Source: endlesssimmer.com via Lori on Pinterest
Source: cherryteacakes.com via Lori on Pinterest
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Coming Undone- 100 little bits of a Monday Morning
Do you know that feeling when you’re working on a project, get 3/4 of the way through; feeling proud as a peacock, you start to look back on your stitches or whatever you’re making, when you notice there’s a mistake and you have to rip out all the stitches and begin again? The immediate reaction, almost anyone would have would be anger, I’m there…totally get that. Maybe it’s not a project that you’re working on that isn’t going right, but plans you’ve made to go see a friend for a nice long weekend or something bigger like stepping out on your own and working for yourself, whatever it is something along the way starts to come undone. You’re not sure why the world or God is conspiring against you at this moment and you begin to ask “why me”. I am going through something very similar myself right now and have run the gambit of emotions, from questioning if I’m on the right track (if we’re on the right track), feeling sorry for myself, being angry and wanting to stomp my feet to pulling myself up by the boot straps dusting off the dirt and with every bit of gumption and determination I have I set out up the steep hill again, trusting God will reward us for our efforts.
Brian and I began a new adventure in December, working together on not his business or my business, but our business. We have opened up a new Etsy shop (Secondnaturewoodwork) we are focusing our efforts on creative woodworking. He’s the woodworker, I’m the painter, collaborator and the computer gal who runs the shop. I have always wanted to combine efforts to see what would emerge and frankly it’s difficult running two separate businesses under one roof, although running a business together can show you real fast where your strengths and weaknesses are as a couple and business partner. Part of the coming undone part for us has been learning to collaborate effectively. Getting our thoughts and ideas in sink, working on tiny but important business details that aren’t ground breaking but still important. He has his way I have mine and there are days it feels as if everything we knew how to do has to become undone in order to be rebuilt in a new way. It’s a challenge there’s no doubt, but one I embrace (most days), lol.
Brian and I will be married 20 years this February, so we’re not new to working side by side while raising a family or working at home, but this is a bit different. We have chosen this route because everything we were working on completely and totally separate wasn’t working anymore. The coming undone part has reminded me to trust in the process and the plans God has for us. Coming undone is almost always necessary in any journey, no matter what it is we face… forget the fear and keep moving forward.
*Just a note: My Soap is still available in my Etsy , Blossom and I’m sure I will always make soap and have it for sale (soapmaking is addictive), but it’s still made on a very small scale.
Country Living
Source: Uploaded by user via Kelsey on Pinterest
Speak Your Mind and Tell Me Your Valentines Wish List
When I began making skin care products began years ago, you couldn’t find many choices when it came to suppliers and the internet wasn’t exactly something everyone had access to. I was still trying to find most of my suppliers the old fashioned way, word of mouth or resource material in natural health books and those were even few and far between those days. So much has changed, hasn’t it? Now there are so many options when it comes to finding good quality fragrance and essential oils at a reasonable price..it makes my head spin! But it has always been important to me, it’s the heart and core of my business.
Good skin care starts with the ingredients. Now granted, I can’t say i haven’t been tempted to choose cheaper oils for convenience sake and to save a little money here and there, but that bar of soap you told me you loved and made your skin feel so pampered and calming after a long hard day at work wouldn’t have been the same if I chose to buy supplies based solely on the next latest and greatest scent or fad. I want my products to melt away your worries, if only for 15 minutes and then I want what you want; skin that feels fantastic and leaves you feeling rejuvenated all day long.
When you have to hide that bar of soap in a drawer away from your daughter, I know I’m on the right track. So heads up, I’m preparing for Valentines my loves and I want your input! This is your chance to speak your mind before my order goes in tomorrow. What do you want for Valentine’s Day? Go ahead, tell me what products you would like to see in your hands and all over your body.
I’ve already have a very long list started and it’s growing, don’t be shy let me know what essential oil or skin care products you need the most.
Happy New Year Southern Style!
