by Tish MacWebber | Jan 11, 2018 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
Hello Treasure Seekers! I am writing this a little late this week. How ironic is it that I design a new homepage with a table set for five less than two weeks ago for this website for me to not get this story written on time because I have too much on my plate? Very. So I should write a bit about this.
I have joined a bunch of challenges, am working on the website, still writing the blog, trying to find time to write my first book, am training and integrating for a new position at work, and maybe just maybe, I am a little bit overwhelmed. I am falling a bit behind in some areas and struggling to keep up with the rest.
This is nothing new for me at this time of year. January for the last few years has been a busy month for me. What is different now? I am fighting. I am pushing my limits and my boundaries. I am not going to just give up. I am writing today because of that. The old me would have just tried to forget that I missed the deadline and maybe started slacking off with writing. Not now. I am writing this late, but the important part is, I am writing it. I didn’t just quit. I am still working on all of the things, and have every intention to figure it out. One thing at a time.
So what should you do when there is too much on your plate and none of it is edible? You should tackle one portion at a time. I am writing this tonight and since I have the next 2 days off, I will make a plan in the morning to tackle the rest.
In terms of the Jewellery Brand Makeover Challenge, I am working on it. I am gearing up for the 2nd part of the homework. I am thinking really hard about rebranding Tish’s Treasures. With this website, I am starting something new. I think it deserves a fresh name, and brand. So I am thinking about what the new name should be. I have written a cocktail line for the Jewellery business. Here it is.
My Treasures (or Bling, I haven’t decided yet-this depends on my rebranding) are patterned with symmetry, but they are whimsical, unique, delightful and quirky expressions of my creativity, made just for the client after a consultation, often being a surprise to those who receive them , whether it is for the client or as a gift for someone else.
I haven’t ever tried to summarize my Bling Business before, let alone rebrand it. I am working on this currently, and when I make a final decision it will be a quick switch. Once I decide on what it is I am going to do, then it just happens.
I am playing around with ideas, even changing the logo just on the bling page from Always Thinking… to Always Blinging…
I haven’t decided on the name yet. I am thinking about using my pen name. Possibly just the initials TMW bling or designs or treasures. Tish MacWebber has to be in the new business name, I am just not exactly sure how it will be used.
If you have any thoughts or comments about this, please feel free to share them.
Until next time…
#TreasureSeekerTuesday (on a Wednesday or a Thursday…it is late).
by Tish MacWebber | Jan 6, 2018 | Weekend Warrior
Hello, Weekend Warriors and Weekend Warrior readers! I am writing today because I have to squeeze my whole weekend into one day. I am changing positions at work, and the transition starts tomorrow. I will have some different days off, and I don’t know yet what my regular schedule will be like. I am just happy with the change and willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.
I missed a few of my regular weekend facebook posts last weekend. I am going to fix that up starting today. I will be working really hard to catch up on everything today so I don’t fall behind. That being said, I have quite an extensive list in my head, that I should really take the time to write down. That will be next.
I am starting a different challenge this upcoming week. (Several, actually). The one I am really excited about is going to help me move Tish’s Treasures to this website the correct way! I am so excited. I never even stopped long enough to think about branding the Bling page for the website. I SO have to do this! (Guess what Treasure Seeker Tuesday will be about this coming week!) I am already thinking that the easiest way to start is to make it under my pen name, as it is a name I completely made up and therefore will make me stand out from anyone else using the name Tish’s Treasures. I have found at least one other business with that name. Expect that to happen on the Facebook page asap!
Which means new designs with my website colour palette, and that is going to be a bit of work. I will have to get back to the thought process before I update the website, but the good news is that I am working on a blank page. I can start however I want to, and build from that. I have a few parts already conceptualized, and they will be a part of what is to come when I am ready.
I am also helping friends at suppertime. I am getting the bonus of supper with those friends, too, and that is great! I like that I have to make time to help people that I care about, and I don’t have to figure out what to make for supper. Which also helps me with another weekend chore.
