yes, i'm doing all sorts of Blogging these days!
anyway, i was just getting around to adding tags to all my past postings. and i just noticed that i had a few comments on some posts--FUN! i hadn't noticed the comments before, and I'm sorry for not actually responding to them before....many of them from my beautiful friend, Diana. :)
And an incredibly helpful comment from someone about phone services!
Anywho, I know to keep a better eye out for comments now, lesson learned. back to work now. really.
Showing posts with label goings on. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goings on. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
sleepless night...
It's late Sunday night/entering the wee morning hours of Monday. I have a big week coming up. And I can't sleep. I'm feeling pretty worked up about everything I need to get done in the next 11 weeks. I know I can and I will get everything done that I need to and want to get done. But still...I'm stressing out a little bit tonight.
part of the reason for my stress is my new line of Crown Cases that I've asked my Father-in-law to make. He's done an amazing job with helping my vision become a reality. And we are SO close to having the perfect product. but I just thought of a detail "thing" tonight, that I CANNOT get out of my mind. and I won't feel better until I talk with Alan about this detail. So i need to wait until a reasonable hour to give him a call....and discuss...and then i'll be fine. But until then, I just can't turn off my mind!
part of the reason for my stress is my new line of Crown Cases that I've asked my Father-in-law to make. He's done an amazing job with helping my vision become a reality. And we are SO close to having the perfect product. but I just thought of a detail "thing" tonight, that I CANNOT get out of my mind. and I won't feel better until I talk with Alan about this detail. So i need to wait until a reasonable hour to give him a call....and discuss...and then i'll be fine. But until then, I just can't turn off my mind!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Travel reminder
Just a reminder that I am going out of town this Wednesday and will return late on Saturday. Any orders received after today probably won't ship until next Monday. I'm very sorry if this causes any inconvenience!! I will still be in email contact, and you may still call me during this time, and place orders and all that jazz. I just won't be shipping/making anything during my time away.
and on a fun, personal note. I just ordered Greek language lessons from Rosetta Stone to brush up on my Greek! More and more of you are requesting Greek engravings, and I'd really like to be able to fully understand all the language rules for the Greek language since I'm doing so much writing in it. And being Syrian/Lebanese, I didn't go to Greek school as a youngster...so there are times where I literally have no idea what I'm engraving on some of your crowns! I figured it was about time I learned!
and i guess I should confess that my upcoming travel is a fun personal trip too...Man, I indulge my whims way too much :) But I'm going out to CA to visit some very, very good friends (this couple is responsible for introducing me to my Josh!). And they welcomed a sweet little baby boy into their family last summer, and I have yet to meet him! So I'm going out to visit the Allen family!
And when I get back home to Indy, It'll be crunch time to start getting ready for England. I'll have about 12 or so weeks to get 6 months worth of crown stock finished up, along with filling all the normal order. But it will be so worth it. I'll essentially have a 6 month vacation for the time we're in England, and I certainly can't complain about that!
and on a fun, personal note. I just ordered Greek language lessons from Rosetta Stone to brush up on my Greek! More and more of you are requesting Greek engravings, and I'd really like to be able to fully understand all the language rules for the Greek language since I'm doing so much writing in it. And being Syrian/Lebanese, I didn't go to Greek school as a youngster...so there are times where I literally have no idea what I'm engraving on some of your crowns! I figured it was about time I learned!
and i guess I should confess that my upcoming travel is a fun personal trip too...Man, I indulge my whims way too much :) But I'm going out to CA to visit some very, very good friends (this couple is responsible for introducing me to my Josh!). And they welcomed a sweet little baby boy into their family last summer, and I have yet to meet him! So I'm going out to visit the Allen family!
And when I get back home to Indy, It'll be crunch time to start getting ready for England. I'll have about 12 or so weeks to get 6 months worth of crown stock finished up, along with filling all the normal order. But it will be so worth it. I'll essentially have a 6 month vacation for the time we're in England, and I certainly can't complain about that!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Upcoming travel
Hi Everyone...Just wanted to let you know that I will be out of town starting Wednesday Feb 17 until late in the day Saturday Feb 20. Since I will be out of town, nothing will be shipped during that time, so please plan accordingly!!
