Simply Joy Sunday, uh, Tuesday?

Things have been a bit screwy lately, but I wanted to make sure I got this post in, albeit a little late.

Scott had surgery on his shoulder this past week due to a work related injury. I've been spending whatever time I'm not at work lately helping him (and glad to do so!). My biggest joy this week was when the doctor came out of surgery and told me that all went well. I was so relieved and grateful. Scott was truly a wreck for most of the rest of the day after the surgery; quite understandably between the general anesthesia, the nerve block, and the stress of the surgery. After a nice long nap and having some food, he was much more coherent, but still quite numb. The next great, happy moment come when the nerve block started to wear off and he could start moving his fingers a little. Of course, that also was the precursor to pain so it was kind of a double edged sword. It was thrilling nonetheless that he was getting feeling back.

A few days after the surgery, we were able to take the bandages off and we happily discovered that there was no bruising or swelling and the incisions were nice and clean. Scott was still in quite a bit of pain, but feeling well enough to leave the house and get out and about for a little bit. We spent the day running errands: we didn't do anything special, but it was such an enjoyable afternoon just spending some time together. We had lunch out and he got to get out of the house for a little while.

There were some simple joys this week for Athena's Armoury, too! The first was a happy surprise to see my Artfire referral points jump up to seven. I don't know who bumped me up, so thank you whoever you are! Just a few short days later, aquariann signed up as #8 and it made me so happy. When I got to seven I thought it was going to be so difficult to get the last three, so when she popped up i was thrilled. By my count, at this point, I do have the ten referrals I need for a free account but Artfire hasn't confirmed that on my account page yet. I really hope so!! No listing fees and no selling fees and no monthly fee -- how awesome would that be?!

I also discovered this week that one of the women I work with is a clothing designer. She asked for my card to possibly include me in on some of her designs, or at her shows, or even possibly to refer me to her clients. So cool!

Around the holidays I began work on a custom chain maille purse. I was very excited to be working on this project and it was near completion when I needed to finalize a few details with my customer. She had a lot of personal things going on for a while and I finally heard from her this week. I'm really looking forward to finalizing everything with her so that I can finish it up and send it on it's way.

Don't forget to check out more Simply Joy Sunday posts at Cool Zebras.

$7 Artfire Accounts - Only 18 Left!!

There are only 18 $7 Artfire memberships left before it goes back up to the regular $20/month. I only need TWO more of those referrals to get a free account. Help a girl out and sign up with me as your referral?

I'd also like to offer up a little incentive for those last two referrals. I'd like to offer a chain maille bracelet worth $25 to the last two people that sign up with me as their referral. Here's how it would work:

Let me know your e-mail addy in the comments below and I'll send you a referral through my Artfire account. Once it's verified, I should be able to see your username in my account and know for sure who it was that signed up. Then you get free chain maille. This offer is only good until those last 18 accounts are gone.

Get in on the Ground Floor at Artfire

If you haven't heard about Artfire yet, it's time you do!! Artfire is the latest web marketplace to buy and sell handmade, vintage, supplies, even design & media services. I have been a long time Etsian (my current shop is nearly two years old & my original shop was open for about a year before that) and have always loved it over there. That said, there is A LOT to be excited about with Artfire.

One of my favorite features that they rolled out recently is the Rapid Cart you see in the right hand column of my blog. It features items from my shop and will let you purchase and check out immediately from my blog without having to sign up for Artfire account. Talk about ease of use for your customers.

Listing is SO easy. You do it all on one page and it is super quick. I love things that make my life easier and this certainly does.

Google Analytics and studio stats. Analytics has worked brilliantly since day one and the studio stats are built right into your account so you know where all of your views are coming from. Makes promoting that much easier.

They also let you link to your Etsy shop, Facebook, flickr, Myspace, and more right from your shop.

They have a fairly sizable marketing campaign in place that includes viral, social, traditional, and non-traditional efforts. They have purchased display ads in national publications, broadcast networks, web ads, as well as over 150 million views of ArtFire ads on websites such as Facebook, Mother Jones, Google, various blog sites, “green” webzines, arts & crafts webzines, and many other channels.

Here's the biggie: No listing or sales fees! They have a deal going on right now where you pay $7 per month for your membership. That is the equivalent of listing or renewing one item per day on Etsy (not counting the added fees for any Etsy sales). So, you can list as much as you want as often as you want and don't pay anything extra when your items sell. There are only 282 of these $7 memberships left. After that, it goes back up to what will be their regular monthly rate of $20.

