Ready for 5am … again!

Sooo after working my proverbial behind off for the last few days, I REALLY hope that the weather holds off for me to have a good day at Ford market tomorrow! The forecast is for rain … lots and lots of rain, but with clear intervals so I’m gonna suck it and see – my alarm is set for 5am and I’m going anyway! I’m happy enough that I went up there a couple of weeks ago when it wasn’t just rain and wind but thunderstorms … and there were still people walking around the market. At any rate it’s got to be better than Worthing market on a Wednesday!!!

I made the most of my oh so comfortable bed until gone 10am this morning. I was fully aware that with the kids back at school and Ford Market on Sundays now … that Saturday morning is literally my ONLY chance to enjoy the sanctuary of my bed – and ohhhh I took advantage of it this morning. It was almost delicious waking up at 8am, looking at the clock with a smile and pulling the duvet back around me and snuggling in deep for another couple of hours snoozing!!!

I’ve had SUCH a good day today and got so much done. It’s always a good day in the workshop for me when I can be productive!! I was a lean mean packaging machine and pretty much spent the day solidly shrink wrapping and labelling votives! LOL I don’t have nearly enough stock for tomorrow, but I also know that I ALWAYS think that no matter how much I take! Megan is coming with me too … I didn’t know until today when I’d got the car packed up whether there would actually be room for her or not … so I’ll have to see how it all goes and if I do sell a lot … then I’ll have to sacrifice my daughter in the car in favour of more stock! LOL

I SO want a van to cart all my crap clutter stock in! This is a Vauxhall combo van and I know I can get one for £500 cash from “the van man” near my workshop. I just don’t have £500! Grrrrrrr

They are SO adorable … ever heard a van described as cute? Well this is it! I love these vans! They are CUTE and the perfect size. They aren’t massively huge, so I’d be able to drive one without being paranoid about crashing it or pissing my neighbours off too much with taking up lots of space in the road! I can just see this with my company logo all over the side of it … permanent advertising for the business.

I love days like this. Work … well, I had a big smile on my face – I’ve still got a smile on my face for reasons I can’t possibly write about *grin* and I’m hoping & praying that the weather is on my side tomorrow!!!

A 5.30am decision!!

When my alarm went off this morning at 5am for Ford Market, I didn’t even have to look out of the window to know that it was blowing a gale and absolutely chucking it down! I sleep with the window open and the curtain was billowing like a ship sale out through the window … and my bed covers were wet!

Ever the optimist I decided not to snooze the alarm and turned on the TV in the bedroom, switched my laptop on and climbed back into bed to figure it out. Car was loaded last night so I was ready to go …. I was a veritable “in bed” weather station! No matter which website I checked, or which channel’s weather report I was looking at … it said the same thing. Crappy shitty weather until mid afternoon – and as Ford market closes down at 3pm … well …. decision made (after 45 minutes of indecisiveness!)

Soooo I did this instead … LOL yeah I know – hair looks BAD and I look WORSE (puffy bleary eyes) but it was about 5.45am by then in my defence!! I was pretty awake after I’d made the decision, so I made myself a cup of coffee, took it back to bed and watched some early morning TV while I checked my email sitting in bed. Had to get a photo for posterity because it’s only ever on market days that you will see me up that early!! I finally got out of bed around 9am

I don’t want to be a “fair weather trader” and only turn up when the sun is out because if that were the case I’d NEVER be out there! LOL! I’m happy to be out there from early till late working hard, carting all the stock back & forth and putting in the effort come rain or shine. Unfortunately my stock isn’t so happy (the labels all get damaged) and I am not prepared for trading outside in bad weather and the wind … yet!

I did make a productive use of the day and I went up to the market at Ford anyway as a visitor. I introduced myself to the market manager, got all the info I need about trading there and spent a couple of hours chatting with some of the traders. It was definitely worth looking around because I had a much better idea of what I need for next week (tarpaulins, clamps and weights for starters!) to get up and running. At Worthing they at least provide the EZ up canopy for you which has at least a hope of staying put in the wind!! I only have a gazebo which isn’t as strong and weather proof as one of the purpose built ez-up tents or market stalls… so I am going to have to look at investing in one of those. I’ve done some research and they aren’t as expensive as I first thought – and certainly to do Ford Market – will be well worth it!! Fingers crossed I can organise something ready for next Sunday

After I’d got back home after my “rekkie” round the market, I started blitzing my wardrobe! What a difference! I took everything out, sorted it all, threw away anything that doesn’t fit me anymore (plus discovered I’m back into my “skinny jeans” – yeah!!) and had a major enormous shoe cull. I didn’t take a picture of the shoes I chucked out because it’s too depressing! Why I hung onto some of them I don’t know! Some of them were falling to pieces so much, others entirely impractical and I never wear anymore, and others I looked at and thought WHY? LOL

 The top shelf has now got my boots, bags and accessories (doesn’t show in the second pic) – ohh and that empty shoe rack in the RHS pic? Err it isn’t empty anymore – I have a downstairs shoe cupboard that I’ll be re-organising a bit later on … but now ALL my shoes are exactly where they belong in my wardrobe!

THEN I tackled the ironing! My house – which yesterday was spotless – now looks like a laundry service with clothes hanging up everywhere! My iron actually BROKE part way through and I had to phone Mother for an emergency “can I borrow your iron?” visit! I’ve finished for tonight and am chilling out now so I’ll put it all away in the morning!!

It was WEIRD waking up to an empty house this morning! Normally on market day – which is normally a Wednesday and a school day for kids & work day for Hub … I have to creep around like a mouse to try not to wake anybody up but this morning the whole place was mine! I didn’t have to worry about the volume control on the TV (I always have the news & weather on when I am up for market!) or making too much noise tripping over the dog … or the cat whinging outside to come in because it’s been raining! LOL It was all such a novelty! I struggled with the decision NOT to go to market today, but I’ll secretly admit it was really nice to climb back into my warm (albeit slightly damp!) bed with a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning all by my lonesome!

Just call me Ms Productive!

Well, first of all there was a shopping mission for Nathan to get him some new school shirts, new shoes and underwear – all checked off with minimal fuss by a trip to Marks & Spencer!

Then I managed to wangle 5 solid hours at the workshop and I had the most blinding idea about completely re-working my display to give me MORE stuff in HALF as much space. It’s complicated to explain and basically involves doubling up with two votive fragrances in a basket as opposed to a single fragrance, but it works … and it works brilliantly! I tried something different with my stock shelves that I cart to events and back … and again I’ve managed to re-work it so it means I’m taking less shelves and making better use of the space that I have got! It’s just all good! I’ve been working on some new packaging ideas and the display is going to look fantastic!!

I’m nearly all prepared for my first attempt at Ford Market this weekend – and trying something different has given me a renewed sense of motivation to really crack it all out and give it a real push. I feel a LOT better about things and I have one of those weird sneaky feelings that Sunday is going to go really well! Shhh don’t tell anyone incase I am wrong!

And …. Miss Megan is back from Brownie holiday! She had a brilliant time. It is SO nice to have her back home even if the volume level in the house has increased by a few notches again! Mind you, not that I’ll have chance to enjoy seeing her much as hub is leaving with them from about 10.30am in the morning!!

A good day – I feel positive – I feel happy