November 12...It is Friday! Thank goodness!!

We have made it to Friday and the week's journey to this day was much better than it was last week. Things seems to go much smoother, maybe because I just felt better about handling the "craziness" here then I did last week. Anyway, off to an early start to the day - which is a positive way to begin as I am getting my morning biking out of the way before anything else starts...I need to get in a good sweat!

As promised, here is a photo post of the status of Family Sampler:

With the roof complete (but still, not all the white shutters on the house...I will get to that soon), I started to plant the garden on the right handside of my house...the grass, some flowers and the tree. Did you know that it takes a tree about 3 years to firmly establish its roots? And it is around that third year that it has one of its largest growth spirts...at least that is what my grandmother always told me; I haven't googled it to find out if she was correct...not sure if I really want to, for there is something about "grandma advice" that should be assumed corrected and left at that. Anyway, I think since we have entered our 7th year here in California, still living in the house we purchased in 2003 (which is the longest that DH and I have lived at the same residence since we met - over 25 years ago)...and now purchased *The Business*, I feel that our roots are burrowing deeper into the California soil; that we have really started to grow into the community that we've established here. It is like, I have given myself permission, after 7 years of living here, to call it "home" and to feel like we can "settle down". It is a good feeling.

Tonight DH comes back from the East Coast, where he has been training for *The Business* at the franchisor corporate office. While I know that he is ready to be home...done with training and ready to get into the store and make it our own, it sounded like there were some good things that came out of the corporate training. Most of the information was Business 101 lessons, which he & I have experienced while working in the party goods industry and other retail businesses. But it is always good to have some refresher courses as well as learn the expectations of the franchisor! Which will prove useful, because after 2 weeks of training outside the store, next week a trainer comes into the store to work side-by-side with DH - so he will have to follow some of the procedures as set by the franchisor. I am sure that he will do fine, but will probably look forward to him being gone and, again, just making *The Business* ours.

Well, my friends, I leave you with this thought and question:

"To affect the quality of the day--that is the highest of the arts." ~ Henry David Thoreau

We are the sculptors of our day. We can mold it creatively into a wonderful masterpiece. We control the amount of moisture we mix into our clay. We pound it, shape it, stroke it, love it. Others can offer suggestions, and we gain new perspectives from their advice, but it is finally our own creation. our knife may occasionally slip, or our mixture of earth may be too dry. Any great artist suffers temporary setbacks. Besides, imperfections in art make it all the more interesting!

How creative can you be in your life today?

(from the book Today's Gift by Anonymous. copyright 1985, 1991)

Knowing most of you - I am sure that you will be very creative in your life today!

Take care my friends and remember:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa