If you are having trouble sleep or napping….

…try an eyemask!!  Or otherwise known as a “sleep” mask.  My teenager is always complaining that it is too bright in her room in the early mornings plus the last few weeks my husband has been working the night shift, so he sleeps during the daytime.  So I tried covering up the windows, which didn’t work too well, and thought of getting darker blinds, but that costs a lot of money.  So then I thought….eyemasks!  I had no idea where to get them, but as always I checked Etsy.com first, and there tons of listings!  They range in price, but start at around $5, so not too shabby.  I purchased mine from this store for $4 and we are very happy with them!

Essentially a sleep mask help you get effective rest as it blocks out any excess light or visual stimulation.  Did you know then even the glow from your alarm clock can disturb your sleep??  It is especially helpful for shift workers, travels, or those that need a quick nap during they day to help “re-charge” their batteries a little.  There are a few different types of sleep masks, which you can read about here(the review starts about half way down the page).

Now, I wasn’t really a believer in them, thinking they wouldn’t help much, but I figured it was worth a try.  So I ordered 2 and handed them out to my hubby and daughter.  After a few days I asked them how they worked and got very positive feedback….so I decided to try it myself, haha.  So last night, around 8pm, I was a little tired and decided to slip it on while out in the living room, relaxing in the recliner.  The whole family was here and making their usual “noise”, talking, running, laughing, etc.  I kid you not, just a couple minutes after slipping the eyemask on I was drifting off to sleep, and before I knew it, 2 hours had passed me by and the kids were kissing me goodnight while I was napping!  I have a REALLY hard time napping at all to begin with, so I’m definitely a believer now!

The little luxuries that get me through the day…

little luxuries found on Etsy

In the story “the tortoise and the hare” I’d definitely be the tortoise…slow and steady. I may not make much of a “splash” in my everyday life and in how I handle things, but things get done and I’m persistent and dedicated, if nothing else. So it goes without saying that in my spending habits I’m much the same…just a few items for myself here and there and usually fairly inexpensive. I’m not into anything big, flashy, name brand, yadda yadda. But I do like my little “luxuries” here and there, which brighten up my day a little and make me feel just a little pampered. They are all things that I need/use daily anyways, so I don’t feel bad, haha.

First, I always start the day off with a good cup of coffee, not for the caffeine but for the flavor! I love extra tall mugs, so I have a few in the house just for coffee drinking. I also make sure to have nice-writing pens, perhaps the kind that come in 4-6 packs, and always in pretty colors. I admit it, I LOVE color, all shades, the more the better. I was always the who walked extra slowly by the department store make-up counters, not because I wanted to buy anything, but I just loved all of the colors! Then I have a pretty to-do list notepad that I grabbed off of etsy, as well as pretty journals , yummy smelling lip balms and sample-sized soaps. And the slippers!! It’s funny how we’ll spend $50+ on 1 special night out, but skimp ourselves on things like a good pair of slippers, even though we wear them daily…does that make sense to you?? For a while I was on a Happy Feet slipper spree (super thick slippers) as our previous home had concrete floors downstairs and that’s where we worked, but since moving we have pretty plush carpeting and it’s time for me to find something different…

In any case, these little luxuries may not make a measurable difference in my work output, but they sure do improve my mood and make me feel just a little pampered throughout the day.

Moving Weekend!!

Sorry it has been so quiet on the blog lately, I’ve been busy packnig up the house and our 3 business, whew!  So the moving truck has been here all day, and will be tomorrow as well.  Can’t wait until we are all settled in,  I already have a crazy lnog list of things that I need to do within the next couple days!  If you think packing up 3 business is tough,  imagine UN-packing them and getting tham all going again at the same time.  INSANE!

How My Life Changed Over a Couple Weekends

This past weekend we attended the funeral of my husband’s 11 year old cousin, who has been battling Leukemia over the past 2-3 years.  Funerals are always tough, but I think even more so when the person is so young.  You know, you think about all of the memories he/she didn’t have a chance to make yet, the experiences that they should have been able to take part in but never got a chance to, etc…  It’s at these times that I really have to take stock of who I am, what I am doing, and why.  Is it worth it, am I looking at the “big picture”, how about just letting the little things go and not sweating the “small stuff”?  At times things just seem so out of focus ad it’s good to get re-centered every so often.  And no, you do not need to wait for something drastic in life to happen before you do so, but often times that IS what leads us to take action.  We are all saddened by his death but are comforted in knowing we will see him again in heaven.

