Thinking Before I Speak

I'm a thinker, and definitely a thinker before I talk'r. I think, re-think, ponder and give it one last final draft before a word ever exits my mouth. My Grandpa taught me from a very young age that once words leave my mouth they can never be taken back. I can apologize, I can try and make it right, but they will always be out there. So, with that knowledge I learned to think, alot, before I speak. I carefully plan out each conversation knowing that hurt feelings and bruised hearts are something I never want to be the cause of. I don't always succeed, however, for the most part, I think.

Recently I was having a moment of self criticism for how slowly I am getting this business venture off the ground. I see a new crafty business take off running almost daily and I have been working on this one for almost a year and it is still far from "running". We are at a slow, gimpy walk at best (although after a meeting I had yesterday I am feeling less gimpy...but that is a talk for another post...just know that there are exciting things brewing and I could NOT be happier).

So, in the middle of my pity party my husband came to the rescue. He told me that he believes I am planning a business like I hold a conversation. I was a tad puzzled, and you might be as well, so let me explain. Every single part of this business has been painfully thought out. I think about it for hours, days even, before I make a move. The name was thrown around for months before I ever made it official; the blog was talked about for FOR-EVER before I finally got someone to design it; I still don't have an etsy shop because, although it is in the works, it is just not time yet. I am "thinking before I speak". Occasionally I get impatient with that, however as my husband graciously pointed out, I am pretty certain that, in the end, I will be happy that I did.

Pretty soon this slow gimpy walk will become a full blown sprint! I am 100% sure of it. I just need to think on a few more things.

Below is something I have been thinking on for a long time. Meet, Miss Teddy Bear Hat. How cute is she? Do you love her? I do. I can not wait to see her on a sweet little girl's head, keeping her super warm, adding to her cuteness (or her adding to it's cuteness as the case may be). If you happen to have said sweet little girl, lets meet, and we will make another dream come to fruition.

Grumpy Gus

Some mornings I wake up grumpy. I'm not talking about the kind of grumpy where you just don't feel like yourself, I am talking about the kind of grumpy where you slam doors, throw shoes, and gripe...a lot...about little things.

Yesterday morning I woke up GRUMPY. You might have thought (if you were standing out side our window listening to me...which I hope you were not...because even though I'm sure I love you to death that might just be a tad creepy) I had just received a phone call letting me know that they had officially taken away my birthday. But, rest assured, it was nothing that serious, I had just heard the weather forecast. For the next few days it is going to be almost 100 blasted degrees.

I do not like that news. At. All. I live in Washington for a very good reason. I do not like to feel like my insides are cooking like a scrambled egg. I hate it so much that last year I said that we would be buying an air conditioner in April...no wait...June...no wait...yeah. Here we are in July and STILL no A/C. SO, you can bet your backside I was GRIPING at the TOP of my lungs that our house was going to be hot, we were going to be miserable and I was absolutely PISSED.

With a kiss good bye I griped myself right off to work.

Well...I received a text from my lovely husband (who I'm sure was absolutely over my poor attitude) a couple hours later with a picture of this beauty humming away in our bedroom window. :)(please forgive the picture...I'm working on using my real camera very soon...this one is another iphone beauty and my room is dark...so it is kind of sketchy)




I have absolutely NO reason to gripe any more. It was a delightful night under my down comforter. BRING IT SUMMER!!!

Welcom to the world Baby Brayden

How's about a delicious burst of cuteness to make your day a little better?? Sound good? I can provide you with that today...NO PROBLEM!

Remember my friend Didi? Well, how could you forget her, she is kind of a big deal. However if your memory is as dusty as mine lately let me remind you. She is the amazing photographer that took pictures of Baby Addy in my headbands and hats. Ringing a bell? Good.

Well she has been busy again. Her beautiful massage therapist (and I mean beautiful, you should stop by Didi's blog http://didi-mycrazycrazylife.blogspot.com and check our her belly pictures...they will absolutely amaze you) just gave birth to a stunning baby boy, and again, Didi took (to die for) pictures of him in Daydream Believer merchandise. I can't think of any better way to get my name out there than to have my things put on this brand new bundle.

