eBay and Me

I've sold a lot of artwork on eBay. I've met a few of the artists who sell there, too. I met my partner on eBay 6 years ago...both of us selling art.


Winter is the worst for me because I do most of my work in the garage and it's cold out there. And it's kind of small. When it's warmer out, I can spread my work out to the driveway and I can get a lot more work done.





In spite of how I suffer, I have done quite a bit of work this winter so far. I've done series of pieces for children. I have about 10 designs so far. I'm very happy with how they have turned out. They are made of wood in a folk art style. They're 14 inches by 12 inches and fit perfectly into a post office flat rate box, so I am able to offer free shipping so that buyers and I don't have to deal with that.


I have 2 auctions up now:

A Zebra


A Cat


Each sells for $45 and shipping is free.

I will be putting up a new auction every day.

Jan 3: Weight...196 lbs.

Not as bad as I thought.

Have all my wishes come true yet?

I've been thinking for awhile that I should eat better. More fish and chicken. But what kind of fish should I buy? How do you cook it? I don't know. So we live on sausages, hamburger, pot roast and potatoes.
So we found some frozen fish in a bag. It's called 'tapia' and it's really good and easy to cook. That with some steamed squash and zucinni makes a pretty good main meal. And the good part is...I don't feel full in the morning from the day before. That's how I know I'm gaining weight...if I still feel full in the morning when I first get up.

And I'll take it with me for dinner at work:

"Phyllis, do you want anything from Pizza Hut?"

"No thanks. I have my fish and steamed squash."

"Oh."

I can eat the same thing every day for months on end. That makes it very easy for me, but my partner can't live like that. She makes things up. She'll take a can of peas, a can of corn, pour that over some rice and pour teriaki sauce all over that.

"Mmmmmm...do you want some?"

"NO! And don't show it to me, either!"

And juice...part of my master plan. I got a juicer at Walmart that didn't cost much. Every other day I put spinach, 3 carrots, and and apple in there and make juice. And I mean every OTHER day. You'll be sorry if you do that every day. Sometimes I add beets, garlic...things I wouldn't eat otherwise. And it's pretty good.

And here's the good part. I'm walking every day, so every other day, I divert my walk to the market and buy vegetables just for 2 days. Otherwise, stuff just rots in the refrigerator.

I have no idea how much I weigh right now. I'm guessing around 200 lbs. I'm 5'8, so I can stand to loose about 50 lbs. or so. I'm going to weigh myself at work tonight in the fitness room and I'll report on that tomorrow. Loosing weight isn't my main goal here, but we'll see if I do.

And smoking. That wasn't even on my resolution list. But this morning, I just decided that I want to do that. So today is day 1. I already have patches on hand because I use them at work. I smoke at home, then put on a patch for work...then rip it off as soon as I get off work and smoke on my way home.

That was the old me.

The new me had one cigarette this morning and then put the patch on for the day. If I don't rip it off and race to the store tonight after work for cigarettes...that will be a victory for me. At about $5.25 or more per pack, I can save at least $36 every week. I can buy an ounce of silver for that...start collecting silver eagles.

Ok, well we'll see how good I am.

2009 is in the Crapper

Helloooooo, 2010!
I love New Years Day. It's not just another day. More than any other holiday...Mother's Day, my birthday, Christmas...this day is just for me. What do I want? How am I going to get it?

I have three areas of interest:

1). My health...weight, fitness, nutrition.
2). My finances...how can I squeeze another penny out of my meager income?
3). My artwork...can I finally learn to sell a little more and perhaps become a little more prolific?

That's it. I'm not asking much of myself.

Before I dive into what I want, though, I want to acknowledge what I already have, for which I am truly greatful:

1. A partner who is smart and fun. She loves life. She loves learning and reading. She has so many interests. Never a dull moment with her.

2. A son who lives nearby, who is the light of my life and on his road to recovery.

3. I have a job that doesn't totally suck. I like the paycheck.

4. I'm healthy...my loved ones are healthy.

5. We have 3 cool dogs, 4 cats, 9 finches and 4 parakeets...altogether, they make this house a home.

There are many more things, but I don't want to be annoying. I do make a point to spend at least 5 minutes a day, usually on my walk, thinking about what I have in my life that is valuable to me. That's the point...to make a habit of being thankful for what I have. They say this also makes you a magnet for more good things in your life. Is that true? Seems like it. I'm going to make more of an effort to do this in the following months and I'll report on my progress.

This is one of my resolutions...to start my blog. So here I am, and here I go.