Poppy and Ivy

Aloha Friends.....

Aloha!

I have arrived in beautiful Maui and life feels pretty darn good. Of course....JOHN finished up the "homework" for taxes and that was NOT pretty....so life feels REALLY good. :)

The flights from Portland to San Fran and San Fran to Maui were SMOOTH AS SILK.....whew......

My view from the plane at sunset. Yummmyyyy.....I landed ONLY 2 hours later!

And WHO KNEW that Maui birds sing ALL night long? It's like a jungle!

The state flower is the yellow hibiscus. NOT the orange, the pink or the red...but the YELLOW.

I am on my dad's computer...don't even GET me started on dragging my computer over to the islands only to find that we have no wi-fi here. Ugggggggggg...........so this is a new experience for me! 

Cheers to you all....may spring be treating you well. Unless you live in the Portland/Seattle area....then I KNOW that you are having snow mixed with rain and you are kind of cranky with me right now. I have many family & friends in those areas and the reports are NOT good! What is that weird weather all about?

You should be in Maui:))))))))

24 hours...and counting...

Easter dinner...check...

Taxes....to the tax lady with some home work left to do (eye balls roll back into my head)...check.

I stayed up until about 2:00am Sunday finishing the taxes, woke up Monday to go over everything AGAIN, went to the tax lady with John and dropped the suckers off. After we went over it all she said "Well....one year in business...would you do it again?". I think my face went blank, I KNOW my eyes filled with tears....Really?

After the taxes ........NO! I kind of feel like the government & City of Portland do NOT want small businesses to succeed. They ask for so much it's mind boggling...and I HAVE it...I save it ALL...but the compilation is INSANE.

Chucking it all in and selling  handbags at Nordstrom's was looking really good yesterday at noon.

So, now we are to the packing part. Yeah! The plane leaves in 24 hours. Stressful, but all good. Cool clothes a suit and flip flops. I'm with my parents....there are no hot dates to dress for! Hahahahaaa....

I am running into the shop to change out my Easter window, move Easter out and make room for the new shipment that DARN IT.....IS going to come while I am gone! Picture new "vintage" aprons, frames, candle holders, mini suitcases, oil cloth bags with cabbage roses and vines....ohhhhhh.....I have been WAITING for that order to come in!

Easter was different, but so good. JOHN took the kids to my parents EARLY Sunday to install an oven for them and they all got back her about 2:00pm. In that time I did laundry, taxes, got parts of dinner prepared, painted Madeline's room, cleaned all the bathrooms.....I am NEVER in my house all alone! I was so INDUSTRIOUS!

My favorite light up bunny watching over the construction work across the street. The bunny wonders who the new neighbors will be and when the jackhammers at 8:00am will stop:)

I flipped the shop shelves around a bit Saturday. It was very steady and busy...making up for the last 2 weeks! That was UGLY! I did a little white area. I always go to all white after a "Holiday. Kind of a fresh start kind of thing.

Never eat these when you are setting up white shelves. Just a little FYI. Actually...nobody should eat these. I am blaming it on nerves!

Happy ...what day is this? TUESDAY!

The Countdown is on......

Here is how I am getting through the next 3 days of......

A teenage girl who just got braces and the band keeps popping......we've been in twice and due back tomorrow for yet another fix in 10 days...

A sick son missing seeing his favorite teacher EVER on her last day of school....

The taxes are looking MUCH more manageable.....I haven't pulled my hair out YET..but there are still 3 months left to enter....

A weekend sale event...The Big Two Sale!

Easter weekend and dinner at my house

But my last frantic two days will be spent packing for this......

Wheeewwwwwww....Happy Friday to all of you!

Taxes? What taxes?

I'm baaaaaaacccckkkkkkk. Two postings yesterday, one now, can't promise it will be the last for the day. I mean, what else can I do in the shop while avoiding tax data entry?

Yesterday I hit a little wall at about 5:30...

I sent this picture to JOHN and it awarded me a night out. We went to a favorite wings place (always a favorite stop for a woman due to wear a swimsuit in 6 days) and then headed to a local watering hole briefly. It helped take the sting off the day......but I also had to make Easter cards so we weren't out long.

I only got 2-3 done, but I had NONE to sell so it's something! And thank goodness I had my cat there to help me out. (Reason #One that I only 2-3 cards finished!)

And I got some new goodies out on the floor finally! I have been COLLECTING a huge pile of items to be processed and go out for days...so I put the taxes on the back burner and just  did some house keeping. Figuratively and literally!

Posted some items on craigslist....

I got a few things out here and there....

I had gotten these patterns in WEEKS ago during the auction and just unpacked them! I love Amy Butler ANYTHING...always have. Her patterns are fantastic and even I can follow them. I swear a lot and pout and it's usually not "perfect".....but I can follow it.

Back to avoiding taxes and looking for a FedEx or UPS truck. I have orders floating around out there and throngs of people just waiting to buy it all.

I am kidding about part of that.

YOU guess what part I am making up:)

Watch me avoid the taxes....

By taking random pictures of the shop.

Now THAT'S productive now...isn't it?

But WAY more fun than hitting in numbers, numbers, numbers, numbers.....oy.

