- Bed and Breakfasts - As a teenager and young adult I hated the B&B experience. There are rarely TVs and you have to have breakfast with a bunch of strangers and stay in someone's house: creepy. As an adult, B&B's are places that I'm learning to enjoy. A lovingly provided home cooked meal that I don't have to cook, clean up or feel guilty about not cooking and cleaning up, and getting the chance to meet and learn about both the others at the breakfast table and the owners of the B&B are things that I now really appreciate. Lanesboro has a ton of B&B's. My favorite is the Habberstad House. This is where we stayed over Mother's Day weekend and I continue to call it my favorite.
- The Countryside - The Root River rolls through Lanesboro and the surrounding communities. It's a sweet, meandering river, not too big and not too small. It provides recreation as well as beauty. The bluffs are also scenic and lovely. I could stare at their pretty looks all day long while sipping a glass of something tangy and cold or licking an ice cream cone.
- The Relaxed Way of Life - Lanesboro and the surrounding communities offer plenty to do, but I never feel in a hurry to do anything while I'm there. I like to have a schedule so that I know what I would like to do, but if I miss out on something or many somethings, that's okay. The town wants you to relax.
- Outdoor Adventure - The Root River Bike Trail and the Harmony-Preston Bike Trail offer plenty of paved multi-use trail. You can spend your weekend biking your booty off, covering the 150 miles if you bike all of the trail or meandering the 4 miles to the pie shop and back. I've done both variety of trip and enjoyed them equally as well. As long as the water is high enough, you can kayak, canoe or tube down the river. Lanesboro has a few different outfitters that will rent equipment and ferry you between your start and finish point. There is also a nature center with a high ropes course and hiking everywhere you look.
- Variety - Considering the size of Lanesboro and the surrounding communities, there are buckets of things to do. Harmony has a renovated movie theater, Lanesboro a professional theater company and a community theater company . The area boasts two cool caves that both offer tours, a myriad of Amish tours & Amish shopping, first rate bird watching, a winery, massage, a farmer's market on Saturdays during growing season, plenty of history lessons, and a very nice not-for-profit art gallery.
- He always has an opinion.
- He's usually trying to break himself or something else.
- He loves to cuddle with soft objects.
- He also loves putting soft objects in his mouth and walking around with them for long periods of time.
- He's a jokester, giggler, a comedian at heart.
- He likes it loud.
- He's delighted by cats and dogs.
- He can't get enough of Goldfish crackers, toast and Amy's Mac-n-Cheese.
- He doesn't take no for an answer.
- Tyler lives life full-speed-ahead!
Snippets From A Friday
8:30am - Tyler finds a magnetic paper doll in his closet. He calls it baby (uttering his first two-syllable word ever!), gives it a kiss, and plays the first cute card of the day.
9:00am - We load into the van to find cheese! We take cheese very seriously in this family. Jamie says our grocery bill is usually half the Organic Valley mexican cheese blend that I and the kids adore, and half some other stuff. He’s not far off. Something to be worked on in the new eating program for sure. When we grocery shopped yesterday, Whole Foods was out of most of their cheese due to a refrigerator malfunction, so today we hit the Linden Hills Food Co-op. Mazie and I had stopped by the co-op last night at 9:30pm because we take cheese so seriously, but they were already closed. Today we were not to be denied. I’m happy to report that four bags of lovely Organic Valley mexican cheese blend are now chilling in our refrigerator. We sang songs of cheese, really bad songs, and generally cheesed it up for awhile in honor of our favorite cheese finally being back where it belongs.
10:00am - A stop at Creative Kidstuff to pick up a “y” pewi bike for Tyler (sent from another store in the color of choice) that we bought last week when we were there to return something else, almost results in the purchase of another Tyler item. Tyler + Creative Kidstuff can get expensive quick. 
He plays his second cute card in hopes of securing another toy for the home front. You’ll notice he was blazing his own trail riding the middle of the toddler see-saw instead of resting on the more conventional see-saw seat.
10:30am - Mazie has a play-date at a friend’s house. I hang around for an hour until she feels comfortable, then take my super-sleepy toddler to Target for a quick shopping run. He falls asleep on the way back to pick her up, but she’s in a great mood so I feel better about the Tyler neglect…and I just got him a “y” bike, so what’s he complaining about.
