No Harmony news to report.
Spent the day running errands and taking Nalah-B to gymnastics practice. She is training so hard and really excited about her first real competition coming up soon... She is so dedicated, I really admire her work ethic. She is only 6 and is so serious about learning her craft. She claims that we will see her in the Olympics someday but who knows. She trains 6 hours a week and loves every min. of it. I hope she continues to live her life with so much passion. Her road to success will be so much easier if she does.
Anywho, I am going to enjoy the last few hours that I have with mi mamacita. She flies out tomorrow at the crack of dawn. I have truly enjoyed her company and hate to see her go. It is times like these that I wish we lived closer to both sides of the family. Such is life.....
Enjoy your night and remember to cherish the time you have with your loved ones.
Peace and Harmony, I'm out.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
I got da "no news" Blues
No news yet on the LOI changes. Not really blue just anxious b/c we are going into a weekend and I wanted to try to wrap things up this week to feel a sense of accomplishment. The day is young so perhaps I will get the call or e-mail that I am waiting for.
Up for today:
Convince Mamacita (Chaka's mom) to leave the house- she is from Southern Cali is not used to this bitter cold. We ventured out on Wednesday but yesterday she stayed put. I don't blame her. I had to go out for a cake flour run and I nearly turned into an ice sculpture in our garage. The good news is, the snow and ice will melt this weekend. We are expecting a heatwave - high of 50+.
Go over all the changes that Chaka has made to my website and logo. I love what he has done. It has taken him a while but hey it's FREE!!! We are going to have a website launch party, break out a little sparkling cider and celebrate with the kids after we hit the publish button. I will let you know when we go live. Probably sometime Sunday since Mamacita flies out in the early AM.
Not too many calls to make today. I need to follow up about a call I got about doing a cocktail party for 500+ people in March. Harmony is hitting the "big time" and I really need a larger kitchen to work out of. My ingredients and packaging are taking over our home.
Most important for today, HANG OUT WITH THE KIDS! It's their last Friday of vacation and I want to have a little more fun with them. Perhaps we will go to the Children's Museum or bowling (my son's favorite pastime) or I may surprise them and see Enchanted, if it is still playing anywhere. They have been dying to see it since it came out in November.
Well, I need to get to getting.
I will keep you posted about the LOI............
TGIF
Up for today:
Convince Mamacita (Chaka's mom) to leave the house- she is from Southern Cali is not used to this bitter cold. We ventured out on Wednesday but yesterday she stayed put. I don't blame her. I had to go out for a cake flour run and I nearly turned into an ice sculpture in our garage. The good news is, the snow and ice will melt this weekend. We are expecting a heatwave - high of 50+.
Go over all the changes that Chaka has made to my website and logo. I love what he has done. It has taken him a while but hey it's FREE!!! We are going to have a website launch party, break out a little sparkling cider and celebrate with the kids after we hit the publish button. I will let you know when we go live. Probably sometime Sunday since Mamacita flies out in the early AM.
Not too many calls to make today. I need to follow up about a call I got about doing a cocktail party for 500+ people in March. Harmony is hitting the "big time" and I really need a larger kitchen to work out of. My ingredients and packaging are taking over our home.
Most important for today, HANG OUT WITH THE KIDS! It's their last Friday of vacation and I want to have a little more fun with them. Perhaps we will go to the Children's Museum or bowling (my son's favorite pastime) or I may surprise them and see Enchanted, if it is still playing anywhere. They have been dying to see it since it came out in November.
Well, I need to get to getting.
I will keep you posted about the LOI............
