Wintery Wash Out

I'm wiped out. Christmas was a blizzard-ey wash-out and my horse clients all canceled. As much as I love caring for people's house pets, it the horses that actually make me money, so it really bummed me out when the last of my horse clients said they were staying home. However, my lack of manure shoveling jobs turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

I haven't been home for a Christmas in two years and I forgot how much I love the Christmas eve festivities followed by sleeping in on Christmas and opening presents in my pajamas. This year I tried hard to enjoy time with my family, but it was overtaken by short nights spent with unruly golden retrievers and mornings, mid-days and evenings monopolized by driving around the city checking on animals. Tonight is the first night in 6 days that I am sitting with my feet up and I am seconds away from pouring my first glass of wine.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I can't wait. I don't really know why. I have no big plans other than dinner with my family (one of my most favorite activities of all time). My 27th year of life is bound to be my most productive one yet!

P.S. I have ceased to put pictures up for the time being as my camera landed in my bloody mary the other day and it doesn't work any more. Sorry!

Getting Ready

I'm gearing up for a really busy holiday season. I'm finally starting to figure out how to charge people and NOT loose money. Thanks to JJ's business mind, I've figured out that I make more money and the bill sounds less scary if I charge people by the mile as well as the job. For example, I had someone ask me to travel about 45 minutes away to care for a large amount of animals. I wanted to quote the guy $55 per trip, but it sounded really steep and I didn't want to scare him off the idea of hiring me. So, I told him it was $30 for me to care for his animals, plus mileage (which put the trip fee at about $60). Its so much easier than telling people "Hey, it's not my fault you chose to live an hour away!"

The weather is threatening to blizzard, which I feared would scare people into staying in town. Instead it has made people panic and want to leave sooner (which means more jobs for me!). I'm confident that with four wheel drive and patience, I can make all the visits I've been hired to make. I've always been confident driving in the snow (like the time I drove a truck and trailer with an unruly 2 year old stud through Nebraska in a horrible winter blizzard. The interstates were closed so I had to drive 35 miles an hour on highways the whole way). I'm kind of excited!!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas! Other than last minute shopping, its the most enjoyable time of the year! And, if you haven't had enough holiday time you can always come celebrate my birthday with me on the 28th (I'm asking for $$, so all you need buy is a card).


P.S. Of course I'm joking about the money....unless you're feeling generous.

Ugh....Postage!

I sold my first mosaic online! How exciting! I have put all the mosaics I have for sale on a website called Etsy. Etsy is great. I pay 20 cents to list something for four months. If I sell it, Etsy gets 3.5% of my sale. I have my own little "shop" at www.jennywalters.etsy.com. Check it out if you're interested. I'll have more for sale after Christmas, but our family has decided to do a "home made Christmas" this year, so I have been spending all my time making some cool things for my lovely family members and don't have much for sale right now. I'm going to start making coat hooks in the future. To the right I put a picture of the coat hook rack I made for our dogs coats. If you want one, let me know!


Anyway, I really wanted to write a quick entry about a business lesson I learned yesterday. The first mosaic I sold online was to a lady in Maryland. She purchased the blue and white tissue box (pictured in an earlier blog) for $35 plus $10 shipping and handling. I clearly hadn't thought the price through. After tallying it up yesterday, I realized that my extreme modesty had cost me quite a bit. Let me break it down for you:

Tissue Box: $6.00
Glass: $15.00 (about)
Grout: $3.00 (about)
Box (for shipping): $1.50
Role of bubble wrap: $13.00
Shipping: $22.00

I had no idea how much it would cost to ship a package like that, let alone how expensive shipping materials were. I didn't even account for the 3 days it took me to create the actual tissue box. I simply priced the item based on what I would want to buy it for (I have always had a hard time putting a proper price on things. I have this problem with practically giving things away...). So for $60.50 I made and shipped a glass mosaic (plus the $1.50 I owe Etsy in commission). It cost me $15 dollars to make a beautiful mosaic for the woman in Maryland. Merry Christmas Samantha R.! I'm sure you deserve it! And I'm considering all this a valuable lesson learned.

