Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from my family to yours! 

"The great gift of Easter is hope - Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake."  -Basil Hume

A Shopping Day

Whenever I'm in my home town, my mom and I have things we always like to do.  We go out for coffee and browse the antique stores.  Most recently, we've added a few more stops to our Saturday afternoons.

The jewelry store in Ortonville, MN, Jo Lee's Jewelry, has started carrying work by local artists.  The artists have made jewelry out of old bicycle parts, fiber art with scraps of ribbon and yarn, molded wire jewelry, jewelry made from watch parts, beaded headbands, whimsical dolls and many other creative projects.  Here are two of my favorites - necklaces made with beads, baubles and watch parts.

Another new place we visited today was The Granary.  It's a food co-op with a wide variety of spices, grains, organic grocery items and my weakness.....artisan bread.  The co-op's wide variety of artisan bread comes from Falls Baking Company in Fergus Falls.  I like to make my own bread and I like to try  other bakers' flavors.  I bought a loaf of Ciabatta and a loaf of Dakota (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, honey and sea salt).  I can't wait to try them for Easter dinner tomorrow.

 Our last stop of the day was at the Thrift Store (it's official name) in Milbank, SD.  I hit the jackpot!  I have been looking for vintage earrings to make refrigerator magnets and they had a wide variety.  I can't wait to get home and start creating.

Can't wait to come back and do it all over again!

"From the moment I woke up, I could tell that it was going to be a good day."  -Aly Johnson

A Long Day

After a very busy day at work, we packed the car and traveled to my parents' house to celebrate Easter. I'm tired and ready for bed but in keeping with my "blog every day committment" here are my recommendations for today:

"Wreck It Ralph" is a very cute kids' movie that is even entertaining to adults.

Casey's Gas Station on Highway 23 in Paynesville has very clean restrooms.

Minnesota Public Radio creates great family discussions.

Eating sunflower seeds helps keep the driver awake.

The Shell Gas Station in New London has a great deal on fountain drinks.

Wildlife is much easier to see when the ground is white - just make sure the deer crossing the road continues to cross and not come back into your lane!

Cheering for Michigan to beat Kansas in the NCAA tournament is much more fun in a room full of people than cheering alone.

Finding out that your sixteen year old son got a warning for speeding instead of a ticket is a relief for both him and his parents.

Going to bed knowing everyone you love is all tucked in for the night will make for pleasant dreams.

"You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."  -Desmond Tutu

Great Customer Service

How many times have you been at a restaurant or a store and received terrible service?  Are you quick to tell the manager how dissatisfied you were?  Did you write a letter or an email saying that you'd never enter their establishment again?  I have.  I have been quick to respond to the negative.  I've gotten free movie tickets, free meals, discounted clothing, a personal shopper and a myriad of other "things" to compensate for the bad or lack of what I felt was appropriate customer service.

Lately however, I got to thinking that I'm sure stores and restaurants receive lots and lots of comments from dissatisfied customers.  But how many of them get calls or emails praising their employees for the service they have given?  I decided that instead of focusing on the things that go wrong, why not compliment when things go right.

I think good service should be expected every time you walk into an establishment of any kind or make phone calls to your gas company or walk in to your cell phone company to pay a bill.  Any service related industry should expect its' employees to behave in a courteous way.  I don't sit down and write a letter or an email or make a phone call every time I receive the service that I expect.  It's when I receive service that I believe is above and beyond that I make a special point to recognize.

I've had two such experiences in less than a week.  The first experience happened at Williams Sonoma (Rosedale).  I was happily greeted as soon as I walked in the door and asked if there was something they could help me find.  When I told the clerk what I was looking for, she took me to the counter and introduced me to another clerk who could help me.  And help me she did.  The item I was looking for was not carried in the store but they did have it on line.  The clerk, Kate, had me come behind the counter to look at her computer screen and pick out exactly what I was looking for.  She then did the ordering for me and waived the shipping, express shipping, and had the item sent directly to my house.

Then I told her I was looking for a particular cookbook.  She didn't pass me on to someone else or just point me in the direction of the cookbooks.  She took me to the cookbook section and helped me find what I was looking for.  She even went into the back of the store to get me a different copy of the cookbook because she didn't like how worn the one seemed on the shelf.  I told her over and over how grateful I was for her help and now that my order has arrived just as she said it would, I plan on calling the store tomorrow and "sing her praises" to the store manager!