1:00pm - Tyler finally gets lunch. He’s very nice about his lunch being delayed an hour and a half. Do I smell another cute card or is it a poopy diaper?
1:30pm - Tyler gets a fresh diaper. It was smelling pretty stinky down there. Tyler sneezes, I say, “Bless You”. Tyler says, “Ah-goo”, as in “Achoo”. This is his second, two-syllable word of the day. He’s played his third cute card , but it’s not going to save him from his much needed nap.
2:00pm - My mom picks up Mazie for a sleep-over and Tyler is asleep.
2:30pm - The “y” bike has been assembled, Tyler’s still asleep and lots of cheese is in the refrigerator. Gotta love it here in Tammy land.
Smaller Than A Grass-Fed Cow
I’ve thought a lot about what I put in my mouth over the last 20 years, but all of that thinking hasn’t resulted in much change. I’ve read a few books over the years that have altered certain aspects of my eating, but I still eat the same basic diet that I’ve been eating since I was a kid.
I’m picky, don’t care much for fruit and veggies, and have a general love of dairy and white flour. Add to that my near sugar addiction that started when I was pregnant with Mazie, and the result is an unhealthy diet.
I’m also overweight. Not scary, life threatening overweight, more the annoying 10-20 pounds overweight that is a constant monkey on my back. Part of my I’m forty now and I’m ready to take charge of my life plan is to get a handle on what I put in my mouth both for the sake of my health and waist line, and also for the sake of everyone else. The better I eat, the better off the planet is. Be the change you want to see in the world and all of that.
I have certain things going for me. I like water and exercise. I’ve read a crap-load of books on nutrition and food, and I know what I should be doing. I am fortunate to have access to local farms and farmer’s markets, co-ops and neighborhood grocery stores, and the means to pay for the true cost of food when it is sold without subsidy and grown in a responsible manner.
I’m starting a journey and making it public so that I have more incentive to stick it out. I want to change how and what I eat and why I eat and I don’t want my primary motivation to be those 10-20 pounds. Instead I want to focus on how I should be eating and hope that the excess weight leaves in it’s own good time. So, here goes…
Peas And Thank You
I’ve been scared away from blogging lately. I came across Peas and Thank You, a brilliant blog that is very popular and I think, really funny. Mama Pea, as she is known, is a mom of two girls who has transitioned from lawyer to mom and from meat-eater to vegan. She writes about both with wit, humor and way more pizzaz than I could ever hope to muster. At first reading her blog inspired me, but that inspiration quickly turned to defeat.
I’ve been having a hard time writing. I start to write and then after a few less-than-excellent sentences, I give up and think Mama Pea is so much better at this than I am. I’ve never had a problem with people being better at something than I am before. It’s pretty much guaranteed in a world with a gazillion people that lots of people are going to be better at doing ‘whatever’ than you are. For some reason her ability to write has left me feeling like there’s no point to my writing. I think her voice is the voice that I wish I had. That’s the difference. She’s doing “me” better than I could ever hope to do “me”.
But I’m forty now and all grown-up, so I will not give up. I’ll keep writing and hopefully along the way I’ll find the real “me”, not the Mama Pea “me”. So go on over and check out Mama Pea, she really is worth an RSS feed or e-mail subscription, and then come back here and see what I have to say. Peas and Thank You.
The Curious Garden
Last year I bought Mazie a book called The Curious Garden. It’s about a boy who starts a garden on an old abandoned railroad that is elevated above the city. We’ve read the story many times and I’ve always thought it was a cool idea to turn an old railway into a linear garden.
I subscribe to a blog/website, I’m not sure which it really is, called Web Urbanist and every day in my e-mail box I get their daily post. It’s a hodge-podge of cutting edge, modern design. One day it might have twenty pictures of crazy, whacked-out cars and the next day it’s innovative iphone covers or mind-blowing hotels. I usually glance at the e-mail, but every once in a while the e-mail really grabs my attention, just like it did today.
Today the post is all about The High Line. The High Line is an elevated city park in NYC built on an old abandoned railway. Sound familiar? The visual images of the park instantly reminded me of The Curious Garden book. I grabbed the book off of the shelf and read the author’s note. Turns out his book is inspired by the High Line and the wild garden that sprouted there when the railway was left unused.
