One Weekend, Two Firsts!

Happy Monday!

It's officially fall but it sure doesn't feel like it! Today temps reached 100 so we made a trip to the river. There is so much to talk about, it makes me tired just thinking about all of it!

I think I shared with all of you that the gloves are just about sold out...didn't I? Well, the inventory we bought to sell from our web site and to consumers this winter was nearly all bought up by the retailers we met at the ABC Kids Expo. I'm working this week to determine if we want to buy more inventory. I'll let you know, but for now, if you want gloves for this winter, buy them now! I can't guarantee that we will have any left as of October 1st. Leo, I know you want a size small and I have those for you! I know, I know, it's a good problem to have! www.zipperbackgloves.com

This weekend was good. A nice mix of work and play. There was the usual stuff like laundry, groceries, and glove stuff but there was fun stuff, too. Dave went to a reunion of his Civil War buddies and then took Mason to a NASCAR sanctioned race in Roseville on Saturday night. It was Mason's first race and they both had a great time. I stayed home and Mike came up to work on glove business. It's always nice spending time with Mike, but then he headed off to Folsom to do the night out with the guys. That left me home alone and happy! I started catching up on my blogs, read some magazines and talked with Tania in BC and Julianne in MN. Dave doesn't give me grief for talking on the phone, too much anyway, but it's just so nice to talk as long as I want with no one looking my way and then at their watch. A Saturday night all to myself was heavenly!

Sunday brought another first for Mason. While we were at the river, Mason skipped his first rock! It's the simple things that make me smile like Mason saying, "Did you see that one mama? It was a two-skipper!" He did a few three-skippers and was really wow'd when Dave did a five-skipper! Other than our trip to the river we stayed home. Dave brought me coffee in bed and then watched the race. I spent the day reading and writing. Mason played with Legos. We went outside and made S'mores (had to use the last of the home made smoshpellows!) by the fire before calling it a night. Just another day in the life of our happily ever after!

How was your weekend? Drop me a line and share something fun. Have a great week and take this with you, find one thing you can do this week that makes someone else's life better. Write to me and share what you did or didn't do! Happy Monday!

Back Home!

I'm home and rested. It took a full three days, but worth every exhausting moment! Last week we were in Las Vegas for the ABC Kids Expo. We introduced our ZipperBack Gloves to the world of kids retailers and they loved them! In fact, they wanted to buy them right then and there! We were totally planning to only take orders for next year not realizing that buyers for this market want their product now and will order again for next year. Our snow sports buyers buy in January for the following winter season. No matter, it was a huge success and all of my (our) instincts that this is a great product were validated.

On another note, I got to meet some of the wonderful people I talk to on facebook at twitter in Las Vegas. Some people think these social networking sites are just a mindless waste of time, and I can see how it can be like that, but not in my experience. Julianne, Christine, Josh, Jessica, Ginelle, Jim, Julia, Leslie, Bill, Chris, Kendra, Lisa, and so many more are real people who are doing business and having fun meeting others on twitter and facebook. The fun is worthwhile but the other side in business, well, there is business happening that would never have come to life if not for casually networking on line. All I'm really saying is I love these people and can see myself keeping in touch for a long time to come.

Dave, Mike, Julianne, and I all had a ball in Vegas. Back home, Julie, Cris, Kelly, Charlie, and Robin made sure Mason was cared for (how would I ever do the things I do without this incredible team?) so we could do what we needed to do and Mason could stay in school. There has been more work in bringing a product to market than I could ever have dreamed, but I'm so proud that we've made it this far and it makes the stars I'm reaching for seem so much more in reach! Look in the sky in your life and reach for your stars, too. I know you can do anything you dream of if you just take one little step each day. Big smiles, happy Monday!

Away On Business

We are at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas intorducing ZipperBack Gloves to the world. So far so good. More next week!

Today Is The Day!

Happy day after Monday!

Today is a red letter day in the Partak family. Today, we officially have a working web site that you can actually buy gloves from! www.zipperbackgloves.com

I'm extremely proud that we have come from me sitting at our kitchen table cutting up a thrift store glove to having a great new product for sale!

Dave, Mike, and I are leaving on Friday for our first trade show to introduce ZipperBack Gloves to the world of children's retailers. I feel a bit like, "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!" I don't know if the road we've taken has been yellow bricks or paved with gold, but I can say with certainty that no matter what the ultimate outcome of this venture turns out to be, I have no regrets. I feel fortunate beyond belief that the people who have rallied around us to make this happen believe in this as much as we do, and even more, they, you believe in us!

Tell all your family and friends to visit our site and buy some gloves! E-mail, Tweet, facebook, pull out all the stops! We have limited numbers for this maiden voyage so think Christmas, think snow, and think ZipperBack Gloves!

Today's motivator is my motto: "Whatever you think, you're right!"