Makers not Consumers

It's funny odd, coincidental that in the last couple of weeks I keep seeing and hearing things about people being makers and not consumers, meaning that we need to be contributing to society more than we take out. But I also think that this means we should be making more of our own stuff and not just buying things out of convenience. Why? Well for one reason I think we need to know how to make things because someday we might not be able to buy it. Or maybe you could make things just for a sense of self-satisfaction that you're not dependent on others for everything that you have. And sometimes it's just nice to know that you can do something that your grandparents did!

I was trying to think what this might look like in my own life. Obviously for people who know me, baking might be the answer. I bake every single day. From muffins, scones and breads to pies and pizzas depending on the day. But..what about the not so obvious things?  For each of us it will vary because we have different needs.

At my house things that can be made instead of bought could be garden produce canned and frozen for future use. It could mean cars repaired instead of replaced. Opening windows in the summer instead of air conditioning. Oh, and I love drying clothes on the line, especially towels!

So, what could you do to become a maker and not a consumer? Or what do you do to contribute to society rather than take from it?

What's Up with Washi Tape?

I'm getting my stuff ready for a scrapbook weekend. I realized the last time I scrapped was the summer of 2017?!?!  Kind of sad when I used to get together once a month with friends and scrap the evening away. 

Things have changed a lot since I first started scrapbooking. It used to be you had a good pair of scissors, some cardstock and a few packages of stickers and you were good to go. Now the girls that go scrapbooking carry several loads of stuff in, as well as computers, dvd players and anything else they need to pass the time. I'm still a pretty basic scrapper. As I was looking online at scrapbook supplies I keep seeing washi tape. It's gorgeous! It comes in all sorts of designs and colors! Look at the examples below:

Glitter and Gold!

Geometrics!

CACTUS! 

Ooh, VanGogh!

 See? Lots of pretty designs and patterns! But I still have no idea what people use it for. Borders? Maybe. I see that people are using it in their planners too. I don't know why though. Guess I'm a plain jane planner kind of person too.

So, if you use washi tape, tell me what you do with it.

Taking the Slow Lane

It's been almost 2 years since I've posted anything. Let me tell you, I am loving my little business downtown but it's definitely taken some time to adjust to working full time.

Slow Lane Coffee

A peek at the the counter

This has become my home away from home. For awhile I was spending almost as much time here as I was at home, but I think I'm finally figuring out a healthy balance.

We are a small town coffee shop and I bake fresh muffins and scones and miscellaneous things every weekday. I bake bread as often as I can. We serve specialty coffees and blended drinks as well as serving light lunches. And yes, we even serve plain brewed coffee. It amazes me how many people come in and ask if we have plain ol' coffee! LOL

If you would like to check out our Facebook page, you can find it here.

I'm hoping to get back to blogging more regularly. Time will tell just how much spare time I can find. Until then, Happy January!

Rethinking a problem

In January I wrote a post about giving up a dream that I had. I was fully prepared to give it up but a dear friend of mine suggested that maybe I needed to take another look at the problem and see if it could be solved from a different direction. And that got me to thinking. What if I could approach it from a different direction? Could we make it work?

All of a sudden the dream was back in full force, I just couldn't let it go. I talked to my husband and told him that I wanted to go for it. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But if I don't try I will never know. My husband was all for it, so we are working full steam ahead.

I currently have a purchase agreement on a business here in our hometown and we hope to close next month. Life has taken a big change of direction and my days are full of forms that need filled out, cost projections, product testing and consulting with other business people. Aside from filling out all of the government forms I am enjoying every minute of it. I hope to tell you more about it later! Until then, I am back to work. Have a great day!

A Little Piece of our Lives

 I saw this the other day and it made me chuckle. Here in our little town we have an excellent band teacher. He teaches band at two schools, the middle and high school so they keep him busy going back and forth. He still manages to help kids to love band and they do very well when they compete with other schools.

I was very happy this fall when it was decided that my youngest son would be able to join band because if you don't know this kid has a fascination with marching bands. He loves a good marching band the way I love a good steak dinner. We have watched hundreds of hours of marching bands on YouTube since he was just a little tyke. So the fact that he got to be in band made him a very happy boy. We chose the euphonium for one basic reason, we didn't know if he would have the capability to play and the school had one he could use for free. Yeah, I didn't know what a euphonium was either, I had to look it up.

Last night the middle school had their band concert and my boy got to play. Here is a poor picture of him (lighting was not great) playing his horn. He did so well my heart just about exploded! And then I bawled. Because here was my son, the boy that the dr's said would never develop and should be put in an institution to make life easier for us, sitting in the back row with his classmates playing his horn like every other "normal" kid! Yes, okay, he will never be like the other kids, and really we're okay with that because he is a very special boy who loves babies and kittens and is one of the most honest people you will ever meet.

After the concert we got to watch videos of the concert that other parents had posted on Facebook. I told Alex that I was very proud of him because he played every song and paid attention. He looked at me and said, " I made a few mistakes Mom." I quickly reassured him that everyone made mistakes and that's okay.

At the beginning of the year I told Alex that if he stuck with band for the whole year and learned to play that I would buy him his own instrument. Honestly, I thought he would have gotten tired of it by now and be wanting to quit. But no, not him. He has been looking online at trombones. When I look at his history on his Kindle I see that he's been watching lots of videos on how to play the trombone. Who knows what the future will bring for this young man? I really can't even guess but for now we're just going to enjoy the journey. :)

Too Many Pills?

