Candles, photos and a BBQ at Sis's!

Today started off as a great day ... I got a ton done at work and that always makes me feel good! I pity my poor courier come Monday morning - 42 steps (2nd floor) isn't so bad the first time you do it ... or on the way down ... but the second, third (etc!) time it's a back breaker especially with heavy boxes or sacks of wax!!

It turned into a great evening too as we went over to see my sis and her hub in their new place for a bbq and it was such a nice evening! Good food, a nice atmosphere and a pretty garden! Our mum and her hub's mum had been working hard in their garden planting and repotting - it looked fabulous!!

I'd arranged in advance to take a few photos while I was over there as inspiration for a main shot for my website ... so I took some candles with me. I didn't get exactly the shots I was after, but these are a couple of my best ...

I'm working hard on bringing the website up to scratch ... i.e. really emphasizing the lifestyle factor of what I do, and the best way to do that is through photography. These are just a couple of my best shots that I took at my sister's place this evening.... I wish I'd had more time and more "stuff" with me!!

I have had another brilliant idea though! My sister is a fantastic photographer. She and her hub both are ... and I'm going to ask her if she'll spend some time taking photos of my candles around her house!! Sis has some very "quirky" stuff in her house and really good taste - and they are both very inspired by angular / eccentric / unusual photography of very normal every day things... which is exactly what I am looking for!

It's weird because I'm not even jealous that my sister can do a better job at this than I can - and it almost surprises me that I am NOT jealous! I take really good photographs of things that inspire ME ... and that pretty much comes down to photos of my children! Sis and her hub take amazing photos of "stuff"!!

I think between the two of them, they will come up with some great pics for me! Besides, if I make a list of everything I give them for the photography, I can mark it off as deductible too, so it's worth it tax wise - and she / they will probably get FAR better shots than I ever could anyway!

I really enjoyed spending time with them this evening. They are such a great couple and I'm so glad Sis and I are closer.

Friday Five - 30th May 2008

This week's Friday five is about forgetfulness. Isn't that Dee-ness?

What piece of information do you keep forgetting? Well surely if I knew that I would have no reason to forget it!! Actually it's probably hub's birthdate ... I know it's either the 6th or the 7th ... and the year is either one or another - but I never know for sure! I am usually good at remembering crap like that, but for one reason his birthday is one I regularly can't recall!

What regular event in your life do you keep forgetting? I keep promising myself that I will do the midnight walk in London for Breast Cancer (wearing a sparkly bra) but I never remember until after the sign up has passed! Maybe next year ..

How are you with remembering the names of people you meet? Actually I'm pretty good with names. With what I do for a living, I HAVE to be aware of customer's names because often they will call, saying "hi it's so and so..." and I need to immediately recall who they are and what they have ordered! It's faces I'm not so good at!

What kinds of tricks to you have for remembering to do stuff that falls outside your regular routine? Ahhh I use mnemonics ... a LOT! Mnemonics are like little verbal cues to remind yourself of things ... like how to spell "necessary" - I remember an English lesson when I was about 14 and being taught "never eat cheese, eat salmon sandwiches" and since then, I could always spell necessary! I try to give myself a "something" to associate with what I need to remember.

If you keep a daily planner, what is it like? If you don’t, why not? I have ALWAY kept a diary!! Actually I technically have three diaries! I have my actual calendar diary where I plan my day to day stuff and that looks like this ....

It was originally a boring black diary .. then it got "Dee'd!" In here is everything that I need to remember that I have to do on a particular day! Any appointments the kids have, lists of my parties & events for work etc. I also have my daily blog here on blogger, plus a very VERY private and exceptionally well hidden journal for my most secretest thoughts. C'mon ... you didn't really think I told you everything did you?

Dee took a day off! Wow and mega double wow!!!!

It's a little after midnight so technically Saturday, but heck it's Friday night until I go to bed! LOL

I took the day off today. It was the last day of half term for the children and I knew that even if I went into the workshop and poured my backside off that nothing would be finished to dispatch today ... and being Friday, even if it WAS dispatched today it would just sit in the courier warehouse all weekend! Much better for me to de-stress today and go in all weekend to catch up and dispatch everything Monday for delivery on Tuesday!

I didn't have a complete day off tho (well it IS me!) I helped Nathan clean his room up, did some housework, repotted my tomato plants and worked on the business website redesign.

The current version of the website just isn't working for me. It needs to be slicker and more up to date, so I've been working on designing a basic template for the index page that I can use for the rest of the website. It's looking good so far!

Went into work this evening and saw a friend for a bit - a nice way to finish off the day!

Pause for breath!!

Whew what a busy day! LOL it's been non stop! I was up with the birds (okay 7am) to be at work really early as the fire alarm system was being tested and they needed access to all units ... and as soon as they'd been in and tested my alarms, I locked up and hauled my butt over to the gym! I did a quick workout and then headed back to work!

I got quite a few orders poured today - although I won't be able to dispatch anything until Monday (kids off for one more day tomorrow!!) ... but it means that by the time Monday morning rolls around I should be hopefully up to date on all orders as I plan on being in there all weekend. Whew!!

I've had an evening OFF from the paperwork and number crunching tonight ... by the time I got home from work I was knackered and I knew my head wasn't up to concentrating ... so I've been working on a website redesign instead :-) it's still technically work, but it's fun stuff!!

Tomorrow I still have the kids off school so I'll take them up the park if it's nice ... and then crack on with the numbers! Plan is to have completed the entire year end up to 31st March 2005 by the end of the afternoon tomorrow so I can get started on working through the credit card statements.

Tomorrow evening I am going to have to get into work for a few hours to do prep for the weekend and aside from working my butt off all weekend, that's the sum total of my plans!

Me & my lil sis

I have just spoken to my sis on the phone and decided that it was time to dedicate a blog post to her!

This is us with our mum taken in New York last year (May 07) a few days before Sis's wedding. I'm on the left, Mum in the middle and Sis on the right.

Sis and I have had a weird relationship over the last few years (until recently), and I guess weird is probably the best way to describe it! She and I are VERY unalike as people (despite the physical resemblance!) and I'm not exactly sure when we stopped being close ... but somehow we did. We had a couple of years of really just losing touch with each other as people and our relationship as sisters suffered naturally as a result.

The thing is ... out of almost nowhere really it has ended up all coming so naturally (our relationship I mean), and all uncoincidentally timed with her move back to the area instead of being over an hour away which means that I can see more of her and she's closer literally as well as emotionally!!

She moved just a couple of weeks ago, but I would say for at least the last couple of months we have got on SO well! We are closer than ever before and it has been so natural! Instead of worrying about what we'd talk about on the phone, I call her just for a chat when I've got nothing major going on just to find out what she's been up to over the last few days (because I AM really interested in her life!) ... and she rang me while I was at the show the other day to let me know she'd been out and about and drummed up some interest from a couple of shops that are now interested in stocking my candles!! I was so utterly surprised that she did that for me out of nowhere ... but it wasn't really out of nowhere ... it's just the natural relationship that we have now!!

