WHERE HAS THE YEAR WENT!

One holiday down, one holiday to go! In a few short weeks we will be celebrating Christmas and then ringing in a new year.  Wow, where has the year went?  2012 already and so many things that still needs to be done as time keeps ticking away.

It still has been a pleasant fall, not too cold, nice enough to still do dog walks without shivering the whole time.  The crispness in the air and the still warm sun makes fall my favorite season, but I do love the beauty of the emerging flowers in the spring.

Our tree was put up right after thanksgiving.  We go with a theme of different colors every year and this year it was in the honor of our football team, the Green Bay Packers, who are sitting at 11-0 right now.  Oh, and in case you didn't no, they are also the world champions.  The tree consists of green and gold bulbs, some gold garland and of course a green bay packer world champions football cap as a tree topper.

The dogs and I enjoy what nice days we have left now before it is too cold to go out and spend time in the yard. I also attempt to finish up the Christmas shopping and the menu for the food we will have.  I'm sure everything will work out like it always seems too and it will be over before we no it!

ANOTHER THANKFUL YEAR

I cant even believe that thanksgiving is here already! The summer beauty has faded and the drabness of falls end has set in.  All the beautiful flowers are cut down except for a few stragglers who insist upon growing until old man winter nip that in the bud.Nothing much you can do to change the seasons I guess, you just go with the flow.

I do love thanksgiving, especially the food!  The smells that permeate the house and your senses are unbelievable.  The dogs walk around almost drooling, waiting for a possible morsel that might hit the floor. The dogs no that there will be a bit of turkey and sweet potato for them at supper mixed with there kibble.

I own an eBay business so I am extremely busy with doing my lampwork beads to get them ready for auction for the two busiest days of Internet sales..Friday and Monday. Our new beads will post daily until Christmas, check them out at http://​stores.ebay.com/​Dichroic-Dreams    

We hope everyone has an awesome thanksgiving and enjoy time spent with family ( and fur babies ) Hopefully we will not get snow to soon and we can still have a little cool, but not cold fall weather left to enjoy until we have to hibernate for the winter!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

Life is a whirlwind of busy for my husband and I right now!  With the holidays approaching there is alot to accomplish to prepare, but dividing our time is becoming difficult.  We have a lampwork bead ebay business that is extremely successful so anytime taken away from doing handmade beads,puts us behind.  We also have kids and grandkids and birthdays are plentiful in fall and winter.  That usually means lots of birthday party's.  We also have 6 dogs.  They need feeding, walking and attention to become tired enough to relax so I can work on business things.  Shopping for thanksgiving and getting a start on Christmas presents is always a challenge even though I tell myself I will do it early next year, never do!

Thing normally do work out in the end, but it seems like theres no end in site.  So once again this year I will put myself threw this, take a deep breathe or two and GET ON WITH IT! 

We are in the last of our fall days here in Algoma WI.  The trees have lost there leaves and the fall yard work is coming to an end.  I have raked leave and carried them to the road to be picked up by the city department only to start over the next day. I don't mind though, since doing outdoor activities is a relaxing way to clear your mind and get the daily exercise I need.

My pond will be winterized today and the fish Will lay dormant at the bottom for a good 6 months. I sure will miss the beauty of my pond and the calming effect the waterfall gave me all summer long. The monarch butterflies and the flowers have long since gone, and the end of autumn becomes a cold reminder of whats to come.

The grill has been covered, we do not grill out in the winter.  Alot of people grill out year round, I am not one of them.  My dogs will miss the nice weather also.  They loved spending hours a day basking in the sun or laying under a shade tree.  They enjoy running in freshly fallen snow, but do not like the cold.

Soon the snow will come and although I do not like it, I do like to cross country ski. Maybe its time to get the skis out and wax them up and get ready for a new adventure!

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.