Hurting but Happy

Back update...it's still pretty bad. It wasn't as bad as yesterday morning, but I still can't sit for more than a few minutes at a time. Then I have to walk or lay down. I'm just doing what I can and trying not to dwell on it. It is what it is and it will get better. It just makes it very difficult to do all of the listing I need to do in FourDogDay. I did get some things listed this morning since I woke up at 4:15 a.m.

Here is one of my new one of a kind pins that I just love!

Here is a set of the holiday coasters.

Here is one of the wine bags.

Here is one of my soft sider tote bags.

So, I am getting there. I still have more of everything to list and I'm hoping tomorrow I will be able to sit longer and get it done!

Anyway, Irv and I went to three resale shops today. We were looking for a pair of small chairs and a small TV stand. We struck out completely! Don't you hate it when that happens....when you want to buy something and you can't find anything? UGH!

When we got home I went on line and looked at a variety of places for unfinished TV stands, and they were ridiculously expensive. All I want is an old beat up wood one that I can paint, but everything is fancy and glass and big and that isn't what I'm looking for.

Then I looked for chairs and found some pretty inexpensive little ones at IKEA. I don't usually like their furniture, but these are just plain and simple and might actually work. I think we are going to go there tomorrow and sit in them and see if they will do.

They also have a TV stand that is okay, but it isn't as long as we would like. We have this great big one now that I bought at IKEA years ago. It's wonderful, but it's way too big for our living room.

It looked perfect in their showroom and then when we got it home and set it up, it's was like oops....what did we do? We kept it and it's nice, but it's time for a change. A smaller, lower unit will open things up a bit rather than blocking off so much like the big cabinet does. (We did finish the painting in the living room by the way, now we just have to put it back together!! What a mess!)

So.......handy dandy Irv got this idea. If we tried to sell the big one, we might get about $75 for it. The new one we are looking at is $70 without the tax and it isn't really as long as we want. So....how about cutting ours down and turning the cabinet into just the shelf unit we want?

See the shelf the TV sits on....well, that could soon be the top of our TV stand.....

HAHA!!!! Right now Irvie is starting to disassemble the cabinet to see if he can cut the sides down and make it exactly like we want. Is that not just too darn funny? We might even paint it too. We'll see once we get it cut down to size!

I'm Here

I'm still here. I had a tough time this morning. I could barely walk. It took a while to loosen up enough so I could get ready to go to work. I went into work....I know....silly me. My boss had a big training thing going on today and I wanted to be sure everything was ready. I managed to stay until 11:30 and then headed home. I just couldn't sit for more than a couple of minutes at a time. I had to keep going for walks down the hall.

I rested for a little bit when I got home, but then I had to get up and walk. Irv was home, so we took a ride to Menard's. We would love to complete our bathroom redo before Christmas, so we wrote down what we needed and what it cost. Our list consisted of things like a pedestal sink, faucet, toilet, wainscot, flooring, exhaust fan and light fixture. We found a sink and faucet we liked, and Irv looked at the toilets. I couldn't care less what kind of toilet we have. As long as it works, I'm happy. We found an exhaust fan and went back and forth between tile and vinyl flooring and ended up bringing some tile samples home to see if we like them.

I went over to look at the price of the wainscot and the packages were buy one get one free through the 15th. I tried to figure out how much we would need and grabbed four packages for $20 total!! That was a big Chee Hoo! We measured when we got home and I was right on!!

Next we bought a quart of the awesome yellow paint for our little wood toy box turned coffee table. When we got home, Irv covered the kitchen table with a tarp and set me up so I could sit or stand to paint it. I got one coat on and oh my gosh, do I love it! I will try to put the second coat on tomorrow if my back will allow it and I will show it to you once the hinges are back on. It is just so darn cute!

Since I have to do some walking tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can get Irv to go over to the resale shop. I need an old wood t.v. stand that I can paint. Maybe we will get lucky.

Well, my back is saying I have been sitting for long enough so I need to close. Sorry no pictures, but I'll make it up to you if I find anything awesome at the resale shop tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening and we will chat soon!

Bad Back

I hurt my back Wednesday leaning over my workshop table for three hours taking photos, and it is a mess today. I have back issues and this happens occasionally. I went to work today, but once my Advil wore off, I was in bad shape. I went to the chiro in the morning for an adjustment and some therapy, but it isn't feeling any too good tonight. Not sure what I am going to do about work tomorrow, because I can't sit for more than a couple of minutes at a time right now. That doesn't work well when you have a desk job. I just wanted you to know that if I don't pop in to say hello tomorrow morning like I usually do....you know why. I'm sure it will be peachy fine in a day or two. Have a nice evening and I'll chat with you soon.

