Thanks for stopping by! Would love to hear your comments on Favorite Friday nights. Have a great weekend!!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Caribbean Friday Night
Happy Friday!! I walked outside this afternoon, it was about 70 degrees, beautiful blue sky, warm sun and the sound of Caribbean music floated by in a passing car. One of my very favorite experiences in the past ten years has been snorkeling in the Caribbean. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be this Friday night than sitting out watching the sun sink into the aqua waters of the Caribbean Sea. Sooo, I have gathered a few Caribbean goodies for us to enjoy!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Spinning Plates on Dimes
Sounds a little strange, “spinning plates on dimes.” But we women do it every day and are really quite proficient at it.
Everyones’ plates may be a little different, but we all have lots of plates. There’s the plate of laundry, the plate of cooking dinner, of taxiing children, the plate of friendships, and caring for our spouse, outside jobs, paying bills, caring for pets or maybe for our parents, then there are the plates we try to squeeze in like our online business, maybe some exercise, or quiet time with God. Life can truly be a circus…………at least that’s how I felt today as my plates came crashing down.
Ever have those days? Wake up to too many hormones, all the plates feel like they need attention at the same time and when they don’t get it, they start to crash.
Then come the dimes. Dimes can be good or bad. Today I had both. Running late to pick up my daughter from high school because I had the “get just one more thing done” syndrome going before I left the house.......then comes the dime, she gets in the car with the sweetest smile and all giggles. We have a fun conversation and suddenly my day turns on a dime. At 15 sweet conversations are to be savored and so this “dime” brought everything to a stand still for a peaceful moment and made all those crazy plates seem a little less stressful. So I take her home and run out to take care of few errands before dinner. Cell phone rings ………here comes the next dime, and it’s not as sweet as the first. My son who used to be nicknamed “smiley” is now in an all out fuss in two seconds flat over why we cannot go to dollar taco night with his friend even though we are having tacos for dinner at home tonight. Not much makes sense at 13.
As I catch myself sinking back into the negative drag of too many plates and too much attitude, I realize something. As long as my moods are attached to my teenager’s I will always be “spinning on dimes.” So let’s hope awareness is half the battle!
Everyones’ plates may be a little different, but we all have lots of plates. There’s the plate of laundry, the plate of cooking dinner, of taxiing children, the plate of friendships, and caring for our spouse, outside jobs, paying bills, caring for pets or maybe for our parents, then there are the plates we try to squeeze in like our online business, maybe some exercise, or quiet time with God. Life can truly be a circus…………at least that’s how I felt today as my plates came crashing down.
Ever have those days? Wake up to too many hormones, all the plates feel like they need attention at the same time and when they don’t get it, they start to crash.
Then come the dimes. Dimes can be good or bad. Today I had both. Running late to pick up my daughter from high school because I had the “get just one more thing done” syndrome going before I left the house.......then comes the dime, she gets in the car with the sweetest smile and all giggles. We have a fun conversation and suddenly my day turns on a dime. At 15 sweet conversations are to be savored and so this “dime” brought everything to a stand still for a peaceful moment and made all those crazy plates seem a little less stressful. So I take her home and run out to take care of few errands before dinner. Cell phone rings ………here comes the next dime, and it’s not as sweet as the first. My son who used to be nicknamed “smiley” is now in an all out fuss in two seconds flat over why we cannot go to dollar taco night with his friend even though we are having tacos for dinner at home tonight. Not much makes sense at 13.
As I catch myself sinking back into the negative drag of too many plates and too much attitude, I realize something. As long as my moods are attached to my teenager’s I will always be “spinning on dimes.” So let’s hope awareness is half the battle!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Blossom
Just after the kids went back to school last August I was enjoying a Starbucks and a little “me” time meandering through one of my favorite antique stores. Normally I would have been at a little part time job I had acquired, but the slow economy ended that. However, it was also that economy that caused me to sell some clothes on eBay the week before and in the process I noticed that a set of Julia Child’s cookbooks sold for over $900 dollars that week! Popularity was at a frenzy because of the recently released “Julie and Julia” movie.
