Monthly Archives: January 2013

A PSA from Mrs. PQ

Last night I listened to a violin concerta by the 14 year old as I was racing around with last minute packing.  The impromptu concert wasn't at the top of my to do list, but the kid volunteered and how can you say no? Ironically I'd listened to a speech from Tony Dungy (NFL coach and analyst) in which he expressed deep regret at not hugging his son goodbye one final time.  His son passed away a month later.  It was a reminder to me to approach life with more patience and fewer regrets.  Watching my son's concentrated face that twitched in agony over a sour note, but exploded in pride at the conclusion of his song, I realized when I pause to listen I hear so much more.

Speaking of hearing, the youngest quill needed homework help the other day.  He was charged with writing a PSA.  Fair warning, this will get stuck in your head, here is the example his teacher gave for what not to do. 

Minnesota weather. As of this writing the low temperature last night was -14F. The mental strain of this weather get's to us up here. Mrs. PQ checks the coldest temps on earth daily just to make herself feel better.  About 3 days ago, parts of Minnesota were actually competing with Nunavut, Canada, coming in close to -35 degrees below 0.  

So that might be why we get real busy this time of year working on all types of new designs and prototypes. Sure as heck can't go outside and play as it's the one time of year that Minnesota weather...is trying to KILL YOU.

Maybe all these extremely low temperatures is why we think that 2013 is going to be one of our most exciting product years to date.  Many new beautiful designs are in the works and some interesting new products that have never been done before.  All of this innovation, passion and creativity is designed for one purpose to make holding

Production was whistling along here at P&Q world headquarters with the flurry of post holiday purchasing by our great customers.  With a double shift in place, it’s quite cozy in the shipping department in spite of single digit temps outside, however, we still rely on space heaters to keep fingers nimble.  Of course, us folks in the back offices housing Customer Service and Human Relations prefer the cut off glove approach, but that’s largely due to Mrs. Quill fancying herself as a scrivener, scratching away in a corner with her quills and abacus.  So, when the power went out mid day, leaving the warehouse dark, and the cold encroaching rapidly, Mrs. PQ sprung to action with an ample supply of candles and an offer to grab one of several cook stoves ferreted away in her “emergency road kit”, so employees could heat their lunches.  However, once the trusty Will and Mr. PQ had ensured all computers against surge destruction, they gathered the

Is one of your New Years resolutions to get organized? You don't have to rely on willpower alone to keep your resolution. There's an app for that. Actually, there are lots of apps for that. Here are 5 of our favorites.
 

1. Wunderlist

 
Ditch the refrigerator to-do list. Use Wunderlist instead. This iPhone app allows you to create recurring tasks and subtasks, set reminders, and share your task list with family members or friends. You can also use the cloud sync feature to access Wunderlist on any of your devices.
 

2. Astrid

 
As the top-rated full-featured task management app in the App Store, Astrid helps you organize your personal life, your family, and your work. It's like a personal assistant but without the hefty price.
 
A couple of unique features include voice recognition for adding tasks by speech, email and calendar integration, and checklists for packing, shopping, and getting ready