SELLING ON EBAY

When I became a stay at home mom (to my doggies, since the kids were all grown) and because of too many lay-offs at my job, my husband and I decided to start our own ebay business. Well through all the trials and tribulations, I can say after years of selling, we were successfull at it.

We have sold charm links, sterling silver, and pandora style beads.  We were profitable at each one, but as other people jumped on board to sell the same product, sales went down.  The market was just too flooded.

My husband and I sat down one day at one of our weekly business meeting and contemplated our fate on ebay.  We needed to come up with a product that was our own, no one could copy, and would keep us successful.  Thats how  Harley J. Sanders Lampwork Beads was born.  Rick, my husband, is an awesome bead artist now but he didn't start out that way.  Learning all the tricks to making a sellable bead takes alot of time and practice and he has mastered what a lot of people never will, including me!

Anyone can be sucessful at what you do if you have the ambition and put as much into it as you can. We are extremely busy now because of the holiday season but we are having a whole lot of fun creating our one of a kind masterpieces!  Visit our ebay site and give us some feedback.... http://stores.ebay.com/Dichroic-Dreams

SUNDAY IS A FOOTBALL KINDA DAY

Who doesn't like a good Sunday football game!  My husband, doggies and I sit down to a roast chicken dinner and a great Green Bay Packers game every Sunday when there playing.  It has become a tradition of ours and if we have unexpected company they are welcomed in to join us.

 check out the great cavalier king charles spaniel slippers, goes great with the Green Bay Packer jersey!

We have great friends from Australia that we met on facebook and thought it would be fun to send football gear from our beloved team to them.  They loved the items and dressed up for us and sent us pictures.  It is awesome to know that some Green and Gold now resides in Drouin Australia!

We had a great supper bowl party with a few friends and of course our doggies.  I made jerseys for all six dogs and had doggie horderves for them.  They are our family and we wanted them to be a part of the glorious celebration and of course we won the supper bowl!

Our team is still going strong this year at a 6-0 record and we all look forward to another great super bowl party and the best thing that could happen would be our Australian packer fans show up!

ANOTHER WONDERFUL DAY IN OUR EMPTYNESTER LIFE

 The morning is always the same, get up, let the dogs out, make coffee, let dogs in, feed dogs, get coffee and sit by computer.  The dogs go back to sleep and the day begins for me.  First things first, I post my you tube video to our emptynester channel on facebook and then talk to my friend carol from Australia.

Facebook isn't what it used to be lately with all the changes, which brought me to search other alternatives for social networking.  A few weeks back I signed up for a google plus account and have really enjoyed it.  I also signed up our business account, hjsanders lampwork beads, there too and have met many wonderful bead artists (and of course dog owners too). I toggle between the two networking sites and would leave facebook but have met many Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owners who's company I enjoy.  That brings me back to my friend carol.

Carol and I begin talking on face book threw inbox messaging about 8 months ago.  At first it began as a few messages a week to a daily message.  We worried about each other if one didn't leave a message every day.  Its amazing how two people, worlds apart, who have never met each other except threw videos and pictures could be so close now.  We are like sisters, she is my best friend, and I hope to meet her in person one day.

Next thing on my computer list is EBay.  We are lampworkers who sell successfully on eBay and we are in the busy season.  It is awesome to see something that was made by our hands be so popular with so many people.  I package everything in the morning and send out in the morning mail.  I also check any messages left and do the auctions for the next day.  My husband makes beads alot these day, and it is amazing to watch him come up with the new designs that peak peoples interests.

The dogs are getting restless by then and need to go out for potty and exercise.  We are the happy owners of 5 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and a Brittany spaniel who are high energy and need to run.  I switch gears at this time and take them out for a run in the yard and do outdoor chores for a few hours depending on the weather.  Its a refreshing change from my inside duties and great exercise for all of us.

CANINES RIP THROUGH YARD & CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL DAY 255

AUTUMNS TRUE COLORS

 Yesterday was actually a better day, weather wise then was predicted.  Another record set in Wisconsin for consecutive days of 70 degree temperatures in October.  The dogs and I spent a good portion of the day in the yard, finishing up what needed to be done before the extreme cold and rain set in.  The real weather we should be having right now.  As I raked leaves, more fell from the trees and filled in the spots of already raked lawn.  Sometimes I think to myself "why don't you just wait until they all fall off ", but I never do.

The garage is finally clean and ready for winter use.  I couldn't wait for mu husband to put away the few things I asked him to, so I did it myself.  My favorite saying is, time waits for no man. Its sometimes just best to try to do things yourself if you can and avoid the frustration, and I have tryed to instill this onto my 3 daughters.   Most men are procrastinators and always wonder why they are so far behind.  I never have to wonder that, so I just roll my eyes and walk away.

Our weather will get back to normal fall temps as of today.  The pond will be winterized in a few more weeks and the fish will be in hibernation for 6 months.  I always look forward to seeing them surface again in April.  Koi and goldfish are hearty enough to overwinter in a pond and every so often one might float to the top in the spring.

So as the cool misty air sets in I contemplate a nice warm bowl of comfort food for supper.  A bowl of potato leek soup and a grilled cheese sounds great, what could be more comforting then that!

