Yay for the weekend!

It's been a loooong week. I've just felt so crappy lately...so it makes every day feel very long. 

We've been getting ready for Thanksgiving. I've already ordered all the food except for the strawberries, rolls, etc. that need to be ordered closer to the day. My mom is making the ham and mashed potatoes, and my sister is making deviled eggs and some deserts. I'm making all my usual stuff plus crockpot mac n cheese, banana bread, pumpkin bread, and ginger molasses cookies. We'll also have some chips and French onion dip to munch on while dinner is cooking. Johnny also wants some veggies and ranch dip, but we'll see. 

When we were talking about everything we need to do, Johnny mentioned that we don't have a Thanksgiving tablecloth or centerpiece. We do actually have some centerpieces that we're going to use...they're fall flower arrangements in small terracotta pots that I made more than 20 years ago. They've been up in the closet in the office. But I did go ahead and get a new tablecloth for Thanksgiving. Since we're planning to put the leaves in the table, we needed an oval tablecloth instead of our round one anyway. It also reminded me that I've been wanting to get some new seat cushions for the dining room chairs, so I got a set of seat cushions with washable covers. These are for everyday, not just Thanksgiving...so we ordered a dark grey set that match the couch pretty well. 

Oh! And we finally found a new tv stand that we like! We had a lot of things on our list as far as what we were looking for. We knew that we wanted a black one to match our new coffee table. Most of the black ones were high gloss...and we didn't want that. Johnny also didn't want it to look too "farmhouse" style. Our coffee table has the "X" decor on the edges, so he decided that he didn't mind if the doors of the tv stand have it as well...he just definitely wanted it to have doors. We have so much dog hair and stuff...it's better than having to clean everything on the tv stand so frequently. There's also only one real logical spot to put the tv, which is in front of the half-wall by the stairs. So we didn't want one that was super tall (I could just imagine the tv getting bumped and falling down the stairs), but we also wanted it to fill the 72" inch wide space as much as possible. Johnny really wanted one with a fireplace heater with different heat, brightness, and color settings and preferred there to be color-changing LED lights. I FINALLY found one that's nearly perfect. I'm not a huge fan of the woodgrain texture look (our new coffee table is smooth), but I like it better than the high gloss. Other than that it seems pretty perfect. It's 70" long and a little less than 27" tall (a lot of the other ones were almost 3 feet tall or more), has fireplace heater (and the look is with logs, =not the "crystals" that a lot of the other ones had), doors with adjustable shelves that have doors, LED lights...hopefully it will work out great. We were really hoping it would arrive before Thanksgiving (estimated delivery window was Tuesday-Saturday when we ordered it), but tracking so far has it arriving on Friday. :P 

I/we did some other Black Friday shopping already. Our old cat tree was ruined when the cat room flooded, and the cats need something to scratch on (somewhere that is NOT the new couch). We don't have a very logical place to put it in the living room...so we decided to find one that we could put on the landing of the stairs. It's a pretty big landing, so we had a bit of room to work with. Plus now that the girls have moved out, I'm pretty much the only one going downstairs and that's mainly just to do the laundry and tend to the cats. 

I found a corner cat tree that has a 17" base and it fits perfectly. We picked the 66" version in dark grey color which matches pretty well with the couch. And with the Black Friday sale, it was 30% off. It was easy to put together...I got it all done in about half an hour. Then after Johnny got off work on Friday, he helped me put it on the stairs and attached it to the wall so it doesn't tip. Milo was a bit cautious at first, but Leo absolutely loved it right away. He was rolling around and having fun before we even put it on the landing. Angel really seems to enjoy it, too. She's a big reason why we decided to put the cat tree on the stairs. She doesn't like to come upstairs with the dogs, so we were thinking that she might feel like she's part of what's going on being able to sit up higher and see what everyone is doing. 

I also got a 40x12 cork scratching mat to put on the half wall which was 42% off for Black Friday. The cats have been having a harder time jumping up there (they'll be 10 years old next year, so I suppose it's not out of the ordinary), so I thought it might give them a bit of traction...plus provide another outlet for scratching. I cut a portion of it to fit on the wood trim and then I hung the rest on the wall. It has some really strong adhesive and seems to be working well so far. 

So...the cats' Christmas is all taken care of. ;) 

Then I also got a new video camera for the cat room and one for the living room. I got a regular indoor cam for the cat room for 50% off and a pan/tilt indoor cam for upstairs that was 33% off. I'd gotten a cheap camera for the cat room when I set up the litter robot to see if/when the cats used it...but despite having an sd card, you can't really save recordings to it or see anything in between motion alerts (and the motion alerts aren't very good at all) without a subscription plan. We already have a Ring subscription for our outdoor cameras which is for unlimited devices...so it makes a lot more sense to have Ring indoor camera instead. And Johnny really likes that they have privacy covers. 

I really like being able to check on things with the cats (like if the litterbox is full or if they've run out of food in their gravity feeder) without having to actually go downstairs. And when we went to my sister's house a few months ago, I moved the cat room camera upstairs to watch the dogs while we were gone and it was really nice to be able to check in on them...so we decided to get a camera for upstairs, too. I thought the pan/tilt camera would be better so we can see all areas upstairs. I added the cameras to our Ring app and Johnny helped me put up the pan/tilt camera up in the dining room after he got off work. I have to move some things around in the cat room before I set the camera up in there so we have an unobstructed view of everything.  

The only other thing I'd really like to get for the house is a new ceiling fan for the living room...but we may wait on that until after the new year. 

Well...I'm going to get some more things done before I go to bed. :) 

 

*post contains Amazon affiliate links

November Update

I can't believe it's November already! I'm glad though. The sooner the next 3 years go by the better, as far as I'm concerned. :P 

We spent several hours at my mom's house on Saturday. She needed a new garbage disposal and faucet for her kitchen sink...so Johnny replaced those for her. He's always been such a wonderful help for our family. :) And then after Johnny was done with that, he chatted with my dad while I set up my old printer for mom and connected her additional monitor to her laptop. So it was a nice, productive evening. Although...Nova wasn't very happy that her dinner was 2 hours late. ;) 

Oh! And thank goodness for Walmart delivery being available in the small town...because the faucet didn't come with the hoses to connect to the water lines and we were able to have them delivered within an hour. But the funniest thing is that when I went to make a Walmart order on Monday, I'd forgotten to change the address back to ours so our groceries were delivered to my mom's house. :P Oops! 

I spent most of Sunday working. I had 15 orders to print, cut, and package that went out in the mail today. I also finished the last new sticker sheet listing in my CandiMakerPlanners shop. I added seven new Christmas gift label sticker sheets. I was hoping to get them done earlier, but at least they're done now. I also set up my Black Friday sales...they'll run from November 24 at 12am until December 3 at 12am. I always have a buy-more-save-more sale for Black Friday. So...if anyone is looking to make a big purchase, that will be a perfect time. :) 

Let's see...what else has been happening? 