Cold Calling

In an effort to make Home Horse Care as massive as possible I have been reading every business book in the library that has caught my eye (ok, truth be told, I have checked out just about every business book in the library and completed reading half a dozen. Don't judge me). "What They Don't Teach You In Harvard Business School," "How To Start A Small Business in 30 Days," "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," "How To Strike It Rich In Small Business"....the list goes on, but I'm sure you get the point. The books have all drilled into my head how important it is to network, make cold calls and just get business coming in. I'm getting better at this part of it and successfully completed 2 cold calls yesterday! Wow, I'm such an entrepreneur (sarcastically). Forgive me, but cold calling sucks. I hate the feeling of calling someone you don't know and being that familiar voice we all hate on the other end.

"Hi, I'm Jenny and I own a company called Home Horse Care. I would like to talk to you about your pets."

*click*

They hang up.

I try to tell myself that even though when I'm making these calls my heart is beating faster than normal, my hands are shaky and I mix up words, it's good for business and its good for me. I'm a big believer in the theory that if something is scary or uncomfortable, its usually because it is something unfamiliar and the more you practice that thing, the better you'll get at it....and the bigger reward you will reap. But, cold calling still sucks. Therefore (in my Jenny way of thinking) I assume that the reward will be huge....I'm hoping a million bucks.

Space Ships and Cross-Eyed Women

Let me tell you some stories. Picture this: A windy blizzard in full force. It's 6:00 at night and dark out. Snow coming at your windshield horizontally, ceasing visibility beyond your headlights. A case of beer, coveralls and empty roads drifted shut. Cue JJ, Joe, Blazer, Jenny and Jimmy. The mission: drive the big John Deere tractor to the Baker shop downtown to push snow.

The evening begins with me, JJ and Jim crammed into the cab of the John Deere. The cab is all glass, making it impossible for the defrost to keep up with the condensation. This begins JJ's frustration. "God damnit! We should have done this earlier today when at least there was some damned daylight! Now I can't see a thing!" I tried to make the mood lighter by feeding him beer and telling him funny stories, but my charms were no match for his grumpiness. Jim sat uncomfortably at my feet, fogging up the glass in front of his face and trying not to move. With every car that came at us, JJ got more and more irritated. "Why are these stupid people out driving their cars around?!?" Just then, another car approached in the distance. The fogged windshield of the tractor blurred the view and JJ yelled out, "I mean seriously!! What the f*** is that? A f***ing space ship?!? Get off the road!" He was so serious and angry that he didn't realize how silly he sounded and I tried hard not to laugh out loud. Poor JJ.

Cut to the next scene. We have successfully dropped off the tractor and Joe and Blazer have picked us up in the Dodge. We have already stopped for dinner at a bar and for more beer at QT. We hit the rural roads and headed back to the farm. On R-45 we found a small car in the ditch-just as the conversation in the truck had turned to porn with cross-eyed women (seriously). The driver of the marooned car was a young lady who was, apparently, almost home. Blazer rolled down his window (he's riding shotgun; Joe is driving) to talk to the girl as JJ hopped out of the truck silently to find the chain in the back. The girl said her father way on the way to get her, but that she appreciated us stopping. Her phone rang and she answered it. "She's wearing porn star glasses!" Joe said to Blazer, just as the girl took her glasses off. Blazer looked at the girl and then back at Joe, his window still down (I'm pretty sure the girl heard him), and replied confusedly, "But she's not wearing any glasses!" We all break out in laughter just as JJ realizes the chain in the back of the truck doesn't have a hook on it, rendering it useless. The girl insisted she'd be fine, so we left, almost sliding the truck into her car as we pull away. Joe laughed heartily. "You know," Joe said to Blazer, "Porn movies start out like this." "Like what?" Asked Blazer. "Like with a girl on the side of the road wearing porn star glasses....that's how they start," says Joe. "Yeah," says Blazer, "but was she cross eyed?"

