Taking a short break from working to write in here.  I don't have a ton of work this weekend but I purposely did that so that I can work on cleaning up the other half of my office and working on some webstuff.  Trying to build a website for our store Wood Stock.  The left side of my office looks GREAT, dusted, swept, things tossed that I'll never read, shelves more empty than full...the right side, thick with dust, shelves need sorting and I've got a lot of filing to do, whenever I get a chance.  I tend to keep all the paid bills and file them at some point but I guess it isn't required to do that.  I just do for record purposes.  But like I said have months worth (probably 6-8 mos).  Well hey, we ALL have those things that we just hate to do, right?

Well I've been trying to promote my online businesses more 'this year'.  I updated my website Diane St James  to include all my businesses, but I'm also getting makeup samplers to give out and ordered a bunch of lia sophia catalogs to send out as mompackfillers (for other women to hand out in bags they may be giving away at functions). I need to promote things more or just forget them.  That's all there is to it.  I even took a slot on Wednesday night for an online party but I noticed something. EVERY single one of us vendors offered a % off if someone bought from them.  I offered 10% off my mineral makeup but no one took me up on it.  But what irks me is that it is pretty much EXPECTED for one to offer a discount all the time and I don't like that.  As it is some of these businesses only pay out 20-25% in commissions and if you start giving 10-15% off you may end up make only $2.00 on a sale or less depending on what it is...and quite frankly that isn't worth it to me.  So...I'm going to keep plugging away and also trying to build up a downline in my businesses because at least you get a piece of your downline (depending..).  I say depending because with Lia Sophia I would have to sell I think it is $1500/month to earn anything from my downline, and I'm lucky if I meet the bare minimum to stay active!  I won't do home shows, so it is harder for me. But I can take website sales and like I said bought a ton of the new catalogs to get out there. I bought 3 cases which is 300 of them!  I'm going to put the expense under Wood Stock for supplies and things I mail because I don't want to end up with a bunch of little schedule cs....and Wood Stock is able to sell anything I represent per the owner (me), so I'm going to keep it easy for tax purposes. 

Hub and I are actually going out to dinner with another couple~!  I hope I get along well with the wife, because we are trying to get some friends that we can do things with once in a while.  There are a few other couples that we've all agreed we need to get together with so hopefully that will happen more this year.  I don't need to go out much but once in a while is nice.  I don't think we went anywhere last year with another couple that wasn't family.  Too bad our neighborhood isn't more friendy.  Folks say hi and sometimes chat, but that's the extent of it. 

Although the winters here are not at all like back East, I am ready for Spring.  I just like the smell of outdoors and the warm breeze coming in the office window here and I miss it.  It has been closed and has cobwebs all inside it and the only air reaching in the office is from the cold garage or the heater (when I have the door shut). 

We're looking at getting a new computer or two and Dani also needs a laptop, but I'm trying to get some $$ saved before doing that.  This 4th qtr income tax is going to take all I got including some of the paycheck I am waiting for.  Sure hope my job keeps going!!! ...

Wood Stock had a GREAT December and sales for the year were triple from last year.  January is going slowly so far, but the fact that '07 was better than '06 by that much and 2006 was our first year, it is really encouraging.  Hopefully it will continue to flourish!

Bye for now.