Strangely enjoyable

It's been awhile since I last went to church (I probably shouldn't be admitting this here). So I had planned to go to church yesterday. But since we got back into town at almost 1am the previous night, I had a late start and attended the later mass at 1pm at a different church. I was 15 minutes early and as I sat down, I noticed the "atmosphere" around me was a little different.
Then mass started and I realized that it was a Spanish mass.
I did not understand a single word except for an occasional "Uno, Dos, Tres". I stood when everyone stood and sat when everyone sat and enjoyed the La bamba beat that was added into conventional churchy music. I thought that was kinda cool. And one guy was doing some sort of a salsa walk as he was walking up the aisle. For a moment, I forgot that I was actually in the U.S.

I left shortly after and spent the rest of the time at their "reflection garden" outside. There was a pond and fountain and stations of the cross that were engraved in stone, a stone altar and a little area which I assume is where they sometimes hold outdoor masses. Very pretty. Very peaceful. I could have sat there for a good hour enjoying the solitude but it was too darn cold so I went home.

First Craft show experience

The day finally came! After worrying and stressing and obsessing about this day, it arrived and I had a great time. I think Jason did too. (He got a little bored in the afternoon and thankfully there was a radio that he could tune in to listen to the ballgame)

We got to know and meet Gayle and her family. She's one of our team members from the ACE team on Etsy. Our tables were just beside each other in the same room. And I enjoyed their company tremendously. Her son, Mitchell, makes cards and they were a big hit. We bought some and Jason told him that we're going to send those to Malaysia. He was so excited and it really made his day coz he could not stop telling everybody about it.

There wasn't much of a crowd. Most of the buyers were their own church members. But everyone were so very nice.
Parents-in-law came during lunch time to help relieve us so that we could grab a quick lunch.

I sold a few scrubbies and Jason did a good job with his all-purpose spice and giving out samples. We went in with zero expectations and was just hoping to have an experience and meet some wonderful people. And we did.

That night, I slept like a baby. So relieved. And so very tired.
I admire those crafters who do shows like these almost every week. Where do they get all that energy from?

List of "must haves" for a craft show

I'll be doing my very first craft show tomorrow. So I'm going to list what to bring here (so I know where to look if I were to do another craft show)

Inventory
Tablecloth
Shop Signage
Price signage
Change (dollar bills)
Apron / money holder
Business cards + holder (I'm using the EQ3 glass dish)
Tape (duct tape)
Pens, markers
Stapler
Paper bags, merchandise bags
Camera (and batteries)
Calculator
safety pins
hand sanitizer
baskets, wooden bowl, vase
boxes (to add additional layer)
table runner
Water
First aid kit
Tylenol

I am probably forgetting something.

Holiday Gift Guide

Just discovered my bath scrubbie is being featured on UpstateFancy's holiday gift guide!