I will be back to work on Monday Feb 22...and it will be business as usual until Josh and I leave for England at the end of May (more details to follow about that 6 month trip).
I will be back to work on Monday Feb 22...and it will be business as usual until Josh and I leave for England at the end of May (more details to follow about that 6 month trip).
Friday, January 22, 2010
Fun new phone
So now that I have all my phone numbers resolved, I'm finally receiving all of the new hardware to along with the new phone plans So the work number 301-237-5858 stays the same, but Josh found me a great set of 3 cordless phones (refurbished). So I can walk around as I speak with customers. I can set a phone down anywhere, but still be close to another one, since there are 3 handsets. Perfect for me! and in case one handset breaks, or gets covered with paint, glue, solder, and who knows what else, well, i have a couple of back-ups.
And I Just got in my new cell phone for my new, personal cell line (this is a new thing for me..to have work life and personal life separated via phone. very exciting). Again, I purchased a refurbished cell phone. But it's so cool: It obviously came from someone in India, as the calendar is set with all the many Indian holidays and festivals. And it came pre-loaded with some really awesome bollywood-type ring tones!! :) It really doesn't take much to amuse me these days...just fun music, apparently.......
Oh, and the phones arrived with UK chargers as well as US chargers, which is awesome, since well need those UK ones in a few months. So feeling happy that we have that part of our lives resolved.
My dad has been staying with us the last several days. He's had many dr appointments over here in Indy, so we convinced him to stay with us in between appointments. So I've been having fun with my dad...but also not getting a whole lot of work done. he's leaving this afternoon, so I'll get back to work soon, I promise.
And I Just got in my new cell phone for my new, personal cell line (this is a new thing for me..to have work life and personal life separated via phone. very exciting). Again, I purchased a refurbished cell phone. But it's so cool: It obviously came from someone in India, as the calendar is set with all the many Indian holidays and festivals. And it came pre-loaded with some really awesome bollywood-type ring tones!! :) It really doesn't take much to amuse me these days...just fun music, apparently.......
Oh, and the phones arrived with UK chargers as well as US chargers, which is awesome, since well need those UK ones in a few months. So feeling happy that we have that part of our lives resolved.
My dad has been staying with us the last several days. He's had many dr appointments over here in Indy, so we convinced him to stay with us in between appointments. So I've been having fun with my dad...but also not getting a whole lot of work done. he's leaving this afternoon, so I'll get back to work soon, I promise.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Phone Issues Resolved!!
Feel free to call away--I now have a working phone again! (but still, no calls during the overnight, please).
I always had problems with my previous cell phone carrier, and went through so many models of cell phones thinking the phone itself was the problem. After this latest round of problems, it was the last straw and we switched carriers altogether. We went to T-mobile and signed up for their @home hot spot service. It's a wireless router that allows us to plug in a standard phone. I was able to transport my 301-237-5858 number to that line...and so now suddenly my work phone line is a VOIP phone line, rather than a cell phone. What this means is that I have better International calling capabilities...and MUCH more reliable service (My cell phone wouldn't always ring for incoming calls)
And now, I get to have a cell phone that is for my own personal use, not business, AND it is a local number to Indianapolis (317) not my old stomping grounds of Maryland (301). And my new cell phone is an "unlocked" cell phone, which will allow me to use it when we go to England this Spring (previous carrier did not support unlocked cell phones).
I am already SO pleased with the customer service (not to mention the pricing)with T-Mobile. Yay!
