From The Attic: December 2014

     We had our Open House both at the store and at the complex where we are located last weekend. For a small business owner this is both an honor (a way to say thank you to the customers who keep our doors open) and a lot of work!   There are the behind the scenes preparations which you would expect such as public relations meetings, emails with advertisers, etc. But then there the moments you might not think of. For starters there was last Tuesday evening spent at the grocery store buying large quantities of items. Then on Wednesday I baked seven dozen cookies. On Thursday I hauled as much as I could ahead of time and left it at the store for the weekend. On Friday I had been asked to speak for our shopping center at an early morning news show which means being there ready to go at six a.m.    THAT MEANS SIX O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!
   Of course I did not read the preparatory emails for the interview until nine thirty Thursday night. How hard could this be? I had thought about what to say and was pretty sure I could handle it. I made a practice drive over there to make sure I would not get lost in the dark. I knew what I was going to wear and even made sure it was ironed. The curve came when our PR person suggested in the email that I print out the press release along with some other information to take to the television station with me. Oh gosh! My printer hadn't been feeling very well and I had to crawl around on the floor near it to try to coax it along but my efforts were futile. Both dogs even gathered in to see what all the fuss was about but we could not get the darn thing to print anything useful. It did eventually come up with something I needed weeks ago but that was all. So, I did the only thing possible. I called my neighbor and asked her to stay up a while longer and let me borrow her printing services. It is a long story but after an hour and several phone calls to a college student we had the documents ready.
   All went well on Friday's interview ( except they did not need the papers I had heroically printed the night before). I left the show promptly by six thirty and went to Wal Mart to finish up shopping, then home to make and wrap the sandwiches and prepare trays of cookies. I got everything finished up and the car loaded and then realized that I did not know where Nana (our St. Bernard) was. Oh good grief. I looked all over the yard and called and called. Well, it was kind of a sultry day and our back porch concrete was sweaty. In my haste to locate Nana I kind of skidded across the porch and ended up down flat ! Which of course, mad me tee tee in my pants just a little bit, and also, it kind of hurt! I was lying there on the yucky floor when I heard barking and looked up to see Nana standing inside the house and laughing at me through the window.....
     I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and still had to go to the bank and then to work and I had slept only about four hours. Then, just at this low point someone texted me to say that she had seen the interview and that I had done a good job. Her kind words lifted my spirits and made me feel like my efforts were not for naught. I share this for two reasons: first, there is a lot of behind the scenes work involved in owning your own business. Your day off is seldom entirely your day off. There is always something to which you must attend. And second, never, ever, underestimate the power of an encouraging word. You just never know. Your words could be the game changer for a sleep deprived stressed out woman with a car full of food and pants that are just a little bit wet......

Monday, December 8, 2014

Behind the Scenes

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Ho! Ho! Ho!