It's been so terrific to have a new "friend" as well. I'm really not sure what switched our relationship back on again, but it's been terrific. I love it and just know that going forward, Sis and I have a whole new friendship to explore!

I can also finally reveal to the general public that we also have a new "thing" together!! Sis discovered she has a very natural talent for scrapbooking! A few weeks ago, I put aside the entire weekend to spend with Sis working on a gift for her husband as a first anniversary present. We pretty much did a whole entire scrapbook over those two days ... and this is what Sis did all by herself ...

Know what? It was most definitely the best page in the whole album!! I may have created a monster!!

Ugh, I should really get back to my paperwork!

I just wanted to say ... Sis, if you are reading this then I love you to bits and I am so glad that we are back on track. In just the last few months, I truly feel we are closer to than ever before and I'm glad you are back in my life properly :-)

Ack okay soppiness over ... back to the paperwork!

Anyone got a huge band-aid?

Cus I'm going to need one to plug up the holes I have been discovering in my business ... and some of these holes are YEARS old - yet I hadn't realised them at the time.

I am NEVER going to fall behind on my paperwork again! OMG the things I have learned have been incredible ... and that, I guess is the saving grace! At least having to go through this has really focussed my mind on exactly what I need to do for going forward and I am damned well going to do it. I was so engrossed in the paperwork today that when I realised I was missing a bank statement, I bundled the kids into the car (without their socks and shoes - I was in a hurry!!) and drove down to the branch to get a printed copy so I didn't have to stop work!!

I've spoken to a few accountants via email today and the plan is that once I've got my lil ducks in a row, to email the spreadsheets to a "proper" accountant for them to check over my numbers and submit the tax returns for me.

So today has been a day spent at home with the kids on half term doing housework and paperwork! I was going to take them to the park for some quality time and fresh air but it has been hammering down with rain all day... so we all spent the day cooped up in the house! I did manage to get all the laundry washed and through the tumble dryer too ... damn I can be such a housewife! LOL

Deep Breath (a quick one!!)

I can't stop to breathe properly just yet though! A few deep breaths and then get my head back down is about all I can manage!

The kids are on half term and it's just not practical to take them into the workshop with me, so I spent a good part of the day engrossed in my paperwork and getting some of my figures inputted into excel spreadsheets as that's all stuff I can do from home. I only got two and a half months worth of data entered, but I felt good about it as I had still technically been "working" during the day today even though I wasn't pouring wax.

It's crazy that I feel I somehow have to justify it to myself when I don't go into the workshop during the day. I am the only one that I have to answer to, and I'm definitely my own worst critic! I went into work for a couple of hours this evening to pack up orders and that made it okay ... but meanwhile I'm going to be a few days behind on orders after half term is finished... and that means that I have stress and anxiety incoming ... oh joy!

I have SO much to do and SO few hours to get it all done in, but the weird thing is that since I actually started tackling this all head on and making real roads with the paperwork and accounts, I've not had a single panic attack or any "stress bubbles" (like nervous butterflies in my stomach). There is seriously a phenomenal amount still to do ... but I know I can do it! Even what I did today on my spreadsheet still has things missing that I need to go back and add in (like my merchant account processing charges, cash receipts and a breakdown of my business credit card statements etc) but it's going well!

Once I have got all of my ducks in order, everything will be working perfectly and my new systems are running beautifully ... it will be worth the agony in the long run!

It's been a good day in all though - with my achievements for the day plus other reasons that I can't mention here... I have a smile on my face! It's always good to smile and I haven't done it often enough recently!

Ooooooooooops sorry!

Well damnit I've been busy!!

After a few days of paperwork filing I had to totally concentrate on stock for the show.... which meant this weekend was totally out as far as blogging goes!

So the show? Well, it wasn't exactly brilliant the first day (yesterday) but today (bank holiday monday) I did a bit better and ended up overall only £50 down on my target for the weekend, so not so bad in the end!! I did take a few pics, it's just late and I can't be bothered to download them - so sue me LOL! (ok that was a joke incase anyone was wondering!!)

Megan was terrific this weekend at the show - a true dynamic selling force! I swear most of the sales were probably down to her and the "balls" that she has when she interacts with customers!

Anyway, it's late ... I'm okay ... and knackered!!!

236 votives later ....

Yeah that has been the sum total of my Friday night!

Damn I live an exciting night huh!! I have a two day show Sunday & bank holiday Monday, and as I have spent most of this week working on accounts, paperwork, and current orders, I had to spend the day pouring stock today! I take mainly votives when I do shows, so it involves wicking, bagging and labelling literally hundreds of votives in preparation. When I have a whole pile of stock to package, I bring it home and attack it with a glass or four of wine! I didn't do brilliantly at the last show, so there hasn't been a huge amount to do ... but I have wick'd, bagged and labelled 236 votives tonight!!

I've had a really good day today! I haven't done a huge amount done with the paperwork & accounts, but I did get QuickBooks up to date as far as 1st May this year (from 1st April) so that only leaves me the last few weeks to input into the computer. I feel REALLY positive about the progress I have made towards the accounting ... it's only been a week since I started making inroads into sorting the backlog out, and in that time I've done sooo much! I know I could have done more - but I'm not going to kick myself about it. I'm setting myself targets and missions to achieve each day, and as long as I do that - I am happy!

It's been a crazy week ... and it isn't over yet!!

I want to marry my dentist and have his babies!!

Well c'mon girls, wouldn't you want to go to the dentist more often if yours looked more like mine?! Somehow it makes the unbearable so much more bearable when you have something pretty to look at and ohhh he's definitely good to look at!

This fine specimin of dentistry is otherwise known as Paul Winkley from The Strand Dental in Worthing. The photo is cribbed from their website - I'm not like stalking my dentist or anything! Hahaha Anyway, when I went for my first consultation it was after years (and I mean about 16 years) of not going to the dentist and being incredibly lucky with my teeth.

I'd had a bad experience when I was younger and been petrified of dentists ever since ... but as soon as I walked into the building I just felt at ease. It's private and not NHS, but I tell you --- you get every penny's worth out of it. This place is purpose built - ie not some crappy converted house with 1940s carpets that smells of old people and dental mouthwash! I must have phoned like eleventy hundred dentists, explaining what a nervous patient I was ... and saying I'd call back .... until I spoke to The Strand! They just put me at ease over the phone, and it cemented it when I walked into the building!

My very first consultation with Paul was a couple of years ago and I was in so much pain. It was excruciating! I needed root canal work AND an extraction, so fairly major work... but Paul promised me that I wouldn't feel *any* pain ... and as I was particularly nervous (it was like a white knuckle ride except I LOVE rollercoasters!) he even gave me an extra boost of pain killer!

Know what? I didn't feel a thing and even the initial mild discomfort I felt while sitting in the dentist chair was NOTHING compared to the feeling of being totally pain free when I left there!!

