Friday, December 23, 2011

Hark the Herald Angels Sing!

I am done!  I'm not sure how it all got accomplished but by-sinckerdoodle I am DONE! The house cleaned, the presents are wrapped the cookies are baked. The dog is sitting by my side on the couch and we are enjoying Christmas.  National Lampoons is on TV for the 10th time this season. Eddie just arrived, by the way.

All the stress, all the worry, all the crap that goes along with Christmas, in the end is worth it. We'll pack up the car when the husband gets home and we'll travel, with the millions of other families, to my parents house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. Then we'll pack up the car and back home to his Parents house, for Christmas number two, then finally home on Sunday night for 'our Christmas'.

I get to see friends tonight for dinner. Which is one of the best presents I could ask for. Ryan and John are in from Canada, Michelle from Boston and Katrina from Syracuse, will all meet on the shores of Lake Delta, for a good meal and a lot of laughs. A LOT of laughs. Last time we were there, same restaurant, semi-differnet group of people, we ended up leading the room in a rousing rendition of the "Erie Canal" song. 
 
For you folks that didn't sing it every year in elementary school.

Now on a side note. While I was looking up the Erie Canal song for the uninitiated, I found out that THE BOSS covered the song. I had no idea, I would have thought that the song was a hell of a lot cooler back in elementary school if I had known that Bruce was singing it. And apparently Pete Seeger and Bruce sang it in concert, in places like Dublin! I had no idea we were that cool.

A new, hopefully, tradition is that my bestie, Michelle, and her family is joining my family for dinner. I can't wait. It's always a blessing when you can share your table with loved ones, and this year our table will be extra full. Best friends and a new husband. I love Christmas eve, the house smells so good, dinner is wonderful, and we get to sit around the tree. Late at night I put on my jammies and I watch Midnight mass from the Vatican. I love to see the basilica all decorated. It'll be even more special this year, because I've actually been there. It's been two years since then, but I missed it last year, so I'm not counting that one! 

Christmas day is always a whirl wind. Packing the car with the dog then to my Aunts for dinner. It looks like 20 this year. That means a dozen or so hams. Aunt Gail likes to keep the 1 to 1 ratio. Never want to run out.  We've got wedding pictures so that'll be fun and we get to actually visit with everyone, since at the wedding there was no visiting. To much going on, and not enough time and to many people.

Poor Penny (the dog) has no idea what's instore for her this weekend. I don't think that she'll even get up out of the bed on Monday when it's all over, Hell, I don't think I'll get out of bed on Monday either.

Well to All my blogging friends and family, Have a safe and Wonderful Holiday this weekend, no matter which one it is. Enjoy your family, don't stress to much, and no matter what take 5 minutes out for yourself.  That way the chance of killing someone, goes down exponentially.


Monday, December 19, 2011

OH my Goodness Gracious! Grab the Nog!

I haven't written a post in forever. I (like many of you are) am currently pulling my hair out, trying to get ready for Christmas (or your holiday). 

List of Things I haven't gotten done yet and I only have 5 more days to go:

Baking (business and personal)
Shopping
Wrapping
Cleaning
Packing
Laundry
Visiting with neighbors
Christmas cards (though the bulk went in the mail today)

So I really shouldn't be taking a few minutes out to write to you, but you've all been on my mind and it's one more holiday thing that I can't put off any longer.

I really can't believe that Christmas is in 5 days. We live in the Capital Region of New York, and we still don't have any snow. Which I feel is bullsh*t. I put up with tons of snow each and every year. I am originally from Central New York where over 100" inches of snow each season was typical. In this area that would be disastrous. But we still get a lot of snow, so frankly if I have to put up with it from December 26th to April/May then damn-it I want a effing White Christmas. I don't feel that this is too much to ask, seriously.

I had great expectations this year of having a really well put together Christmas. HA!  What a pipe dream that was. Just because I don't go to a company to work, in my deluded mind, I thought that I could some how get everything that I wanted to get done, done. What a crock that was.  Besides now baking non-stop for days filling Christmas orders. I made my own Christmas cards,which seriously I love but, Christ was that time consuming.

I think in some egg nog induced dream, we would be sitting around the crackling Yule Log on t.v., stringing our own popcorn garland, drinking hot toddy's and  singing Christmas carols. I need to get my head out of the clouds, get back to making sugar cookies, and cranberry orange bread and put on White Christmas for the zillionth time, to make myself be merry and bright! I feel like Clark Griswold going crazy at the end of Christmas Vacation.
 
This one isn't for the kid's but it makes me laugh every damn time.

Well I think that was my pre-christmas break down/rant. Now that I'm done... Back to baking!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Things I Hate about Owning my own Business- and things I love!

There are times when owning your own business sucks. Like really, really sucks. It all balances out in the end, but the hard times are hard. There are so many things that I don't know, or don't understand. I can spend an hour pouring over the NYS Tax site and still not know what I need to do.  I hate keeping books. I'm just bad at it. Well hell, I've been crap at keeping a bank book, so why would business books be any different?

