WOW! It has been more than a whirlwind. Like, I didn't get to go to the restroom when I wanted to kind of busy from sun-up to sun-down.
It is a long, probably pretty boring story, so I will give you an overall synopsis. I am not sure how much I will be on here going forward, but I hope more than this past month.
Business
Well, we got the website going and there is a steady stream of visitors. It takes a while to start getting the sales and they are coming slowly, but surely. Funny, all my customers were from all over the US, but not Texas until yesterday. Someone from Texas finally made a purchase. We thought that was funny since before my business was 100% from Texas and local to Houston at that.
We decided to get an office/studio for several reasons -
- Since the business address MUST be on the website, we did not want our home address out there for everyone.
- We needed to establish an address in the school district (see homeschool)
- We needed space for storage of all fabric as our home was not going to work. Fabric needs a cool, dry place with no light, if possible.
- For the other side of my business, customers were coming to the house while we were not here and one tried to get in while my kids were here.
So, that decided it - we were moving the business out of the house. The executive offices fit the bill perfectly for right now. Great location, small, but large enough and cheap! $900 for 2 offices all bills paid with access to a copier and conference room included.
So, right now, I am running both businesses. Yep, both - making quilts, key fobs AND selling fabric. Selling fabric is harder than you think. The marketing alone takes up MOST of my time. Cutting, folding, designing for pictures, taking pictures, editing the pictures, loading to the website (LONG, LONG process), then posting to social media. Just one collection takes 2-3 days. That is about 15-18 coordinating fabrics. When I get an order, the prepping takes me maybe 5-10 minutes.
It is an exciting business though - I get to see all the fabric before it is released, talking with all reps and the manufacturers - both in the US and international. It moves so fast! I mean seriously fast. Working both business is not going to work long term.
Homeschool
I decided to not homeschool anymore. Well, we decided. I am burnt out, like seriously burnt out. Maybe if I had farmed out more of the subjects, it would not have been so bad, but the thought of of homeschooling right now makes me want to cry.
They are going to public school. To get in the school closest to us (and better than the one we are allotted to), we needed to establish residency in the area. The office did that.
My daughter, since she was going into the 10th grade, had to take final exams for both the fall and spring semesters of ALL the classes - so 14 exams. It was a nightmare! After all that, they did not accept any electives at all. We opted to not do the science exams because they were not from the science we did and she did not pass the Algebra 1 exam because they focused almost completely on slope and with Saxon, you do not learn slope until the very end of Algebra 1 and really go into it with Algebra 2. So, my daughter can divide 4 and 5 variables into 5 to 6 variables, take lateral surface area from a circle, and calculate complex probability problems, but cannot do slope yet. I cried about that - felt like a failure, but no. I am not. She is not. We just studied math in a different progression.
Needless to say, she is back in Algebra 1 with her younger brother. My older son who is in college says that he looked at the problems I had her doing and that is what he was working on in college calculus.
Anyway, she will be in Freshman Pre-Ap Math and Science, but Sophomore AP and Pre-AP English and History. Her Senior year will be full of electives. We could have done summer school to "catch up", but this school district requires 4 years of math and I did not want her taking 2 maths at one time. Science, I am ok with, but not math - it is too much. She can enjoy high school, have some fun. We are on the track for Dual Credits, so the counselor and I both think she will have almost one year of college by the time she graduates. So, that will basically catch her up.
As for my son - nothing. They completely start over in 9th grade and it is does not matter what you have done before - so he had nothing!
Home
Our HOA was on us like crazy, so we had to scramble and get our front yard finished. It was so much work. Then, they got on to us about our fence - we did not get approval first, so we had to jump through those hoops as well.
My daughter started Driving School, so that is every single day for 3 weeks - really stressful because it takes up a whole morning. It is 35 minutes away - the closest school. And no, me teaching her was not an option - burn out more than you can believe. Then, she had to get permit from the DPS - Oh, my goodness. Hours and hours and hours waiting. I told her when she gets her drivers license, we are taking her out of school for the day.
We have not been at home for a full day in I don't know how long. Seriously. Next weekend, I said we are not leaving this house - not for grocery shopping, not for a hardware store run, not to take the kids anywhere, not to meet with friends, nothing, nowhere. We. Are. Staying. Home!
I had a birthday somewhere along in there. It was a blur. I don't do birthday celebrations, so it was pretty much like any other day. I am 45.
Alright, that quilt won't quilt itself. I wanted to get this one done today, then I will get paid! I hope you all are having a great weekend!
