Thursday, September 27, 2012
Embroidery Story
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
New Sewing Nook
What's the first thing that every business needs? Besides cash flow and a good lawyer, an organized system is at the top of the list. Because my little business is blossoming, I've been 'lucky' enough to get a new sewing space. It's not exactly lucky because our house had a huge foundation problem and it had to be completely gutted and fixed. Like, our foundation was in five pieces and water was leaking slowly into the basement and creating mold and lots of other issues. Tens of thousands of dollars later, we're almost finished installing the trim and getting everything organized. I'll have final product photos later, but it's always nice to enjoy and empty room without fingerprints and nicks everywhere.
This is with just drywall. On the left will be the kids' area and my sewing space will be under the window and along the right side.
This is where the 'Man Cave' will be. Black leather sectional, big screen TV and dark window treatments. We're thinking about a beer fridge for Christmas. But don't tell Alex!
Paint on the kids'/ sewing side. The top is grey (driftwood by Martha Stewart) and a steel blue (also by Martha Stewart). We did primer first and then Behr paints.
This is the entertainment side. The bottom screen on the wall to the right is the computer monitor.
And Voila! The finished empty room! Gorgeous white trim, brown/cream Frieze carpet and the grey and blue everywhere.
This is the basic layout of the room:
We're so excited to finally have the extra space to live! We live in a bi-level so it feels like we've been living in an apartment without being able to use the lower level. While it was empty, I made the kids do sprints from one side to the other. And then we napped :0)
This is baby Grace, by the way. In the pic, she's 12 days old. She's now 10 weeks old and a chunker.
This is with just drywall. On the left will be the kids' area and my sewing space will be under the window and along the right side.
This is baby Grace, by the way. In the pic, she's 12 days old. She's now 10 weeks old and a chunker.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Frustrated
Eleven more days until I get to hold baby girl in my arms! It's difficult to show how thankful and excited we are, but I honestly can't wait. Is she going to look like my other daughter? Will she be as big as the other two kids were? How will she sleep and will I be able to cope with having three young children under the age of four? I've been anxious trying to plan for her arrival and to prep my older two kids for the changes she'll bring. They've helped me decorate her room, put her new diapers away, and they know it's 'Grace's room'. I've been more than enjoying decorating her room and putting together her whimsical dandelion theme. It's taken me longer than I had hoped because of the blanket business; I shut down about a month later than I had anticipated, but all of the extra money will go a long way in keeping our finances together while I'm on maternity leave.
While decorating her room, I realized I've become more than a bit obsessive about how I want everything organized. Even in the rest of my house. Maybe it's the hormones and the nesting syndrome, but it's really put a damper on my attitude. My mother-in-law graciously asked to watch the kiddos two days a week while she's on summer break. We're saving a TON on daycare because of it and I love that the kids are always together and doing something fun (not that they weren't doing that in Daycare, but it's different with Grammy). Because I'm overly pregnant, running a business until the wee hours of the morning, working full time and have a less than helpful partner in the domestic home part, she took it upon herself to do my laundry and dishes as well as the new baby's clothes. Lord help me phrase this next part correctly so I don't sound like a complete bitch, but I don't like that she does it anymore. I'm not ungrateful (at least I don't think I am), but as an independent woman that has never needed nor wanted help before, this new help from my MIL is killing my pride. And maybe that's just it. I'm too proud. I feel like a lesser woman because she can do all of these things while watching my two kids and I just can't. My dishes are clean, I have clothes for two weeks instead of maybe one, and my bathroom is cleaner than it has been since my son's birthday in May. But I didn't do hardly any of it. I just honestly don't have the time (I swear I don't, people. I know how to organize my time and multi-task, but it requires energy that I don't have right now).
I didn't say anything to her because I was able to swallow my pride and realize that she is HELPING me because she loves me and her grandchildren. But then she asked if she could help organize Grace's room and if she could buy a skirt for the crib....and then, I shook with anger so hard I started to have contractions. Grace's room is MY project room. I am the ONLY ONE allowed to put anything in and take anything out. I reserve the right to control all designs and plans and I refuse to let anyone help (except for the kids and then it's limited). At that point, I told her finally, 'No please don't. Grace's room is my project room and I want to be the only one doing anything to it.' She said, 'oh okay sorry'. (All over text.)
Yes, I realize that's being bitchy. I can blame some of it on hormones, but ultimately I know I have a control issue. I made the house what it is today and I came up with all of the colors and layout and everything; I feel like for another woman to step in and try to change anything is beyond what I can conceive as helpful. I'm a proud woman and I want it to be exactly as I have envisioned.
And yes, she put the dishes away in the wrong places.
