Snafu for you and cookies, too!

Cappuccino Cookies

So. Yesterday. Not an especially good day for me. But not all bad either!

First I imported my posts from my Wordpress blogs into Blogger. It was much easier than I expected. Thank goodness. Sorry for all those extra posts in your readers. :) While I was importing the recipe blog to the new Blogger recipe blog my eyes fell upon the Cappuccino Cookies. And now I want some. Perhaps I'll make some this weekend. :)

Whilst in the midst of exporting and importing I got a call from Larry, my Realtor. I was expecting him to give me the news that the buyers did their final walk-through and we were a go. But no. There was a snafu with some of the VA forms. The buyer's DD214 and VA Certificate for his VA loan had not been received by the lender. Buh-bye, closing at 10am Wednesday. Larry says he was completely blindsided by this development as he had been told everything was all set plus he has not had a VA holdup in many, many years. Just my luck, I'm tellin' ya.

Anyhoo... Around suppertime I got an email from Larry with some good news. The forms have now been received. Now an amendment needs to be signed by both the buyer and me in order to set up a new closing... details to follow.

Weary, I am.

I need a cookie.

Wasps:1 - Me:0

Gracie 11-22-09. A Baby. Just a few weeks old. Frightened and Broken.

And then a few years go by...

Gracie, nearly 2 years later to the day... And one day you suddenly realize...
She's now the boss of you and everyone else!

So today is the last full day I will own the Yellow house in the Pecan Orchard. Assuming, that is, that the wasps are properly deaded this morning by the bug guy, that the buyers do their final walk-through and are satisfied... and that their VA Certificate that still wasn't there yesterday somehow makes it to the mortgage company so a Final Settlement Statement is made out and forwarded to the Realtors and the closing attorney... all before the scheduled closing time at 10am tomorrow morning.

sigh.

Maybe I can convince Gracie to crack her whip and make it so.

T-Minus 2

Thanksgiving is over! Thank goodness. I am always grateful to get back to a normal routine. And no more turkey. Yesterday morning MotherDear made a big batch of Turkey Soup with all of the remaining leftovers. It is basically Thanksgiving dinner in a bowl. It's a very good batch, too! :)

Today is 2 days to closing on the Yellow house, barring any unforeseen issues. We don't want any of those, please. Closing is supposed to be Wednesday, although Larry, my Realtor, has yet to let me know where or when. He does know I have to be there to collect my check, right?

I went to BWTB with MotherDear yesterday after taking a few weeks off. I'm am not such a fan of BWTB as MD. She would go everyday of they offered it. Ack. But I did my daughterly duty yesterday.  Of course, neither of us won, but MD enjoyed getting out and seeing her Bingo Biddy friends so that was nice.

Since Thanksgiving is finally over I wore a pair of my Snowmen earrings yesterday that Miss Bee made. I ♥ them! Today I believe I shall wear my little Christmas Tree earrings. She still has some available in her ETSY SHOP if you need some adorable beaded gifts for Christmas for someone and just can't think what to get them. I can promise you that you will not be disappointed with Bee's BEEds.

And finally, Gracie and Whitey are featured today on Awww...Mondays. Check it out, to start out your week with an "Awww....."

Have yourself a lovely Monday. You know me... I'll be here, hoping for some lovely orders. It is Cyber Monday, after all!

Hullo? Iz anybuddy there?

I've just discovered that Wordpress is showing ads on my blog. The ads only show up on certain browsers, and not the ones I mostly use, so it came as a complete surprise... and not a good one. After much thought, and as much as I love Wordpress, I'm moving back to blogger. 

Rather than have a blog for me and a blog for the Gs, we'll all be sharing this one... my Original blog.

Wordpress, now you've made me mad!

After discovering that Wordpress was running ads without my knowledge on my blogs, I've decided they can bugger off.

I'm moving back to blogger. In fact, I'll be posting on the original blog that I started for the cats, since they are so much of what I photograph. And clean up after. And spend my money on. And love. :P

So HERE is where you will find me.

PS. I think I win the who moves their blog the most contest. :P

Hobbits are very well thought of around these parts

I've been watching marathon Lord of the Rings this weekend, or rather mostly listening to it while I crochet. Then last night I decided to start listening to my audio book.  I love listening to it.