TGIF
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Cupcakes are Flying with A Red Velvet Elvis
I almost forgot to tell you that Chaka and I visited The Flying Cupcake Bakery during our anniversary trip to Indianapolis. It was very nice. The decor reminded me of Holly Hobby's cottage (if she had one). Lots of pink and floral prints. The bakery had a nice amount of seating. If I remember correctly, they had about 4-5 tables. We arrived in the late afternoon so there were only a few cupcake varieties to choose from. Chaka and I each tried one and took 4 back to Chaka's mom and the kids. I went for the Red Velvet Elvis- a red velvet cake with chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting b/c I still don't understand the obsession that people have with Red Velvet cake or cupcakes. Perhaps it is b/c I am not from the south and my grandma never baked it. All in all the cupcake was good but I still don't understand Red Velvet cake. I will have my interpretation of Red Velvet on my menu. Ironically, the most asked question that I get when I tell people that I am opening a cupcake bakery is, "Are you going to have Red Velvet?" I guess that I have to please the masses in order to succeed.
Have a fabulous night.
Have a fabulous night.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
It is so frigid outside that we are officially hibernating. The high today is 23F so we are not going anywhere unless we have to. Poor Chaka was up and out this morning while the temp was in single digits. I love winter but this kind of cold is just not easy to manage.
Up for today:
Wait to hear back about our lease negotiation. YES! we are moving forward with our location. The LOI has been prepared but we have requested a few changes and now we are waiting to hear something. Once that is finalized, the lease will be prepared, the lawyer will review it and we will have the keys on Feb 1st. Simple right? You know better..... something will come up, it always does. I am keep in the faith though.
Just a word about leases to those who may be thinking about following this path, negotiation is key. Everything is fair game- from the price you pay per sq. ft. to T/I (tenant improvement) allowances. T/I can really help save you money in the long run. This is an allowance that your landlord pays you for the permanent improvements you will make to a space. These are things like improving the floors, bathrooms, light fixtures. Basically things that will be left behind if you choose to move locations. Some places will even let you use the allowance to pay future rent or purchase signage. A lot of places do not advertise a T/I allowance but it is always worth asking if any is available.
Well, I am out for now. The kids have play dates and I have a few calls to make before I have a house full of kids. I also have b-day cupcakes to make.
Bundle up and bring me some sunshine ;-)
Up for today:
Wait to hear back about our lease negotiation. YES! we are moving forward with our location. The LOI has been prepared but we have requested a few changes and now we are waiting to hear something. Once that is finalized, the lease will be prepared, the lawyer will review it and we will have the keys on Feb 1st. Simple right? You know better..... something will come up, it always does. I am keep in the faith though.
Just a word about leases to those who may be thinking about following this path, negotiation is key. Everything is fair game- from the price you pay per sq. ft. to T/I (tenant improvement) allowances. T/I can really help save you money in the long run. This is an allowance that your landlord pays you for the permanent improvements you will make to a space. These are things like improving the floors, bathrooms, light fixtures. Basically things that will be left behind if you choose to move locations. Some places will even let you use the allowance to pay future rent or purchase signage. A lot of places do not advertise a T/I allowance but it is always worth asking if any is available.
Well, I am out for now. The kids have play dates and I have a few calls to make before I have a house full of kids. I also have b-day cupcakes to make.
Bundle up and bring me some sunshine ;-)
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Bring Harmony intt your life in 2008!
Happy New Year Fans of Harmony!!!
May this year be filled with peace, love, blessings and plenty of cupcakes and mini treats.
2008 will be the year that Harmony is brought into your life.
Stay warm.......
May this year be filled with peace, love, blessings and plenty of cupcakes and mini treats.
2008 will be the year that Harmony is brought into your life.
Stay warm.......
Monday, December 31, 2007
Resting up for the New Year!!!!!!!!!!!
Not much to report............still relaxing until Wednesday hits.
I have been enjoying some much needed away time with my hubby. We celebrated our Anniversary by going to a wine and chocolate tasting at the Marble Hill Chocolate Lounge on Friday in downtown Cincy. The atmosphere was romantic and the 3 chocolates that we sampled were decent but I was not really please with the customer service. We were served by the owner and I was really excited that he was present (always ready to network). I read an article about him in Black Enterprise (one of my fav. mags) earlier this year and had been dying to get in and sample his chocolates and scope out the decor. He was not personable at all and almost came across as a bit pretentious. I left kinda disappointed b/c I was hoping to do a girls night out there later next month but I think we will take our business elsewhere. Maybe he was having an off night but when you run a business (especially a young business) you can not afford to have an off night or day. I am all for 2nd chances but I think it will be along time before we go back. My hubby even agreed with me b/c I can be very critical at times. For now, I will stick to Godiva (owned by Campbell Soup Co. - just a fun food fact) next time I have a chocolate jones.