Maggie and the Stairs

Monday after work Irv decided to go down in the dungeon (which is what we call our nasty old basement) and start straightening up. This would be the beginning phase of the huge dejunking project. Wrigley followed him down, but Maggie stood at the top of the stairs watching. She wanted to go down, but just couldn't do it. We had no idea she didn't know how to walk down a flight of stairs! We have 3 stairs off the deck to the back yard and she never had a problem with those, but this was different.

She would put her front feet on the top step and get really low....and then nope, back up she went. Then she would do it again, and again and again. I quickly realized this was going to be one of those funny moments and I grabbed my camera and headed down the stairs. Wrigley even went back up to see what the heck the problem was.

Coming down.....

Nope.....going back up.....

Coming down.....

I stood down below calling her and trying to coax her down with a treat. She would go down a few stairs and the turn around and go back up...each time staying as low to the stair as she could get. It must have looked less scary that way. Then Sparky had to come and take a look!

Again......

And again.....

I should have counted how many times she tried. Each photo you see is another attempt, and there were many that were so fast, I couldn't even get a shot in. She would go down three or four and then change her mind and turn around and run back up. Then she would do it again...one, two, three, four....low to the ground....nope, turn around and back up the stairs she would go.

Finally she started down...still staying low and got within three stairs of the bottom....I thought she had it, but nope.....back up she went.

One more try.....

Success!!!!

She looked so darn funny with her front legs spread out to keep herself close to the steps, I had to laugh. Now they are chasing each other up and down the stairs!

Make it a good day for yourself!

Happy Veterans Day

First, I want to thank all of our service men and women for all they do and our Veterans for the sacrifices they have made. My dad was in the Army and both of my brothers retired from the Navy. The commitment these men and women make to their country never ceases to amaze me. My dad carried the burden of war with him his entire life. His nightmares were the most terrifying thing I can recall as a child. You can read about it here. Yes, their sacrifices are great.

Because of those awesome men and women....I have the day off today, and it couldn't have come at a better time. I can't even begin to tell you how many things I have made since spring that I have NOT listed in my shop. No....you have no idea. I have cake stands, and brooches, and wine bags, and pin cushions, and pillows, and coasters, and tote bags, and picture frames and I'm not even sure what else....and I'm not talking one or two of each, I am talking MANY of each.

The sun is supposed to shine all day today, which means I might be able to capture some well lit photos in the morning in my workshop window and then in the early afternoon in my kitchen window. I figure if I can get most of it photographed...then over the next couple of weeks I can touch up the photos and get things listed in time for the holidays. That is the plan. We will see how it goes.

I also have given a tremendous amount of thought to my etsy shop situation and have decided to keep FourDogDay and eventually close MyOtherShop. Your comments were very helpful and gave me much to think about.

I really don't have time to promote two shops, and now that I know that fabric is really my thing..I plan to concentrate on that. I will list all of my new items in FourDogDay and slowly move other fabric things over. I feel SO great having made my decision!

So, without further hesitation....I am out of here today! Glad I charged all of the batteries for the camera. I will need them!

Have an awesome day everyone!

Doggie Spa Day at the Krolls

Those of you who follow my blog know that we had two dogs and just adopted a third. Well, all three of them were pretty dirty and in need of a bath. With the weather so warm on Saturday, we decided to take advantage of it.

Sparky doesn't really mind her baths too much. As long as the water is warm, she gets nicely towel dried, gets her well-deserved treat and can go finish drying in the sun....she is one happy little twelve and a half year old pup.

I love this picture. It looks like they are lined up waiting for their turn. Really, they were just being nosey and wanted to know what we were doing to Sparky!


Wrigley has been in the tub....in the tub with the water running....and in the tub with water running on her....but Wrigley is not fond of water and she has never really been lathered up...until Saturday. She was way overdue!


Next was our newcomer. We couldn't wait any longer. I'm not sure if Maggie had ever had a bath, but we guessed probably not. The foster mom liked to wipe her with baby wipes to "clean" her and keep her fresh smelling. All that did was make her coat oily and didn't do anything for the dirt in her thick coat.

I'm not use to a dog with long hair and oh my word...there was hair everywhere.

I was laughing so hard that I almost wet my pants when she shook for the first time in the tub after we rinsed her. She looked like a porcupine!!! It was so funny!

Her coat looked totally different after her bath! It was so soft and fluffy.

Some nail trimming and lots of kind words and Doggie Spa Day was done....until the next time.

