Twitter = High School???

So since this is my little corner of the internet, and I've had a really, really hellacious day...I'm going to prop my little soap box up in said corner and speak my mind. 

I am friends on Facebook with a girl I went to high school with.  Everyone knew who she was, and everyone knew who I was, but we existed on totally different levels.  She was a cheerleader.  She was thin, gorgeous, led a seemingly charmed life, always had a date for Homecoming, Prom, National Holidays, etc...  She was one of the girls I wanted to be, or at least wanted to be a part of her crowd.  We lived in the same neighborhood.  She lived "around the corner and up the hill" from my house.  Socio-economically we were the same, upper middle class. 

When my daughter was an infant she had her days and nights mixed up.  This was something I had not been through with my first child, so I turned to Facebook for help.  Posted my problem and asked if any of my friends had dealt with this.  This one friend responded to my post, and then sent me a very long, very informative email (through FB) about a book she had read and how well it had worked for her daughter (who is about 5 months older than my daughter).  We started an email conversation and I mentioned that I go back to the "old neighborhood" often as my parents still live there...her response?  "Oh, I didn't know you lived in <insert name of our neighborhood>".  I was mortified.  It brought me right back to high school and the days where I would not dare to say hello to this girl, or anyone in her crowd, for fear that they would not know who I was.  As I told my friend shortly after this happened "I didnt even exist in her world back then".  In hindsight, I realize how silly this was...I'm friends with nearly my entire graduating class, and most of them friended me, so they obviously know who I am.  But in that moment, I was 15 again.  Shy.  Insecure.  And absolutely terrified of being "unknown". 

I'm feeling the same way tonight.  I know most of it is because of the day I've had.  But I've recently launched an online store, and even more recently begun advertising on another blog that I read daily.  Ever since I started the ad and knew there was a giveaway, my fear has been "what if no one even enters???"  Could I live with the shame and humiliation, the rejection of knowing that this little business that I've poured my heart and soul, not to mention my hopes and dreams, into, doesn't even register on most peoples radar?  That they don't even care enough about it, or are not interested enough in it to bother entering a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate?  Well...the giveaway launched yesterday, and in just over 24 hours, there are 2 entries.  Yes, 2.  As in one more that 1. 

To add insult to injury, I decided today that I need to clear some space in the store to make room for some really great stuff I've recently found, so I announced a 40% off sale through Monday.  40%.  That's quite a markdown.  Sure, not as great as 50%, but still...I'm always happy to pay 40% less than regular price.  I began tweeting about the sale this morning, asking people to retweet.  I posted it 3 or 4 times throughout the day, and not one person bothered to retweet it.  Zero.  I'm so invisible that not one person of my minor following, cared enough about me, my store and my sale, to hit the retweet button, and click send.  Two mouse clicks.  Really?  I'm that invisible?  Just when I was starting to actually have conversations with people on Twitter, and felt like I was infiltrating the cool crowd just a bit, I get kicked in the face.  I'm feeling really down.  I just spent a couple hours working on a new site that I'm hoping to launch late this week or early next week, and now I'm sitting here thinking, why?  What is the point?  This wonderful resource that we have has become so "clique-ish" that the people who get my tweets can't even bother to give me 2 mouse clicks.  All the hopes I've had that maybe this is the idea that will allow me to work for myself, really make my own hours, find an outlet for my creativity, etc...they are dashed.  Stomped into the ground.  Gone. 

Hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up with a positive attitude and this blah-ness will be gone.  But if not, I guess I'll gather up my backpack, tight roll my Forenza pants, throw on an Outback Red henley t-shirt, and head out the door to catch the school bus for another day at Twitter-High.  I'm sure eventually, someone will see me, and realize what a cool, smart, funny and amazing person I am.  ::crosses fingers::

Wordless Wednesday...This Little Piggy

Coming Soon...the sequel

For those of you that follow me on Twitter (@lightseyj and/or @ConsignOnLineGA), you know that a certain blue store had a HUGE fabric sale last week.  I'm not sure if they are going to be selling fabric anymore, but I couldn't resist the great deals.  2 yd. packages for $1.50, $2.00 and $3.00.  Saying I "stocked up" would be an understatement...

This is ALMOST everything I bought...but not quite.  I'm really excited to start cutting into all that fabric and put it to good use... 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for another week, it was crazy hot here, with the usual nightime rain showers...not my favorite part of summer, but at least it brings the temps down a bit.  Can you believe it's only a week until the 4th of July?  What are your plans???  We'll be dgoing to see fireworks Sunday night and then I'm thinking of planning a cookout for some friends on Monday. 

Coming Soon...

So given the fact that it's been insanely hot here in Georgia this "Spring" (and I lose that term loosely), I've been trying to find ways to keep us all busy and occupied indoors...when it's 93 degrees at 10:30 am, I can't even begin to think about going out and spending the day at the park, I don't care how many fountains they have going, nothing fixes that kind of heat and cools you down.  So we've been running errands, doing lots of thrifting - and incorporating economics lessons into these trips as well...bonus points for us homeschool moms!  But once the errands have been run, and the little one is napping, and the older one is happily playing video games...what's a mom to do? 

Ever since I launched my shop I've been feeling creative...seeing all the amazing ways items can be repurposed has inspired me to expand my original plan of a resale shop, and contemplate the option of adding an entirely new section, or launching a sister store - full of handmade items.  Having a long standing addiction to purses and tote bags, it seemed a natural progression for me to tap into these creative juices and start making my own items.  I've had so much fun shopping for fabrics and spent hours hunched over my sewing machine, watching pieces of material come together and form something fun and functional.  I have tons of ideas in my head, and I know I've got a long road ahead of me to get them from inside my brain, to a piece of paper, and then to an actual tangible item...but I'm so excited by the challenge!  Even though the "practice" pieces I've made so far aren't perfect, they aren't far from it and I've been surprised at how cute they are coming out.  I can't wait to share them with you! 