I would have gone to the dentist a lot sooner with this recent pain if I hadn't seriously believed it was related to my periods because the last couple I've had ... I've had toothache at the same time but it's been controllable with pain killers! It has been getting worse over this week to the point that the over the counter pain relief wasn't even touching the sides ... so today I got me a dentist appointment!!

An x-ray, extraction (and £92) later I am 100% pain free. I can even swallow REALLY cold drinks now without wincing!!

God damnit I'm going to sleep well tonight!!!

Nathan's quad bike ride!!

My mum organised a fantastic treat for Nathan as part of his birthday! She arranged for him to spend some time at the beach patrol office in Worthing. He got to look around the lifeboat - they let him sit in the driving seat and start up the engine ... he had a brilliant time!! I dosed myself up on painkillers for the toothache and smiled all the way through it for Nathan!

Ohhh and of course not forgetting the quad bike that the guys use to patrol the beach that he got to ride on!! OMG did he love this or what!!!

The guys from the office were really fantastic and showed him a great time! He said his favourite part was going for a ride on the quad bike around the beach!

Loved this shot of him talking in the mic to the guys out on the boat!

A great afternoon and a very happy little boy! This is the team that looked after him ... and of course his sister in the shot as well :-)

Birthday cake :-)

Yeah okay I know - I'm a terrible person! It's taken me two days to get photos online from Nathan's birthday! Bad bad Dee!

Yummy delicious chocolate cake ... mmmmm

It was a bit of a mis-match of cake candles but I found eight, and I don't think it really mattered!!

Grrrrrrrrr LOL

I woke up with astronomical toothache around 5am and it took a while for the painkillers to kick in, so by the time my alarm went off I really hadn't had enough sleep and woke up feeling groggy this morning. I swear toothache is WORSE than childbirth! At least with childbirth it's pain with a purpose and it may hurt like hell, but at least you know it's going to end!

This toothache is killing me. I'd originally thought that it was related to my period because it seemed to hit when I was on ... but even that has been hard to track recently. I didn't have a period for a few months after Christmas, then I had a nasty heavy one ... then I've had two in the last 5 weeks ... this last one has really dragged on too, but it seems to have finished today and I still have the toothache. If I could afford the dentist - I'd go ... meanwhile I'll just keep relying on painkillers!

I still went into work this mornig ready to crack on despite feeling like crap because my newfound motivation won't let a lil thing like toothache get in the way! I seriously felt like curling up on the sofa in my "staff room" and just going to sleep, but instead I got some orders poured, made some hurricanes for stock and paperwork wise, I have got my most outstanding year now filed into date order in my filing cabinet!!! Yeah, I rock!!

In true "Dee style" I've got pretty coloured dividers separating the months out so it's organised AND pretty LOL and I bought a pink notepad to staple my current cash receipts into! LOL Tomorrow's plan is to start on the rest of the filing and I've set myself a target of this weekend to have it ALL filed in monthly order! By next week I need to be going through my old bank statements (which I have also found and filed!!!) to add up all of the incomings and outgoings year by year. Once I reach that point, I'll be able to make an appointment with my local tax office and they will help me to fill in the returns once I have the numbers. This totally negates the need to pay an accountant and saves money -- something I love to do!!! Okay so I won't have a full accounts listing for those outstanding years, but I'll know the numbers and I'll be able to work out exactly what I owe the tax man and I'll have the paperwork to back it all up.

Plus ... with L's help I have been working out exactly what my current costs are ... ie the essential things that I need to pay to keep the business afloat and I have a much better idea of what actually constitutes a good and bad week now!!

The thing that has frustrated me today is that all of the data entry I did last night into QuickBooks has all been for nothing because I realised this afternoon that it was all screwy!! I realised this when I was invoicing a customer and recording it as paid, then marking the actual payment into my bank register ... I figured it was registering the payment twice as far as income goes and thereby giving a false profit reading! This is not good!! It's what you get for a free download version huh!

I do actually own a full working copy of QuickBooks with the key code and registration code .... mine is the 2001 version and I rang QuickBooks customer service hoping to get a download site so that I could re-install it without the CD, but unfortunately my version is so old now that they no longer support it! The woman I spoke to was really helpful and said that as I was an existing customer I can get the current 2008 pro version for a discounted price AND I could pay monthly via direct debit. I snapped it up! It also includes an upgrade to the 2009 version when that's ready. CDs are on the way and that will then be my way of getting the current financial year (from April 1st onwards) absolutely 100% up to date!

I haven't had a single anxiety attack or felt the real "rush" of stress and panic since I started going through the paperwork last Thursday. Funny that eh. The crazy thing is that I've know all along that THIS has been one of the root causes of my stress, yet it's been the thing that I have avoided doing for so frigging long now. I'm still very worried about it all because the more I get involved with the numbers, the more I worry I can't afford to make it ... but that just makes me MORE determined to sort it all out!!

Nathan's Birthday :-)

Well he made it to 8 years old!! I do have some pics, but I've had such a hectic day (more about that later) that I haven't had a chance to download anything yet!

Nathan had a fabulous day - pressies in the morning and he got a new Nintendo DS (his third one due to breaking them GRRRR!) with a new game from his dad and me ... some Ben 10 toys from his Aunt & Uncle, a cheque from his Gran and a football & England watch from his Nan.

In the past we have always gone waaaaaay overboard with presents, but this year I'd purposely said to hub that I didn't want to be spending a fortune on extra little bits and pieces because a) we can't afford to, and b) we are spending £100 between us on a new DS AND a new game!!

To be honest, Nathan loved what he got, he's a happy boy, and I don't think he missed out AT ALL with "quantity" because he does understand the value of what he got too.

Apparently he had an "awesome" day at school too! Always good to hear!

This evening we all went out for a family meal at the restaurant around the corner (The Sussex Potter) at Nathan's choice! Ate waaaay too much, had fabulous desserts, made a complete mess and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Where's Dee up to with the paperwork I hear you asking?

Well, so kind of you to ask! LOL Okay so my mission today was to sort through the oldest papedwork and get that in month order... nice big tick on the ole checklist there! Tomorrow the plan is to START 2005 month order filing and get some orders poured. I sent out a fair few boxes today, got paperwork filed AND I have even organised a system to file all of the current and future paperwork too!

Damn I am actually loving sorting all of this out --- I just WISH I had got off of my giant (slowly shrinking thanks to the gym) backside months --- no, years ago! *sigh* I'd be in a MUCH better position today if I was *insert more deep sighing and regret* Ack ok enough with the self butt kicking ... I'm sorting it out NOW and really getting into it!! At work today amidst a massive circle of paperwork (12 months in a year = 12 piles of papers!) .... I stopped and just smiled to myself because I feel like weight is being lifted from me daily ... hahaha no wonder the gym is working for me ... I'm exercising my stress calories away!!

