Tyre Kickers

The majority of my customers today were tyre kickers.

This wasn’t really a problem because I received two deliveries - one was a box full of coat hangers and the other a box full of clothes.

The steamer got a workout but I’ve still not finished steaming everything. There is not enough room in the shop to hang everything so I’m not certain what I’ll do. This requires some deep thinking.

Adoring Husband was kind enough to help me clear the training room of all the boxes and the half pallet from my multiple stock deliveries this week and then helped me set up the room ready for Saturday’s art class.

I had a lovely visit from The Brains Trust!

Apparently there is both a 60th birthday this weekend AND a 60th wedding anniversary because I had customers looking for gift ideas.

The weather was perfect and there were plenty of people out and about but none of them were in a spending mood so sales did not reach my minimum happy number.

My desk is a disaster area and if it’s not busy tomorrow, I think I’ll need to prioritise cleaning it. Messy desk, messy mind … can’t have that!

AH had to make a trip into The Bay and on the way home, he stopped at Craignish to buy some fresh prawns as a surprise for me. Yummy! I had some for a snack this afternoon and there are some left for tomorrow’s lunch. He’s a honey.

I think I’m ready to sleep now. I have a dinner date tomorrow straight after art, so I need to be well rested and well organised!

Nite all.

Info Worth Sharing

We should all be aware of this ... 

https://rumble.com/vl73ir-dr.-tess-lawrie-interview-oracle-films.html

This is a twenty minute video of value interviewing somebody of high value providing valuable information that is being withheld for no apparent reason.

This is all that I'm posting today because it may be super helpful in your future and save your life.

Nite all.

All Worn Out

It has been a big day!

I’m kind of grateful that there was no meditation this morning. The early start might have done me in by the end of the day.

My delivery today was a half pallet load of stock tightly wrapped in black plastic.

It took me ten minutes with a Stanley knife to get the plastic off! Then I needed to sit down for ten minutes! It was like wrestling a seal!

The stock inside was worth the wrestle …

That beautiful white planter pot already has a place in my home!

There were also 72 owls that need tiny price stickers, along with 36 fridge magnets. That’s a slow and painful process that is not yet completed.

Sales were great so my pricing was interrupted often. Hopefully I can be finished tomorrow before the next lot of stock arrives.

Adoring Husband spent the day waiting for our new pool guy who thankfully passed the AH test and will be on the job monthly.

AH then had to pick up up the FROG box so it was well after 2pm when we locked up and left.

My body was complaining about the constant movement that I demanded of it all day long BUT the crisper drawers of the fridge required cleaning before we put the fresh fruit and vegetables in them so by the time I got changed and did all the little chores, I didn’t get to sit down for another hour.

I cooked duck breast for AH and barramundi for me with delicious salad for dinner.

We watched The Bachelor and then dragged our sorry butts off the chair and into bed.

Tomorrow is going to be another big day!

So … nite all.

Kicked It

I’ve just gotta tell you this story about Adoring Husband.

We have a small step between the outdoor kitchen and the Bali hut in our pool area. It’s about 5cms high.

When the pool was first completed, AH kicked his toe on this step about 30 times …

So we put a big thick yellow strip along the top of the step to make it stand out enough that he would no longer kick it.

Unfortunately, he kicked his toe another 20 odd times before his brain finally caught on. 

Today, 2.5 years later, he removed the yellow tape so that he could clean the concrete. Two minutes later, he walked out of the kitchen and BAM!! He kicked his toe on that step!

It is damaged and raw and ugly - be grateful that I don’t have a photo - but by the time he came to the shop, he could see the funny side so he was laughing when he told the story.

I swear that man is going to be the death of me 😳

I had a busy day in the shop starting with morning coffee with the girls. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with them because pesky customers were in early but sales were good today. 

A delivery arrived late morning but I was too busy to get it all unpacked, priced and displayed so that job rolls over to tomorrow. The trouble is that I have three other deliveries arriving this week so I think I’m going to be one busy bee!