Cool.
If you live in NYC have you checked this park out? What do you think? Is it as cool as it looks and reads? I spent some time on The High Line’s website learning more about the project and park and I think it’s really inspiring. I’m planning to visit the next time I’m in NYC.
"B" Is For Barn
After having such a great experience staying at a barn last month, it makes me want to try these two barn environments even more. 
I came across Lake Superior Barn a year or two ago, but so far haven't been there. The price seems to go up $100/night every year, so if a group of us don't get there soon, it will be out of my price range for good. I love the contrast of this place. It's über modern and cool, but barn. It's 320 acres of private lakefront living just 30 miles outside of Duluth. I can imagine hanging here for a week in the winter when it's a bit cheaper would be magical. Winter break anyone?
The Barn House a few miles from Dubuque, IA is another place that I would like to check out. This place looks pretty awesome and it's much more affordable than the place on Lake Superior. I tried to book a mid-week stay in August, but the dates were already taken by another lucky party. As a group of 5 or less this place can be rented during the week for only $250/night. Considering the size and fabulous-factor of the place, I think that is a steal. On the weekend the rates go up significantly, but for a group the place would still be pretty doable if you added a Thursday or Sunday night to balance out the higher weekend cost.
Has anyone stayed somewhere recently that they would highly recommend? Fill me in!
Larger Than A Cat Wearing Swim Goggles
Mazie might not be older, but she’s definitely bigger than our 20+ year old cat Gypsie. Gypsie is in liver failure and will need to be put to sleep soon. Mazie has been in on the discussion the whole time and is aware of Gypsie’s fate.
It is with this in mind that she decided to make a card for Gypsie. I told her a card wouldn’t make much sense to give a cat, but after confirming that she could indeed give the cat a card, she proceeded on. She next asked me what Gypsie’s favorite color is. “Gypsie doesn’t have a favorite color,” I replied, “She’s a cat.” She thought for a second and then said almost to herself, “Oh yah, Gigi (Mazie’s friend) said Gypsie’s favorite color was orange,” and then made a card for the cat with orange as the feature color.
The logic of a five year old is awesome!Second story…Mazie is sitting on the steps and we are pretending. She is a doctor and wearing swim goggles. I ask her what the goggles are for and she doesn’t answer. After a few minutes more of doctor play I ask again, “So, you never did tell me why you are wearing goggles?” and she replies, “Cause I’m a doctor”. I say, “Doctors wear goggles?” and she says, “Pretend ones do.” Brilliant!
Tomorrow Mazie turns 6…
Lanesboro
I have a little love affair with a town named Lanesboro, Minnesota. It’s located about an hour’s drive past Rochester in South Eastern Minnesota’s beautiful bluff country. I’ve been to Lanesboro many times, but I hadn’t been back in about 5 years until just a few weeks ago. A friend and I ventured down for a childless Mother’s Day weekend (great thing!) and the trip reminded me about everything that I love about Lanesboro.
Lowbrow
The name conjures up all type of images, but probably not a hip new eatery in South Minneapolis. Two women who met in the kitchen of Birchwood a decade ago and have since been involved in the local, sustainable food scene decided to open a place where you can get bar food and not feel bad about where it came from. I love the idea of farm-to-table food moving past the fine dining experience and settling in to the regular restaurant scene.
I’ve eaten at the restaurant twice. I enjoyed my first meal a lot and while I had the same exact thing the second time around, it wasn’t as good. I had a grass-fed burger and fries both times, yes I know I am a vision of healthy eating. My first burger was juicy and flavorful, and cooked just right. The bun and cheese were both a nice accompaniment to the burger, and the fries were the skinny kind and quite good. The burger is a nice size at a 1/3 pound. The second time everything was about the same, but the burger was overcooked which took away the juiciness and zapped some of the flavor.
My first meal was consumed with two hard ciders and there were no children in attendance. My second visit I had no adult beverage and my two kids at the table keeping me company. I’m sure that has something to do with my impressions of the two meals, but I do believe my first cheeseburger and french fries were far superior to the second.
