My business outgrew the comfy confines of the couch about 6 months ago and this is the realization of a serious – and practical – goal.

My office is complete with a desk, a real chair, a huge closet, and a door. When dealing with a toddler and a husband who don’t understand my need for concentration (or talking loudly at the computer while video conferencing), a door is a necessity.

What I didn’t expect to come with the door is the very real sense that my business is now a job. Don’t get me wrong, I still love what I do. I’m still ridiculously passionate about living creatively, thinking big, and helping you do the same but I don’t want to be in this room until 3am every night.

And ya know? That’s a good thing. I’m working smarter. I’m keeping up with my email (well… almost). I’m ignoring Twitter when necessary and taking more phone calls. I’ve got a job that I’m taking more seriously than ever.

And it’s all thanks to a door.

The last 6 months have been a whirlwind of growth and progress in my business and have fulfilled many of the ideas I had for myself as a professional. But I’m feeling a real paradigm shift again. Big things are coming (literally: check back on Tuesday for a huge announcement), things are happening, the earth is shaking, and I’m not coming along for the ride this time. I’m making it happen. I’m in control.

Have you had a similar paradigm shift in your business? Tell me about it in the comments!

if you blog, you probably know the feeling that comes from participating in an activity only to think, “this will make a great blog post!”

i was struck by this new york times article about people who photograph everything they eat. not all are bloggers, but the idea is the same. documenting life has become completely pervasive in our digital society. every moment is something to be captured and considered.

and then shared with thousands – or millions – of people.

sometimes i feel like i live for the sake of my blog instead of blogging for my own sake. when you’re constantly behind the camera so that you can document special events for your readers or considering how you might make a profound point out of a humorous situation, life is exhausting. of course, there are many many more ways that life could be exhausting and i’m glad i’ve chosen this one.

on the flip side of making life exhausting, blogging has also forced me to do things i would have never considered before. things like offering consulting & brainstorming, venturing to major craft shows and actually introducing myself, creating a personal brand, attending networking events, and building a successful business. in order to appear more authentic on my blog, i’ve actually had to broaden my horizons – what a great trade-off!

i’m also struck by how many people are interested in the daily routines of people like me – and not at all life me, of course. not only has documenting life become pervasive in the digital society, but the need to connect with people on the most fundamental levels – the things we eat, the things we buy, the way we raise our children, etc… – has become a visceral urge. my blogs have duel purposes, to document my life & thoughts and to share information of value, but other blogs that i read on a daily basis – mackin ink, a beautiful mess, and smile & wave – are almost purely personal. i love it too! i’m so inspired by their lives and their point of view!

so – when you blog, do you think back on the things you’ve done & the way you live?

or do you live to blog?

{image credit: look at my party dress by kilsook}

My personal journey from high school to college, college to full-time work, and full-time work to mom to career, has been a convoluted one. I’m flattered that you’d even ask! But if my story can:

1. help you to understand me better. or
2. inspire one person that she can do it too

then it’s completely worth writing.

I didn’t start as a religion major, I applied to Lebanon Valley College as a music education major. To prepare me, I “interned” with my high school band director my senior year of high school. I quickly discovered that I was too big a perfectionist to teach kids music and that I wasn’t talented enough to teach anyone older or more experienced!

So, I entered LVC as a music (trombone) & religion double major.

During my four years, I switched back & forth from one to the other – ultimately graduating with a major in religion, minor (just a few credits shy of major) in music. What I discovered in all of this was a real passion for writing & communicating – oh, and a healthy dose of earth-shaking theology.

My senior year of college, I was completely hooked on religion. I applied to grad school and was accepted on a full-tuition scholarship to Syracuse University to study with one of my theology crushes. Freaking Awesome. I graduated, got a summer job, and waited to move out-of-state and start my life as an academic.

Oh… that summer job… I wanted to be surrounded by my old love: books or my new love: coffee. Luckily for me, I got a job as a barista at bookstore. Sweet! I could buy all the pretentious books I wanted & sip discounted coffee while doing it! I was hooked. A bit too hooked. Oh, and I’m still hooked on the caffeine.

Two weeks before I was to leave for Syracuse, my supervisor quit. Crisis of conscience. I could take a full time job at the place I love & figure out where my life was headed. Or I could follow a path I seemed destined for but offered no clear cut future. Crap. I took the job.

And I worked. hard. and harder. I made my way up the ladder, I took a frighteningly low level of pay to help run a multi-million store, manage human resources, supervise merchandising, and run a coffee shop. The company cut jobs around me and my pay stayed the same even as my responsibilities increased.

