Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A New Year, a New Start - An Origin Story

We moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in July of last year and it was hot as a damn furnace. My boyfriend - it sounds funny calling him a boyfriend after almost 7 years - got a new position in his company and we packed up our bags, sold the house, and moved from the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland to downtown Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. We're renting a 740 sq ft house - a huge downsize for us - in a very eclectic neighborhood just blocks from the Mississippi River. We can ride our bikes downtown for a bite to eat and walk to the farmer's market. Everyone is friendly and there is a great sense of community. Its a huge change for us and we love it.

I thought it would be a piece of cake finding a job in my field in a capital city. In the meantime though I had a good amount of contract work to do for my previous employer so money was coming in. As time passed with only a few job interviews and my contract work beginning to trail off I needed to find a way to make money so I could continue to contribute to my portion of our household expenses. I remembered back to last Spring when I was sitting with my dad and my brother at Hamilton Tavern in Baltimore. We were having burgers before heading downtown to an Orioles game. My dad asked us both what our ideal job would be - what would we do if we could do anything at all. My brother answered that he wanted to work for a major league baseball team, something he's wanted for years. I remember my answer because it was completely honest - no trying to please Dad, just the honest truth. I told him I wanted to live in a small house where I didn't need to make a lot of money to live the simple lifestyle I wanted, to work from home with flexible hours and time for family and friends, and to do something creative like start a needlework business that would turn my hobby into a way to support myself.

I had thought about opening an Etsy shop many times but never actually did it. Going to work in an office building every day, staring at a computer screen was tiring. By the time I got home all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch television until bed time. Things are different now. When you take the 9-5 and the daily commute out of the equation your outlook on life changes. I still set an alarm and wake up fairly early. I have coffee and a small breakfast. I go for a nice long walk around Capital Park. When I get home I might start a load of laundry, clean up a room in the house (which is so easy with a small house), make a grocery list, I even volunteer at an animal shelter 2 days a week. All of these positive changes in my life have given me the confidence to take the next step...

Kate + Ice Cream is officially in business!
The time is right and I'm ready for the challenge. I am incredibly lucky to have a boyfriend who is so supportive and friends who have given their kind words. Expect great things from K+IC and I will not disappoint!

I will be posting regularly here on the K+IC blog so add me to your readers. I also have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Of course there is also the Etsy store so favorite it and check often. Will you be my first customer??

I can't wait to see what 2013 will bring!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Getting Started on Those Goals

I have about 5 inches complete on my very first scarf! I'm using a blended grey and white wool. I'm knitting the whole thing. I figure I'll start easy. Maybe next time I'll throw in some fancy stitches :) And to tell you the truth, I though knitting would go a lot faster. Maybe it's just because I'm still getting used to it. I have to concentrate pretty hard to make sure I don't lose stitches.

On Saturday I also got a big load of stuff together to go to Good Will. It's still sitting in the back of my car because I couldn't find anywhere to drop it off this weekend. It will happen though! It feels good to get rid of unused things and give them to people who actually need them.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

30 Things to Do Before I'm 31

Since it's now a week before my 30th birthday, I think it's a really good time for me to set some goals for the upcoming year. I've seen this on a few different blogs and think it's a great idea.

So here it goes... my 30 before 31:
  1. Exercise 4 times a day (*edit - a WEEK :) ... I'm not that hardcore*) - I got EA Sports Active for Christmas, hopefully I can keep it up!
  2. Find a job in Baltimore
  3. Make all homemade Christmas presents
  4. Get an iPhone
  5. Finish the teardrop
  6. Attend an out-of-state Tear Jerkers rally
  7. Buy more local produce
  8. Have a party at the house
  9. Knit my first scarf - in the works!
  10. Go to New Zealand
  11. Design a cross stitch chart
  12. Take a personal day off of work for myself and RELAX
  13. Complete my footware photo project
  14. Spend less time on the internet at work
  15. Install new AC in the house
  16. Insulate under the house
  17. Make an article of clothing for myself
  18. Buy a new "fancy" camera
  19. Make a rug
  20. Transfer childhood recordings to digital - I've been wanting to do this for years
  21. Learn 1 new craft
  22. Yarn bomb something
  23. Take a class at the Arts Center
  24. Learn to play the mandolin
  25. Learn to surf
  26. Rearrange the living room
  27. Simplify the house - downsize!
  28. Donate unused clothing and shoes to a charity - downsize!
  29. Grow a beautiful garden
  30. Don't stress over little things - focus on the positive and live a happier life
I think most of these goals are attainable. I can't wait to cross things off the list!

What are your goals for the new year?