website update

Just a brief FYI:

On my website ( http://www.novascotiaflavour.com ) I have added more to the Crocheted Items category. Also, I have listed a few beautiful pillows in the Ring Bearer Pillows category - with more to come.  In case you are interested or curious to look, those items cross categorize with Jewellery and Sewing.

I am gradually getting things on there.  Tomorrow I hope to add more products and then I may have to pause for a few days as I must get into Valley Sunshine newsletter publishing. It is time for the Winter issue already!  If you have any questions regarding that, please send me an email and I will be pleased to inform you.


Thanks for reading, and ... Blessings on your day!  :)

programs, patience & progress

Wow!  Has it only been four days since I last posted?  It really seems longer than that.  It could be due to the fact that I have been hours and hours working on trying to improve my website pages.

I am making progress.  I am learning to work with the programs.  AND I am finding it to be a test of my patience. But, did I say .. I AM making progress!  PTL! (Praise the Lord!)

My website designer, Ray, is such a patient man. He explains things to me and understands that I just don't get it the first time, or maybe even the second time, but I keep at it until it makes sense to me .. or just happens to suddenly fall together and work.  LOL!  He is deserving of lots of credit as he is trying to help me so that I can do this work myself.

I am enjoying this process, though. My frustration level goes up and down, along with my stress level, but perseverance pays off.  Last night is a case in point.  Earlier in the day I asked Ray many questions, he gave me appropriate answers and instructions, and I set off last night to make it work. Well! At 2 AM I gave up, wrote him an email saying please help me fix this mess I have made! But I didn't send it.  I decided .. this is not going to beat me! Instead I kept trying (and praying to understand) and at just before 3 AM .. click!  There it was. The way I wanted it. And the email got deleted, I got a few hours sleep, and here I am again.  :)  There is so much to do.  I tend to be a perfectionist and I want this website to be a nice place for people to spend some time.

This morning I enjoyed being outside for a little while on this lovely Fall day.  Between working on my website and probably catching a nap this afternoon, (up till after 3 AM does not work for me very well!), I knew that I would need to get out and appreciate a little of God's world.  It inspires and refreshes me .. and we all can use more of that gentle calm in our lives, can't we? 

Now, back to business.  As for you ... what are you working on that is taking so much of your attention and time?

Thanks for reading, and ... Blessings on your day.  :)

rejection & possibilities

Well, it happened yesterday. I returned home after a day consisting of playing train dominoes with my sister and brother-in-law, sitting in a lengthy meeting with my new website designer discussing the possibilities for my new website that is soon to be under construction, chatting with a friend briefly and making conversation with my young soon-to-be-a-teenager nephew, followed by the drive home ... then rushing around to get the house set in order after my being away since the day before ... and making supper for my dear husband and myself ...

then it happened. My husband came in with the mail. My first manuscript copy -- the one I had to send twice because their address in two public places was the incorrect address ... the first copy of my manuscript was returned.

I told my husband .. I am on my way to being published! This is my first return.

One less thing to use brain cells on right now, anyway. Two more publishers to hear back from .. one of them not at all if not interested.

So, ask me if I am having fun yet!

Life is full of ups, downs, sunny days, foggy days, days not worth the time it takes to crawl out of bed, and those days you love to live over and over and over again in your head and heart. I have had all of those in the past two weeks! No wonder I am tired! lol

And how is your day?

(The above is an email I sent a friend & I thought it worked well for here. I am not terribly disappointed about the rejection letter with my returned manuscript. There is still hope for my story and lots more ideas where that one came from.)

So, how is YOUR day?

Thanks for reading .. and Blessings on your day. :)

under construction -- God's timing

I can hardly believe it has already been two weeks since my last posting! During that time Spring has finally taken hold here; although we got more snow it is fast melting away now. Gotta love that! It's quite funny that many people think that all of Canada is covered in snow and ice most of the year, but that is not the case. We may not get a very long summer, but it is beautiful and hot when it comes. But right now I am looking forward with great anticipation to Spring's fragrance of new grass, flowers, sweet warm breezes, and more birds' songs.

