And In With The New!

This should technically be a Happy New Year's post, but it's turned out to be an almost the end of January post and that's ok with me!  Everybody's still talking about "New Year, New Me" and around here I'm focused more on New Year, New Blog!  Yes!  Change is afoot!

So what's the change?  Well, for starters you'll notice this blog has a new name . . .House of Wolf and Lamb.  For those who know me well you'll probably get what all that means without having to ask.  For those who don't, for the moment I'll just leave it at it's a name that's all me and that I've been sitting on for a few years just waiting for the right time to employ it and well, that time is now!  I'll explain the name in more detail in another post, but what other changes are there?  I'm so glad you asked! 

The biggest change, other than the name, is that I'm removing the boundaries from this puppy.  Up until now, this blog has been strictly design related . . .but while my job as a home designer is a huge part of me and that's what most people know me for . . .there's so much more to me as a person and as a creative.  I have a myriad of interests and hobbies and oh yeah, there's that whole mom/military wife thing going on.  I realized over time that I wasn't as dedicated to this blog as I originally hoped to be, but I also felt I had restricted myself to working inside a box, needing to be super polished and only discussing topics home design related.  Then over the past few years I realized there were SO MANY more things I wanted to talk about!  So consider this blog officially converted to a lifestyle blog and who knows what you'll see here.  I've got a list to get me started, but once we get going I'm totally open to requests/suggestions, and I anticipate it's going to be anything goes!  

Some of the things are by request, some are just things I want to share, and others are things I want to leave behind for my daughters in writing for someday when I'm no longer around.  What better place to share those things than here where they can all access them and where they may also be informative to others.  The thing about being a mom is that you don't always just mother your own children . . .maybe it's a Southern thing, maybe it's a country thing, but it's my experience that we've all gotta help each other out here and there.  I confess I occasionally mother other mom's kids in one way or another and I know there are others out there who also mother mine.  We've got to have each others' backs!  And then sadly there are kids young and old out there who might not have a mother for one reason or another or maybe their mother is struggling in some way . . .to those kids . . .if you need a virtual mom I'm here for you.  I hope you can find something to learn here that might help you out in life now or later on down the road.  Maybe it's advice on internet etiquette, how to bake chicken, how to put more air in your tires, or just some general advice on life.  Who knows?!  We shall see where this leads me and therefore you . . .my faithful readers  . . .all four of you, God bless you.

But wait . . .there's more.

YouTube.  Yep, you read that right.  I plan to start YouTubing in the next couple of months.  Right now I have a few ducks to get in a row first.  I've just completely rearranged my office and at the moment there is a large pile of "stuff" in the floor!  Because I finally cleaned out the closet!  Yay!  I'm about to be creating a new work table in here (out of an old door I've had forever and it's going to be amazing).  However, I realized I've been wanting to clean that closet out forever and I was going to be wise to pull it all out and sort while I had space, BEFORE I put that table together.  So while I'm in the middle of this hot mess and working on Building 313 work I'm planning on getting that rolling.  I confess I've had more than a few people in my life tell me I should have my own sit-com.  This isn't exactly it, but it's the best I can do.  You're welcome John!  I don't know if anyone will actually watch, but they can't watch if I don't give it a go!

Wish me luck getting started with that and if you have any requests, just throw that down there in the comments.  I plan on using the blog and vlog in tandem as some things are better suited to one or the other.  My hobbies are varied as I'm interested in just about everything I come across.  Obviously, I design homes and draw blueprints for a living and have my finger in every design related pie I can find.  I love photography and consider myself a serious amateur, I dabble in a bit of graphic design, and while I don't think I'm particularly great at it I do like to paint a bit here and there.  Maybe I need lessons?!  I'm also a musical person and while it's been awhile since I've touched it, I play the trumpet.  Even longer since I touched it, but I also play a little piano.  You don't want to hear it though, I promise.  Interesting fact:  I was a music education major in another lifetime and was studying to become a high school band director.  In the end I didn't complete that degree and probably for the better, but who knows  . . .some day I might work on finishing that somewhat as I realized last year I'm not too far from a degree in music.  Again, we shall see!

Fear not Building 313 clients, current and future!  You can rest assured I plan to be sitting right here working on your projects for a good long while though.  ;)

I also knit (like a madwoman).  I am often spotted knitting on something at ballgames of all sorts and at meetings, holidays, or wherever else I'm forced to sit still for awhile.  I've long since lost count of how many hats and scarves I've made.  I can't stand to be bored and I find I generally listen better if my hands are busy.  Mindlessly knitting yet another scarf usually does the trick.  Can you put hats and scarves in those little food pantry boxes?  Must find answer.  And yes, Linda . . .I know you're saying SQUIRREL right now!  ;)  BTW, Linda is not imaginary or figurative . . .she's my dear friend and I often wonder how she puts up with me?  But thank you because I'm so glad you do!!

I also sew (and quilt), but don't often have a chance as often as I'd like.  Sewing isn't nearly as portable as knitting, so knitting usually wins out. 

I mentioned cooking above . . .I can and do cook although everyone in my family will tell you I don't really like it much.  I guess I generally see it as a chore and that takes the excitement out of it.  Mom tip:  Teach your kids to cook.  It will change your life!  I do enjoy baking more than cooking.  My biggest deciding factor in enjoyment in the kitchen is generally the timeline and the purpose.  Do I HAVE to cook?  Do I HAVE to cook it now?  Is someone requesting and pestering I cook?  Or do I have all day to create what I want and then enjoy it???  Moms out there must understand.  There just aren't enough hours in the day it seems.

I also enjoy a bit of gardening, but you wouldn't know it from looking at my gardens last year!  I try to go for low maintenance and each year I get a little less terrible at vegetable gardening.  I do say my next career will be as an Oregonian raspberry farmer, so I'd better get a little bit more practice in.  I will say cooking is more fun when you grow the ingredients!

So you'll see I use a lot of exclamation points.  I don't use those to make this sound more exciting.  I really sound like that!!!  I've had a client tell me before that my writing sounded just like how I talk!  I'm often fairly excitable!  I'm not sure if that was a compliment?  At any rate, I have a fairly informal approach to writing and I write things as I would say them . . .and that means a lot of these . . . ellipses?? . . .and a lot of these !!! and a lot of sentences starting with and and a few run on sentences here and there.  I can be a grammar nerd, but it's also 2019 and this isn't a novel.

As far as other changes there are a lot of things I'm working on for Building 313 that should help out in the future.  Getting more organized with things, and one thing that's been on the books for a long, long time that I've had requests for for many, many years:  Stock plans.  Yep.  It's going to be awhile before you see them offered up, but it's definitely something in the works.  If all goes well hopefully we'll have our first flight ready by this time next year.  

With House of Wolf and Lamb, for those of you who know what Southern Momma is . . .well, that's going by the wayside and House of Wolf and Lamb is taking it's place.  The simple stacking bracelets I sell at my little booth (A Beautiful Mess in Russellville, AR) are about to be re-branded and after I have other things running smoothly you might see some items offered up for sale on Etsy and very soon my social media are going to be rearranged to better reflect everything I'm working on.  It's a multi-step process that's taking me a bit of doing, but this is my second thing to launch.  The first was this fully redesigned website.  Be on the lookout for more additions and launches soon!   

So that's what's up!  I'm going to see where this road leads me and have fun with it!  There's far too much serious in the world and not enough fun and while I'm going to have some serious posts (and rants if we're being honest) I'm going to try to have as much fun as possible and I hope you'll come along for the ride!

Welcome to House of Wolf and Lamb where creativity is celebrated, love is cherished, and life is an adventure.

​ - Megan