Anyway ... (lol I do ramble huh)

This evening my mission is to input every customer I've had since April 1st 2008 into my newly installed QuickBooks and raise an invoice through the software so that I can see straight away exactly how much I'm making currently. I'm not going to allow myself to go to bed until it's done! I've got 3 more weeks of customers to input from the bank statement up to the current date, then I just have to add the ones from the shopping cart that I haven't been paid for yet .... but I'll forgive myself not doing that bit until tomorrow - well, depending on what time it is when I'm done with this lot anyway!!

A couple of people even commented today that I am sounding happier and looking better! I swear it could be a combination of losing that extra 3lbs outside of my comfort zone, braving up to sorting through the paperwork ... or all manner of outside influences and you wanna know what? I don't care! I feel more positive right now than I've felt in a l-o-n-g time and it feels great! I can face the world and whatever is thrown at me tomorrow because I'm not going to sweat the small stuff anymore (nope gonna file it instead! HAH!) and damnit forget the present --- I'm living for the future from now onwards!!!!

Okay time to come down from my cloud and get my head back into these numbers!!!

Yeah back in my comfort zone!

Well, according to the scales anyway! How mad is that ... I join the gym (went three times this week plus the body pump class) and spend a week watching what I eat ... and 3lb just drops off of me!!

I'm at the top end of my "comfort zone" ... but hey, at least I'm back in there again! My comfort zone has a 3lb barrier, so I want to at least lose that other 3lb as my first target and then do away with my comfort zone altogether!! I tell ya, stress is great for weight loss ... your mind is so pre-occupied with worry that you can't even think about eating, let alone actually eat anything!

My clothes feel looser, I can SEE the difference in the mirror and most of all, I feel it in myself and that is what counts. I've been through so much over the last few months and recently it's felt like I'm finally heading for the turnaround in my luck that I know I deserve!

I'm not taking a sleeping pill tonight ... we'll see how it goes!!

I'm gonna be a paperwork QUEEN!!!

The majority of my crap stuff paperwork has now been sorted into date order, and it has only taken the sum total of a couple of hours a day over the last 3 days. How sad is that? I truly am kicking myself for not doing this sooner - especially considering how quickly I've managed to get through it all since Friday afternoon and how far behind I had allowed myself to get. I could have done this months ... years ago. I will never EVER be in a position where I don't know my numbers (or at least be able to lay my hands on the info right away!) ever again!!

Okay there is still a LONG way to go to get to zero, but the worst part of going through the boxes and organising it into date is done! Next step is to make sure I have all my bank statements dating right back so that I can go through it all and meticulously record every single outgoing and incoming through the bank, and then file all of my cash receipts. Alongside that I've installed new accounts software on my laptop so I am going to find *everything* from 1st April this year so that at least going forward my tax year from 08-09 will be 100% in order!!

I couldn't have done it without L's help! Just having such a close friend in my corner who knows me well enough to say "Dee, you're a great candlemaker and your product truly is terrific, but you are fucking shite with your paperwork!" has been just what I needed to motivate me! LOL there aren't many people who actually have the BALLS to stand up to me, but L is one of them! L has been there for me in a way I hadn't ever seen coming - and I am truly grateful.

I need to prove I can do it ... not to anyone else, but to myself! I am my own worst enemy and I know it! God, I feel so motivated right now and so ready for tomorrow!! Lemme at Monday morning so I can get started on my "to do" list and make some phone calls!

Proud Mama Bear!

God I love these proud mama bear moments! Megan had such a fantastic day today and she really made me proud! She was put forward for a "pupil enrichment course" for musically gifted and able children ... and selected as someone with natural talent to nurture!! She was invited to do a one day workshop called "Sing Out!" which is about singing as a group and using harmony. I was proud of her already, but when we got there today and I saw it was just THIRTEEN of them on this course I was even MORE proud!!

Here's some vids!! Sorry they are sideways and apologies for the crappy quality - this is the first time I've posted vids from my mobile and I couldn't figure the rotation! LOL You'll just have to watch sideways ... it's about the singing anyway!

Aint she gorgeous?! She enjoyed herself SO much - it was so obvious from the way she was grinning inanely on the way home! Damn she can really sing too - she has a gorgeous singing voice ... I had tears in my eyes as soon as they started singing!!!

I got me a tag cloud!!!

Courtesy of instructions from phydeaux3

How utterly cool is this! I love these on other blogs I read regularly, and I finally got around to adding one to my blog. Tag clouds were originally designed for wordpress, but the guy above fixed it for blogger too. You do have to know some basic HTML code, but the instructions are easy peasy!

Tag clouds make random post browsing much more interesting! I can see the thing I tend to blog about most often. It's not surprising that STRESS makes it up there in big bold lettering eh!

And she procrastinates no longer....

I was up, motivated and raring to go this morning! I went to the gym as soon as I’d dropped the kids at school and had a really good workout… I’m finding my routine pleasantly gruelling, i.e. I feel the burn while I am doing it, but I think I will definitely be looking to increase the resistance when my 6 week review comes up! I came home for a quick shower then headed straight into work.

Wait, it gets better! I spent a couple of hours going through things at work, then it began …

** drum roll **

The paperwork has been started!! I had a friend helping me today, and I swear that L was a worse slave driver than I thought I was! L is firmly of the “touch every piece of paper once” - i.e. file it or shred it school of thought, and I have to agree it’s a much better way than my “throw it in a box and worry about it later” method! L is one of the few people in the world who I can really count on for an honest to god bottom line opinion and who also isn't afraid to tell me either! A perfect person to help get me organised!!

We got through SO MUCH in just a couple of hours - it really didn't take THAT long and it wasn't THAT bad at all. I was really kicking myself for putting it off for so long ad not doing it sooner. If I had just spent half an hour a day for a week I’d have achieved the same thing myself and I could have done it months years ago. Okay enough kicking, I'm doing it now and I am NEVER going to let myself get to this point ever again. Besides, even if I didn't want to get straightened out (which I do!!) well, let's just say that I don't think I will be given any choice in the matter! LOL

This box was FULL - and I mean stuffed FULL of crap! This is only one of the boxes that I have with paperwork in, but it was certainly the bulk of it!

And look at it now!! It's less than a quarter full and it's totally organised! All of the paperwork is neatly filed in date order with card separators until it moves into the filing cabinet when we've been through the other boxes. All of the rubbish got shredded and every piece of paper got anally sorted into date order! The result is a much lighter box ... and an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders!! There is still a serious amount to do and I'm not entirely sure that I have every single piece of paper together yet, but damnit it feels so good to have really started it.

The next stage is probably going to be the worst, but it's also going to be the most interesting, because that is the part where I will find out my numbers and THAT is what I need to know to stay in business. I need to log absolutely every single piece of paper, every incoming and outgoing that I have and work it all out to the last penny. I need to know where it's all coming from ... and where it's all going!

It scares the crap out of me, but strangely, I am looking forward to it at the same time! If I have a hope in hell of making this work, then I need to be absolutely on the ball with my paperwork... and it has helped enormously to have had someone else there today to keep me going.