Happy New Year Farm Friends! While we’re not much on making New Year’s resolutions, we do enjoy a southern approach to celebrating and that of course would be with food. However we did celebrate last night by shooting off the potato gun 
This first day of the New Year calls for a heapin’ plate of greens, beans (black eyed peas), cornbread and of course sweet tea, southern style. A simple meal, that’s good for ya (unless you drink too much sweet tea). So thankful for family and friends to spend it with.
Brian and I wish you all a beautiful New Year, no matter how you celebrate it.
Photo links:
1. Cornbread, 2. Black-Eyed Peas, 3. Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeens, 4. sweet tea
Holiday Gifts – Update
Good afternoon farm friends!
I know everyone has been so busy preparing for the holidays, but I wanted to take a minute to let you know we are on the last stretch my friends and Dec. 19 will be the cut off for this holiday sale, Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Holiday Soap Sale! I had planned to run it clear through December and still will, if there’s any soap left….Update: There are a few bars left, so just contact me through twitter if interested.
Here’s what’s left- Pumpkin Goat Milk Soap, Country Apple Soap, Sweet Orange Soap and Only 3 Bars of Peppermint Buttermilk Soap left.
This little one woman goat rodeo of a crafty business has been busting butt to bring you some great little stocking stuffers that have gotten really good reviews from everyone and our little online shop has been so busy that it has generated some great interest above and beyond Etsy I no more than blink and notice that we’re almost out of everyone’s favorite Handmade Peppermint Stick Buttermilk Soap {sorry all gone}.
I know everything can get really crazy feeling around this time of year, it can be so stressful and full of emotion. This morning I woke up and realized I felt really tired, even though I had gotten a full eight hours of good, deep sleep.
So I did my slow morning ritual. Brush teeth, clean up, dress, coffee, coffee, more coffee {that’s just because I keep loosing my cup, lol}. Vitamins after breakfast. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot breakfast completely!
Running our little business had gotten me all a flutter and I forgot to eat and now looking on the past few days I see my body has been running on pure caffeine and adrenaline.
All I had left were fumes.
I had forgotten to slow down and take care of myself.
How about you? Sometimes when I get to feeling overwhelmed and filled with excitement, anxiety or full of uncertain emotions, like the holiday can bring the last thing I want to do is eat healthy. It’s a conscious decision to pick the banana or apple instead of the chocolate bar and this country girl loves her cocoa!! Well, definitely treat yourself to some dark chocolate, but not the whole bar.
And don’t forget to pace yourself, slow down and take a nap. After this season, we’re all settling in for a long winter’s nap; just like Tom.
What makes you come alive?
This weekend has been fairly quiet, the only time we left the house was for Zack’s swim meet yesterday. Being enclosed in a pool greenhouse for four hours with 100 other swimmers, two coaches who have to scream in order to be heard, children and parents cheering, a starter who has a whistle of which the echo I can still hear in my head; except for that everything has been quiet as usual for which I’m thankful. And really the swim meet went very well, especially after Zack stopped feeling so sick to his stomach and his nerves had calmed down. I suppose swimming in a race, in front of your parents for the first time can make anyone a tad nervous. Some moments just stand out in time, like those hours at the swim meet yesterday because reality has set in, something I have avoided thinking about is just around the corner. My youngest, our baby will be graduating from high school this year and more than that he is filling out the paperwork to join the Airforce. The Airforce! It’s hard enough when being faced with the truth you have to let go, but compound that with the fact this is your youngest and now he’s going to join the military. Wow. We are so proud of him, but I can clearly see transitions of a great magnitude are just around the corner. Of course we have no one to blame but ourselves because we have taught our boys to follow in our footsteps and live their life to its fullest, to follow their heart and God. We have taught them not to fear, but ask what makes you feel alive and go do it and I guess that’s exactly what he’s doing just like the rest of our children. His dreams are big ones and my prayers is that he gets to realize every one of them. I believe that no matter what your age, you can follow your passions. I believe in you!!
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Howard Thurman
Infusing Your Creative Soul with Your Business
When it comes to finding ways to make a living with your own hands I could talk for hours on the subject, as well as my husband. We have been working at home for the last 15 years in one form or another, with a few exceptions like last year when I took a nanny job, which was exactly what I needed in order to take a step back and evaluate everything, breaks are good for creative minds.