We went to Village Inn for my birthday last month. It's our new favorite place for family dinners with my grandparents because it's generally quiet. There's also a really funny waitress there...but my birthday was the first time in the last couple years that she wasn't there. She's always teasing and joking around which makes us laugh...and it's always nice to laugh! Then after dinner we went over to my grandparents' house to play Hand & Foot...and I won! I've won some rounds before, but I think it's the first time I've actually won the game. 

We took the dogs to the groomer last month, too. They look and smell soooo good after the groomer! I did notice this time, Nova got quite a few hot spots and Boz has been itching, too. Since it's also affecting Boz, I'm thinking the groomer probably gave them treats with chicken in them (MANY treats do) rather than it being environmental or the shampoo or something. Nova has seasonal/environmental allergies, but they're both allergic to chicken. So I think next time, I'll take some of our treats for at the groomer just in case. I really love our groomer and she takes the most adorable pictures of the puppies. 

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We are hosting Thanksgiving for my side of the family again this year. I think we've just done it twice before...in 2014 and in 2021. I make Thanksgiving dinner every year...but most of the time in recent years, it's just for me and Johnny or sometimes it's us and the kids if they don't have other plans. I love Thanksgiving dinner, but hosting isn't always my favorite because it feels more stressful and hectic...especially making sure everything is done on time. But this is my sister's first Thanksgiving without her girls (she recently filed for divorce), so I thought it'd be nice for us to host. And it'll just be my mom, sister, and possibly my grandma...and the understanding is that dinner is done when it's done. ;) That way it'll hopefully feel less chaotic. And then a few weeks later, we'll have Christmas at my sister's house. We always have our celebration with my sister, our parents, and my mom's mom before Christmas (or sometimes after, depending on scheduling). It spaces things out so it isn't such a big deal trying to cram everything with multiple sides of multiple families in just a couple days. With marriage and divorce...there are more things to schedule around so it just makes things a little easier. It's been that way since I was little. Then we would celebrate Christmas Eve with my dad's mom and stepdad (when Grandma was still alive) and then we would celebrate Christmas Day at my mom's dad's house. 

In completely unrelated news...I have some angry nerve issues. I'd been having problems for a few months with the nerves in my left shoulder making my shoulder ache and tingling/numbness in my fingers. Since it's not exactly painful, it hasn't seemed as big of a deal. Sometimes my shoulder hurts, but it's more of an ache. Now I have a burning pain in my right elbow and wrist...with numbness and tingling in my fingers on my right hand...and it's keeping me awake at night. I spent a lot of time trying to move around and put my arm in different positions trying to find relief. None of my medicine has really been doing much to relieve the pain. And that's just the newest issue. I've been having a lot of problems with neck pain and that causing headaches and migraines. I've tried different sleeping positions, different pillows...it just always hurts. My back hurts if I stand for very long (like...5 minutes). It feels like my back muscles are doing all the work when I'm standing and they don't like it. And to compound my issues...I've also been experiencing exercise-induced migraines (I think it's related to my blood pressure) and getting overheated which triggers my neuropathy and trigeminal neuralgia. It's all just a mess...and exhausting. When you deal with chronic pain for decades...it's just draining. You start thinking about how many years it's been and how many you still have left...and it starts to feel like forever. It's physically and mentally exhausting. 

But...I should probably get back to work. :) 

First (Unexpected) Furniture Purchase!

We've been pretty busy at home lately. We didn't necessarily plan to be this busy, though. Long story short...we had an incident with one of the cats, and we ended up just getting a new couch. :P 

The couch we'd had is the one that I got from my brother-in-law back in August 2007...and it was already about 10 years old when I got it. Here are a couple pictures of it in my last apartment (not the greatest pictures):

It had two recliners, a hide-a-bed, a corner shelf with storage, fold down table, and a drawer for storage in the seat below the table. It'd held up pretty well for the last 20 years with only a couple minor issues after we moved it into our living room here in 2016 (and moved Johnny's couch downstairs). There was a worn spot in one of the seat cushions, a 6" tear from the dogs on another seat cushion that was repaired a couple times, and the cable to pull for one of the recliners had broken off...other than just showing its age in general.    

So...we finally decided to get a new couch. After being together for 13 years...it's our first furniture purchase together. :) We've purchased all new appliances (except for the stove) and little things for my office, but this was our first actual furniture purchase. We didn't want to spend a lot of money since we still have cats and dogs...and we spent hours looking online and trying to decide if we wanted another sectional or something else. 

We eventually found a modular sectional (purchased on Wayfair) that we liked. While I personally like the cream color better, the dark grey color is more practical for our zoo situation. It does have a very "blue" tint to it which I was worried would clash with our sage green, maroon, gold-ish, and brown color scheme that we have going on...but since it's dark it's more complimentary than clashing, The bad reviews that it got--the ones that weren't about the dark gray color being more like a navy blue--were about the couch being firm and uncomfortable. I mean...compared to our previous couch, it's a whole lot more firm. But it's not firm in an uncomfortable way. And Johnny said it's nice not sinking into the couch, which makes it easier to get up from. 

I contacted our trash company to get a price for bulk items. Our town has a contract with them which offers 2 free bulk item pick ups per year (which I think we've only used once in the last decade). Each separate piece of the sectional is considered a separate item...so we only had to pay $30 for one item to have the trash company pick up the sectional. So that was definitely a huge weight lifted...since we don't have a truck or anything anymore to take it anywhere. 

Johnny and I took the hide-a-bed side of the couch and the corner piece out ourselves on Saturday and put them in front of the garage. Then on Monday after Aubry got off work, she stopped by to help us take out the larger side of the sectional and move all three pieces to the curb. The hardest part of moving it was getting it through the door. We had to take the front door off to get it to fit...but after that we could just tip it off the porch. Since we didn't have to worry about breaking it or messing it up...it was a lot easier. 

We spent the weekend of the 10th cleaning up the living room (and dining room while we were at it). We found two of the dogs' bones hiding in the couch...so Nova was excited. ;) The largest piece of the couch hadn't been moved since we moved it in here because it's so heavy...so there was a ton of dog hair and stuff under there. We cleaned the floors and got everything ready for the new couch...which arrived in 8 different boxes (varying from 15lbs-55lbs) on Tuesday, the 15th. 

I put the couch together while Johnny was working. It was super easy and I really like how we could arrange it the way we want. We have a glass end table that has been in the corner of the living room (which is where we moved the air purifier to since it had been sitting on the corner shelf of the old sectional) and with three seats, the console, and the corner piece along that wall, it fits perfectly. Then we have the remaining two seats that kinda separate the living room and dining room. And this sectional has more seating than our previous one, since the corner piece is an actual seat instead of storage (and the dogs really like laying on that piece). At first I had the console in between two regular seats on the longest side (which was where the fold-down table was on the old couch), but we ended up moving it to be between a regular seat and the corner piece (still along the wall)...and I really like it better. It provides more leg room if someone decides to sit in the corner and makes the cup holders more accessible to both sides of the couch. Honestly, I think the only thing that I don't love about the new sectional is that the ottoman doesn't lift up to have storage inside...but that's just a minor thing.  