Craft Show Calamity

Irv and I were on our way to the craft show and my main focus was on how I was going to set up my booth. We weren't taking my big set up. The show was only five hours long. We were going to use the bookshelf, a clothes rack, a coat rack and the two tables they were providing. I was trying to figure out how to arrange everything in my 10 by 10 space. Irv was in the truck in front of me as we made our way to Hoffman Estates.

We arrived, loaded up the cart and made our way in. A nice lady greeted us at the door, checked us in and lead us into the gym. As we entered the gym, I quickly looked around and thought, "Uh oh!" Really, the words I thought were more like WTF???

The booths, were not booths at all....they were spaces with 2 tables and 2 chairs. I looked at the lady and said, "These aren't 10 by 10 booths." "Oh, I know, we ended up with SO many people....we were here late last night trying to figure it out and this is the best we could do."

THE BEST THEY COULD DO?? How do you advertise a 10 by 10 spot and have people pay...thinking they are getting a 10 by 10 spot, and bring things that can only be accommodated by a 10 by 10 spot and then give them a 6 by 8 spot???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

Okay, calm down Kathy. There has to be a way to make this work. They did their best. It's a tough job. This is the school where Irv works. Be nice. Breathe, breathe, breathe.....all Irv could say was, "I told you there was no way they could fit over 40 crafters with 10 by 10 spaces in this gym."

He had said that, but I told him they couldn't sell you a 10 by 10 spot and then not give you a 10 by 10 spot....silly Irv! HAHA!

The best they could do was to move me to a corner near one of the back doors and the bleachers.

It allowed me to set up the rack with my aprons and the bookshelf with my cake stands in a little indentation by the door. We were all packed in like sardines and most people were not happy.

There was no where to go with the coat rack with my tote bags on it. It ended up in back of the tables with me and no one even noticed them....in fact, you couldn't even tell who they belonged to! Can you see how much space there is between my tables and the tables behind me? Our chairs almost touched. It was NOT very comfy.

The lady kept apologizing and I kept telling her that we would make it work, and make it work we did. Everyone was practically bumping into the person in the booth behind them, and for someone like me that isn't into small talk...it was a long day. The girl behind me was nice, but I know more about her life and her family than I ever wanted to. :)

The day was long and the customers were not in abundance. It was 72 degrees and gorgeous outside and that is where most people understandably wanted to be. After all this is November in Illinois and those kind of days are a rarity for sure.

I had a sale here and there and over the course of the five hours had sold enough coasters, aprons and light switch covers to pay my fee and make as much as I have at any of the big expensive two-day shows that I've done so far. I didn't make a ton, but it was a descent show.

As a craft show novice, I always try to learn something from each show I do. This weekend I learned to "expect the unexpected" for sure, and that the small shows may not have the crowds that the big shows have, but the fees are a fraction of the big shows. When you tally it all up at the end of the day....those 5 hours could end up being more profitable than the 15 hours you spent at the big show. Something to think about for next season.

I am done with shows for this year. With this being my first craft show season, I did two in the spring and three this fall. Next year I will choose carefully and do shows closer to the holidays. The ones I did this fall were way too early in the season. Maybe I'll do one early and a couple later. We'll see.

I have so much to do now. I have a ton of things to photograph and list in MyOtherShop on etsy. I didn't sell a single brooch or wine bag at the show! Go figure! I am off on Wednesday this week and have a HUGE photo shoot planned. Be watching for the brooches, wine bags and holiday coasters soon after! Have a great week everyone.

We are Home

I am too tired to write about the show tonight. I got my shop reopened, but haven't even unpacked anything yet. I will tell you about it when I get home from work tomorrow. The good news is that I made a little money! Chee Hoo!

Angela....yes, it was a Catholic church and I didn't sell a single wine bag! HAHA!

See you tomorrow.

Off And Running

Today is the little craft show. We have to leave at 6:15 a.m. so we can be setting up at 7:00. The doors open at 9:00. I really don't know what to expect. This is the type of event where people stroll over to the "market" in the gym after church. Not sure how many will stroll over...it's suppose to be 70 again today. That isn't usually a good thing for craft shows, but we will see.

My 10 by 10 space will have two provided tables and then I am bringing my book shelf, a clothes rack and a coat rack. I am bringing a bunch of stuff from MyOtherShop like small cake stands, all of my coasters, light switch covers, pin cushions, ornaments, aprons, tote bags, my brooches and my new wine bags. Something for everyone and hopefully there will be lots of everyones!! :)

I will post tonight when we get home if I can and let you know how it went. Enjoy your Sunday and I will chat with you soon.