Journaling class was very productive this afternoon and I added another three foolscap pages to the thirteen I did on Sunday.

One of the questions in journaling asks how my parents met and I didn’t know the answer so I messaged one of my aunties. She wasn’t sure so she promised to get back to me.

She phoned another of my aunties who then phoned me and left a voicemail saying she knew how they met and could I call her.

Well it took me two days to get back to her and I almost missed my chance because she was rushed to hospital in an ambulance the evening of the day she left the message! Thankfully she recovered and lived to give me the answers to all of my questions.

She will be 80 yrs old next year so I need to get as much information as I can from her. She and Uncle K (Dad’s brother) we’re the closest to Mum and Dad and Uncle K died six years ago so my living knowledge base is thinning out at a rapid rate!

The reason that I don’t call family is because they are ALL big talkers - especially the aunties - and tonight was a perfect example. Over 90 minutes on the phone! The last ten minutes were filled with her telling me how grateful she was that I called, how happy she was to hear my voice and how wonderful it was to hear from me.

It was a good call but those of you who know me, know how I hate talking on the phone 😳

She called just as I was serving dinner so I ate at the kitchen bench with the phone on speaker. Salmon steak with salad and home made coleslaw. Yum.

AH and I watched The Voice before coming to bed.

At least I don’t have to be up early for meditation tomorrow. It’s cancelled this week.

It’s after 11pm so it’s time to sleep.

Nite all.

Out Of It

 I stumbled across this on Facebook today … and loved it.

Powerful and profound...

Do you love Me? Alice asked.

- No, I don't love you! replied the White Rabbit.

Alice frowned and clasped her hands together as she did whenever she felt hurt.

- See? replied the White Rabbit.

Now you're going to start asking yourself what makes you so imperfect and what did you do wrong so that I can't love you at least a little.

You know, that's why I can't love you. You will not always be loved Alice, there will be days when others will be tired and bored with life, will have their heads in the clouds, and will hurt you.

Because people are like that, they somehow always end up hurting each other's feelings, whether through carelessness, misunderstanding, or conflicts with themselves.

If you don't love yourself, at least a little, if you don't create an armor of self-love and happiness around your heart, the feeble annoyances caused by others will become lethal and will destroy you.

The first time I saw you I made a pact with myself: "I will avoid loving you until you learn to love yourself."

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

We decided to drive early into The Bay and have breakfast at Aquavue before starting our busy day, so we left home at 8.30am.

As we reached Craignish, I realised that I’d left the artwork behind that I was supposed to bring in to be framed. This is a favour for an elderly woman who has recently moved into the caravan park, so I couldn’t leave it for another day.

Adoring Husband chucked a U-turn and we returned home. I grabbed the tube containing the art and then I realised that I’d left the money at home too! So I grabbed that too 😳

Off we went.

We drove past the Craignish Country Club twice and saw nothing unusual or out of the ordinary.

At Aquavue, I ordered GF Canadian Pancakes and a pot of tea.

They brought me the Mixed Berries Pancakes!

Apparently they weren’t very happy when AH asked them to fix it. They fixed it but I must say that I was concerned about what they may have done to the meal as payback 😳

Breakfast was delicious!

After breakfast I walked across the road to Go Girl where I purchased … nothing.

I decided to check out Rolf Light’s Post Office which was a couple doors up and MY GOODNESS it’s a little treasure trove of goodies! So much more than a Post Office! Once again, I purchased nothing.

Next we went to ‘Out of the Square’ to get a quote for framing the artwork. The cheapest quote was almost double what the lady wanted to pay but I left it there and will discuss it further with her.

Grocery shopping was next on the itinerary so we drove to Stocklands with our small list.

I checked out the shoe shop where I purchased … nothing.

I checked my Powerball ticket and won … nothing.

I walked to Spotlight while AH took the groceries to the car and drove it down to meet me. I purchased 21 canvases and some paints which were all 30% off.

On the way home we stopped at Craignish to get some fresh prawns, sand crab and salmon.