When I was 8 months pregnant, my general manager left for a new job. I applied, as I had been trained & groomed for the position. After a killer interview, I had a lot of confidence that I would have a great job & a pay increase to come back to after Lola was born. A week before I gave birth, I got a call from another manager that the position was filled. Not by me.

Obviously, I can’t make any claims that I was discriminated against due to my pregnancy, but I can tell you that that’s what it felt like.

So I had my baby, took my disability leave, stayed out my FMLA, and then quit.

I started out helping my mom with her Etsy business. Learning the ropes of marketing, teaching myself to blog again (I first started blogging in college), and discovering a thriving community of women just like me. In December 2008, my mom gave me the idea for Handmade in PA, my first serious blog.

It thrived! I was on cloud nine knowing that I had created something of value to people. I met Jan, the founder of Scoutie Girl, through Handmade in PA, after discovering through a coincidence of photography, that we lived just two blocks away from each other. We kept in touch, Handmade in PA grew & grew, and all the while Jan’s business grew in a way that made maintaining Scoutie Girl near impossible.

We began discussing the possibility of me taking over the SG side of her business. Slowly, very slowly, the idea took hold. And in July 2009, I purchased Scoutie Girl and took over editorial control.

I still go to the bookstore often. Last time I went, I saw a woman who worked for me & struggled with her dreams, never seeming to make them reality. She asked me what I was doing now: “I write.”

Wow. That’s what I do for a living: I write. I communicate. I call my own shots.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

{image credit: dennis wong via flickr}

this is the new favorite recipe in my house. it makes a great side dish for omnivores and a yummy main dish for the veg crowd. when i twittered about my delicious left over lunch today, so many people were interested in the recipe i thought i’d post it here!

note: my style in the kitchen is recipe-free. i buy food that looks good and is good for me and then i put it together is a myriad of ways. a week in my house may consist of an italian meal, an asian stir fry, a mexicali something-or-other, and then something food network inspired. so this “recipe” is my guesstimates. get over the inaccuracy and start playing!

warm potato salad with asparagus & maple mustard vinaigrette

ingredients:
1lb fingerling potatoes (my husband likes expensive food, you might want to try something cheaper!)
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 onion
olive oil
2 tbsp dijion mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt
pepper
optional: cannellini beans

preheat oven to 375 degrees. cut asparagus, onion, & potatoes into bite sized pieces. spread onto baking sheets and coat lightly with olive oil, salt, & pepper. roast until potatoes are soft & lightly browned.

while roasting, prepare dressing. in a large bowl, whisk mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, and olive oil (to taste) to combine & emulsify.

when vegetables are cooked, toss them with dressing. add beans if desired. enjoy!

{click photos for credits}

i wanted to write here tonight but my brain is physically and emotionally fried after this weekend. so, like i do when i need any sort of help, i asked the twitterverse what i should write about!

by the way, twitter is quickly usurping google for me as the go-to place for answers. that’s right, if i follow you on twitter, that means you’re better than google.

anyhow, lisa {milkshake} suggested that i write about how i get all of this done with a little one at home. and i quickly replied that necessity is the mother of invention and all that… and how really my life is a mess and i just do and do and do until it’s done – even though it’s never done. and that that’s not really something i feel i can write about since i don’t have a good system or any tips.

but that’s a cop out.

while i hope this blog is very helpful to you in many ways, it’s not a biz tips blog or a self-help blog – this is my personal blog. if my life’s a mess, you might like to know.

so, yeah, my life’s a mess. but it’s also better than it’s ever been before. note to self: when you have the ability to ask 2,000 people what they’d like to read about you, your life, or your work – you’ve got it good. i get a lot done – most of which happens between 6am and 11pm, in between feeding, entertaining, changing, loving, cuddling, and kissing an 18 month old.

right now, i’m in a creative gold rush. “flow” i think i heard it called a few weeks ago. i’m in the middle of a glut of good ideas and i’m able to pump them out with a lot of will power and the desire to never work for “the man” again. i’m not trying to make myself sound too amazing, it’s just the way i work. i will work from sun up to sun down, and well after, if it means living the life i want and expressing myself fully – whether that’s writing, philosophy, or code.

in elementary school, i skipped 6th grade. 5th grade was a year of “flow” – i remember it quite distinctly. every ounce of me poured into learning & creating. i have that same feeling now – and it’s last for 13 months now. i think that’s thanks to lola.

so yeah, it’s all thanks to lola.