I am starting the new year with two challenges I have done before. Both are for cleaning and organizing. One is a 10 minute a day challenge for January, and today is my catch up day. If you want to check this cleaning challenge, check it out on youtube, Day 1 of 2018’s #31Days2GetOrganized Challenges. It is hosted every January by Peter Walsh, who used to be on the TV show Clean Sweep. I used to watch him on that show, and it is why I do the challenges every January since I found them. The other one starts Monday, and it is the spring cleaning and organizing challenge. I need time to prepare for it, and that time is today. So that is also what I am doing today. The surface clean before the deep spring clean.
I will have to figure out a grocery list today and get Roy to get the groceries tomorrow, while I am at work. It is a lot to do in one day, but I can continue things tomorrow after work if I have to.
First, I need to get ready to make this week’s coffee review video on my facebook wall. I have done this on Saturdays but may have to film on a different day of the week until my schedule settles down. Then I will have to walk away from the computer to get some other things done. That is the other reason I am writing it early this weekend. I have to get other things done and crossed off my list.
What are you doing this weekend?
#WeekendWarrior
by Tish MacWebber | Sep 3, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Long weekend! Yes! I had planned to take Friday off as a vacation day. I am working on the Holiday. I earn holiday pay, it is a Stat. So I am OK with that, as I enjoyed having yesterday off.
We started the day off at a local restaurant for Brunch. It was my second time at Claudine’s Eatery on Main Street, in Fredericton. It was my husband’s first time there. When I spoke to the owner about writing about our experience, she was concerned that we took pictures of our meals. There was a new cook, and apparently, they are not trained on presentation, yet. I told her not to worry, as long as I had permission to use some pictures from her online pages. She said that would be fine.
I didn’t know if I should go for something fancy or not, but when I saw a number of choices on the breakfast menu that included lobster…I decided to take the plunge in for some seafood. I ordered the lobster omelet with a side salad instead of homefries, and also no toast.
My husband got “The Maritimer” a traditional bacon eggs sausage toast and added ham. The new cook forgot to put the pancakes on his plate. They brought them out on a separate plate. He liked his breakfast. I enjoyed mine, immensely. There were large pieces of lobster in the omelet, and the side salad was fresh. I would recommend it to anyone, it was wonderful. The pic below has toast, mine did not.
Other than specializing in many types of Eggs Benny, they also have french onion soup listed as one of their favourites. While I was searching through their pictures, I spied what I will try the next time I go for lunch.
Lobster grilled cheese with gouda and a small crock pot lobster poutine at Claudine’s Eatery.
My husband is not a fan of seafood. Lobster ranks higher than chocolate or pizza on my list. I will be going to try this, and maybe to talk about my favourite way to eat lobster. Always Thinking…
I then made my way out to King Woolens and Yarns after I brought my husband home. I was planning to visit my friend, the owner, and check out what she set up for the new display for my Tish’s Treasures in her store. I forgot to bring my new blue flower earrings. 🙁
Blue Flower Earrings
She had found a picture of a display online that she asked my opinion on. I liked it and told her so. She didn’t need help assembling it, but I went out to look for ideas for the base with her. She had the new display assembled and ready. It makes you want to walk around it to see what else is there. She did a great job on it. I happened to bring out a few new jewellery displays I had found yard sale shopping earlier in the summer, and we made a few changes. We worked on it together, and it looks great now!
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Tish’s Treasures Grape Cluster Necklace and Butterfly Necklace at King Woolens and Yarns
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Snowflakes by Tish’s Treasures at King Woolens and Yarns
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Tish’s Treasures array of Earrings, Dragonfly Suncatchers, Flower Pendants, and a Turtle Bracelet at King Woolens and yarns.
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Necklaces and earrings by Tish’s Treasures at King Woolens and Yarns..
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Sock Monkey Cup Cozy found at King Woolens and Yarns
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King Woolens and Yarns is in Douglas, just a few minutes outside of Fredericton, NB
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Yarn at King Woolens and Yarns
Saturday was a day for Blogging, errands and social media work. It was busy in its own way. I have been fighting a sinus headache. I think I am winning, and I finished my day with making a pot of chili. Not a lot of prep cooking today, but we have leftover chili to eat when we are hungry.