Here's a picture of our new couch: 

We found some waterproof couch covers on Amazon just to help protect the couch more from pets. We bought the sage green color, but against the dark gray/navy they look more like a light blue color. I expected them to be a little deeper/darker. I actually would've preferred the beige, but we figured they'd probably show dirt more easily...since we have dogs on the couch all the time. And...Johnny pointed out that the color ties in the wall hangings above the couch and a painting that we got from my aunt. The "sage green" still isn't my favorite...but it'll do for now. I really like that they cover each seat individually. That way if one gets dirty, we just have to wash that one and not the whole thing. I didn't order the set with the console cover, because it would basically make the console pointless without being able to access the cupholders and storage. There are also covers for the arm rests on the end and they even have pockets in them (although I don't know of anything we'd ever put in them). I also got some waterproof pet blankets to cover the couch at night (since that's when we've been having problems with the cat) or when the dogs are messier (like when it snows or rains). So far everything has been working out really well! I've even had to wash one of the arm covers already (a different cat threw up...ugh) and it held up great and still looks new.  

And last (for now)...we got a new coffee table. We've been wanting a new one...well Johnny has wanted a new one since before I moved in, actually. But we decided since we were getting a new couch, it would be a perfect time to get a new coffee table. Since Johnny and I eat dinner sitting on the couch, we'd been looking at lift-top coffee tables. I found this one and it fits our needs perfectly. It's one of the few that we liked which lifted up on two perpendicular sides. And with this one, we could attach the larger part lift to either the front or the back. I'm able to lift the larger side toward me to put my laptop on or use as a table when we're eating...and Johnny can also lift the smaller side when we're having dinner. We decided to go with black because I don't like having a lot of different woodgrain colors mixed together. 

The last thing we still want to get is a new tv stand. Johnny wants the kind with a fireplace heater...and we'll get a black one as well so it matches the coffee table. Sometime Johnny wants to get new rugs as well...but that can wait a little while longer. 

I also picked up my glasses this weekend. They fit really well...I like not having to constantly push them back up on my nose. I was right and they were the plum rosewood frames. I think they're really cute. 

Johnny got a lot of stuff done in the yard this weekend. He mowed (probably for the last time this year) and got all the weed-eating done except for the backyard (battery died). He liked using the leaf blower we got from my parents to get all the grass off the sidewalk. :) I'll probably get him an edger for Christmas...he's been wanting one. He also cut down some stray trees and sunflowers that were growing by the house. 

Today I've been busy getting orders done from the weekend. While my production days are listed as Monday-Friday, most Sundays I still work to get out the orders I got over the weekend. But...when we do have things going on over the weekend, I like not feeling pressured to work. And it's not like customers are going to complain about getting their orders earlier than expected. 

On that note...I need to get back to work so I can have everything print and cut before dinner so I just have to package orders before I go to bed. :) 


*post contains Amazon affiliate links

Getting some new glasses!

I finally got around to going to the eye doctor yesterday. When they asked the date of my last appointment, I couldn't remember exactly when it was. I knew it was between 2020 and 2023, but that's it. So I went back and looked at my old blog posts to see if I'd mentioned it...yep! My last appointment was in April 2023. That's when I got my current pair of glasses. 

I think I mentioned before that the eye doctor I'd been seeing retired. He's the only part of that office that I really liked. Their optical department just felt really chaotic. They didn't seem to understand what my insurance does and doesn't cover...to the point that I wondered if I even paid the correct amount. First they said everything about my lenses was covered, then something wasn't, then they had to check, then they weren't sure if my copay applied and how much it was...it was just a mess. And it could have just been the particular people I dealt with that day...who knows. 

And that was actually the second place I was going to in town. The first place I went to after I moved in with Johnny was basically right down the street from our house. But that guy just up and left. Like...we couldn't even get our records or anything. It was just open one day and he was gone the next with no way for patients to contact anyone. I was trying to get my warranty replacement for my frames that they'd ordered (or said they did) but the voicemail was full and never became un-full again. I do remember at some point his office was seized for not paying taxes...then it opened back up briefly and was gone again a short time later. 

But since I was going to have to switch doctors again anyway, I decided to try somewhere else in town. I think there are 6 eye doctor's offices here plus the one in Walmart (which the girls and I went to many years ago and it was alright). I asked if anyone had recommendations in the local Ehlers-Danlos group on FB...since hEDS can affect our eyes. 

So...I decided to check out the recommendation I got there. It's only about a mile further (in the opposite direction) than my last eye doctor. The office has some interesting decor and kind of a weird layout. My only real complaints were that the wait seemed quite a bit longer than it should have been with the number of patients that were there, and that it was pretty warm. Of course, part of my issue is perimenopause making me hot all the time anyway...but mom said it was pretty warm in there, too. :P

The guy who did all the initial parts of the exam, helped with picking out the glasses, and then handled checkout was really nice and seemed knowledgeable. He told me the exact price with my insurance of every single thing...the Optomap pictures, frames, and all the extras for my lenses. He also told me about Trivex lenses, which the last office I went to either didn't have or didn't offer (they just said I needed the high index lenses which are the most expensive option). I decided to go with the Trivex lenses since I got half-rim frames this time. One thing I wanted but didn't get (and didn't ask for) was a copy of the order form that shows the breakdown of everything. The emailed receipt just shows the payment but no breakdown. 

Anyway...I liked the doctor. He was very personable and thorough. Everything looks good from the Optomap photos. So that's good...because I'd been worried with the increase in floaters the last year or so. My vision is getting worse, especially in my right eye (which has always been my bad eye). He can't quite get it completely corrected, but hopefully the new glasses will be better than the ones I have now. He did say that I'll probably have to switch to bifocals next year because of how much my near-sightedness has to be corrected. The only issue I have with seeing close-up is that it's just taking longer for my eyes to adjust now (thanks to getting older). 

I ended up going with another new brand of frames. When I first moved here, I got these black and blue Bebe frames that I thought were super cute. Then I got these black and grey Bebe frames, but I didn't like how they fit. They were a little bigger and the lenses touched the top of my cheek. So they were my least favorite pair. The pair I have right now are these black DKNY frames, which are super lightweight and comfortable. One thing I don't like is that the end of the arms are square-ish and they can be pointy sometimes if you hit them a certain way. The eye doctor recommended Kliix brand because they have some small, lightweight options. I *think* I got these plum rosewood frames...if I remember right. We'll find out for sure in a couple weeks when they get here. ;) 

They didn't have to dilate my eyes at this appointment, but all the lights in my eyes and trying to focus through different lenses definitely gave me a migraine. Thankfully it wasn't a hemiplegic migraine, but I definitely didn't do much after my appointment. We ordered Cinnamon's Deli for dinner (which I haven't had in forever and it was so yummy!) and I tried to play my new Sims games a little bit, but I ended up just going to bed early. 