I always had problems with my previous cell phone carrier, and went through so many models of cell phones thinking the phone itself was the problem. After this latest round of problems, it was the last straw and we switched carriers altogether. We went to T-mobile and signed up for their @home hot spot service. It's a wireless router that allows us to plug in a standard phone. I was able to transport my 301-237-5858 number to that line...and so now suddenly my work phone line is a VOIP phone line, rather than a cell phone. What this means is that I have better International calling capabilities...and MUCH more reliable service (My cell phone wouldn't always ring for incoming calls)
And now, I get to have a cell phone that is for my own personal use, not business, AND it is a local number to Indianapolis (317) not my old stomping grounds of Maryland (301). And my new cell phone is an "unlocked" cell phone, which will allow me to use it when we go to England this Spring (previous carrier did not support unlocked cell phones).
I am already SO pleased with the customer service (not to mention the pricing)with T-Mobile. Yay!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Phone problems
My cell phone (business phone) is broken! Very annoying. May not have a replacement phone until Monday.
The screen went out...and the phone can tell me that i have vm's, but won't let me call out. So I'm very sorry to those of you who have left me messages, that I have not yet returned your calls. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Please feel free to email me!
The screen went out...and the phone can tell me that i have vm's, but won't let me call out. So I'm very sorry to those of you who have left me messages, that I have not yet returned your calls. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Please feel free to email me!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Snowy weather, plan change
Well, I was supposed to be going out of town today....but I changed my plans...It's snowing all across Indiana today--accumulations of up to 6 inches here at my house...and more in other places. I figured, eh....why risk crazy drivers on the highway if I don't have to?
So I'll be at home most of the day today (still have to run out and do some errands). I am actually looking forward to a good snow covering, as that really helps insulate the garage. Right now, it's just above freezing out in my workshop (garage workshop). Not very pleasant at all. I've been bringing as much of my work indoors as I can. I have a little space heater out there...I really need to get a better one. Yesterday I was able to get the temp up to 43, which, with a coat and gloves on is bearable. I have a lot of engraving work that must be done today....and that can't be brought indoors. So I think I'll just have to grin and bear it.
We added a whole extra layer of insulation to the attic area over the garage this past fall. And while that has helped keep the garage warmer, it hasn't really kept it at a comfortable temp. Our Garage door is about 2 inches too tall for the opening (previous owner had driveway repaved...raised the level of the garage apron..so the door doesn't fit now)....so we have a lot of gaps...that's why it gets so cold out there. So what do you do? completely bust out a decent driveway and have it re-poured at the proper height? cut down a perfectly good solid wood garage door by 2 inches...that will suddenly be 2 inches too short if the driveway is ever redone. No real easy fix. There could be worse things in life to put up with, though....
So I'll be at home most of the day today (still have to run out and do some errands). I am actually looking forward to a good snow covering, as that really helps insulate the garage. Right now, it's just above freezing out in my workshop (garage workshop). Not very pleasant at all. I've been bringing as much of my work indoors as I can. I have a little space heater out there...I really need to get a better one. Yesterday I was able to get the temp up to 43, which, with a coat and gloves on is bearable. I have a lot of engraving work that must be done today....and that can't be brought indoors. So I think I'll just have to grin and bear it.
We added a whole extra layer of insulation to the attic area over the garage this past fall. And while that has helped keep the garage warmer, it hasn't really kept it at a comfortable temp. Our Garage door is about 2 inches too tall for the opening (previous owner had driveway repaved...raised the level of the garage apron..so the door doesn't fit now)....so we have a lot of gaps...that's why it gets so cold out there. So what do you do? completely bust out a decent driveway and have it re-poured at the proper height? cut down a perfectly good solid wood garage door by 2 inches...that will suddenly be 2 inches too short if the driveway is ever redone. No real easy fix. There could be worse things in life to put up with, though....
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Rough morning!
My email suddenly started acting up this morning. I have my email set up as imap, so that copy of everything stays on my web hosts' server....yeah, it makes downloading emails/pix slower, but it ensures that I always have a back-up of my business emails.
Well all of a sudden, I started getting error messages as I was trying to send emails...and it was an error I'd never seen before. The error came into play when my sent email tried to write a copy of itself to my "sent" email folder. It couldn't write to the proper folder on the server because it suddenly didn't exist!