I wont make you wait another minute. Check out this amazing little bundle, in some, if I do say so myself, pretty cute stuff.





Did I tell the truth or did I tell the truth? Stunning.

Thank you Didi!! Again, you nailed it!!

HOLY HEDOUBLEHOCKEYSTICKS!!

To say it has been busy would be like saying...well, I don't know...but it would be a gross understatement. I have been running, flying, and most of all scrambling to get everything completed that needs to be done.
I owe so many thanks to the people in my life who have extended deadlines and have taken pressure off of my over stuffed plate. Slowly but surely I am picking through the "to do" list and am starting to feel more like myself again.
I have a couple more super hectic weekends and then it should be time to make a margarita and sit by the lake - who's with me? :)

This weekend I will be selling Daydream Believer excitement at the Arlington Street Fair. I really hope that some of you come up and see me. I have been making some fun new stuff that I would love for you to see and I would love to see your smiling faces.

I would also love to give a very special thank you to Wendi Hansen of Trendi Wendi Designs. She has organized this whole thing, waited patiently while it took me weeks to remember to pay her the money I owed her for this, and overall has done a fantastic job of helping me get my name out there through this venue.
If you don't know of Wendi or of Trendi Wendi, well, you should. Go stop by her blog at www.trendiwendi.com. You will love her amazing items. I have two of her necklaces and a headband and they are fabulous. I wear them all the time! They go with SO much! She is creative and very talented. You will love what you see there, trust me.

If, by chance you don't trust me, see the pictures below...





...do you trust me now?

Also making an appearance at the big ball of Arlington fun this weekend is my amazingly talented Sister in Law Jamie Smith of Focal Point Photography. Again, if you don't know her, you should and you should have her take pictures of your children - or you - or really, whatever. She is fun and down for anything...or...well...lets be reasonable...I don't know that she will be spelunking in canyons to get that perfect shot...but she might...she is that fun of a girl!!
However, you do not need to take my word for it. Stop by her blog at www.myfocalpointphotos.com. She is a rockstar and you should stop by and see why.

Well - I have 100 more things to accomplish today so the last thing I will give you is the fun dahlia headbands I have been making. The pictures do not do them justice...but perhaps it will give you enough incentive to stop by and see me at the Arlington Street Fair...early...because I only made 5 of them...just to see. :)

There's Some Changin' Going On

There are some serious changes going on around the Lucus House, and any of you that know me well know that I don't really like change, and by "don't really like" I mean, I HATE. I live by a routine that can not handle being mixed up, if I do even one thing out of order my whole day is off (just ask my husband, I am a peach in the morning when things don't go according to plan). However every now and then I see a change that must be made, and it is a process, it takes too long, I should get help. However I am going to share a couple of them with you right here and now before I change my mind. I am not listing them all though because when it ends up here for all of creation to read, I pretty much have to stick to it. I'm not ready for that...I change in a very methodical way with no room for deviation...hmmm...perhaps that should change too...ugh. Enough about that, on to the good stuff.

The first big change is that I'm cleaning...green. I guess you would call it that, although I am always a little on the fence as to exactly what that means. I sort of shutter to use the term green for fear you will worry that my next big "change" will be a complete disregard for razors and deoderant. Please don't worry, that will never be the case - in fact, let's not say green; I'm cleaning cheap, I like that better. So, that means no more soft scrub, no more bleach, no more stainless steel cleaners (and let me tell YOU, have I ever tried me some stainless steel cleaners...none of them work), no more counter spray, no more wipes, no more lysol; nope I purchase nothing with a pretty little lable on it, and that is hard because oh am I a sucker for a pretty lable. You could sell me poop in a can if the packaging was correct, but I digress. I am now cleaning with baking soda and vinager. I got the idea from my highschool friend on her amazing blog http://barnettes.com/. She started doing it and explained to me how it all works. I was skeptical at first, but as soon as my husband bought me the 13lb bag from Costco and the gallon jug of vinager, I was committed. Funny thing is that I have yet to find something that this amazing concoction does not work on, and not only does it just work, it works better. The most exciting thing I have found is that the stainless steel in my house perhaps can be seen from space it is SO shiney!! The pro's out weigh the con's by far, and when cleaning my house I no longer have to carry 50 bottles. Just these two cute little items (I did have to make my own cute packaging, don't judge me). This is some good stuff! Thrifty living HERE I COME!



