Excelling and Perfectionism

Aren't January and February supposed to be the months that the farm rests???  Harvest is done, it's not yet time for planting, the holidays are over...what more could there be, right?  RIGHT?!?!

I was so looking forward to having the first part of the year to have some down time with Ellie Graye, rejuvenate, and slow my pace for a while.  Of course, I quickly found out that I don't function well when I have too much down time, and am so much happier when I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off...but still, do I really need to be running around like a CRAZY woman?!?!  Chicken or crazy lady - you pick.  Great options, huh?

I did have an epiphany tonight as I foraged through all the things I've collected, harvested, created, and stashed looking for "the perfect touch" to put on one of my new projects.  My intense desire to excel at everything I that I do is the common ground I have with my husband.

We recently had the opportunity to meet with a Zen priest and Life Coach, and as we already knew, were able to see on paper how we operate in two very different quadrants of our brains.  He's a left-brainer, and I'm a right brainer.  In fact, we're so opposite, that we pretty much exactly mirror the other, balancing one with the other. The beauty of our relationship, however, is that under stress, we both turn to the same part of our brains - organization.  This is what facilitates our open communication and willingness to "work it out."  I knew all that, but tonight, it hit me.  We also both strive for greatness; we both have a strong desire to be the as good as we possibly can at what we're doing; we both love to apply ourselves; and, more importantly, we work hard -- THAT is an amazingly rare commonality.

Mediocrity isn't something Jeffrey and I are comfortable with, and in our relationship, that means we'll work as hard as we can to make things the best they can be.  I like that.  I like knowing that he is as committed to "us" as I am; he is as committed to our family as I am - and we're willing to work our asses off to achieve that.  My friends, I couldn't ask for anything more.  I don't expect perfection, but I'm certainly happy to know that I have a partner who is willing to face the ugly things, figure out what needs to be done, and then DO it.  Aaah, I love that man!

Ok. Enough mush. Back to the chicken-with-her-head-cut-off day.

I'm desperately trying to get DPF Home Decor off the ground.  I have a potential customer on Etsy who has custom ordered some pieces for her wedding.  The odd thing was that the items she ordered were things that I had already started making...when she asked, "Can you make such-and-such," I about fell over, since I had already discussed the idea with Victor!  Funny how life guides you, huh?

The following two photos are what she sent me (I don't know where she got these photos, so I can't give credit...if these are yours, let me know, and I'll make sure you're sited).

standard place card holders...

very cool dessert table. GREAT inspiration!

My response to her photos, and what I have been working on for displays for boutique stores that will be carrying my drink tags:

an adaption of my standard photo holder

My mirror for holding my drink tags. I LOVE it.

Victor was so excited and proud of his slices of wood, that when he saw what I made, he went back out and made me a ton more so I can start pumping these babies out!  He's such an incredible worker, and has just recently discovered his creative side - we're beyond lucky to have him!  He loves this farm so much, and sees it as his own.  We're so happy that he cares about each little nook and cranny.  When I asked him the other day if he knew of a tree that had fallen in one of the storms that had good, solid bark, he immediately knew exactly where to go.  It makes me so happy that this land is the host to so much positivity!

His first load of stump slices

His SECOND load of stumps

Needless to say, I spent a lot of today working in the basement on drink tags, workshopping decor items, and planning menus.  I feel like I have a two full-time jobs - one upstairs being a homemaker and one downstairs trying or pretending to be an entrepreneur.  At the end of my time working on DPF, I couldn't wait anymore and had an organizing spree...came up with this fabulous idea for organizing all the small stuff that tends to clutter my desk!

I already was using the shutters for miscellaneous items, but the galvanized tins and plastic dixie cups are PERFECT for all the tiny little odds and ends.  Tomorrow I label them...

One of my other projects of the day was to finally plant the curry seeds that my dad had sent to me in that mysterious package I got on Christmas Eve.  I was supposed to plant them ages ago, but didn't get a chance until today (sorry, Dad!).  Let's hope that they grow...I did use the peat capsules, so hopefully it'll work...the guy said 4 - 5 weeks...

What HAS grown is the basil I planted in the "Power Plant" machine thing that my dad gave me for Christmas...I think I was supposed to grow the curry plant in it...but I didn't realize that until just now.  Damn, I'm so not with it.  Anyway, the basil has sprouted, and if all goes well, I'll be cooking with fresh basil again before I know it!  It's kinda crazy that this thing doesn't need any soil...kinda scares me.  If I die, be sure you sue the hell out of these guys, ok?

Our neighbor Darcy came for dinner tonight.  She owns the other two horses that are at the barn, and has been beyond helpful over the last month.  Usually she feeds in the morning and I turn the horses out (of course, I've been slacking on the turn out side of things) and Victor dumps her wheelbarrow and keeps the barn clean and up to par.  It's been awesome having companions for Avdoo and Frank.  I wish things could be this easy always!

For dinner, I adapted a yummy Asian Chicken Peanut Pasta dish that I had seen on AllRecipes.com, and added my delicious sesame green beans on the side.  It was light, spicy and scrumptious.  We had a good time talking over dinner while EG ran around being her normal entertaining, precocious, rambunctious self.

So that's it.  That's all I did, nothing spectacular, ground-breaking, or life-changing...I just got through today, made a little progress, and made a few people smile.  What more could I ask for, huh?