Product Testers Needed

I’m developing a new product and need your help. Anyone out there interesting in testing it for me?

I’ll send you a sample, you need to use it and then give me feedback. Honest feedback. The good, the bad, the ugly and the very pretty. The user of this product will be a person who buys produce, either from the market or a farmers market. And of course you get to keep the product. If you like it, great! If you don't, maybe you can use it as a white elephant gift at the office party.

It’s nothing fancy. It’s a simple thing, but sometimes those are the best ideas.

If you’re interested, email me at girlsundaydesign@gmail.com and we’ll chat.

Have a great weekend everyone…boo!

Mircowaveless

So after waiting 3 and a half of my 4 hours, he showed up. 5 minutes later, he declared the microwave dead. Duh.

Yes, we’re getting it fixed. Thank goodness we had a warranty, because if we didn’t I’m not sure I would fork out the $400+ in parts and another $100 or so in labor to get it fixed. Gulp. I probably would have bought one of those cheap counter microwaves for a fraction of the price and called it good.

I can say that life without a that little heating machine has been a bit of a struggle. For the most part, I cook meals. I don’t open boxes and call those meals, but I do use the micro for a lot of things. I heat up leftovers, there’s the microwave popcorn, there’s the warm maple syrup for pancakes on the weekend. There’s a lot of things. A lot more things than I remember using it for, and in another week and a half and I’ll be ready to go.

In another week in a half I’ll be waiting around, again, for the repair guy. He’s given me another 4 hour window. But this time when he leaves, I hope he declares the microwave, alive.

Try not using your microwave for a day and see how it is. Are you all as addicted to it as me?

Waiting For The Repair Guy

It happened on Saturday morning. It stopped working. Augh.

I never realized how much we use our microwave. It’s been back to heating things up in a skillet, planning more in advance and realizing that dinner really shouldn’t come out of a box anyway.

The repair guy is scheduled sometime between 1pm and 5pm, which is another pet peeve of mine. Why is it that they need a 4 hour window? And why is it in this age of modern technology they can’t give me a call when they are on their way to my house? You know how much rearranging of my schedule I had to do to make sure I am home? Come on folks, get with it! Arm your service guys with phones so they can call on their way so we can get home to look pretty and answer the door. We’re busy. We have things to do. We have kids to pick up, kids to drop off, dance lessons, soccer practice, groceries to buy, errands to run. We can’t just dilly dally at your convenience and wait for you.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll tell my boss I’ll be coming into work sometime between 9am and 1pm. You think that would fly?

A Giveaway!

Hey everyone, head on over here to win one of my, GirlSunday Designs, handy dandy sandwich and snack bags, sewn by yours truly.

Really, they are pretty cool little things. I use mine all the time. In Pixie’s lunches, I put cheese, crackers, pretzels, apples, and pretty much anything that isn’t a really wet food in it. I use the bigger size for her sandwiches. I first wrap her sandwich in her napkin and then put it in the bag. I also have one of the sandwich sized bags in my purse for a little “ouch pouch.” It has band aids, aspirin, eye drops, chap stick, a little bottle of sun screen etc… It’s great to have on hand to easily transfer from one bag to the other with all the in case of emergency things.

Really, the uses are endless. And probably the best thing, other than it being made by me, is that they are totally washable. I wipe mine out during the week and then on Friday, I toss them in the washer and dryer. All clean and ready to go for the next week.

Oh, and can I tell you the kids love them. They love the different patterns and it’s just something a little fun in their lunches.

So, back to the point of this post. Let’s help make Ashley’s first, yes that’s right I’m her first, give away a success. Go HERE now!

It's What She Wants to Be

costume fitting

Halloween 2010

You Never Know

I promise this blog isn't going to turn into a things my daughter says, but lately she's just been lobbing me gems.

Today's gem is "everyday is a little bit of a mystery."

Really? What going on in that 4 year old brain.

It made me realize no matter how much I love to plan and how may to-do lists I may have, and trust me, I have plenty, every day brings surprises. Everyday the unknown can and will happen. My lesson in this is, the much overstated and way underused, just to go with the flow.

But that whole going with the flow thing... it's just so damn hard for me.

That's My Girl

I guess I must be doing something right.

I overheard Pixie saying to her dad:

"They're homemade! Don't you just love homemade things?"

Of course she was talking about chocolate chip cookies and it's not humanly possible not to love warm, fresh out-of-the-oven cookie and some milk. But still, just hearing the "Don't you just love homemade things," made my heart swell.

That's my girl.

Here's the recipe I use. It's pretty much the standard recipe, nothing fancy, but delish, none the less.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks of butter
1C tightly packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag o' chocolate chips

Mix butter and sugars together until fluffy. Mix in eggs until well beaten. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Mix in vanilla. Add in chips and mix well.

Plop tablespoon size balls onto your cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 9 minutes.

Heaven.

Looking for an Explanation

Why do people talk on their cell phones while they are going to the bathroom? Especially a public restroom? Will someone please explain?

I am completely dumbfounded, appalled and grossed out.

Postcards From Around the World

This may just be the dork in me, but how cool is this?

I'm on my way to sign up and, to me, it just confirms my belief that all of us in the world are connected. It's a smaller world than we think.

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday

Pixie's Self Portrait

Her first.

She's 4 years old.

I may have to keep and frame this one.

Growing Pains

Do you ever get to the point where you feel so overwhelmed. I took the weekend “off” from most of my GirlSunday business stuff, thinking I had a little buffer in time before I had to crank things up again before my next event. Then, this morning I got an email from a gal who is helping me sell my bags and she had a very busy selling weekend. I have my retail people begging me for more and I have that event looming. An event where there will be swarms of families, the same people who my bags are really targeted to.

I had one of those mini anxiety attacks where I realized I really do have A LOT of work to do. I have a daughter who wants to play, friends to hang out with and a husband who also wants some attention. There’s errands to run, shopping to do, laundry piling up, and a house that needs to be cleaned. I also have a day job and then my GirlSunday business. Augh.

My business has grown very quickly in the past couple of months and I feel like I’m really playing catch up on it. I easily handled the 2o MPH pace, but now I feel like I’m going 80 MPH and things are coming up on me a lot faster than I am use to. I run out of materials faster and find myself at a point where I can’t sew anything because I’m waiting for a shipment of something. I need to work out a system. I need to get a production schedule. I need to get a handle on things.

It’s a challenge and I like that. And like a lot of things that having meaning, it’s hard work.

With all that said, it’s still fun.

Lemonade Anyone?

I have a feeling Pixie, as my 4 year old likes to be called, is onto something.

She’s been wanting, rather begging me, to have a lemonade stand. I’ve been a little reluctant to do my duty as a mom, and actually get it together and keep coming up with really lame excuses not to do it. This was our latest exchange.

Pixie: “Mama, I have an idea!”

Me: “What’s that honey.”

P: “Today would be a great day to have a lemonade stand!”

M: Silently groan “Well, that is a good idea, but probably not today.”

P: “Why? It’s warm out and you said we should do it on a warm day.”

M; “Well, you are right. It is a warm day, but there’s just not a lot of people out today.”

P: “I know what we can do Mama. We can call all my friends and they can show up. Then they can call all their friends and they can call their friends. Then there will be lots of people.”


I think she may invent Facebook 2020.

And just so you know, we still didn’t have that stand. Yet.