My favorite book has long been The Hobbit, followed closely by Lord of the Rings. Many years ago I found The Hobbit, unabridged, on audio CD. The narrator is Rob Inglis. Quite simply, his narration is fabulous! I searched far and wide for the audio LotR narrated by Rob Inglis and finally! Finally I found it a few years ago.  I began re-listening to the first CD last night, which basically is the first chapter. The audio book is about 54 hours, so I'll be listening to it as I crochet and while I am working on the computer pretty much all this week.

Peter Jackson and crew did an outstanding job in the movie-making of LotR but as much as I love watching all 3 of the movies, they pale in comparison to the book - where the story is told in its entirety and just exactly as J.R.R. Tolkien wrote this masterpiece.

I am excited because the long-awaited movie, The Hobbit is currently in production, again directed by Peter Jackson. Even better, many of the actors from the LotR whose characters also appear in The Hobbit are back. The Hobbit is still filming and due to be released in December 2012. This one is being filmed in 3D and I will be making the trek to the theaters to see this one!

Are you a LotR fan? If so, care to see what your Hobbit name is? Here is the Hobbit Name Generator. My Hobbit name is Rose Underhill. Rosie became Samwise Gamgee's wife and mother to his 13 children, after he returned from his great adventure.... quest... thing.

I hope your day is full of whatever makes you happy!

Saturday at the Swamp

I don't know about you but I was still too full to eat much of anything yesterday, although for lunch I did take a couple of the leftover dinner rolls and stacked a bit of turkey, a spoonful of stuffing, a dollop of mayo and some fresh cracked pepper... Wonderful little slicer snack sammiches. MotherDear said I should have put gravy on them and heated them, but I thought they were very nice cold! I will have a dinner plate of leftovers tonight. I'll be hungry by then!

I've been crocheting up a storm for the past few days while watching movies. It's a pleasant change from working on my web site, although I will have to get back to that sooner or later. But not just yet. ;-)

My parents made a Walmart run yesterday - on Black Friday - for a few everyday items. They came back and told me the store was deader than they have ever seen it! What?!? Perhaps I will run in today to return a bunch of fancy yarn I bought the other day. It unravels much too easily and is a bother to work with it, too. I'll exchange it for yarn that doesn't put up a fight!

That's all that's going on here at the Swamp. Warm weather and blue skies. Can't ask for better actually. I hope your day is lovely, too.

It's the Great Leftovers Day, Charlie Brown!

Let's see a show of hands... Who else went to bed before 6 o'clock?

My neighbors ended up coming over much earlier as everyone had the same idea... go to bed early! And only 3 people had dessert.

I don't even want to think about how many WW points are on that plate.

Do you want to hear something that literally made me say bad words as I flew out of my bed, out the door and down the hallway to the kitchen last night about 5:30?

I forgot to feed my cats their supper before I went to bed. I usually feed them about 4:30-5:00 so they are fed and full before we sit down to dinner. Except since Daylight Savings... they have been harassing me and meowing at me beginning about 3:30. Their stomachs have not yet adjusted to the new time. :) Anyway, with the early dinner and all of the excitement, I totally forgot to feed them. And the little moochers had Uncle Al giving them bits of turkey so they didn't even remind me!

So it's a long weekend for some but not me. I am working today and even Saturday! It's the one Saturday a year I am open because it's Small Business Saturday. Hey, I'm here anyway... If the phone rings and somebody wants to place an order, I'll sure take it!

Enjoy your day! And don't forget to put some YAY in it, too!

Thanksgiving memories

I was reading a post on Tewksbury Patch, a blog from my hometown, Tewksbury, MA. This particular post began:

"Thanksgiving Day, senior year.

Family and friends are nearby. The stands at Doucette Field are packed with fans. Arch-rival Wilmington is lined up across the field. The atmosphere is always electric."

And a flood of memories came rushing back to me.

I remember MotherDear busy in the kitchen, preparing a feast. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bowls of fresh fruit. Dishes of nuts and nut-crackers. Leaving the house for the football game. Getting a whiff of the roaring fire in the fireplace in the den while I grabbed my coat.  Running out the back door, still buttoning up. Slipping on the crunchy, frozen snow on the back steps. The Tewksbury-Wilmington game. The snow. The bleachers. The freezing cold. Realizing I had forgotten my Chapstick. My hat, scarf and mittens not fitting quite right. The biting wind. Wishing I had worn my boots. Slipping on the ice...