Today I plan to get all my orders caught up and ready to ship tomorrow...then I plan to take the weekend off of work and just play Sims and get some stuff done around the house. So I better get to work! 

Ugggghhhhh. Allergies.

In addition to a persistent headache, I've been having issues with my allergies since Thursday. Yesterday was the worst. I was taking 2 Benadryl at a time AND Sudafed and still didn't get much relief. I even ended up taking a nap as soon as Johnny got off work...a combination of feeling like crap and the Benadryl making me tired. I'm feeling slightly better today...but having a hard time concentrating with my head being all foggy. 

The earliest due date for my current orders is September 30th...so they're not overdue, yet. I was hoping to get the orders finished and out today, but I just couldn't get it all done before the last pick-up at the post office at 3pm. Every time I stood up, there was intense pressure in my head and then my nose would get stopped up again in addition to my arms and legs getting tired super easily...so it all really slowed me down. I got the sticker sheet and sticker orders cut tonight...but I still have the magnets to finish tomorrow. So while I'd hoped to get them out earlier, at least they'll go out on Monday.

I had my first experience of review extortion from a customer. She placed the order on September 8th and I shipped it via First Class Mail (regular letter mail) the following day. The tracing history for her order had a delivery update on September 15th. She sent me a message saying that she was home all day and they looked all around but nothing was delivered and she needed it for a birthday party that weekend. I sent her my "quick reply" because I get messages like this all the time. It explains that the order was sent in an envelope with her regular mail, so it isn't scanned delivered at her address like a package. The delivery update is only an estimate and it can take several days after to actually arrive. So far, I've never had one marked delivered that did not show up. So she said that she would wait until the weekend to see if it shows up. 

She sent another message on Saturday the 20th saying that she wanted a refund because she was on her way to the party and claims that it still hadn't arrived. My policies state that I do not provide refunds for lost, delayed, or damaged orders...I only provide replacements (it reduces the occurrence of people trying to scam for free stuff). However, Etsy has a Purchase Protection Program (PPP) that will provide a full refund to customers if their orders are lost or delayed. Since her order was for the party she said she was getting ready to go to and she'd already requested a refund, I sent her the instructions for getting a refund from Etsy's PPP. 

When she responded, she threatened to leave a negative review if I didn't just provide the refund myself...because she didn't feel like she should have to "go through hoops" and that sellers in the past have "always issued the refund." What I hear...is that she has a history of "not received" orders and getting refunds. Not to mention the "hoops" is nothing more than basically sending a message...which clearly wasn't difficult for her since she was messaging me. 

But I responded to explain that my policy clearly states that I only provide replacements and that the entire purpose of Etsy's PPP is to refund customers in this situation. I also told her that I would be reporting her messages for extortion and provided Etsy's link that explains what extortion is. 

She left a 1-star review saying that she didn't receive it and that I wouldn't issue a refund...after she'd already gotten her refund from Etsy. I responded to the review to explain the situation...including that she had already received her refund from Etsy's PPP. I'm not worried about her review considering it's only the second 1-star review I've received out of almost 800 reviews. But the following day she decided to message me again to say, "I never tried forcing you to do anything. I made a suggestion." Yeah...suggesting that she'll leave a negative review if I don't give her a refund is exactly what extortion is. 

I let her know that once Etsy provided her refund, our transaction was complete...that and she is no longer my customer, so she needed to stop contacting me. She responded to say, "No worries. I've found a replacement and no intentions of doing business with you." But wait...I thought she needed it for the party that she was on her way out the door to the day before? Now suddenly a replacement is acceptable? Hmmm. 

I have excellent customer service...but I'm not going to be bullied into giving someone a refund against my posted policies...especially when there is already an option to get a refund through Etsy's PPP. Any decent customer with a legitimate problem with their order isn't going to care who provides their refund, as long as they get a refund. There are so many sellers out there who will immediately give refunds just because they're hoping to avoid a bad review...even though that still doesn't mean that the customer won't leave a bad review. 

I also make it very clear that orders with free standard shipping are sent via letter mail. It's in a listing photo, in the description, in my FAQ, and is reiterated in the email that the customer automatically receives after they make their purchase. I also make it clear that they do not have USPS tracking, but that I offer upgraded shipping options if they want tracking. 

I've been really lucky, though. I've only had one other problem customer...and that was last month. That customer placed an order for 10 stickers on August 20th and they were shipped out August 21st (Thursday)...via First Class Mail which can take 1-5 business days in transit. She sent me a message on August 28th saying that she wanted a refund because she needed them by the 25th (Monday). So, again, I sent her the "quick reply" that has the information about how to file a case with the Etsy PPP (and my message is very polite and professional, because that's my customer service). 

Her response, however, was to say that she can't open a case until the 30th, "so what good does that do me"? Um...well if you want a refund, that's the "good" it does you. I didn't say that, of course, but that's what I was thinking. Her message went on to say that it didn't arrive "in the delivery window" and "its location hasn't moved or been updated since August 22. It's obviously lost." So I politely responded to explain that the "tracking" is not actual USPS tracking...it's based on information decoded by Pitney Bowes from automatic sort machines and it's not always reliable...and mentioned that I do offer upgraded shipping with actual tracking. Then I went on to tell her that I don't provide refunds for lost or delayed orders, I only provide replacements...and that if she wanted a refund, she'd have to use Etsy's PPP. I also stated that I don't have a way to speed up Etsy's requirements for the PPP...that their instructions state that the case can be filed 48 hours after the help request is sent. 

She responded--in all caps--that she needed them by the 25th and "they said they would arrive by then so I didn't feel the need to upgrade the shipping option." Oh boy. Here's how estimated delivery dates work: it's a range based on production time plus transit time. So the estimated delivery date range when she ordered was between August 25th-September 1st (1-3 business days in production and 1-5 business days in transit). My due date to send her order was August 25th (3 business days), but I sent it on the 22nd...the day after she ordered. So considering I didn't even have to mail the order until the day she claims to have needed them...yeah, she would've needed to spend $30 for Priority Mail Express which comes with a guaranteed delivery date of the 25th...AND send me a message to let me know about the urgency so I didn't wait until the 25th to send it. 

Considering the absurdity of thinking that an order that doesn't even have to be sent until the 25th would arrive by the 25th AND her "outrage" at having to wait 2 more days to get a refund (when it was already 3 days after she claims to have needed it AND she actually waited 3 days to file for the refund)...I assume this was another scammer. I think she saw that the "tracking" wasn't updated (as it often is not, since it's not actual tracking) and saw it as an opportunity to get her $47 order for free. OH! And when she filed the case on September 1st, she said (in all caps) they were gifts to ask guys to be in her wedding and that, "her shipping said it would be here by the 25th and I asked the guys on the 28th." So she "needed" them by the 25th but she didn't need them until the 28th? Again...hmmm. 