I feel so motivated and ready for it. Bring on tomorrow!!!

Friday Five 16th May 2008 (Old/Young)

Wow I have time to do today's Friday Five before I take the kids to school!

What makes you feel old? Ugh the teenagers these days! I look at them trying desperately to look older, and I remember that it wasn't that long ago that I was one of them ... but I feel REALLY old when I realise that actually, err it was more like over 15 years ago!

What makes you feel young? My kids and the ability to be completely silly with them!! Even out in public I can lark around with them and have a laugh!

What was better the old way? Getting a hand written letter through the post. It had much more sentiment and meant a lot more.

What’s better now that you do it the new way? Although hand written notes have more sentiment, I think technology HAS been a huge improvement in communication. Life is sometimes too busy to spend an hour hand writing a letter ... but it takes 5 minutes to email an old friend you haven't spoken to for a while.

What’s something you are old school about? Family traditions definitely. I was brought up by great parents and I've always said if I can be half the parent that they were ... then I will have done a good job!

Why do I always worry more when things are going well?! It’s such a me thing to do. I worry when there is nothing to worry about because I’m sure there should be something to worry about! Okay, so it’s not like I have nothing to worry about – there’s certainly plenty of that, but I think that really facing my demons has really helped and because I’ve made SUCH a good start on sorting my sh*t out, it has reflected back in other parts of my life too.

I have realised that it’s pointless waiting for the good things to happen to you. You gotta get out there and go find them, or at least be in a place emotionally where you can see new doors and opportunities open to you. That’s how I have been feeling over the last few days since the crappy weekend!!

I went into work feeling refreshed & motivated (gotta love pills for a decent night’s sleep!) and got on a major cleaning mission! I need to find every single piece of paperwork that I have got, and in order to do that ... I need to go through every single corner of the workshop, so I started in one corner and I’ve been working my way round, so the workshop is looking great! I also completed several orders ready to pack tomorrow and the new order tracking & dispatch system that I’ve implemented is already working! I had a couple of customers call to ask the status of their order … I was able to easily find their order details and give them the tracking number, so it’s all good!!

I’ve spent a lot of time today thinking about the future, and it’s amazing the difference that a positive spin can put on things. I am determined to give it one more shot … if I go down then I’ll go down fighting all the way!!

Midweek mutterings

I was really motivated first thing this morning after another good nights sleep. I was in work early and filled in my new dispatch form with all of the details for all the current orders - and it works really well. I was able to get ALL of the completed orders sent out today too!

I went to the gym for a workout before picking the kids up from school and although I was knackered, I did it! I had to skip the rower as I ran out of time, but other than that ... it was good! Even after the pump class last night I wasn't too achy - we'll have to see how I feel tomorrow!

Had a bit of a non-evening really - just watched TV and relaxed ... yeah I know ... imagine that - Dee is relaxing!! LOL Am gonna take a chill pill and get me another good sleep tonight!!

Things are getting a shake up around here!

Okay, first thing first ... I am ready to get back on the world again.

It's amazing what a good nights sleep can do for a girl! I went to bed around 11pm and I don't even remember "trying" to get to sleep. I woke up this morning feeling soooooooo refreshed and ready to start the day. It's been a long time since I felt that.

Pull up a pew - this is going to be a long one!!

I've had a good day today - no, a damned good day! Things are changing around here! I am no longer going to sit around on my backside (figuratively speaking!) and wait for my luck to change. It's time to do something about it myself!!

I pulled together the paperwork I have at home that I could find to hand and took that all into work this morning. I knew I wouldn't have time to really start going through it, but I DID make one big pile of all of the boxes of invoices and paperwork in the workshop and start to get organised. It's the most I've actually done towards it in a long time (being perfectly honest) and it felt good just to make a START on it.

I've promised myself I will spend at least half an hour during each day I'm at the workshop going through the big pile and beginning to sort it into smaller organised files. Just doing that much has already made me feel motivated towards really getting my shit sorted.

Plus, look what I found in the stationary shop in town when I was buying pretty things to file my crap paperwork in (c'mon it's me!!!) I mean how cool is this!?!?!

What girl wouldn't want to get organised when she has pretty folders and pink tak!! It's apparently a limited edition to support breast cancer and I'm all for supporting any of the cancer charities ... especially when you get pink tak! Hehehe!

Soooo at work today I got LOTS of boxes packed, and started a new system for tracking orders in the workshop. I've designed a form that has a box I will fill in as soon as the order is printed with the date the order is received, whether it was phone or internet (with the order number) and the customer's name & postcode. The dispatch date will then be filled in with the tracking number! This way I can see exactly how long it's taking me to fill orders and, keep track of the weekly figures. Yeah yeah, I know ... I should have done that anyway from the beginning, but I'm doing it now!

This afternoon by the time I'd got in from work and picked the kids up, I was pretty exhausted and still needing to catch up on sleep, but I still managed a body pump class at the gym! I'm determined to sort myself out - inside AND out! Although I do pump at the workshop with my bar, there is nothing better than someone else standing there telling you to push it harder!!!

Sooo it's time for a shower, then I'm gonna take a pill and watch Sex in the City re-runs!!

2 pep talks, good friends & sleeping pills!

God what a day. I managed to fall asleep around 4am - then my alarm went off at 7.30 which is the absolute latest I can get up in the morning and still manage to leave the house in time to get the kids to school.

I did take me to the doctor this morning though for a repeat prescription of my happy pills. She was really great and listened to all of my waffle about my lack of sleep and my weird tingling & heavy legs, and then asked me if I've had any increased activity and any increased stress! It was all I could do not to laugh because err yes and hell yes in that order! She said all of the things I described (and it's definitely called restless legs) were all more symptoms of anxiety and that re-joining the gym and getting more exercise is changing the natural rhythm of my body and that it should settle down. She gave me a bit of a pep talk about staying positive and trying to be more optimistic than pessimistic.

... she also gave me something to help me sleep. I've got 10 days worth of Zopiclone which is apparently a "hypnotic" drug. It decreases the amount of time it takes for you to fall asleep ... and increases the amount of time you stay asleep so I shouldn't wake in the middle of the night unless I need the loo or something!!!

This afternoon I popped over to see a friend - and got my second pep talk of the day! L has been a really good friend for the last couple of years and totally "gets" me. L kinda sat there this afternoon and kicked me up the ass (figuratively speaking!) and told me pretty much point blank that if I want to get out of this situation then I HAVE to do something about it .... and fast. The truth is, once I've got the paperwork sorted, it'll be a huge weight off my mind and will probably go a very long way to reducing my stress levels too.

L is very VERY good with numbers and has also offered to help me get set up with a proper system for going forward so that no matter how far behind I am with the paperwork ... I won't ever get MORE behind.

Where would we be without great friends?

Anyway, I've taken my pill for the night ... so I'm off to bed!

