Updates From Last Week

What's on my mind?

I started my new medicine today. It is one of those once a week bone health pills. After taking it with plenty of water you are supposed to stay upright and don't eat or drink anything else for at least 30 minutes.
I did just as I was supposed to. During the time I listened to Rachel Maddow's podcast of the previous evening's show and paced to get the day started with steps. I love the way she presents the news with the right amount of humor, snark and compassion when called for.

Photo of the Day

Just for you all since my post next week will be after Christmas. BTW I painted the ornament many years ago during my tole painting phase. I do miss painting at times. The sad thing is this girl has only so many hours in a day and a head full of too many ideas that will never get done.

Cozy.Etsy.com News

According to the post office the hat I sold arrived safely at its intended destination. I wish more Etsy shoppers would leave reviews. If they did I would know for sure something arrived and not be tempted to commit spam to find out.

Getting Older, POTD, Shop News

What's on my mind?

I had a lovely time getting to know a new doctor this week. The doctor I have seen since I moved to Jackson has left town to start a practice in Bend Oregon. If you live there I can highly recommend Dr. Ellen Meyers MD.

Anyway the new doctor.....
She asked if I wanted a flu shot and I said yes. That pleased her and me. I missed a year once and caught the flu. I never want to be that sick again if it can be avoided. I know the shot doesn't provide perfect protection but so far the years that I got a flu shot I have not gotten the flu.That's good enough for me.

Now about that getting older part of today's title.....
It seems that my bones are thinning. I learned that is it the curse of post menopausal white women and that is exactly what I am. So I will be starting a once a week dose of medicine to improve my bone health. I guess that is better than breaking a hip. I will let you know at my next bone scan, in a year, how this works out over time.

Photo of the Day

Today I am sharing with you one of the beautiful sunsets from our recent Caribbean cruise. This one was just off the coast of Grand Cayman. The sky really was just like this. I have not edited or enhanced this picture in any way. Stunning, isn't it?

News from Cozy.Etsy.com

Great excitement and some worry in the shop this week. I sold a hat to someone on the other side of the country and that is the great excitement part.  Things I mail from here typically go from here to a bit sorting center in Salt Lake City which the package did. Now the worry inducing part. The package left Salt Lake the next day and has been in transit ever since. It should have been delivered on Monday and it is now Wednesday. I know this is a busy time of year for shippers but I am worried.
Let you know more about this next week.

Pearl Harbor, Cozy on Etsy and Photo of the Day

What's on my mind?

A couple years ago we got to spend a few days on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. One of our last days on the island was spent at Pearl Harbor. It seems fitting to remember that visit today.

The wall with all the names on it was very moving. As I stood there among the selfie stick using, grinning tourists I found myself tearing up. In my mind we were visiting a graveyard, a solemn place deserving of quiet and respect.

Maybe for me it is personal. I stood beside a sailor that always came home from the sea during a 20 year career. I am selfishly glad that for us it happened that way.

I learned of a tradition that day. It seems that in Hawaii if you are given a lei it is in poor taste to just throw it away. It is best to pass on the gift. Some put their leis on statues of Hawaiian Kings. Other people bring their leis to Pearl Harbor and put them in the water there. This is the water that to this day still has the shimmer of leaking oil from the ships below and marks the tombs of many that were killed that day. Skip the Shop News if you wish to see a couple more images from that moving visit.

Shop news from Cozy.Etsy.com

Not much new in the shop these days. I get views and favorites most days. I would love to ship something out. It is a thrill each time I get to do that.

The way I see it someone needs a gold scarf to glam up their holiday wardrobe. Don't you think so too?

If you love silver rather than gold I have a solution for that too. All my holiday scarves for winter, gifts, or for yourself are on display in my shop, Cozy.Etsy.com.

Photo of the Day

We ended our visit to Pearl Harbor that day on the decks of the USS Missouri where the treaty was signed that ended the war. The "Mighty Mo" has a place in the harbor that overlooks the Arizona Memorial.

Half Moon Cay by Holland America

What's on my mind?

Keeping today's post simple after being away for the last three Wednesdays. We got to go on a cruise during the time I was away. I will fill out the details of the last three weeks a bit more in coming posts.

One of the stops on our cruise after leaving Ft. Lauderdale on the Nieuw Amsterdam was Half Moon Cay. This is a private island owned by Holland America Cruise Line.