Someone at 1and1.com deleted a folder somewhere for some reason, and it messed up my email!!
an hour and a half later with tech support, I can now send email again. All of my past "sent" emails are in a "sent items" folder, and all of my newly sent emails are not writing to the usual sent folder. but things are all segregated now and I don't like it! this was not a particularly great start to my day. Oh well, I guess I should be happy that all of my emails weren't lost.
Well all of a sudden, I started getting error messages as I was trying to send emails...and it was an error I'd never seen before. The error came into play when my sent email tried to write a copy of itself to my "sent" email folder. It couldn't write to the proper folder on the server because it suddenly didn't exist!
Someone at 1and1.com deleted a folder somewhere for some reason, and it messed up my email!!
an hour and a half later with tech support, I can now send email again. All of my past "sent" emails are in a "sent items" folder, and all of my newly sent emails are not writing to the usual sent folder. but things are all segregated now and I don't like it! this was not a particularly great start to my day. Oh well, I guess I should be happy that all of my emails weren't lost.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christmas shut-down
To get ready for Christmas, and to enjoy the holiday (and rest up before the spring rush), my studio will be shutting down starting this Saturday, the 19th. I'll get back to work on Monday, Jan 4th. I will not be making or shipping anything during this time
If you really need some questions answered during this time, feel free to call or email and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!!
If you really need some questions answered during this time, feel free to call or email and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wicked Weather!
The weather forecast for today is pretty daunting with that major blizzard moving across the Midwest. It's currently 42 degrees outside, with that being the high for the day. as the blizzard moves in, we're going to have some really high winds...which have already started....but we may not get too much precipitation here in Indy. Just high winds and cold air. I'm curious if our power will go out, as that tends to happen in our neighborhood during windy spring weather (even though the neighborhood lines are buried...the lines leading into the neighborhood are not). If the power goes out, I’m not sure how much work I’ll be able to do, and it will get cold pretty quickly, but I've got to say, I wouldn't mind an excuse to have to take the rest of the day off! I'll just make sure I have a fire going in the fire place preemptively!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
New travel dates
Paperwork is getting submitted again for our time over in England. The paperwork states a start date of June 1-Nov18. That would put us arriving in England the last week of May and heading home probably on Nov 19th.
So I think I'll be able to conduct a fairly normal spring season ...customers may need to order about 3-4 weeks earlier than they might normally, if they want any customization. I think that I will be able to continuing offering engravings up until the start of May. I'll keep this site and the homepage of the crown side updated with any pertinent cut-off dates.
So right now, I'm still working on creating a bunch of stock. It's a little mind-numbing and also overwhelming all at the same time. Also, I managed to encounter some Poison Ivy over thanksgiving, (yes, apparently you CAN get p.i. in nov/dec). So I didn't get a whole lot of work done this week...but did get some good organizing both in the studio and online done. I'm already working on my to-do list for Monday.
This evening I have grand plans for trying to get more candle sets posted on the wedding candle page (all in attempt to have pages as populated as possible for when the shopping cart debuts on Jan 1), as well as updating the wedding pictures page.
So I think I'll be able to conduct a fairly normal spring season ...customers may need to order about 3-4 weeks earlier than they might normally, if they want any customization. I think that I will be able to continuing offering engravings up until the start of May. I'll keep this site and the homepage of the crown side updated with any pertinent cut-off dates.
So right now, I'm still working on creating a bunch of stock. It's a little mind-numbing and also overwhelming all at the same time. Also, I managed to encounter some Poison Ivy over thanksgiving, (yes, apparently you CAN get p.i. in nov/dec). So I didn't get a whole lot of work done this week...but did get some good organizing both in the studio and online done. I'm already working on my to-do list for Monday.
This evening I have grand plans for trying to get more candle sets posted on the wedding candle page (all in attempt to have pages as populated as possible for when the shopping cart debuts on Jan 1), as well as updating the wedding pictures page.
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