I have finally made my blogspot for the bows. I am really excited and looking forward to it being successful. We are going on the Disney cruise in the middle of April and I have booked myself a spa morning for one of the days at sea.
In my opinion, it's best to book the appointment but if I don't have the funds by cruise time, I will cancel the appointment. So, if that doesn't give me incentive to make the bows successful, I don't know what will. :)
Anyway... take a look at the blogspot ~ www.bowsforkat.blogspot.com and let me know what you think. I am going to post at least once a day there. Whether it being a special or just posting a new bow, something will be posted.
I do have one favor to ask... Will you send the link out to friends and family members with little girls? Word of mouth is the best way to get the information out.
Thanks for your help.
I look forward to your feedback.
Kat and her best friends...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Disney Cruise
Almost less than 70 days until our Disney cruise. We are all excited to go and very grateful for this opportunity. Brett's dad is turning 70 this year and he is treating all of the grandkids and their parents to this wonderful cruise.
Growing up with my mom working for the cruise industry for about 20 years, the last trip that I really ever wanted to take (again) was another cruise. We went on so many cruises growing up. We waited in the terminal each Friday night, just hoping to make it on. We were always the last passengers to make it aboard. We have stayed in inside cabins all the way to a mini suite. To me, neither make a difference since you are hardly ever in your cabin.
This cruise, though, is the one cruise that I really have been waiting to go on since Disney introduced their ships. I told everyone to save up their pennies as we were going to make sure that we were going to take Katherine on the Disney cruise for her third birthday. Well, since the economy took a turn for the worst, we didn't spend Katherine's third birthday on the ship. Rather, we moved back to Phoenix two weeks after she turned three.
So, you could imagine my surprise when I heard that my father in law wanted to take us all aboard the Disney cruise. Woo Hoo! A dream come true. Now, if I only still worked for Disney and had my discount...
Anyway... Katherine and I love to watch the videos posted on the disney cruise website and are getting very excited. I found one excursion that we are going to take ~ Dolphin Encounter. This is not a "swim" with the dolphins, rather, they have a shelf like the one at Sea World and you stand on the shelf with the dolphin. Little Ms. Katherine just loves sea life so this is the perfect excursion for her. I have also heard that this excursion is much better than swimming with the dolphins.
We are not going to do any other excursions that are apart of the cruise line since they can be a bit pricey. The dolphin excursion is at our first port and then we are going to play it by ear. We are going to get off of the boat and do our own thing. Or, maybe we won't get off of the boat. We haven't decided.
Brett and I did book a night at the one adult restaurant. AKA Date Night. It will be the one night that Katherine will get to eat dinner with the princesses ~ I don't think that she will mind. I also booked a spa morning, in which I am really looking forward to. Other than that, we are going to play it by ear. The shows look awesome and hopefully their food is better than Carnival's. :)
I have heard that the play area is tons of fun for kids and that parents have a real hard time getting the kids out. So, this will be a great time for Brett and I to spend some time together, kind of on our own. We have not taken a vacation by ourselves since Katherine was born. We are looking at this as being a nice family vacation as well as a mini-vacation for just the two of us.
Let the countdown begin...
Growing up with my mom working for the cruise industry for about 20 years, the last trip that I really ever wanted to take (again) was another cruise. We went on so many cruises growing up. We waited in the terminal each Friday night, just hoping to make it on. We were always the last passengers to make it aboard. We have stayed in inside cabins all the way to a mini suite. To me, neither make a difference since you are hardly ever in your cabin.
This cruise, though, is the one cruise that I really have been waiting to go on since Disney introduced their ships. I told everyone to save up their pennies as we were going to make sure that we were going to take Katherine on the Disney cruise for her third birthday. Well, since the economy took a turn for the worst, we didn't spend Katherine's third birthday on the ship. Rather, we moved back to Phoenix two weeks after she turned three.