AUTUMN COULD'NT BE FINER

 Autumn has been just wonderful this year!  In October, we are having temps in the 70 and 80 degree range which is unusual for the area that we live in.  I have been slack on some of the housework these days figuring that I have plenty of time to do it when its cold and rainy out and we are stuck in the house.  I will miss autumn, it is my most favorite time of the year.  I love to rack leave piles and have the dogs run threw them.  I'm sad when I have to cut down my gardens that I have worked so hard on all summer but I prepare the gardens for the next year and go on, you cant stop the seasons from turning

. 

Hiking on the state trail brings about wonderful fall sights.  Leaves lining the trail and crunching under your feet as you enjoy the radiance of the season, nothing could be better.  Rabbits and squirrels and a few chipmunks tempt the dogs, they seem to be saying "catch me if you can"!

Winter time this year will bring  some extra joy for our family, we will welcome 2 new babies!  We are the proud grandparents of 7 already, 2 girls and 5 boys and I'm sure everybody wants too no what the other 2 are....They are GIRLS! we will almost be even then.   I would tell you the names but its not my place to tell people until there parents want them to no....sorry!

I plan on enjoying the last of this wonderful autumn weather, since that will be in a day or two, hibernating for the winter and looking ahead to spring!

THE UGLY TRUTH

   So the saying, do on to others, that you would have done to you, is such a lame saying. Most people now adays are takers and if there isn't anything in it for them,why give back.  Its a sad, sad world we live in!  My children were raised to lend a helping hand when they could and look out for there fellow man. Sure, every now and again your hand will be slapped but at least they could walk away feeling good about themselves.

Selfish, self centered people should have to spend there lives with there own kind only.  Those are the people who get no satisfaction out of what they do in there own lives, but get great satisfaction out of talking about others and feel jealous about any success they have.  Those are the people who have burned all there bridges in there own families and good friends lives, that they will start going to church.  They say they want to live a better life, but its only so they can make new friends who think they are decent people and don't know what they have done.

Who would think badly of "church goers".  The self centered selfish person would,  but there new church friends don't no there past, so they feel safe in there pretend world.  I do not attend church, too many hypocrites there.  I believe in karma, what goes around comes around.  I can read a person the first time I meet them.  I can tell if a person is truly nice, truly evil or just weird.

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly is to the bone describes the selfish person who doesn't even like them selves much less other people.  There negativity starts to effect every aspect of there lives and the people around them.  They lie but feel good about it, and they try to convince everyone its true, and feel good about it and they destroy family relationships and feel good about it, but they are still human, so how good do they really feel?

Bit by bit it will eat a hole threw your soul, you will end up bitter and you will be alone, maybe not physically, but mentally.  So always be helpful, always be happy about others success, don't always think of yourself and always be HONEST!

ANOTHER GREAT DAY!

Couldn't have asked for a nicer day to finish up the fall yard work.  The temps hovered in the mid 70s and it was another short sleeved shirt day.  I had set a makeshift fence up by the pond to keep the dogs out of that area, so they could be in the yard with me.  I weeded and cut down old dried out summer plants but kept a few black eyed susans still standing in the garden, just for a little color.

The dogs had a blast!  They usually aren't allowed to go into my "Good Yard" as we call it, for fear of trampled plants or them eating something they are not suppose to.  I made an exception since the plants were mostly done for the year anyway and the dog toxic plants were already cut down.  They sampled herbs from the herb garden, sniffed and pee'd on everything and grazed on grass like they were a herd of cattle in a pasture. They rolled on the ground in sheer delight.

I was one hour into cutting down old vegetation and everything was good with the dogs up until then.  One by one they decided they had had enough sniff in the flower yard and would like to try a sniff of the pond area. That area was restricted to them since I still had beautiful fall flowers blooming there and also rhubarb plants which are toxic to dogs. I shooed the first one out only to turn around and have to say over and over "come", "good come", "and stay out of there now"!  At least my so called helpers were obedient ones.

I decided to coax the dogs back to their yard with the bribe of a treat and lock the gates behind them.  They'd follow me anywhere for a carrot.  I decided to carry on with my yard work on my own, while the tired dogs lounged in the nice warm sun.  It was great to have them spend the time with me but tomorrow when I do it again I will make sure there are no holes in the fence!

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY........

When my daughter decided to invite the whole family to celebrate her 22nd birthday with her with a trip to the zoo, I thought it was a great idea.  I had wanted to get to the zoo this year but there just wasn't enough time on the weekends to schedule it in.  Our in home business and our you tube videos, along with raising 6 dogs took most of our time, but family does come first.

The plan was for everyone to meet at 2:00 pm in the lobby where we paid to get in and the whole family was on there way, checking out the exhibits.  We had all the grand kids there (7) and it seemed like there was always one or two missing and we spent most of the time there trying to keep track of wayward children.  The excitement was just too much for them not to run off and see what else they could find. I held hands with what ever child needed to be slowed down a little only to have to run to keep up.  Kid legs can go pretty fast, gramma legs cant!

The hit of the whole trip was going up on the platform to feed the giraffes.  All the kids gathered around, with anticipation, to feed the leaves to the giraffes that the zoo had supplied(for a cost). It was a picture worthy moment.  We moved on to a few more exhibits to look at and papa and I decided it was time for us to go and get back home to the kids (dogs) waiting there for there supper.  We said our goodbyes, gave kisses and hugs and lined up for a group picture ( we too are picture worthy ) The zoo birthday celebration was worth its weight in gold and a wonderful idea of the birthday girl.  It was Priceless.........http://www.youtube.com/user/EmptyNesters365