Next, we drove past Craignish Country Club where the police were cordoning off the area with crime scene tape. AH and I discussed the possibilities of what it might be about and a quick Google search showed that a male had been found dead on the premises!

It was revealed much later in the day that it was the owner, which is shocking, but they still don’t know if there are suspicious circumstances so more news will come.

At home, I prepared AH’s late lunch, then removed the crab meat and peeled some prawns for my lunch. 

At 4pm I could barely keep my eyes open so I lay down for a quick nap … which lasted two hours!

No dinner for me but AH had last night’s leftovers.

The Voice was entertaining tonight and now I’m in bed feeling very awake! Stoopid naps!

Nite all.

Happy Sigh

I’ve spent a glorious day in bed writing.

I answered, with reasonable detail, 80 questions from the life journal lists.

These questions were about Mum, Dad, my siblings and me.

There are 650 questions in total, to cover every aspect of my life, so in the end all my secrets will be revealed!

Some questions trigger intense emotions and some responses are cathartic. It’s a great opportunity to release old ‘stuff’, forgive friends and family and find gratitude where you least expect it.

I got out of bed after 5.30pm to make dinner, which was a creamy garlic chicken and mushroom dish full of rich flavour.

Adoring Husband and I watched The Voice together and it was back to bed for me.

I finished with a perfect round in the footy tipping comp and because I picked it as my joker round, I got 36 points added to my score. Because I was so far behind, it has only taken me to fourth place so it’s nothing to get excited about. It was an easy round and lots of people picked it.

We have a big day planned in The Bay tomorrow, starting with breakfast, so it’s time to sleep.

Nite all.

Perfectamundo

I had a perfectly busy day at the shop.

Very unusual for a Saturday morning!

I sold a lot of clothes today. This is fortuitous because I have new stock coming next week and now I have spare coat hangers to hang them on.

I ordered 60 new hangers from IKEA over a week ago and I received an email today telling me that they will arrive on 23rd August. The last time I ordered online, they were here 4 days later so I’m a bit annoyed, but it can’t be helped.

So my desk is still a mess. There was no time for cleaning today but I took small moments of opportunity to toss obvious rubbish, put all the papers in a pile and put loose pens in the caddy. Not really enough to make a difference but at least I feel like I’ve made a start.

The morning passed very quickly and it was nice to come home and put my feet up to watch the footy. So far I have a perfect round … along with everybody else in the tipping comp! But this is my joker round so I have double points haha!

Sadly regional NSW has now been forced into Covid lockdown for at least seven days. For the moment we are again the lucky ones and life is pretty normal for us.

I’m looking forward to a lazy Sunday. I’ll do some more life journaling, some study, some playing, some reading and some napping. I may even do some art.

For now, it’s approaching midnight and it’s time for me to sleep.

Nite all.

Change of Pace

A very quiet day in the shop today.

I made a large green juice to start my day. Mint, celery, cucumber, spinach, apple, coconut water and water. The cheap little blender that I bought for the shop works really well.

For lunch I ate a big bowl of strawberries and blueberries with some lactose free cream.

I finally completed some big items on my ‘to do’ list so I feel like I achieved a lot.

The Brains Trust paid me a visit which was lovely!

I paid some bills, did some filing, cleared some emails, washed the dishes, emptied the bins, made a list of orders, listed the deliveries due next week, emailed a stack of info to the accountant, stapled biz cards to my carry bags and started to clear my desk.

This afternoon I made myself comfy on the couch and wrote 5 pages to add to my life journal - which is coming together nicely.

I watched the first game of footy while Adoring Husband slept on the chair beside me.

Now I’m watching my team play a very tight game against the Roosters. I’ve tipped against my team so I’m torn! The score is currently 18 - all.

I’m craving a big block of Cadbury Snack chocolate! It’s been a lot of years since I’ve had one of those so I don’t know why that has entered my head. Maybe I need to order some more Poppy’s chocolates for myself!

