Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Long Story
I don't have time to get into it all now, but I was asked to blog about today's primary election for Glamour Magazine and I got published! Check it out
Sunday, January 13, 2008
NEWS
I have some news. On one hand it is wonderful news. A few weeks ago I was offered and accepted a promotion at my day job (the full time, 9-5, M-F job that I have had on top of Erinn’s Edibles) This new position is an answer to many prayers. It offers me some financial stability and benefits including health insurance. It also has potential and a future. While it may not be the place I was a couple years ago, it is a giant step in that direction and I am both extremely thankful and excited about the opportunity.
BUT… on the other hand, the Erinn’s Edible hand, the news is not as great. This change means it is no longer necessary for me to go to the Farmers Market each week next summer and I already know of a few weeks that I will not be able to go. I have not made the decision yet if I will scrap the Farmers Market entirely. That is something I am not going to worry about for a little while. I still intend on doing special orders and will for sure do the holiday season next year – since it was such a smashing success. But other then that things are pretty much just up in the air.
I will continue to keep you posted as things develop.
BUT… on the other hand, the Erinn’s Edible hand, the news is not as great. This change means it is no longer necessary for me to go to the Farmers Market each week next summer and I already know of a few weeks that I will not be able to go. I have not made the decision yet if I will scrap the Farmers Market entirely. That is something I am not going to worry about for a little while. I still intend on doing special orders and will for sure do the holiday season next year – since it was such a smashing success. But other then that things are pretty much just up in the air.
I will continue to keep you posted as things develop.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Current Weather
It's 7:45 pm
Current temp...
Current radar...
Current watches...
Is it January or July?
Only in Michigan!
Update - 9:45 radar - the crazy weather continues....
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Jan. 5, 2008, What are you thinking about?
The new year is a mere 5 days old but the holidays already feel like they were months ago due to the rapid switch of focus by so many facets. Now every year people start to get back to real life after the holidays relatively quickly, but this year it has been faster then normal. What are you focusing on?
IF you are the retail community it is Valentines Day and in some places St. Patrick’s Day. While doing some errands this afternoon I saw center isles filled with pink and red hearted items and a few end caps with green shamrocks. With these major holidays being 40 days and 72 days away respectively I guess I should not be that surprised, but I am. I remember studying for my exams in High School late in January and taking a study break with my sister to go to Meijers to see if the conversation hearts were out yet - they were not always available 3 weeks before the big day. Now we have almost 6 weeks – crazy. With Easter being early this year I would expect to see bunnies and eggs hitting the shelves any day. Of course while I am on the topic of Valentines Day – if you are thinking about giving someone special in your life some chocolates, consider Erinn’s Edibles are your source. :)
IF you are following current events the biggest stories right now are the Presidential Primary and Brittney Spears. Which to tackle first?
Britney Spears – what can you say about that girl? She obviously is in need of some major help and I wish that someone in her family, maybe her parents, would get some sense and get her committed until she can get that help. But considering her family’s track record, I don’t see that happening. Thankfully those babies are away from her unharmed. At least the Judge had some sense in that one. Does anyone else see the parallels to Anna Nicole Smith’s life? I am not going to be surprised if Britney’s has the same ending. I don’t bring this up to be gossipy, but just because watching this travesty unfold it has made me so thankful. Maybe I have not had the easiest of years and maybe I have a few issues, but compared to that mess, it is nothing. I continue to be thankful for all the blessings in my life and the people surrounding me who really care.
Presidential Primary – if you are in Michigan we are just 10 days away from voting for our choice for President. I know that I will be voting on January 15th, but still have no idea who I will be voting for – none of the above is not an option. Admittedly I have not paid as much attention to this campaign as I have in years past, but that is in part due to the fact that I am not real excited about any of the candidates. But tonight I sat down and watched the big New Hampshire debate, both parties. It was pretty interesting, I have a bit of a renewed vigor to make sure the “other side” does not get elected after hearing them talk, but not sure who can do that. I guess sometime between now and leaving the voting booth I will decide.
IF you are the retail community it is Valentines Day and in some places St. Patrick’s Day. While doing some errands this afternoon I saw center isles filled with pink and red hearted items and a few end caps with green shamrocks. With these major holidays being 40 days and 72 days away respectively I guess I should not be that surprised, but I am. I remember studying for my exams in High School late in January and taking a study break with my sister to go to Meijers to see if the conversation hearts were out yet - they were not always available 3 weeks before the big day. Now we have almost 6 weeks – crazy. With Easter being early this year I would expect to see bunnies and eggs hitting the shelves any day. Of course while I am on the topic of Valentines Day – if you are thinking about giving someone special in your life some chocolates, consider Erinn’s Edibles are your source. :)
IF you are following current events the biggest stories right now are the Presidential Primary and Brittney Spears. Which to tackle first?