2.45am "restless legs" and late night mutterings

I DESERVE sleep. I don't deserve to have heavy restless legs that won't leave me alone. After all I have been through over the last few days, I DESERVE to get a good night's sleep. I spent the evening fairly chilled and relaxed, watched some TV then went to bed around 11pm. Unfortunately an hour later at just past midnight I was still laying there and my legs just felt so heavy and uncomfortable. Restless is the best way to describe it and it sucks.

I got up, made a hot cocoa, had a smoke, watched some Sex in the City re-runs and attempted sleep again around 1am. That didn't last long - it's now getting on for 3am ... I have to be up in just over four hours and for the third night in a row, I'll have had bugger all sleep.

My shitty weekend

Stop the world, I WANT TO GET OFF.

I have worked SO hard and stressed SO much over the last few days and worked myself to the bone. I have completely exhausted myself mentally and physically, and it just feels like it is all for nothing. I've been feeling very unwell - dizzy spells and weird tingly feelings all over my body, and sooooooo tired. The fact that I didn't crash my car driving home from the show today was just a bloody miracle.

The photo taking in Chichester yesterday ended up as a total non event. We started a bit of a walk round, but A is suffering at the moment with a really bad back and he was very obviously in pain .... so we found a pub and had a few drinks while we waited for hub & F to come back. I won't say that I wasn't *slightly* annoyed (okay that's an understatement - I was very annoyed) because I had to go through SO much to get everything done for the show in time to go out for the afternoon. Then, I feel bad for feeling that because it wasn't A's fault - he was well up for it ... just in pain.

Still ... in the grand scheme of things it didn't help my stress levels with wasted time that I could have been working. THEN on top of it all, hub and I had a huge massive fight last night. I don't remember what time I finally fell asleep ... but it was late.

I then had to get up really early this morning and left for the show at Fontwell Racecourse in plenty of time. Megan was with me and I swear had it not been for her in the car then I probably would have lost it totally. I couldn't find the turnoff for it! How crazy is that? I've driven past it like a gazillion times ... but the entrance that I thought was the entrance - well, it wasn't!! I ended up going in completely the wrong direction and having to drive for ages to find a roundabout to get back the other way. It ended up taking forever. I felt my stress levels rising higher and higher until I was in floods of tears in the car!

I am angry with myself for allowing that to happen in front of Megan. It's not exactly the first time she's witnessed a meltdown, but I should have held it together better. I didn't show her a very good example of coping... We finally got there with just a few minutes until it opened so it was mega-speedy unpacking the stock and getting it all set up.

The final pisser? It was a really dreadful show and I only just really covered costs. There were hardly any people through the door - it was sooooo quiet. I can stand there smiling for 6 hours when it's worth it ... but standing there for 6 hours when it's deader than a dodo ... when I'm already feeling dizzy and unwell was not good. Megan kept me together though ... hehee she said it wasn't a bad day because we did make some money and we got free cake! Bless her.

Still ... it makes me continue to question WTF I am actually doing? If I am getting so wound up and so stressed all because of work ... is it REALLY worth it? This weekend - in fact the past few days have been so full on and nonstop and it just feels like it's all for nothing.I want to achieve my dream and get a shop because I know damned well I have a great product ... but I don't know how much more of this I can take.

The start of a new me!

Well I did it! I was up early and at the gym for just after 8.30am this morning. I did my full workout with no cheating and it was actually okay! I was tired and sweaty at the end of it ... but I got through it all. The crunch machine absolutely killed me as it's right at the end of my workout! I nabbed this photo from the web but it's a very similar machine to the one at the gym.

You grab the handles at the head end, and your feet go through the other end. You have to use both your arms and your legs to bring them both up together at the same time and woaaahhh you feel the burn on your abs!. I have to do 2x15 reps ... and by the time I got to the 11th rep on the second set I really had to force myself to do the last four ... but I did!!!

Got home, had a very quick shower then went into work to finish off the prep for my show tomorrow. I'm home in time for a quick sandwich before I'm off out this afternoon taking photos!

Part of me wishes I hadn't said I'd do this as I'm exhausted and could do with chilling out and get more stock made for Sunday ... but it will be fun and I know I'll enjoy myself once I get into it!

Hub and I have been friends with A and F for years ... F wants to go out on a motorbike and A has just got a new camera and wants to play ... so we're "wife-swapping" for the afternoon but strictly for motorbike riding and photo taking! Hub is whisking F off on his bike, and A & I are off for a bimble around Chichester taking photos and I'm going to set him some challenges!

Right, best go charge the camera battery!!

Bye bye comfort zone!!

Well, hopefully in the next 6-8 weeks anyway! I went ahead and joined the gym today ... and there was a slot for an induction tonight so I took it! I'm now a fully fledged member and already been inducted! LOL :-)

The gym at Lancing Manor has been completely been refurbished and it's massive - absolutely massive!! I love the new system there too! I've got a "wellness key" which is hooked up to the main computer system. My trainer programmed my workout into it, and this key slots into all of the machines to keep track of exactly how much effort and work I am putting into my training! It means he also automatically knows when I've been and when I haven't!



The wellness system is absolutely brilliant - it keeps track of your fitness and how many calories you've burned, I'm so impressed with it! These are the keys ...

It's great - as you finish on one machine, it tells you where to go next!!

The scales may well go up though ... I remember from when I was really fit before that because muscle weighs heavier than fat ... the scales go up but the dress size goes down! THATS what I want!

I've not even changed dress size or anything ... I posted this morning that it's only been a slow 5lb gain over my comfort zone, but I just want to knock it on the head before it really makes a difference ... and going to the gym and working out 3x a week will give me fairly rapid results. We like rapid results!

I get a review in 6 weeks ... I've promised myself I'm going first thing in the morning before I head into work! My workout is totally focused on my "problem areas" ... well I'm a girl so it's gonna be legs, ass and thighs! LOL

Wow, I feel so motivated and up for it!!

Out of my comfort zone ....

By about 5lbs! ... I'm going to join the gym.

I used to be really worried about my weight. It used to affect me daily and my confidence level was zero... but I worked through that and learned to really like who I was - inside and out. Lately though I've not been happy ... and that's been inside and out too!

I went to the gym regularly before my dad passed away (in 2003) and it was terrific ... I could eat and drink literally whatever I wanted and I was losing inches. I even did a triathlon at the gym and didn't come last!! I guess I eventually fell out of the habit of going after dad died ... and fell into my comfort zone!

My comfort zone has been around the 3lb mark ... so I could go up or down by about 3lb and not worry overly. It's allowed me not to worry and to be able to still actually eat food without resorting to carrot sticks and obsessive tendencies (and we all know how well I can obsess!)

BUT I really don't like being outside of "the zone" and I hadn't even noticed my weight creep outside it! I'd managed to stop obsessing about the scales and stop religiously weighing myself every morning... well, until today! My clothes still fit, so it's not as if I've suddenly become a blimp, but I *have* noticed that my wobbly bits are wobbling more than usual ... and I don't like it! It's only by a few pounds but I want to knock it on the head right now!!