It’s time for me to sleep now … 5 minutes left in the game and Roosters are leading by one point.

Nite all.

Picking Up Speed

On the weekend, I ordered for my girls who are in lockdown, a selection of specialty chocolates.

I had sampled the chocolates first and I was going order a second box for myself, but when I got to the website I decided that they would be a nice gift for the family instead.

I had an idea for my son too, but he’s not in lockdown, so he missed out.

They received their packages today and it seems they are very happy with the deliciousness.

I had another very busy day at work with lots of customers, a delivery of stock and I finally got a couple of things marked off my ‘to do’ list. I also had a visit from a lady in town whose husband has PD and she drops by every couple of months to vent and share.

The men’s shed representative dropped in to check on his consignment, as did the bread board/timber work man. I handed over the money owing to them and put in some special orders.

I’ve attempted to created a men’s display area ready for Father’s Day.

Again the day flew by, my list is still long, my desk is still a mess but sales were very good and that eases the pain somewhat.

Next week is going to be REALLY busy with four deliveries of stock due, so I’d best get that list cleared and my desk cleaned in the next couple of days!

My feet are up, Adoring Husband is at SES training and I am watching The Bachelor.

I can hear my pillow calling my name so I’ll watch the last 30 minutes in bed.

Nite all.

To Don’t List

Once again, my ‘to do’ list didn’t get done.

It didn’t even get started!

Meditation was enlightening and turned into a long morning catch up for the girls and a meaningful morning conversation between The Gypsy and I.

They had all left by 10.30am and from there I was flat out busy.

Sales were excellent, I had three visitors and the last customer left ten minutes after my usual closing time.

I felt a bit flustered because absolutely nothing else got done and there is MORE added to my list for tomorrow.

I put a chicken in the oven for dinner and then sat down to do some paperwork, which I discovered upon completion, didn’t need to be done!

Ugh!

We watched a silly movie and I reheated last nights mash, cooked some broccoli and made a delicious gravy to go with the chicken. It was a tasty dinner.

We watched the Farmer Wants a Wife reunion and then hit the bed.

I’m feeling pretty weary now and it’s after 11pm so…

Nite all.

Fill The Day

It was nice to have so many girls for coffee this morning and I actually got to sit with them for quite a lot of the first hour.

BUT

I forgot that I had a sales rep coming at 10am.

He was supposed to come last week, but the lockdown in SE QLD put a stop to that. Because the lockdown only ended on Sunday, I wasn’t even sure if he was coming and he certainly didn’t confirm, so it was a bit of a surprise when he turned up.

The girls got to see some of the clothes that I was selecting from and I was guided by their responses and reactions when choosing.

On his last visit, this rep was with me for about 3.5 hours, but this visit only lasted for two.

I purchased some of the clothes that he had on hand and I ordered some colourful leather lady’s wallets from a brand that I’ve been eyeing off for a year or two..

He left at 12.30pm and no sooner had he walked out the door when The Artful Dodger came for a visit and 5 minutes later a regular customer walked through the door. So I spent the next 20 minutes back and forth between the two of them.

I steamed, priced and displayed some of the clothes that I’d just purchased. Of course I selected one of the tops for myself!

I cleared the kitchen of most of the art brushes, cups, sticks and palettes that we washed on Saturday. 

Next thing I know, Adoring Husband arrived to help me close the shop.

Time flies when you’re having fun!

Journaling was cancelled so we cleared the training room, set up for meditation and I vacuumed the shop before we left.

We did a little grocery shop and checked the mail before heading home.

As soon as I got home, I put the sweet potatoes on so that I could make mash to go with the slow cooked lamb shanks from yesterday.

I sat down for an hour before preparing dinner early.

7.30pm was our bedtime of choice tonight and I am watching The Voice as I write this.

Early start tomorrow and a ‘to do’ list a mile long for this week.

Time management will be key!

Nite all.

Forced Productivity

The Childers trip was cancelled again.

Unforeseen circumstances caused the understandable cancellation.

