I really enjoyed my Christmas week this year! It's no mystery why. It's because my Christmas gift list shrank to under 10 people! Furthermore, half of the people on that short list are on Oahu and I didn't have to prepare their gifts til New Year's since I won't be seeing them til then. I probably sound like a Scrooge, but let's face it, sometimes people overdo it with long lists, stressing themselves out buying gifts that aren't quite right or cost too much. I will save the analysis of the pros and cons of consumerism for another time, however.
On Tuesday I had an enjoyable shopping day in Lihue with my cousin-in-law Rose. Sure we annoyed a couple of Macy's clerks with our mismanagement of coupons and misreadings of signs, but isn't that all "part of the process"? And a good-natured "money fight" at Pho Kauai resulted in a rather comical overtipping, but heck, it's Christmas.
On Wednesday I spent around 6-7 hours on my feet only stopping for a 20 minute "power nap", just to prepare 2 dishes to take to the annual Kaui Christmas Eve Party. Of course that did include breakfast and lunch prep for Jordan. What can I say, I'm very slow at everything I do, but I have a very healthy blood pressure level.
Wes and Trinette Kaui have been hosting their annual party for 20 years just down the road from us and this was the first time we attended, since we're usually in Honolulu for Christmas. This was truly what a party should be: 1)a loooong buffet table offering what seemed to be every dish you could think of (ok, granted, no babaganoush or samosas); 2)entertaining entertainment (so often "entertainment" isn't all that entertainimg) that wasn't overly loud that you couldn't enjoy conversation with 3)interesting guests. Thank you, thank you, Wes and Trinette!
On Christmas Day, Thursday, we indulged ourselves spending time on what we enjoy. Hubby first prepared a big breakfast while I stayed in bed alternately reading Dean Koontz and dozing. While I uploaded Jordan's and my new CD's to our computer then downloaded music onto our iPod and PDA, Leonard set up the Wii and then spent HOURS playing. He'd let Jordan have one turn for every 2 of his. *LOL* I got to play maybe an hour or so.
Friday, the day after Christmas, Leonard had Wii-itis: aches and pains where he never felt them before. (A good punishment since he didn't listen to my "Enough alreadies"!) I, on the other hand, had no such aches and unhindered went After Christmas shopping for 4 hours. Did you see the giftwrapping that WalMart was trying to sell? There was one roll for every person on Kauai, I think. Don't they know that there are other stores here? And the same for Macy's and their ladies' tops. I'm pretty sure they had enough ladies' tops for every man, woman, and child on Kauai to wear. Funny thought! And yet I couldn't find the perfect top for Jordan.
After shopping I went to my friend Mitzi's house to help her set up her very first computer. I gave her a lesson too. Very enjoyable, not to mention I left with two jars of cookies, a big bag of party mix, prune mui, and miso tako. Good grief! I think after all these years I FINALLY got paid what I'm worth!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Craft Fair Kauai Sis
One of my three readers reminded me that I'm due for a posting...that was two weeks ago.
I was busy sewing for craft fairs despite the fact that last year I told everyone I was quitting. I was serious about quitting for three reasons: my health, my business, and my brain. I'd had a horrific Back Attack in 2007 that I learned was primarily caused by being constantly hunched over a sewing machine. Anyone in the craft business will tell you that it's getting more challenging to turn a good profit with cost increases everywhere you turn (fair fees--Kauai Museum now charges $200 for one day--materials, airfare, freight) plus craft fair attendance has been decreasing. I was true to my intentions because I didn't purchase any raw materials for my crafts this year, just used what I'd accumulated.
Oh and about the brain issue. At this midlife age we're supposed to learn new skills to keep our brains functioning well and happily, I'm now taking care of that. True, we did buy a Wii system, but since February 2008 I've been working at a new job online that forces me to learn different software and internet programs and to write. After being on the internet for over 12 years, I'm finally getting paid to sit in front of the computer!
Interestingly, now that I have another job and have sold off a third of my clothing inventory, I realize that I don't have to give up my craft business. I now have another source of income, so I don't have to do every fair, and have less inventory to lug around. I'm enjoying the business again!
The moral of the story is that when you get tired of your work/business, it helps to step back, downsize, find another job, or just leave it for a while if you're able to. It's amazing how a shift in gears can ultimately lead you out of a rut. Last year when I decided to quit, I found myself discovering new ways of doing what I'd been doing for 16 years. Not just one or two discoveries, but at least a half dozen. I felt stupid for not thinking of these improvements much earlier, but now I'm convinced that I probably discovered these new "paths" only because I had changed my "map." In other words, rather than go about business as usual, I had changed my mindset, thinking I was going to close my business. Possibly it enabled me to see things from a different perspective, consequently seeing where improvements could be made.
Either that or some guardian angel put the ideas in my head just to show me how inefficient I'd been all those years before!! *LOL*
I was busy sewing for craft fairs despite the fact that last year I told everyone I was quitting. I was serious about quitting for three reasons: my health, my business, and my brain. I'd had a horrific Back Attack in 2007 that I learned was primarily caused by being constantly hunched over a sewing machine. Anyone in the craft business will tell you that it's getting more challenging to turn a good profit with cost increases everywhere you turn (fair fees--Kauai Museum now charges $200 for one day--materials, airfare, freight) plus craft fair attendance has been decreasing. I was true to my intentions because I didn't purchase any raw materials for my crafts this year, just used what I'd accumulated.
Oh and about the brain issue. At this midlife age we're supposed to learn new skills to keep our brains functioning well and happily, I'm now taking care of that. True, we did buy a Wii system, but since February 2008 I've been working at a new job online that forces me to learn different software and internet programs and to write. After being on the internet for over 12 years, I'm finally getting paid to sit in front of the computer!
Interestingly, now that I have another job and have sold off a third of my clothing inventory, I realize that I don't have to give up my craft business. I now have another source of income, so I don't have to do every fair, and have less inventory to lug around. I'm enjoying the business again!
The moral of the story is that when you get tired of your work/business, it helps to step back, downsize, find another job, or just leave it for a while if you're able to. It's amazing how a shift in gears can ultimately lead you out of a rut. Last year when I decided to quit, I found myself discovering new ways of doing what I'd been doing for 16 years. Not just one or two discoveries, but at least a half dozen. I felt stupid for not thinking of these improvements much earlier, but now I'm convinced that I probably discovered these new "paths" only because I had changed my "map." In other words, rather than go about business as usual, I had changed my mindset, thinking I was going to close my business. Possibly it enabled me to see things from a different perspective, consequently seeing where improvements could be made.
Either that or some guardian angel put the ideas in my head just to show me how inefficient I'd been all those years before!! *LOL*
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