Those are the only two problem customers I've had...and I made a private note in their orders not to do business with them anymore at all. I've had a couple customers get snippy with me before, but it wasn't too bad and it was fleeting. I totally understand that people can get frustrated...I mean, I get that way myself at times. So that's no big deal to me and I don't take it personally. I'm just thankful for the hundreds of customers I've had who have been so wonderful. :) They really make it worth it. 

Aside from my unusually busy July and August, my September revenue is already higher than each of the first six months of the year. And as of the end of today, I have 3140 sales in my CandiMakerStickers shop. As long as I get an average of 120 sales each month, I should hit my goal of 3500 sales in that shop by the end of the year. :) 

I'm still working on my website. I've had to resize all my listing photos because my Etsy photos are too large for GoImagine. Luckily I am able to create a batch process in Paintshop Pro to automatically adjust the photos (since I have several hundred listing photos!). I'm definitely not going to be finished by the end of September...but hopefully by the end of October. :) 

Always working on something...

At any given point, there are no less than a dozen things I want to do...especially when it comes to work stuff. I want to make new designs, I want to make new products, I want to finish uploading all my existing products to my other sites...the list goes on and on. And that's just work-related stuff. There are also projects I want to do around the house, on top of all the household chores I already have to make time for AND filling CandiMaker orders. Not to mention all the things I'd like to do if I actually had free time to do them...like reading, writing, and even silly stuff like playing my Sims game. It feels like the days go by so slow...but there's still not enough time to do all the things. :P 

I have been trying to actually take some days off from work-related stuff, though. Sometimes it's taking the weekend off...sometimes it's just a random day during the week. I do have a hard time actually taking the break...because I think of the big ol' long list of productive things I want to get done. I'm typically pretty good about time management and efficiency...but with some projects, I still have issues with procrastinating. It's especially hard when I'm not feeling well...and I've had a headache for the last week.

Right now I'm working on my website. It's something that I've really wanted to get done, but kept putting it off because it's a lot of tedious work that I had to start from scratch to list around 300 products. But, now I've found a "groove" so it's going a little more smoothly. It's still taking a lot longer than I'd like--especially when GoImagine has glitches--but progress is progress. I was hoping to have it done by the end of the month, but I don't think that's going to happen. :P I did finally finish one section today, though, so I'll celebrate the little accomplishments. ;) 

Next week I have an eye doctor appointment. I liked the eye doctor that I'd been seeing for the last several years, but he retired. So I decided to try a new office altogether. Someone else in the area with Ehlers-Danlos recommended him, so we'll see how it goes. I know I need a new prescription for my glasses...and will likely have to pay extra for high index lenses because I'm blind. :P I'm also not a huge fan of picking out frames because I have a very small head so it really limits my options. But we'll see how it goes. 

Also, there's a new Sims 4 expansion pack being released next week. I'm getting that and another expansion pack for my birthday...so I definitely plan on taking next weekend off to play around with that. :) I think the "Adventure Awaits" pack looks really fun. The gameplay looks interesting and there's quite a bit more hobbies added. They also introduced modular play structures that you can put together to create custom playgrounds. So I'm looking forward to that one. The only other expansion pack that I don't have is "Enchanted by Nature" so I'm going to go ahead and get that one, too. At first I wasn't really that interested in it. It seemed mostly focused on introducing fairies...and I'm just not really interested in the supernatural gameplay. I don't have the vampires or werewolves game packs, so I wasn't planning to get this one right now, either. But, I was watching the trailer and there's more gameplay with houseplants and it also has some really cool build items...so I decided it might be fun to have. And eventually I'll probably get vampires and werewolves...also because they have some cool build items. Building houses and venues is my favorite part of the game. ;) 

But for now...back to work on my website! 

It was a loooong week.

Johnny spent the last week with his family near Seattle, Washington. His mom is in a nice senior care home not too far from his brother. He hadn't seen his mom since she moved out there in late 2019. so he wanted to spend some time with her. Since he was going to be out there for a whole week, I stayed home with the dogs and to work. I didn't want to lose the momentum I've had by putting my shops on vacation mode for an entire week. So this time only Johnny went out there. 

Since I wasn't going, we paid $100 more for him to fly first class...and he enjoyed that. He flew on a smaller ERJ-135. In first class, one side has two seats and the other side has just one seat. Johnny had a seat in the first row on the side with just one seat and he really liked that. He spent most of the flight taking video out the window. He also got a complimentary lunch on his way out there and breakfast on his way back...plus snacks and drinks. He said it was a little bumpy during take-off and landing, but other than that it wasn't bad at all. 

He did a lot of fun things with his brother. They went hiking, to an estate sale, salmon hatchery, and other fun stuff like that. He also sent me a lot of pictures and videos of the wildlife that show up in his brother's backyard. There are lots of birds, ducks, a couple types of squirrels, a weasel, and a larger grey animal that Johnny just saw a flash of in the dark and didn't know what it was. We talked about how Nova would LOVE it...probably a little too much. She's always obsessed with critters in the yard. 

I spent the week working and watching a lot of documentaries. I'd planned to get a lot of projects done around the house...but I've been having bad neuropathy for the past couple weeks and haven't been sleeping much. There have been nights when I haven't gotten to sleep until 4-5am. So I haven't been as productive with projects around the house as I was hoping to be. I think my lack of sleep really started to hit me after Johnny got home...because both Saturday night and last night I ended up going to bed before midnight. Saturday night I woke up a couple times but was able to go back to sleep until I finally got up at 9:30am. Last night I went to bed a little bit earlier and was wide awake at 4am. :P I may try to get a couple more hours of sleep before Johnny has to start work...we'll see how it goes. I never know if it'll make me feel better through the day if I just settle for the 6 hours of sleep or if it'll make me MORE tired if I go back to bed for just 2 more hours. So we'll see. :P 

I did get one project done while Johnny was gone that I was excited about! Mom came over on Monday and helped me cut our memory foam mattress in half. :) It was kinda nerve-wracking to get started with the first cut...but it really wasn't that difficult. We measured and drew the cut line and then mom just used a regular serrated bread knife to cut it while I tried to apply even pressure on both sides of the line to help it cut easier. There were three layers to our mattress, so we decided to cut each layer separately and I held the top layers out a little bit so she could see better. And then it was pretty simple to get it put in the replacement covers that I'd purchased. Then it was just a matter of making the bed and reprogramming the remotes...which was also pretty easy. I'm absolutely loving that both sides of the bed are able to adjust independently now. Johnny sleeps better when he raises the head of the bed, but he doesn't like raising the feet...where my back feels better having the feet raised. So now we can both adjust it however we want. :) So despite getting less sleep lately...I've been waking up in less pain, so I'm pretty happy about that. 