So I'm going to do something about it.

The gym is *literally* over the road so I really have no excuse. It will cost £33 a month for an "off peak" membership which means I can use the gym 7-4 on week days. It also gives you unlimited classes so it is well worth the money. When I was a member before, I used to go in the evenings, but life is more hectic these days and I know damned well that by the time I've got the kids home from school, tidied the house, checked any homework and organised dinner ... that I don't want to be going anywhere!

Sooo I figured I usually leave the workshop around 2pm anyway ... so 3 days a week if I leave at 1.45pm (and stay till 2.45 the other days), I can get a good hour workout before I pick the kids up from school and then shower as soon as I get home. It would work really well. I'm motivated in the middle of the afternoon so it's a great time ... and it would give me something POSITIVE to do instead of sitting on my backside for an hour before I pick the kids up!

PLUS ... I'm a girl ... when I know I look better on the outside - I feel better on the inside. What more reason is there? LOL Sooo I'm off to work now, then I'll be heading to the gym to sign up this afternoon while their half price joining fee is still valid!!

An odd kind of day ....

I got a call from Mum this morning asking me if I'd go over to the dogs trust with her to look at a dog she'd fallen in love with! Her name is Lucy and she is a collie x spaniel - long haired, black and white and the most adorable face! Four years old with one careful lady owner and it looks like she'll be going to live with my mum soon! We both fell in love - she's a lovely sweet dog!

So why has the day been weird? Ugh ... well I can't explain properly because of certain little ears that I know read my blog. I just feel out of sorts, unhappy and a bit blah ... totally the wrong way to feel when we have such gorgeous weather at the moment!! There are things in my life that I KNOW are not working for me ... but I also know that the reality is fixing them will end up causing more problems than there are if I just let things stay as they are.

Isn't that always the case though? The cure is often worse than the disease.

What's a girl to do. Laugh? Cry? Or just consume enough alcohol to wipe it all out and make sleeping easier.

A very bad dream last night ....

I don't even know what time it was when I woke up in the middle of the night - sweating, panicked and scared beyond anything.... all I could do was just burst into tears because I was awake, alive and okay.

It's faded slightly now so a few things won't make sense ... but basically I'd been diagnosed with some kind of terminal illness and I was being sent off somewhere to die. This place I was sent to had a big huge furnace with a massive opening at the front. There were big huge pallets on rollers that people were made to lay down on and then they disappeared into the furnace ... to their death.

It was so vivid and definitely in colour. I remember looking at the people standing next to me while we waited in line for our "turn" to get onto the pallets and they all looked so normal and accepting of what was happening to them. I do remember there was some element of choice to it ... we didn't have to get on the pallet ... it was just the done thing.

It's getting hard to remember now, but basically I started to panic because I wasn't ready to die. I remember feeling really scared and alone and not knowing what to do ... I ran! I ran and ran and ran until the point that I woke up, sat bolt upright and burst into tears before going downstairs and hugging my kids!!

I looked up the meaning in my dream dictionary ... there were three main parts to the dream ... my death, the fire/furnace and running.

To dream of your own death, indicates a transitional phase in your life. You are becoming more enlightened or spiritual. Alternatively, you are trying desperately to escape the demands of your daily life.

To see fire in your dream can symbolise destruction, passion, desire, illumination, transformation, enlightenment, or anger. It may suggest that something old is passing and something new is entering your life. Your thoughts and views are changing. If you are being burned by fire it can indicate your temper getting out of control. An issue or situation is burning you up inside.

if you are running from danger, then it suggests that you are not facing and confronting your fears.

Sounds pretty spot on. I told a friend about my dream this morning and the response was "So nothing to do with feeling trapped or anything like that ..." Damnit I hate it when people know me better than I know me!

Fingers crossed for a better night tonight!!

A totally delish day!

Today was just as beautifully warm as yesterday but there was at least a nice breeze in the air so the wax was hotter than I was today *grin*

God I want a holiday!! I was thinking about it today while I was stood there packing up votives! I never ever have T-I-M-E for me ... and just for me. Where would I go? What would I do? One thing I do know is that I'd love to go just completely by myself! Somewhere hot ... somewhere with blue skies, no clouds and a beach.

Bliss!

Nice thoughts especially after a long drive around the M25 this evening! I went up to visit my sister and brother in law in London ... it was only a quick visit as they are off to New York tomorrow morning (their wedding anniversary) and then they move house two days after they get back from their trip! It was good to see her and spend some time with them both.

I did find my mind drifting while I drove home especially ... thinking about getting away from it all... maybe even just a couple of nights in a spa would do me the world of good!! Maybe that's what I should buy myself for my birthday this year :-)

Why do people with closed minds always open their mouths?

I'm too pissed off to explain. The title explains it all.

I melted faster than my wax today!

The workshop was like an oven today! As soon as I opened the door I felt the wave of heat come over me and my thermometer showed it was 26° INDOORS! It wasn't so much that it was warm (although it was definitely that!) there was just no air circulation. I had all the windows open and the air conditioning going, but OMG I could hardly breathe in there! Goodness knows what it will be like come the summer!


After my semi-naked candlemaking from a couple of days ago, I stripped off as soon as I got in there today!



It's becoming quite a habit working in a pair of 3/4 trousers and my bra! It's all well and good when I'm there on my own on the weekends with the door locked ... but during the working week with staff, customers popping in and out and deliveries etc it's not exactly errr suitable work attire!!


I'm going to have to get some dungaree shorts or something like that because UGH it's not even summer yet! I remember a couple of years ago when business was better and I had permanent staff ... when it got THAT hot we took a bunch of votives, bags, wicks and labels and did all of the packaging sat on the grass outside! LOL

I need some serious big ass air conditioning units in there!!!

I WAS gonna buy shoes ... but ...

I had to go to B&Q to get some nuclear style bug killer because my aubergines are getting seriously attacked. I've been struggling with wanting desperately to stay 100% organic over the fact that last year's aubergines DIED thanks to bugs ...and my organic method just isn't working.

Anyway, the plan was to then head over to Brantano to get me some new shoes ... I had fantastised about new shoes all day ... I knew I was going to be looking for some low sling back heels that I can wear casually with a pair of trousers or dress up for the evening... but I was also on a budget! Yesterday's candle party was actually much better than I'd hoped for, and I figured I'd spend £25-£30 on myself!!

It has been a LONG time since I bought anything for myself and you know what? I just felt like I DESERVED it! Well, I found myself looking around the garden section in B&Q thinking I'd pick up some more herbs .... and look what I found and put STRAIGHT in my trolley!

Uhuh, instead of shoes, I bought a gorgeous teracotta planter filled with herbs! It cost £20 and I know I was probably ripped off as I could have bought the planter and planted it up myself, but it has EVERYTHING I use in it!! There is a very spindly looking thyme on the right of the photo, so I'll see what happens to that - there are actually 3 different sorts of thyme in there so I'm happy to lose one and fill it with my basil that I've grown from seed.