Keeping with my nutritious dinner choices, I also opted in for dessert on both occasions. Lowbrow does dessert to a T. They have an excellent dessert lady named Nancy and she makes some killer delights. I’ve tried the Chocolate Oatmeal Stout cake and the Peanut Butter Pie and both were delicious.
Prices are very reasonable. My burger/fry combo was under 10 bucks. The room can get loud quick as there are no soft surfaces to absorb noise and the space is all one, big room. Despite being disappointed by cheeseburger #2, I am eager to go back and dine again. I’ve heard that the chili and pulled pork sandwich are both very good and they have other options that I’d like to try. I say, welcome to the neighborhood Lowbrow!
You Say Your Boulders Need A Holder?
If you find yourself with a well-endowed chest, a desire to perform vigorous exercise and no bra that sufficiently quells the bounce, I have a solution for you. For many years I used Champion sports bras and found them adequate. The one problem I could never avoid was the chafing that occurred from the band of my bra moving up and down while I was running.
After I had Tyler, I was big and breast-feeding, which means my chest was chestier and my chest was tender. My regular sports bras didn’t fit and I felt it was time to head back to the proverbial drawing board, otherwise known as the internet. I did a few searches and viola, the Enell bra appeared. 
This thing is not sexy and it’s expensive. It looks like a shorter version of a less-bulky life jacket. It has a million little hook and eye closures up the front and is a pain to put on and remove, but my chest parts have never been happier running with me on a treadmill than they are in my Enell bra.
While searching for my new bra, I read about plenty of people who had tried an Enell and for one reason or another didn’t like it. So I’m not here to say this is going to solve your problems, but if you aren’t pleased with your sports bra and you are looking to cut out the bounce, give the Enell a try.
I think the best thing about it other than the fact that it works as a sports bra, is my chafing issues have been eradicated. The vest-like nature of the garment fits so securely and covers so much area that the thing stays put once it’s on.
If you own an Enell, if you decide to get one, or if you own some other sports bra that you think is great, tell me about it. Thanks!
A Barn On A Bluff
One of my favorite past-times is searching for places to visit. I like to find an area and then a place to stay, but sometimes I find a place to stay first and then the area is already decided for me.
A few years ago, I ran across Barn on the Bluff and I’ve kept it in the back of my mind as a place I’d like to visit. It’s located just outside of Elkader, IA, about 4 hours from the Twin Cities. It’s a large barn that was renovated a few years ago to be a group B & B. Your group gets the whole barn and the nice people who own the place bring breakfast each morning at whatever time you choose.
I finally had an occasion to visit Bar on the Bluff last weekend. Our family does an “Olson Family Weekend” once a year and this was my year to plan. This was our 8th year and each year a different couple plans where we go and what we do. This year included a game night, ping-pong tournament, capture the flag, photo shoot, line-dancing lessons, the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, a nature walk, and lots of other fun stuff. This was my second time to plan and I’m already excited about planning my next go-around in 2016.
Most of the time when I find a place I really want to stay, I’m a bit let down by the place. It usually seems better in pictures and in my mind, than in reality. Such was not the case with Barn of the Bluff. It was exactly as I hoped it would be. The decor was cool, kitschy, eclectic and just right. The space was large and gave our group of 14 plenty of room to spread out and be together, while still being apart. Having breakfast brought to you each morning is a lovely treat that I can’t get enough of. I hate cooking, but I love eating and pj’s, so this arrangement is one I could definitely live with long term.
The only downside to the barn is the somewhat open nature of many of the sleeping arrangements. We worked it out and all found a place to hang our head, but having more enclosed, private bedrooms would be nice. For a gaggle of older kids, the sleeping arrangements would be ideal and the adults could hide away in the private bedrooms, but for a group with just young kids and tired adults, it wasn’t the best.
The town of Elkader was a pleasant surprise. It’s a small town and at first glimpse there wasn’t much offered, but the longer we hung out the more our perceptions changed. The first run movie theater was very nice, with digital sound and picture. There is also a bar/restaurant named Schera’s serving Alergian food that has a beer-on-tap list that would impress even the most snobbish beer fan. Jamie and the brother-in-laws each had a superb time trying the different offerings. The bakery run by a young, cute couple with two kids was charming, and the coffee house, while not having the best coffee, did offer it cheaply along with pretty good ice cream. We ordered a double-shot of espresso and three ice creams and our total bill was under $7.00.