Britney Spears – what can you say about that girl? She obviously is in need of some major help and I wish that someone in her family, maybe her parents, would get some sense and get her committed until she can get that help. But considering her family’s track record, I don’t see that happening. Thankfully those babies are away from her unharmed. At least the Judge had some sense in that one. Does anyone else see the parallels to Anna Nicole Smith’s life? I am not going to be surprised if Britney’s has the same ending. I don’t bring this up to be gossipy, but just because watching this travesty unfold it has made me so thankful. Maybe I have not had the easiest of years and maybe I have a few issues, but compared to that mess, it is nothing. I continue to be thankful for all the blessings in my life and the people surrounding me who really care.
Presidential Primary – if you are in Michigan we are just 10 days away from voting for our choice for President. I know that I will be voting on January 15th, but still have no idea who I will be voting for – none of the above is not an option. Admittedly I have not paid as much attention to this campaign as I have in years past, but that is in part due to the fact that I am not real excited about any of the candidates. But tonight I sat down and watched the big New Hampshire debate, both parties. It was pretty interesting, I have a bit of a renewed vigor to make sure the “other side” does not get elected after hearing them talk, but not sure who can do that. I guess sometime between now and leaving the voting booth I will decide.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
2007 Year in review
What a year it has been!
The inception and planning of Erinn’s Edibles began in March and after doing a ton of research I hit the streets in May. My first week was at a friend’s home during their neighborhood garage sale and then I moved to the Westside Market, where I continued selling every Saturday, except for one, until the end of July.
The time at the Westside Market was a great learning experience for me. With the market being so small I was able to work out all the kinks and prefect my systems. I was also able to complete the process of getting my churches kitchen licensed by the state and move all of my baking work into the church. The downside of the Westside Market was that it was not very profitable. I am not sure if the neighborhood just cannot support a market or if the market was too new without enough marketing, but by the end of July I knew I needed to look into a different venue.
The first weekend in August I made the move over to the Byron Center farmers market and completely sold out with an hour to go. I knew then, that was the right move. Over the next several weeks I continued to increase my volume levels and continued to almost sell out every week. On top of that the people at the market were so nice and friendly I actually enjoyed my time there. Plus I cherished all my friends to stopped by to visit. It was so encouraging to see a familiar face in the crowd and loved the little surprises like hot chocolate on a chilly autumn morning. With the high amounts of product to sell, the longer it took for me to bake everything, so before long it felt liked I was living at church, I was there Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings and sometimes I had to go back on Saturdays. One week when I had lost the electricity at my house I seriously considered sleeping at church. I did enjoyed it when people stopped by when I was there, but it did get me a bit off rhythm.
While the farmers market season was extremely successful for me, I was so happy for it to come to an end. I was completely exhausted by the packed schedule I was keeping, working at my day job full time and then baking 20-25 hours each week. I had intended on taking my goods to some local coffee shops to see if I could pick up some contract, but due some family medical issues that took place 4 days after the final market Saturday, I was not able to follow through with those plans.
Once those issues were taken care of it was almost the holiday’s and I decided to launch some Christmas specials which included the candy I have made and given away for the past 15 years or so. I thought they would make nice Christmas gifts for others to give away and they proved to be a great seller! My Christmas orders not only surpassed my expectations, but blew them away. It was a great success! Which brings me up to now.
Erinn’s Edibles first calendar year of business was a great success. Going into this endeavor I had certain goals I wanted to achieve, admittedly these goals were not overly ambitious, but instead what I needed. I more then met all of my objectives and can say this year was profitable. I am not sure what happens next – I am always accepting special orders (hint hint) via email and looking to explore other options.
The inception and planning of Erinn’s Edibles began in March and after doing a ton of research I hit the streets in May. My first week was at a friend’s home during their neighborhood garage sale and then I moved to the Westside Market, where I continued selling every Saturday, except for one, until the end of July.
The time at the Westside Market was a great learning experience for me. With the market being so small I was able to work out all the kinks and prefect my systems. I was also able to complete the process of getting my churches kitchen licensed by the state and move all of my baking work into the church. The downside of the Westside Market was that it was not very profitable. I am not sure if the neighborhood just cannot support a market or if the market was too new without enough marketing, but by the end of July I knew I needed to look into a different venue.
The first weekend in August I made the move over to the Byron Center farmers market and completely sold out with an hour to go. I knew then, that was the right move. Over the next several weeks I continued to increase my volume levels and continued to almost sell out every week. On top of that the people at the market were so nice and friendly I actually enjoyed my time there. Plus I cherished all my friends to stopped by to visit. It was so encouraging to see a familiar face in the crowd and loved the little surprises like hot chocolate on a chilly autumn morning. With the high amounts of product to sell, the longer it took for me to bake everything, so before long it felt liked I was living at church, I was there Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings and sometimes I had to go back on Saturdays. One week when I had lost the electricity at my house I seriously considered sleeping at church. I did enjoyed it when people stopped by when I was there, but it did get me a bit off rhythm.