I remember coming home. Opening the back door. Feeling the wave of warmth envelop me. Taking in all the smells of the Thanksgiving dinner. Hearing my brothers and sisters singing "Over the River and Through the Woods".

And I remember thinking that I always, always, always wanted to remember that moment.

Home. Family. Love.

And I do!



Have a Blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Two words

Danish Puff.



I have decided to make something else for Thanksgiving because I haven't made this pastry in far too long and I love it.

If you want to make a dessert that is scrumptious, something that absolutely everybody will love and something that will have them thinking you slaved in the kitchen all day long making it, when it actually is so easy peasy you can not believe it... this is the one to make.

It is fabulous just to have with coffee or tea, too!

It is also very easy to finish in different ways to fit the occasion. For instance, I often chop red & green maraschino cherries during Christmas time. Sometimes I use slivered almonds. I have used lemon extract or lemon juice for the almond extract in the topping and vanilla extract in the glaze, then garnished with lemon zest. Mmmmm... So many ways to make this pastry and it's always delicious!

Try it! And let me know what you think!

I love Thanksgiving... and desserts!

This year instead of the traditional Thanksgiving desserts, Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie, I am making a few of these fabulous Swedish Apple Pies from the recipe I got from my niece - I do believe it is THE best apple pie I've ever had. Luckily, MotherDear agrees! I am also making  some Red Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint frosting and PW's Pumpkin Spice muffins. :)

Coffee and Dessert will be later in the evening, when it gets dusky dark... long after Thanksgiving Day dinner so we've had a chance to feel hungry again. ;-)

It's on my patio. There will be me, the parents, some friends and a few of the neighbors. Y'all come!

Time to do it all over again!

I'm getting a late start to this day, but this was the view a few moments ago from the patio.



Well, that was the view using a new iPhone app called Pixlr-o-matic.

This is how it really looks.



First thing Saturday morning I ran in to Walmart to pick up a bunch of yard. As you know, the bulk of my Saturday was getting the new used washer squared away. She managed to belt out 4 loads yesterday with no issues. I think Gert must be a bit of a diva. Just saying.

Anyway... I spent all day yesterday crocheting in bed and watching movies.



I watched a bunch of RomComs and then I started watching my own version of a Lord of the Rings trilogy, the extended cut. I watched the Fellowship of the Ring and part of The Two Towers. Guess what I'll be doing today?

Hopefully, I'll have a good many interruptions by people who want to order rollers. :P

Hope your day is lovely, too!

F/11, F/DL

Well, I was all ready to tell you how fabulous my new used washing machine was...

but after doing 4 loads without incident I had all kinds of Door Lock error codes on the 5th wash. After googling it, I've discovered that this particular error is quite common with this model.

Bugger.

Saturday Stuff

Well, we're well past halfway through November and as great as October was for my business, November stinks! I have no clue why that is, but I can tell you that I am not loving it. Historically, December is THE worst month of the year for my business so there's not much to look forward to, is there? Perhaps this year things will be different. To help make that happen I started a big promotion on my web site and blog to try to get some of that year end tax spending tossed my way. :P

So today is get a new used washer day hauled over and installed, followed immediately by everybody doing a bunch of laundry! I suspect the laundry room will be bursting with activity all weekend!

Assuming the new used washer actually works, of course. ;-)

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents! My sisterdear Janice wrote a poem for them a few years ago, based on childhood memories of them and their love for each other and how they have always signed their cards to each other... ATLITUA. I did a graphic based on the poem which sisterdear Lynda is having printed, matted and framed for them.

I don't have that image on the iMac yet, so here is a screenshot of the first draft. I had to reformat it to a ratio that would fit in a standard print/mat/frame. Click on the image to read it embiggened. No need straining your eyes. ;-)

First, here's the forward Janice wrote:

I wasn't around when it began. The first time I saw it I was probably nine or ten years old. I was reading an anniversary card my father had given my mother. There, written inside, at the end of the verse, over my fathers signature, was, 'atlitua'. I couldn't figure it out. I was intrigued. What did it mean? I didn't ask. I turned my attention back to the process of growing up, and the mystery lived on. That was forty years ago. I have since learned what it stands for. It is a pledge of love, made between two young people who found one another in this world and became lifelong lovers and soul mates. When I stop and think about it, I realize how lucky I am to have been a part of it all. To this day they share this pledge with us all. We were raised on it. We were disciplined by it. And we became who we are because of it. I wrote my parents a letter of gratitude after my first child was born. I told them how I deeply appreciated my upbringing. I mentioned the many learned gifts of happiness, and empathy. I told them my dues to them would be paid someday, when I received a like letter from my own children. So there it is, A circle of life. A special universe of two hearts bound. And "atlitua', lives on and on and goes around and around, with all who are blessed to gather in it. --This forward was written by Janice Mills Galvin, as was the poem.  — with Lynda Mills Milner, Janice Mills Galvin and Tina Mills.

