that they had spent all of their money at the markets.

That’s okay because now they know where Roz’s Happy Place is for the next time they come to town and they will also tell other people where I am too!

Adoring Husband arrived before 1pm to help me close the shop so that we could drive into The Bay to run some errands. A couple of late customers delayed our plans but we eventually escaped.

I visited my favourite Office Works and bought some office stuff including a frame to put my business registration certificate in so that I can display it on the wall of the shop.

We purchased a little tray stand to place the bottle of hand sanitiser on inside the door of the shop. The bottle is currently in a position that makes it awkward for my customers to access it so this should remedy that.

I picked up my new shoes which I’d ordered and paid for last week (which reminds me, they are still in the car!)

AH attempted to fill a prescription at the pharmacy, but the pharmacist didn’t have any of his pills. It took 7 phone calls to find the last bottle available in Hervey Bay! So AH had to drive across town to get them while I grocery shopped in Coles.

It was about 4.10pm when we began driving home directly into the sun which was a bit uncomfortable.

We stopped at my shop to collect the cash tin and my laptop. We’d left them behind figuring they would be safer in the shop than in the car while we shopped.

There was messy smelly dog induced grossness that I will leave to your imagination, awaiting our arrival. It was well over an hour before we could sit down to an easy dinner that took me ten minutes to prepare.

We watched the footy and came to bed early - but now it’s late and I’m exhausted!

Being the middle of the school holidays, I was thinking about opening the shop for a while tomorrow, but right now, I feel that a day in bed might be my reward for a busy and productive week.

Nite all.

Break Records!

Today was a blinder!

Today, I broke my sales record for Roz’s Happy Place. The record was already pretty high, so it deserved a happy dance!

I stayed open til 3pm because there were plenty of people about and the last customer left at 2.50pm.

The first week of the school holidays has been fantastic and it’s not even finished yet.

Needless to say ... I am feeling weary.

I was feeling so lucky that I purchased a ticket in a raffle and printed out photos to put on the wall so that I could look at it every day to manifest a win ...

Can you imagine that beautiful piece of machinery with “Roz’s Happy Place”  logo on it? That would definitely inspire me to get my licence! It would be parked out the front to lure unsuspecting people to the shop haha. What a great promo.

It’s mine I tell you!!

The winning ticket will be drawn at the end of August so when I win it, I’ll take a pic of myself draped over it and share it here.

Of course, there is also the chance of me winning $80 million in Powerball next week, in which case, I will buy my own. The car is valued at over $400,000.

Meanwhile, I need to sleep so that I have lots of manifesting energy to become a winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Nite all.

TGTIF

That stands for “Thank God tomorrow is Friday”

You are probably reading this on Friday haha so tomorrow, for you, is Saturday.

It’s been another big week. Actually, a big three days with a coffee morning, early meditation, lots of stock deliveries, sign placements, creating a filing system, bookkeeping and not to mention the customers!

More stock arrived today ...

More should arrive tomorrow!

So I need sleep. Still happy, just tired 😑

Nite all.

Just Hit Me

It was such a good day!

Meditation was fabulous.

Time spent with The Gypsy was quality, enlightening, cathartic and mindful. I love her.

One of my deliveries arrived and the products were pre-priced so I didn’t need to spend time on that mundane task. I also simply added them to an existing display. Easy peasy.

Sales were good and the customers were lovely.

Adoring Husband was the perfect assistant.

I was able to bank some cash ... and pay a bill.

I left the shop at closing time feeling very chilled and relaxed 😎

I arrived home and immediately changed into my ‘slobbadog’ clothes so that I could bathe psychotic dog Ruby and tend to her eye.

Then I relaxed on the couch with a delicious GF raspberry and white chocolate muffin that came in the FROG box today.

I made some rissoles and salad for dinner.

5.30am was when my eyes opened this morning and it’s now 8pm and I’m longing to put my head on the pillow because the weariness just hit me.

More stock arriving tomorrow and maybe I’ll put some more signage up.

For now, I’m done.

Nite all.

An Hour Long Frenzy

This should make you ALWAYS question everything you see and hear on any screen!



I had a very pleasant but shortened morning tea with The Brains Trust and The Welsh Wonder.

It was interrupted by an influx of holiday makers that filled one hour of the morning with a frenzy of sales. The remainder of the day was a shopper here and there, but in total the sales were good and it was definitely my happy place!

