LISTENING TO THE OLDIES CHANNEL

We have a great oldies channel here in Atlanta which I keep tuned in on my radios all the time, here in my office and in my car as well.

The DJ made some comment tonight along the lines of every song that he played made him think of something that happened to him in the past. I know that's also the case with me and thankfully, most of those memories are good ones!

I am dating myself I know, but I remember so well all of those old Beatles songs! I played girls varsity basketball and sang in the chorus in high school (along with most the other girls, as there were so few of us anyway). Let me share with you that my graduating class numbered a whopping 27 and we were considered a BIG class! Yes, it was a VERY small school and as mentioned in an earlier post, it was a county school system.

Anyway, basketball was the love of my life and the main reason for living back then. When we had away games, all of us loaded onto the team bus, ready to kick butt for the alma mater! Of course, we had to sing all the way to the game and Coach always asked for Beatle songs. The ones that come to mind seem to be "Help", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", and "Michele". I feel sure there were others, but I can remember him specifically asking us to sing those three.

I was sitting here today working in the office and "Help" was played, I started thinking about Coach, basketball, old schoolmates, etc. I hadn't heard or seen Coach or his wife in a long time, so decided to check out Whitepages.com and look them up in the town I last understood them to live. Sure nuff, he was listed and I called to say hello. He wasn't there, but I spoke to his wife, who was our history teacher at the time, and had a great catch up call.

It was so good to hear that they are both doing well, have grandkids and interestingly enough, have two of three children who are now in the teaching profession and a grandson who is going to college to be a teacher.

I'll be honest with you folks. The times have changed...Growing up I thought the ONLY thing good about being a teacher was having summers off- who would possibly want a profession where you had to put up with all us kids all the time? Now, I think they all deserve a big hats off! Finding fulfillment in teaching has got to be one of the hardest things to do! I don't think they are so much teachers anymore as they are policemen and sometimes babysitters! And sometimes they're busy dodging bullets!

Do you think the high school kids of today will look back twenty years from now and want to reconnect with the adults who are known as their teachers? I am generalizing, I know. There are a lot of good kids out there who want a good education and do appreciate the teachers, but overall, I don't think that's the case, sadly. I think it takes very very special people who want to be teachers and I am so very thankful for them all! I don't think ANYONE gives them enough credit! Perhaps it would be a good idea for all of us to call our old teachers, or at least one of them, and let them know we miss them and appreciate all they did for us! Think about it folks! Without them, would we be where we are today?

Tassel on!

Trying not to get discouraged!

Ok. I went back through the Etsy how to do list of suggestions to sell items. Made the extra pictures, added my (awful) picture for an avatar, though I am going to change that VERY soon, put a banner in and even purchased something from someone else in order to get feedback. I purchased some silk ribbon from an Etsy shop and haven't received it yet, so the feedback portion is still incomplete, although I have purchased items on Etsy in the past, so am not quite sure what I'm to accomplish by this - perhaps you guys can shed some light on this for me. ???

Plenty of 'looks' but still no sales. What am I doing wrong? Perhaps I happen to have one of those items that people just don't want? Hmm...

Should I post the eyeglass chains and perhaps some jewelry on another shop site? Gosh knows, there isn't any jewelry on Etsy! Sorry, sarcasm is one of my character flaws! I make the stuff, but so many of you are MUCH more talented in that area than I. I just don't think I can compete, but don't guess I have much to lose at this point. Just thinking....I haven't really made any jewelry in a good while..just the eyeglass chains. Everything is probably outdated - does that occur?

I had posted a couple (literally) of tassels on Ebay to see what would happen and didn't get the first viewing. (Hey that sounds like a funeral, huh?) So, no more business with them, for tassels - besides, personally I think Ebay is expensive to list! I have considered putting all this embroidery floss on there though....I gotta get rid of this stuff! It's taking up half my bedroom floor!