Don't forget to put some YAY in your day!

Welcome to the Final Frontier!

Welcome to the end of the week, or as I prefer to think of it this week, the Final Frontier to the weekend! Because this week has had more challenges than most.

This just in: I think I may finally "get" spell correct on the iMac. It's not easy being green. ;-) Sometimes control tap on the right of the mouse works... others a spelling suggestion comes up just like on the iPad. I like the iPad way better. Just saying.

So I talked with my Realtor Larry yesterday. Everything is now done that needs to be done or that can be done. Basically, we're just waiting to close. I told Larry that I can not wait to UN-own this house. I was thinking of having a cleaning crew come in to spruce it up. I haven't cleaned it in at least 3 or 4 months. But they whittled me down to such a loss that I am not willing to spend another dollar. Let them clean the commodes when it is their house.

Sorry. That wasn't very nice, was it? I am just a little bitter. Losing money on a real estate investment does not sit well with me. Or on any investment, for that matter, but most especially real estate.

Let the countdown begin! 12 days to closing. It can't get here soon enough for me.

Have a fabulous Friday!

It was a Blustery Day

While it was quite nice on the patio...



...it was a very damp and blustery day here at the Swamp. The few trees we have that do get some color in the fall were actively losing their leaves! If you turn up your volume, you'll be able to hear Gandalf hollering at me from the patio.



Falling leaves... we has it.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hP5ldBg8eQ&w=640&h=360]

Have a wonderful day! I'll be here, taking lots of lovely orders... I hope! :P

Space Invader!

A few newsy tid bits:

Some might mistake Gracie's glance as an endearing look of sisterly love, but they would be wrong. That right there is her daring Whitey to even think about glancing her way. He didn't. Smart boy. srsly.

This morning the washing machine repair guy, who is not MM, will be here to tell me whether or not my machine can be repaired or if it's time for it to go to the great laundromat in the sky.

Yesterday afternoon my brother Christopher went to refill his wife's brake fluid reservoir in the parking lot where she works... but he did something wrong and somehow set the car on fire instead. OMG! Everyone is fine, except the car. It went to the big parking lot in the sky. His wife is a little bit upset with him right about now. Poor Christopher. Bless his heart.

Did I mention that my brother Billy is now back in New Hampshire in a cozy corner? He is. And everyone here said a big Amen.

My sister Lynda finally let go of her antique cell phone and stepped into the light. She and bil Rick are now the proud owners of the iPhone 4S. They were SO thrilled that she finally upgraded (she's NEVER upgraded. EVER!) that Verizon gave her the iPhone 4S for $100! Now 3 out of 4 of the SisterDears can FaceTime! Now to work on Janice!

It was wicked warm this morning... 72° here when I got up! WTH? Of course we'll have storms for the next 24 hours or more starting this afternoon. I don't mind rainy days, as long as it doesn't mess with my internet or power. A gal's gotta make a living, after all.

I crocheted a hat yesterday, and started another. I wish I could knit, but my now constant companion, Arthur Itis, simply will not allow that. Bugger. No slippers for the SisterDears this year!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is just a week and a day away? I can't!

Well, that's all I know right now. Things are swell at the Swamp! I hope I get lots of lovely orders today and that your day is lovely!

Bad Boards, Bad Boards, whatcha gonna do?

The house inspection found some rotten wood around the chimney at the Yellow house...



Buh-bye, Bad Boards!



Hello, new chimney!



If all goes according to plan, I'll be closing on the house on the 30th. My Dad picked up some pecans last week and they're almost gone. I'll be making a run to pick up more pecans this weekend... while they're still mine to pick!

Have a lovely day!

iLikey! iLikey!

Apparently I haven't been making myself clear... in fact, you've all gotten the wrong idea! So let me say this clearly!

I love my new iMac! LOVE!



