Dear Angie,
After taking a break over the last couple of weeks, we are now jumping back into it here at The DearBook Company. Lots of exciting things are in the works including:
Two new DearBook products: I've been testing these products out and have gotten a great response. These releases are planned for September!
Sample DearBook: One of my biggest challenges has been putting into words what DearBook is. Our users customize their DearBook in many different ways, and describing its value and features in a phrase can be difficult! When I show my own DearBook to people who haven't used it, they say "Oh! I get it now!" And by the way, mine is not always neatly written - sometimes I grab the nearest pencil and just scribble stuff down; there are times I forget to fill a page out; and our "occasions" pages can be terribly unexciting! (At least to an outsider - but the seemingly unimportant bits of info become a treasure when I look back on it later.) So... what you'll see on our website in a couple of months is a sample DearBook, one you can actually flip through and see in use!
Creating your story: Not only is DearBook a wonderful planner and organizer for your year, it's a way to visualize how you want your (and your family's) year to be. With all that we have going on in our day to day lives, this is easier said than done! Over the past few months, I've realized this more than ever and was struggling quite a bit. I've been blessed to come into contact with some incredible people who have helped me tremendously. We will be announcing something new before the end of the year that I think can help you make sure you are the author of your story. |
When I think of Anne Lucas, I think of each of the four words combined (For instance: Order: she has it together! Style: home & garden: could absolutely be in a magazine!!) But as we began talking, she immediately focused on what's really truly important to her: Comfort & Joy...
FRIENDS
Anne Lucas has a big cicle of friends: friends met through tennis and volunteering, old Asheville friends, Greenville friends, hometown Camden friends, met-when-first-moved-to-Jacksonville friends, bridge friends, church friends - and the list goes on. She genuinely cares for these people in her life in an incredibly thoughful and giving way.
She says she really just likes people, and thinks she got this from watching her mother, who grew up during the depression where family and friends took care of each other. Anne Lucas says she tries not to be judgemental of others. "I've found in life it's not a wise way to be. You never know when you may be walking in their shoes." And she adds, "It's a lot harder to be bithchy than to be nice!" (Love that quote!!)
ENTERTAINING
Entertaining...Anne Lucas is fabulous at it! Yes, she's a wonderful cook and things always look great. But - what I love the most is she's always at ease when having others over - her guests enjoy themselves and SHE enjoys herself! I'll never forget when I was over for dinner many years ago... She had made a lasagna and accidently dropped it (glass dish and all) as she was pulling it out of the oven. I would have completely lost it but she just said, "Oh well, let's order from Outback!"
Anne Lucas says her favorite way to entertain friends is to do so spur-of-the moment. Guests' expectations aren't too high and she doesn't put stress on herself thinking about it for weeks. Last week she grabbed fried chicken and baked beans from Publix, made easy biscuits, salad and dessert - and a "dinner-picnic" for 16 was served!
She also has her tried-and-true favorites - fantastic dishes that are her go-to's when cooking. She'll just switch up the salad, side dish, dessert.
OTHER FAVORITE THINGS
- Doing crossword puzzles
- Sitting on her front porch (watching children go by, just being outside)
-Traveling with Charles, her husband (They are both great fun!) Favorite places to go: London and New York City. Favorite things to do there: Dine at great restaurants
- Reading cookbooks (one of her favorites - Tallahassee's Thymes Remembered Junior League cookbook)
- A favorite book: Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
- Helping with the flower guild at church: loves going on Saturdays, learning about arranging and making the sanctuary beautiful for the next day's service. She says her friend in charge of this is amazing. Since starting a year ago, Anne Lucas says she has "begun to truly appreicate the beauty of a rose."
Her all-time favorite thing: Her grandchildren... She just loves spending time with her grandchildren and says she just can't be with them enough. She hopes everyone one day can have an opportunity to experience the joy of being a grandparent.
In closing, Anne Lucas said, "You come into the world with nothing and leave with nothing. Material things just aren't what's important. What is are the relationships - family and friends...and the memories made with them. That's what is truly important."
Thank you, Anne Lucas, for sitting down to chat with me, and for all of your incredible support both you and Charles have given me and us. We are grateful. |