So, you could imagine my surprise when I heard that my father in law wanted to take us all aboard the Disney cruise. Woo Hoo! A dream come true. Now, if I only still worked for Disney and had my discount...
Anyway... Katherine and I love to watch the videos posted on the disney cruise website and are getting very excited. I found one excursion that we are going to take ~ Dolphin Encounter. This is not a "swim" with the dolphins, rather, they have a shelf like the one at Sea World and you stand on the shelf with the dolphin. Little Ms. Katherine just loves sea life so this is the perfect excursion for her. I have also heard that this excursion is much better than swimming with the dolphins.
We are not going to do any other excursions that are apart of the cruise line since they can be a bit pricey. The dolphin excursion is at our first port and then we are going to play it by ear. We are going to get off of the boat and do our own thing. Or, maybe we won't get off of the boat. We haven't decided.
Brett and I did book a night at the one adult restaurant. AKA Date Night. It will be the one night that Katherine will get to eat dinner with the princesses ~ I don't think that she will mind. I also booked a spa morning, in which I am really looking forward to. Other than that, we are going to play it by ear. The shows look awesome and hopefully their food is better than Carnival's. :)
I have heard that the play area is tons of fun for kids and that parents have a real hard time getting the kids out. So, this will be a great time for Brett and I to spend some time together, kind of on our own. We have not taken a vacation by ourselves since Katherine was born. We are looking at this as being a nice family vacation as well as a mini-vacation for just the two of us.
Let the countdown begin...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
New Project
On Saturday morning, I woke up and decided that we were going to have a Yard Sale. I threw together some signs and put them up around the neighborhood. Then got all of our "junk" together to sell and set it out on the driveway. It is nice that it is still dark here at 7:30am so it gave us a bit more time to get things out.
When we moved back home, Brett said that we had too much stuff and that we needed to get rid of some of it. This was the perfect opportunity to do so. We just needed to make sure that Katherine didn't come outside. She is very possessive of her things and it would not "fly" if she saw that we sold her tricycle.
I put out things that I knew that we didn't use and weren't afraid to get rid of. I used to complain about how small our house is but now being back in "our" house, it doesn't seem so small. We have just learned how to organize better. :)
After awhile waiting for people to come, I started to work on my hair bows. Yes, I did open an Etsy shop but nothing has moved. Tons of views but not one sale. Etsy works like Ebay, the more feedback you have, the easier it is to sell. So, if you don't have any feedback... no sales. Kind of like credit... once you have credit, the easier it is to buy a car, house, etc.
Finally, the cars start pulling up and people are walking into the garage. I keep telling them that everything that is for sale is on the driveway. Then, one little girl notices the bows and asks if she could buy one. I told the little girl that I needed to put the clup on. On Etsy, I had the option of having either a alligator clip or a french clip. So, the bows needed to have a clip on them so I just started got gluing the french clips on the bows.
I put the finished clips out on the table and those bows were the ones that sold the best! People were buying three and four at a time. I sold them for $2 each. Yes, that is a bit cheaper than selling them on Etsy but Etsy didn't their cut. :)
Now, I have thought about setting up my own website to sell my bows. I know that there are lots and lots of people out there selling bows. Hopefully I can sell some of the bows but Katherine loves them so at the end of the day that is all that matters. I have been making more bows since Saturday and setting up my own website. It will need to be word of mouth so I am hoping that my family and friends will help me out.
When we moved back home, Brett said that we had too much stuff and that we needed to get rid of some of it. This was the perfect opportunity to do so. We just needed to make sure that Katherine didn't come outside. She is very possessive of her things and it would not "fly" if she saw that we sold her tricycle.
I put out things that I knew that we didn't use and weren't afraid to get rid of. I used to complain about how small our house is but now being back in "our" house, it doesn't seem so small. We have just learned how to organize better. :)
After awhile waiting for people to come, I started to work on my hair bows. Yes, I did open an Etsy shop but nothing has moved. Tons of views but not one sale. Etsy works like Ebay, the more feedback you have, the easier it is to sell. So, if you don't have any feedback... no sales. Kind of like credit... once you have credit, the easier it is to buy a car, house, etc.