I think it was one of those "you-had-to-be-there" moments, but for those of you who know the characters in this story, it might provide some entertainment.

The First Snow

I love the first snow of the season! Last year I was in Nashville at this time. It was nice and warm (well, 60's anyway) and I was working away as a waitress, taking voice lessons and hanging out with nearly famous people. There was no snow, to say the least. It was a fantastic winter season for me, but I missed the snow. The year before last (2007), I was working in Wellington, Florida, grooming for a polo professional, Shane Rice. On Christmas eve I was wearing a tank-top and sweating my butt off. But, I wouldn't trade the snow we got in Iowa today for the tan I had in Florida.

There is so much that is fun about the first snow. I love to watch people panic, as if the snow has never been here before. Canned goods are a little more scarce and people quickly forget how to drive their vehicles safely. I realize it makes me a horrible person when I chuckle at women who slip and fall on the ice in their high heels, but I can't help it. But, the best part about the first snow is that if the weather gets the timing right, the first snow is like a visible Christmas song, falling from the sky, bringing cheer and the promise of happy memories to come.

I'm sure tomorrow I will change my view on this topic as we are expecting a full on blizzard to bring over a foot of snow, but for the moment, I'm hunkered down with hot chocolate (actually wine, but the hot chocolate gives a better visual) and looking at a box of Christmas ornaments. (Enjoy the Christmas movie below!)

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Christmas Tree Hunting

This afternoon was perfect for Christmas tree hunting. My youngest sister Katie, Mom, Dad and I loaded up and drove down to Howell Tree Farm. We always take the dogs so they can romp around, however Jim always ends up peeing on a tree or two, which I try hard not to take as his feelings towards Christmas spirit. The trip was immediately successful as we located the perfect tree in less than 10 minutes. (Mom and Dad pictured with the selected tree) Finding a tree in the Walters family this quickly means one of two things : 1.) As we get older we are getting really good at finding the perfect tree or 2.) It means that every year we get less enthused about walking around in the cold and lower our standards a little (I have a feeling option 2 is more true). Either way, we left with a nice little tree.

My personal favorite part of getting a tree every year is the petting zoo located just down the drive from where the trees are. This year, there was a hilarious goat that kept bossing around a little red steer named Maverick. I captured him on video as he slammed the poor little guy into the fence. Nothing says Christmas Cheer like petting zoo animals beating each other up over tiny alfalfa cubes! I can't help it...I'm 26 and I still scrounge around the floor of the car looking for quarters to pop into the goat feed machine, just so I can get slobbered on and bitten. Talk about simple minded!

Peaceful Sundays

I love Sunday mornings. Especially this time of year. The weather has finally reached that winter feeling; the air is crisper and lighter and they sky is light gray, promising snow. Radio stations that I don't normally get seem find their way through the thin air to my car and I get to listen to crackling Christmas tunes of the past as drive down country roads, peering through the barren trees for deer. Ponds have begun to freeze over and gaggles of geese choose between floating in icy water or standing on thin ice. Everything seems at peace; the first huge snowstorm hasn't hit yet and chilly winds haven't taken over. Probably the best thing about Sunday mornings this time of year is breakfast with JJ at Gabby's in Prole, Iowa.

Gabby's is a fantastic little hole in the wall cafe in a town who's only other business is a post office (which shares a building with Gabby's). If you blink when you're driving down Highway 28, you'll miss it. The food at Gabby's is just like what your grandmother would fix - eggs cooked in plenty of butter, toast made fresh in an aged toaster, perfectly cooked bacon and loads of hashbrowns...the perfect start to a chilly, quiet Sunday. The clientele at Gabby's makes it as comfortable as a home kitchen. The sound of local farmers chatting over their coffee about new equipment, hunting ground or the ensuing weather harmonizes with clinking coffee cups and the sound of bacon frying. Rarely is there a person who isn't clad in Carhartts, mud covered boots or camouflage. The walls are clad with old painted pictured of covered bridges and yellowed, framed newspaper clippings of the restaurants achievements. JJ always orders his standard six eggs, hashbrowns and toast (which he mashes all together with Tabasco sauce) and I like to have plenty of coffee with toast, eggs and bacon. A copy of "The Exchange" usually sits on the corner of the table, its pages askew from me browsing through the adds for trailers, tractor parts, livestock and guns to find the seemingly random things people have for sale.

