NEVER...EVER...GIVE UP HOPE : What Do You Do if a Power Surge Blows Up Your Computer?

What would your response be to this statement? "I have all my Christmas shopping and wrapping done." When I told my daughter, she smiled and said, "Of course you do, Mom."

I enjoy buying throughout the year when there is a sale of the item I need. Even more fun is wrapping everything as soon as I bring it home. I keep a ~~hidden~~ list so I know what I bought and how much I spent but, then I forget the majority of it. When the gifts are opened I get excited all over again. I know, I know, it's a small pleasure but I love it!

Mostly excited about gifts wrapped from the grands

It's been a month of finalizing the renovations on the new store. What we expected to take a couple weeks has turned into seven weeks. BUT WHAT A JOB hubby and his buddy have done. They did all the work themselves and it is over-the-top beautiful and unique.

Our store will be divided into four parts. You enter into a small showroom then walk down a long, wide hall which is an art gallery. The gallery will have art done by our local artists including paintings, masks, huge carvings, etc. Then you will enter the main showroom which then leads into my office and spa space.

The idea is to make it an experience for everyone who comes into the new store. Several times a month, when we were in our old store, new clients would comment that we had the nicest store on the coast. It was a hole compared to this one. Saying all that to say this, we are excited and so happy to be out of the last rat-infested one. Sad that the landlord would not address the problem after we had been there for 11 years. Read that story here.

Took forever the find the proper spotlights (96 of them) to showcase everything beautifully.

Also difficult to find the slate gray flooring to match the shelving and walls.

We should be ready to move in by the end of the month. YAY!

After months of severe drought and heat, we now are into our rainy season with high winds. This is always a concern when you live in the center of a forest. True to the season's charm of falling trees, we lost power for a few hours yesterday.

Amazing the things you can find to do when you have no electricity. I decided to move furniture and clean under and behind. Found a few little trinkets I had not known I lost. I have protection on my computers in case of power surges with a 30-minute grace period giving me time to shut down everything properly. BUT, when the power came back on, it blew one of my monitors. Didn't think that would happen with all the security I have.

Even though my unit is five years old, I thought it was worth a shot to call APC. SURPRISE -- they are replacing the backup unit and my monitor. How great is that! Worth the time to make the call!

No Fly on the Wall post would be complete without pictures of the grands. William turns six tomorrow and he is still (as my dad would say) 'the best kid in the bunch.' As his little sister is almost two, their interaction and admiration for each other are more amazing every day.