Tenders bring you from your ship to the beach and what a beach it is! Nothing in this world is much prettier that a soft, very soft sand beach and the turquoise Caribbean Sea. The day on the beach includes a barbecue that was fed to all those taking advantage of the beach day.

The picture below is of a cabana on the beach. These are available, for a price of course, with food, snacks, drinks and a butler to take care of you. It was more than we wanted to pay for just two of us but it would be a luxurious way to spend the day. All of them were painted in these bright, tropical colors so I just had to take a picture.

What's new at Cozy.Etsy.com?

The shop is reopened. Remember all my items are ready to ship. No waiting for made to order items from my shop. I would also like to remind you of my selection of dishcloths, perfect to clean your home every day as well as being great hostess gifts during the holiday season.

Photo of the Day

Another cruise photo for you. This is sunset off the coast of Florida on our first night out to sea. It was a lovely way to start the cruise after leaving port in the late afternoon.

Amazon Handmade, Cozy on Etsy, Photo of the Day

What's on my mind?

I have been an Amazon Associate for a long time. For that long time I never really did much about that association. Since Amazon has started their Handmade on Amazon department it seemed like a good time to see if I can start collecting a few commissions for showing off handmade things that I love.

There really are some beautiful things. I did a search for fall decor and found perfect decorations and other items for this time of year. A few examples and then you can go find your own!

Pictures are clickable.Feel free to shop as desired : )

Cozy on Etsy Shop News

Not a lot of shop excitement this week. My coupon has ended. I really hoped that someone, anyone, everyone would take advantage of 20% off.

I did add a new scarf, the one you see here on the right, to the shop. It is a lovely deep purple and the yarn is very light although it has the chunky look that seems to be so trendy these days. I love this scarf and if someone else doesn't take it soon I may pull it and keep it for myself. Don't snooze and loose if you like it.

Photo of the Day

This one is from my first November in Jackson. My granddaughter trying to fit in the Wyoming motto of "Forever West" came to visit in boots and a hat from Salt Lake. She took them off when playing in the grass and leaves. It was a lovely day and a lovely time and this image captures that for me.

I put this image in a pinned tweet for this month. If you are interested you can follow me on Twitter @CozyAtoZ.

Twitter Manners, Etsy Shop News and a Photo of the Day

What's on My Mind?

Today once again I ran up against one of my very few pet peeves on Twitter. Mind you I don't have many complaints. Most days I enjoy my time spent tweeting, retweeting and seeing some amusing or amazing or thought provoking things. I share sellers on Etsy, Artfire, Ebay, Amazon, Bonanza, and the occasional Ecrater seller. I post things from my Feedly sources about news, science, tech, art and more. I sometimes share tweets from National Parks and the area I live in. I share a lot!

Back to that pet peeve and I hope I can explain this well. If not ask in the comments and I will try and clarify if anyone cares. Here goes. When I retweet someone's item most times I will get a mention thank you or a retweet. I don't care if they retweet one of my own items or one of the other amusing, amazing or thought provoking things they can find on my timeline. What I don't like is if they retweet their own item from my timeline. Why? Well to me it is selfish. Retweeting is about spreading the love. By retweeting their own item they have missed a chance to make a new connection, share something new, enjoy the good karma that doing something nice brings. There you have it.

Etsy Shop News

I did get the rest of my potholders listed. The first round of them were a generously sized 8 by 6. I have started working on more of them. The next sets will be a bit smaller and about 6 by 6.

My current coupon code expires in a few days on the 31st. No one has taken advantage of it yet. That saddens me a bit. If this is the way it goes, I may not bother doing a coupon code again. Most of my sales just seem to come out of the blue. I don't really have any idea how I get found but am extremely thankful every time it happens.

Photo of the Day

Jim actually took this one so I want to give him credit. The first spring we lived in the Jackson Hole area a group of these guys strolled through the neighborhood. It seemed to happen each year in May. The day of this picture there were about a dozen in the group. What I remember being surprised about was that they strolled around making no noise. I was expecting the ground to shake or something. 

Til next time.

Enjoying Fall, Cozy on Etsy Shop News, Photo of the Day

What's on My Mind?

