Working a Latte

Lately I've been slacking.

I realized the other day, when we had my husband's grandparents over for dinner, that on a normal day, I can accomplish a basic clean of our home in 3 hours. (That's putting stuff away, sweeping, dusting, vaccuuming, cleaning counters after cooking, doing a couple loads of dishes, making up our bedroom for people to see, cleaning toilets, wiping down the tub/shower, cleaning the bathroom counters and mirrors and a couple loads of laundry). 

So why then, on a normal day, does it take me 8 hrs.? Because at the very core of it, I procrastinate. I take breaks. Nothing is rushed, because I have all day. 

Life at home didn't start this way. It really did use to take me 8 hours to do all of that, and cook dinner. But now, by the power of God, I've seen real progress! Which is great! But I don't think God would have me grow in this area just to sit around once I'm done with that part of my job.

So after talking to my husband, we decided I should put 3 hours a day towards my Etsy shop goals. This shop is something I started just for fun, and we aren't using it for income, but I have a long term goal of growing it as well. 

Creating this shop will, hopefully, help me learn to be proud of my work, and not shy away from saying "yes, I DID make that" when people ask. I started this blog as a part of this long term goal. It helps me think about marketing my shop, and myself. It helps me stand up for the lifestyle I believe in as well.

So today began my first day! :)

(I made myself a caramel macchiato -- ya know just to get the creative juices flowing)

Caramel Macchiato:

10 oz. of your fav. coffee, brewed
4 oz. of your fav. milk, steamed
A dash of caramel creamer (in the milk before steaming)
Caramel sauce to taste

Steamed Milk:
I don't know if this is the correct way to do this, but it seems to get the job done taste/texture wise.

• Put milk in a saucepan on high heat. 
• Whisk until a nice thick foam forms on top.
• Pour milk into coffee (will be liquid not foam)
• Spoon the foam off the top of leftover milk (in pan) to on top of the coffee. 

I did the cleaning before 11am today, so then by the time my "3 hrs." of design work were up, I felt like continuing! So I probably spent 6 hrs. working on stuff today.

I gave my online shop a makeover, and made business cards:

Then my dear friend, who is newly-engaged, called about ideas for wedding crafts, so I spent the rest of the time grabbing inspiration for that, and then of course writing this blog post.

Today feels way more productive than my recent days. I didn't watch any TV at all! :)


Praise GOD!