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!

Bake Sale

Our office had our annual Pink on Purpose Fund Raiser on Friday. Everyone was encouraged to bring in a baked item. So I made some coconut almond bars.

Life as it is today

Someone sent me this today :

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today. If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today. If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today. But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you will have received $214.00. Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg. A recent study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon! Makes you proud to be an American!

:)

Still no gas

It's been two weeks and Charlotte is still facing a gas shortage.
People are rushing for gas and turning the situation into a state of emergency.

With a quarter tank, I drove to work last Thursday with hopes of finding some gas on the way but no luck. The two stations that had gas on the way home had long lines and maybe an hour wait. My company issued an email informing us that if we cannot find gas, we are allowed to work from home.

Friday morning, Jason called me up and told me the station down the road had gas. I got there at 7am and lines had already started to form with two police cars directing traffic and standing by incase a fight broke out. By afternoon, they were out of gas again.
Even at $4.19/gallon, I was glad my car is full.

Yesterday, we saw cars circling the Shell station near Walmart because they saw a tanker parked there. People are desperate.
Some cars will even follow behind a tanker just to see where it goes to get gas.

Mayor McCrory said he had considered ordering that gasoline be rationed, but decided that would create more panic and hoarding, which industry experts say are exacerbating the problem.
We've turned into vultures. But who is to blame?

Jason's debut

Here's a short extract from yesterday's concert - tunes from the fifties and Broadway.