I Smell Orange

I started my day as normally as any other -- a little toast and a fresh orange for breakfast. My kitchen smelled fresh and citrus-y for a couple hours afterward. Then I ran errands -- no big deal, but I travels took me past the Tropicana plant. We seem to be in between seasons so there wasn't much activity but there is still a hint of orange in the air. This afternoon, I did a little cleaning -- again, no big deal -- but it just happened that I used a furniture polish with orange oil. Again that scent of orange! I find it to be a pleasant fragrance -- good thing!!

I've continued to be busy with jewelry. Last week, I cleaned all of it and prepared for a show on Friday evening. I re-tagged all the earrings -- the price of silver has gone up more than I can continue to absorb and it seemed a good time to get consistent with all the labels (same fonts, same layouts, etc). I made a dozen necklaces and about 40 pairs of earrings. My racks were full for the craft show. It was the best sales event I've had since we moved here nearly 6 months ago. When I got home, it was late -- nearly 11 pm -- but I wanted to do a quick check of email. I discovered that I had a sale on Etsy too! It was an encouraging night for business -- a night I very much needed. It's been a slow winter -- I hope the spring continues to bring better business days.

One Year Ago, part 2

Today is a major anniversary for me! It marks 1 year since my second surgery (read my post of Feb 25) and I'm getting better all the time. The second surgery was considerably tougher on me and recovery has been slow, but I have been enjoying noticeable improvements, even these past few weeks. I sang special music in church last Sunday morning -- my voice was the strongest it has been for a year! It's getting to be uncommon to forget or lose things and my concentration is getting better. It's been wonderful to feel "good"!

My jewelry business is starting to pick up a little too! My Etsy shop is getting a little more visibility -- I've gotten 12 "hearts" (which are given by people who like and want to remember my shop) since the beginning of the month. I sold 4 pairs of earrings last week on Etsy and I'm signed up to participate in a cool craft show next Friday night. The show is part of a "neighborhood block party" called WestFest in a very nice development in our area. There is also going to be a concert (Gary Puckett) and it sounds like a fun event! I'm excited at the prospect!! Today, I've been cleaning my jewelry and re-organizing, getting ready.

When WestFest is done, I will be focusing on getting ready to move -- we'll be heading to our next project in WI in early May. I look forward to going north -- we'll be a lot closer to family and friends. But I have to admit, the prospect of winter in WI in a trailer isn't rocking my world! But that's ok. With last winter in upstate NY and next winter in WI, I've been viewing this winter in FL as the center of the Oreo ... the treat in the middle! :)

So life is good .... BUSY, but good! And we are blessed!