Hey Lou Writes

The Grey Matters


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Reaching For The Goals!!

The chickens, they finally did it!! Three out of five are laying. FINALLY, one of my cute little egg holders can be filled. I will never buy another egg again. It is a great feeling! It was one of our goals. 

I read something recently that I completely agree with. The gist was this: Don’t stop setting goals for yourself. This is not just a new year’s deal… this is a living life deal. Challenge yourself and set new goals all the time — every day — every week — every month. Don’t stop your momentum. 

I loved this!

Here I’m going to point out a few goals I had that somehow came true. Some of it happened through hard work and dedication and other things happened through less dramatic means… they just sort of happened. It’s been a great 2013. I was glad to see 2012 go. I might be a little nostalgic when 2013 ends.

Here they are!

Our Chickens Are Laying … and They Are Adorable 

In case you missed the story of the first egg, here you go. In case you want to see yet another cute picture of them, here you go:

babies!

chickens, coops, writing

so cute

toddlers!

chickens, goals, homestead

true love

oh my word

oh my word

teenagers!

chickens, goals, homestead

the fam

all grown up!

chickens, goals, homestead

Aren’t they pretty?

The EGG:

chickens, goals, homestead

they made this little nest out of the material in their coop!

The Main goal here is to have a homestead one day… to be entirely self-sufficient on said homestead. Eventually I’d like to raise goats, other poultry and a pig. They will all have names. They will all be like family. That’ll be the protein side of surviving on our own. The vegetable side will look something like this (yet another goal we’ve reached…):

chickens, greenhouse, homestead, goals

greenhouse

chickens, greenhouse, homestead, goal

the row

We already eat mostly out of the garden. The last few times I went to the store I got chicken food and wine. heh, heh

Again– it’s a great feeling!

I got a job.

I spent the end of summer and beginning of fall working on a farm, which was an amazing experience. Some of you know I used to be an assistant chocolatier. Well, I applied for a job and here’s something new that happened: I felt entirely qualified. I was confident during the interview. I knew I’d do a good job, if they hired me.

I’ll be working with chocolate again!! The big plus side here is that I’m not a huge chocolate eater. I just love the production of it!! It’s a little specialty chocolate and coffee shop, styled like a French cafe, and I cannot wait to start. I was worried about things lining up, and then here pops up this great opportunity to do something I love yet again. I’m so blessed.

I am almost done with my most recent project. 

It’s a book called How We Lost Our Minds. It’s all I think about. When I listen to songs, I’m listening to them as the characters in this book ,wondering how so and so would relate. I’ve been caught up in this story. I’m living it. I love it.

I cannot wait to share it with the world. I have about 20,000 words left. Send me good writing vibes! :) Thanks!

My husband’s band went on tour in the Pacific Northwest. 

They played in Seattle, Portland, Eugene and they’re ending the tour in San Francisco. They opened each time for a band called The Handsome Family. I couldn’t be more proud. The band Wildewood consists of drums and harmonica: Greg (husband), guitar and vocals: Meredith (my twin!!!), and guitar, vocals and pedal steel: Alex. They’re my favorite people in the world. This is so exciting!!

homestead, chickens, goals

Kate Burn Photography…Wildewood

I am going to run a 10k on T-day.

I stopped running for a while. I was afraid, as usual, to pick it back up again. I accomplished a huge goal, running five miles, yesterday, and I won’t give up until the big day. A friend is helping to motivate me along the way. The rush I feel after running is unreal.

Greg and I RE-DID our wedding photos. 

The photos from the actual day made me cry, I disliked them so much. They’re all still sitting in a stack in my house somewhere… untouched for almost four years. I never made an album, never put up a wedding photo on the wall. HOWEVER!! This is all about to change. I decided to hell with the old… I’ll make something good. With our good friend and photographer, Kate Burn, we did a wedding photo shoot right here at home. Chickens were involved. The old wedding dress was involved. My mom’s old dress she made when she was 16 was also involved. You guys, I am so excited. I can’t wait to post some of these photographs when they’re ready :)

As always, thanks for taking time to check out Hey Lou Writes!!

Do you have anything exciting going on?

Any goals you’re currently trying to reach, or you’ve recently reached??

garden, eating organic, eating, health

life is good

Love, Lou


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Do It Yourself …the art of being a catalyst

writer, new writer, catalyst, short stories, poems

It’s the only way :)

I was recently told by someone I know this: “You were a catalyst for me.”

I looked up the word. It’s actually pretty scientific.

Catalyst-

1: a substance that enables a chemical reaction to proceed at a usually faster rate or under different conditions (as at a lower temperature) than otherwise possible
2: an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action
Therefore… this person thinks that something I did changed something in their life at a faster rate than it might have, had I not done something. Or I provoked a significant change.
At first I was a little bit taken aback. After all, I’d rather be, say, important to someone, or a part of their life, than simply a catalyst for whatever the heck happened or is happening. I felt like I had the word stamped across my forehead. Like I had become this thing, this symbol for someone else’s life. (On a good note, I think the person meant it as a compliment.)
I’ve been thinking lately about my own life. If I’m going to be a catalyst for something, I’d rather it be my own goals. I want to do something that sparks a fast change in my own life. I want to provoke something new and good to happen. I have to keep doing things to make life interesting, because as the saying goes, “God doesn’t move a parked car.” We have to set our own goals and work toward them.
Here is one quote I’ve been in love with lately:
short stories, author, writer, new writer, poetry

No Exceptions

I have a magnet of this quote up on my fridge. It really does remind me each and every day to live life to the fullest. There are certain changes I DO want to make, and they aren’t going to happen unless I simply change my actions.

SO!

Think positively.

Visualize your goals. 

Sit down and do the work! (I spend hours a day writing. I’m not perfect, I’m just working really hard!!!)

Choose to support the things you LOVE… don’t spend so much time (and wasted energy)  hating the things you don’t approve of or dislike.

Be patient! 

Don’t let your self be a catalyst for someone else. Be your own!!!

I’ll leave you with yet another great quote:

“To be a catalyst is the ambition most appropriate for those who see the world as being in constant change, and who, without thinking that they can control it, wish to influence its direction.” -Theodore Zeldin, Historian and Author

Because I don’t ever want to feel the word burning into my forehead again… I’d rather it be written on my own heart for my own reasons.
:)