The second experience happened at Pac Sun.  I was trying to shop for birthday gifts for my soon to be 14 year old son.  I am pretty clueless when it comes to dressing a teenage boy when it doesn't include dirt bike or snow board apparel.  The clerk who helped me was amazing!  He spent time with me asking questions about what my son likes, how tall he is and what grade he's in.  He picked out all kinds of "cool" shirts for me to consider.  When I told him I also needed jeans for my son, he showed me all my options.  Told me the pros and cons of each style and then told me that if the size I chose didn't work and they didn't have the right size in the store, they would order the size I needed and have it shipped directly to my house with no charge to me.  

He spent at least a half an hour with me.  He never  acted impatient when I asked "stupid" questions and he made me feel like I was the only one he was going to help that day.  I was so impressed that when he checked me out, I thanked him and told him how much I appreciated all that he did for me - I said it loud enough for other customers and clerks to hear me.  I also told him that because of him, that Pac Sun (at Northtown) would be where I would go whenever I needed something for either of my sons!  He seemed to smile a little bigger as I left the store.  It made my day to make his day!

So remember to express gratitude when you've received great service instead of always reacting to the bad service.  It will make you feel good too!!

"Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement."  -J.C. Penney

 



   

Great Etsy Site

I just have to share another Etsy artist that I absolutely love!  I'm always on the look out for unusual jewelry that is handmade.  The name of this creative Etsy shop is Octavia Bloom.  This artist uses wire, beads and metal.  Her creations remind me of what you would see in a kaleidoscope.  Here is a link to her Etsy site www.etsy.com/shop/octaviabloom.  Here are some pictures from her site of some of my favorites:

These are definitely statement pieces and I think they are worth the investment.  As someone who has worked with beads and wire, this is a very intricate art and she does it beautifully!

"I love jewelry - rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, you name it."  -Sofia Vergara

Pizza Recommendation From My 16 Year Old

Tonight's blog is for those teenagers and young adults looking for a great pizza place that not only has great food but is a fun place to go.  My oldest and three friends found just that place.  It's called Mesa Pizza in Dinkytown (Minneapolis, MN).  Here's a link to their website www.mesapizzamn.com

Now this is not to say that older adults couldn't enjoy this place too but it is close to the University of Minnesota so the crowd may be a little young.  They have a great variety on their menu - not just the typical pepperoni pizza.  I like that they offer vegetarian pizzas like:  Spinach, Tomato, Feta; Kalamata Mozzarella; Avocado Delight just to name a few.  My son and his friends like that they have MEAT pizzas like:  Philly Cheesesteak; Pulled Pork and Fried Onions; Bacon Cheeseburger and many more great combos. 

I asked him to take pictures of what they ate, half jokingly, because I knew what his response would be!  "No way Mom!!!!"  I was just told that the food was great, the company was fun and the prices were perfect for a teenager!  Rave reviews from a 16 year old!

Another Favorite Artist

The following pictures are paintings done by artist, Nora Bergman.  I love her style and her subject matter.  You can find her blog at http://norabergman.blogspot.com/ where you will find many more pictures of her art and the descriptions of each painting.  You can bid in auction on her artwork from this blog or visit her website to directly purchase one of her paintings www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/NBergman-2835 

Nora is originally from Minnesota and has really captured the rural essence of Minnesota in so many of her paintings.  Her subjects are simple, like forks in a canning jar, but complex in the way the shadows play on the wall, the metal of the fork glistens, the glass shines.....  I am truly a big fan of her work!

"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing."  -Camille Pissarro

NCAA Tournament = Burned Bars

So today's blog was going to be all about these awesome bars that I make that are usually gone before the end of the day.  Well, because of my excitement and attention to the NCAA Tournament, we had the TV and the computer on two different games and I forgot about my bars. 

Then when I tasted them, I realized I had forgotten to add a couple of ingredients.  Darn those basketball games!  So for tonight's blog.......I got nothing...........except GO GOPHERS!

BWCA Movie Trailer - created by my husband

Almost 30 years ago, my husband and three friends made a trip into the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA) in northern Minnesota.  My husband brought along a 35mm video camera to capture their trip.  The video sat in a box in our basement for many years.  Then when our kids were older and my husband and these same friends started sharing their memories of this trip with the kids, they wondered whatever happened to the video.

