Only a few days left in 2014 and I’m racing to the finish! I’m feeling so good about the progress that I made this week and I’m glad that I’ve made the time in my schedule to tie up loose ends so I can be better prepared for 2015. I told my friend Pam last night that I am like a car going 90 miles an hour at all times and I have a hard time slowing down. Over the last week I’ve made more time for myself that normal so I can gradually go from 90 miles to 60 miles to 45 miles to 0 miles so I can fully enjoy the holidays. I hope that makes sense to you!
We haven’t had any available openings for new organizing clients since October of this year so it was great to squeeze in one big new client project before the year-end. This client is a very talented teacher and artist but her physical disability has caused her to get behind on the maintenance and systems in her existing craft studio. I’m excited to be apart of the transformation and can’t wait to see the final results. We have our second purging session today and then go back in January to install products and get the space organized, it’s going to be great. Her home is located just a few blocks from the beach in Santa Cruz, a town that we typically do not travel to but it’s been great to see the ocean and smell the sea air.
After our first session this Monday with our craft client we headed home with 14 hefty garbage bags full of arts and craft supplies. I took them to RAFT, a resource center for teachers in the Silicon Valley area. They were so excited to receive all of the goodies and my client was happy for her unwanted items to find a new home.
When we weren’t working on crafts in Santa Cruz we were organizing kids bedrooms, living areas, and guest rooms in Palo Alto to prepare for the upcoming holiday events for our clients. I love this time of year because our regulars always have me back for maintenance sessions so it’s great to catch up and plan for future projects.
Harper has been hogging my Instagram all week with her adorable tongue. She is so darn cute I can’t even stand it! I couldn’t help but crack up when I crawled in bed and saw her passed out next to my husband. It’s hard for me to understand how she gets so tired, she really doesn’t do as many chores around the house as she could, ha!
We had an end of year organizing meeting on Wednesday afternoon at my house. I bought a huge pot pie from Costco, have you ever tried those? They are so good and such a great value! The gang loved it! We had lunch and then sat down for a few hours of reflecting and planning for 2015. It’s really starting to hit me that I’ve had an incredible year. It’s weird to admit that out loud but it’s true! I feel like I’ve finally transitioned to being someone who is self-employed to someone who owns a business. I’m surrounded by that most amazing staff, you should have heard their ideas and their passion at the end of year meeting. I’m pretty excited for 2015 but I’m also tired just thinking of it. We already have 5 estate sales on the calendar for January plus the organizing schedule is jammed until Mid-February. My goal is to work smarter and not harder, try to take more time for myself, and potentially have 2 days off in a row once in awhile.
I created these amazing desktop calendars for the staff with the highlights from the year. As corny as it is I was tearing up while putting it together, we’ve had some really fun moments together.
I’ve been meeting with families all over the Silicon Valley Peninsula for estate consultations this week as well. Typically we have this last-minute rush for service in late November not late December. I think it has something to do with our real estate market and the weather but we’ll see. I’ll be putting out a list of January sales on the blog and Facebook next week so stay tuned. This poster is just one of the vintage western items available at a January sale in Woodside….
My friend Pam took my husband and my brother and I out for dinner at the Los Altos Country Club on Wednesday night. I’m so lucky to have her in my life, she is so fun and honest. The decorations at The Club were wonderful, the sleigh at the front door is one of the items that caught my eye. It looks like something I’ve sold at one of my estate sales doesn’t it?
Yes, my older bro is still staying with us. He and Harper have finally become friends. This is the morning scene in my kitchen while Christopher makes lunches and and Harper supervises. Christopher has been learning more and more about my business and working everyday. He really enjoys it so we are looking forward to having him come back for a few months after the new year.
I couldn’t help but snap this shot yesterday while driving around Atherton for organizing consultations for 2015 projects. I forget how fun it is that I get to go behind the gates of so many amazing luxurious homes in the Bay Area. Because the homes are so big I have to be careful about which projects I take on so that I have enough availability to provide service each and every client if needed. There is nothing worse that no being able to help a regular client when they need me due to my busy schedule.
You might notice that I’m on in the truck in the above photo. Don’t worry, I didn’t trade her in, she just went into the shop for a big tune-up this week. I’m not a spokesperson for Ford but I would be, the Ford f150 is the best vehicle on the road! I practically live in mine so I’m glad everything has been checked, flushed, rotated, and tuned up.
Another highlight was my last trip to The Container Store of the year. I love their holiday section but I’m looking forward to business as usual at one of my favorite stores. Once the gift packaging gets moved out all of my favorite bins and baskets will be back in stock and ready for a home with my clients.
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