My posts have been observations... thoughts... as I get to know Apple and try to figure out the best way to accomplish what I need for my business and measure that against my personal preferences... and my checkbook. ;-)

This is like the training wheel period of riding a bike. I'll bang into things. I'll fall off. I will have bumps and scratches and bruises as I learn. But that doesn't mean I don't love it!



Even if I wanted to, I can't just move my business over to it without first getting to know the iMac. It's completely different from Windows... and quite frankly, isn't that the point?! :P

Except for possibly Sandy, none of you have a business that you run with Windows-only software. The challenges I am facing won't even be an issue! Please don't let my last few posts sway you away from a Mac! They are fabulous right out of the box! You will love it! I promise!

I hate Windows! Every day when it locks up, I curse it! I hate that it took me hours and hours of frustration just to sync my iPhone and iPad, so much so that I would put it off for weeks, months even. It takes it seconds now. Seconds! It also reboots in lightening speed.



Happy Monday to you! I'm hoping for some lovely orders! Don't forget to put some YAY in your day, too!

Oh... one more thing. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my back yard? :P

iThoughts... lost, somewhere in the land of Apple, part 3

Gosh. I just love my back yard!



I took this with a new iPhone app. It's called Photosynth. This was my first try at a panorama. I need a little practice to keep it level, but I think I'm going to like it a bunch!

So. My accounting software...

Unfortunately, Peachtree isn't even available for a Mac. You may recall my recent fiasco with the pirated QuickBooks software which I ordered on eBay? Yeah, that. Well, since then I've been doing a lot more more reading up on QuickBooks for Mac. I am completely unimpressed with the reviews I've read on QB for Mac. I will lose a great deal of functionality if I switch from my Peachtree Accounting to QuickBooks. This is one program I know will be running in a Windows partition on the iMac. No question about that one. It turns out that I actually dodged a bullet by getting my money reimbursed on that pirated software!



I found out something the hard way that I did not know the other day. If you order something on iTunes, it's yours. Their policy is NO refunds, no matter what. I ordered the Photoshop Elements 10 Editor app for the iMac to the tune of $79.99. I figured that would be a temporary solution to give me some good editing features without spending anouther $700 right away. So I installed it and guess what? It won't open any photos. SOL. Live and learn. I won't be downloading anything substantial for the iMac again. Color me 'sperienced.



In other unrelated news, the weather has been glorious here at the Swamp. Unless you're my Dad, who's been freezing his hiney off. Bless his heart.

iSpy with my little eye

So the other day I was doing my once a month searching of some of my keywords for my business web site. I always search in different search engines to see how well my web site is showing. I also check to see how my web site looks in 4 different browsers.



On one search string I actually came up 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 8th and 9th and 10th... That's me, listed 6 out of 10 on the 1st page. Me likey. :P

And when you click on "Images" for the keywords, my images were 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. In fact, of the first 70 images, 28 of them were mine. Me likey that, too.



I ended up doing some spying on my competitors once I discovered that 2 of them are trying to capitalize on my business name. Imitation is the highest form of flattery I suppose. mmmhhhmmmm...

One of them, whose entire strategy is to sell dirt cheap, actually bought my domain name ending in ".co", ".info" and ".biz". He just has them redirected to his web site. He also "liked" my Facebook page. He doesn't know that I know it's him. dur.

The people who bought my previous business bought my domain name with it ending in "-their businessinitials.com" and also have it redirected to their web site. Their web site is buried waaaaay down deep. I only found it because I was looking for it, many pages deep in the search. Who looks many pages deep? Not me. I don't even look on the second page.

I own my domain name ending in ".com", ".us", ".me" and "blog.com". Geeze Louise... Maybe I should have bought them all?

Even my Facebook page is showing up in the search engines. I can't take credit for that of course, but I am pleased. I just wish more customers would like it and give me more lovely orders!

Thankfully, the 2 aforementioned sneaky competitor's web sites aren't nearly as high up in the search engines as my ".com" and ".us". I am almost always 1st or 2nd.

Of course the greatest measure of how well my site is truly performing is getting actual orders.

But I still keep checking anyway. A girl's gotta buy groceries! ;-)

T-minus 13

Where T = Thanksgiving Day. Can you believe it? Less than 2 weeks away!

We've already got our turkey. I think my mother got it 2 weeks ago. You know... in case all of the stores run out of Turkeys or something. :-)

A & B will be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner. Last year we had their entire family over for Thanksgiving. Kids, Grands and even the Great Grands! And a brother and sister and their spouses for good measure!



