sigh ...

So many ideas ... so little money.

It would also really help if I wasn't ADD...

Home Office

My home office is coming together! It's bittersweet considering it's Zacks old room and I couldn't even come in here for almost 2 months! It was too heartbreaking walking in and seeing all his things gone. He has been in this room since he was in a crib! Now that I am setting up my own workspace I'm a happy girl :-) I'm going to go through old pictures and make a collage of pictures through the years and hang it on the wall.

I spent all day going through all the things he left behind sorting what I keep for memories and what goes in the garage sale. Yes, I am crazy for having another one. Every time I do I say I will never have another. But there is just too much to bring to Goodwill so I might as well try and make a few bucks then send what's left to charity.

Right now I am using a 5ft. folding table that I will eventually use for home parties as my desk/work table. My creative juices are flowing. I just hope I can keep on task. When I have so many things I want to do I tend to start a project then move to the next, then the next and never get one fully done. I have to learn to stay on task! I think the art will be first, then the crafts, then the aromatherapy and skin care items. I won't have everything done in time for the village craft fair in October, but there will be others. I also have the website and hopes of home parties once I get things going.

I have a big futon in here so at times I can sit back, relax and think. Right now I have 3 cats checking it out thinking it's their new hangout. I don't think so! Koondah is a bit confused because he smells himself on  it and it looks eerily familiar. I got it from my ex. I also got the cat from my ex. Poor baby is looking at me like... wtf? lol

I'm pretty exhausted from working all day. My back is absolutely killing me. The heating pad and my bed are calling my name.

Exhausted!

We decided to work on the plant ledges. We had already done the ones in the main rooms and kids rooms last week. I didn't think it would be a problem doing the ledge in my room. It didn't take all that long.... but I decided I didn't like the little shelf on my bathroom wall anymore. My dad went to patch it and we realized we no longer had that color paint to cover the patch. I hated the color anyway. I have been waiting 15 years for my room to get painted the way I want it.

My parents left and Rich and I wanted to cover the green wall so we grabbed the paint we used in Zack's room. We ended up doing my whole bathroom. Zack helped alot. Rich did most of the work. It's not the color I want, but we needed a base to begin with. It looks so good! I am going to go pick out paint for my room and we are going to get it done next week! :) I already have paint for the kids bathroom. I've had it for about 3 years now. I'm going to try and get that done too.

The kids have been so awesome in helping to get this house in shape for the holidays. On top of the painting and cleaning we have been decorating for Christmas. The kids are amazed with how many angels and little Santa figurines from around the world I have collected. I made them get them all out of the individual boxes. Meg kept saying... are you sure you want to put them all out? lol

My back really hurts, I was nearly in tears from the arthritis in my hand holding the paintbrush to do the trim ... but at least I am motivated. This house definitely needs an energy change and a bit of a pick me up. :)

Staying Motivated

I figured out an easier way to sort the products for the catalog and sort out what I want together. Yes, I am a dork.... but hey... I'm learning as I go. I can't wait till it's done. It frustrates me that getting this business together is taking so long. Lack of funds has been one issue and I put it aside almost giving up at one time. But something in me keeps telling me to push forward. I think once the catalog is done and adding the home parties will give it the boost it needs. Then I will have money for online ads and local advertising. You have to even pay Google and Yahoo to feature your website. Things will come together soon enough... I'm hoping just after everyone gets over the Christmas shock and is ready to start buying again.

Escape from Catalogs

I have made myself a crazy person from trying to put this catalog together for Faery Wings. (... wait... I already was a crazy person) So, I decided to take a break and play with Photoshop for a little while this afternoon. Hence, the new banner. For some reason playing in Photoshop for no particular reason... just to see what comes out of my brain is fun.

Using photoshop for this damn catalog when I have no freakin clue what I am doing and being overwhelmed with thousands of images isn't fun. I have resorted to printing out my contact sheets of products, cutting them out and trying to figure out what I want grouped together. Do I want all alike items together? Do I want it more like decorating and have what matches with what together? Or a mixture of both? Right now I am attempting the mixture of both. I am starting with the smallest group and have bath and body, baskets and bathroom decor images all over my bed with a notebook to try to figure things out in. Then I will set everything up on the computer. There has to be an easier way... but since I am learning as I go... it's freaking taking me forever!!!! ugh ... just like setting up the website did. I still have changes to make on that and I learned better ways to set up the meta tags so Google products can find them easier. *sigh* My brain is going to freakin explode.

Aviaries

I really want to put an aviary as an extension of my back screened porch to give my birds flying room. I'm going to be buying the materials for it a little at a time because I can't afford it right now.
I saw two designs online and what I want is somewhere in between the two. It will have a ficus tree, tropical plants, little shelters for them, a mister for hot days and a heat lamp for cool days. I also want either a garden fountain or bird bath ... both of which I carry on Faery Wings and can get cheap. It would have a natural floor that can either be raked out or stones that can be hosed down to clean. The entrance would be from the porch just in case one of the birds escaped as you go in and out. Just on the outside of it I want a small Koi pond. All this will designed in a way so that when I can afford to put in a pool and jacuzzi it will be part of the patio design and all will be under screening. :) I have to move a small stone patio that my dad and I built, and my container garden about 10 feet over but all will look very cool when completed!!!!

I had a lazy night last night. The kids went to Octoberfest and had a blast. Rich and I decided to stay in since he had to get up early and work a few hours today. We laid in bed, watched Transformers and had a very good night. :) We are heading to Orlando with the kids and a bunch of friends tonight. I can't wait :)