Sunday, December 27, 2009

Random Musings

Sitting here waiting for wax to melt. Yep, my candle making moratorium is over. I had a good little break, what with the snow canceling our last holiday market and my manic candle making efforts at the beginning of the month. But people came by the house and bought several, and I've got to restock Woolworth tomorrow, so I'm back at the grindstone. And really, what a fun grindstone it is. I'm also working on a new hurricane lamp idea, so I'll report back once that one's complete.

Seems like there's been all sorts of stuff going on around here. I'm gearing up for the 2010 planting season, and also for more wedding and special event flowers that we're going to be doing next year. Fun. I know it probably seems early to be thinking about spring flowers, but in reality I've got to get my seed order in soon, and then I'll be starting seedlings before too long. And speaking of seedlings, I was really glad we're still using our ghetto greenhouse instead of a real one - a whole lot of farmers had them collapse during the snowstorm last week, which would be just awful.

In sports-ish type news, we've done our last market until mid-April, which means that now I can join the Masters group on Saturday mornings too - three swims a week! Real ones. Before I was doing Masters twice a week, and swimming once on my own, but on my own I tend to just do drills and float around, so adding an extra real swim ought to help. But of course I've been playing too much on the dip machine at the Y and my shoulder was a little sore yesterday, so I didn't do the timed 1650 everyone else was doing. Dammit. Ok, that's kind of a joke - I wasn't all that broken up to miss a timed 1650, but in reality I do want to do it - but I've got until February before the times are turned in, so I'm sure I'll find a time in the semi-near future.

Biking has kind of been on a back burner lately - I usually don't pay much attention to bad weather, so I figured I'd just pile on layers and keep riding through the winter. But now I'm wondering if we're going to have a bad snow winter - and I'm not ok with riding a bike on icy slush with cars on icy slush right beside me. So... (and this is a sign that I might be a terrible daughter) - but my mom bought me a bunch of beautiful clothes for Christmas, and I'm taking them back to pay for the bike trainer I found on sale. Yep, bad daughter. But better cyclist. Surely mom will understand, right???

Hope everyone's having a happy holiday and looking forward to the New Year!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!!


Merry Christmas to all! It's been Christmas central here - and a whole lot of fun. Wishing everyone the best of holidays, and a Happy New Year.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Let It Snow

Like the rest of the East Coast, we were buried in snow this weekend. I think it was 10" in my front yard - pretty unheard of around here. And the only reason I'm not boring you with the obligatory "Look at my child in the snow! And my cat in the snow! And my self in the snow!" pictures, is because I can't find the damn camera. That's right, biggest snow of the decade, and we have not one single picture to document it. I guess that's what memories are for.

We did have a pretty great weekend - our power went off on Friday, but our friend Leslie (who is basically the fourth member of our nuclear family - we've been friends since our first day of college, so 19 years later we're pretty well stuck together) - she only lives one block away, and her power was on! Hallelujah! So we descended on her, and I took over her recliner, laptop and remote control, and fun was had by all. Even by her, despite the three of us taking over her house - because as she has pointed out, it's kind of boring to be snowed in by yourself.

And on Saturday our power came back on - so the slumber party was over before it got old - and we had our Christmas party that night as scheduled. Except it turned into a walking party - if you can walk here, come to our party - and we ended up with 19 people here. Totally fun, had the best time, and had a bunch of people that we know but didn't know all that well - and it was great. Totally had a blast.

We managed to get out yesterday, and I promptly headed to the new CityMac store. I've had this big plan that I was going to upgrade the version of iLife I run on my iMac, and then update my website so it has a shopping cart [if you combine the new iLife with the paypal shopping cart function this is supposed to be fairly easily accomplished - as you'll see I can't vouch for that]. Actual ecommerce. Imagine that. Except when I started fooling it with it last week, I realized I can't upgrade iLife, because my sweet, sweet iMac that has served me so loyally is in fact not ready for the new iLife. And won't ever be. Bummer. So that got me started fantasizing about a new iMac.

