Time for a family breather...

Hello to one and all!  I'm sure if any of you ever really check this blog you are ready to throw your hands in the air in disgust at how "regularly" I update...or rather don't.  What can I say except that I'm going out of my mind busy and can't afford to pay anyone else to do any of the stuff that needs doing?  Yeah, I know, everyone is in the same boat these days.

But, just to make a start in the right direction, I'm going to change that around a little tonight.  With everything going on in trying to figure out how to set up a business (beyond just getting a sales tax id number and registering with the city), I've clearly become...well, to quote a friend, focused.  It is pretty much consuming as many of my waking (and sleeping) hours as I let it.  And I really mean "let" in the loosest of terms.  I swear, this thing is taking on a life and personality of it's own which is really good at strong arming me.  But the biggest things that I'm more stubborn about are my family and church.  So to update on family:

Tia has been out of school for a week.  Unfortunately for all of us, that is the time it has taken for us to be rained out, or rather in as the case may be.  The upshot of this is that her bedroom is starting to look better than it has for at least a year now, maybe even longer.  Plus she is starting to realize that we (her ignorant parents) really were right when we tried talking to her about getting rid of many things she has been refusing to give up.  So she has started to organize things in boxes...I'm hoping this will last, but we'll see.  If nothing else, at least she is getting rid of a lot of papers and such that she didn't need before I end up being the bad guy by going through it all myself (like I'm going to find the time).  Oh, the treasures that she keeps finding to try and tuck away in some corner until later!

Caelen has been out of school for more than two weeks now, and is starting to try and climb the walls.  Between all the rain, and the fact that Tia is stuck cleaning her room while John and I are trying to get business stuff done, he's been stuck inside for too much of that time.  Thank heavens for sunny days breaking through to Logan at last!!!  Now he can ride his bike, and play with his friends every chance he gets...until we drag him out to the garden to help weed (we pull them and he stacks them in a wheelbarrow).  Then it is back to the drudgery some call child slavery and some call family chores...personally, while he sort of has my sympathy (I remember a little of when I was 5 and pulling rocks out of the garden), it still cracks me up.  Was I ever really that anti-gardening?  Then at night, his focus (of course, after I've already supposedly put him to bed to sleep) seems to be keeping Kieran up with tickling and giggling as long as they can get away with it.  Heaven help me, but listening to those hushed giggles and squeals is fast becoming music to my ears even if it means I have to get up and scold them.

Kieran is mostly just chasing after the others when they let him, and finding ways of playing around them when they won't.  Oh, and proving just how much he can hold onto the baby every chance he gets.  I wish I could get a good video of him chasing the kids on their bikes...he has a bike, but it goes too slow!  Oh, if you could just watch those little legs move!  And then he still has energy to play with Caelen at night?  Where do they get all that glorious and seemingly inexhaustible energy?!?!?!

Damon, heaven help us, is starting to roll and scoot all over the place.  I can't believe all the things that he finds ways of getting into!  I even found him hiding in the middle of my 'flower bush' (a basket of silk flowers I use for the business).  John and I each thought that the other had him, so we panicked a little until all of a sudden this round little smiling head popped up in the middle of all these silk flowers!  It was sooo cute, but the little imp wouldn't hold still long enough for me to grab the camera.  I think I'm just going to have to pose him later or something...

John is basically just trying to keep up the same as I am, though the poor guy is really catching the brunt end of things since I'm currently consumed with all the paperwork...and brainstorming all the stuff to prep for this fall and Christmas season.  But he is hanging in there.  Between all that and the roller-coaster ride at work (one week he only has about 20 hours, the next he has about 38, plus he is also helping train everyone for a new menu), he is my shining example of being able to keep it together.

So, that is basically us in a nut shell...nuttier than ever and loving it.  Especially with all the sunshine that is predicted in the next week, and all the change that comes when spring begins the dry out and head into a true summer, who knows what will follow.  I can't wait to see what restless fun these sweet little souls come up with next!

Calling one and all!

Well, we figured out something fun that we wanted to do for Father's Day with the business.  The only way it will work is if we get lots of input from everyone possible, though!  It is a competition of looking for Father's Day quotes that will be voted on.  We are giving away a carved and wood burned plaque featuring the winner's quote as the prize.  The more quotes you enter, the more votes you can get, the more likely that you will get the plaque.  So tell all your friends and family to come and weigh in!
www.TheHandmadeHeritage.blogspot.com

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I know, I know.  I've been lousy at posting here.  In my defense, we've been insanely busy with trying to get things going for our business, specifically online.  I've crazy busy particularly lately with getting posts and also setting up an etsy shop.  You guys will all have to check it out and let me know what you think, the more input we get (especially on/connected to the site) the better and more accurate the things we offer will be. www.TheHandmadeHeritage.blogspot.com or www.TheHandmadeHeritage.etsy.com.   And, heaven knows, I could use all the help that I can get in promoting the site and things as well so please don't hesitate to leave comments!

On the family front, the kids are going stir crazy from all the storms that we keep getting here in Logan.  I keep almost catching them playing house, which has been hilarious and ever so sweet to listen to!  With only 2 weeks left to the preschool year for Caelen and only 4 weeks left to the school year for Tia, we are all starting to look forward to the lazy days of summer when we can sleep in...at least until 8 am anyway!

It's official...

Well, I  got a phone call from Logan City the other day, and it is official: we are in business for ourselves!  Just in time too, what with the Home and Garden Show coming up in just 2 weeks.  However, we do need some help.  I think the stress is getting to me a little bit since it feels like my brain has leaked out my ears.  But we still need to figure out a good catch phrase to use for the business (on business cards, flyers, etc).  So I am hoping that someone out there will be willing to help.  We need to find a way to introduce our business with just one sentence...at least enough to give people enough info for direction and still leave people curious enough to look.  Any ideas?  We are actually even going to offer a 'prize' to the person who comes up with the best catch phrase: a personally chosen wood-burned plaque.  So bring on the ideas, we only have a few more days to finish getting all that put together and delivered so it can be included with some things (important) for the Home and Garden show at the university.  Heeelllllllppppp!