While decorating her room, I realized I've become more than a bit obsessive about how I want everything organized. Even in the rest of my house. Maybe it's the hormones and the nesting syndrome, but it's really put a damper on my attitude. My mother-in-law graciously asked to watch the kiddos two days a week while she's on summer break. We're saving a TON on daycare because of it and I love that the kids are always together and doing something fun (not that they weren't doing that in Daycare, but it's different with Grammy). Because I'm overly pregnant, running a business until the wee hours of the morning, working full time and have a less than helpful partner in the domestic home part, she took it upon herself to do my laundry and dishes as well as the new baby's clothes. Lord help me phrase this next part correctly so I don't sound like a complete bitch, but I don't like that she does it anymore. I'm not ungrateful (at least I don't think I am), but as an independent woman that has never needed nor wanted help before, this new help from my MIL is killing my pride. And maybe that's just it. I'm too proud. I feel like a lesser woman because she can do all of these things while watching my two kids and I just can't. My dishes are clean, I have clothes for two weeks instead of maybe one, and my bathroom is cleaner than it has been since my son's birthday in May. But I didn't do hardly any of it. I just honestly don't have the time (I swear I don't, people. I know how to organize my time and multi-task, but it requires energy that I don't have right now).
I didn't say anything to her because I was able to swallow my pride and realize that she is HELPING me because she loves me and her grandchildren. But then she asked if she could help organize Grace's room and if she could buy a skirt for the crib....and then, I shook with anger so hard I started to have contractions. Grace's room is MY project room. I am the ONLY ONE allowed to put anything in and take anything out. I reserve the right to control all designs and plans and I refuse to let anyone help (except for the kids and then it's limited). At that point, I told her finally, 'No please don't. Grace's room is my project room and I want to be the only one doing anything to it.' She said, 'oh okay sorry'. (All over text.)
Yes, I realize that's being bitchy. I can blame some of it on hormones, but ultimately I know I have a control issue. I made the house what it is today and I came up with all of the colors and layout and everything; I feel like for another woman to step in and try to change anything is beyond what I can conceive as helpful. I'm a proud woman and I want it to be exactly as I have envisioned.
And yes, she put the dishes away in the wrong places.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
A long, long time ago...
To say a lot has happened in the past 9-10 months would be a gross understatement of everything. I've been busy trying to make myself faint from exhaustion because that's obviously how I roll. I can't remember the last time I slept more than 6 hours straight. Pfft...sleep is for the weak, right? *Sigh* I want to be weak :/
So, for all of the things that have happened:
One, my blanket business has EXPLODED. I can consistently get 3-4 sales a day. Have I been able to keep up? Sort of. I asked my sister to help me cut out the material for the week in return for homemade food and lots of extra kisses from her niece and nephew. It has been working out well for the past 4 months! I can only work on the blankets after the kids go to bed and this time change thing has really been screwing with me. The kiddos used to go to bed around 8 and now it's past 9 pm by the time I've finished giving them baths, pajamas, and story-time. I go to bed around midnight (if I'm lucky), so I only have three hours to finish everything. The majority of the time I leave the top-stitching for my lunch hour the next day and ship everything after I get off work. It gets a bit hectic and overwhelming, so about every other month, I have to put the shop on vacation in order to catch up. I'm probably going crazy, but the money has been awesome and clearly beneficial in keeping our heads above water. I will have to take some time off this summer because of the next wonderful little thing that surprised us!
Two, I found out I was pregnant back in October with our third child. Grace will be born June 92th via C-section (unless I go into labor early - probably not going to happen). Less than two months left and she'll be here! The kiddos are very excited to meet her, although my youngest right now really wants to feed her through my belly button. Do you know how long it takes to wash out blueberries from your belly button? Let me tell ya...
Three, we fell off the dumb tree and on the way down adopted a puppy Easter weekend (not for Easter, obviously). She's about 5 months old and is a fantastic little dog! We call her Lucy and I hope to have her fully house-trained by the time Miss Grace comes along. The shelter from where we adopted her said she is part Border Collie/ part terrier, but I think she only has the coloring of a border collie. Her head, legs, and everything else look like a pit bull (and no, I don't believe the hype surrounding the pit bull mentality). Gorgeous black and white silky coat. She likes purple and zebra (at least, that's what my daughter says lol). She has her puppy moments where she nips and gets overly excited, but for the most part she loves playing with the kids and her favorite spot to sleep is right next to my daughter. Incredibly sweet! She is a quiet dog so we're having trouble getting her to let us know when she has to go outside. My husband wants to put a doorbell by the back door for her, but I'm thinking that might be a little inconvenient when the babes are sleeping for their naps. We'll figure something out; my aunt suggested a small dinner bell for her to learn to ring when she wants to go out. If only I could remember to buy one!
Four, we've had a few water issues with our house. Oi. This is something that makes my stomach turn. We thought our foundation had shifted during the drought last summer, but after taking down the dry wall to repair it we saw about 5 cracks in our foundation. Basically, our foundation is in 5 separate pieces. It's going to cost us an arm and a leg (and me possibly selling Grace) in order to fix it. They're scheduled to come out June 18th, so we'll have 11 days to get the basement completely fixed before Grace comes along. Fantastic. Plenty of time, right? Luckily, it's all tax deductible because the entire basement is my sewing studio.
