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A Few of My Favorite Things...

So my blog isn't entirely made up of posts where I recap my to do lists and how much I haven't gotten done, here's some mindless fodder for you :)

Some really cool things:

Logitech Revue, I got this for Christmas. It turns my tv into a computer, so I can check emails on my tv. The girls can also visit spoutonline.com on the tv. Totally frivolous, but totally cool.
Keurig Single Serve Coffee Brewer- Another fabulous Christmas present. Instead of the disposable K cups, I have one of these, so you can use regular ground coffee. Saves money and tastes yummy.


Starbucks Ceramic Coffee Mug by Jonathan Adler- This one was my Valentine's present. Gotta have something to put all that coffee in. Whenever I see it, it makes me smile.

ipad- I am seriously lusting after one of these. I've had 2 generations of iphones, but moving to Alabama and suffering through AT&T and a non-existent 3G network were just too much, and I sold my iphone to someone named Boris in Russia on eBay (seriously, I did!), and now I carry around a non-smart phone and a laptop. When the next generation of ipad comes out I will be seriously tempted, especially if it happens to come out around my birthday.


white sand beaches- We live 90 miles from these beaches and haven't been once in the 3 years we've lived here. Isn't that sad? Planning a short trip for spring break this year.

Well, there you go, a few things that brighten my day, hope yours is a little lighter, too!

Ups and Downs...

What a year 2011 has been already! So I thought I was headed in one direction with the business, but now a tiny clause in a lease contract has me back tracking a bit. So I guess I'm back where I started, you could say. Problem is, where I started was at a crossroads, lol. I need a new path to trod down, and my GPS seems to malfunctioning, lol.

Geesh, is that cryptic enough for you? Sorry, don't mean for it to be, honest. Basically, I was subletting space that it turns out, can't be subletted. It was an honest mistake, but it sucks. I can't sign a long term lease somewhere because we still don't know what the Army is going to do with us for sure. Its a viscous circle, and I'm smack dab in the middle of it.

{Small side rant on the definition of Army Wife Entrepreneur- I'll write this rant another day, and link it back here}

Weird thing is, I'm not panicking or having a breakdown (yet), just trying to think through all my options. More carefully this time. Any angel investors or millionaires reading this? No? Yeah, didn't think so. Its okay, I'll figure it out!

Aside from that, I actually had good news. There was a business program I wanted to participate in last year, but it was 1200 miles away, and logistically, I just couldn't make it work. Turns out they are going to be offering again in 11 months, and this one? Only 110 miles away from me!!! Its a ways off still, but I couldn't be more thrilled.

Tomorrow I indulge in a little retail therapy. Our small town 30 minutes away from the smaller town where I live just opened a Hobby Lobby, so I am heading that way, 40% off coupon in hand. I will also be trading in one of the girls old car seats at the BRU great trade in event to get JD this new ride and pick up a baby shower gift. And since I am still wearing all my maternity clothes (even though they don't fit and the baby is 9 months old), I have promised my husband I will look for some new clothes, too. Oh, and Starbucks, there will definitely be some Starbucks in there, too.

January in Review/February's To Do List

Here was my To Do List for January:

Start Couch to 5K (again) on the 10th I tried this once before, and I think I made it two days, but I'm going to try again. Really, I am.
Um, what the heck was I thinking? It's January! This really wasn't realistic at all. I'm moving this to March, when its warmer, lol.

Sunday Clean Up (9th- laundry and guest bath, 16th-kitchen, 23rd-living room, 30-dining room) Since it looks like we will be staying in Alabama awhile longer (knock on wood) I've decided I will go through the house, room by room. Not so much cleaning, cause I hate cleaning, and I'm not really good at it anyway, but re-organizing/de-cluttering/redecorating.
I actually did 3 of the 4 rooms I had planned! I will have to make posts for each room showing what I did, but progress!

