Anchor Love

PJs, Notebook, Shoes, Dress

Pretties Shipped Out Yesterday

Wow!  Yesterday was crazy!

10 dozen pretties were packaged and shipped...

4 dozen decorated...

That's a lot of cookies to manage in one day...

Here's a sampling...

Of course my favorite was the Lilly inspired elephant & monogram...

Today I'll be shipping more...

Happy Tuesday!

Balance - A Work In Progress Learn From Your Mistakes Kind Of Thing

We've all had those weeks where we have so much to do and so little time to do it...

That was me last week...and the week before...

And not only was I overbooked...

I had orders that didn't fire me up...

So here I was rushing because I had too much on my plate...

(due to no one's fault but my own)

and my results were sub par...

bogies at best...

I missed many shots that week...

and in many ways...

Have you ever noticed when you rush, you make many more mistakes?

Because I was just trying to get the cookies done...

they really weren't my best...

I wasn't exactly happy to serve my family...probably quite the opposite...

annoyed at having to take care of them...

I didn't like some of the orders I had taken (meaning the designs)...

so I did them, grudgingly, with no passion...

That's just a FEW of the shots I missed...

Finding balance is definitely a work in progress...learn from your mistakes kind of thing...

It all comes down to tweaking and finding what works & what doesn't...

I am not the type of person who likes to have an array of different cookies...

I like to have a handful of designs that I do exceptionally well...

Does that mean I don't enjoy custom orders?  Not by a long shot...

Some of my best designs have been from custom orders...

But I know what I do well and when I knowingly deviate...that's when I tend to fall short...

When I try to do things my way instead of God's way...roadblocks pop up...

So during my morning bible time (as I was frustrated and SO unmotivated)...

I was praying for God to show me his way and this verse popped up...

Romans 5:3...to rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance...perseverance, character...and character, hope.

My suffering was taking on too much willingly...

and not doing everything for the glory of God...

A standard of grace not perfection (per Emily Ley)...

All I can do is work to make it better...

And I have a much better attitude today...

Live & learn!

Princess Crown Cookies

I just had to share these pretties!

These princess cookies were custom made to match the paper products

for a royal birthday party...

And I must say that I am thrilled with the turn out...

Usually I use the hot pink disco dust for the crowns...

but I am just smitten with the lighter pink...

and then paired with the lavender & yellow...swoon worthy!

(Now if only my photography skills were up to par)...

I can't wait to do the order for pink & Cinderella blue crowns...

Definitely fit for a princess...don't you think?

Your Worth

I hear and read a lot from my favorite, inspirational bloggers

about charging what you're worth...
I've taken it in but haven't really thought to much about it until now...

I truly love my job...
I'm a baker, an artist, a designer all wrapped into one...

And for some reason God has laid it on my heart 

to revisit the idea of charging what you're worth...

As much as I adore what I do, it is no longer just a hobby...

but a job that provides income to help pay the bills for my family...

And as I was working yesterday for 7 hours straight with no break...

giving each sweet treat my full attention & detail...

I started thinking how I might not exactly be charging what I'm worth...

Pretty much all my cookies range from $2.75 - $3.00 a cookie...

Some of you are already saying OMG!  For a cookie?  That's outrageous!

But the attention to detail on each one takes much time...

From making the dough, to rolling it out & baking...

To the icing...coming up with each exact color & correct consistency once the icing is made...

Finally getting to the designing/decorating...

Then once it's dry...it's packaging time...

heat sealing it in a cello bag...adding ribbon if it is to be a favor...

wrapping it in bubble wrap to ensure safety...

nestling it in shred in the box...taking it to the post office...

See...it's way more than making a cookie...

I take great pride in the process of each one...

And then when I think you can go to a grocery store and get cookies that are not in the same league as mine and are charged way more...it gets me thinking...

Please don't get me wrong...I'm very grateful for my customers & orders...

And I am certainly not trying to be greedy...

I am just trying to think like a business owner (which is a new experience for me)...

Doing what matters...

I'm working to live not living to work...

Do you charge what you're worth?

images via
Whitney English
Emily Ley

Mornings

Are you a morning person?

I guess you could say that I am during the week...

I hate when that alarm goes off but I SO enjoy my quiet time...

in my pjs...

on the couch...

with a cup of coffee...

and my Spooky dog wrapped up in a blanket beside me, snoring (yes, I cover him up)...

I start by reading my bible...

I am proud to say that I read the entire bible...twice!

It's during this time that I am truly focused on God with no distractions...

And then I find myself meditating on what I've read the rest of the day...

After bible time, I spend some time on the computer...

I check email quickly just to see what's in store...

and then I enjoy being inspired...

Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Blogs...

I only pay attention to the ones that motivate me...

It's during this time that I'll notice God speaking to me...

Maybe all the articles have to do with a certain topic...

um...hello...like right now EVERYTHING being put in my mind 

is about being content with what you have...
less is more...simplicity...not more but better...etc.

It's absolutely amazing to see how God works...

It's also during this time that I write my blog post (if I do one that day)...

Then it's time to get Goosie Girl up & get her breakfast...

then I go put on the exercise clothes and go on my power walk...yuck...but I'm always so glad that I did it...

and then get ready for work...

By getting up early, I get all my computer time out of the way so I don't feel the need to check it all the time thus allowing me to be focused on getting things done...

Does it look like this every morning?

No...but all I can do is try!

What do your mornings look like?

Do they relax you or make you crazy?

images 1-4 via Tumblr
last image via Minimalist Pretty

Random Pink Loves

I'm just loving all this pink...

I think everyone is in the mood for Valentine's Day...

Are these cupcakes not the most gorgeous things you've ever seen?

You should see the rest of Cakes Haute Couture's confections...amazing!

and now that Phil the groundhog said Spring was on its way...

We all have warm weather on the mind...

Don't forget that party season is getting ready to be in full swing...

This dress absolutely makes me swoon...

If I had the chance to be styled...Ellie Saab would be my designer of choice...
Enjoy a day of being in the pink!

images via:
Cakes Haute Couture
For All Things Lovely

Tumblr
Fashion Is My Drug