So...if anyone out there wants to replace their king-size memory foam mattress with two TwinXL mattresses (or resize their current mattress to a smaller size), it's very possible (and not that hard) to cut the current mattress down! Our mattress no longer had a warranty (since my grandma bought it for herself back in 2014) but was still in wonderful shape, so we figured we might as well try it and save having to spend at least $3k on new mattresses. I'm definitely not disappointed! 

It was really weird having Johnny gone for a whole week. It was the first time we've spent a night apart since 2015 when the girls were still going to school in our hometown. I'm glad that Johnny was able to spend some time with his family and had a good time...but the doggies and I were definitely ready for him to be home! Nova was SO excited to see Johnny when he walked in the door. Boz was actually nervous and stayed glued to my side, but after a few minutes he realized who it was. Bozley is just weird like that. :P 

Work is still going well. I wrapped up August with my second highest orders per month, revenue per month, and profit for the month since I started CandiMaker (last month is the only month that had higher numbers, largely because of my name label sticker sheets). And on September 2nd, I hit 3000 sales in my CandiMakerStickers Etsy shop. My goal for this year is to hit 3500...so if things continue the way they have, I should be able to hit that goal. :) I just need to average about 5 sales per day...which is doable. I hit 450 sales in my CandiMakerPlanners Etsy shop mid-August, but sticker sheet sales have slowed to a crawl now that kids are back to school. A lot of it is the fact that I only have 8 listings in that shop and don't work on it as much as my regular sticker shop. I have been trying to work on it more...but I just have so many things on my to-do list. 

I think my next point of focus is going to be to get my website up and running. I'd really like to have it done by the end of the month. There are a few quirks about GoImagine's infrastructure that bug me, though. My biggest complaint is that I was trying to bulk delete the listings that they'd pulled from my Etsy data upload (because it's going to be quicker to just start from scratch rather than edit 300+ listings). But after awhile, it started deleting the listings that were NOT checked in addition to the ones that were checked...including the template listing that I'd just created. So...I gave up working on it that day out of frustration. My plan next week is to make as much progress as possible with it, though. 

On that note...I'm gonna try to get some work done while I try to decide if I want to get a little more sleep or not. ;) 

Slowing Down

It never fails...if I go to bed before midnight, I end up being awake at 3am and can't get back to sleep. So here I am! :P It's storming right now...mostly just thunder and some lightning. I love listening to the thunder. Nova Lee doesn't like the thunder, though. She prefers to hide in the hallway during storms. 

Work has slowed down a lot now that kids are back to school. My regular sticker and magnet orders are still regularly coming in, but the custom name label sticker sheets that dominated in July and the beginning of August are now just an order here and there. 

After orders started to slow down, I decided to start working on some new designs. I added a new set of cleaning sticker sheets for planners to my CandiMakerPlanners shop as well as about 20 new regular sticker designs. There are three animal-related designs and the rest are humor/sarcasm designs (actually, the animal ones are humorous as well, but they're under animals). I got them all printed, cut, photographed and listed...and have already had a couple orders for them. 

And now I'm working on getting my website set up. For right now, I'm just using GoImagine to create my website because it's only $15/month. Etsy has a $15/month plan with a website, but I wanted to diversify the platforms I use. At some point, I may migrate over to a true e-commerce website like Shopify, but right now I'd rather save the money. I have my own domain (www.candimaker.shop) so I'll be able to switch platforms easily in the future without having to redirect customers. 

I've also been busy getting everything ready for Johnny's trip to Washington to see his mom and brother. We splurged a bit and he's flying first class! It was only about $100 more...plus we could use the cash back rewards from our credit card to take off another $130. I also got him an 8 piece luggage set on Amazon when it was on sale for just $85. It has two large checked bags, a carry-on bag, and a smaller personal bag plus 4 packing cubes. It seems pretty sturdy so hopefully it'll hold up well! One of his checked bags will probably be mostly stuff for his mom. She is living in a care home and we've had all her stuff here in our basement. So he's going to take some of her things out there to her. Johnny is impressed with how organized I am with getting everything ready for him. He's a procrastinator so if it weren't for me...he'd probably be doing all his packing the night before he left while I've been prepping for a week already. ;) Hopefully he'll have a great trip! 

I'm going to tackle at least one project while Johnny is gone. The sync cord for our adjustable base was damaged (darn ol' cats) so we haven't been adjusting the bed for about a month now. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a replacement cable anywhere since it's pretty old. We've been wanting to get a split king (two twinXL mattresses) but we also don't want to spend the $3k+ right now. BUT...I realized that we can actually cut our memory foam mattress in half. Our mattress is still comfy, so I figured we might as well try this first. Tempur-Pedic doesn't have replacement covers for 11" mattresses, but I ended up finding a company where you can order some generic ones. I already have the new mattress pad and sheet sets...and the replacement covers should be here Friday. Mom's going to help me cut the mattresses and get them in the covers. Hopefully it will go smoothly! 

All right...I think I'm finally getting tired again, so I'm going to see if I can fall asleep. :) 

Finally taking a weekend off!

I'm taking a much needed weekend off...at least that's the plan so far. Last weekend, I had so many orders coming in and didn't want to fall behind...so I ended up working all weekend. 

I ended the week last Saturday with 148 orders...a new record. I also set a new record on Saturday for daily revenue...beating my previous record on July 30th by more than $60. I dropped off 81 orders at the post office on Monday. I was up until 3am getting them all packaged before I went to bed. I had 49 orders for sticker sheets, 1 sticker order from eBay, and then 31 regular sticker and magnet orders. I made nearly the same amount last week as I did the entire month of December 2024. My gross revenue for the last week was only $300 shy of my gross *monthly* income at my last payroll job in 2007! 

The custom name label sticker sheets will likely slow down once the back-to-school rush is over, so I've been working on more sticker sheet designs. Yesterday I listed a set of Christmas sticker sheets that include 14 different designs for return address labels, gift tags, and envelope seals. I'm almost done printing and cutting all the orders I've received so far, so I may create some more designs today before taking the weekend off. 

We also have dinner for Johnny's birthday this weekend with my mom and grandparents. We postponed it to this weekend because we had nice weather last weekend and Johnny wanted to fix the lawn mower (needed a new battery and cables) and get some stuff done around the yard. I got Johnny some new clothes for his birthday. He was wanting some new stuff to wear for when he goes to Seattle for a week to see his family. 

Our anniversary is coming up, too! We will have been together for 13 years and married for 8! We usually just do dinner and dessert for our anniversary. We'll probably just rent a movie or something. We like low-key nights at home. :) 

Record Setting July!

It was a very successful July for CandiMaker! 

I ended up breaking every single one of my records in July...and some multiple times in the month.