The next big thing to hit the Lucus house is, my brown thumb trying SO desperately to be green. See, I am an extremist. I either have a yard that looks like a tornado hit and we never bothered to clean up, or I think that I have to have a yard out of Better Homes and Gardens. There can be no middle ground. That is why I LOVE having friends that have known me for the better part of 25 years. My bestest Rosie told me that perhaps I could take it one step at a time and get a couple pots, and plant a few herbs as money allowed. That way I could get some pretty in my yard without having to sell organs to achieve my BH&G yard...WELL WHO THE HECK KNEW??? That was the most brilliant idea ever! So, with that amazing spark of information I headed to the Plant Farm to pick up some fun herbs. Then it was off to Joanne's to get a couple pots, and, possibly,a pink shovel and a pink trowel (that is what the fork looking thing in, right? I am SO new to this gardening thing)...okay and some flowered gardening gloves as well!! UGH! I can't be stopped...Dave Ramsey would NOT approve of my pink gardening tools...more on that later. Anyways, I planted 4 types of mint (WHO KNEW), and 4 lavender plants. I can't wait to see if they will actually grow, and more importantly, I can not wait to see if my conversation with our cat to not poop in my herbs lest he be covered in wet dog food and shut in the bathroom with our dogs, will do ANY good at all. Below are the fruits of my labor.







Now, should the reason you check this blog NOT be about my crazy life and aversion to change, and be about what I have been up to in the crafting world, I have included a picture of my latest creation (dont' worry, I'll keep you abreast of the plant life happenings and how my new found "cheap" cleaning methods are panning out, I know you were worried, I felt it). This pattern was SUCH a challenge for me to follow. I have never crocheted something so big in my whole life. It is a sleep sack (for photography prop use only) that took roughly 4.5 skeins of yarn and oh, about 5 full hours to complete. Now, in the future when I am not learning to decrease as I go along I will probably be able to whip these out much quicker but this one was a bear. Fortunately I had dreams of this little one going to my girl Didi (mentioned in the previous post) and being filled with a tiny, wrinkley, newborn little boy, to keep me going. However should you be a photographer, know a photographer, or just dream of your little one occupying one of these for pictures, let me know. We'll talk about making those dreams come true.

Giddy

I am giddy. I am not talking about just any kind of giddy either, this is My Little Pony lunch pail on the first day of school (w/matching thermos)giddy; store bought stirrup pants giddy; some might even say this is learning that you no longer have to wear the full headgear (and be called Darth Vader by your 6th grade crush) giddy!!!

See, today is one of those days you will see AMAZING photography on this blog. My girlfriend Didi of Natural Approach Photography found the most adorable little girl (she knows her, don't worry, she didn't just find her on the street, that would be awkward and I might not post about it), put my creations on her pretty little head and took some BEAUTIFUL pictures. Don't worry you will not have to take my word for it, just keep scrolling.

The reason this is SO exciting is because not only will it will open up doors for me to start my Etsy shop, I also use a business card company that allows me to upload images onto the back of cards so people can have, in their hot little hands, a picture of exactly what I make!! :) *SQUEAL* Dreaming of the possibilities for these images makes me almost come right out of my seat!

Thank you so much Didi for helping me with this process. I can't wait to work more with you.

So, without further adieu, enjoy the beauty that is Didi from Natural Approach Photography. http://didi-mycrazycrazylife.blogspot.com/