We Got A New-To-Us Car

Hi Friends,

We genuinely needed a new car. Something more cost effective in both fuel consumption, maintenance, and repairs. We bought a 2003 Suburu Legacy with only 60,500 miles. It looks nearly new, it's in such good shape. It's a total "mom" car and I love it!

My sales efforts were successful. I didn't reach my 1000 pair, okay Al, 1200 pair goal, but I did sell 501 pair. I got the final samples on March 13th and in just ten days, I sold gloves to an industry that technically finished their shopping in January. We have a big trade show in September in Las Vegas and the Snowsport Industry Association show in January. I expect we'll see so much more growth in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. We are already working on offering a fleece version of our snow glove, a 1-2 year old size or style for the 2010/2011 season, and even a whole different product that is still under wraps. We have so much to look forward to, how can we see our journey thus far as anything but successful? Exactly! Thank you to those of you who contributed financially, gave us your time, took care of Mason, loaned my your FedEx number, and the many, many other things that have helped us move this project forward. Most of all, thank you for continuing to cheer us on. We're gonna have a hell of a party come this fall!

Okay, today is Julie and Monty's birthday. How often have you known a woman and her dog to share a birthday. I'm planning to meet Julie today to spend some much needed girl time together. Have a wonderful week and if you haven't already, join me in my "Give Away Ten A Day" Challenge. Go to my IW blog to join me or just follow along! http://www.intentionalwinning.blogspot.com/

My motivational words to send you off into your new week are to write down what it is you want to achieve. If you don't know, make time to get quiet and find an answer. It may not be "the" answer, but I bet it's leading you in the right direction. Put your goal on you list so you look at it, think about it, visualize it, and take some kind of action on it every single day. I bet you in no time, things will start to happen. Just start!

Have a great week!

Saturday's Chore

Before - the right side of the entrance to the backyard.
After

The baby squirrel that joined me in my chores.

Before - left side of the entrance to the backyard.

After

Time for Flexeril and tequlia. I have no more back.

Come On Get Happy!

Happy First Monday Of Spring!

Last week was a bit of a blur since I was running like crazy. This weekend was a welcome, slower pace. The big news on the glove front is that Dave sold 168 pairs to one sports shop in South Lake Tahoe. Go Dave! My (my = our) goal is to take orders for 1200 pair (thanks Al!) before 3/31 and with Dave's new account, I think we're a quarter of the way there. And for a little something to look forward to, I may have another product coming out before the end of the year! No Kidding!

So this week is more of the same. I'm planning to utilize as many business hours as I can introducing ZipperBack Gloves so even if I don't make the sale this time, they know who I am next time I stop in. By the time I'm there again, we'll be old friends and they'll be ordering hundreds of pairs!

Have a great week and send me some fitness mo-jo! I need it now, more than ever! But even still, I have so much to be grateful for, I have to be happy in spite of my spongy middle! Since every day is a new beginning, this motivator is fitting. Have a great week!

Kathy

Positive beginning

Would you spend your hard-earned money buying things you didn't want or need? Of course not.

So why would you spend any of your precious and powerful thoughts on things you don't want? It makes much more sense to focus your thoughts on the positive, desirable things you would like to create and expand upon.

The thoughts with which you choose to fill your mind have a direct influence on the people, things, and events that surround your life. Every moment, with each thought, you have the opportunity to point your life in a specific direction.

The way you think about life plays a major role in the way your life unfolds. Again and again, choose those thoughts that resonate with a life that's rich, joyous and fulfilled.

You think thousands of thoughts each day. Use the opportunity of each thought to push you toward the precise life you wish to create for yourself.

Everything in your world begins with a thought. So use your thoughts to give everything a powerful, positive beginning.

Ralph Marston from The Daily Motivator with permission http://www.dailymotivator.com

The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow!

But for today, it's still wet. Happy Monday and Happy St. Patrick's Day-ish!

Last week ended with a bang and I'll be sitting here waiting anxiously for our gloves to come tomorrow. Interestingly, do you know what this week is? Think for a minute, go back exactly one year, where was I and what was I doing? Oh come on, you do too remember! Okay, I'll help you out a little. I had just returned from Vietnam and was frantically unpacking and repacking to get back on a plane for Arizona...and what was I going to Arizona for? Yes! The Lucky Napkin Live event where I met Amilya. Tomorrow, just two days before the official one year anniversary of our meeting, I will have a finished, saleable product in six sizes in my hands! From cut-up glove with hand-sewn in zipper, to finished, retail ready kids snow gloves. I have to say, I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I'm also so very grateful to all of you who have helped me along the way (I really want to name you all, but for fear of leaving even one of you our, I'm going to know you know who you are), nobody accomplishes great things all by themselves, and I certainly could not have done this without all of you! Thank you!

