In the words of Rihanna...

"All I do is work, work, work, work, work." When I do markets, people will look at all of my creations and often say, "wow, you must do this full-time?" Sadly no, but I'll get there one day! I have a full-time job, a freelance job, and my crochet business. I'm on the go around the clock, there's always something that needs to get done, and for some reason, I freaking love it. I know I won't always have the time to work this much, so I'm taking advantage of the time available now. There's a lot to be said for hard work and it's something I truly value. 

The mornings are my favorite time of day. My other half is still sleeping, so I get the quiet house all to myself. The alarm goes off at 4:00 Monday through Friday, and I immediately roll over to my phone in anticipation of seeing a new online sale that was received overnight. Eh, it's 50-50, not always there, but great when it is. When there's not an order to pack up, my first stop (after coffee) is plundering through emails from my freelance job. About 8 years ago, I started writing grants for non-profits. I'm happy to have worked for a lot of great organizations over the years and now I've found myself doing it on a freelance basis. It's wonderful. Though I spend my full-time job in the world of marketing, I love that I still have an opportunity to write and research grants. It's such fulfilling work. Most mornings, until 7:10, you can catch me doing this. I'm usually home by 4:15 from my full-time job and the grant writing and crochet continue from there until I crash at 9:30. Then repeat! :)

Now don't get me wrong, there are some days when I'm caught up on grant projects and get to indulge in yarn in the mornings. Like today, for example! I love watching Morning Joe and catching up on all of the craziness in the world. I've got a few Hank the Hippos to make for my upcoming market in 3 weeks, need to update my website with product listings, need to make little preemie hats to donate, and stock up on "donuts." I love writing grants, but I probably love mornings like this better. I feel genuine excitement when I wake up knowing I have the next 2.5 hours to crochet and work on the business. Like they say, "When you do something you love, it doesn't feel like work." Ahh yes, it's so true. My mind is constantly on the go, but gosh I love it. It's even more rewarding that I can afford life with all of these gigs. My fiance and I have a chalkboard of savings goals in the kitchen and it's exciting to watch it grow. (Oh yeah, and a wedding to pay for!) Hard work pays off, always. 

---