Fall and all the changes it brings is definitely here in Jackson WY. The lovely red and gold leaves are off most of the trees, removed by wind and rain and the first snows of the year. The weather changes each day and even each hour. Something in me doesn't really enjoy the cold cloudy wetness that autumn brings. I have never minded the cold dry winter days here when the air sparkles like diamonds though. Strange, I know, that is just the way I am. What is new in your part of the world?

Cozy on Etsy Shop News

My coupon code SHOPEARLY20 is still active until the 31st of October. I would love to see folks taking advantage of that code for early gift shopping. 

I have put one of the potholders I made in the shop. I have some other colors to get listed. (on my to do list for this afternoon among other things) These are from an old pattern. I used a smaller than normal crochet hook for the cotton yarn. This makes a potholder that is very thick and that will do a good job of protecting your hands. I have seen other shops use acrylic yarn for these but I don't. Cotton will handle the heat without melting like acrylic can. Who wants melted plastic in your kitchen? Just sayin'. These are nice and large at about 8 x 6 to give good coverage if you want to use them for a trivet under a hot pan to protect tables or countertops too.

Photo of the Day

When I walked along the National Elk Refuge Road recently some of the male big horn sheep were grazing and stopping a lot of traffic. I did not get a picture that day but am sharing one I took from a couple years ago. I love watching these animals!

Til next time, take care and stay cozy!

Walking, Etsy Shop News and Photo of the Day

What's on my mind today?

Walking, walking and more walking. I find it settles me down and clears my mind. Over the past few days I have been trying different routes around town. I have taken in the site of Canadian geese at the Visitors Center on the north side of town. I have seen the first snow on Sleeping Indian and big horn sheep from the National Elk Refuge Road. I walked along Snow King and to downtown in a big loop. I haven't been carrying a camera with me. Maybe I should start doing that.

Shop News

Hats! I have wanted to get some hats into the shop for awhile and now I have started to do just that. I have started with a basic slouchy beanie because I love that way these look when you are wearing them.

I am also letting you know that for the first time ever I am running a coupon code for blog readers and twitter followers. From now through the 31st of October the code SHOPEARLY20 will save you 20% off your order at cozy.etsy.com. I will probably be closed most of November so I wanted to encourage any one who needs to get cozy to shop ahead of the holiday madness of December.

Photo of the Day

This one was taken a couple years ago. The place I took the photo at was the boat ramp at the Signal Mountain Marina on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. The view looks across the lake to Mt Moran. The day was a bit hazy but I love all the blue.

Til next time.

Update on October 7,2016:
With all the competing teams and the habit of some Etsy sellers for dropping promotional links and running the team didn't take off like I had hoped. The captain has decided to not put more effort into trying to get the team active again.
To quote a random stupid animal picture somewhere on the internet-
I haz sad.

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Attention all bloggers with Etsy shops!  I would love to see this group grow and enjoy the fun and friendships that would come with that.

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Got a blog? Love Etsy? Then come join the EtsyBloggers! The EtsyBloggers are the official and original Etsy team for those who love to blog about their craft, the creative process, and other Etsians. In other words, EtsyBloggers ROCK!! :D



In order to join the EtsyBloggers, there is a 5-step membership process. This ensures teammate participation, team promotion, and also results in finding some awesome bloggy peeps!



1. Write a blog post about any EtsyBloggers Member, Leader, or Captain. You can blog about the shop or one listing.
2. Send a convo to the Team Captain (joeyandaleethea.etsy.com) with a link to your blog post.
3. Now go ahead and apply to the EtsyBloggers team - we would be happy to have you join us!
4. Click Apply on our team page (www.etsy.com/teams/6362/etsybloggers) and you will be granted membership asap.
5. After a new member joins the EtsyBloggers team, here’s what happens next:
1. The Team Captain creates a “Welcome New Teammate!” thread.
2. In that thread is a link to your shop.
3. Also in that thread is a link to the blog post that you wrote about your teammate.
4. All teammates will then show you some love! Every member will favorite your shop and also one of your listings!
5. All teammates will go comment on the blog post where you featured an EtsyBlogger.
6. All teammates will post a link on their own blogs pointing to that blog post your wrote about a teammate before joining.
7. All teammates will also feature your shop (or one of your listings) in that same blog post.
8. All teammates will then come back to your Welcome thread to post a link to your feature on their blog.
9. You would then blog about all of your teammates who blogged about you.
10. You could write one blog post featuring many teammates, or you could write many blog posts, one for each teammate.
11. You would then create 2 lists:
1. A list of the blog addresses (URLs) of the EtsyBloggers who featured you. Post that EtsyBloggers blog list in the sidebar of your blog (widget). Then you will always know how to go visit your new teammates at their blogs.
2. A list of the blog posts which feature you.
12. Then you can go and post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Etsy Forums, or wherever else you’d like, and paste that list of features to show others where your shop has been featured, and also help share the EtsyBloggers team love!
13. All of the above is done during the first month of your membership.
14. Every month thereafter, all teammates will choose 1 teammate’s shop or listing to blog about (this is separate from welcoming a new teammate).
15. Then all teammates will go to our team page on Etsy (www.etsy.com/teams/6362/etsybloggers) and post a link to that bloggy feature in the “Monthly Features” thread.
16. Whoever featured you on their blog that month will also get a feature written by you, on your own blog.

