this last week has been killer. i’ve spend more time in more doctors’ offices than i care to, and while this week includes less of that, it still includes some. i’ve got a crazy school schedule to deal with this month with random days off, early dismissals, teacher conferences, not to mention keeping the house somewhat sane and preparing for thanksgiving. oh, and did i mention we’ve got a craft fair to get ready for? yep.  and a virtual one too (although that at least takes less setting up of displays).

in short, i’m burnt out.

so, i’ve decided that this week i’m going to take a little break, and hopefully come back next week refreshed and, even more importantly, sane.

hey, stranger things have happened. so wish me luck.

it’s been an unusual week. what with the sickness, numerous doctors’ appointments, visitors from out of town, and an overall crazy schedule, we haven’t had a single meatbagz meeting this week.

heaven help us.

and aside from serious tea withdrawl, it’s been frustrating since the shop has been inexplicably quiet. but no worries, we’ve still got a lot in the wings.

we’ve got a lot of our new holiday designs DONE, both on bagz and on kitchen towels, which is exciting since we have a craft show fast approaching. and whatever doesn’t sell at the show will be appearing in the shop immediately thereafter, so we’ve got what we like to call a “back up plan”.

inventive, we know.

in preparation for said craft show we have a couple of projects to take care of for our new display ideas…and while i’ve done the majority of the prep work for them, i’m missing a few key ingredients before i finish them. and i’ll tell you more about them when i do.

but in the meantime, i’m feeling restless without my weekly meetings. we need to jump start the shop, damn it, and make a few sales. and if people don’t like our new bagz (and they’d better!), i guess it will make my gift giving that much easier…

everyone will get one of these guys.

white chocolate and cranberry scones. tara, i’m not sure if i should thank you or curse you for passing this recipe on, but darn it…i’m in love.

november is national novel writing month. every year, the folks over at nanowrimo sponsor a program to challenge people to sign up and write a novel this month.

crazy?

yes.

but also fun.

william and i both did it a couple of years ago, everyone in the family promptly got sick, and i dropped out before completing the challenge of 50,000 words.

so this year i’m trying again. will i make it? very probably not, but no matter what, i’m going to try-and have fun doing it.

so if you feel like you’re up for a challenge, check out the site and sign up. it’s not too late to start! and if you don’t quite make the goal, don’t worry-you’re in good company (aka me).

what to do when stuck in the house and bored out of your mind (and driving your parents crazy)?

why, take a trip to the drive in, of course!

first, get a couple of kid sized boxes:

sit inside.

get nice and comfy.

get mama or daddy to turn on a movie.

and enjoy a trip to the drive in.