Yesterday, today. . . life of an entreprenure business woman/mom… November 27, 2009

  !!!!!!HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!! 

Why no post yesterday??

-First there was computer work
-grocery store-gather ingredients for holiday baking
-then meeting and work on video with John1, Me, John2, Frances (who’s working with us on the Red Book and Cotton book project)
-back to grocery store because now my eggs had exceeded the four hour without refrigeration limit by an hour and a half and they were now officially trash and I had to have them for Thanksgiving baking…
-Stand in line with all the other late Thanksgiving meal shoppers
-home
-greet Zach, who has been with me for the last 4 days 
-drop grocery sacks on floor, peel off coat, dive into sacks, grab cookbook, start dumping ingredients into Kitchen Aid blending bowl
-duel task: prepare dinner
-Have a thought: haven’t checked emails all day, oh dear: quick check.  While there: check the job site I’ve joined to find a new family to nanny for, no leads, pop onto Facebook to post a quick status report, “Oh, there’s two emails”, tell myself,  “Ignore them, too busy,” can’t ignore, I’m a terrible ignorer, read emails, respond to the quickest one, forget to post status
-eat a nice meal with Zach
-keep an eye on the baking Pumpkin Bread loaves
-clean up–because I’m doing my level best keeping up with my dishes
-respond to another FB email
-Dial up John1 and together we set up his new channel on YouTube.  Lots to do and lots of decisions and who knew.  It never ceases to amaze me how long filling in start up information can take. Profiles go on forever and if you want a respectable one they take time.  Then the proofing, tweaking and finally its done.
-Hang up, now it’s like right around 11:10 p.m.
-back to FB write another email response
-pittle around with some other necessary things
-bed 1:30 a.m.  Choose sleep over blogging I was zonked and I wanted to be really fresh for tomorrow…

TODAY:
-shower
-On phone: with kids, John1, kids again, my brother called and I missed it and am just now remembering, ugh, decide with John1 we’re going to launch the video today…
-Peel Sweet Potatoes, boil, mash with butter, brown sugar, and top with cinnamon/brown sugar and marshmallows
-Phone call, jam phone under ear continue to get ready: John1-what do I think about…??  (YouTube wise)… Again, firsts…loaded with time and questions
-Go get Zach a fresh set of clothes, he was out.  Blah.
-Return with Dan to help with wheel chair
-Phone call: John1, bouncing YouTube question off me…Then….Yes!!  Theresa we have liftoff!!  The sucker went.  And I feel like I just birthed a baby. Now the wait for it to be posted!
-Myself, Dan, Zach, his chair, Pumpkin Bread, and hot Sweet Potato dish are now in truck, on the way to the kids/Scott’s/the ‘exs’ house.
-Arrive. Right on the money for dinner: 2 o’clock.  Phew.  Make gravy while Scott gets food on table.  Eat.
-It was a enjoyable day.  I determined that I was going to do all I could to ensure that not a single annoying word passed between Scott and I annnndddd…there was a couple.  But overall, no bickering, no rubbing “the cat’s fur the wrong way” in any real noticeable manner.  Triumph. 
-Got home around 10 called my parents, talked for about 45 minutes.
-Checked to figure out why the video never showed up on YouTube.  Dig around… ohhh, the silly thing is set for private: another thing to “set”, Well…tomorrow we’ll launch it.  The name of John1′s channel: http://www.youtube/JohnSolomonSandridge
-Got ready for bed annnndddd just couldn’t go…I needed to spend a few minutes with you first
  Missed you yesterday!  Glad to be back today.  Wondering if any of this was interesting… Humm, well, it’s the 2 days in the life of a woman entrepreneur/mom anyway, if you ever were wondering what we do

Night, Love ya,
Theresa Jane
-who will be up at 4 a.m. to go to Walmart’s door buster sale to press through crowds of people…before the sun is up.  Oh Yippee…    Oh and the pictures today are the smile faces 

Raisin memories . . . November 17, 2009

Having a full out “stop day” from business naturally equaled no business blogging.  So that left me with a bit of a hole.  Not often at a loss for words,  words wasn’t the problem.  The problem was which words.  But I decided.  And it all started with raisins . . .

Cooked a yummy cheese burger for lunch.  Quick seared on both sides to trap in the juices then baked in the oven to finish the cooking.  Topped it with, Colby cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and Portabella mushrooms cooked in olive oil and a generous amount of garlic, sided it with lightly steamed broccoli and a pile of Bread and Butter pickles… Oh god, now I’m hungry again… As I munched I listened to Duma Keys.  After

My Kitchen Aid Mixer. Love her. A thing of beauty.

eating I decided to bake something.  Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  Not for me, for John1 who loves them–that man deserves a batch of homemade cookies for how hard he works.  Listened to Duma Keys as I melted, blended, measured, splashed, and dropped ingredients in my Kitchen Aid mixer–I love my mixer.  I think everyone should have one.

Well, I never cook with raisins without thinking of my grandmother . . .

I enjoy cooking and baking.  I’m damn good with food.  Started in my grandmother’s kitchen.  Not by my doing.  But by watching.  That woman could cook anything and make it good.  Well except that she had an annoying passion for the raisin.  She managed to slip those things into what seemed like everything, including the occasional chocolate chip cookie.   Yup.  I’m serious.  And apparently she’s not alone.  I stood in a bakery last year and eyeballed that very cookie type sitting under a gleaming glass case, atop a snow white, lacy, paper lined tray, aligned in perfect rows.  There was a business card shaped linen sign proudly standing erect in a shiny metal holder with beautiful, swirly calligraphy announcing to their customers that these were their Chocolate Chip Raisin cookies.  I mean really.  Is this something to advertise to the world?  That they put raisins in their chocolate chip cookies.

I started surveying the shop.  This had to be a joke.  Convinced that if I got into my spiritual state deep enough I would find my grandmother’s ghost floating among the customers, eyes twinkling and her belly rolling with laughter.  So convinced that this was a joke from the spiritual side I asked the little worker bee, “So your owner seriously bakes chocolate chip cookies and puts raisins in them?”  Reply… “Yes she does, and they’re good you should try one.”  I laughed, shifted, and said, “That’s okay.  Thanks.  My grandmother used to say the same thing when she baked them.  I never agreed.”  Startled and wide eyed this young thing says, “Oh, wow.  I haven’t heard of this type of cookie anywhere but here.”  “Well,” I said waving my hand, “you didn’t grow up around my grandmother.”  At this point I quickly chose something, paid, and left.    The moment had grown just a little too surreal.  I, myself had never heard of them outside my grandmother’s kitchen.  And I made food one of my most intense creative outlets throughout my 23 year marriage.  Submerged myself into it, like an over steeped tea bag.   Where was I really??   Twilight zone moments should be left carefully and defiantly quickly . . .

Night, Love ya,
Theresa Jane
-hope you enjoyed my bit of history and humor