It all may sound complicated as written above, but really it’s all quite simple. It boils down to this: You blog about the EtsyBloggers, and the EtsyBloggers blog about you!

As of September 13 2016, there are only 4 members of the EtsyBloggers team since we are once again growing our team organically from the ground up and so we are now implementing the above *NEW RULES* for our team, to encourage participation and to create a close-knit community of bloggers.

Here are the current members of EtsyBloggers team:
1. cozy.etsy.com who blogs at cozyatoz.blogspot.com
2. seasandvintage.etsy.com who blogs at seasandvintage.blogspot.com
3. backyardpatch.etsy.com who blogs at backyardpatch.blogspot.com
4. joeyandaleethea.etsy.com who blogs at joeyandaleethea.com/blog

We would love new members, and would love to add more wonderful bloggers to our lists!

Got a blog? Love Etsy? Then come join the EtsyBloggers! www.etsy.com/teams/6362/etsybloggers

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Todays Thoughts, Photos, Shop and End of Summer

What's On My Mind Today?

I must confess not a whole lot. I have been thinking about what summer was since we are now a week or so past Labor Day Weekend. The summer started in California going to Sea World and seeing family. This summer ended with a day on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. In between there were other family times here in Jackson and a cruise to Alaska. All of it good and I will share scenes in future posts.

I have come up with what I hope will be a new format that I can stick to. The headings tell it all. First "What's On My Mind Today?" which can be about nearly anything. Next is shop news and I hope to have new listings to share here soon. Last I decided to go through my pictures and choose a photo that catches my eye and share it. Any way we will see how this goes.

Shop News

 I choose a few items from my shop today to promote on twitter. These dishcloths we something I tweeted. I just love the cheerfulness of the colors in these. Just looking at the colors made me happy as I crocheted these.

I am also looking forward to seeing if we can get a nice group growing on the EtsyBloggers team. Got an Etsy shop? Got a blog? Join us!

Photo of the Day

Somewhere in Arizona

I will admit that after nearly 5 years in the Phoenix area I never really grew to love the harsh desert landscape. What helped was that in the central part of the state not far from Payson you could see views like this.

Til next time.

Fitbit?

Do you have a fitbit?

I was gifted one a couple months ago. Wearing that goal setting device on my wrist every day has changed so much about how my days go. I have become very serious about getting my steps each day. I even walked on the ship during our recent Alaskan cruise.

I love looking at the charts online on my fitbit profile to see how I am doing. I am so proud of myself when I end up at the top of my friends list sometimes. That doesn't happen often but I like to stay in the top three or four.

So, just wondering, has a fitbit changed you too?

Etsy Bloggers Revitalized

I am excited these days! Long ago I was a member of a very early Etsy team known as the EtsyBloggers and then, silly me, I left the team thinking that Artfire would be the next great thing, but we all know it wasn't. So back to Etsy I went but EtsyBloggers had changed and the team captain was busy with a growing family and I found another group to be a part of. You see I like to be in one group at a time. It makes my life less complicated.

With the big announcement of acceptable manufacturing on Etsy like many I tried out Zibbet. Actually I bought a lifetime membership there for a very good price and have a neglected shop still there. I poured my heart into that shop. I grew a twitter account from a few hundred into thousands spreading the word about that Zibbet shop. I was part of a group of sellers all supporting each other on Zibbet. I came to realize after a bit more than a year it was just ridiculous to continue. So once again back to Etsy.