So now it's back to work. I'm going to make the most of today and tomorrow by cleaning my house, paying the bills, and reaching as many of the people I plan to see in the coming weeks as I can. If I can't get them by phone, they'll have to answer to me personally. My goal is to sell at least 1000 pairs of gloves before April 1st, and I'm no April fool!

I hope you have a lucky week and make time to celebrate tomorrow. Don't forget to wear your green unless your single, and then being pinched could be a fun ice-breaker! Enjoy and I'll see you in a week.



Kath

Mason Lost A Tooth!

This tooth has been loose for a week or so. It finally broke free yesterday at preschool. He couldn't be happier to have lost his first tooth! The Tooth Fairy paid him a visit and left six shiny new quarter! Six!

Rose Colored Glasses

Happy sunny, cold Monday!

What a busy week it was, and it looks like this new one is shaping up to be much of the same. Where do I start? It seems spring cleaning is on many minds, mine included. My girlfriends on facebook have started a "let's do this together" chat so I'll have to log on today and post the before and after pics of Mason's room. I'll put them here, too, so you can see what I accomplished. If you have kids, I'm sure you'll mock what I think is a disaster and be able to share tales and pics of much worse.

I went to Crockett this weekend and spent a night with Diana. It was so much fun to see her cute little house and hang out with the girls. Mary came over and I think the last time she and I saw each other, was late last summer when Mason and I rode BART over from Millbrae. To add even more emotional value to this jaunt, Mike met us out for a drink, a spin on the dance floor and a game of pool at the Clayton Club, otherwise known as, "The Boot Bar." See the picture below. Diana's friend Evelyn was a joy to meet and I hope I get to introduce her to Dave and Mason and meet her family this summer as well. With all this love and fun, I didn't miss that hour one little bit!

I got home Sunday feeling inspired to get the diet back on track (I know! I say this every week.), when I walked into the kitchen to see a still warm pizza on the counter, three boxes of Girl Scout cookies, and cherry-limeade flavored drinks! Sheesh, leave the boys to their own devices for 24-hours and any idea that we eat nutritious food goes right out the window! Needless to say, I ate some pizza, had a single serving of GS cookies (there is only two servings per box, right?), made a drink, and went outside to see Mason ride his new bike. Yes, Mason got a new bike. We bought it for him for Christmas, but decided not to give it to him because he already had too much stuff under the tree. The weather is not really conducive to a new bike in December anyway, so this worked out better.

The weekend wrapped with hamburgers on the grill, a dip in the hot tub, and finally, all of us laughing around a roaring fire in the backyard. It was pretty ideal if I do say so myself. Just in case you're thinking it sounds a little too ideal, I left out the part about the Miata braking down, the broken light fixtures in the backyard, and that I scraped the @#$% out of the top of my foot. Yes, I'm looking at this weekend through my rose colored glasses because there was just so much more to see that was pretty. Put your rose colored glasses on and head into your new week seeing only the pretty. If you come upon something not so nice, see if you can do or add something positive that makes it nicer than you found it!

Weekend Pictures

Beds before...
Beds after.

Closet before...

Closet after.

Diana's house.

Diana, Kathy, and Evelyn out on the town.

This is why we call the Clayton Club the Boot Bar.

Rain, Rain, And More Rain!

This week has been SO busy! I've been following up with retailers, created some sample hang tags and mailed them to WI, was called by a producer for a reality TV show, became a statistic when I applied for and was awarded unemployment, and learned we are getting a tax refund.

Saturday we headed up to a nearby Sno Park and did some market research. To enter the park, you have to pay a $5.00 fee and get a permit. We went to the manager, showed her our gloves and not only did we get a free pass to talk to people, but she wants to carry our gloves! It's also entirely possible that because this is a Thousand Trails membership resort, we could end up with connections to many other Thousand Trails locations. I'll keep you posted on this and all the other wonderful connections we're cultivating. Check out this video from our day at the Sno Park. See below.

Finally, on Sunday, we took Mason bowling for the first time. Dave and I bowled in a fun league in 1997, and I don't think we've had our bowling balls out since then. It was really funny that when we paid for our games, I put my rented shoes on and opened my bag to find that apparently, I bought bowling shoes way back when! I didn't know I owned shoes! I find that funny. Anyway, we had lots of fun, all recognized the vast differences between bowling on a lane and bowling with the Wii, and ultimately, it was mom who won both games.

So it's back to work and forward motion. I'm expecting to have our final samples in the next two weeks and then it off to the races. I'm planning a mass sales blitz to take as many orders as I possibly can before we have to place our very first order with our manufacturer! I'm back from the gym, had my coffee, and now I'm off and running! Have a great day, week, and new month! Welcome to March 2oo9!

Take this quote and post it above your desk: "Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do." Shaquille O'Neal

ZipperBack Gloves Videos

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