Order 200 yards interfacing Not as easy as it sounds, trust me, its rather an ordeal, but I need to do it :(
Done! Of coarse it hasn't arrived yet, because of the super blizzard, lol. Even better, the price went down since the last time I ordered.

Left over pre-made inventory I think I have this figured out what to do with most of the pre-made inventory left over from the holiday craft show season, I just need to do it, lol.
Not so much...

Catch up on sales rep stuff Seriously, if my sales reps don't mutiny on me. Its a lot of tedious little things, missing key chains, some of them moved, etc. But instead of doing it one by one, I've let it pile up into this mass of to do's labeled "reps". Ugh, not looking forward to this one, but very much looking forward to crossing it off my list and having happy reps for 2011 :)
I hired a new rep coordinator and she's taking over much of these responsibilities for me! I'm very excited for this new direction the business is taking, although a little sad, as I forward all the emails from potential sales reps to Jennifer, thinking, as I hire more people, it creates more layers, and I might not get to know the new reps as well as I have some of the current ones (who are awesome, by the way, and some of the best people, who keep me going everyday).

Scraps Not a huge bunch of them this time, but enough to work with. I'd like to go through them and test out some new designs, make a few things.
{Ducks and hides} under a much larger pile of scraps that keeps growing...

New purses I have 3 new things that I want to get into the pipeline this month- a clutch, a child's purse, and a version of the scoop bag we had pre-mades of this holiday.
Nope :(

Taxes Must. Do. Taxes. Business taxes, get everyone's 1099s out to them , file business taxes and our personal taxes.
Haven't done my taxes, but I did get everyone's 1099s done, and January's commissions done as well.

Sadly, this is where I stopped :( I got none of the other things below done on my list.

Skin Cancer Screening Cause I'm paranoid.

Blog Gonna work on the bells and whistles- changing fonts, sidebars, widgets, the whole shebang. Then actually "promote" this little bloggy of mine, see if anybody's interested in reading it.

Labels Need to revisit the purse labels, see if its time to change them up, or keep them the same, and just order more.

Signature tag for emails Totally embarrassed to say, I don't have one. How sad is that? I just need to make one, will probably take 10 minutes. Been on the to do list for-ev-uh.

Form Emails Gonna revisit these to, just see if they need any spiffing up.

Website Updates Nothing major this time, just a few things I've noticed, like the lining fabric jpgs are out of order, wanna add the shipping discount codes to the description of each item, instead just in the headers, etc.

So February's To Do List looks like this:

Post Information for new rep sign ups
File Taxes
Premade Inventory
Scraps
New Purses
Skin Cancer Screening
Blog
Labels
Signature Tag
Form Emails
Website Updates

I actually do have new stuff to add to the list, but to save myself some embarrassment, I'm not going to post it, yet, lol. I'm not going to beat myself up about not getting more done though, I am just going to try harder for this month! Hope you all reading this have a fabulous, fun and productive February- that's my goal :)

Random, I know...

Heard this on the radio today. Its been a rough few days, the seriousness and melancholy sort of fit my mood, sadly.

However, not to be a complete downer, I'll post this as well:

This pretty much sums up the Facebook coomments of all my Texas and Oklahoma friends this past week :)

Blaaaahhhh.....

Still not 100% better, pretty much everyone else has been sick or is sick. What can you do? Trudge on. I'm feeling very determined though, lots to do, like always, but this time I know I will get it all done. Ironically, it was being let down by someone (yet again) that's given me this burst of energy and determination. At first I just wanted to cry, then I wanted to yell, now, I am just ready to move on, and get things accomplished in spite of it all.

I will always be the thing that you can put off doing, I'll never be your priority, I get that now, and its okay. The check's in the mail, right? No, it isn't and it never was and it never will be. But its okay- I'm okay.

Update on Sunday with all the things I accomplished this weekend :)

Off to rough start...