Finally, the cars start pulling up and people are walking into the garage. I keep telling them that everything that is for sale is on the driveway. Then, one little girl notices the bows and asks if she could buy one. I told the little girl that I needed to put the clup on. On Etsy, I had the option of having either a alligator clip or a french clip. So, the bows needed to have a clip on them so I just started got gluing the french clips on the bows.
I put the finished clips out on the table and those bows were the ones that sold the best! People were buying three and four at a time. I sold them for $2 each. Yes, that is a bit cheaper than selling them on Etsy but Etsy didn't their cut. :)
Now, I have thought about setting up my own website to sell my bows. I know that there are lots and lots of people out there selling bows. Hopefully I can sell some of the bows but Katherine loves them so at the end of the day that is all that matters. I have been making more bows since Saturday and setting up my own website. It will need to be word of mouth so I am hoping that my family and friends will help me out.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Going Forward
So as time goes on, it has gets harder and harder to find a job. I have tried the Tupperware thing and it didn't work. I am at a wall with the chocolate but I do think that this has potential and my Etsy shop hasn't done so well.
Etsy works like eBay... the more feedback you have, the easier it is to sell. Well, since I have zero feedback, I haven't sold any bows. Oh well... Katherine is loving the bows that I have made. I still enjoy making them so she will have lots and lots of them.
When I first opened my Etsy shop, I would look at my shop at least 10 times a day to see how many views that I have on each bow. Now, I am lucky if I look at the shop once a week. The bows are getting a lot of views but just are not moving. So, I have put my bow making materials away for now. I am going to concentrate on my scrapbooking. Maybe I will get up to date on that. :)
I have made the choice not to get discouraged about the job thing. Yes, I would love to be able to bring in some extra money for us. After all, we have lost a lot of money in the past three years with the houses. Not just the fact that they houses have gone down in price but the fact that we cannot sell and renting isn't so easy either. We are making it through it, though.
So, here I sit on a beautiful Monday afternoon. Katherine is off at school and Brett is in Long Beach. I have most of our taxes done right now and going forward, I am just going to enjoy what I do have.
Etsy works like eBay... the more feedback you have, the easier it is to sell. Well, since I have zero feedback, I haven't sold any bows. Oh well... Katherine is loving the bows that I have made. I still enjoy making them so she will have lots and lots of them.
When I first opened my Etsy shop, I would look at my shop at least 10 times a day to see how many views that I have on each bow. Now, I am lucky if I look at the shop once a week. The bows are getting a lot of views but just are not moving. So, I have put my bow making materials away for now. I am going to concentrate on my scrapbooking. Maybe I will get up to date on that. :)
I have made the choice not to get discouraged about the job thing. Yes, I would love to be able to bring in some extra money for us. After all, we have lost a lot of money in the past three years with the houses. Not just the fact that they houses have gone down in price but the fact that we cannot sell and renting isn't so easy either. We are making it through it, though.
So, here I sit on a beautiful Monday afternoon. Katherine is off at school and Brett is in Long Beach. I have most of our taxes done right now and going forward, I am just going to enjoy what I do have.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Etsy
I started to make some hair bows for Katherine because she is such a "girly girl". She has to wear a dress every day. It is a fight to get her to wear jeans in this cold weather. If she wears jeans, then she has to wear a pink shirt and something else pink.
Anyway... with the chocolate going slow right now, I sat down and started to make loop bows. I am very impressed how they came out. So, I started an Etsy shop. I am going to see how it goes. There are a lot of people out there that make bows but not too many that make the loop bows.
I like to make them all different sizes ~ some with two loops and others with four loops. I have even made a few just "whatever" hair clips.
So, that is my new project. I would love to still do the Dove Chocolate but it seems like I have hit a wall with parties once again. I am sure that it will pick up. In the mean time, maybe this will help out.