Now there's really no way to justify buying a new computer to put a shopping cart on my site. Well, I suppose if you compared it to the cost of hiring a web developer/graphic designer to do it then there would be, but really I'd just cobble something together with one of the free shopping cart hosting sites. But once the seed was sowed. . . it kind of germinated. Because my iMac is a bit cranky about running video, and frankly getting a bit slow about lots of other things. And we went to CityMac, and the news ones are amaaaaaaazing. Like I've been driving a Honda and I got to test drive a Ferrari. So... I think we may take the plunge. I know, it's crazy. But also beauuuutiful. :)

The last thing of note - the snow day canceled out our last Holiday Market on Saturday, so I decided to move the market to our home studio. Here's the whole newsletter I sent out yesterday with the details, but basically just give me a call if you want to stop by and pick up a candle for your last minute gifts. We have a big selection of the beeswax botanicals in stock, as well as rolled beeswax tapers and holiday candles, and it's all 10% off this week.

Stay warm and have fun - I told Sam he better build a snowman, because he could be his 20s before we have this much snow again. He looked a little crestfallen. And I felt like the grinch - sometimes the truth doesn't set you free.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

And I Am Telling You. . .




So this is what was going through my mind all through swim practice this morning - for reasons unknown to me. And I love Glee (LOVE GLEE!), but this wasn't exactly the Chariots of Fire theme song. A little odd for the athletic motivation.

Friday, December 4, 2009

World Domination

Where have I been, you ask? Making candles like a madwoman. My plan for world domination of the locally produced botanical beeswax candle market continues to play out. (I find world domination so much easier to accomplish if one draws the parameters of said domination very narrowly.)

So - you can now find our candles at B.B. Barns, the Asheville Art Museum Gift Shop, Woolworth Walk, the Asheville Shop at the Asheville Visitors Center, Shoji Spa, and Sanctuary of Stuff. I think I've about filled out everywhere we want to sell in Asheville - unless one of you owns a spa on the south side of town and wants to give me a call.

And for the last few weeks of the year you can also find us at City Market at Pack Square on Saturdays 10-2, the WCCJ Holiday Market at Grove Arcade today (10-8) and tomorrow (10-6), and also Shop West Asheville on Haywood Road next Saturday. Yikes - no wonder I feel like all I've been doing the last few weeks is making candles. That would be pretty much accurate. [Quick aside - I just checked the weather report for tomorrow - and I'm thinking City Market is out for tomorrow - high of 37 with snow and rain. Yikes.]

In non-candle news - I've also started lifting weights at the Y. Well, lifting might be a bit of an overstatement given my actual activity there. It's both demoralizing and kind of hopeful - because I figure if I'm this weak to start with, surely that means there's lots of upside to be gained. But right now I'm lifting just about the least amount of anyone wandering around those machines. This includes lots of women in their 60s who look like they're barely breaking a sweat. And frankly, at first I just stood there thinking WTF?? What has happened to me? And then I realized that lifting weights like a maniac in 1990 doesn't exactly mean you're going to be any stronger than average in 2009. In fact, based on actual results, it may mean you totally suck in 2009. And also that when you first start, even at totally reasonable (and tiny) weights, it may also mean you suck at swimming for that week because you're already tired when you start, and also possibly biking as well. Yep, that sums up this weeks athletic endeavors pretty well.

Except - in the gruesome and macabre category - guess what I saw while out biking last Sunday? This was before I went to the Y on Monday and Wednesday, and thus I still had enough oomph to get to Marshall via Alexander. So I've just crossed into Madison County, and I'm at an intersection taking a quick look at my route sheet to make sure I'm not spacing out and inadvertently riding off to Hot Springs or somewhere, and I glance down into the creek beside me and guess what I see - a cow's head. Just the head. I did a triple take. Talk about WTF. But it really was - a cow's head, with no evidence of the rest of it. I'm guessing someone had done some home butchering somewhere upstream and not been all that careful about where they put the leftovers. But it was sufficiently creepy that I jumped on my bike and took off to Marshall with a little more energy than I had before. Yikes.

So with that lovely story to end on - I'm off to make more candles! Shocker. And also maybe to squeeze in a quick bike ride before tomorrow's freeze descends upon us.