And They Lived Happily Ever After

As we wrap up the end of this class I wish everyone the best. I value the collaboration and friendships made in the Lesley program and feel my life is richer because of it. I am truly looking forward to playing more, enjoying my family more and this is the last spring break I will have to say--I can't go because I have a big project due! I am going to pursue the online business and appreciate all the comments and suggestions you have given. I hope we all reap the financial benefits we have earned and put to use all the technology we have learned.

The Cameo

   My mother has always loved jewelry (having owned a jewelry store made it so much easier) and we were going through a box of her older collections. We found a cameo that was my great grandmothers. Cameos are not my favorite pieces, I am an Aries so diamonds are truly my best friend. However we had a friend of hers look it over and he said it appears to be from the 1890's period. It is well preserved, minimal marks on the gold and the cameo itself is unmarked. It really is a work of art. I am unsure if my mother wants to part with it, however she has so many "things" as she starts to downsize there has to be a starting point. I don't think she will sell it I just wanted to share. As we laid piece after piece on the cloth, it brings back so many memories of my childhood. I always loved looking through both my grandma and my mom's treasures.

This has been a very stressful week for me and the staff at one of my schools. One of the staff had a medical emergency on Tuesday. She was actually found on the floor in the bathroom. When I arrived there was no pulse or respirations. Of course we did CPR, but in my heart I knew there was no chance(maybe a miracle). The EMT's also did CPR all the way to the hospital and she was placed on full life support. On Thursday she was taken off life support and the end was not long in coming. This was a vibrant 32 yr old single mother of a 12 yr old daughter. The staff was amazing in trying to comfort the family, providing food and vigilance at the ICU.

Why am I posting this sad news? In February I lost my father, yes he was older but he was not sick either. He broke his leg and due to the doctor's who have lost compassion and think of the bottom line only, and staff that are so task oriented that they miss what is really going on with the individual patient, he became septic and was not able to fight it. After a 2 month battle, he lost but is now pain free and in a better place.In both instances life was taken away without warning.

I feel we get so caught up in trivial, non important issues and waste so much time complaining about things we cannot control that this has re-opened my eyes. We have to live each day to the fullest, enjoy and thank God for our families, our health and the life we have and we have to love and care for each other. We never know when something like this may happen to us or a loved one.

I have not had any time to devote to my future business plans but  have been looking at some of the family antiques that I may decide to post. These are not sentimental pieces, as I would not part with those. Trying to decide whether to put up for auction or have a set price is another consideration. Here is one of the first items I may post. It is a Buffalo Bill Rifle collectible-actually have a set of 2.

Not talking about the business so much this week as what is happening in our school district. The budget cuts are estimated at 240-400+ million, one minute we hear that extra funding was found to reduce the 400 and then,  no there is no extra funding. I have heard that one of my schools will start 35 minutes later in the morning and many schools start times will be changed to the tune of saving 10 mil. We were also told today that 3 teacher positions will be cut and the literacy and ELL positions are gone and those teachers go back to the classroom (this is my smaller ES, 740 students).  We still have no idea how much our salaries will be cut or if we have to take furlow days. Have to have faith that God will provide for us, right?

I have found an online resource on how to start selling homemade food products. You do have to obtain both a business license and a permit from the health department for a home food supplier or baker. Once you have obtained the necessary permits, design your website and start getting your supplies and shipping products. This site had great advice on being able to handle large orders, how to ship, offering different packaging options, making pictures of the baked product and providing a delicious description of it. This had links to homemade crafts and other objects you might want to sell.
 http://www.ehow.com/how_5526390_sell-food-items-online.html

As I obtain more information on starting this business I am trying to narrow down my merchandise. I may want to have separate "stores" since I am having difficulty in choosing one area. My daughters want to do a food section which I believe will require food handling license and inspections. So have to do more research on that. But to start I will probably have trinkets, tools, dolls, antiques maybe, and what ever we find in our thrift store search. Start out slowly and build.

I have been searching for information on the best way to start an internet business and found this website helpful. There are multiple ideas of merchandise, blogs,etc to make money. I hope others who may be looking to own their own business at home fine this interesting. http://www.sparkplugging.com/sparkplug-ceo/top-10-internet-home-businesses-ideas-you-can-start-and-run-in-your-underwear/

In this time of economic uncertainty and desire to retire comfortably I am looking for others who have a successful online business or want to start one. I was thinking of opening a "store" on Ebay and want tips on how to get started and what kind of  merchandise to start with.