If you recall, in past postings I was bemoaning my website woes. Well .. I had been praying for weeks about this, but last week I gave up and in desperation told God I can't figure it out or find anyone to help me, and I don't know what to do. I asked Him to "Please Help me! I need direction!" On Sunday things started falling into place, although I still couldn't see it yet. A friend told me that God had impressed upon him the word 'direction' for me! wow! He prayed for me right there and I knew God was doing something; I experienced His peace. On Wednesday the next step was taken - at housegroup that evening another friend contacted a friend who builds websites. Well!... on Thursday I met with that person and oh my! We are on the way to great new things! I am excited! The original website is gone as I refused to pay the other people another cent when my year of hosting was over yesterday - since they would not fix the errors nor give any help at all. My new design team is on the ball and has it in hand. SO, right now if anyone goes to my site they will see an Under Construction sign, but that doesn't worry me since it will not be there longer than it needs to be. What I will have when it is completed will be far better than what I had. PTL!

I have learned a lot over the past months regarding websites, business ethics, and giving God time. It is that last point that I will explain a little. I had been asking God for help, but always I kept looking for the right person or company to come to my aid. What I needed to do was keep waiting, and through each contact God showed me something more to learn. It has been a rough ride, but it was when I gave up that the Lord put the final pieces into place. As an extra blessing there will be much more 'direction' and guidance for me as this company is very goal oriented. That is so good for me.

God knows just what we need and when, we cannot rush Him. Waiting could be the hardest thing we do but He can see the whole picture whereas we can see only the moment we are in. It is an exciting walk if we allow Him His place in it. :)

Do you have a similar story to relate? I truly would really love to hear it!

Thanks for reading ... and blessings on your day. :)

pursuing dreams

It has been too long since I last posted - in November - and now it is already well into March '09! We recently had more snow and this time more ice too, which resulted in such a beautiful world around us. I just had to show you. Soon Spring will have full sway and there will be new beauty to enjoy.

I mentioned in an October post that a friend was selling me her old Singer treadle sewing machine, and as of very early in January it now belongs to me. I haven't even tried to use it yet, but I am delighted to have it. This machine came with the cabinet, and perhaps I can take a photo later and show you that, too.

Further into my "spiritual walk", I have been going to a church again as of the first Sunday of January. I go where God sends me, which is a nice place to be. :)

In December I sent a box of items to a deployed Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. He will be returning home in April, so I am waiting for information of another soldier in order to send the box I have almost ready to go.

This week I mailed out another issue of Valley Sunshine publication, later than it should be, but it is in the mail and already received by some. Now I am free again to do other things. One of those things is writing children's stories. I have had the interest for years to write children's stories (books) and took a great course of study which covered every angle. I had, several years before that, gone to Acadia U. for an evening class in literature which introduced me to Professor Hilary Thompson. She became someone very special to me, a lady I deeply admired and respected for her talent, courage and view of life. She was very encouraging to me and gave great advice, and we would chat whenever we got the chance. Not long ago Dr. Thompson passed away at the early age of 65, due to cancer. Such a sad loss to so many .... I, for one, will really miss her.

This sharing was to say .. I think Hilary would be so proud of me if she could know that I have come back to writing and have sent off manuscripts with the hope that someone may take a liking to my most recent story and want to publish it. That would be a very exciting event for me!

My website still is not proving out, but one fantastic thing has come from it. A lady sent me an email to ask about an item she saw on there, and it turns out she is an author! We are corresponding now! How about that? (A "God thing" if I ever saw one!) :)

Do you have a dream that you have not pursued yet? What is holding you back? I would love to hear about it. Or, have you had a dream and finally set off to take hold of it and make it happen? I would especially enjoy hearing about that!

All for this time. I hope to hear from you.

Thanks for reading ... and, blessings on your day. :)

determination

It is truly a Fall day here today! Windy, rainy, but warmer than usual - for which I am thankful. The fields are being covered in a golden and red carpet of leaves now, though.

I am later posting than intended, but sometimes it is difficult to put thoughts in order. I have been going to my sister's on Wednesday evenings for housegroup meetings and coming home late on Thursdays, and that has been a welcome change and blessing for me. On my way home last Thursday I went to my doctor and told him I have bronchitis. After his questions, during which I assured him that yes, it is bronchitis, :) he listened to my breathing and agreed with me. Because I have been 'patiently' (his word) waiting for it to go away and it hasn't, he gave me a prescription for an antibiotic because it has obviously turned into a bacterial thing. Apparently it is affecting many people around here in the same way. I started the meds on Friday afternoon, and what a difference in how I feel in just three days. I hadn't realized how pulled down I had been by this. It is so good to have more energy again.