This was as many as we could convince to get in the family photo.

That was a bit overwhelming for my mother. My mother is the type who has to plan everything out to the minutest detail. What to prepare, what time to serve, when to start cooking each dish so they'll all be done at the same time, how much of each thing to cook. And to a certain degree, I do those things, too. With one huge difference... I don't worry about it. My mother must worry. Where everyone would sit was a HUGE problem for her last year. You see, I just don't happen to have a table that will sit 26. I figure they will all grab a seat and eat. It has always worked out in the past, even when I had 40 people. Patio chairs, folding chairs, recliners, sofa, piano bench, breakfast bar.... Wherever. They find a spot and drop. It works. But that just doesn't work for MotherDear. She must worry over it. It keeps her up at night. It dominates her thoughts all.day.long.

So we're not doing that again this year! ;-)

There will just be 5 of us. All at one table. In assigned seating.

Later some of the neighbors are coming over for coffee and dessert. That will be more of a 'find a spot and drop' kinda thing, but she'll do fine with that. Because it's just dessert.

iThoughts... lost, somewhere in the land of Apple, Part 2

Some years back I tried Dreamweaver for web authoring. Epic Fail. I couldn't even figure how to import my existing web site into it. I also couldn't figure out how to design one single index page for building a brand new web site from scratch. At the time, it was overwhelming! Truly. I've been writing my own web site for at least 15 years so it shouldn't have been THAT hard but I just couldn't wrap my mind around Dreamweaver.

After a few days or a week or a year... and much frustration... I ordered the upgrade to FrontPage, which I'm still using.

I do think I may revisit Dreamweaver down the road. DW builds a much cleaner web site than FrontPage.



I was equally overwhelmed by Photoshop when I first started using it. I actually had Photoshop Elements for more than a year when I finally decided it was time to really apply myself and figure it out. Once I did that it wasn't long before a light turned on and I started "getting it". It was only a few months later that I decided to take off the training wheels and buy Photoshop Extended Pro. I think Dreamweaver will be much the same. I just have to make up my mind to do it.

But I haven't... yet.

I'd also need to check with my Host to make sure he supports Dreamweaver... there's no way I'm switching my Host! I've been using the same guy all these years and he totally ROCKS! I have his cell phone number! I call him and I talk to him. Or email. Same guy. Every time. And he's a geeky guru kinda guy.

Try that with these Big Box hosts like GoDaddy, etc.



One thing I do know for sure that I want to switch over to Mac software is Photoshop. The Windows version gobbles up tons of memory and basically sucks the life out of my computer. It is usually the reason I have to reboot at least once or twice a day. That's going to cost me about $700. So that will have to wait until I get everything else sorted. ;-)

I know you all think I have Photoshop for my passion for amateur photography but you would be wrong. I mostly use it for the graphics I need for my business web site.

And making Wine Labels for my sisterdear! :P

iThoughts... lost, somewhere in the land of Apple, Part 1

Honestly, I'm not loving Apple.

Yet. ;-)



I mean I love how clean and fast it loads, for sure! I can't believe it reboots in seconds! SECONDS! My PC takes at least 5 minutes! WOW! What a tremendous difference!

What I don't love is what it CAN'T do that Windows CAN. I am certainly not ready to move everything to the iMac yet. I will be taking time to learn to speak Apple. I also can't risk losing all of the functionality and productivity I have with my Windows products, especially with regards to running my business.



I do HATE the Mail program on the iMac. I haven't figured out how to save the emails I need to save in an organized manner. I file my important emails in Outlook, organized in logical folders in a logical hierarchy for easy access. For instance, I email Quotes. And Purchase Orders. And UPS Tracking Numbers. When a Vendor or a Customer calls with questions or to place an order I need to be able to pull them up quickly... not scrolling and scrolling haphazardly, hoping to trip over the right one while I keep them waiting on the phone. I also save my order confirmations and many, many other things. I may have to keep using Outlook on the Windows side.



And I won't be too long about transitioning... because my desk is WAY too crowded!

Happy Humpday! Don't forget to put some YAY in your day!

Today is another day!

And isn't THAT a wonderful thing!?! Yes, indeedy!



So yesterday had me on the phone with 1-800-MyApple. (Thanks, Miss Bee!)