Continuing with our great fortune with water (read with dripping sarcasm), we found out that the jack ass that re-did the deck before we moved in did not put flashing between the deck and the house. A few nights ago, my husband heard some dripping water in our laundry room and came downstairs to check it out. Cue the waterfall! After tearing out the drywall in the laundry room, we saw that water had slowly been trickling in over the years and rotting away the studs and everything else behind the wall. So, a week before my son's birthday party, my husband tore down the deck and re-did it. Correctly. He finished a half of an hour before the party started. It looks beyond fantastic. I'm very very proud of my husband (and of my good fortune with marrying a handy man).
Those are probably the biggest things that have happened so far. I'm actually looking forward to having 8 weeks off when Grace is born. Even though we'll have three kids (*GULP*), I'm hoping my blanket money will keep us out of hot water until I get my full salary back after maternity leave.
So, what huge (or small) things have happened to you?
Next Post: Goals for my business for the year
So, for all of the things that have happened:
One, my blanket business has EXPLODED. I can consistently get 3-4 sales a day. Have I been able to keep up? Sort of. I asked my sister to help me cut out the material for the week in return for homemade food and lots of extra kisses from her niece and nephew. It has been working out well for the past 4 months! I can only work on the blankets after the kids go to bed and this time change thing has really been screwing with me. The kiddos used to go to bed around 8 and now it's past 9 pm by the time I've finished giving them baths, pajamas, and story-time. I go to bed around midnight (if I'm lucky), so I only have three hours to finish everything. The majority of the time I leave the top-stitching for my lunch hour the next day and ship everything after I get off work. It gets a bit hectic and overwhelming, so about every other month, I have to put the shop on vacation in order to catch up. I'm probably going crazy, but the money has been awesome and clearly beneficial in keeping our heads above water. I will have to take some time off this summer because of the next wonderful little thing that surprised us!
Two, I found out I was pregnant back in October with our third child. Grace will be born June 92th via C-section (unless I go into labor early - probably not going to happen). Less than two months left and she'll be here! The kiddos are very excited to meet her, although my youngest right now really wants to feed her through my belly button. Do you know how long it takes to wash out blueberries from your belly button? Let me tell ya...
Three, we fell off the dumb tree and on the way down adopted a puppy Easter weekend (not for Easter, obviously). She's about 5 months old and is a fantastic little dog! We call her Lucy and I hope to have her fully house-trained by the time Miss Grace comes along. The shelter from where we adopted her said she is part Border Collie/ part terrier, but I think she only has the coloring of a border collie. Her head, legs, and everything else look like a pit bull (and no, I don't believe the hype surrounding the pit bull mentality). Gorgeous black and white silky coat. She likes purple and zebra (at least, that's what my daughter says lol). She has her puppy moments where she nips and gets overly excited, but for the most part she loves playing with the kids and her favorite spot to sleep is right next to my daughter. Incredibly sweet! She is a quiet dog so we're having trouble getting her to let us know when she has to go outside. My husband wants to put a doorbell by the back door for her, but I'm thinking that might be a little inconvenient when the babes are sleeping for their naps. We'll figure something out; my aunt suggested a small dinner bell for her to learn to ring when she wants to go out. If only I could remember to buy one!
Four, we've had a few water issues with our house. Oi. This is something that makes my stomach turn. We thought our foundation had shifted during the drought last summer, but after taking down the dry wall to repair it we saw about 5 cracks in our foundation. Basically, our foundation is in 5 separate pieces. It's going to cost us an arm and a leg (and me possibly selling Grace) in order to fix it. They're scheduled to come out June 18th, so we'll have 11 days to get the basement completely fixed before Grace comes along. Fantastic. Plenty of time, right? Luckily, it's all tax deductible because the entire basement is my sewing studio.
Continuing with our great fortune with water (read with dripping sarcasm), we found out that the jack ass that re-did the deck before we moved in did not put flashing between the deck and the house. A few nights ago, my husband heard some dripping water in our laundry room and came downstairs to check it out. Cue the waterfall! After tearing out the drywall in the laundry room, we saw that water had slowly been trickling in over the years and rotting away the studs and everything else behind the wall. So, a week before my son's birthday party, my husband tore down the deck and re-did it. Correctly. He finished a half of an hour before the party started. It looks beyond fantastic. I'm very very proud of my husband (and of my good fortune with marrying a handy man).
Those are probably the biggest things that have happened so far. I'm actually looking forward to having 8 weeks off when Grace is born. Even though we'll have three kids (*GULP*), I'm hoping my blanket money will keep us out of hot water until I get my full salary back after maternity leave.
So, what huge (or small) things have happened to you?
Next Post: Goals for my business for the year
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