So ummm ... no shoes for this girl today as I spent my budget on something else ... but I have some new herbs!! Pasta with olive oil & fresh herbs served with potatoes ..... mmmmmm

Two Peas in a pod or what!

Took this on my phone this morning when Megan & I went up to M&S to get her some new trousers. I always knew we looked alike, but when you see it in a photo like this .... oooh it's scary!

Same eyes, same nose, same mouth ... same high cheekbones, same chin, same hair .... LOL I guess there's no mistaking whether this one got mixed up in the hospital or not eh!

Half naked cleaning & candle parties!

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet today because I am exhausted!! I went into work early for a Saturday to do some work before a candle party at 3.30pm this afternoon... and I found myself on a cleaning & re-arranging mission!! It was soooooo warm in there and I was worried about getting myself all dirty before the party!

Anyhoo, the ONLY thing to do was to strip right down so I was literally just wearing my 3/4 length trousers and my bra while I packed up some orders! Thankfully I'm on the top floor so nobody can see in through the windows! LOL! I had the music blaring and got so thoroughly into my semi-naked cleaning at the workshop that I left a bit late for the party and only just made it on time! Oooops!

So meanwhile it's just after 9pm and I am knackered!! That's the trouble with working HARD late in the afternoon ... it finishes me off for the rest of the day! Methinks a bath and an early night is in order!!

Friday Five - 2nd May

This week's Friday Five is all about spice!!

What do you think about spicy food? Ummmm I am actually not a huge fan of spicy food! I grow a mean jalepeno chilli plant ... but I can't touch the stuff myself! I like to TASTE my food rather than have to throw buckets of water down my throat just in order to swallo!!!

What kinds of condiments do you add to food in order to spice things up a bit? I'm a bit of a black pepper freak ... or at least I thought I was until I met a friend who should have shares in it! I always add salt and pepper to my food... freshly ground though of course!

Not counting salt and pepper, what’s your favorite flavor enhancer when cooking? GARLIC!! Love it! My dad never liked the smell of it, so mum never cooked with it when I grew up. I remember discovering garlic when I was around 15 ... and I've never looked back!

What’s the spiciest food you’ve ever eaten? Ahhh now that would be absolutely anything cooked by my friend Mimi! She's Sudanese and one of the most amazing cooks in the world... she also really looks after me as a vegetarian and warns me about the things that are toooooo spicy for me!

In what way might some other aspect of your daily life be spiced up, and what’s keeping that from happening right now? Ooooh like I'm gonna admit THAT in public!! Errr fresh batteries and new seeds? I'm so sad.

Altered Diary (cus normal ones are so NOT purrrty enough!)

I have decided to go back to a PROPER pen and paper diary instead of trying to juggle dates and appointments between my phone calendar and my computer! I almost missed an event next weekend because it hadn't made it's way from my email inbox to my calendar. Thankfully it's just a nearly ooopsie because the LAST thing I want to do is miss something when I need to be drumming up all the cash flow that I can for the business!!!

Soooooo I went into Woolies today and picked up a diary for a pound! It's perfect "handbag" size so I can keep it with me ... trouble is it was plain black and BORING!

Well it's not anymore!!! Look at it now! Isn't it so pretty and delish! I could have really gone to town on it, but figured as it IS actually meant to be a functional diary that will live in my bag, and get banged and bashed about ... that it probably wasn't a good idea to load it with embellishments! LOL

I used a pretty pink patterned paper (Chatterbox) to cover the diary with, stamped the word "diary" onto pink card, cut out & rounded the corners and inked the crap out of it to shabby it up a bit! The photo doesn't show it up very well, but in the centre of the layered flowers on the bottom right is a lil pink gemstone. Very cute!!

My tomato plants are flowering!!!!

Yeah baby!! Check these out!! I had to move the tomato pots around this morning because they are starting to get too big for the conservatory window ledge and I noticed they are starting to flower!

Ohhh this is SO exciting!!! Looking back at the pics of what they looked like when they were babies - jeeez they have just grown so much!!

I think I am going to have waaaaay more tomatoes than I know what to do with this year!!

Sorry for the crappy shot - I need me a macro lens!

Re-organising my craft room!!

After days of procrastination (quietly to myself for once instead of loudly on my blog!) I have finally made a really good dent in moving round and re-organising my craft space!! I am INCREDIBLY lucky to have the space that I've got and I am very grateful for it! I live in a bungalow where the main bedroom is upstairs. As you look at the far wall of the bedroom you see a door that looks like it's a built in wardrobe or something similar, but you actually step right through into the eaves. One of the first things hub & I did in this house was to insulate and board it up to create extra space ... and this is where I "live" when I'm crafting!!

I've still got a LOT of "putting away" and tidying up to do yet - there's still eleventy hundred boxes of embellishments to sort through (ok mebbe not quite that!) , but this is it so far ...

This is my desk and main work space. I've got four custom built shelves for all well okay, some of my rubber stamps - the rest live in boxes! The set of drawers under the desk are where I keep all of my scraps... patterned paper scraps in the top and card in the bottom. Pinned ALL around my walls are bits & pieces, odds & ends, photos and pretty stuff to surround myself with!!! I also have the comfiest chair in the world! It reclines all the way back and is totally adjustable in about every way you can imagine! It cost about £80 but it is worth every penny considering the number of hours I can spend sitting in it!!

Behind my chair I've got a set of shelves and a cupboard (very lockable!) Across the top of these are "stuff I need to hand" - like boxes of photos I want to work on and boxes of embellishments. In the cupboard - well you don't wanna see how disorganised it is, but that's a project for another day! That cupboard houses every single printed photo that I own!! Trust me they are stacked in there! The door that you can see goes through to hub's space. It's less than half the size of mine but he only uses it for gaming!! I can shut that door and lock him in from this side if I want to! LOL

To give you some bearings ... hub's door is on the left of this pic ... and the door back through to the bedroom is on the right hand side. My room is really weird with the ceiling angles, but this pic shows my fabby 12x12 wooden cubes and I forget where I got them from but I they are PERFECT to house my trays and trays (and then more trays!) of patterned paper on the left hand side!!!

Completed albums are kept at the bottom and I'm just beginning to sort through more embellishments to store on the right hand side. Ooooh yeah, a tip I picked up from my MUM of all people ... Chinese takeout plastic boxes make ideal embellishment storage!!!

On top of the 12x12 cubes is my display rack for my handmade cards, and on the very left you can see a lil door through to the rest of the eaves.

And that's where I live when I'm being creative!!

I've been ITCHING to scrapbook tonight, but hub is up in his room playing games and even though the door between us would stay shut, I prefer to scrap in solitude ... ack it's a personal thing!!!

I want to get the rest of my embellishments properly and finally sorted / put away and THEN Dee shall sneak home from work early and scrapbook tomorrow!!