As I wandered through the antique store soaking in all the treasures of the past my eyes suddenly froze on a set of books nestled back in one of the booths. Could it possibly be that set? What were the odds of an eBay newbie stumbling on this information and then finding the books all in the same week? I don’t know, but it happened to me. $37.50 for a First Edition Set. Before this I didn’t even know the value of first edition books, but this experience gave me a new appreciation!
Fast forward a week. The books are on eBay and my husband and I are sitting in “The Outback” restaurant pushing refresh on our phone internet connection as the seconds counted down on my book auction. This was the best entertainment I had had in weeks! I had no idea how exciting an auction could be. Auction time 3, 2, 1, 0 ……… final bid $205.00! Not the $900 I had seen the week before, but $165 profit was pretty exciting for an eBay newbie with a zero feedback score.
I was hooked. Combining my love of vintage things and an interest in online business, 3 months later I opened my own vintage jewelry store VintageBonBons.com. If you have ever had an online business you know the rush of the first sale. Mine came within hours of starting the store set up! It has not all been quite that fast, but for the most part it has had a steady pace and growing it is part of the fun.
We enjoy so many blessings in disguise. A lost job and transition to mothering “independent” teens gave me the time to slow down long enough to notice the details, develop a passion and open a store. So that’s my “blossom” story……….I would love to hear yours! If you would like to share the story of your business, please email me at vintagebonbons@bellsouth.net and I’ll post them for others to enjoy.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
First Steps
Day one…where to begin?
The most amazing things in life all begin with that first step. So here goes mine…..thanks for being a part, by taking time to read.
At 44 I am a college educated stay at home Mom. The last 15 years have been about raising my two children who are now 13 and 15 and have no real use for me……or at least they like to think so.
Seeing that this chapter of life will soon transition to the next I began to look for “life after raising kids” …….is there such a thing? When they were toddlers older Mothers used to tell me “how quickly it would fly” ….”NOT”, I thought in my often isolated exhaustion. Now I see they were right. I have been known to sit on the edge of their beds at night to see them in the sweetness of sleep. No longer worrying if they will sleep all night, but cherishing the nights they will sleep in their rooms down the hall. Because I can see now that this chapter will end all too soon.
Embracing the change as positively as I know how, enter Vintage Bon Bons. What started with one fun auction on eBay has blossomed into an exciting online business adventure. I’ll tell that story later….. and would love to hear yours.
I hope you will visit again so we can get to know each other, sharing what we have learned along the way in life, as Moms, as women, and in the interesting world of online business. Lots to come in the way of life at 40 somethingish, business features on all types of topics to improve your business, interviews with online business owners sharing their stories and tips, life in bon bon land and the never dull world of raising teens, plus some vintage intrigue thrown in for fun.Thanks for stopping by! See you next time........
The most amazing things in life all begin with that first step. So here goes mine…..thanks for being a part, by taking time to read.
At 44 I am a college educated stay at home Mom. The last 15 years have been about raising my two children who are now 13 and 15 and have no real use for me……or at least they like to think so.
Seeing that this chapter of life will soon transition to the next I began to look for “life after raising kids” …….is there such a thing? When they were toddlers older Mothers used to tell me “how quickly it would fly” ….”NOT”, I thought in my often isolated exhaustion. Now I see they were right. I have been known to sit on the edge of their beds at night to see them in the sweetness of sleep. No longer worrying if they will sleep all night, but cherishing the nights they will sleep in their rooms down the hall. Because I can see now that this chapter will end all too soon.
Embracing the change as positively as I know how, enter Vintage Bon Bons. What started with one fun auction on eBay has blossomed into an exciting online business adventure. I’ll tell that story later….. and would love to hear yours.
I hope you will visit again so we can get to know each other, sharing what we have learned along the way in life, as Moms, as women, and in the interesting world of online business. Lots to come in the way of life at 40 somethingish, business features on all types of topics to improve your business, interviews with online business owners sharing their stories and tips, life in bon bon land and the never dull world of raising teens, plus some vintage intrigue thrown in for fun.Thanks for stopping by! See you next time........
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