The other thing I have learned this past weekend comes from spending a weekend up at our new house.  We are sort of living at 2 houses right now, as we are waiting until the end of the school year to complete our move.  But in the meantime, we have taken up a truckload of stuff, as well as a couple car loads here and there.  We spent last weekend and Memorial Day weekend up at the new house, just trying to unpack and situate what we can before the last of it goes up.  I have to say, I love the fact that it is not cluttered and is clean and really we don’t have a lot of distractions to overload our senses.  We did have the laptop so we could watch movies, but no computer or tv or gaming consoles etc…  It was just ourselves with a couple packed outfits and toiletries, a bed to sleep on, couch to sit on, and a few simple meals.  We spent time just hanging out and relaxing as a family, reveling in the cleanliness and peace that it brings, and soaked up a lot of sun while listening to birds and feeling the breeze!

And I have to say, after 2 weekends of that, I actually do NOT want a computer upstairs!  At first I thought it would be a good idea so I could get work done upstairs too, but if we did that then I’d always be working, just like now!  I have a hard time walking away from the computer, as there are so many things to do and research and blog etc… but there’s so much more to life and I’ve been missing out a little, so I’m looking forward to balancing out my life a bit better.  There are so many projects that I would love to tackle, for me, for the kids, for the family…but there never seems to be time as the computer is a constant distraction.  If I’m forced to go downstairs to use it, I’ll think twice before sitting down in front of it.  Besides, it’s good to separate work life from home life, especially for those that work from home.  And as a person who constantly has to be doing something, like me,  it takes a great amount of discipline to walk away from the “office” for the night!

Snapshot of Bliss Candies in the works

Besides packing for our move, taking care of liquidating some of store stock (less to move you know), taking on the new hobby of book-binding (I love pretty journals!), I’ve also been working hard at developing my Bliss Candies store and it’s offerings….so torturous, I know. So here’s a quick snapshot at some of what’s been taking up my evenings, Enjoy the “eye candy” !

Some of my creations for Bliss Candies

Who does your spending support?

unique-hand crafted-artisan offerings

This has been a focus and topic matter between my husband and I for a few years now, where we spend our money. At first he didn’t really see my point, but once he started working from home I think he began to see what I was saying. As someone who is self-employed I am faced with the daily struggles of working from home and ultimately I realize what it takes to “make it work” to the point where it can support a family, like a full-time job. So for years now I’ve been trying to seek out and support small start-up business, mom-and-pop shops, and business that I know are run out of a house, just like ours. It’s not that I have anything against the “big boys”, I just feel my dollars have a bigger impact on those who are running their business off of sweat, tears, and their own personal savings. Business where there are no big corporations or investors to back them up, just lots of personal hours and lots of hard work!

Since I’ve been on Etsy.com, only about a week or so now, I’ve realized just how much TALENT there is out there and how many are trying to make a little extra money by using their God-given crafting skills! I am just in awe at the beauty that so many can create with their hands and trade tools, it makes me envious! The appeal of these home crafted items goes beyond just the “personal touch” and love you can sense in the work, as I also know the vast majority of these items are unique! Many crafters will customize your order according to your request, but even if they don’t, you know that whatever you are getting is not mass produced and being purchased by 10,000 other people!

So I encourage all of you to give Etsy a try, especially if you order a lot of things online. The process of ordering off the site is simple and clear, and all of the sellers have feedback that you can view or an email for you to contact them at if you have any questions. As a crafter of sorts myself, I know I take a lot of pride in my work and often will go the extra mile to make sure the client is happy, and I would confidently say that many other sellers follow the same code of conduct.

The simple pleasures in life-I love Spring!

I’ve always said it, I’m not much of a winter person.  Which then leads people to say, “then why live in MN?”  Well, sometimes you just can’t help where you were born and where your roots are, you know?  If anything, living here and enduring the l-o-n-g winters has taught me to appreciate Spring just that much more, and it’s always been my favorite season.  Well, that and my birthday is in the Spring, though these days it doesn’t seem to matter as much as when I was younger.  Plus it’s a great state in so many other ways, it really does have a lot to offer and if I ever do leave MN I know I miss it a lot.

So why exactly do I love Spring so much?  Well, I begin my day around 7am, and in the Spring time the sun is already up and shining through the windows.  Then there are the birds chirping and it is just warm enough to head out to the deck (with my sweatshirt and slippers) to enjoy my coffee and the view.  It’s just so peaceful in the mornings, I love it!!  In fact, sometimes I have 2 cups of coffee and bring a book out just to prolong the visit out to the deck, heh.  Then I start dreaming about a garden, and at the rate I am going I probably won’t tackle that project for another 10 years or so, but it’s still nice to dream. Then there is the light breeze that flows through the  windows, which feels great and makes the house smell and feel so fresh.  By the time lunch rolls around it is nice and warm out, so I can head out the deck with a t-shirt on to enjoy my meal and a cool drink…and sometimes a quick nap on the bench we have out there.  In the afternoons my hubby will take a quick break and go jump on the trampoline with the kids while I snap pictures of them or visit with our kitties, who are always outside when it’s warm out.