Well, it hasn't been pretty, folks. We caught some sort of bug/germ/flu thing-y and have been passing it back and forth for a solid week now. It started last Saturday with JD, and by Monday I was ready to take all three kiddos in to the doctor, but when I called to make them an appointment, the receptionist told me the office was closed until Wednesday. Wanna guess why? All the doctors went to watch Auburn play in the National Championship game- duh! That's important right? To close your practice and leave your patients with nothing more than a 1800 nurse line. Since no one was gravely ill, a trip to Urgent Care or the ER wasn't really warranted, so we just sucked it up. By Wednesday, everyone seemed to be doing better, but here it is Friday, and we all still have an ugly little cough, and Sophie has started running a fever again. Ugh! I just want my kiddos all better!!!

The highlight of the week was probably the 4 of us trudging through Walgreens (which was plastered with CDC signs warning of flu pandemic breaking out in Alabama), buying cold medicine, a new thermometer, ice cream and Valentine's peeps, sniffling and coughing, to the sounds of Don't Cry For Me Argentina playing on the sound system. I was so out of it, I wasn't even singing along- now that says a lot about how sick I was!

I haven't really accomplished much on my list yet, but I still have high hopes for the month, so I haven't given up yet on that. I guess we'll see where I'm at this time next week.

I did find a great article of new year's resolutions for your small business:

1. Dare to be different.

Be daring and take steps to ensure your company and your products stand out from the crowd. Look at what you did well in 2010 and what you could have been different. Take bold steps to help your brand stand out in 2011.

2. Have a clear purpose.

Make sure you go into the New Year with a clear and compelling mission and ask if you were living it in 2010. Make sure everyone on your team knows what it is, what business you’re in and what is expected of them. Look for creative ways to bring it to life with your team.

3. Listen and have something compelling to say.

Make a commitment to be a better listener in 2011. Commit to listen and then formulate your response. Actively seek your team’s input and feedback for new ideas. Listen to your consumers and understand what makes them tick. Listen to what they have to say and build a relevant and compelling conversation with them. Remember, if you’re not interesting or relevant, people will ignore you.

4. Pick a fight.

When you’ve got an opponent to beat, it increases your motivation to win, so choose an enemy to fight and rally your team around this battle. Make the enemy a competitor, a trend or an element of your internal culture, and put it up on the wall so your team can find motivation and focus in it.

5. Set a big goal.

Set at least one wild and audacious goal for 2011 -- something you’ve never tried before. Outline the goal, share it with your team and challenge them to play their part in achieving it. Make sure you celebrate the small victories and successes along the journey.

6. Inspire your team.

There’s nothing more important than your people, and there’s nothing more engaging than a team who feels acknowledged. Inspire them with your own attention and regular updates on the business. Also bring in relevant speakers and articles to keep them challenged.

7. Laugh a lot.

One of the best motivators for your team is a great work environment, and one of the best elements of a vibrant team environment is laughter. Next year do small things that make your employees smile. Along with laughter and a light-hearted environment, small gestures or events can make a big difference. And the benefits won’t just stop with your team -- they will show through everything that your brand does.

8. Plan the plan.

Commit to setting time aside to plan your year next year ahead. Set two days aside at the end of November every year to plan for the following year. Then take a day out every quarter to review how you’re doing against the plan and revise it where necessary. Every brand needs a plan. Make a commitment to write one.

9. Make friends.

Chart a “circle of love” and identify brands with similar values that you’d like to partner with in 2011. Assign someone to explore potential relationships and collaborations. You’ll be surprised by the results, even just the initial conversations you’ll have about your own brand.

10. Show your appreciation.

Do what your mother told you! Thanking people goes a long way to create valued and appreciated fans -- internally and externally. This year, find new ways to show you appreciate your team, your customers and your partners, in ways that truly make a difference in their lives. You’ll be surprised and delighted by the results.

I like all of these except #4. I think that deserves a post all its own, so I'll have to do that next week, I have some thoughts rattling around in my head about competitors and competition in general, oh, and depending on the seller's reply, maybe even a funny post about scrabble tiles... we'll see, lol.

Good night world, send get well vibes my way please!!!