Awhile ago I had a friend comment on how many pills she would have to take if she used the Plexus TriPlex regimen. Now if you look at the catalog you might think that you have to take all of the products but you don't. You only need to take the things that your body needs help with. If you aren't used to taking pills it may seem like a lot but it also seems that most people my age are taking lots of different prescription medicines. Talking to a friend last year and she is on 13 different medicines and to be honest looks and feels terrible.

So, I will tell you what I take on a daily basis. First thing in the morning I take 2 BioCleanse pills with my Slim drink. At lunch I take 2 XFactor multivitamins and at bedtime I take 2 BioCleanse and 2 ProBio5. Yes, that is all, 8 pills taken through the day. But I am not taking anything else. No prescription meds, no over the counter meds. Nothing else and I feel better than ever before.

Plexus- entire days supplements

My husband takes Slim in the morning with Nerve, then at night he takes BioCleanse, ProBio5 and Nerve. It doesn't have to be a lot and it doesn't have to change how you live, but it might just make you feel better.

The best thing  to know this month is that Plexus has given me some codes to share so that you can become an ambassador free if you join by Friday the 26th. I have one code left and I would be happy to share it with you if you would like to join my team.

If you want to just order some products and try them you can do that too! Plexus has a 60 day money back guarantee. So you aren't going to be out anything if you give it a try and don't like it.

The link to my store is on the sideline of my blog. If you have any questions you can contact me through email or even call me. I would be happy to help you find a health regimen that works for you!

There's a winter storm coming...

We're expecting up to a foot of snow by tomorrow night. This isn't anything that really concerns me because where I grew up a foot of snow wasn't much. But apparently it concerned a lot of people because when I popped into the grocery store earlier it was very busy with people stocking up.

Now, I tend to keep my pantry pretty well stocked with the foods that we usually cook. The downstairs pantry has items that we canned from the garden and then the bulk dry goods like wheat, beans and such. The freezer has meat in it, although not a lot. (note to self: focus on  adding to this) My upstairs pantry contains the foods that we eat frequently. I have a simple system, if I take something out of the pantry I put it on the shopping list to restock. This system really works for me and I rarely run out of things this way.

Many people I talk to seem surprised at my system which I find to just be kind of a common sense approach but then I grew up on a ranch 20 miles from town so you didn't just run to town if you ran out of sugar or cinnamon, you prepared ahead of time. Or you did without.

The last time there was a storm coming I saw my neighbor at the library with a large stack of books. She wanted to make sure she had something to read. I usually have a couple of library books checked out at all times but I also have a large library of my own so it's pretty unlikely that I will run out of reading materials. We also have a large game selection so we can entertain ourselves pretty well if we are housebound.

So if a snowstorm comes and I can't get to the store for a few days I will be prepared, as long as we have electricity.

I'm curious, what do you do to prepare for impending storms?

Getting Real: Letting Go of Dreams

For a long time I have had a specific dream. About twelve years ago I thought that dream might actually happen but God had other plans for me. Let me tell you, I did not accept the loss of the dream without wailing and gnashing of teeth. I continually reminded God that I had already made plenty of sacrifices and I didn't need to make this one. Honestly, I spent many hours in tears. I was angry at the circumstances that kept me from my dream and I was angry at God because I felt He hadn't kept his part of the bargain. And just like that, the dream was dead, and I had to find a way to reconcile my heart and trust that God had a better plan.

But deep in the recesses of my heart that dream has still had a little spot. I didn't think about it often but it is still there. And I have kept these pictures in my computer to give me a glimmer of hope.

It's not very hard to find these kinds of images and sayings. If you're in the direct marketing business as I am they are everywhere. And they are a good thing, something to keep you motivated but sometimes they can lead you away from the most important things in life. It's got to be a careful balance, making sure we don't neglect the things that God has entrusted to us, for me that would be  my husband and my children. These have to be non-negotiable.

Motivational images and graphics shouldn't be taken as great wisdom or compared with scripture. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and HE will make straight your paths." That is quite a bit different than what this sign says. Now I'm not saying this sign is wrong, I liked it enough to buy it and keep it in my office. What I am saying is that motivational quotes should not be our guiding light, the Word of God should be. I would think God wants us to dream big, to want to do great things through Him and for Him. The Bible says to seek wisdom and I am trying to do that.

So, this leads me up to my current dilemma. A few months ago the dream came back. The opportunity rose again. The time seemed right since I have a lot of free time on my hands now. My husband is 100% behind me, and people I have talked too seem to think it's a good dream so I started to get excited again. From a business standpoint, from a worldly standpoint it's a no-brainer, I should be moving forward, but...Oh Lord, why is there always a but? But...people I love may be put at risk and that scares me much more than my dreams do. I have wrestled with this for weeks, considering all the pros and cons and last weekend it became clear to me that this is not the time for this dream. Considering my age, this might be the end of my dream. I would be lying if I didn't say this was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make because it was my decision, not someone telling me I couldn't do it. These are the sacrifices we must make sometimes because the needs of others are more important. I am not a martyr, I am not a saint, I am just a mom who knows that my kids need me more than others need what I have to offer. There is a big difference this time, I am not angry at God or the circumstances. I have learned that God's plan is usually always better than mine and I can lay this dream aside without bitterness. Sadness yes, but not bitterness.

Now, the big question is, where do I go from here? God and I are still working on that one. I'll let you know when I have an answer. ;)

Kris