Monthly Orders: My previous record for the number of orders in one month was 175 in December 2024. I beat that record in July with 292 orders. 
Daily Orders: My record in 2024 was 13 orders in one day in December 2024. I had 17 orders on 7/20/25, 19 orders on 7/27/25, 20 orders on 7/28/25, and then set my current record of 28 orders in one day on 7/30/25. 
Weekly Orders: My record in 2024 was 57 orders in one week from 12/1/24-12/7/24. I first broke that record during the week of 7/20/25-7/26/25 with 89 orders. This week isn't even over yet but I already have 120 orders this week. 

And with breaking all those records...I broke my records for daily, weekly, and monthly revenue (gross pay) as well. My monthly revenue was $1100 higher for July than my previous record set in December 2024. 

I also hit 2800 sales in my CandiMakerStickers shop and 300 sales in my CandiMakerPlanners shop in the month of July. I doubled my sales in my CMP shop in just 10 days. 

The huge increase has been driven by my custom name label sticker sheets that are popular with kids going back to school. They're not laminated and are great for labeling school supplies. In my regular sticker shop, my custom name laminated stickers are really popular right now with back to school as well. They're water-resistant so they're great for putting on water bottles. 

I'd planned to design some more Christmas labels, but I've been too busy with all the orders to focus on that much. Back to school sales are only through the beginning of September, so I'll probably work on them next month. 

Right now I need to get back to work. :) 

Breaking more records!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks with work. I wasn't planning to work this past weekend...but it ended up being pretty much all I did! But I'm definitely not complaining...because I think having lots of orders is a pretty great "problem" to have. ;) 

I finished last week (Sunday to Saturday) by basically surpassing all my records. On Thursday, I passed my previous record of 13 orders in one day with 17 orders is one day...and then I broke the record again yesterday with 19 orders! I broke my previous record of 57 orders in one week back in December 2024...with 89 orders last week! And I've already passed my previous record of 175 orders in one month in December 2024 by reaching over 200 orders so far...and July isn't even over yet! I also broke my previous records for weekly and monthly revenue. 

Nearly all of the increases are from the custom name label sticker sheets in my CandiMakerPlanners Etsy shop. I finally hit 150 sales in that shop on July 20th...and then I hit 200 sales on July 25th. And now I'm already at 242 just three days later. I've had orders so far this year in my CMP shop, which is 400% higher than it was at this point last year. The listing for the custom name label sticker sheets have the bestseller badge,and it also has the "popular now" badge showing in search results. I'm really excited that they've been doing so well. I actually took 51 orders to the post office this afternoon! That's a new record for me, too. I spent all day yesterday printing and cutting all my orders and then was up until almost 4am packaging them all. I got all caught up and had zero pending orders...and now I already have another 9 new orders today. 

Today I'm taking a break from making orders and I'm designing some new address label sticker sheets and matching envelope stickers. I've been putting it off forever, but I want to get them listed before people really start searching for Christmas stuff. I already had a few listed from before, but I'm going to be revamping them and making some new ones. We'll see how it goes. 

Well...I'm going to get back to work for now. Hopefully everyone has a good week! 

ETA: I mentioned that I hit 150 sales on July 20th, 200 sales on July 25th...and tonight I hit 250 sales! That's 100 sales in 8 days! I also broke my record for daily orders again with 20 orders today! :)

BUSY!

So the last post I made on June 30th...I was talking about how I was hoping to be done with the "holiday every day" sticker sheet set by July 1st but it was taking a little longer. Yeah well...I just finished designing them today. :P Tomorrow I plan to print, cut, and photograph them so I can get them listed. I really enjoy them, though. I like the idea...hopefully others will like them too. :)  

My custom name label sticker sheets are selling in full swing again. The total number of these sticker sheets that I'd sold between June and September of last year was 48. So far I've already sold 41 of these sticker sheets since June. And I just noticed today that it has a bestseller badge on it. That's always nice to see. :) 

I've been pretty busy with orders lately. Yesterday I dropped off 31 orders at the post office...12 orders for CandiMakerPlanners and then another 19 orders for CandiMakerStickers. My previous record for most orders to go out in one day was 26 on December 4, 2024. Speaking of records, I tied my record for number of orders in one day on Sunday...13 orders in one day (from all my shops). And then yesterday I had another 12 orders and 11 orders today. I also surpassed my previous number of orders in one week for 2025 last week (Sunday to Saturday) with 46 orders. My overall record is 57 orders during the first week of December 2024. Hopefully this momentum continues and I'll have an even better December this year. In my CMS shop, I'm up 54% for orders compared to this time last year and my revenue is also up 98%. A lot of my large revenue increase is related to selling a lot more magnets...which are a higher priced item in my shop. And then so far this year in my CMP shop, my orders are up 163% and my revenue is up 144%. I really like seeing all the progress.  

I'm really glad I have the Romeo now because it makes sticker sheets SO much easier. I was also able to find some matte 11x17 pages so I can cut 4 sheets at a time, which helps a lot! Making sticker sheets with my Cricut Maker 3 was so frustrating because I couldn't get consistent cuts. Even with the same settings and materials, sometimes it would be okay, but then it would frequently cut too deep into the sheet. It was frustrating and I wasted so much material just trying to print one sticker sheet. It was irritating enough that I almost thought about not selling sticker sheets at all. Now...I have consistent cuts and can just breeze through making 4 sticker sheets at a time. It has me excited about making sticker sheets again.  

One of my biggest problems is having so many ideas and not enough time to get to them all as fast as I want to. :P I'm going to take a little break from new work projects for a little bit now, though. The holiday every day sticker sheets too a long time to finish and I wasn't taking breaks during the weekend...so I want to relax for just a little bit before I jump into designing more products again. 

In other news, Bozley is doing so much better after getting fixed. He's actually eating all his food everyday! That's something that has been so difficult ever since he was a puppy. We kept having to try different foods, fresh foods, dehydrated foods...even if he liked something, he'd only like it for a few days and then it was back to him just pushing the food around with his nose. I mean...he'd even turn his nose up at people food we tried to give him as treats...like cheese, fruits, and vegetables. 

Once we brought Nova home, Bozley started actually eating the regular dog food (we use Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach because it doesn't have chicken, which they're allergic to) as long as I would add water to it and heat it up a few seconds in the microwave. But even then...we'd have to sit there and coax him to eat it and it'd take forever. He'd still spend most of the time pushing it around with his nose and a lot of times he wouldn't even finish it at all. Now it doesn't take quite as long for him to eat and he's actually been eating all of it everyday! I can also tell he's finally gaining weight and looking so healthy. :)  

I started watching a new show while I was working this past weekend...I finished the available episodes tonight (there are only 3 seasons with 8 episodes each season, so it didn't take too long). It's called Dark Winds on AMC. I'd found it because it has one of the actresses from Burden of Truth in it (Johnny and I just finished watching that show together last week). And the main lead is actually the guy who played Cloud Dancing's son in Dr Quinn Medicine Woman (I loved that show when I was a kid). I liked the first two seasons of Dark Winds a lot better than the third, but it was still pretty good. I'm generally not a super huge fan of time-period shows (this one is set in the 70s), but every once in awhile I find one I like.