None of my deliveries turned up which was a blessing in disguise because I became very productive and created folders for each of my suppliers and filed all of the invoices, photocopied all of my receipts and filed them, cleared the mess from the weekend workshop and set up the training room for meditation.

Now I’m expecting two deliveries tomorrow so it should be an intense day.

It’s almost 11pm and I have an early start tomorrow so sleep time for me.

Nite all.

Not a day off.

Bob Dylan’s latest. I’ve never been a Dylan fan, but this says a lot - as it should because it’s 17 minutes long! It went straight to number one on the charts in the US and it’s his first ever number one hit!



Today, Adoring Husband and I drove to the shop at 10am.

I checked the post office and there was a parcel from Cenzoni containing wallets and phone cases so I priced and displayed them.

While we waited for the first possible delivery, we put the new signage on the A-frame sign and cut out one of the decal signs for the windows.

The delivery arrived and it was another box of vegan leather bags, wallets and cross body bogs. I priced and displayed them. Some rearranging needed to be done to fit them all in.

We put the cut out decal on the door and it looks great.

The second delivery hadn’t arrived by 1pm so we decided to call it a day and head home.

I had a visit from The Fairy Queen who appeared at the door and I surprised her by opening it. That was a pleasant surprise and a nice break in an otherwise busy three hours.

It was nice to come home and sit down.

I did some book work, registered as a stockist with my favourite deodorant people, checked my emails and cooked duck breast with leftover roast veggies for dinner.

It’s now well after midnight and I do not feel the slightest bit tired!

I’ve smothered myself with sleepy essential oil to no effect so I might need some meditation to take me over the edge to some deep sleep.

Looking forward to morning tea with the girls tomorrow so I’d best sign off.

Nite all.

Energy Plus

My brain has been fed an overload of vegetables tonight.

Potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, turnip, carrot, onion, capsicum, tomato, garlic, broccoli, green beans, zucchini and chilli.

Plenty of healthful goodness very much needed by both of us.

Disappointing news today that a Hervey Bay business has become another economic victim of COVID 19 and made the decision to close.

Su Jus Bar Lifestyle Cafe in Pialba, which was one of my faves, couldn’t withstand the financial blows that the pandemic social distancing rules threw at them and with a heavy heart, made the decision today.

Bugger.

I spent the entire day in bed. The first half of the day watching art videos on YouTube and working out what to do in the next workshop and then the second half of the day studying and adding more to my e-course.

I only got out of bed to cook dinner and watch Big Brother!

Today would have been my Mum’s 80th birthday. I wonder how she would have celebrated had she reached this milestone? I reckon she would have been a mean, cranky little octogenarian and would’ve booted COVID 19 fair in the butt!

I’m expecting some deliveries at the shop tomorrow so I’ll have to go in on my day off and wait. Deliveries come at two different times of the day. Mid morning and then just after midday so I might take my studies with me and be somewhat productive while I’m there.

The alternative is to open the shop and take advantage of the school holiday crowd.

I’ll see how I feel tomorrow.

Nite all.

Feeling It

I am, this evening, feeling my age 😳 👵🏻 👩‍🎨

I spent the morning mixing paint and pouring medium for the art workshop and I had my own practice run before the class started.

It was a very slow morning in the shop but the last hour certainly made up for it, so I’m happy with the outcome.

Two people dropped out of the workshop, one without contacting, which was disappointing, but the three who attended were fantastic and it made for a really fun afternoon.

We began by practicing the chain pull method and creating butterflies 🦋 and then each of us chose a different image to create with our chains.

Everyone seemed happy with their finished canvas and declared that they would return.

It was 4pm by the time the space was cleared and clean enough that I felt comfortable to leave it. We came directly home and I got started in the kitchen.

I knew that if I sat down, I’d never get back up!

Red chicken curry with rice and the GF pide bread that we got through the FROG box last week. We ate early - a bit after 5pm - and I planted my butt and waited for my body to seize up, which it did!

We are both exhausted, laying in bed watching the football on Adoring Husband’s iPad, although AH fell asleep before the first half was even finished.

Sunday will DEFINITELY be my day of rest.

Before I sign off, I want to mention Happy Harry struggling with his health right now. We are all thinking of him and hoping he reaches the best care soon and recovers quickly. Stay strong Lady Lynn and remember we are here for anything that you need. Big love.

I am now done for the day.

Nite all.

Quick Trip

I awoke as Adoring Husband left for work at 5am.

This equated to 5 hours of sleep.

It’s not enough for an old working girl.

