Verbal Jigsaw Puzzle

It's crazy how after a long talk with a good friend, I am realizing that if I want to make all of this, all of this, work, then I need a bit more structure in my life. A schedule. A plan. A means to an end. No, not that kind of end, just an end of the month, end of the week, end of the day. I seem to go on and on, and when I get burnt out, it means I have to put the brakes on everything because I just can't function.

This recent change in the payroll department has thrown me for a bit of a loop. You all know, I hated that job. Not what I did, but where I was and who I was around. The negativity tangled the lattices of my pies and deflated the whipping cream on the strawberry short cake. My ego was bruised and my self confidence was trampled. It really did force me into this spiral of depression. My whole week was centered around the three days that I had to go into that kitchen. I felt this brick on my shoulders, chip, anvil, whatever you want to call it. The last week, I have been sad. Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out and just plain sad. BUT, good news people. I am kicking it back into gear. We have been planning and planning for the past week or so some new projects. I haven't been this excited about the future, well, ever.

I still can't believe it has been one month, exactly since we opened the doors to the Odd Shop. I'll tell you this. Opening up a storefront has been so incredibly stressful for us. Every penny we make goes towards bills, rent, supplies, etc. We sometimes only make a few dollars a day, and although I don't care very much about money, it is crucial to us keeping our head above water.

I can't wait to get the kinks worked out on all these little projects coming up, but I will tell you, it will involve me doing a lot more baking, planing a cross country road trip, opening up the shop for classes, sewing, video (!!!) and lots more. Since I have about a million things to share, I am going to break it down to a small list. Lists are good.

1 // I discovered my sewing machine has no problem sewing leather.

2 // Rediscovering my love of shooting video

3 // A regular customer from the bakery called me tonight and informed me that he told the owners that he will no longer be coming into their bakery and asked me to start making cookies for him and his wife on a regular basis. That made my whole week.

4 // Writers block is slowly exiting the room. I feel like all I have been sharing is shop stuff and boring photos.

5 // Working on some ridiculous DIYs / recipe tutorials. Back in the game, y'all.

6 // I love not having a TV. I miss it sometimes, but really, it has changed our whole life.

7 // I sat with Doug tonight eating nachos for dinner just looking at our shop. It's so beautiful. Every inch of it.

8 // We are taking our I'm a Giant dollhouse to another level. I can't even whisper what we're doing, but you'll see it soon. :)

9 // I went on a shopping/eating/hanging out excursion with a new friend and it was really fun. We spent way too much time in anthropologie, and I was way too stoked to see that they are now carrying product from one of my favorite etsy shops. Peg & Awl.

10 // Doug and I have been watching a lot of late late late night movies when we should be sleeping. That makes me super happy.

SO, now that I am not a depressed lump, what's going on with you!?!?!

xo,

Beca

Rainy Day Blues

I think I have been kind of personally absent from this blog lately. I mean I have been consistently posting, but not anything that has a smidgen of my voice to it. I have been really distracted with focusing on my home (ie, reorganizing, cleaning, putting new bed together, not doing laundry, spending money we don't have, you get the picture..) and honestly, I have been feeling kind of down. I think it's the weather, because everything else in my life is incredible. I was hired yesterday as the pastry chef at the deli, which is such an incredible feat and I am really proud of my persistence and hard work to get it. I have a great boyfriend who does everything for me, and loves me more than words can express, my dogs are awesome, our shop is rad. I just feel bummed.

In order to get myself out of this mood, I straightened up my little work space.

It didn't really work, but this is where I work.

We got our business cards in the mail from Moo and I am in love. They are so pretty, and I am so glad we went with the recycled paper. I love the way it looks and the way it feels.

I got this really pretty southwestern fabric from the thrift store this morning and made a little envelope bag to see how I would like it. It's prefect. I want to make little bags for bows and arrows merchandise. I also got new eyelets at the leather shop this morning, and they're too big for my hand press. I am frustrated with that, but don't want to get a new hand press. Everything seems more stressful and frustrating than it really is.

Our old roommate from Tucson Shawn in visiting us this weekend and it's really good to see him. It was fun living with him in Tucson. We always ate chicken wings and watched TV marathons. It was a good last few months in the pueblo.

Speaking of Tucson, my friend Isaiah put out a new video and it's really rad. I like the song, and the imagery and the editing. I can't say enough about it.

I am training some new people at work tonight and tomorrow who have been hired to replace me. I hope that I can get through this weekend. I also hope that it stops raining. I swear that is what is making me so depressed. I am cold, and everything is soggy and damp. It's depressing. I could never live in the northwest.

I am going to get my hands busy making dog collars! Whaaat!? Yep. I'm going to give it a go. Let's see how they come out. There is a little sneak peek at how the first one looks above.

xo,

Beca