My daughter has a female doxie puppy who will EAT ANYTHING! I live in the lower section of her split level home, and cannot let the puppy (Sundae) come down to my 'house' as she has eaten buttons off my sweater that was left on my bed, a bra that inadvertently was dropped on the way to the washing machine with the other dirty laundry, a brand new library book, etc, etc, etc. Not to mention the ZIPPERS on JB's sofa pillows in the den. I've known puppies who chew before, but Sundae takes the cake, no pun intended! They named her Sundae because she is a piebald doxie and is white with chocolate "drops" over her body, sorta looking like an chocolate ice cream Sundae. Not to mention that son-in-law's favorite food is ice cream, so Sundae seemed appropriate for 'their new dog'. I've shown you pictures of my buddy Piper, the oldest of the three doxies who own this house, but the middle one, Moxie, I haven't mentioned yet. She is a yapper. And the biggest chicken you've ever met.

When someone comes to the front door and rings the doorbell, they all bark which is good, cause I can't hear the doorbell downstairs, but know by the barks, that someone is here. Piper and Sundae are trying to get through the front door to whomever is on the other side, barking all the while, yet here is Moxie - down in my part of the house - backed up under my desk, barking her head off! This is as far away as she can possibly get from the front door! Seems like she's telling the other two that she has their back - From WAY DOWN here.! She's a hoot!

Got wordy there, sorry, but back to the embroidery floss - I am having to keep my area closed off with a baby gate at the top of the stairs, or Goodness knows what Sundae would do in all that embroidery floss!!! YIKES. Any suggestions on how to sell this stuff???

Heck, any suggestions on how to sell anything!??

I'm really really trying to stay positive here, you folks have helped with the hearts and positive comments... Please don't think I am unappreciative, I'm truly very appreciative - But would like to SELL Something, darn it!

Ok, enough doom and gloom.

I am posting some pictures of some rhinestone pins that I made necklaces from. The horizontal pin was yellow/brown on one end when I got it, and both pins had missing stones. I found a couple of sites online that sold the replacement stones and set about cleaning them up and replacing stones. You know, I found this to be very rewarding and fun. I found a couple of dental picks to clean off the excess glue and found that refurbishing these pins is very relaxing for me. Go figure. But it's also rewarding to see how they can really come to life and shine again! Hey..I like sparklie things, what can I say!

Ok. Gonna call it a night. These hot, humid, Georgia days are sapping all of us, I think. Dread July and August if this keeps up.

Tassel on!

Ann

THE PATRIOT ACT IS KILLING ME!

I'd like to share a story with you. Bear with me, this gets a little complicated.

I was born a couple of weeks ago...haha...Anyway, my parents knew they wanted a little girl named Ann and my last name would be Thompson. They had a little difficulty, I understand coming up with a first name they both liked. My dad suggested Julia, which sat well with my mom, I guess, because first thing I knew, I was Julia Ann Thompson. Ok. Was always called Ann. Barely knew there was a Julia attached.

We always lived in rather small towns, especially the one we moved to when I was in the sixth grade. There was a county school system there, and only about 5 of us girls in our class lived within the city limits....the rest were "county girls" and were bussed into town to school. Ok. I am still Ann Thompson. Fine.

Hooray. I am now sixteen and can take my driver's test....I passed! My brand new drivers license was issued to Julia Ann Thompson. Okay. Nobody would see that horrible picture, much less know my first name. No problem.

Rock on.....until about age 19 when I met and fell in love head over heals to a guy whose last name was, you got it, Kendrick. Got married, was introduced as Mrs. Kendrick, i.e. Ann Kendrick. More specifically, Ann T. Kendrick. My mother in law was very big on monograms, and I got lots of towels and linens and silver all monogrammed ATK. No problem. For over 18 years, as long as I was Mrs. Kendrick, I was Ann Kendrick to my friends. Bank records, insurance policies, etc, all in the name of Ann T(hompson) Kendrick.

Can you guess where this is going???

