CK Blog

Just stopping in to say Hi to all my friends. I have been keeping busy settling my new workspace, arranging, rearranging etc to fit, but I am already liking my new space. I was home to “make” dinner on a week night for once, and everyone seemed appreciative. Not that every night I will be able to do that-but I will be home.
Don’t get me wrong-I enjoyed having a spot away from the hussle and bussle of daycare kids crying, the daily laundry that I did at night after getting home (and a great husband that filled in where I fell short). But what I didn’t realize is how much I missed being home. Weekends are great-but not enough, they fly by too quickly. So now I re-adjust once again to keeping a schedule and making sure I balance between the 2. I know I can do it. I will continue to drive the kids to school and pick them up and work in between, and I will even work after I bring them home, but I get to stay home. I have an open window right in front of me that goes to the computer room and the living room-but is gated off with our wood stove from the daycare kids. But when my kids are home, I can see them if they are downstairs.
We ate together tonight at 5:30, not me eating after they were done at 6:30. Yes…I think I am going to like it here~at the home we bought in August, and actually be able to enjoy it.
Tomorrow there is a little more settling to do, but also to jump back into the orders that are awaiting me. I can’t wait…so I best get to bed so I can wake up to a new day…at my work and my home…all at the same time!

We got the approval from OCFS (Office of Child & Family Services) for me to be able to move my business to our home we bought in August 2008. My husband does daycare in our home and the only room I could use had to be remodeled in order for me not to freeze or sweat to death. That was completed in March-but we didn’t realize they would have a problem that my room had the 2nd egress going out of it. SO…at first they told me I could NOT move in…Well I wasn’t going to accept that. So with some major talks with them we found out IF we opened a 3rd exit which was sealed off in our living room, (which equaled more money to spend) as it needed a porch, the door painted etc. Well Roger worked very hard and was able to construct a small landing and steps with railings, I painted the existing door and waa-laa…the Fire & Safety through OCFS came and inspected yesterday and gave Rog the go ahead. I was told if I didn’t hear anything by 5pm last night-I was free to go ahead and move up there. So yesterday I busily got to packing, cleaning my waxy items and today I will start hauling van loads up to our home so that I can get all settled and “back in business”. Rog made me a nice 12 foot long work area that is L shaped-with 3 foot on the smaller part of the L with a shelf that goes almost the whole length of the work area underneath. He hung my shelving from my existing work area and now I just need to get all my stuff moved. This weekend he will finish moving what I can’t by myself. My phone is set up to go active up there Tuesday-so things are moving right along. Now for the fun part of getting it all there and to fit… But that is ok-it will help out tremendously not to have to pay some of the extra expenses I have had to deal with in this last 9 months.
I have to keep my room “locked” during daycare hours-but that is not a biggie compared to the original “No you can’t do your business in your home”…So I will deal with that.
So if I am not “right there” the next few days you know why..AND since it is all approved there is no chance of being “called” in.
I will take pictures once I am set back up. Thanks for those of you that have prayed for us during this “long haul” or what seems like a long haul this past 2 months or more.
Have a great day-and always have a dream!

With that being said while you are waiting for the flowers to bloom why not grab a few candles from your favorite candle maker? We have Lilac, Tulips, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, or is Fresh Cut Grass up your alley?…. We also have some new scents like Island Baby which is a combination of baby powder and plumeria…For those that love the islands we have Pineapple Paradise, Pineapple Gardenia, Tropic Breeze…then there is Freesia, Clover or Summer Dreamin’…
More or less many scents to choose from in 3 sizes (8,12, & 16oz)…

So stop on by…We also have those scents in melts ! for those that do not like to burn a candle…

Just visit: http://www.cntrykeepsakes.com
Til Next Time…

Well Easter has come and went and it came to my attention I haven’t posted since St. Patrick’s Day. Things have been busy here-we have been busily working to add more items/scents to our store. Our newest addition are a few dolls and more on the way. I haven’t had time to introduce my new “worker”. My Mom now works with me 3 days a week and recently has decided to start making primitive dolls and rag quilt runners. A few she has made are from patterns by Primfolks by Judy and another doll by Denni Doodles. Then she went off and made a doll out of her own pattern. She is enjoying finding out she has a talent in the doll making category-and I am more than pleased to add her dolls to my site. This is a family run business with my husband helping with getting my packages mailed out or lifting my heavy wax boxes when he isn’t doing his job of a Group Daycare out of our home.