While the farmers market season was extremely successful for me, I was so happy for it to come to an end. I was completely exhausted by the packed schedule I was keeping, working at my day job full time and then baking 20-25 hours each week. I had intended on taking my goods to some local coffee shops to see if I could pick up some contract, but due some family medical issues that took place 4 days after the final market Saturday, I was not able to follow through with those plans.
Once those issues were taken care of it was almost the holiday’s and I decided to launch some Christmas specials which included the candy I have made and given away for the past 15 years or so. I thought they would make nice Christmas gifts for others to give away and they proved to be a great seller! My Christmas orders not only surpassed my expectations, but blew them away. It was a great success! Which brings me up to now.
Erinn’s Edibles first calendar year of business was a great success. Going into this endeavor I had certain goals I wanted to achieve, admittedly these goals were not overly ambitious, but instead what I needed. I more then met all of my objectives and can say this year was profitable. I am not sure what happens next – I am always accepting special orders (hint hint) via email and looking to explore other options.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Post Christmas deals
My life seams to be dominated by list these days, filled with things that are needed but are not possible due to financial constraints. Doctor’s appointments put off, items that need to be replaced or repaired, basics that worn beyond acceptable standards and the ever growing list of ways to spend my tax refund money – which of course is much more expensive then the money I will receive.
After hearing about all the great deals being offered by the retail community, I decided to tackle one of my lists today, the one with the clothes and personal items I need. Now I know what you are saying – how can I need any clothes? I have a ton, and that is true, but I have not bought anything for over a year and there are certain things, like layering pieces that get worn out after a couple years of wear. So I took $100 of my baking profits and set out to get everything on my list. I have to say I think I did pretty good! I was able to get 1 sweater, 3 long sleeved t-shirts, 2 bath and body works creamy body wash, some unmentionables, a pair of slippers and a pair of jeans. All for $76.69. Oh, did I mention the jeans are Ann Taylor Loft jeans that I got for $17.49, beating my previous best ATL jean purchase of $19.99. If I had paid full price for all of my items it would have been $190. A discount of 60% - not bad! The only thing on my list I didn’t get was some socks – I will have to keep looking for some – socks are expensive.
After hearing about all the great deals being offered by the retail community, I decided to tackle one of my lists today, the one with the clothes and personal items I need. Now I know what you are saying – how can I need any clothes? I have a ton, and that is true, but I have not bought anything for over a year and there are certain things, like layering pieces that get worn out after a couple years of wear. So I took $100 of my baking profits and set out to get everything on my list. I have to say I think I did pretty good! I was able to get 1 sweater, 3 long sleeved t-shirts, 2 bath and body works creamy body wash, some unmentionables, a pair of slippers and a pair of jeans. All for $76.69. Oh, did I mention the jeans are Ann Taylor Loft jeans that I got for $17.49, beating my previous best ATL jean purchase of $19.99. If I had paid full price for all of my items it would have been $190. A discount of 60% - not bad! The only thing on my list I didn’t get was some socks – I will have to keep looking for some – socks are expensive.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Once in a life time...
I remember exactly what I was doing one year ago tonight when the breaking news hit, I was in my room folding laundry. The local news had recently finished and suddenly they broke in the national news to announce the death of President Ford. At that time I knew the next week would be memorable for me, but I have no idea what a lasting impact it would have. It was truly a once in a life time experience and one I will never forget. I often think I should write a book about it, and maybe some day I will. But today I am a just a bit sad. One year ago today we lost a great man. Personally I had only met him a few times, have a few brief conversations with him and helped out on his 90th birthday celebration. Yet he his death and the anniversary of it has hit me hard. He had given so much to West Michigan and to our nation, much more then I ever realized until his death, and in the end his death was his final gift. During the events in Grand Rapids we became a showplace to the entire world and the people of West Michigan not only put their best forward they surpassed everyone expectations! They showed the world what it means to be an American. I do not think that I have to words to describe the emotions I felt the first I witnessed this. During much of the time I was in a small room in the Amway hotel, but one of my duties was to staff the museum arrival ceremony. One of my responsibilities was getting the VIP guests from the hotel to the museum. Stepping on the bus was my first time out and seeing the crowds of people that had come out to pay their respects brought tears to my eyes – to the point that I had to stop delivering my instructions because I was crying. Walking through the crowds that night, seeing the individuals who waiting for hours in line, covering miles of roads, crossing three bridges, to pay their respects while President Ford was in repose was unlike any crowd I have ever seen before and will ever see again. It was just amazing, especially when we learned that over 60,000 people had gone though, we were planning on somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000. But West Michigan showed their true colors and exemplified patriotism. Just thinking about it brings back so many memories and emotions! Oh the stories I have! I don’t have a whole lot going on this weekend and I think I am going to watch the two days worth of news coverage I have taped. I have never sat down and watched it – I am sure many of you have seen more coverage then I have, yes we had the TV on in the office, but we were too busy to really watch it. We lived it. Until this point I have not wanted to see it, but I am ready now, to watch this historic event that I had the amazing honor to be a part of.
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