About the Million Dollar Idea

I'm sure you've noticed the boom in creative crafts these days, it's quite hard to miss. Mom's everywhere are using their skills to make things they enjoy making that are cute, fun, functional and even tasty... and some even, all at the same time, use these skills as a way of income for their families.

I'm talking about crafts like budget books made by Julie, she sells them on www.etsy.com

and these cute bows made by Becca.

I have a couple of friends like Ariel that make nursing covers and sell them.

My friend Karen makes the most uplifting fun cards

and I love getting them for my birthday every year.

Anything Kellie touches pretty much turns to gold.

See her so cute signs here. She even made her son the cutest halloween costume!

There are amazing blogs out there like my friend Kristi's

that help us to be more creative and inspired in the functionality of our home and budget and to opening up our minds to new ways of doing things, saving money, and simply help us to think outside the box.

You can even find great furniture on Ana's blog to make for your own home which will give you a sense of accomplishment as well as save you a couple (hundred/thousand) dollars.

(bed made by a reader of Anna's Blog)

Stuck for dinner? Tired of the "same ol' same ol'"? check out some great blogs like Ashlee's

and Stephanie's.

And then there's people like Ashley who decide they want to learn something new so she 'youtube's it and poof she has an amazing new skill and talent.

Don't her cakes look yummy and fabulous?!

There are TONS more blogs out there too! Those are just some by people I personally know (except Ana... I don't know her).

My point is~ I don't know if this "new age" craft era is a trend or if it's something that will stick around for a while. With the economy the way it is and just life being more and more expensive in general, women, who might otherwise choose not to, are having to leave their homes and their children to help make a living. I am inspired by the women I have linked above and all others that have figured out what they can do to contribute to their homes and society, all the while magnifying their talents and creating fun and beautiful and once again tasty... well... anything!

I am blessed to have a job where I get to work from my home. It is not what I consider fun though and sometimes I wonder~ Could I be doing something more enjoyable and still bring in money for my family? I'm sure I can! I have some great talents, the most obvious being my mad sewing skills. I have been thinking a lot lately on what I can do to market my talents. I need a Million Dollar Idea!!!! In the past I've made wedding dresses. I haven't done many since moving to Utah and it takes a lot of time away from my family and frankly isn't really realistic as far as making a living goes right now.

So I need something time efficient/cost effective. Something I can make a turn around on the money I invest. My biggest set back to discovering my Million Dollar Idea is when I see something that already being done a lot I hesitate to take a venture at it myself. I want a product that's unique. Something that people won't look at and say... "That's really cute!!! I could just make that myself." I want to corner a market and if it goes boom after me, well that's fine if I already have a clientele built up. I made crayon rolls for my nieces and nephews,

but I'm not so sure it's cost effective and I'm afraid it's one of those things people will see and choose to do themselves rather than buy (I suppose making a how-to blog about doesn't help my chances of being able to sell); plus they are becoming quite common already.

That's what I've been thinking about lately. Anyone got any million dollar ideas for me?

About Sleep

When I was young every once in a while I used to "sneak" into my parents room in the mornings, on Saturdays and during the summers, to snuggle with my mom in bed. I can't perfectly remember, but as I recall if my mom wasn't already awake reading a book, most of the time she would wake up to give admittance and exchange morning pleasantries, and often even if she had already been up reading reading, ended up falling asleep for a short while more. The idea of being able to fall asleep right after waking up from being asleep all night was strange to me and I found myself wondering ~ HOW DOES SHE DO THAT?! with great amazement.

She had six kids. 'Nuff said! But my small mind couldn't grasp that concept.

I don't know if you know this, but snuggling with your mom is boring if she's just going to sleep. Not a big fan of boredom at that age I decided on many of these occasions that if she was asleep I wanted to sleep too. Not being tired I had to learn how to put myself to sleep so I studied her sleeping. I figured out that when she was asleep she breathed deep and slow, so I breathed deep and slow. Not sure how long it took but that usually did the trick and before I new it I was waking up in mom's bed. It's a good memory:)

I feel like that sometimes still. Every once and a while I will have short waves of insomnia and I again have to figure out how to put myself to sleep. I've figured out lots of different ways but for some reason they never seem to last. In the past I've tried the whole breathing tactic, hot shower, I've had Nate stroke the side of my face (it worked for Bud when he was a little baby, why not me right?) I've stroked my own nose (I know it sounds weird, but it's another trick that worked for Bud). I've also just given into the insomnia with the assumption that I must not be falling asleep because I didn't work hard enough~ so I give up on sleep and clean for a couple (or 3 or 4) of hours and try again to sleep when I'm happy with how clean my house is. These little tricks all worked at one time, and the charm of each has, over time, worn off. Bummer. My latest trick has been to read my scriptures, and not in the hope that I'll fall asleep reading. I actually read a chapter or more before I close my eyes to sleep and its great because I'm awake enough to pay attention to what I read but when I'm done my head is clear enough to let me fall asleep. That didn't work tonight.

So once again I feel like that 5 year old girl trying to figure out how to fall asleep on command. I don't have 6 kids yet. Maybe when (IF) I do this won't be so much an issue? Until then ~ How do you fall asleep when you can't sleep?