It happened at the last minute, so I was up and showered, sitting wrapped in a towel with hair dripping.

So I dressed, made myself presentable for being in public, made a list and asked Adoring Husband to be my chauffeur.

He took me to the hairdressers so that I could purchase my favourite shampoo/conditioner/treatment.

We stopped at the shop to pick up my deposit book and a couple of letters that I needed, did some banking, picked up a big package of new stock from the Post Office, did a grocery shop and then returned home.

I made brunch and returned to bed to do some work including ordering some stock and figuring out more tax stuff.

Later I put some lamb shanks in the slow cooker and we returned to the shop to clean up the art room and set up for coffee and journaling.

I discovered that my slow cooker is wired incorrectly. The ‘high’ temperature control is actually ‘low’ and vice versa. It has only taken me seven years to figure this fact out! I usually set the control to ‘low’ and I always thought it strange that the contents would bubble away on low.

Today I set it on ‘simmer’ and four hours later I checked to discover that the water was barely warm - which sucked because that was supposed to be dinner! Ah well, now it’s tomorrow night’s dinner.

I threw together a mixed grill instead.

We watched The Voice and now it’s suddenly 11.30pm!

Time to sleep.

Nite all.

Slow Sunday

I was feeling unmotivated and a bit foggy in the brain today, so not much was accomplished.

My 40 year old Singer sewing machine went to a new home.

I believe that the last time I used it was to sew Vegan Chickie’s first school uniform - that was 36 years ago and it has been stored in the garage here for the last 13 years.

The Artful Dodger has recently had trouble with her sewing machine so I offered her mine. My intention was to pass it on to a charity, so she can use it until hers is repaired or until it dies of old age.

I honestly don’t even know if it still works but I guess she’ll soon let me know.

The only productive or practical thing I did today was order some bits and pieces for my new class that I’ll be running in September.

We’ll be making something like this …

… using family mementos, jewellery, watches, medals, charms, chains, ribbons etc.

I have a couple of dead watches sitting in my jewellery box that have sentimental value and I don’t want to toss. I can pull them apart and repurpose them. Old jewellery from grandparents and my parents that I never wear but could look at every day on a piece of art like this. 

Old prize medallions from their sporting events, gifts from Dad to Mum, silly birthday buttons, tiny compacts, hairpins. So many little trinkets that I’ve never wanted to part with but just take up space in draws and boxes.

I’m excited about the possibilities and a few of the girls in my usual art class were discussing all the little mementos they’ve kept over the years that could be repurposed like this too.

So I’ve ordered a few charms like elaborate metal keys, cogs, bees, dragonflies, peace signs and other symbols. I have containers full of old jewellery, beads, shells, chain, ribbons, crystals and more from my bracelet making days. I’ll donate all of that for the participants to use on their creations.

It’s going to be fun.

Adoring Husband brought me breakfast in bed this morning. I got up and made a tuna and avocado dip to eat with my fava bean crackers for lunch. Dinner was duck with spicy orange sauce and cauliflower, broccoli and carrot.

We watched the first episode of The Voice before heading back to bed.

Tomorrow I hope to be making that trip to Childers that I missed last week.

The weather forecast is for rain tomorrow! Let’s hope it’s correct!

Nite all.

Fire and Ice

It was a great day in the shop.

Sales were good and I was able to set up for art offering three options.

1. Dandelions
2. Fire and Ice
3. Face to face silhouettes

The class was relaxing and therapeutic …

The girls all made purchases after the class with topped off my day perfectly.

At home I put a chicken and vegetable casserole in the oven and then put my feet up to watch the football.

It was a relaxing afternoon and evening and I can’t believe it’s almost midnight!

I’m looking forward to a lazy Sunday, most of which I hope to spend in bed. I have much to study, videos to watch, notes to take, paperwork to complete and information to gather.

Ok so maybe it won’t be THAT lazy 😳

Right now, I’m done. I’m getting cozy under the covers and soon the 😴😴😴 will come.

Nite all.