It took a while, but my husband FINALLY took it to a place where they take old VCR tapes or 35mm videos and put them on a portable hard drive.  He picked it up yesterday and has watched it about 100 times since.  He decided that before he would burn copies of it for his friends, he needed to "jazz it up" a little.  So, with the help of our 13 year old son to get him started, he made a movie trailer using some of the BWCA footage with the iMovie software on our iMac.  Here's the link to see what he created:  https://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=362170013902514  (You don't need to be a member of Facebook to view it.)

After watching it, I asked him if he realized that the movie must now be as good or better than the trailer!  It took him three hours to make a one minute trailer!!!  He told me that's why in the trailer he stated that the movie would be coming out in May 2013.  He wanted to give himself plenty of time to create something wonderful.  I can't wait to see the finished product!  I used to think that I was the one who passed the art gene on to our kids.  After today, I think I'm willing to admit that they may get their creativity from both of us!

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun."  -Mary Lou Cook

New to Me Deli and Sandwich Shop

I was in a real mood for some comfort food at lunch time today - especially something I didn't have to make.  I've lived in my neighborhood for twenty years and there is one little sandwich shop I have never visited but have heard they have amazing food - just what I wanted today.

The name of the shop is Nelson Cheese & Deli.  Here is a link to their website:  www.nelson-cheese.com.  They have a location by Como Park in St. Paul, MN and one by Northtown Mall in Spring Lake Park, MN.  They've been at the Spring Lake Park location for YEARS and that is about two miles from my house.  I'm so glad I finally made stopped in and checked it out.

When you walk in, all of the sandwiches, salads, soups and their descriptions are listed on a huge chalkboard above the counter, in front of the food preparation area.  A woman takes your order and shouts it out to the sandwich makers.  I had a hot sandwich - Smoky Reuben.  It contained smoked turkey with melted Wisconsin Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, served on pumpernickel bread with Nelson's special thousand island sauce.  I also had a small cup of their homemade clam soup and some salt and vinegar chips.

You can eat in our take out.  I opted to come home and eat.  They also have a number of pre-packaged cheeses and salami and you can get larger salad and soup portions to share.  My meal was really good!  The clam soup was very flavorful and the Smoky Reuben had just the right proportions of meat, cheese, sauerkraut and sauce.  Now that I've been there, I will definitely go back!

"Sandwiches are wonderful.  You don't need a spoon or a plate!"  -Paul Lynde  

Tourney Time

One of my favorite events happens this month and I now have a child who enjoys it with me!  My middle son and I have filled out our NCAA brackets and have been watching games on line that we can't get on the TV.  I find it ironic that it is this son that loves to watch these games.  He was, after all, born on March 30th.......the night UConn won the NCAA tournament with a player on the team named Khalid Al Amin from North Minneapolis.

Every year he likes to hear the story of how his dad, older brother and I went to Dairy Queen after dinner the night of March 29th.  I wanted to hurry and get home so I could watch UConn in the championship game.  I started having labor pains at about half time but the game was too good and too close to worry about going to the hospital quite yet.  By the time the game was over though, my oldest son and husband were sound asleep and I was in full blown labor.  We made the mad dash to the hospital and just a short time later, my second son was born.

We have very different brackets.  His are filled by going over stats and listening to sports radio or watching ESPN.  Mine are filled by deciding which uniform I like best or who is the underdog.  I'm a sucker for the low ranked teams.  I also throw in some choices based on stats just to make my son happy!

Tonight was so much fun cheering on Marquette and South Dakota.  We watched the Marquette game on his smart phone through a smart phone app and then watched the South Dakota game on TV.  (We don't have cable or satellite.)  I can't wait for the weekend.  Maybe he'll stop snowboarding long enough to watch a few games with his mom!

"Kids spell love T-I-M-E."  -John Crudele

Good Night

After having a couple of rough days, it's nice to come home to a little note from my daughter.  It reminded me that life goes on and she needs me too. 

Looks like I'll be learning some new hair styles in the next couple of days!

"Good night, and good luck."  Edward R. Murrow

Marketing Study

Every once in a while, I make a little extra money by participating in studies by Fieldwork Minneapolis.  These studies are usually product based.  For instance, I went to the Fieldwork offices in downtown Minneapolis and was put in front of a computer to review a new Creative Memories website.  They had me browse through all of the pages, try all of the links, follow the procedures to order products, go through their how-to videos and so on.  I had a Fieldwork employee sitting with me and she would periodically ask questions about what I liked and didn't like; what would make the site more appealing; did everything work the way I expected and many other information gathering questions.  For an hour's worth of work, I was paid $100.