It would be easy for me to close my eyes and wish myself into a Caribbean paradise with my toes in the sand on a Sunday morning, but it would only be a distant second to the comfortable findings of small town Iowa.

Mosaics and Chewing Gum

Pet owners are hilarious. Some of them just hand me the keys to their house and wish me luck. Others leave leave me 2 single spaced pages on their pet's personality and how to care for them. You learn a lot about people by how they care for their pets. Right now I am caring for a sweet dog who is a bit of a chow hound. I received a call from the owners last night informing me that the dog had eaten a pack of chewing gum before they had left. They weren't too concerned, but just wanted to let me know...in case she was acting weird. When I went to visit this pooch last night, she kept biting at her ear and running in circles. It was hilarious, but odd. The family has hard wood floors and the dog was so hyper that when she ran in circles, she'd slip and fall over. She is the size of a collie, so it made a pretty big boom. But the whole time she had a doggie smile on her face. When I finally pried her mouth open, I found a wad of gum stuck just outside of her mouth (hence her biting to the right side of her face). Thankfully, it wasn't to terribly difficult to remove. Funny dog!

On a completely different note, I wanted to add some pictures of my mosaic items. I'm still learning, but each one gets a little better.



The green tray took me forever! I learned a lot making it though (like don't let the grout dry too long before scraping it off and don't use glass that has excessive grooves it it). The tissue box is my favorite, but I think its because the blue glass looks awesome with charcoal grout.




The tray with the primary colors is still in progress, but it's almost done. I hope I can get most of these sold tomorrow at the Animal Rescue League Holiday boutique....you are planning on coming, aren't you??

Hey Y'all!

I'm blogging again! This is probably much more exciting to me than it is to anyone who may stumble across this and read it, but I'm pretty pumped. I love journaling-its like making a verbal scrapbook of your life as it goes on. And writing things blog-style is much more fun than scribbling in a book....the thought of someone else reading it makes me use proper spelling! Since I am now back in Des Moines with a new business and an exciting future ahead of me, I figure this is the perfect time for me to restart my blog. I am excited as hell about learning the ways of conducting business and even more excited about my future. I am incredibly content being in Iowa. Being able to be so close to my family and JJ is something I really missed in the past.

For those of you who don't know, I opened up Home Horse Care, which started as a horse sitting business and has now parlayed into a full blown pet sitting operation( see my website www.HomeHorseCare.com). I want to change the name in the future to something more pet-oriented, but for now, at least it provides for some intrigue. I have never had a business class in my life (a degree from Wyoming in Animal Science doesn't mandate many economics or accounting classes), so every step of having, building and promoting a legitimate business has been a complete education, to say the least. I am coming up with a list of books and subjects I want to read up on and I am keeping my eyes peeled for seminars to attend (any suggestions, let me know)!

Free time has consisted of volunteering at the Animal Rescue League, reading books on business and taking on the art of making glass mosaics. I just finished the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and it really motivated me to take responsibility for my financial future. I can't wait to report the ways I'm finding to make money and keep my business growing. Katie and I somehow managed to teach ourselves how to make glass mosaics, mostly thanks to YouTube videos on the subject (my first project is pictured to the right). I have a little collection of mosaic items comprised mostly of serving trays but also including decorative boxes and a tissue box cover. Pretty sweet! I have signed up for a table at the Animal Rescue League's holiday bazaar this coming Saturday (December 5th, 10am-2pm). I'll be promoting Home Horse Care and selling my crafts. If anyone has unique people to shop for on their holiday lists, come on down! There will be a ton of vendors, and of course you can see the new awesome facility the ARL now has.

Please keep checking back with Jenny In A Nutshell for updates and entertaining quips. Happy Holidays everyone!