Random Tidbits and Minor Musings

Well, here we are at the end of the year again. I've managed to be busy enough to get behind on all internet social media for a few months now. While I have a few minutes to poke my head in, I guess I'll provide a little update.

Late October or so, just after my last blog post, I decided to try my hand at making some homemade lotions and balms. This idea was devised because I have many nieces and nephews who have every toy I could imagine plus a few and their parents agree. Around this same time, a newish friend of mine found out I have made jewelry in past incarnations. She also started making and selling soap the previous year.

Imagine my surprise to find out how fun lotion-making is. Imagine my bigger surprise that my friend liked my jewelry and my lotion and wanted to partner at some of the craft shows this next year? Imagine the frenzy I went into to get products made for a tiny little pilot craft show in early December. Yes, the frog has a new addiction. Yay me. Now I am spending a good chunk of my free time trying to figure out a way to make this little adventure somewhat profitable. A little extra money to support my personal penance-the money pit is always welcome.

Speaking of my money pit, I am fresh out of renters. My last ones left at the end of the lease--right in the middle of the holidays and I am still without renters. Renting my house and becoming a landlord (quite possibly one of the things I least aspired to be of all time), has confirmed once again that being nice to people you do business with typically doesn't pay off. When they saw the house they pretty much begged me to rent it to them on Dec. 1st, rather than for November when it was available. They weren't ready to move yet, but please please please, we love it and really really want to live in this tiny coastside community forever.

I caved to that shit and what I ended up with was a house to rent in the middle of the holidays right AFTER the main rental market started declining due to higher inventory. Oh, and these lovely folks who (granted kept the house in very good repair) were willing to bend over backwards to help get the place rented? Well, my agents informed me, they insisted on being available at appts., but were never home; they refused to take their dog out, so the house could be shown when they were out of town; and they left the place a filthy mess and didn't return the keys for 3 weeks post move out.

I really don't want to examine this owning an upside down house too closely because I might cry. This is painful and hopefully I can get decent renters in there, so I can at least stave off financial meltdown for another year. One thing I have learned from this situation is to never ever buy a house with someone else. If I purchase a home again, it will be what I can afford not what we can afford.

So yeah, that's the update. New possible business venture and crappy house saga continues. Hopefully 2009 will bring a little more cheer and a little less worry. Maybe it will also bring a functional shopping website, but, hey, I do have the domain back now. www.celticfrog.net Back with me where it belongs.