Divorce came about 1985 and I kept the Kendrick last name, as my children were 12 and 16 at the time, and I had been Mrs. Kendrick for about as long as I had been Ann Thompson. Who wants to go through all the paperwork to change names, right?

No problem.

Until last year. Along comes the Patriot act and my driver's license needs renewing. I heard about my peers who were having to have legal name changes in order to have social security card names and drivers license names match. Well, gee, mine didn't match....name change? EXPENSIVE! Find an attorney, go to court, or do it yourself, spend three trips to the county seat, appear before the judge, get name changed, still not cheap. OR I could just get social security card Ann T. Kendrick to match driver's license Julia Ann T. Kendrick. So I chickened, and took the easy way to the social security office. Name change there was simple, easy and speedy! Done Deal. No problem.

Riigghhhttt.

Every time I present driver's license for picture ID for anything, doctor's visits, insurance, opening an account, hooray....I am Julia. Who? Oh, me....yeah. I forgot.

So. Yesterday I sold some eyeglass chains to a local gift store. The owner kindly made the check out to Julia Ann's Jewelry, which was the card I had given to one of his associates when she had first looked at my product and ordered 12 of them made. Okay. To the bank I go. Surely they will just accept
"for deposit only" and my name into my personal account.

Nope. Not gonna do it. It was made out to a business and I had no matching business account by that name. Forget the LLC I had gotten from the state which also said JuliaAnn's Jewelry was under that LLC (which was all gotten under the direction of the assistant manager at the bank almost a year ago). Well. ARgued with the bank this morning for a couple of hours. Could go to the county courthouse and get a business license under the name JuliaAnns Jewelry, then come back to bank and open account in that name and they would cash the check. I hated to go back to the business owner (trying to make a good first impression, doncha know?) and ask for a rewrite of the check. So maybe I would go get the license. Called to find out how they took their funds and how much.....$191.oo!!!! SNIT! Hey, people. I'm currently, suddenly unemployed! Don't have that much lying around! GEEZ. Ok. Talked to the bank again, told them what the license would cost, asked if I could get one from our newly formed city instead, and the answer was yes, but if I could just get the owner to make the check out to JuliaAnnThompson Kendrick Jewelry, then I would be okay and not have to have a license. Well, okay. I'll go ask for a new check. Hang my head, apologize and say what the bank told me to say.

Embarrassing. But did it.

Back to the bank. The other assistant helped me this time (she didn't have to call the help desk to find out what to do), and happened to notice that my existing accounts were all in the name of Ann T. KEndrick... which wasn't correct! YIKES. Here we go again.

ALL my accounts had to be changed. Business, personal checking and savings! To Julia Ann Thompson Kendrick. What a hoot! So. Without having a city business license, or a county one, If someone wants to buy jewelry made by me, and I want to deposit a check they write.......it must be made out to:

Julia Ann Thompson Kendrick Jewelry.

Oh, government, how good art thou! How dare someone try to do an identity theft of that big mouth full!!

So. All of you who possibly face a renewal of your Georgia Driver's license soon, please make sure your name matches on your social security cards and license, or I'm telling ya, you're in for it, all the way round!

What a day! I am pooped!

Tassel on.....but not on the way to the bank!

SOLD SOME THINGS TODAY!

Ok. I must still be stuck in the '80's. I just wrote and wrote and wrote a whole new post and now can't find it anywhere! Dang technology! So, by George, I will try again!

I saw that I have some followers....Welcome.. Hope you come back again. I will certainly try to get to your blogs either tonight or first thing in the morning! When Julie said she had some followers for me....I suddenly got cold feet....I thought what can I say that anyone would be interested in????YIKES. But I'm gonna try.