Because my husband and I have such a huge heart for the handmade community sometimes we have been known to strike up conversations with artisans at craft fairs, spewing our business ideas at their forehead, as if it were a game show {we love to talk shop}. We get a bit overzealous to share sometimes, but just can’t help it. I enjoy helping other like-minded individuals who have made it a living to combine their creative soul with making a living.
However, like most I can find it difficult to implement good ideas from time management to internet marketing. How does one successfully infuse your creative soul with our business? I have made a list of creatives that have gone above and beyond when helping those of us who just need someone to steer us in the right direction. Here’s my list of those who have found that sweet spot in business and life and are willing to share through their workshops and e-books.
A Real Change, Sandi Krakowski {you will love her pink hair and her attitude when it comes to helping others succeed online} I have been taking her free 30 day course on making money with your blog and I can tell you this is the type of course you would pay big money for. She also has daily tips on Facebook and Twitter. She’s real and she’s willing to put herself out there and help others achieve exactly what she has in her own family and business. You will love her story.
Leonie from Goddess Guidebook. A precious creative soul that it’s hard not to love. She has built an entire community around her creative help and encouragement for mothers and business owners. When I’m feeling a bit discouraged her videos always put a smile on my face. She offers support in all avenues of creative business with kind words, positive affirmations and tangible help for your business.
Kelly Rae Roberts. I have followed Kelly’s blog for years now and have enjoyed watching her achieve success at realizing her dreams. She is inspiring and more than helpful when it comes to offering good business advice to artist. Although she has and e-book for creative business owners ahe has now launched Hello Business, Hello Soul an e-course for those looking for a new way to approach their artful business.
Holiday Soap Sale on My Limited Edition Soap Scents
For the month of December I have decided to offer my Fall and Winter Soap Samplers at a Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sale Price, available at my Etsy shop. This is a great time for you to stock up on my limited edition soap scents for that special someone or maybe just treat yourself to some good old fashioned handmade soap that smells out of this world delicious!
The Soap Sampler includes 3 large bars of soap {5 ounces each}, made with a special vegetable base of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Shea Butter and Goat Milk or Butter Milk and limited edition fragrance oil blends.
Limited Edition Holiday Scents Include:
-
Peppermint Stick ~ buttermilk soap
-
Kudzu and Oatmeal
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Sweet Orange with Oatmeal and Honey
-
Country Apple
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Pumpkin Spice
Each Soap Sampler will be tied up pretty and would be great to give as a
Stocking Stuffers
{but you might just want to keep it for yourself}.
So Hop on Over to my Etsy Shop to purchase your favorite sampler, all soap will be mailed the day after you make your purchase!
100 little bits of a Monday morning
Monday morning and there has been so much on my mind lately and as my thoughts are racing around in my head about what project to tackle next, all is quiet around me and the rain is gently beating on the tin roof. There are days when everything feels blurry, like today. As an only child I found out how to fill the hours in a day with pure imagination, there was no one to fight or argue with, just daydreaming to be had. I still daydream…..
{I left 2 empty spaces above for you to fill}
Life is filled with so many roads to explore, often times the hardest part is just picking which one to go down first. I sometimes forget to breathe and I hold the air so tight inside my lungs, the meaning of relax escapes me. I know the remedy for this is to daydream and give myself permission to play among the paints and glue even though other work calls my name.
Once the nighttime comes and I can find that moment between twilight and REM sleep is when my thoughts and ideas all start to make complete sense and I can see more clearly and when I wake I quickly scribble down my dreams onto paper.
credits for photos above:
1. find me, 2. On a lone winter evening, when the frost Has wrought a silence., 3. Twilight before Christmas, 4. Things never happen the same way twice, 5. Long song, 6. 
, 7. Breakfast, 8. sweet williams, 9. IL LABORATORIO, 10. Untitled, 11. yesterday’s anthro loot, 12. kitteh and the ranunculi, 13. ., 14. happy as a mouse, 15. red stripes, 16. .