I changed the theme here… It was supposed to be part of the introduction to the new business, but that kept getting delayed and why I kept thinking … I will be writing a post soon…
Desserts…
Three flavors of ice cream are in freezer. It’s been a while since I had that many flavors… yet each is vegetarian, and low sugar. They use bananas as the base, 2 have yogurt and all 3 use enough Almond Milk that my blender will blend the ingredients into a soft structure. 1 has berries and vanilla, one has peanut butter, the last does not have yogurt but it has spinach, mint & choco chips.
One grandad was diabetic, one hypoglycemic and I have a sugar craving that is dangerous with that kind of familial history. You tell me that cheesecake is too rich to eat alone, and I probably can eat it alone…. so sugars are being replaced with vegetarian, vegan and raw recipes modified to my acceptance of chocolate chips instead of cacoa nips. Blending these things would be much easier with a Vitamix…. except that is $499, a Blendtec is a bit cheaper but doesn’t have a 7 year warranty… so I’d rather pony up… $499…
Stressed
Except for the fact that I want to go on a fabulous trip to see the private native side of Hawaii… my dream vacation, and it’s out of my current budget. Admittedly that is higher than the $499 of the Vitamix… (TY PastryChefOnline for helping with that decision) but it’s also higher than the $50 a month to join a Martial Arts class that I’d like to join, but can’t currently spend money on…
Instead I debate $56 for Heartworm meds for 2 cats and 2 dogs or $65 for 2 pairs of walking shoes because the 2 pairs I bought last year (wearing alternate days) are worn out.
I kept thinking I would come back here in a few days and add a new post to update everyone, but I also kept thinking I would have news in a few more days and honestly this financial thing has me stressed. Things were looking good in December. I planned out the first 6 months of the year and how my expenses would be tight but I would be able to cover all the big expenses that the new year would bring. Property Taxes, puppy, income taxes and internet and some smaller things that needed replacing… like the shoes. Then like a train jumping the tracks the cars piled into each other in twisted wreckage, I realized I had been relying on one client too long and too much…
That is when I took some time off… Feb 26 to March 6 to analyze my life and decide on directions and what the next steps would be. This involved drawing up mind maps, plans, schedules, proposals, emails, hiring and firing potential employees. A vision emerging from the storm like a lighthouse… but as much as I’d like to share that story it’s not the time just yet…
Puppy Breath Desserts
But here is a sweet story that isn’t a sugary dessert. For over a year I’ve been planning to get a puppy. A female, English Cocker Spaniel like Luna, preferably in gold or red. Breeders had litters that all puppies were already claimed. A breeder offered me a male. A breeder offered an older dog (only a year but I wanted to get a puppy for new blood in a house of 10+ year old pets). I helped raise a few litters by another breeder…
15 months, 7 attempts and then there was an email from a bird hunter… “The buyer for this puppy hasn’t contacted us… I have a gold female, if you are interested.” A quick look at the parents pedigrees said this puppy would be a distant cousin of Luna. Field Bred English Cocker Spaniel from the top birding line in the UK; Maesydderwen. The Field Bred English Cocker Spaniel is the same type dog that Prince William and Princess Kate got in December. With my fascination with the breed and my awe of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, I felt the puppy should have a related name…
Then weeks later and right before getting puppy is when I realized I had relied on a client too long. Fortunately my parents helped. Unfortunately they had to… But they knew how many times I had tried to get “this puppy.” And finally on Mar 17 Comanche Katie Belle came home. Three homages paid, The Kennel, Princess Kate, and my first ECS, Belle.
She has unfortunately been on medicine since I brought her home, but expected things. Her immune system is like a kindergartner, she’s still young, she’ll be fine in the future. It would have been nice to avoid them, but the vet commented on how healthy she is and what good future she has. She’s a smart little dog, pushing a box to jump on the couch, which got her in trouble. Yet the medicine is part of the stress…
The other part is current craziness, I spent Monday (yesterday) with nearly 120 people, then 60 something went to one court and our court was narrowed down 67 people who all got to spend the whole day waiting to see if we got Jury Duty. “Do you want $6 or go to Crime Victim’s Fund” $6 oh the things I could buy with $6… so I said Crime Victim’s. Then today, I found out the “Body Control Module” which controls all electronics in my car has just gone south. … a wee bit more than $6 at $600 for the part…
Stressed or Desserts?
Thinking back, I have chosen jobs that paid 1/3 of what I should in hopes of owning part of the business. A friend keeps telling me not to trust people online, yet it was the offline biz that cost the most. Because of the choices of trying to get my own business and work for myself I haven’t made what I should. I have sacrificed vacations, going out to eat, moving and much more just to keep my budget low and become independent.
It has meant going into debt when ventures go south. It has meant that I have just scraped by, barely able to pay bills. Yet, the independence has been a blessing, when my brother and his wife are in town I can visit them. I can make plans without being constantly accountable.
This new venture which is just an expansion of the direction I’ve been heading for years and it has the possibility of eliminating this scraping by. It has meant 6 weeks of writing and re-writing plans, hiring people who disappear after I tell them it requires work and following the plans I’ve laid out… I have Google Docs, Mindmaps, and plans for this business.
I want to go to Hawaii, this vacation has been my dream since I was 10 and my Great Grandmother went to Diamond Head on O’ahu. The price is extremely reasonable, and then I sit here debating shoes or heartworm/flea meds and I wonder if the trip is even possible. The stress headache that brought me down on Sunday and left me feeling extremely weak and exhausted on Monday as I sat on Jury Duty and still hangs on today makes me wonder….
but then again…
Alice: This is impossible.
Mad Hatter: Only if you believe it is.
Alice: Sometimes I believe as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast…