So stay tuned, and be on the look out for hints that might be dropped in the next couple of weeks.  We'll be working with the amazing SheyB (http://www.shealynnbenner.com/) on a great giveaway in the next few weeks...and I'm hoping that I'll be able to include one of the new items I'll be selling with that giveaway, so you might actually be the FIRST person to own one (or more...hint hint) of these pieces! 

Wordless Wednesday

Patience

I know they say that patience is a virtue, however I'm fairly sure I was not present the day they handed it out in prior to being born (I was probably reading a book or something), and if it was taught in school, I'm 100% sure I was absent that day.  I am one of the most impatient people I know.  It's not something I like, I would much rather be one of those people, like my husband, who can just sit back and let things happen on their own time.  But instead, I spend my time pushing and prodding and thinking and stressing and planning for things that haven't happened yet.  When I order something online and get the tracking number, I stalk the package until it shows up on my doorstep.  When it's something really exciting like a new phone or purse, or something super cute for Harper, I drive my family crazy saying "is that the UPS man" with every "truck" sound I hear outside. 

After talking to my amazingly sweet and supportive husband tonight, I've decided that I want to take a leave of absence from work.  I have some family issues going on, and with the timing, we also want to put more time and effort into making this whole inter-webs store thing work.  I have SO many ideas, some of which I already have working plans for, others I need to actually get on paper and figure out how to make them work.  It will be kind of tough financially, and if it wasn't for the family issues, it wouldn't be happening at all, but we both feel like we have a good idea here and it would be better to say "we gave it our all" than to look back and say "maybe if we'd put more time into it".  My end goal is to be able to leave my job permanently by 1/1/12...that is what we are working toward, but for now I'm hoping to have 3 months to really dedicate myself to my family and to my store (maybe stores...hint hint) and see if we can make this work. 

I'm nervous, and excited, and so impatient!  I emailed my boss tonight and asked him if what I'd like to do is possible, and now I'm going crazy waiting for him to reply...  I literally have butterflies in my tummy because it's all hanging on what he says and I hate not knowing.  Did I mention I'm impatient?  So for now, I have to force myself to wait and put all the plans into action. 

Did I mention I hate waiting???

Wordless Wednesday...a day late

We had some intense storms last night that knocked out our power, and totally threw off my blogging plans!  Back up and running now...

Am I Wrong???

 So here I am, sitting at my computer, working and multi-tasking like crazy...I take a quick break to check Facebook, Twitter, and I hit one of my news sites and the headlines tell me that Weiner hasn't resigned, but he has been granted a two week paid leave of absence from the House.  Ummm, wait...two week PAID leave???

So my question is this...am I wrong to be more than a bit upset that this guy, who through his own very bad judgement and stupidity got himself into a situation when his private life is now splashed across every newspaper and news-related website in the country, is now being given a 2 week paid vacation, courtesy of the US Taxpayers?  So my tax dollars, are paying for this man (and I use that term loosely since his actions resemble a 15 year old boy rather than a grown man), to "seek treatment" and deal with his pregnant wife, all because he was a jackhole and decided to send "lewd" photographs of himself to young women and teenage girls?

In today's economy, when so many people are getting by with smaller incomes, less benefits, higher expenses, etc...what does this do for the morale of the country?  What type of example does this set for the "impressionable age" kids out there, who are seeing the poor behavior of Weiner and so many others, but not seeing any real consequences?

I know there is an argument to be made for "vacation time" and all that, but...given the large amount of perks these guys already get, and the way so many of them seem to abuse them, should we really be adding to the list with this kind of "kid glove" treatment?  I'm certainly not for anyone to act as judge and jury, but it seems that the best thing for Weiner would be to have to face the consequences of his actions, and take full responsibility, rather than a vacation.

A whole new low...

My son's birthday is coming up...well, it will be coming up, right now it's still 3 months away, but being a typical 13 year old, he's been making a birthday wish list for quite a while now.  At the top of the list is an "Arena Air Soft Gun".  Supposedly the 5 air soft guns we've already purchased him are not good enough for him to use for anything other than playing with his friends in the backyard...he could NEVER actually use one of those guns at the Air Soft ranges they go to.  The one he wants costs about $225, which is more than we are willing to spend.  So I told him a while ago to keep "an eye out" and when we were ready to start shopping, about 2-3 weeks before his birthday, we'd start searching for sales/deals. 

It seems he took what I said to mean "when you find one on sale let me know and we'll rush out to buy it for you immediately".  He showed me one the other night and then pouted when I said it looked nice, but I'm not buying his gift 3 months early.  He begged, pleaded, gave me puppy dog eyes, pulled out all the usual stops...but then he sunk to a whole new low:

 Yep...he used his sister!  I laughed, gave him credit for creativity and originality, then said no again and went about whatever it was I was doing...only to hear my phone notify me of a text a minute or two later.  I ignored it, knowing it was him being his usual stubborn self.  Then I heard another notification, and another...and another.  So I reluctantly picked up my phone...

By this time, the tears are rolling down my face, I'm laughing so hard my stomach is cramping, and it's taking all my strength not to just give in...but I held strong and said that as much as I appreciated the laugh, the answer was still no.  I also suggested that he consider that going into "suck up mode" prior to getting the gun might help convince me to get it for him...of course he's still mulling that idea over. 

And yes, my son is now known as "baba".  Harper can't say Anthony yet, so that is what she calls him.  He claims to hate it, but I see him smile every time she says it, so I don't really believe him...and besides, what kid who doesn't adore his little sister would have THAT many pictures of her on his phone?

Wordless Wednesday...