Business news is that I have finally listed some fabric on my website, long overdue, and there is much more to add. (Funny, isn't it, how one's brain works better when feeling better?) The shopping cart is not giving accurate shipping rates, though, so anyone wanting to order anything has possibly been put off by the cost of shipping. I have added a statement that the quote is an estimate and to contact me if wanting to know exact postage. This has been such a concern to me, but I will find a way to make it work. Someone told me today that "determination is the battle", and if one is determined enough then things will get done.

An exciting thing for me is that a friend is selling her treadle sewing machine to me! I have wanted one for years. Mum used to have one, but Dad thinks they sold it because it isn't there anymore. I think they did, but I will have my own by the end of this year. Why am I 'collecting' sewing machines?, you may ask. Well, why not? :) I am interested in the good oldies that have been proven to be hard working and efficient. Perhaps they will add to my decor more than being used, but that's okay too. :) They will be enjoyed either way.

Stay safe!
Thanks for reading ... and Blessings on your day! :)

Thanksgiving

Here in Canada it is Thanksgiving Monday already! How did you spend your Thanksgiving weekend? We had our family dinner on Sunday at Dad's. Only eight of us were there instead of our usual eleven to fourteen. It was a smaller and quieter group, but as always there was lots of conversation and an abundance of good food.

The days are quickly getting cooler now and night falls earlier with the days being shorter. I love the colour of Autumn leaves but do not wish to see those trees getting bare as it means the cold weather is not far off.

Remember in my last post I was pondering my spiritual situation? Well, I felt led to attend the housegroup meeting at my sister and brother-in-law's on Wednesday evening. It was good to be there and I felt welcome among brothers and sisters in Christ. Because of the distance to their place, I stayed overnight and came home on Thursday. Now it remains to be seen how often I can manage to do that due to other things in my life. It does 'feel right', though, so we shall see.

I have been busy sorting through my fabric stash. My! I have a lot of fabric! It is hard to part with this beautiful selection I have, but my stash is growing and I really must move some out. (How else can I make room for more to touch and admire?) ;) Sometime this week I will be making some available for purchase on my website. Someone will enjoy it, I am sure.

I have been carefully rinsing (cleaning) Wild Turkey feathers too, for sale on my site. They are lovely feathers for crafting or fly tying. The turkeys I am collecting from are alive and well - they all were spared this Thanksgiving - and these are just what they drop as they stroll around the farm. Comical birds they are!

All for this time. Count your blessings as we do have much for which to be thankful.
Thanks for reading, and Blessings on your day! :)

how I got here

Since I have made a step into this Blogging world, perhaps I should share a little of what brought me here - just in case someone is interested in knowing.

I enjoy crafting, sewing, learning some quilting -- not that there is any one thing I feel particularly accomplished in, but I like to try my hand at making nice things. A friend I met online built a very pretty and well constructed site for me a few years ago so that I could sell the ring bearer pillows my daughter made. I was very pleased with it, but although I had some visitors, sadly I got no business that way. Several months ago I did some research and found a few things I could do differently, so then I hired a local little business to build me a more involved web site. I needed to branch out.

Have you ever built a website or had someone do it for you? If it has gone smoothly I would like to know how that happened! :) It has been five months since signing up with them and there have been a few snags that have had to be ironed out (not unusual); one is still an issue which my web site designer tells me they do not deal with ... but I am hoping and praying that the problem will be resolved soon.

Even though I have not had any sales as yet, I do have another nice web site! :) I have much more to load on there but stopped in frustration until an important feature was worked out, so now I will start adding to it again. If you want to take a peek: http://www.novascotiaflavour.com

The fun thing is that my web site is not just for me. Although the plan is to sell my own items - and there is quite a variety - I also have clients here in Nova Scotia for whom I hope to sell their art and crafts. It is a great way to introduce their 'work' to the world. I will be excited when sales start happening!

Because I am getting into online business, someone said that I should also become known on Facebook. That does not really interest me at this point, but then a friend suggested 'blogging.' I decided to look into that and after viewing a few choices I selected Blogger.com. Maybe it will add a new good dimension to my life. :)

Thanks for reading .. and Blessings on your day!