My husband did a study about kitchen appliances - microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, etc.  The Fieldwork representative showed him a variety of these appliances, then asked him questions about what he thought of the appliances and which ones he liked best based on appearance and quality.  He too was paid for his time - $60 for an hour.

This week, I am taking part in a over the counter allergy and cold medicine study.  I have to blog for three days with a pharmaceutical representative regarding different over the counter allergy and cold medicines like cough drops, nasal sprays, allergy tablets, decongestants, and a myriad of other products.  I will receive $75 for about a half hour worth of time.  If they like what I have to say, they may call me in to do a personal interview where I will be paid $100 for giving them an hour of my time.

How does one become involved with Fieldwork?  It's very simple.  Go to their website www.fieldwork.com.  Click on the city that is closest to you.  Choose the "Join our Database" link on the left of the page.  Click on "Click here to join our database" and just follow the directions when filling out the information.  That's all you do.  Fieldwork will call you when a study comes up that fits your profile.

When Fieldwork calls, they will ask you questions to see if you qualify for the study.  I receive approximately two phone calls a month.  I usually qualify for one of the two studies.  I think it's kind of fun to be involved with the behind the scene process of  coming up with marketing strategies and it's always nice to make a little extra money!!

"The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself."  -Peter Drucker

Vintage Earring Clip

My refrigerator is covered with notes about school, newspaper clippings, party invitations, appointment reminders and drawings by Hannah.  To keep everything organized and to make school letters and appointment reminders look a little more "pretty", I made magnetic paper clips out of vintage earrings. 

Here are the supplies I used:  
earrings

a magnet (be sure to get one strong enough to hold the weight of the earring and the clip),

glue (I used jewelry/metal glue),

and clips.

Remove the back of the earring.  Be sure to sand off the sharp edges after cutting the metal.

Put glue on the back of the magnet and spread it around with a toothpick.

Press the clip into the glue on the magnet and let dry.

Once the glue is dry, put glue on the back side of the earring and press the earring onto the clip.

Let dry.

Once dry, it's ready to use.

This project took about 15 minutes from start to finish and that included the drying time for the glue!

"The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away."  -Linus Pauling

Magnets made with Vintage Earrings.

I have a great idea on how to recycle old vintage earrings.  I will share one way each day for the next couple of days.  Today, I will show you how to turn an earring into a cute fridge magnet.  My daughter likes this idea so much, she wants to make a bunch of them for her locker!

Here are the supplies you'll need:  an earring, jewelry/metal glue and small magnets.

 Remove the back of the earring with wire cutters.  Smooth the cut with sandpaper if the cut is real sharp.

Put glue on the back of the magnet and then spread it around with a toothpick to make sure the entire surface of the magnet is covered.

Press the glue side of the magnet onto the back of the earring.

When the magnet is completely dry, it's ready to use!

"It is easily overlooked that what is now called vintage was once brand new."  -Tony Visconti

Great Ideas/Projects/Crafts Website

I have been looking for a new way to color Easter eggs.  Something easy and not too messy.  One of the interesting techniques I discovered, I've actually used to color paper.  My mom and daughter taught me this technique using shaving cream and food coloring.  The same procedure is used to dye the eggs. The following pictures are from the website www.simplynotable.com.  Detailed written instructions can also be found on their website.

This website is also a great resource for other projects like card making, knitting, decorating, gardening, cooking, photography and many, many other fun things.  I have spent an hour perusing their website and have made a list of other projects I want to try!

"And I believe that the best learning process of any kind of craft is to just look at the work of others."  -Wole Soyinka

Good End to the Day

Even after arguing with my 16 year old son over why we can't take out a loan to buy him a motorcycle.......I found things to smile about.  Here they are in no particular order:

The dog my daughter and I are house/dog sitting for is happy to see me every time I walk into the room!

The Fridley Middle School 7th and 8th grade musical was phenomenal!  Oh what talented kids there are among us!

There's nothing better than cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory to end the day!  (My daughter got blueberry and I got oreo.)

 "Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you."  -H. Jackson Brown