AH washed the shop windows this morning and helped clear all the empty boxes out of the shop and into the bins.

I finished setting up the training room for the art workshop, put out the last of yesterday’s new stock, decluttered most of the storage cupboard, paid more bills, made a shopping list for our trip into The Bay, put all of the invoices into the individual supplier folders and listened to a VERY chatty customer for a whole hour as she talked about the most depressing subjects imaginable.

She was a visitor to town. The only reason she stopped talking and left the shop was because I started packing up!

It was a dreadful day for sales 🤭

AH arrived twenty minutes before closing time to help me close up and we left the shop right on 2pm for our shopping trip.

I picked up my new watch from the jewellers. A H was kind enough to pay the balance ...

A visit to my fave, Office Works. Then to Spotlight for some art supplies. I went to Kmart for some silicone mats but the shelves were bare. Then I found some navy shoes, but they didn't have them in my size, so the salesperson phoned the Maryborough store and I made the purchase over the phone and they’ll bring them over next week some time.

I have no photo and can’t even find them on their website.

More art supplies from Heaps Discount and finally we made our way home.

Considering all that we did, arriving home before 5pm was pretty good going.

We are both exhausted and ready for bed before the second footy game has even started. Tomorrow is going to be a big day working from 9am until around 4pm with the workshop starting after we close the shop.

So it’s good nite from me.

Nite all.

Delicious Sleep

We’ve had a couple of very chilly mornings.

Adoring Husband said the car told him that it was 2°C the last two mornings. Delicious sleeping weather and I slept for a solid 7.5 hours last night which was just lovely. I’ll try that trick again tonight!

It was a slow day at the shop. After AH put the tables up for me, I set up for Saturday’s workshop.

I received a delivery of 3 boxes of stock at 1.30pm which was an hour later than usual because, I was told, the courier had a much bigger load than usual and I must say, he was looking exhausted.

I was able to unpack, price and display most of it before home time, which was handy because I’m expecting more tomorrow.

Meanwhile ...

I love this and I wish I’d learned the lesson earlier in life.

A great narrative to understand the power of self responsibility.

I bet there are a few of you that can relate?

************

My mom had a lot of problems. She did not sleep and she felt exhausted. She was irritable, grumpy, and bitter. She was always sick, until one day, suddenly, she changed.

The situation was the same, but she was different.

One day my dad said to her:

- I've been looking for a job for three months and I haven't found anything, I'm going to have a few beers with friends.

My mom replied:
- It's okay.

My brother said to her:
- Mom, I'm doing poorly in all my subjects at University ...

My mom replied:
- Okay, you will recover, and if you don't, well, you repeat the semester but you pay the tuition.

My sister said to her:
- Mom, I hit the car.

My mom replied:
- Okay daughter, take it to the workshop, figure out how to pay for it and while they fix it, get around by bus or subway.

Her daughter-in-law said to her:
- Mother-in-law, I come to spend a few months with you.

My mom replied:
- Okay, settle in the living room couch and look for some blankets in the closet.

All of us at my mom's house gathered worried to see these reactions.

We suspected that she had gone to the doctor and that she was prescribed some pills of "I don't give a damn, about 1000 mg."

She would probably also be ingesting an overdose.

We then proposed to do an "intervention" to my mother to remove her from any possible addiction she had towards some anti-tantrum medication.

But what was the surprise, was when we all gathered around her and my mom explained:

"It took me a long time to realize that each person is responsible for their life. It took me years to discover that my anguish, my mortification, my depression, my courage, my insomnia and my stress, did not solve their problems but aggravated mine.

I am not responsible for the actions of others, but I am responsible for my own reactions and my own responses.

Therefore, I came to the conclusion that my duty to myself is to remain calm and let each one of you solve what corresponds to them.

I have taken courses in yoga, meditation, miracles, human development, mental hygiene, vibration and neurolinguistic programming, and in all of them, I found a common denominator: finally they all lead to the same point.

And it is that I can only be concerned with myself. You have all the necessary resources to solve your own lives.

I can give you my advice if you ask me and it depends on you to follow it or not.

So, from now on, I cease to be the receptacle of your responsibilities, the sack of your guilt, the laundress of your remorse, the advocate of your faults, the wall of your lamentations or the depositary of your duties.

From now on, I declare you all independent and self-sufficient adults.

Everyone at my mom's house was speechless.

From that day on, the family began to function better, because everyone in the house knows exactly what it is that they need to do.

Author:
A HAPPY WOMAN!!

************

Nite all.