We also enjoyed browsing through the impressive selection of second-hand wares the town has for sale. Several of the town’s stores were part rummage sale, part antique store and all strangely-awesome. I spent a good hour in one room of one store and I’m sure I could have spent the rest of the day in just that one place. It’s called the Turkey River Mall and it was amazing. My general nature and self doesn’t like used things, but this place had many somethings for everyone and I was taken in by the weird-wonderfulness of the place. I also loved how all of the second hand/antique places in town mixed new merchandise in with the used. It was a nice change of pace from the usual.
The area around Elkader is beautiful, including the scenery at the Barn itself. Rolling hills, quiet streams, exposed limestone and lots of green. Bluff country is my landscape of choice, so I’m a bit biased, but I think anyone would call it picturesque. The area had a peaceful, easy feeling that sunk into my bones and made me feel good.
The Barn books up well in advance, so if you are interested in visiting, make your plans early.
P.S. - A shout out to my sister Angie for all of the great photos!
Sun Street Breads
My new favorite spot for breakfast or lunch is Sun Street Breads. It’s owned and run by Solveig Tofte who baked for Turtle Bread for many years and was a sensation at the Kingfield Farmer’s Market last summer.
The menu is simple, made up of biscuit sandwiches, a few pastries, these awesome fried potato balls called Gordas (not sure of spelling), a couple of breakfast staples and a smattering of sandwiches. The food is simple as well, nothing fancy or highfalutin, but everything made with high-quality ingredients and with the hand of a talented baker. The result is delicious, every-day food. My three favorites so far are the gordas, the biscuit sandwich with scrambled eggs, cheese and sausage, and the raspberry cream scone.
The space is light, bright and airy. They serve dogwood coffee and I guess they have a full liquor license and intend to open for dinner some time in the future. For now they are open from 6:30an-2:30pm daily. They are on the corner of 46th and Nicollet in South Minneapolis. Check them out if you have a chance.
The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side
I walk Mazie to and from school most days. It’s a short walk, not more than five blocks, and we both really enjoy it. When we moved to Minneapolis a little over a year ago from the suburbs, I thought of Minneapolis as a more eco-conscious city than any of the suburbs. My experience is that that’s not necessarily the case.
My latest complaint is the number of houses we pass on our walk to school that have those small signs in the yard to keep kids and pets off the lawn until the chemicals dry. I had always thought that only people in the suburbs used these types of lawn services. My experience walking to and from school has shown me otherwise.
Why do people put nasty chemicals on their yard? I have a hard time understanding the thought process. It costs money and smells bad. A sign is placed in your yard warning pets and kids to stay away. This nasty crap runs off of our lawns and into our waterways and sinks into the soil and is one of the millions of chemicals that are making our world not safe. We all know that there are chemicals everywhere and that can’t be a good thing. But so much of it seems like things out of our control, done to us. But the lawn thing is a conscious choice and it’s a choice that requires money.
If you want your lawn to be all pretty and you can’t see not having a lawn service, please consider a natural lawn service. We used NaturaLawn when we lived in the suburbs, but since we’ve moved I’ve convinced Jamie that our small city lot requires no weed control that we can’t handle with a couple of gardening tools. There are lots of companies out there that offer more natural types of lawn care and they don’t cost much more than the traditional pesticide route. It’s such a small and easy thing to change, why not do it!
FORTY
That’s right, I’m forty now. Here’s how I think and feel at forty. First off, I feel forty. In my twenties and my early thirties, I felt like I was in college. My mental state was very much that of someone who was young and not in charge. I don’t know, don’t ask me, I’m just a kid. Sure I had opinions and I thought things, but I saw the world as being run by other, older people. At some point in the past few years, I caught up to myself and here I am.
Some days I sit back and smell the roses. I take in the sights, smells and sounds of our world and how immensely enjoyable they are…the pleasure derived from a good book, the joy of bringing about a smile, the aroma of a tasty meal, a sweaty run, chocolate, a comfy bed, a spring breeze, there are so many things to relish. I think how fortunate I am to have a really great husband and two healthy kids. We enjoy a very priviledged life; we live in the developed world and Jamie makes a good living. I get along well with my family and I feel loved by both them and my friends. Life is good.