Well...I better get back to work. I want to get all my orders ready before I go to bed so I can print and cut them tomorrow. 

RECIPE: Chicken Fajitas

Tonight I decided to make chicken fajitas in the pressure cooker instead of the way I normally do with the electric skillet. It takes a LOT less time in the pressure cooker...which is the biggest thing I love about using the pressure cooker. :) Also...I use a lot of chicken when I make fajitas because we love leftovers for a couple days. You could use less chicken and everything is still the same as far as cook time, etc. It may take longer to get to pressure, but that's really the only difference. 

Pressure Cooker Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

2 gallon-size Ziploc bags 

6 chicken breast halves
6 packets of McCormick fajita mix

1/4 cup of chicken broth (you can substitute with water)

2-3 bell peppers

1 yellow onion

1 lg package flour tortillas, soft taco size 

favorite toppings: shredded extra-sharp cheddar, shredded lettuce, salsa or diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, etc. 

Directions: 

1. Add chicken broth (or water) to the bottom of the pressure cooker. I don't use a trivet for this recipe. 

2. Cut chicken into strips that are about 1/4" thick. Add them to one of the Ziploc bags with 4 fajita mix packets. I alternate adding chicken and fajita mix so it's layered. Once you've added all the chicken and 4 fajita mix packets, shake the bag to make sure all the chicken is nice and coated. 

3. Cut vegetables into strips that are approximately 1/2" wide. Add to the second Ziploc bag with 2 packets of fajita mix and shake the bag to coat everything. 
4. Add the chicken on the bottom of the pressure cooker and then cover with the vegetables. Do not stir. 

5. Close the pressure cooker and set to high pressure for 4 minutes.  

6. Allow to naturally release the pressure for about 6 minutes before quick releasing the rest of the pressure. Once I open the pressure cooker, I stir everything together. 
7. If there is a lot of liquid still in the bottom of the pressure cooker, set the pressure cooker to brown/saute and cook it for at least 5 minutes, tossing with tongs frequently so it doesn't burn. 

8. Serve in flour tortillas with your favorite toppings. 

**I used my 8qt pressure cooker for this recipe

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Last day of June!

It's hard to believe it's the last day of June already! 

Johnny and I are officially empty nesters! Aubry moved in with her boyfriend over the weekend. She's had it planned for several months to move out during the week long plant shutdown at work. She got everything except her dresser moved...she has to wait until she can make some room for it and then use my grandma's truck to get it over there. Aubry moved most of her stuff on Friday and then came back on Sunday to get the rest of her stuff and then clean up her room and bathroom. 

So now it's just us, the three cats, and our two golden retrievers. I'm looking forward to reorganizing the basement and cleaning out everything that we're going to either get rid of or put in the garage sale. We are still storing all of Johnny's mom's stuff (she's in a home in Washington)...and I want to reorganize it all in one spot. It started out in Aubry's room until she moved back in. Then I had all been in the closet of the cat room (which used to be Ashlyn's room), but when the room flooded from the broken pipe, I moved out everything that wasn't up on the closet shelf into the family room. I'm thinking about moving it all back into Aubry's closet where it was originally...but I haven't decided yet. It'll probably still be a little while before I work on all that, because I have a lot of work-related projects that I want to get done first. 

Oh, and we had to replace the front door handle. We'd talked about replacing it before so that it would match the rest of the hardware that we have going on in the living room, we just hadn't gotten around to actually doing it. Well...the existing door knob broke last weekend so now it matches. ;) The only thing we really have left to switch out in the living room (aside from eventually getting new furniture) is the ceiling fan. Aside from not being the same colors as everything else in here, it also doesn't move much air at all. Even on the highest speed...it's pretty slow. 

Johnny had a productive weekend. The pile of branches that were in the backyard had been sitting there since storms we had in the last couple years. So when we had all the branches hauled off, there was a big bare spot. So over the weekend, Johnny put down some grass seed and topsoil. He also installed the light kit for the ceiling fan in the garage. Luckily it was easy to add on without having to take the entire ceiling fan down. It came with some lightbulbs...but Johnny hates yellowy lightbulbs so I ordered some more of the white LED bulbs that I've been getting from Amazon. They're a lot brighter and don't have the yellow hue. 

I'm still working on the Holiday Every Day sticker sheets. I finished August today...so just a few more months left! It's taking longer than I thought it would, but I like how they're turning out. I was hoping to have them listed by July 1st, but hopefully I can get them done by the end of this week. I also ordered some new matte sticker paper that is 11x17, so I can fit more sticker sheets on each page. With a regular sheet of paper, I can only fit one 5x7 sticker sheet on the page (and an additional 4x6 sticker sheet if I want), but I can fit four 5x7 sticker sheets on the 11x17 page. 

I also ordered some foldable brackets for $10 that I want to put on the wall under the window in my office. Since rearranging my office, I haven't had a good place to take product photos. My office is pretty small, so I wanted something that wouldn't take up more space. This way...I can just lift the shelf up when I'm taking pictures and then fold it back down against the wall when I'm not using it. So I'm excited about that...hopefully it works out well. 

My customized name label sticker sheets have started selling again. They're most popular when kids are getting ready to start school again. I've already made 4 of those sticker sheets this month...which is actually the same number that I'd sold last June as well. It picks up a lot more in July and August and then I just get a sporadic order for them here and there. 

June was my best month so far in 2025. I tied May with number of orders (134) and I surpassed my previous month of highest profit (March) for 2025. I'm glad for the progress. :) 

I'm going to get back to work on these sticker sheets before I go to bed. Hope everyone has a good week! 

RECIPE: Taco Braid

It's been a little while since I made a new recipe. This is a pretty easy recipe that I made for Taco Tuesday. Aubry really loved it! I like to use a crescent roll sheet because it's thinner with a slight hint of sweetness, but you can also make it using a pizza dough sheet instead. 

Taco Braid 

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning 

1/4 cup water
1 can refried beans
1 can crescent roll sheet

1/2 cup thick and chunky salsa

2 cups fiesta blend cheese

1 tbs butter, melted

Top with lettuce, sour cream, green onions, black olives, and more cheese. 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

2. Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water. Stir until all mixed together. 

3. Roll out crescent roll sheet into a flat rectangle on a greased cookie sheet. Using a pizza cutter, make approximately 3 inch long cuts along the two long edges of the sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart from top to bottom. 

4. Down the uncut middle of the sheet, layer the refried beans, taco meat, salsa, and cheese. 

5. Fold the cut strips across the middle in a crisscross pattern from top to bottom. 

6. Brush the top of the braid with melted butter. 

7. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes or until the top of the braid is golden brown. 

8. Once removed from the oven, you can either top the braid with your desired toppings or let everyone pick their own individual toppings. 

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