I has been quite the month, good thing it ended with chocolate

I just finished up another final about 30 minutes ago and have one more tomorrow.

I've been buried under assignment after assignment. Also my computer went down twice this month. The first time wasn't too bad. We got a mean virus and the computer got sick. So we fixed that but lost a lot of pictures of our glass and stuff for the business. Mistakes are lessons that we are supposed to learn from. I learned mine. Back up, Back up, Back up. But you know how people say,"When it rains, it pours". I guess that last week was a lesson in what to do when it pours. The computer went down again last week. This time I tried to save everything before we reset the computer to the factory settings. I had written two papers for my classes and thought that they were safe, but they were not. I ended up having to rewrite one and a half of the papers that I had been working on for the last week or so. It is a good thing that I decided a few months ago that when I can't do anything about a situation now or in the past, I just need to think about what I need to do to move on.

Sorry to those that tried to drop by the little store last weekend. Papa and I needed to get out of the house for a little while. We went to our favorite retreat in Swisshome, Oregon. Ahhhhh ..... It was so nice. There are no street lights, no main roads and our cell phones don't work out there. Just what I needed. As a bonus our friend is a masseuse. Papa's back was having problems so he got two messages and I got one (my back is still a little sore from having the muscles worked). I also got to cook and garden out there with our friends. Sometimes I wish that I could just stay there for weeks.

To top every thing off I found chocolate with the best mouth feel eva. Such good chocolate. I knew I should have gotten more.

Living in Seattle we have wonderful coffee and delicious chocolate. Good thing because they make the best combination. I usually don't buy things that not made locally unless I can only get them somewhere else but this is something that I may have to send away for if I can't find it in Seattle.

This weekend the little store is going to be closed again. Papa and I are going to the east coast for his niece's bat mitzvah. I hope that the weather out there calms down (the news reported that Boston is having a heat wave) or that maybe we can get a little of that sun on this coast. I'll try to being some back along with my bagels.

So far so good. I'm looking forward to gardening this summer and working on the promoting the little store. Also plans are coming together for our fireworks and fish 4th of July sushi party. I can't wait. That is going to be so much fun. I'm gearing up for summer.

It's been a long time, long time...

It's been a while since I've written here, but I do have pictures. I've just been clawing my way through my school assignments. I can't wait til I'm done with this quarter. It's been a much more difficult course load than I have had in a while. I'm going to try to be better about blogging.

Some how this week I was able to take some time to go to a friends soccer game. It's been a few years since I went to one of those. Actually now that I think of it, last time I went to one was with my friend. I had a really good time.

Papa has been making me more vases for the little store. I really like these new ones that he is bringing home.
Speaking of the Little Store, I am going to be closed Memorial Day weekend. I know that most stores are open on Memorial Day and having sales but this Little Store is closed. Every Memorial Day weekend my family and I go to the cemetery to put flowers at our relatives graves and to clean up the grave stones and to pay our respects to those who gave their lives for our country. I will be open next weekend with our new vases.


Next door we have some new neighbors. Papa goes over every day. They are kinda cute. When they weren't looking I took a picture of them.

Making glass for the little store

Last week I spent much of my time planning and preparing for our days in the hot shop. I worked on new color combinations, and picked out old favorites that have been requested and planned out our days. Papa Iano orgainzed and scheduled the hotshop and team. We went out and picked up the glass color that we needed and other matherials.

This time I brought my camera to take pictures of the process.

Papa making glass for the little store

And here is some of the glass that we made. Come on by and check out our new designs. We have a limited number of our new votives and a variety of new small vases for Mother's Day.

A once in a life time opportunity

About a month ago I noticed a screen saver on the School Computer. It was a to promote the visit of the Dali Lama to Seattle and to inform students of available tickets. On my way home I called my friend to infom him of the visit. Once at home I went on-line to check for the tickets. All the student tickets for my school were reserved. Just in case anything became available I bookmarked the site so that I could check back.

So my week begins last Friday...

My friend called me in the morning to tell me that he got tickets to see the Dali Lama in a discussion as a part of Seeds of Compassion : 5-Day Gathering in Seattle, and wanted to know if I would like to go. Yes, please. It was a wonderful experience. Thanks to my friend for thinking of me. I am so thankful that I was able to go.

I have some practicing to do.

Designing and dieting

Last weekend was a little cold, breezy and wet for sales. But I met some new people in the neighborhood that came by to check out our little store. I met a gentleman and a new family that have moved into the neighborhood from Chicago. Since it was quiet in the shop I was able to make up some new display cards, finish up homework for my online accounting class and started a sweater for myself. Sometimes it's nice when the store is a little slow.

I have been working on our new color combinations for our new votive designs. It's like writing down recipies for our glass. When I have a some free time I get my sketch book and start going through our glass color and pick out and write down color combinations that we can make up in the hotshop. I can't wait to make up some new glass for the store.

Papa Iano and I shop mostly at consumer-owned natural food co-operative (the neighborhood co-op). On that note Papa Iano and I are trying to eat healthier. I do feel better eating more vegetables. Sometimes I find that it is hard to find specific foods that I like that are organic sometimes.

Side story... A few weeks ago I went to B'ham to visit some friends and while I was there I went grocery shopping at Terra Organica. It is one of the best natural markets that I have ever been to! In the grocery store there is a juice bar, espresso stand, chocolate and gelatto shop, sushi and pizza resturants, gift store and a special section called Bargainica (discounted organic and natural foods). Here at a co-op in B'ham I found orgainic melba crackers! I can't find these anywhere in Seattle!

Back to eating organic... Well we ran out of the melba crackers that I bought in B'ham so I called my friend up there to see if we could order some. She is going to get us the crackers! I guess that if I can't buy something locally at least I can find it at another local independently owned business.

Back to the grind...

Well, it's been a busy week so far. During my spring break I was able to take a day to run up to B'ham last week to visit a couple of friends and to stock up on the best salmon in the whole world (thank you Mark). I was fortune to get some white salmon (my favorite), sockeye and king. I love visiting B'ham. Most of my time during my break was spent gardening, spending time with family and working on things for my little store.

Here is a preview of the cards that I made (I love designing these)

The little store went well last weekend and I was able to work on a new baby sweater and fine tune my knitting skills. Our vases are selling very well and we have received wonderful feedback on our new designs. We are going to have to schedule another day in the hot shop soon. Word of mouth has really helped us to grow over the last few years. I am so thankful for the support of the neighborhood and the community.

This week I started classes again. I am excited about my schedule for my classes this quarter. I may be able to open the little store on Fridays too. I'm going to wait on that for a few weeks once I get used to the course load. Well, it's time to get back to it.

New designs in the little store

This weekend in the little store I got a wonderful suprise. One of our customers from Idaho came to visit us! After emailing back and forth it's nice to put a face to the buyer. She came with a friend that lives in the Seattle area and made a special trip to the little store on her visit.

Last week Papa Iano and I designed and make up some new vases. We still have many votives in stock but were in desperate need of some vases. So we made up more organic vases, and tried out some new designs for vases too. It was so much fun trying out the different color combinations on the vase shapes that I drew the day before. When I go into the hot shop with Papa Iano I get to put out the colors and choose the vase shape that I want made. While the vase is being made I take notes on the colors used and pull the next color combinations for the next piece.

The feed back that we get in the little store has been so helpful. I was able to take many of the suggestions from our customers and use them in the designing of the new pieces that we made. The input that we recieve from our customers is an important part of our design process.

Thanks to the inspiration from designing the vases I was able to finish two pairs of booties. I'm on a roll with these baby knits.