Other days life doesn’t seem so lemonadey, it’s more lemon. The world is falling apart at the seams and it’s partly my job to try and fix it. Sitting back and merely observing the chaos isn’t really good enough anymore. That seems like a lot of responsibility.
My days can be mundane; my kids can drive me nuts. I can be petty and mean. I spend time each day wishing it was a different part of the day or a different day. I often find myself struggling to connect and communicate with others, especially acquaintances that I’d like to turn into friends. My butt is large, my fat rolls have grown. My skin doesn’t look fresh and new. The scar on my arm isn’t going away. My teeth aren’t white. I have a hard time living in the moment. I could keep going, but that’s probably good enough.
But I think forty has left me more accepting of myself and my flaws, while being more inspired to work on those things that I can change. I feel like forty is a good time to sit back at the top of the hill and take in the view. I have been assessing and I think I’m ready for action. Watch out world, here comes the FORTY year old Tammy!
Rustica And The Best Eclair
For as long as I can remember I’ve been a fan of sweet things that aren’t too sweet, have chocolate, but not too much chocolate, and have some sort of custard or cream.
Enter the eclair. It fits the bill perfectly. Back in the olden days when I was a kid, I loved eclairs. I’m not sure if eclairs have changed or if I have changed, but the older I’ve gotten, the less I’ve liked eclairs. The chocolate is more frosting than chocolate, the filling can be a let down and the body of the eclair can be dry and uninspiring.
A few months ago, Jamie came home with eclairs from Rustica Bakery and an old flame was rekindled. If you like eclairs, get one and give it a try. I think I’ve eaten more eclairs in the last few months than I’ve eaten in my entire life. I was showing up to the bakery more than once a week and feeling embarrassed as I recognized the people behind the counter and wondered if they were beginning to ponder how a single person could consume so many eclairs. It was like I had an eclair monster on my shoulder reminding me of their goodness all day, every day. I had to quiet the beast every few days or his incessant eclair chatter would overwhelm more pertinent thoughts like “It’s time to make dinner” or “I should shower now”.
I give you the Rustica Eclair…The chocolate is rich, dark and melted to the top. The body of the eclair is delicious: tender, chewy, moist, hard to sum up. And the ooey-gooey center. Yum. It’s the best part. It seems halfway between custard and whipped cream and it’s finger-licking good.
When I like a game or a food excessively, I tend to overdo it, satiate, and then rarely eat the food or play the game again. Chess, Cribbage, sourdough bread, various iphone games, Luna Bars, Genisoy Bars, all of these food/games have met a similar fate. They were once prominent in my day-to-day life, sometimes obsessively so, and then at some point I filled up on them and they are no more for me. That’s where I am now with the Rustica Eclair. I still love their eclairs and think they are the best, but I don’t think I’ll be eating another one anytime soon. But to the rest of you, go have yourself an eclair. They are delicious!
Larger Than An Uh-Oh
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Tyler is now 14 months old. He walks, points, grunts and says three words: uh-oh, hi and yay. At this point in her life Mazie spoke at least 40 different words. I remember listing them out on a piece of paper, because I was eager to see just how many different things she could say. I can count Tyler’s words on one hand. But, I digress. I’m here today to talk about what makes Tyler, Tyler. What differentiates him from all of the other 14 month old babies out there in the big, wide world.
I give you ten Tyler truisms (at least for now):
Small Is An Empire, But Not An Empire Builder - The Final Small In A Short Lineage Of Small
Etsy is small gone big. A crap-load of small businesses use Etsy’s platform to sell their wares. I love Etsy. I first went there several years ago when my extremely tech savvy husband told me about the site. I wasn’t impressed. It seemed like a giant craft sale, where all of the crafts were of the variety that my grandma used to make. No disrespect to grandma, she made nice stuff, but it wasn’t the type of thing I would shop for online. There wasn’t much in the way of edgy, cool or up-and-coming. As the site matured and more people added stores, the cool factor elevated significantly. Now if I’m looking for a purse, t-shirt, jewelry, furniture, art or most anything else, my first stop is Etsy. I can get lost on Etsy the way other people get lost on Facebook. I love me some serious Etsy. If you’ve never checked it out, go now and peruse. Even if you are a dude, there is something for you.
