A childhood delight revisited: French Vanilla Cupcakes, Buttercream frosting, and lots of rainbow sprinkles!

I won’t deny it – it’s been a while since I’ve blogged about anything. I liken it to riding a bicycle, though. Hopefully it won’t take long to oil all the moving parts, adjust the brakes and get moving again! In the meantime, I’ve celebrated many small victories and have invested my energy into finding little things here and there to cherish and enjoy.

My husband and I opened a locally owned video game store in the Manhattan, Kansas area. It’s no small feat to open a business, I know, but all the little things we did along the way did help in solidifying this big life victory. Little things like finding a great location, ongoing support from the family, obtaining the proper licenses and permits, every step of the build-out, hiring an enthusiastic staff, and the great network of local business owners that have come forth to welcome us into the area’s business community.

Despite the ongoing ups and downs I battle, I’m finding little things that feed into my soul. Our ornery little basset/beagle mix, Ally, has really begun to mellow out and has become quite the sweet and affectionate companion, backyard anti-squirrel ninja, tennis ball retriever as well as an outstanding self-heating foot warmer!

Our smiling Ally girl, aka The Dainty Basset

I’ve rediscovered loom knitting, a new creative outlet revived from a Brownie scout project from about 20 years ago. So far, I’ve knitted a 100% acrylic hat with a brim, I’ve got two scarves in progress as well as a potholder/dishcloth that I’m making from my first skein of warm blue t-shirt yarn. I’m even revisiting crochet, another short-lived craft my childhood. My paternal grandmother taught me to crochet a single chain when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I think I made a 4-foot chain and gave it up because I didn’t know what to do next! I have stuck to both crafts for more than a week now, mostly because I’m determined to a make a few winter garments before next winter. Like many people, I grow weary of the cookie cutter styles and lack of variety offered by major department stores, plus it gives me a wonderful excuse for visiting this neat little yarn shop downtown.

Of course, with spring now here, I know many of us inspire to great big spring cleaning, gardening, crafting and home improvement projects. I can say I’m one of those people. In the meantime, let’s not put aside the “me” time and endeavours that feed our souls.

fallen leaves Photographic Print by bornat535 on Etsy

So, it’s 2011.

We’ve set resolutions that will make us a greater person on December 31st than we were on January 1st. The problem is resolutions – as Kirsty Hall put it – suck.

And she’s right.

Every January 1st, we stand at the top of a proverbial hill and admire the grandeur that is the proverbial mountainous landscape on the horizon just beyond the proverbial valley below us. We imagine how great it must be to reach that summit and soak in all it’s glory. Yes, we will arrive at that mountaintop, hell or high water, and be so proud of ourselves for doing so. However, we don’t look closely enough at what that valley really is – the hear of our journey – and we don’t prepare ourselves for its’ hidden obstacles.

A goal without a plan is merely a wish.

I’m sure you’ve heard a plethora of New Year’s resolutions by now – lose weight, get organized, spend more time with family and, my personal favorite, be a better person. While those are indeed fine goals, when we go forward without defining what those goals mean for us, we find ourselves at the mercy of frustration and giving up when we come across obstacles we had not even thought of.

Then let’s say you’re one of the fortunate few that achieve that end goal. Hooray! What separated you from everyone else? Perspective, my friend.

What about planning your transformation versus the end of your glorious achievement?

If you only plan on reaching the summit of the mountain across the valley, what would you do if discovered a really rocking pool party on the other side of that mountain having realized that you left your swimsuit in the car? Sure you could buy a suit, but then you’d be out some cash for a one (or a few) mojitos that you could have enjoyed as well.

As the old boy scout motto goes: be prepared. Before you begin your journey, ask yourself a lot of questions, namely the “what if’s” and “hows” that allow us to anticipate potential problems, plan plausible solutions and make note of any support systems you can utilize along the way.

For example, what if you stumble going down into the valley and sprain your ankle? How will you address basic first aid? What if the battery in your flashlight dies? How would take care of much needed lighting? What if you run out of water too soon? How will you seek out more?

Everybody has something they’d like to achieve.

Even me. One thing that also makes the journey a little easier is to have attainable goals by measurable action. For the last two years, I sat down with my business-savvy husband to discuss my goals for my handmade endeavor. When we do, we talk namely about numbers: the number of products I’d like to introduce in the upcoming year, the number of markets I’d like to tap into, sales volume numbers.

There are specific things that I want to achieve. I’ve tried on my own before – sans planning, of course – and fell short. For example, I’d love to visually unify this blog and reintroduce a web presence beyond “oooooo, that’s so pretty to look at”. I’m so over that that I already stripped this blog down to nearly nothing. I’m ready to rebuild it into something more actionable for visitors.

I have the same goal for this year, BUT I’m taking a far different approach. I’m hiring someone to establish ground for my visual identity and, by working with this person and this person too, I’ll be making a web site that better represents my handmade business.

As I’ve had to learn the hard way, planning, specific goals, and measurable steps are all that stand between your wish and your transformation. Tell me about your transformation and how you’re planning out your journey for this year.

See ya on top of the mountain!

I so often talk about my dogs, I thought it was time to introduce you to my ‘first-adopted’ fur kid. This is indeed rare footage because we very seldom hear Blaster bay!