Yummy in my tummy

Beautiful!
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

Look what was on my doorstep when I got home today. Delicious, beautiful and exciting. Thanks Oy Vey for the fantabulous surprise.

Success!

Sitting here working through our stocktake and listening to the radio, and they say that March was bad for the retail sector. Yippee! We had a good month, so maybe my 200% theory has worked, maybe without my psychic skillz we would've had a dunger month too.

I tell you, Michael Hill et al. could learn a lot from me.

Edgy. I'm doing that thing where you think of words (word association?), and everyone dies of boredom.

Clean. The house is pleasant, Thursdays the house becomes clean, and for a few hours I feel a tiny bit house proud.
Crap. Telly.
Full. My tummy, with takeaways from Kilim over the road from the shop.
Yummy. My dinner was.
Radiation. How much sitting with a laptop on ones knees can ones body handle?
Long. Days at the shop when it gets dark so early.
Yawn. I'm going to sneak into my bed shortly.

Mother's day

Thought I should mention my splendid Mother's Day.

I put my order in for breakfast (peeled apple, chopped into pieces, fruit muffins with nice fresh butter, cup of tea, feijoas). It came beautifully arranged on a tray with some lavender in a wee vase, some liquorice allsorts on the side, and a box of scorched almonds. Perfecto! And I didn't go into the shop at all. Well, that is a slight lie, I nipped in to give Glen some lunch, but apart from that lounged around on the couch eating my gifts and sort of entertaining the kids, and thinking that I quite enjoy Mother's Day.

For my own mama I got a lovely brooch from Art Divine. Available you know where...

'kinoath! A week!

I love me some swear words. I think I've spent my adult life rebelling against my youthful self, who never swore. No idea why I didn't then, but now I love it. I'm careful not to swear around the kiddies though. I just think it is a bit of a bad look, the kiddies with the gutter mouths. Somewhere Malo has picked up "phut", despite my best efforts. I'm hoping that "phut" just sounds like the noise of an angry engine, and not the genuine source of the word.

What else. Things have been a bit quiet around these parts. No massive raves, no dining with the Queen. The shop has been really busy, which is so awesome. My business plan for 200% didn't really work, but the 50% one seems to be. Maybe the 200% plan will kick in this week. I urge anyone thinking of spending humungous amounts of moolah to do so out my way, therefore making my trip to Oprah that much more likely. In fact, if you'd like to spend 200k instore, I'll take you to Chicago myself.

Business according to Ms Martha

• Pick a completely arbitrary amount of money to aim for as turnover based on rent + vague idea of overheads + vague idea of acceptable amount to live on.
• Meet above turnover almost immediately, so decide it wasn't really right and bump it up by 50% (advice: projections based on realistic figures to be avoided)
• Wonder why I didn't up the projections by 200%, and aim to be rich.
• Bump up the projections by 200%
• Wait with eager anticipation for the dozens, nay hundreds, of customers who will flood the store tomorrow, having psychically picked up my new 200% projection.
• Write to Oprah about fantastic new psychic projection scheme, she loves that shit.
• Get invited to parties at Oprah's place with Tom Cruise.
• Hail Xenu.
  

Shelf poem for Robyn

like a yearning
chasm
of available space

a tender minute
of ply
caress

a lanky plank
of splintered
plane

a poem
that is utterly
lame

I'm doing a dance while I write. I call it "horizontal extension".

There goes another day

This morning in bed I was lazily dozing quite late (while the cat's away), and listening to Nat Rad. They were talking about the nasty Austrian daddy/grandaddy, and also about the giant squid. In my sleepy state I couldn't tell whether it was those poor children that lived in the basement, or the squid, that had enlarged pores because of the dark, and enlarged irises. In my brain now those poor children are a little colossal squid as well as a little bit grandchild/child.

Oops

The camera has gone on holiday with all the blokes from this house, and I can't do an update photo of my fascinating shelves until they return.

Soz.

Florence and I are having a house party, just us girls. We talk about haircuts and stuff like that, since she is a dog, and really only interested in her coat, and not so interested in Brangelina.

Oy!

If you are what you eat, then I am toasted sesame bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese.

And now

Image033
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

Stock!
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

When I started selling Babylicious on a largish scale, I needed to get a bit orderly with my workshop. The first photo shows it about 18 months ago, the second shows it 4 days ago.

It was so terrible out there that I was in fear each time I had an order to put together. With over a hundred boxes of blank Babylicious t shirts, not to mention over a dozen of those big wheelie boxes full of Dishy, both home and the storeroom at the shop were utterly packed to limits.

Until Anzac day, when we built the most massive, industrial, fabulous set of shelves you have ever seen.

I'll post a picture tomorrow, gotta give you something to look forward to.

A week goes by

Back from a lovely birthday party, where there was a real live PONY and a GOAT and GUINEA PIGS and a BUNNY, and far more importantly chippies and cake. Mmmmm.

We found out that our telly doesn't have to be a little picture in the middle of the screen, and now I'm tucked up on the couch with Fargo. Bloody brill, all big and everything.

Just need my psychic tea maker to bring me a cuppa. I'm sending lots of psychic vibes, and possibly an email, since we're in different rooms and 2 computers is so much easier than talking.

Busy busy

Mon cheres! Je suis going to parlez le franglais until je get fatigueed de est (ie now). Each year my school cert french deserts me un petit more.

Things have been kind of crazy around here. 20th of the month stuff (ie my numerous crazy businesses invoicing and paying invoices), looking at a house stuff (well, Glen went and looked at one yesterday, and thought it was ace, and I went today, and thought it was ace, but lacking in location), and the looking at the house stuff made me fret about the money stuff, and so 20th stuff coincided with fretting about money stuff, and I got a bit stressed. Another ambitious business plan has been happily ditched. The relief! It occurs to me that possibly one website, one shop and two wholesale businesses might be enough for the time-being.

All good now though. School holidays have started, and we had a grand day with friends.

We spent a lovely evening with Monsieur Mike et famille on Saturday scoffing food and alcohol.

And now I have a lovely episode of Top Chef to watch.

Adieu to you.

Wanda Harland and Cactus share a page

Yup, Wanda Harland was on page D2 of the Dom today. Not the blog though, the shop. Quite chuffed really.

A hickey from Kenickie is like a Hallmark

Being quite ancient and all, I was quite tired last night after my adventures from the previous night. Yikes. However, this didn't stop me from staying up well past my bedtime to watch Celebrity Rehab on Vibe. Kenickie was on it! And not hot! Very decrepit in fact! Poor Kenickie. All my grizzling about shite telly, and Vibe has Peter and Katie and now Celebrity Rehab. No more complaints from me.

Partying like it's 1999

It had been a splendid weekend. We managed being home alone in style, stumbling in the door at 3.30am this morning after a brilliant party, where we scoffed oysters and consumed much bubbly. There was interpretive dancing, and it was like being in a musical, a naughty, booze guzzling musical.

Today was art group, where there was more scoffing of delicious food and excellent company. It is our turn to buy a piece, so I'm trawling the internet looking at art. I want a Sarah Emerson painting, I'll have to carefully time my hints.

It is too quiet to be able to concentrate

My children are spending their first night away with my parents in the Wairarapa.

The house is freaky quiet. We are going to drink some beer, have a SPICY curry, and then go to a party.

It all feels very 2001.