What's the worst part (and best) of owing your own business? No one tells me what to do. No one makes the decisions except me. There is no one to take the blame when things don't get done. When mistakes are made, well I made them, and I can't even yell at anyone for it. That just plain sucks.  But on the flip side, no one tells me what to do. I don't have any idiot bosses that like to boss for the sake of bossing. I don't have any stupid corporation that sends down memos just to keep vice presidents busy writing them. No dumb, day long meetings, when I have better things to do. It's just me, little old me.  I never stop working. My office is in the house, and there are always books to work on. Always. So that means when I'm watching t.v. with the hubby, I should be in front of the computer putting in receipts. Or writing a blog ;) or working on a new recipe, or thinking of a new product, the list just goes on and on and on.

So what's the best thing?   I'm just me. When it's time to go on vacation, we go. I don't have to take time off to take penny to the groomers, or when there is a sale at Macys... anyway.  I get to watch GMA most mornings. When I'm home, it's lots of Penny time.

The bestest best thing? I have never done anything that is so fulfilling. I know each and every customer. I am glad to see folks out at farmers markets. I know that I will build a business that will make (hopefully) thousands of people happy with full bellies.  That when they have a special occasion, I can help them celebrate. I might not be at the table when they serve a cake or put out a plate of cookies, but a little bit of my heart is there.  That is the best part.

Well it's going to be a busy week! I've got tons of cookies to bake 'cause Christmas is 12 short days away.

SO...  this week I'll be out at Delmar Farmers Market, it's the last one so make sure to stop and get some beautiful locally made gifts and treats! I'll also be out at Hudson Valley Community College for their Christmas shopping in the Student Center tomorrow!

Don't forget to order your cookie platter. 4 dozen cookies for $20!  Seriously you can't beat that! I ship! So let me know if you would like one. Well off to work for me!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Christmas is all Around

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I got my first Christmas card in the mail today! The tree is up, Christmas tunes are blaring all around the house and I've lost my voice.  Yeah it's been swell.  I had a very busy weekend, and a meeting on Monday, today I was supposed to drop off some items to the Delmar Market Place. 

The weekend went great, the meeting was interesting since I had to whisper the whole time I felt like everything that I was talking about was this huge secret. Like National Security sized secret.  And the drop off -- not happening today. Too much coughing, I don't want to go and bake and cough all over everything and spread my love around. So I'll do the drop tomorrow. I thought I was doing good today. I have been talking with Penny, and my voice was holding out well. I called Kevin to ask about FTP file sharing and 2 minutes in to the convo I was back down to a whisper. AWESOME!






So here I set, listening to Nat, coughing and feeling the holiday spirit.  So I thought I'd share some holiday cheer with you out there. I would like a Peppermint Mocha no whip from Starbucks if anyone is the EGB area and would like to drop one off.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Oh sweet DSLR Nikon D3100 How I love thee.

The D3100 nikonusa.com
You are my muse. You make me sing. You lift my heart to the stratosphere of digital photography. Sorry that was kind of sickening. But I truly do love it---a lot. It's my Father-in-laws, and once in a while when I bat my big brown eyes all pretty like, he lets me borrow it. Mostly because I need to borrow it for the business, and I need to take product photos and pictures of my dog. Seriously this camera makes taking photographer worthy pictures easy. Well at least I can pretend to be a photographer, and they don't come out so bad. good enough I feel that I can use them in/on print and website material for the company.  FIL once had a Nikon film camera and had a lot of the lenses that went with that, so he is now able to utilize them with the new camera. Even though it's a DSLR and you can change all the regular camera stuff like, shutter speed an stuff (I really have no idea how to do all photog-y stuff with the camera) it's really still a point and shoot camera. But the best part is it has exceptional clarity, and you can still use the view finder! This is an odd little quirk of mine. On our much loved Cannon P&S, I don't miss the view finder at all, if it was there I don't think that I would ever use it. On this camera though, I find myself mooshing my face to the back of the camera all the time to use the view finder. It just seems like the way to take the picture. I don't  know, I might be a little crazy. P.S. if you have an extra one laying around and are thinking ...Hmm I never use this, I might as well send it off to someone who would really appreciate it. CONTACT ME!!

Well this is all because, I'm getting a website!  WOOHOO!!  It's in the works now and I can't wait to give you all the details on it. I have been blessed to marry a man that has graphic designers as friends. Sweet Score! A lovely lady named Brianne Ptak-Mimura did my logo and and equally lovely lady named Adrienne DeTraglia is working my website as we speak. I will have all their info up here so I can rightfully plug their wicked talents!

Well that's about it for today. Lots of baking about to happen. Delmar Farmers Market on Saturday and the Troy Victorian Stroll on Sunday. Hope to see you out  this weekend getting ready for the holiday and picking up some yummy treats!

Please Mommy, may I have some more?