I was also a part of Group2020. This was made up of a fantastic group of sellers. Some of them I will probably stay in touch with for a long time. As usual with life that group has fallen apart. I get it, life happens. I felt a bit at a loss without a group to share and enjoy and then......

......the team leader of my old EtsyBloggers group found me on instagram! She is at a place in her life where she wants to take charge of the group and bring it back to life. This is such a good thing for me. It will help me think about blogging more. It will give me a group to share with and enjoy.

If you are a seller on Etsy and have a blog and are willing to do some things for team support you could join too. Where? Start with applying to the team on Etsy by clicking right here.

Smells Good

I baked bread today. It seemed like a good thing to do to go with the soup I took out of the freezer to have for dinner tonight. Homemade bread sure makes the house smell good! I haven't cut into the loaf yet to taste and see how it turned out. I'll wait and do that with dinner.

I got the recipe from MyRecipes.com and only changed the flour to be one third whole wheat. It sure made a pretty loaf!

We watched to State of the Union address last night. It is something Jim and I tend to do no matter who the President is because we think it is important.

Knitting for Me

I got a lovely yarn while on our Alaskan cruise a while back. It is a very fine, pretty hand dyed yarn from Raven Frog Fibers of Sitka, Alaska. I am making a crescent shaped scarf with it. I tried and frogged a couple lace patterns with this yarn. I haven't ever knit at such a fine gauge and old eyes had trouble keeping track of the stitches and the pattern, so simple garter it is. The blue, white and gray will go nicely with so much of what I wear.

I would also like to note that I love the way blogger can use the pictures on my phone. This feature may have been around awhile if you have an Android phone but I just discovered it this week. Gotta love the Google!

My First Daybook

For years I meant to take part in this blogging idea and this is the time. A Simple Woman's Daybook has a series of prompts meant to guide you through a post exploring your life and thoughts. Here goes my first attempt.

For Today... 

I am being slow and thoughtful. Not much going on as I process what I want from this year.

Outside my window...

Snow is falling. I can look through the branches of the tree in the front yard and see up the mountain to the Snow King Resort.

I am thinking...
Lots of jumbled thoughts. What should I make? What's for dinner? What can I do to improve my Etsy shop to keep me comfortable in yarn money?

I am thankful...
....to have woken up in a small safe town in a house that is cozy and warm. Today it is just that simple.

I am wearing...
I am not wearing anything special, just my winter uniform of jeans and a sweater with cozy socks on my feet.

I am creating...
I have been exploring sock patterns. I have never knit a pair before and I want to make some for myself.

I am going...
I am going to have to get myself to the grocery store sometime this week. The freezer and the pantry are getting bare. I always put this chore off for as long as possible.

I am wondering...
I am wondering how the grandkids are doing at their first days back to school after Christmas break. I will call them soon to find out.

I am reading...
Twilight in the Desert by Matthew R. Simmons
I have a lot of books (8 in fact) on the shelf above my computer that I have read last year and want to blog about but didn't. I plan to fix that in the coming weeks. I do a lot of reading on planes and when we travel.

I am hoping...
A bit of very personal stuff here. As a mother who hurts when her kids struggle I am hoping to find serenity, acceptance, courage and wisdom as a son attempts to find sanity and sobriety. 

I am learning...
I am learning more and more every day about the making and construction of hand knit socks. I have settled on toe up construction since it makes the most sense to me. Thanks to all the folks on Ravelry who are such a great source of information and inspiration.

In my garden...
Is a layer of snow protecting the flowering plants I will share with you later this year. Inside for color I have some African Violets that cheer me up.

Pink

  White

Purple

In my kitchen... In my kitchen is a pan of brownies with a few missing that I baked yesterday for Jim's birthday.

A favorite quote for today...
If not now, when?

A peek into one of my days...
Not much to see here. A simple housewife's day. A few chores, dinner planned, some creative time, some online time, the pleasure of a hot cup of tea and Netflix in the background.

One of my favorite things...
...... is a group of friendly ladies I am part of who call ourselves Group2020. We share promotions of our shops and bits about ourselves on our bulletin board. I look forward to a bit of chatter with them everyday.

From the board room...



This board shows some of the great things handmade by the friends in Group2020 that I mentioned before.

 
Post Script* 
There you have it. My first attempt at a Simple Woman's Daybook post. There will be more. The link here will lead you to the page where you can find others doing the same as I did today. Go there to read or join in.

Back here again soon. Promise.