The final steps

Monday, June 29, 2009

Last week saw the end of my business and this week is the clean-up. All products are sold and I'm now officially done. My WA state Dept of Agriculture permit expires tomorrow and my lease on my facility is up in 2 weeks. So now begins the official clean-up.

I'll be in and out of the facility all week, giving leftover ingredients to family members and donating other ingredients to the local food bank (cornmeal, anyone? Got quite a few pounds, still in their bags). My place is small - just 550 sq ft, but it has several shelving units that are filled with bins that the mixes were in, tubs of ingredients, boxes and boxes of packaging and shipping materials, and much more.

The biggest part of this will be dividing things into the different categories: keep, sell, give, toss.

At this point, I'm just wanting the 15th to come so I can look back on what is done. It will be hard to go through everything knowing that this is it. There are no second chances coming down the pike. When we were first looking at the possibility of closing a few months back, I told my husband that if I did close, I was going to close permanently. I don't want to be a business that is open/closed/open/closed. Unfortunately we didn't make it, so that's the end of the story.

So as I go through the stacks of supplies, it's going to be bittersweet. I look forward to what life has for me next, but it's with great sadness that I do so by saying goodbye to something that has been such a huge part of my life.

I've had numerous requests for the recipes that I used for my mixes. I really struggled with deciding how to handle these but as I'm hoping to enter the gluten-free cookbook market, I'm going to be keeping these recipes to myself for now. But there will be plenty of other recipes available at Beyond the Wheat. In addition, once things settle down, I have a lot of exciting plans for the blog. An online gluten-free cooking show -- just one example of what is coming.

And so, on to the next chapter of my life.

making grown-up decisions

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

It's hard to be a grown-up at times. Sometimes harder than other times. Like tonight. I made the heart-wrenching decision to close my gluten-free business. It was not a light decision but one that I agonized over for quite some time.

Now I'm just torn up. I think it will be a roller coaster few weeks while I get my affairs in order, sell equipment and packaging materials, and pack up my little facility that I was so very proud to be leasing.

In 3 weeks I'll be handing in my keys and then what will I do with myself? For 3 1/2 years I've been in the food industry. I started with Spoon Fudge and moved on to the gluten-free mixes and eventually, the gluten-free baked goods and local Farmer's Market. I've been a worker bee for those 3+ years. Busy busy with trying to grow my little fledgling business into something larger. I won't know what to do with the extra time I'll have on my hands. I'll be taking up a larger role in RedLime once again but apart from that, I'll actually be somewhat normal.

But I'll miss my business. I'll miss creating new items to turn around and sell to people across the nation. I'll miss the look of ecstasy when a customer would sink their teeth into one of my gluten-free brownies. And I'll miss the enjoyment I received from making so many people so very happy.

So for now, I'll have to content myself with my blog, Beyond the Wheat. I'll have more time to post recipes and share my gluten-free life. And I'll have more time to be a better wife and mother. Sister and daughter.

But at such a price. I will miss Glutenada.

And I'll miss it greatly.

I hate moving

Friday, April 24, 2009

I truly do. And when I think of the number of times I've moved since I've been married. Wow.

Let's run through them.

J and I were married in August of 91. We moved immediately after getting married from Port Angeles to Seattle
(move 1)

7 months later, we moved from Apt 1 to Apt 2 - it had 2 bedrooms for our soon-to-be-coming child.
(move 2)

1 week after our son was born, we moved to a new condo. Cleaner, better area, etc.
(move 3)

3 weeks later, J took a job back in Port Angeles and we moved into a 4-plex here.
(move 4)

1 year later, we moved from the 4-plex into a teeny house. Our first "house".
(move 5)

2 years after that, we moved into a bigger house. Thought we'd be there for a bit...
(move 6)

Approx 6 months later, J took a job with AOL and we moved to Tucson. Sold everything and moved what was left in a Brady Bunch station wagon (that subsequently died in Portland, OR - but that's another story for another time...) and a 6 foot UHaul and away we went. By this point, we'd been married 4 years.
(move 7)

Apt we had was in scary part of town with nightly drive by shootings. We moved 8 months later into apt complex a few blocks from work.
(move 8)

Lady below us smoked like a house on fire. Made son and I sick so we complained. Mgmt moved us to a lower unit.
(move 9)

J got a raise and we decided to move to a nicer apt further from work, but better to live in.
(move 10)

We decided to accept a transfer to Ogden, UT offices - better chance of promotion. This was 2 1/2 years after our move to Tucson...
(move 11)

Moved into a studio apt as we were heading to WA for sister #3's wedding. Got back and found a house to live. Stayed in studio 3 months total.
(move 12)

J got his promotion. It required moving to Virginia. (cue weeping - thoroughly tired of moving at this point. I mean, come on!)
(move 13)

Stayed 1 month in temp housing until our townhouse was ready. Moved to townhouse.
(move 14)

After 1 year, bought our first home. Yay! 18 acres, barn, country farmhouse. Our dream. Finally, a move that we couldn't WAIT to make!
(move 15)

Had a great home. Got bit by copperhead and ended up in hospital for surgery. Suddenly our 18 acres became 18 acres of God-knows-how-many snakes just waiting to bite me. Never went outside in fields again. Time to buy something in city.
(move 16)

Web design work took off. J was working fulltime + and then coming home and working 5-6 hours night w/me. Something had to give. Quit his job and sold our house. Moved back to Tucson.
(move 17)

Stayed in temp apt for few months until we could find a house. Bought a house during chaos of seller's market (not doing THAT particular move again. nopers!)
(move 18).

After 3 years there, realized that living in WA state would be better for growing Glutenada biz. Packed up and left (end of 02-08).
(move 19)

Moved into temp house (I'm getting tired of temp homes. Not going to be doing that anytime soon either...). After 3 months, found permanent home.
(move 20)

Mold. Sewer backup. Spiders. Sewer backup. Sewer backup x eleven billionty times. Stove size of kiddy's play kitchen. No AC so hotter than hades in summer. Damp and freezing in winter. Time to move.

Moving out next week.
(move 21)

So there you have it. 18 years of marriage this August. And 21 moves under our belts. We're staying put for the foreseeable future. And we both agree - WE HATE MOVING.

our new home

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

We are moving into a condo. No more old home! No more spiders. No more sewer problems. No more mold. No more run-down kitchen with the child-size oven.

Instead, brand-spanking-new. First people to move in. Tile floors. Glorious kitchen. Wide open spaces and super tall ceilings (and we're on the ground floor). But the best part? Cheaper rent!

We move in fully next Friday, but we'll be hauling things over starting next Monday. Oh joy. I get to move again...



looking from dining room into kitchen and beyond to entry


my glorious new kitchen. swoon...


guest bathroom


living room


dining room looking into living room

Ahh... the beach

I love the winter season. The chill of the air. The frigid wind. The short, dark, dismal days. I love the warmth of my cozy home and the view out to the weather raging outside.

But for my love of the winter, there is something in me that comes to life when spring arrives. The sound of the birds singing. Flowers poking up from the cold ground. Blue skies. Sunny days and a gentle, warm breeze.

And for as much as I love the snow I love hitting the beach when the warm weather comes even more. After a hard day's work yesterday, Mr J and I took a quick walk at the beach. The wind was blowing and it was a bit chilly, but it was beautiful. Makes one happy to just be alive.