I love the stuff on Etsy and the feeling of Etsy. When you buy something from Etsy, you make a connection with a real person somewhere in the real world. You feel special because you get this special thing and the crafter feels special because someone chose their thing out of the millions of things available for sale. It’s a beautiful relationship. It adds something positive back into the world. So much of our society today isolates and alienates people, but Etsy brings people together. It makes a connection where none existed before and bridges a gap that had no reason to be bridged before. That might sound all high and mighty for a commerce website, but I find it to be true.
Okay, so here’s where the story gets a little less warm and fuzzy and a little more brown and muddy. It seems the business model that Etsy is built on doesn’t work so great for the individuals selling the stuff. It’s great for Etsy itself, they make money on each listing and a percent of sales, but for the small business it’s hard to eek out a living making everything by hand, charging basement-bottom prices (considering the time put into each item), and crossing your fingers hoping that someone will buy your stuff. People are used to paying for things that have been mass-produced and the cost of making things by hand is much greater. The industrial revolution didn’t happen without reason; we all want more stuff for fewer bucks.
The CEO of Etsy is a dreamer and artist at heart. He wants the small businesses on his site to bloom and grow and he’s even started a non-profit to try to help some of the Etsy sellers develop their businesses, but ultimately the thing that makes Etsy so great is the very thing that keeps its sellers from making a living. Handmade = more time = higher price to make a livable wage. The other thing that makes Etsy great is the mass volume of things to choose from. A great thing for Etsy itself and for the consumer, but a tough thing for each individual seller. That’s not to say that there aren’t people on Etsy making enough money to live on, and even some making a pretty penny, but the vast majority find themselves not able to get by on Etsy money alone. As a supplement to income or a hobby it’s a great vehicle to get your stuff out there and have your creative voice heard. But, as a small business generator, it seems the generator is broken. People are willing to pay more for hand-crafted things, but not that much more. So, you end up selling for less or you end up not selling much.
I think to make Etsy a full-time gig you need a few things going for you. First, what you make has to be interesting and cool or different, and second, it needs to be something that a person can’t get at Target, Macy’s or the local mall. It has to be the kind of thing that would garner a comment from a passerby. You need to find a niche market and rock it hard. I think then a person can charge more, collect a following, and make a living.
I’m rooting for Etsy and for all of the people schlepping things on the site. I guess maybe the focus needs to shift from “hey, you can make a living here”, to “hey, you can have a portal to sell your creative wares, but you aren’t going to make much doing it”.
My husband, the same tech savvy husband from the beginning of this post, sent me this article about Etsy a few days ago. The article was what got me thinking about Etsy and the whole idea of small. If you are interested, read it and then let me know what you think. Or, just let me know what you think!
Small Can Build An Empire - The Third Installment Of Small
In my continuing homage to small, we take a look next at Scot Pampuch. The man is a small force to be reckoned with. He owns a small restaurant, The Corner Table, and has for several years.
He’s a local food guru who’s always shouting it out to whomever will listen. I’ve usually got my ears tuned to the local food scene and my head on a swivel and I’ve never seen or heard another foodie shout so often and from so many vantage points. Wherever you turn, there he is. It would be creepy if he was creepy, but he’s not, so it’s cool.
This will be his third summer heading up Tour De Farm, a fully sanctioned copy-cat version of Outstanding in the Field, where dinners are held at local farms, out in the field with local chefs and local food.
I just discovered his latest project, the Corner Table Community Supported Kitchen and it’s sheer genius. It’s like a CSA, but from a restaurant. If you don’t know what a CSA is, it’s short for Community Supported Agriculture and it’s basically a box of veggies, fruits, herbs and other random things that you get from a farm. Shares are available to purchase from many local farms and you pick a farm, buy a share, and pick up your box from a pre-determined location each week. The shares can last all year if you are located somewhere South of here, but in our frozen tundra most shares run 18 weeks or so. The CSK or Community Supported Kitchen that The Corner Table has started is a box that you pick up from their restaurant full of local meats, cheeses and the like, all prepped and ready to cook. He is also offering cooking classes bi-weekly at the restaurant in conjunction with the boxes and interesting, but gross classes where you can break down a whole hog with him. Ick, but probably a good thing to do if you eat meat. According to his website there is also talk of a CSK box for vegetarians. The dude is awesome and is living large the small way.