To check out my Etsy site: www.KatsHairBows.etsy.com
Let me know what you think.
Back to Normal
My dad was released from the hospital on Sunday night. That would have never happened in L.A. Woo Hoo! I do have to give Phoenix health care a lot of credit. My dad was admitted into the hospital early Christmas morning with pneumonia and a blockage in his stomach. They were not sure where the blockage was so they did test after test after test and then when they could not figure out where the blockage was exactly, they did surgery.
He had surgery on Wednesday and the doctors saw that it was scar tissue that wrapped itself around the small intestine. The doctor had to cut about 2 inches of his small intestine off and sewed my dad back up. My dad was in ICU for two nights and then back into a regular room. They had PT come and work with him as well as having a few more tests to make sure that everything was working the was that was supposed to.
Come Sunday, he was told that he would be released either that night or Monday morning. With previous experience, nobody is released from a hospital on a Sunday. Boy, we were dead wrong. I got the call from my mom on Sunday night at about 5pm that he was being released.
While my dad was in pre-op, he requested to sleep in a nice big comfy bed after the surgery. So, that is exactly what he did once he was released. My mom and dad stayed at a hotel with a big and nice comfy bed. My mom said that he slept very well that night. The next afternoon, we were on our way to the airport. All of his doctors had given him the okay to fly.
I took them to check their bags and then to security. It was sad to see them go but I still cannot believe that my dad went into the hospital with pneumonia and a blockage and was released one week and one day later.
He is doing great and is happy to be home.
Katherine was ready for everything to get back to normal as well. Brett came home the night that my parents left and Katherine was ready to start school Monday morning.
We are back in our routine and ready to a fresh start for a New Year.
He had surgery on Wednesday and the doctors saw that it was scar tissue that wrapped itself around the small intestine. The doctor had to cut about 2 inches of his small intestine off and sewed my dad back up. My dad was in ICU for two nights and then back into a regular room. They had PT come and work with him as well as having a few more tests to make sure that everything was working the was that was supposed to.
Come Sunday, he was told that he would be released either that night or Monday morning. With previous experience, nobody is released from a hospital on a Sunday. Boy, we were dead wrong. I got the call from my mom on Sunday night at about 5pm that he was being released.
While my dad was in pre-op, he requested to sleep in a nice big comfy bed after the surgery. So, that is exactly what he did once he was released. My mom and dad stayed at a hotel with a big and nice comfy bed. My mom said that he slept very well that night. The next afternoon, we were on our way to the airport. All of his doctors had given him the okay to fly.
I took them to check their bags and then to security. It was sad to see them go but I still cannot believe that my dad went into the hospital with pneumonia and a blockage and was released one week and one day later.
He is doing great and is happy to be home.
Katherine was ready for everything to get back to normal as well. Brett came home the night that my parents left and Katherine was ready to start school Monday morning.
We are back in our routine and ready to a fresh start for a New Year.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The End Is Almost Near...
My dad had a great night last night and has made even more progress today... The tubes have been taken out of his nose, he had beef broth for lunch and was able to sit in the recliner in his room.
He will be released from the hospital soon ~ yea! The pneumonia is pretty much gone so he will be able to fly home.
So, that is pretty much it for the update. Everything is working out just fine. He is still happy (for the most part) and is still saying his, "Please" and "Thank You's".
Katherine has really liked having grandma here to play with her but I think that she is ready to have her room back. I don't think that it will be long, though.
With this adventure coming to a close... it's a new year with many more adventures to come.
He will be released from the hospital soon ~ yea! The pneumonia is pretty much gone so he will be able to fly home.
So, that is pretty much it for the update. Everything is working out just fine. He is still happy (for the most part) and is still saying his, "Please" and "Thank You's".
Katherine has really liked having grandma here to play with her but I think that she is ready to have her room back. I don't think that it will be long, though.
With this adventure coming to a close... it's a new year with many more adventures to come.
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