When you lock in your $7 membership, your monthly fee will never increase, but it may decrease. If you get ten people to sign up and use you as their referral, you will get a Free Ride for Life! As long as you remain an active member of the Artfire community, you will never have to pay a membership fee again. I'm working on getting my ten referrals and am already up to six!! If you've been thinking about signing up, now is certainly the time to do it to lock in the $7 membership rate.

I know I must sound like I've joined a cult, but I really am that excited about Artfire. They have done so much already and have so much potential for even more. So, if you do decide to sign up: please don't forget your friendly neighborhood armorer and help get a girl a free membership with your referral. You can sign up using this link. And you can visit my Artfire shop here.

Simple Joy Sunday

Okay, this is only week two that I'm doing Simple Joy Sunday and I nearly forgot about it! Sheesh. Make sure you check out other Simple Joy Sunday's over at Cool Zebras.

1. I've only recently just started working out again and I've been having a hard time keeping a regular schedule for it since I work such odd hours sometimes. (Yes, I know that sounds very much like an excuse.) But the few times this week that I did cardio in particular, it kicked my ass but I felt so great afterwards. Maybe a little sore, but I noticed how much healthier and more alive it's making me feel. Talk about something great for motivation.

2. I didn't think about this until halfway into the first week of March, but March is Women's History Month. I love that. I am continually inspired and touched by so many women and their accomplishments and deeds. My Woman Warrior blog posts were actually inspired by this month and the amazing women it honors. The fierce independent nature, strength, intellect, power of will and so many other attributes that so many women possess is a constant source of inspiration for much of the chain maille I make, too.

3. We sprung ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time today. Of course neither Scott nor I remembered until late this morning nearly making him late for work, but I digress. I love it when we spring ahead because that extra hour of daylight makes all the difference in the world after I come home from a long day at work. I savor sunlight, so even to bask in it for a few minutes at the end of the day recharges and refuels me and helps me shed any office ickies. It's energizing and uplifting and I love it.


4. I started teaching myself a new skill today: embroidery. I won a blog contest hosted by Julie from Sew It's For You a while back and she included an embroidery pattern envelope from Sublime Stitching as part of the prize. I'm planning on using the kit she gave me to make some tea towels (for me and for part of my mom's birthday present), but in the meantime I'm practicing. I got a cheapie kit from Michael's clearance section that included the transfers, hoop, needle, and some embroidery floss. Since I fancy myself a beach bum, I started practicing with a pair of flip flops. I can see where I need to improve, but I'm learning! I love learning new skills and I love how meditative this embroidery thing is. Thanks for inspiring me to try something new Julie!

Woman Warriors: March is Women's History Month

In honor of Women's History Month, I'd like to share with you:

Firsts In Women's Achievement

Ann Teresa Mathews	1715	First woman whose invention received a patent (for cleaning and curing corn) - it was granted to her husband
Mary Katherine Goddard	1775	First woman postmaster
Betsy Ross	1776/77	First person to be a U.S. flagmaker
Hannah Adams	1784	First woman to become professional writer
Lucy Brewer	1812	First woman marine
Elizabeth Blackwell	1849	First woman to receive a medical degree
Amelia Jenks Bloomer	1849	Publisher/editor of first prominent women's rights newspaper
Harriet Tubman	1850	First woman to run underground railroad to help slaves escape
Lucy Hobbs	1866	First woman to graduate from dental school
Susan B. Anthony	1869	Co-Founder of first US woman's suffrage organization
Arabella Mansfield Babb	1869	First woman admitted to the bar
Frances Elizabeth Willard	1871	First woman to become a college president (Evanston College)
Victoria Chaflin Woodhull	1872	First woman to be presidential candidate
Helen Magill	1877	First woman to receive a Ph.D. degree (Boston University)
Belva Ann Lockwood	1879	First woman to practice law before U.S. Supreme Court
Clara Barton	1881	Founder of the American Red Cross
Maud Booth	1887/96	Co-Founder of Salvation Army and Volunteers of America
Suzanna Madora Salter	1887	First woman mayor (Argonia, Kansas)
Mary McLeod Bethune	1904	First woman to establish secondary school that became 4-year accredited college
	1935	Founder of National Council of Negro Women
Blanche Scott	1910	First woman to fly an airplane
Jeannette Rankin	1916	First woman U.S. House Representative (Montana)
Kate Gleason	1917	First woman president of a national bank
Jeannette Rankin	1917	First woman in Congress
Florence E. Allen	1920	First woman judge
Hallie Ferguson	1924	First woman governor of U. S. state (Texas)
Katherine Bement Davis	1929	First person to conduct national survey of sexual attitudes
Jane Addams	1931	First woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize
Hattie Wyatt Caraway	1932	First woman elected to U.S. Senate
Amelia Earhart	1932	First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
Ruth Bran Owen	1933	First woman foreign diplomat
Pearl S. Buck	1935	First woman to win a Nobel Prize for Literature
Hattie McDaniel	1939	First African-American of any gender to win an Academy Award (she won for Best Supporting Actress in the film, Gone with the Wind).
Linda Darnell	1941	First woman to sell securities on the New York Stock Curb Exchange
Conchita V. Cintron	1949	First U.S. woman bullfighter in Spain
Georgia Nesse Clark	1949	First woman treasurer of the United States
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova	1963	First woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6.
Muriel Siebert	1967	First woman to own seat on the New York Stock Exchange
Janice Lee York Romary	1968	First woman to carry U.S. flag at the Olympic Games
Mary Clarke	1978	First woman to be named major general in U.S. Army
Ella Grasso	1978	First woman governor to be re-elected (Connecticut)
Sandra Day O'Connor	1981	First woman a justice of the U. S. Supreme Court
Sally Kristen Ride	1983	First American woman to reach outer space.
Joan Benoit (Samuelson)	1984	First woman to win an Olympic marathon
Penny Harrington	1985	First woman police chief of major U. S. city (Portland, OR)
Ann Bancroft	1986	First woman to walk to North Pole
Christa McAuliffe	1986	First woman citizen passenger on a space mission
Lt. Col. Eileen Collins	1995	First American woman to pilot a Space Shuttle
Madeleine K. Albright	1997	First woman Secretary of State and highest ranking woman in the U.S. government
Hillary Rodham Clinton	2000	Only First Lady ever elected to the United States Senate
Halle Berry	2002	First African-American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar
Condoleezza Rice	2005	First African-American woman to be appointed Secretary of State
Nancy Pelosi	2007	First woman to become Speaker of the House

Simple Joy Sunday

I am blatantly stealing the idea for this series of posts from Amanda over at the MrsDragon blog who, I believe, in turn got the idea from Cool Zebras. Just wanted to give credit where credit's due!

Too often, we let the simple joys of life slip by. We may enjoy them for the moment, but then they are quickly gone. More often than not, people remember what's gone wrong or the challenges and hardships faced. I think it's such a brilliant and healthy idea to remember and hold onto the happiness.

I'd like to share with you three distinct moments this week that made me truly happy.

One day this week, my boss asked me to run an errand. Usually when I run a work related errand, I'll take one of the company vehicles, but this day I didn't. It was so gorgeous out, I really just wanted to enjoy the freedom of leaving the building for a little bit and drive my own truck. I had the windows open and was listening the the soundtrack to Assassins by the brilliant Stephen Sondheim. I know this may not sound like good driving music to the masses, but I am a theatre geek. I was so unbelievably happy, being out of the building, driving my truck, listening to music that I love, and enjoying the absolutely gorgeous day.

Another day at work this week, my boss had truly pissed me off. He does that sometimes and he almost always has no idea that he did (a bit clueless, he is). I got myself so upset that I literally made myself sick: I was sitting at my desk feeling nauseous and freezing. Lunchtime came around and Scott and I would normally just hang in my office and eat. Today, however, he came in and asked me if I wanted to go sit outside and eat. He had no idea how I was feeling or what had happened earlier, but his brilliant suggestion to get outside couldn't have been more perfect. It was such a simple thing and it made me so happy. His thoughtfulness (he knew I would love to be outside), being outside the building, and just enjoying the weather was just what I needed to shake how I was feeling and be happy. Thank you, sweetie.

Yet another day at work this week, a co-worker that I had never met before dropped by my office and asked if I wanted a chocolate chip cookie. Apparently, every week this guy makes a batch of cookies on Wednesday night and then wanders around the facility the next day giving them out to everyone. I just thought that was such a sweet, thoughtful thing to do to spread a little bit of happiness around. Like I said, I never met this guy before but his kindness certainly touched me that day.

Sometimes it doesn't take much. What made you happy this week?