I SOLD some eyeglass chains today!! Last week, a local gift shop salesperson called and asked if I would be interested in selling them wholesale. I said sure right away (the better to support my tassel habit, doncha know?). They asked me to bring a sample by, which I did, and they ordered twelve to be delivered today! My first big sale as a "wholesale jewelry artist"! What a rush!!! Well, I say big, but not really in dollar amounts, just big in that it was the FIRST! Gonna make a copy of the check and put it on the wall here in my office, I think! Is that being too smug??? Heck. Bout time I started having some GOOD luck for a change... Sometimes I think that if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all!

In trying to find some crystals for the chains, I remembered that I had a couple of fully "stamped" cards that I obtain from a local bead shop I visit. So, I tried to find the checkbook cover where I stash them and darn....can't find that sucker anywhere! Don't remember the last time I used my checkbook as I signed up for an automatic savings thingie at the bank in that every time I used my credit/debit card, it automatically sends a dollar to my savings account! So. Where is the checkbook? Still can't find it. To say that sometimes I can be rather scatterbrained, is an understatement! I am also one of those people who will save something for many years, finally decide that I haven't used it in all this time, so toss it in the trash! Don't you know? The VERY next day- I'll need it! Yep, that's me, all right! Ever had anything like that happen to you? Gonna keep searching for those cards, though. Gotta be in this house, somewhere!

A little bit about me, right quick. I am the mother of two grown children, the oldest, JB (Jennifer Brooke - though never going by that) and a son, Thomas Knox III. Both kids got married last year, within 4 months of each other. Both had Florida week-long destination weddings..... thought they were trying to kill mom! When we have a rainy day, and you want to hear it, I will tell you the story about how nutzoid the ex (JB and Knox's dad) acted at daughter's wedding last year! What a hoot! Now I KNOW I did the right thing in divorcing that turkey! There are times that I live a soap opera life! My friends keep telling me I should write a book about being married and getting a divorce from the jerk, and who knows, maybe one day I might. Btw, we have been divorced since 1985. It took ten years to be able to be in the same room with him again.....folks it was BAAAADDDDD.


Ok. nuff about that. Pictures here are of my daughters oldest doxie, Piper, who has bonded with me. Wherever I go, she does too. She sits in the chair in my office when I am in here and whenever I go into another room, there she comes. She's my bud.

Am putting up a picture of the next tassel to be listed on Etsy. I took so many pictures, trying to show the blues (which really look like all the blues in the ocean) but never could get them to look quite right. I think that's why I fell in love with the yarn. I don't do too many made of wool, though I think this one is 50% silk and 50% merino wool. Feels good, anyway.

I want to hold lots of giveaways here, so hope you'll 'stay tuned'. Please feel free to post comments, or if you 'd rather email me directly, you can reach me at atkendrick@yahoo.com. I will answer emails as soon as I can. Right now, I'm looking for another job as I was just replaced by a computer. I was typing radiology transcription and voice recognition software got us. Am beginning to think I might have to think of early retirement, cause nobody seems to want this chick to come work for them! Oh well, I'll keep trying!

Good night all. Have a great day tomorrow and know that I'm here if you need me.

Tassel on.

Thank goodness for new friends

I've made a new friend, folks. Haven't met her yet, just emailed her back and forth several times and talked on the phone a little, but she's a lady from Tennessee who is interested in sharing booth space at festivals. She and I seem to have lots in common (OMG), in that I typed radiology transcription and she has typed transcription in the past. We seem to have children about the same ages, both divorced (although she is braver that I, and is trying marriage again-you go girl!). Both of us are "craftsy", though she can do most anything, from the sound of it!!! Boy am I impressed!

But, see how the Guy upstairs (or woman, if you so choose) gives you what you need when you need it most? Julie is an answer to prayers for breaking into this business. She has helped so much.....got me started on this blog thingie....bear with me folks, I'm learning, and has suggestions for doing all sort of neat stuff! We are trying to locate some shows to get into this fall, so look out art world, here we come! I know I will learn lots from her simply by association!

Check out her blog at http://juliesbits.blogspot.com/.

Will go now, but thanks for joining me. Talk to you later.

Ann