My Mom, Linda is also helping me with orders-which is helping get things out in a timely manner. I still am doing the web sites, pouring the candles, votives, tarts and such-with her help of the finishing touches. It has to be obvious that I can’t do everything by myself-but with keeping it in the family I am able to spend time with my Mom, be at home with my kids when they aren’t at school and still get some things done around the house. Well most things-that is where my husband also comes in with doing most dinners, dishes and the wash. I love doing what I do-but want to make sure people know I do not do it alone. If you have time check out our “Raggedy Seams” section of our web site and look forward for more to come-there is no stopping her now.

If you are interested in generating more traffic to your web site(s) check out http://www.thecinnamonhollow.biz?r=58141 where you can sign up for a free account and get a chance to look at a great amount of quality web sites while in turn your site is being looked at. More customers never hurt anyone-at least that is what I think.

I will also be doing an interview with Crystal from The Cinnamon Hollow so stay tuned for that. There are also lowcost advertising offerings on her site as well as The Homestead Register www.thehomesteadregister.com .

Well that is all for now. I will try to be better of getting on here. Also I am currently getting a new web set for www.cntrykeepsakes.com . More because I feel it is time to have it be “me” since I have had the business now for over 1 year. So stay tuned for that also. Have a great rest of the week-

Well I hope everyone has had a great week. It has been a little crazy here-our weather has been icy, rainy, cold and windy. Then we ended the week with another snow day-well ice day and at this point and time (11pm) it is still raining. But I guess that is February in New York for you.  I have been busily processing candle orders, packing orders which is a great way to keep busy. I updated the Just Doodlin Around page on my web site. Just doodlin Around is a great free advertising opportunity. If you want to check into it just go to www.justdoodlinaround.com and there you can find out the information. Or you can go to my site www.cntrykeepsakes.com and under the “just doodlin around” tab there is the information and what your page would look like  if you joined-but with your own background.

I haven’t watched much TV this week as with this writer’s strike seems that a lot of the shows we watch during our lunch time are repeats. We use our DVR to tape the shows we enjoy and then each day for 45 minutes we watch one-it is my husband’s and my “time” together as long as the daycare kids are sleeping. Our favorites are Criminal Minds, the CSI’s, the Law and Orders (well SVU and the regular one). We also enjoy Medium. I have gotten into October Road-which is one I watch if I can catch it-as I think it is more of a “girl” show. I really enjoy Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy but they haven’t been on lately. Speaking of TV the other day we watched a Dr. Phil about the “baggy pants issue”. I feel that Dr. Phil handled it well-but I think, and this is my opinion, that things like that don’t deserve ordinances and laws. If we are going to have laws on how people dress then where does it end? If you want more information on that episode go to www.drphil.com and it would be under the “Pull them Up” Episode.

This post has somewhat become a hodge pod of different topics. It has to be getting close to bed time as all the dogs are snoring and I think I can even hear my husband in the living room. He gets up at 4a.m every day as usually daycare kids start showing up at 7a.m. This morning he was busily cleaning off the driveway as the ice/and sleet was unreal. No one showed up-but it enabled our son to get down it later and the postman to get up it.

Well I guess I will end this for the night and write more this weekend. Hopefully I have some better things to talk about.

I hope anyone reading this has a great weekend. Don’t forget to visit my sites- www.cntrykeepsakes.com , www.thehomesteadregister.com and if you are looking for a place to post your banner for free you can go to my Top 100 site and help me get to 100 people on it by posting your banner ; the address is http://thehomesteadregister.gotop100.com . We’d love to have you. If you are a retail country store looking for affordable country staples just request wholesale information on our retail site-and I will be sure to get you that information. Have a great night!