They also thought it was my router, but because my new wireless printer was connecting to it just fine I thought it was more than that. There were so many variables to sort through. New iOS5 on my iPad. A new iPhone 4S with the new OS. A new iMac. A New Wi-Fi All-In-One...

I agree with you all, since 3 of my devices couldn't connect to my Wi-Fi that it DID sound like it was my router. However, what was really throwing me a curve was that once my iMac stopping connecting to my Wi-Fi, I was able to connect to my neighbor's unprotected wireless for about a day... and then it couldn't do that either. Why not?

After spending a great deal of time with Apple Tech Support Dude Dan and re-trying all of the things I had already tried a gazillion times, he wanted me to bring the iMac to the nearest Apple store... which is 2-1/2 hours away in Jacksonville... to see if it was what they called a DOA... Dead on Arrival! He said I may need a replacement. I was not happy with that suggestion. I explained a 5-hour drive when the computer was a few days old was really not an option. I explained that I doubted my iMac, my iPad and my iPhone were all bad.  srsly?

Dan the Man then put me through to Senior Tech Support Greg.  Greg finally had me boot into what I would compare to Window's Safe Mode and we reset my Network Settings to the factory settings... and lo and behold I was once again able to connect to the neighbor's Wi-Fi! But still not to my Wi-Fi. Bugger. But I was satisfied my iMac was fine, thanked Greg and...

... then I bought an AppleCare Protection Plan.



;-)

Next I called the good folks at AT&T Business DSL... and she initially thought I might need a new router, but after doing a hard reset and changing from WEP encryption to WPA, all of my Apple devices were once again able to connect to my Wi-Fi.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End. :P

Frustrated Monday

So now the wireless isn't working on my iPhone either. I'm more than a little surprised since all I ever heard was you open the box, turn the iMac on and it just works.

For me, not so much.

I would most definitely NOT recommend iCloud at this time. It's been a nightmare for me. I've used MobileMe for years (and paid $100 a year) but at least it actually worked. Right now, neither my iPhone nor my iPad will connect to my wireless router. Since nothing has changed with my internet - neither my provider, my router nor my password - then I must blame moving to iCloud.

The worst part of all is that I now have a great big, sexy, expensive iMac computer sitting on my desk taking up tons of real estate... and I can't actually use to do anything productive.

Color me in Buyer's-Remorse Blue at the moment.

UPDATE: Just discovered the Mac won't connect to the wireless this morning. It worked when I went to bed last night. I am about out of my mind with this now!

iWork, therefore iAm

Wow! Is it Sunday already?

Do you have any idea how many washing machines there are out there on the market? Holy moly! My head is spinning.



Yesterday I was feeling a bit agitated by the Mac and a whole lotta aggravated by iCloud. They moved my MobileMe account over to iCloud... a MobileMe account which has worked perfectly well for a few years... and now I'm having issues. It keeps telling me my password is incorrect, which it isn't. Further adding to my frustrations, my iPad... which has been on my wireless for a year?... It keeps popping up with a box telling me my wireless router password is incorrect. Which it isn't. It hasn't been changed. It's still the same one it's always been.

So I needed to step away from the issues. And I did what is predicable, mundane and, oh BTW, earns me money...



I worked all day on my web site.

And other than BWTB this afternoon, I'll probably do more of the same today.

I hope you're day is stress-free! And mine, too! :P

iBusy

Oh, hi there! I almost forgot to do a post, I've been so busy. I got my iMac Thursday and set it up next to my other computer on my desk.



As you can see, it's a bit crowded at the moment! And the cats are also all over my desk at any given time. This was a rare un-cat moment. Gracie, Whitey and Gandalf are now on it as I type. :P I may have to rearrange my office again as this ginormous monitor situation is totally blocking my views out the windows.

I've decided to take some time to get to know my iMac before I move everything over from my PC. Shoot... just this magic mouse and figuring out volume and where everything is taxing my post-menopausal brain!

And I haven't even unpacked my new wireless all-in-one printer yet!

Add to all of this my washing machine is in it's death throws. Yesterday morning it decided to flood my laundry room. It took me an hour to get it all cleaned up. So I'll be washing machine shopping some time this weekend, too.

Busy. I has dat. ;-)

I hope your weekend is lovely!

Friday Funny

I've been known to sit on both sides of this couch! ;-)



Yeah. That.



Happy Friday, y'all!