There is More Than GliTTeR in My Veins...

Hey Y'all, it has been awhile.  I have been a little busy lately filling all my roles in life--wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister, aunt, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, friend, small business owner, Facebook entrepreneur, website entrepreneur...I give up--there are too many to list.  I admit I have gotten caught up in the Facebook competition for your attention, and more importantly your business.  I have been consumed with other businesses "copying" what we do, "stealing" our ideas, "under-cutting" our prices, and wondering if that "home based business" pays licensing fees and taxes like we do.  For allowing all of those things to steal from my ultimate personal and business goals, I apologize to all of you.

Now, do not get me wrong, I feel that we should stay on our toes in a business sense.  I believe that we should always be creative and stay ahead of the game; And that like "a gentleman's handshake", a business should be built on integrity and honesty.  You can not stick your head in the ground like an ostrich and pretend the world is not going on around you.  At the end of the day, you should be able to see what makes us different from the rest.  But what does make us different?  Is it our shiny glitter ways?  Our creativity?  Is it our love of all things flashy?  Or maybe our ability to grab your attention through words and pictures?  I hope that these are all things that cause us to stand out from the rest, but I also hope that anyone who walks in our doors or transacts business with us online will get the feeling that there is something altogether different at La Dee Da.

By the way, there is something missing from the second sentence of this post (go ahead and read it again).  I listed many of my roles, but the most important one is missing.  I'll give you some hints:  My life is not complete without it, and if I were to put this role ahead of ALL the others, I would not worry about such childish and silly things as I have in the past. Everything else would just click.  Note that I am not saying it will be perfect and rosy, but just that it will click and be purpose-driven.  "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28  

Did you guess the missing role?  Well if you guessed CHRIST follower, you were right.  I talk about Him often, and when you walk through our doors you will undoubtedly hear me say His name.  If you ask on what our business is founded, I will tell you that first and foremost we desire to be a light for our community.  Nothing in my world is complete without Him.  But despite it all, I do not always put Him first, before everything else.

I have this favorite t-shirt that reads "I've got Glitter in my veins & Jesus in my heart".  I hope that in the future, you will see that this is true of me.  I hope that when you look at La Dee Da or me individually that you enjoy our sparkles as much as I do, but that Jesus Christ outshines it all as we radiate His glory.

In the meantime we are knee deep in GliTTeR around La Dee Da with the CHRISTmas season coming up!  We hope you leave a little sparkle everywhere you go <3.

In His Service,
Hope
The Glitter Queen of Crazy Town

Where it all Started...I think

I am not really sure where it all started?  I do know this, there is only one person I can attribute my LOVE of all things flashy, and that would be my Grandmother Janice <3.  She has always been full of color and personality <3.  Her jewelry, her clothing, her overall presence is fun, vibrant, quirky (in a good way) and simply Fan-Tab-U-Lous <3.  Grandmother Janice (as she likes to be called) has always been a hard worker, does what needs to be done when it needs to be done, and doesn't mind rolling up her sleeves and getting dirty if she has too.  So I consider her to be a good role model =).

There is one thing that she does well that I do NOT, and that is numbers.  I dread them and hate them with a passion =).  Give me words, colors, textures, glitter, but please do not give me numbers.  And that is where my hubby, Joe, comes in, somebody has to keep this crazy mind of mine in check =).  Believe me it is a hard task to take on too.  But he does it with a smile, and a precious heart <3.  La Dee Da would not be La Dee Da without him.

It was through his prompting and number crunching that allowed us to open our doors on August 2, 2010 =).  Boy was that a nerve wrecking day, I called him up just a crying on the phone.  Him and Lauren (my sweet cousin and right hand glitter diva), just walked me through that day.  And at times, it has been a blur, and I would have it no other way.  I start each day with Jesus in my heart and Glitter in my veins <3.  So far, we are still here and creating <3.  And these girls of mine, would I ever be in trouble without them.  Rarera, Donna-Lou, Mo-Mo, Tay-Bug, Perk, Kate, Ashy-Poo and TJ are my sanity and they keep La Dee Da in working order <3.

 La Dee Da is truly a combination of all who pass through these doors, whether that is employees or customers.  Every person makes a difference, some of them may not even know it.  Our customers are not dollar signs, you are precious souls that make a choice to seek us out in a sea of many.  For that we are truly grateful.  Our hearts are joined in that we want to make a difference, not just creatively, but spiritually.  We care about what goes on in your day, and we want to do whatever we can to help you feel joy and happiness in your day <3.

I am not really sure if I answered the question as to where it all started =).  But then again, I did state I that I am not really sure =).  And please remember, my paper writing days are over, so I am positive there will be a typo or two =).  Have a Blessed Day

For the Love of All Things that GliTTer,

Hope
Glitter Queen of Crazy Town

La Dee Da Means What?!?!?

We get this question all the time, "Why the name La Dee Da?"  So I googled the meaning of the word La Dee Da, and the results were quite comical.  One source says (La Di Da) means, "used to express disdain for something viewed as pretentious".  Another source says (La Dee Da) means, "Good for you. And it's implied that I don't really care".  Both of those meanings could not be any farther from the truth, for us that is =).

La Dee Da is derived from my 13 year old (well almost 13) son, Keyton.  From the moment that little angel could talk he has called my husband, Deeda =).  We do not have a clue where he got it from but it has stuck and he still calls him that to this day =).  My husband has had the joy of being in his life since Keyton was 2 months old, and they are quite the pair =).

Those two precious parts of my heart have always been an inspiration to me <3.  So it seemed only right to incorporate their love for me (and each other) in my everyday work life. Well there you have it, this is the real meaning behind the name <3.

While I am trying this Blog thing out, please overlook any grammatical mistakes ;-).  It has been quite a few years since I have written anything more than my name =).  And if anyone would like to volunteer to be my proof reader I would be much obliged (in my most southern belle voice) <3.

And for the record, this Blog thing might be quite the ride =)...So as my Great Grandaddy T Y Powell used to say, "Get on, Take your seat and Hold on for dear life". (Well I did leave one part out, he used to tell people to shut their mouths....What? He was a school bus driver)

Welcome to my little crazy world, because we all have a little crazy in us ;-).  And truth be told, it's what makes us so creative =).

In His Service (And when I say His, I mean the Lord),
Hope
Queen of Crazy Town