Sunday is here. I am Bouncing the House, still with plans to go to Church this evening. I then have a skype date with my cousin. Until then I busied myself with the Master Bedroom cleaning, and shopping at the local Northside Market. When things slow down and I have access to a better camera, I will be writing about the different markets in the city, and maybe guest blogging about them. If that plan works out, I will be sure to share the links.
I bought a large fresh cabbage, and some ground pork while I was at the Market. I plan on making egg roll in a bowl late tonight so I can have it for lunch at work tomorrow.
I bought meat, eggs, and vegetables for groceries, and splurged on some His & Hers Samosas (we each like different kinds) and a bag of apple muffins for a treat.
It was a busy long weekend. What are your plans? What did you do this weekend?
by Tish MacWebber | Jun 30, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 19
I got on the scale this morning. The number wasn’t as bad as I was worried it would be, but it is still not in twoville. I knew I would not see good news, but as I expected, there were no surprises there. I know by how I feel what is happening, without getting on the scale every day. It had been a while, and I needed a reference.
I am having trouble in my kitchen this week. There has been an invasion of ants. I have declared war, and I think we are winning. It is a slow progress kind of war, and it has distracted me from my personal tasks and goals.
I have not had an ant free day in my kitchen all week. I am seeing less and less ants, and the ones I saw today seemed to be slower than those in the last few days, so I am tentatively hopeful that this means the war is almost over. I have not wanted to make anything to eat in my kitchen all week, as a result of this.
My healthy lifestyle has become a casualty of war. It could have gone in two different directions. One being I stopped eating anything because I am so grossed out about the ants being in my kitchen. This is not realistic. I have to eat. So I did it again. I ate take out all week. Let me tell you, I am not thrilled about this, but I felt like it was the only way I could eat because of the ants.
Is it a legitimate thing to do? Yes. Is it an excuse to eat out and go the easy route for the week? Yes. Is it productive and conducive towards my personal goals for living a healthier lifestyle? No. Is it a budget friendly option? No. Is it a logical solution? Maybe. I write that because when I haven’t been cooking, I have been hunting and cleaning up the countertop that the ants are crawling on. That means all the hard work I did cleaning the whole winter, my coffee station, and the countertops all have to be emptied and wiped clean AGAIN. For the millionth time this week. Ugh.
I have made progress in other areas of my life in the last month. I have been cleaning and purging stuff. I have been writing about that in my Weekend Warrior Category. I am preparing to write books, and have been practising on my blog, getting into the habit of writing. I have done well with both of these projects, and I can let myself be proud of the progress I am making in those areas. So why is it OK for me to let myself down in the most important part of my life, my health and well being? It’s not.
I had a genuine blood sugar low today at work. My sugars were at 3.9 when I tested, and I was in full panic mode when I did. I can feel it happening in my body. I start feeling a wave of uneasiness, and I start to panic. When it is an actual blood sugar low, I get weak and shaky. My head and scalp perspire profusely. I mean buckets. I get a little confused and have a really hard time focusing. I was in a meeting when I started to feel it happen, and I rushed out asap and tested while chewing up suckers and drinking a juice box. I got some extra candy from some colleagues, and I overcompensated because I was panicked. It took me about two to two and a half hours to recover from that episode. I am much better this evening.
I know why it happened. I went to Zumba last night, and it had been a few weeks since the last class. I started to get my regular exercise routine back. I took my normal amount of insulin this morning. But my body was doing that thing it does when I am trying to watch what I am doing, and it became sensitive to the insulin again. It is great that it works better sometimes, but it is not so great when I happen to have that in between adjustment period that causes me to have lows and have to lower my doses of insulin. Which is also good, because it means that I am achieving better control over my blood sugars. But what a roller coaster ride that can be!