Three cheers for Scot Pampuch!
The Special Of Small - The Second In A Small Series Of Small
New Glarus makes great beer. At least that’s what people who like beer tell me. If you are in Wisconsin, check it out. New Glarus Brewing Company is following the Small Is Cute mantra and keeping things small and manageable, so the only place you can buy their beer is the state where it’s brewed and bottled.
I think it’s nice that certain things are only available in certain places. It used to be that when a person took a trip they could bring things back from their destination and they would be special things, only available from where they had been. More and more that’s not the case anymore. I’m divided about this, because I love that you can find anything from anywhere on the internet, but I also like the specialness of unique places and things.
Jamie and I were in Switzerland several years ago and we came across Sigg water bottles. They were super lightweight, made of aluminum and looked cool. We brought a few back for family members and within a year they were everywhere. It’s great that the bottles are everywhere, the bottles are a much better product than plastic water bottles and Sigg Bottles ended up inspiring a whole industry, but I was sad as well. Our special find wasn’t special anymore.
What’s your take?
Small Is The New Cute
I’ve always liked small. Small is cute. Baby animals, babies, small bottles of shampoo, miniature whatever, it’s all good. Small business is cute too.
My dad and his brother owned a honey packing plant during my childhood and early adulthood and at the time I didn’t see it as all that great, but looking back now at how the company was run, I respect and admire how they did things. They never expanded product sales beyond the five state region, they bought all of their product from the region, they paid their workers well and my dad and his brother worked like dogs. They had a passion for what they did and weren’t willing to compromise that vision for growth.
I’m not saying that growth is bad, and in certain businesses large-scale, fast-paced growth is fundamental and necessary. But, I think there are lots of circumstances when a business grows faster than it should and the business and those associated with it suffer.
So, all of you small business people out there, listen up. Slow down, grow naturally and enjoy the process. If you are doing what you love, keep doing it. I’ll keep spending my dollars with you and your kind as often as I can. Other people might love the Walmart, but I’m loving you. Thanks for keeping it small and personal; you are all so cute : ).
Of course, I’m in no position to say anything about business large or small, but I’m saying it anyway. I don’t think the six people that read my blog will mind.
Larger Than An American Idol Dream
I’ve never been a Jennifer Lopez person. I know who she is, I don’t live under a rock, but I couldn’t tell you the name of any of her songs, if she’s married, single, dating or really anything about her. She’s pretty and she’s a singer/actress, that’s all I know. However, I am a fan of American Idol even though it shames me to admit it.
Ever since I saw the first show, I was hooked. I many times hate the performances, but watching each week gives me satisfaction. The ritual of every January starting with all of the hopefuls, culling them down to a group of 24, then 12 and then a winner is fun for me. I like a lot of the singers that they have on the show, but I’ve never liked a single song that any one of them have released. They talk on the show about being unique and having your own take and spin on a song, but when the music comes out after the show is over, it’s always the same. Over produced ick, or at least to my tender ears it sounds like over produced ick.
But, none of this is the point. The point of all of this is an introduction into why my daughter knows who Jennifer Lopez is. This is Mazie’s first year watching American Idol. She doesn’t really care about the show and spends most of her time playing while the show is on, but this is the first show we have watched as a “family” and I’m grooving on the idea.
The one thing Mazie does love about American Idol is Jennifer Lopez. From the first moment she saw the show, she has been captivated by her. She refers to her as Ms. Jennifer Lopez. It’s freaking cute and I can’t help but to like Jennifer Lopez myself. I’m never going to be a fan of her music, but as she is my daughter’s first celebrity “crush”, I heart Jennifer Lopez.
Mazie is also in the process of learning to read and write. She’s not had much interest in either activity, but in the last month or two, she’s started to see the light. She now writes phonetically and that’s another freaking cute thing. I’m sure everybody’s kid does it, but it’s my first exposure and I’m digging the experience.
All of this back story is finally going to pay off: Here is the picture that she drew of Jennifer Lopez with included name at the top. I don’t often say these words, but you can quote me…it’s precious!
