After a lot of hard work, my shop, Sweeter Lemon, is now open for business!
It took a lot of hard work to get it up and running, but it was totally worth it. To celebrate, I’m having a giveaway on my crafty blog.
The shop has been open for less than 24 hours, and I’ve already received so much support from my friends, both IRL and virtual. Seriously, it has meant so much to me, and I can’t thank everyone enough. Virtual hugs all around!
I have more to share this week, but will wait until I’m over the grand opening jitters. There are books! And kindnesses! And food! So much to talk about.
Until then – maybe you need some cute thumbtacks or pushpins?
(Hee. Couldn’t resist.)
I mentioned that late last week, our cat Zelda was having some eye problems. We had planned on finding a new vet for our cats, and this incident helped us reach our decision about a month earlier than anticipated.
After some online research and reading great reviews, we decided to try the Cat Clinic of Louisville. When we called on Friday, they had an appointment available on Monday the 5th. They also told us how to care for Zelda’s eyes in the meantime, which made me feel a little better.
Of course, by Saturday, Zelda’s eyes were fine. I suspect that they just got irritated by the vacuuming Mr. M did on Thursday and Friday. We decided to keep the appointment anyway, since both cats were due for their boosters.
What a fantastic experience! Granted, the cats never like going to the vet, so it’s not like they had a great time or anything. But not having dogs in the waiting room really cut down on the amount of stress. Knowing that the caregivers were specifically focused on cat care, and that all of the equipment was cat-sized was a relief. (For example – a small scale in the exam room made getting weighed a lot easier than trying to get weighed in their cages on a dog scale in the waiting room.) The staff was friendly and our vet, Dr. Jones, was fantastic. He was very attentive and personable, and answered all of our questions without trying to sell us on any additional items or procedures.
We also noticed a big difference in the price of the exam – it was much more reasonably priced than we expected. I suspect it’s because the clinic doesn’t require extra equipment to treat a large variety of animals, or need kennel space.
Now, look – I have no problem with dogs, or vets that service both dogs and cats, as well as other companion animals. In fact, I’m planning on getting a dog the day we buy our own house. But since we just have cats right now, I’m so glad we live in a city that can support a cats-only clinic, and I’ll recommend the Cat Clinic of Louisville to anyone with a feline. They’re fantastic.
Ruby and Zelda thinks so, too. Right kitties?
They were nice, but I’d rather not go back until next year, if you don’t mind.
Same here. And also, I’m sorry I tried to bite the doctor when he gave me my shot.
(Oh, who am I kidding. I’m not sorry.)
1. The bird nest on our garage door opener is no more. Once the babies were big enough to fly, the nest was abandoned. Mr. M and I ventured out in the 95+ degree heat to remove it before another round of laying/brooding/hatching could commence. So far, no sign of another nest being built. Phew!
2. I still haven’t received my replacement credit card. I’ve been paying for everything with cash, and it’s amazing how I double and triple think every single purchase. I may try this cash-only thing for the rest of the month and see how it goes.
3. My etsy shop will be open soon! I made the announcement on my crafty site this morning, but in case you’re interested, Sweeter Lemon will be open for business on July 19th. I’m so excited! Yay!
That’s all for today! It’s my first day back at work after an extended weekend, so I’m trying to get my bearings. Happy Thursday!
Things I would have tweeted today, if a) I had a phone that supported twitter, and 2) if I could have condensed them to 140 characters, which, no.
1. I think the mama bird has decided her chicks are old enough to fend for themselves. Both times I was in the garage today, both chicks were alone in the nest with no mama. The chicks are HUGE, so I’m guessing they’re in their late teens and old enough to find a job and an apartment and fend for themselves.
The mama and one of the chicks late last week. Both chicks now take up the entire nest. Maybe mama just got tired of having no room to stretch out.
2. Also found today – it appears mama cleaned up a bit before leaving, pushing a non-viable egg out of the nest before she left. Which landed on our car. And broke. So that the egg ran down from our roof onto the back window. And with the heat, that adage “so hot you could fry an egg” was proven correct.
3. We got our car washed today.
4. After deciding on a strict budget, with no wiggle room for extra expenses, our cat Zelda has taken it upon herself to suddenly acquire some sort of allergy/eye problem. The poor girl keeps blinking and her eyes are all red and runny. So we’re off to the vet on Monday. We figure she’s a pretty good reason to bust the budget. In the meantime, we’re wiping her eyes with a damp cloth, and she seems fine otherwise. But still – woe is she.
5. Did I mention that yesterday, after I got the alert about my debit card, I received an e-mail from a different bank which holds one of my credit cards, mentioning “high-risk” activity? I called immediately, figuring someone must have stolen all of my credit card numbers somehow. Turns out? Very sneaky sales call. Just the universe playing tricks on me.
6. I fixed our running toilet this weekend. I feel like a superhero. But really, all it took was a $5 flapper from Lowes. But STILL. I’m a DIY badass.
7. This DIY badass could not figure out why it was 86 degrees in our apartment this afternoon. Until this DIY badass realized that we had turned the AC off last night, and forgotten to turn it back on today. I think I just lost my title.
And there you have it. My day in non-Tweets. And now to get ready for July 4th weekend (FYI, my favorite holiday), as well as a couple of days off afterward. The best part is that I’ll be able to sleep better, since the running toilet won’t keep me up all night. Just another reason to celebrate!
“[Our bank] just called,” Mr. Martini said when I picked up the phone. “They said you had some strange activity on your debit card?”
Not the best way to start the day, to be sure. A quick call to customer service, a verification that no, I did not try to buy $18 worth of merchandise and get $300 cash back from a Wal-Mart in Texas last night, and bing! My card has been cancelled, and a new one is on the way.
I loved that debit card. I’ve had it for a long time. So long, in fact, that I had the numbers memorized, which made it incredibly easy to use. Since I didn’t need to take the time to find my purse and dig out my card when I made online purchases, I lost those valuable “think it through” moments where I might have talked myself out of a few transactions. Impulse buying was not uncommon. I think most of my yarn stash was acquired this way.
In the long run, it’s probably a good thing that I have to get a new card. It won’t be on file at any of my favorite online shops. I’ll be able to think before I decide to purchase more fabric online, or get suckered in by the latest Old Navy online sale. Our budget has tightened up drastically lately, maybe by paying with cash in the coming weeks (because with the holiday, I don’t expect to get my replacement card for at least a week and a half) might actually help me save money, and be more cognizant of where I tend to spend more impulsively.
Really, this will be a good experiment. There actually might be a positive outcome to this inconvenient situation.
But trust me, next Tuesday? I fully expect to gripe about this for a few minutes. Maybe longer.