One of the biggest advantages though are the longer days of sunshine, where I still have at least 2-3 hours of time for myself once dinner is over.  In the winter it just saddens me that as soon as dinner is done, if not before, the sun has already gone down…makes it feel like it’s bedtime already!  In the evenings we sometimes eat out on the deck, but if we don’t I head out there anyways to read or comb the puppies or just for a few minutes of quiet time.  Or if we really need to get out of the house we go grab a quick ice cream cone from one of the local fast food places or run errands, just to be out and about before the sun goes down.

And in the late evenings I really look forward to the cool breeze, as I sleep best when it’s a bit cool.  I love the feeling of the night air and the quietness that surrounds it, even if my hubby doesn’t!  Now I just need to figure out a state that is like this year round, doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to live in, is near water (after all I live in MN, land of 10,000 lakes) and has a low crime rate…any ideas??

I wish I had a mans metabolism!

My teenage daughter and I were on our own for dinner tonight, as hubby was out of town for the evening….and you what that means, we went out to eat! Hey, I cook 2 meals a day, sometimes 3, so a break now and then doesn’t hurt, right? Anyways, we found ourselves at Taco Bell, I had some crunchwrap thingy and she had a gordita and a soft shell, so we weren’t pigging out or anything. Next thing you know, a guy asks us if we want his last taco, as he was full and didn’t want it to go to waste. We both politely declined, but as he was walking away my teens says “did you see how many tacos he ate?? He must have had like 7 or 8, and look at how skinny he is!”. She then goes on to mention how a male teacher of hers can easily lose 10 pounds in a week and then we start talking about Dad (hubby) and how HE eats whatever he wants and doesn’t seem to gain a pound….the injustice of it all! She then starts telling me that we could eat celery and such as it’s a “negative” calorie food, as if that’s suppose to make me feel better.

If genies really existed, I’d use one of my wishes to request a high metabolism, truly. Imagine, never dieting again or thinking about calories etc…think of all the Fish Tacos I could have without guilt!

I finally took the plunge!

Wow, it has been a crazy few days here.  Our teenager is on spring break, so we’ve had sleepovers galore and it feels a bit like Grand Central Station!  In the midst of the fun-fest it is a bit hard to concentrate on work, as all I want to do is join in on the laughs and movies, haha.  Oh, and staying up late!  So my routine is a bit off kilter, but something exciting did happen which has kept me busy…I finally decided to take the plunge and take the next step with my candy making.

For a couple years now people have been asking and hounding me to do something like this, but I just figured they were trying to be nice to me, you know?  I mean, these are friends, relatives, friends OF relatives (who have all gotten candy)…so they have to say a kind word, right?  But I’ve also had 2-3 business inquiries, people that I sent a small box to as a “thank-you” and then called me asking if they could order for corporate gifts and such.  Well, 2 days ago I got another request like this and I thought to myself, “well, God must be trying to tell me something and if I’m going to be selling my candy I need a catalog!”.  So most of last night I was working on a simple catalog, editing pictures and prices etc…, just so that I can have something to give to people who do ask.  I don’t really expect much to come of it honestly, but it felt good to finally put something together on paper.  I know it’s one step at a time, and I tend to walk slowly, heh.

So if you are interested in taking a peek, you can find the photos and details in my facebook album for Bliss Candies.  It only has 3 offerings at the moment-caramel squares, twisted turtles, and mini cupcake shaped cake truffles.  I plan on adding a couple more items in the near future, as soon as I can get around to making them so I can take pictures.  I love taking on new projects, so it’s exciting and fun for me, even if it doesn’t “pay the bills”.  So in the near future I plan on doing some Boxed Turtles and Pecan Pie bon bons, a signature creation of mine

Maximizing Credit Card Usage to Your Advantage

Let me start off by saying that if you have trouble controlling your spending and finances this IS NOT a post you need to read. For those of us that do well with budgeting personal finances, this IS NOT a post pushing you to get into more credit card debt! And actually, this isn’t even a post about applying for a new credit card, but rather to take advantage of the ones you currently already have. I know everyone has been over this topic before, but I think it bears reminding as we tend to forget, or at least I did until last night. The topic is…racking up credit card points to redeem for cash, travel, merchandise & gift certificates.

We have a couple birthdays coming up and I was racking my brain on how to afford gifts this year without breaking the bank. Well, I had just gotten done writing my post on “thinking outside of the box” so racked my brain a little and decided to look on ebay and craigslist for gift certificates that people might be selling for less then their cash value. You know, someone ditching a $50 gift cert for maybe $40, but no luck. Then for some reason I thought of our business credit cards (the reason eludes me as my memory isn’t what it used to be) and that some were “rewards” based! In fact, thats how my husband and I paid for our 2 airline tickets for a business trip last year. So now I’m thinking to myself that surely we have enough points racked up to cash in for something that I could use towards one of the gifts, if not both. So I go and check both credit cards and find out that…