Oh...back to the grind. Or...maybe I will go grab a latte. THAT seems way better in my opinion. Yeah.....I feel kind of chilly.  I figured it was just the cold fear.......

Blasted taxes.....  -A 

Taxes, a sale and...taxes

Did I mention taxes?

I think the taxes are stealing my soul away.

I was COOKING with these taxes...I mean entering all the data like a ferret on espresso and then BAM....I find a tax form that was supposed to be filed no later than March 3 and it's for personal property. But it's about the shop. And it says "list floating property". As far as I know, we do NOT have a boat....so this might require some phone calls. And missing MORE sleep.

The whole shop experience is delightful most days except for the following:

1) City taxes, fees and fines..and letters that "mean nothing" but sound really scary

2) taxes.....they DO scare me a little bit

3) placing HUGE orders then nobody enters your shop for 2 days. Okay...they enter...I MIGHT be exaggerating.

Deeeeeepppp breaths.......

Maui, Maui, Maui, Maui..........I keep chanting that:)

We had a lower Fremont business meeting tonight (where I DOVE out of paint/taxes clothes into something acceptable and barely heard a word they said because I was stressed about painting and taxes) and we established that we ARE having a sale this weekend that will be in the Oregonian and we figured out events, sales and general tomfoolery for our next year of advertising.

We are have our 2-2-2 sale. 2 weeks for the new owners of Caffee Destino, 2 months for myself and Backyard Birds and 2 years for Splurge and Sofia. So...we are all having sales. Some coffee specials at Caffe Destino and I will do 20% off for Friday and Saturday if you mention the ad or say 2-2-2 to me.  I'm a pushover...I am sure EVERYBODY will get 20% off! LOL....

I will closed for Easter...is that bad? Some of the other shops might be open....but I figured I'd be alone all day! I might give it a shot...

Back to taxes.......

Braces, craigslist & an adventure

I didn't fall off the Earth. And thank you for your concerned e-mails asking if I was okay. LOL......I am fine. Busy,but fine!

After a LOVELY last week--my daughter had spacers put in for braces and four teeth pulled--braces went on this Monday. I discovered this week that one thing worse than a hormonal 13 year old girl is a hormonal, hungry 13 year old who is in pain. Yea....that sucked a little bit. I really wanted to take her pain killer, but I refrained.

JOHN has been on fire. I have complained about the state of our couch for some time.  Our dog sits on it all day and barks/scratches at the mail man from her post. And yes....it took us awhile to catch on, but the couch IS older than dirt. I don't know WHY I complained...there was not much to do about it. Sofa shopping is NOT on our agenda right now...so I figured I'd live with the nasty couch. I mean...the dog is happy and really?...who could ask for more? <snort>.

So, I came home to this on Wednesday.

 

"New" chairs from Craigslist and the scary part is that they match our existing GOOD couch...so that was kind of freaky. The lady ha them in storage and they look brand new.

And I have made mention about our Home Depot dining room light not matching the era of our home. Mainly due to the fact that the dumb bimbo who bought our old home tossed all our lighting (ORIGINAL CHANDELIER!!!!) and replaced it with upscale reproduction lighting. WHY didn't I keep that chandelier????? Grrrr......so I came home to THIS Friday...

So JOHN is officially named Mr. Craigslist at our home! He was on fire! And YES.....I KNOW he's a saint. Heck....he can live with ME....he's GOT to be a saint. I just like to say I am quirky:)))))

Lots of new items flooding the shop...right in step with the flooding skies of the Pacific NW. Ahhhhhh...spring in Portland is always so fresh, colorful and WET.

 

And what my "office space" looks like here....I think it speaks volumes of the catching up....no rhyme or reason...just pure chaos.

I love the bunny tossed face down. That's HOW I have felt! LOL....

And the adventure....still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. I am scared to fly, but I will be going to a tropical locale in a mere 10 days...just me. Well...my parents too...I am a complete 37 year old tag-along! No kids...no hubby....no shop. Going back to the just trying to ABSORB it all part:)))

Paintings, so many items & estate sales

Here are some shots of my new painting.This is from David Stodd who has done so well in my new space. This new one is an acrylic painted on an old fir door. It's three shots of Timberline Lodge "circa" 1940's. Dave loves vintage sport and old Oregon shots. He is a history buff to boot and the paintings follow suit. He does commission work as well....he is doing one for our family right now. I am so excited to see the end result.

Love this new painting....

I have new, fun items and JOHN let me "free" today to go estate saling!

Here are some new arrival St. Patrick's Day picks...good for cupcakes, cakes & parties. 

Some updated shop shots....

 

The back of my car today....It gives me chills....I LOVE estate sales so much. I got a bank of lockers too! WOW!~

Picture-licious Bay-bee.....

New card line..

   

Happy Friday to you all! I am catching up and kind of enjoying it...excpet for the taxes part. OUCH...that might take some SERIOUS time. I have found papers from the 2nd week of January at the bottom of the auction pile...things I was due to have mailed, orders I THOUGHT I'd placed....kind of bad. Back to the piles....Hope your weekend is full of fun treasures!

And the winner is......

The item we "won" at the auction...