Lesson learned for Harmony : Customer service can make or break you.
Your decor could be perfect and you goods decadent but if your service sucks, folks will not return. And you can pretty much guarantee that they will tell someone else who will tell someone else and so on and on....
The weekend got better though. On Saturday we headed to Indianapolis for the night. We stayed in the heart of downtown near Monument Circle and the City Circle Mall at the Hilton. I cashed in some om my point for a FREE night stay (all the traveling I did at Heinz was good for something). It was a wonderful relaxing time. It was also nice to be somewhere we could walk every where. We had the most amazing hot chocolate at the Chocolate Cafe while we walked around the circle and looked at all of the xmas lights. We had a wonderful dinner and planned on going to see Chris Rock for some laughs. The tickets were a bit steep (and of course we are on a tight budget) so we opted to see the Great Debaters. Awesome movie- go see it!!!
Anywho, all good things must come to an end. I am going to enjoy the rest of my time with my hubby and continue resting up for the rest of the week.
Up later this week:
Agreeing on the LOI for our location and moving forward - it's a biggy but I am ready.
Tour a few daycare centers for Z-man- he will have to go somewhere once Harmony opens.
Spend some time with Chaka's mom before she leaves us on Sunday
Hang out with the kids and organize a few more play dates before school starts again on the 7th.
I have been enjoying some much needed away time with my hubby. We celebrated our Anniversary by going to a wine and chocolate tasting at the Marble Hill Chocolate Lounge on Friday in downtown Cincy. The atmosphere was romantic and the 3 chocolates that we sampled were decent but I was not really please with the customer service. We were served by the owner and I was really excited that he was present (always ready to network). I read an article about him in Black Enterprise (one of my fav. mags) earlier this year and had been dying to get in and sample his chocolates and scope out the decor. He was not personable at all and almost came across as a bit pretentious. I left kinda disappointed b/c I was hoping to do a girls night out there later next month but I think we will take our business elsewhere. Maybe he was having an off night but when you run a business (especially a young business) you can not afford to have an off night or day. I am all for 2nd chances but I think it will be along time before we go back. My hubby even agreed with me b/c I can be very critical at times. For now, I will stick to Godiva (owned by Campbell Soup Co. - just a fun food fact) next time I have a chocolate jones.
Lesson learned for Harmony : Customer service can make or break you.
Your decor could be perfect and you goods decadent but if your service sucks, folks will not return. And you can pretty much guarantee that they will tell someone else who will tell someone else and so on and on....
The weekend got better though. On Saturday we headed to Indianapolis for the night. We stayed in the heart of downtown near Monument Circle and the City Circle Mall at the Hilton. I cashed in some om my point for a FREE night stay (all the traveling I did at Heinz was good for something). It was a wonderful relaxing time. It was also nice to be somewhere we could walk every where. We had the most amazing hot chocolate at the Chocolate Cafe while we walked around the circle and looked at all of the xmas lights. We had a wonderful dinner and planned on going to see Chris Rock for some laughs. The tickets were a bit steep (and of course we are on a tight budget) so we opted to see the Great Debaters. Awesome movie- go see it!!!
Anywho, all good things must come to an end. I am going to enjoy the rest of my time with my hubby and continue resting up for the rest of the week.
Up later this week:
Agreeing on the LOI for our location and moving forward - it's a biggy but I am ready.
Tour a few daycare centers for Z-man- he will have to go somewhere once Harmony opens.
Spend some time with Chaka's mom before she leaves us on Sunday
Hang out with the kids and organize a few more play dates before school starts again on the 7th.
Oh, I almost forgot........Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!
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