{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

Fairy Tale Endings...

(not mine but someday soon a place very much like this will be)

Let me begin by saying that there are so many things that I want to be when I grow up!  I have so many interests and varied talents that my problem has always been that big commitment to just one, or to finding something that encompasses enough of those interests to meet my needs.  I have been yelling at myself for years to "JUST PICK" already and get going on it, only the problem is that I am 14 years into my current career and rather stuck.  I am good at what I do and make enough to get by, but this was never supposed to be permanent.  I am a single mom and a very hard working one at that, and with all the time and money that this requires, I just cannot seem to find time to fit myself into the equation. 

As most of you know I LOVE to create with food.  It has been a passion for years and I have been leaning towards making this my chosen career path for awhile now.  I want so very badly to go to the CIA to be trained as a classical chef/baker, but alas it is an impossibility.  I only live an hour and a half away, but for the life of me I just can't seem to figure out how to fit it in without everything else falling down.  I didn't go to college when I was younger, having taken a job right out of high school instead.  I didn't even consider it at the time, not understanding how very important that stretch of life could be to your overall career.  Well now I am ready.  I have finally "picked one" and decided what I'd like to do going forward.  I have these huge dreams and aspirations of being the owner of a bakery/cafe/catering business that I will call Fairy Tale Endings .  It is crystal clear in my mind and I can feel within, that this is it, this is the one!  There are of course a few obstacles that I must overcome to get anywhere near this magickal place of mine, but I think I am finally in a place that they are feasible.  So here is were I'm at... 

1.  I need to build enough time into my schedule to go to a local culinary program at night, while still working full time and not taking that time away from Raine.  Yes, I realize that this is a tall order and will not easily be accomplished, but it is possible and I can work with that.  

2. I need to really get my finances in order, both to afford school and make sure that all the added pressure of outstanding debts are no longer weighing on me.  I'd also like to sack a little away for emergencies, so that should my lovely car break in the midst of this crazy schedule, it won't bring everything tumbling down. 

3. I'd also like to start up the catering portion of my company, get the name trademarked, a few supplies and monogrammed aprons, and begin taking on some gigs to get the name/taste out there.  This hopefully will help supplement some of my day job income and make the transition smoother as I get close to graduation.  I'd like to be in business before I finish my degree and be able to make the catering company my full time job shortly after I get out of school. 

This being said, there are a great many things that I have to do in the next five years (my proposed timeline to leave GE) and though it is scary to think of being self employed I am so very ready for this!  For the first time in my life I feel like this dream is possible! And though it will take a lot of work and determination to bring to life, it already feels real, like the magickal little cottage in the picture above, it is there just waiting for me to come and turn the key!

Over the next few years I'll bring you all along for the ride as blog about what it takes to accomplish my dream.  I'll write about the trials and tribulations of this amazing journey and what will hopefully result in Fairy Tale Endings for us all...

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

Rainy Day Pirates and Tattoos~

Monday Raine and I got to enjoy our first weekday off of the summer, and while it was rainy, we both basked in the warmth of our special time together and simple flow of the day.  Raine had received a special package a few days before from a very well loved grandpa Jeff.  It contained a crafty stained glass pirate kit and was immediately voted to be one of the things we did together that day.  We got out all her brilliant color markers and set sail on the high seas of creativity and adventure.  We laughed as we imagined what it would be like to live in such a world and what we'd be like as swashbuckling sword welding scallywags.  I of course would be missing a leg and have a wicked temper while Raine would be sporting an eye patch and lurking in the galley(for were the food be so too will she)! 

All of this silliness led way to some beautiful pictures and talk of tattoos and we decided right then and there that it was high time we both got some!  Oh yes, you heard me right!  For the next half hour those washable markers came in handy as we added vivid color to our lily white skin.  Take that you untanable pasty palate!  We drew ships and bones, serpents and hearts, an ocean, a cherry, and a blueberry tart.  It was whimsical and heartfelt, a great start to our day.  Funny how sometimes it is they little joys in life that simply carry you away... 

Dancing Queen...

This past May Raine took part in a play about different cultures and countries.  Her class was responsible for representing Mexico and one of the things that they had to learn was a dance.  She worked hard on getting all the steps down and got to be right up front at the performance!  It also might have helped that she happened to be paired with her current freckled boy crush ;)

(Here she is practicing the at home)

(The Grand Performance)

Rainebow's Room Remodel

Awhile back I just happen to be sitting around on a rainy Sunday afternoon when inspiration struck me in the form of my daughters messy bedroom. She is on average, pretty good at upkeep, as long as things have a have a place to go and lately her room has seemed to be in shambles more often than not, which made me think that the layout just did not seem to be working for her (or me). She was due to be home the next day so I decided right then and there that I'd surprise her by rearranging and sprucing it up a bit.

She has a bright and bubbly personality and I am a true believer in your own space being a reflection of who you are.  With that goal in mind, into deep cleaning mode I went and an hour an a half later I was loving the results!  I moved furniture around to optimize her space making it as open as possible and reorganized all the drawers and shelving so all items just seemed to flow. 

Her bunny's cage was reposition and all it's accessories tidied neatly below. Even the kitten gave me the thumbs up on that one!

Raine is a lover of all animals both live and stuffed and her bed had started looking like a cramped zoo leaving very little room to fit the one who should be sleeping in it, so I sorted out her favorites and made the top shelf of her bookcase a new home for the rest. 

Linens were washed and her pretty bed made up all inviting, dolly was treated to the same, and flowers and butterflies were put up to bring life to the dull beige walls.  When finished all I could think was that this is definitely a Rainebow Room!!! 

Update:  Upon seeing it the next day Raine gave me a huge hug and said so seriously, "Thank you mom.  It's beautiful!"  Love that kid!!

34 seconds of peace...

Be sure to turn up your volume to hear the soothing sound of the falls...