It is hard to adjust to everything all at once. I am a fighter, and I am still able to do what needs to be done. Sometimes I need to remind myself that it is not OK to put my own health and wellness on the bottom of my list. Because it needs to be as important as everything else I invest my time in. I tell people all the time that I am tougher than I look. I believe it. But I also know that I am a human being and that I am not supposed to be perfect. All I can do is get up every morning and do the best I can in all aspects of my life. It is a work in progress, and progress is progress, so I will take it and run with it. Until I can’t catch my breath. And then I will keep moving in the right direction. One step at a time.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Jun 24, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
It’s here! The first official weekend of the summer! I am gearing up to run errands and host a BBQ today. I have been working hard at my Spring Cleaning Challenge, and I am literally at the finish line! I have made it to the Master Bedroom and Bathroom.
Last weekend, I worked really hard to have the floors done, the guest room ready, and the main bathroom was cleaned. When I did this, I had to move things out of the way. I moved them into the master bedroom. A pile gathered on my bed. When it was time to crawl into that bed, the only logical place to temporarily store these items was in the sunken bathtub in the master bathroom.
This means I made a lot of progress in most of the house, but not all. Today I plan to work on that. The word purge is now in my weekend plans again, and it does not refer to food in any way.
I have been working on this project since last fall. I started with my clothing. I then went through the kitchen and didn’t have a lot to purge there, but rather spent time cleaning and organizing. I have purged my makeup to make room for new makeup. I am still in the middle of writing about that experience. Today I plan to purge and organize my craft supplies.
I have decided that I am not going to do this alone. I have asked a friend to help me with this chore. It is not going to be a hard thing to do, but it may prove to be difficult. Remember when I wrote I had purged my makeup? I gathered it all up and then was unable to throw it out until I bought the new makeup. I wanted to start with a clean palette, but I was very worried that I would not be able to afford to replace everything, and I decided to not throw it out until I had done the shopping so I would not be left without a critical item for my new makeup collection.
As I wrote, I am working on that story, and I plan to have it published sometime this week. If the zit I treated that promptly decided to cause a skin reaction to the treatment and blew up over my face would kindly heal and let me feel like I can safely try my new makeup on, that would be fantastic.
When I went through my clothing, I did it all on my own. I reduced my wardrobe by 50%. I donated it to a friend who upcycles fabric. So far, the only items I have really missed were some of the more lightweight tank tops that I gave away. One of my errands today is to replace those tank tops. I have some, but I have not had a clothing shopping budget regularly for many years. We have been working insanely hard on our household budget, and we are making some changes to that. I am looking forward to the days when I don’t feel guilty about buying a new article of clothing to wear. Or about buying a new book or magazine. Things I like to buy from time to time. Mostly beading magazines, and more recently, a writing magazine. It will also be useful to know what I have on hand for craft supplies, so I don’t purchase items that I don’t need because I don’t know what I have in my stash.
The last area of my house that needs TLC is my office, a corner of my living room. I have been building up to getting this area ready for spring cleaning. It is where I plan to do my writing, and a fitting final task for all of the cleaning I am doing to prepare for writing. I have organized the desk several times since I moved here, and it is long overdue. Time to fire up the paper shredder when I am ready to tackle the last big area. I am really proud of how much I have accomplished this year with my cleaning projects, and although I still have some smaller areas to work on after my deadline, the larger, more complicated projects will be done and over with, so I can feel confident about my home not falling apart when I start writing my book. Maybe I will even be able to make time for more creative projects after it is all finished.
Phase 2 will be starting when I am settling into writing my book. With the larger cleaning projects being finished, I will have to switch gears and get the maintenance cleaning done, to keep my home from ever becoming a disaster like it was when I decided to start the spring cleaning for real this year.
I also hope that this weekend is a start of more entertaining at my house. I am feeling good about it, and not too embarrassed when I look around at the progress I have made here, the last 6 months. Time to get going and finish this stage, so I can close the chapter of Spring Cleaning 2017, and open a new book to start writing it.
I hope my friend enjoys bouncing the house with me this afternoon, I need the extra push when it comes to purging craft supplies. She is invited to stay for the BBQ as a thank you for her taking the time to help me out. What are you working on this weekend?
