It seems that things never happen at a steady pace. There is either dead silence, boredom, and nothing to do or too much to keep up with. I’ve been hit with the latter over the last 2 weeks;

• I changed day jobs
• I testified in court for the first time
• I got a request to make jewelry for an entire wedding

and those are just the big items. I would far rather complain about being too busy than not busy at all – and I’m working not to complain about it period. What I’m really not happy with is is how far behind I am with blogging and keep that side of things on track. So I’m taking steps to get more organized.

I bought a (red) 18-month organizer – I’m blocking out time through Christmas 2012!  and I’m making decluttering a focus for this summer. But not at the expense of the other projects…

The headlines this week were all about the stagnant economy.  Not particularly good news when you want to sell people the ‘extras’ in life – things they can clearly survive without. But I take that to mean I’ve got a few more weeks to redo my mailing list, to contact buyers, to do the five hundred other things on my list. It in no way changes what I need to do, but it might just let me enjoy the process knowing that it will be awhile before things pick up.  It’s absolutely not an excuse to not move forward.

So that’s what I’ve been doing, slowly in bits and pieces trying to get my framework to a manageable place.  That too is a ways out but the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to gleam.  And in the meantime, I have a garden to tend and a dog to attempt to train.

So a slow economy means an hour on the deck with a glass of wine is neither impossible nor guilt-ridden. Something to look back on fondly when things heat up!

Perhaps it’s been all the talk about the world ending, but for some reason I’ve felt the need to make more progress on my house projects this week. Well, actually the real reason is the teen-age puppy that is requiring that I find better storage options if I want my tools and supplies to remain intact. Regardless I’ve been thinking through what needs to happen to finish them off.

When I bought my house, the entire interior was in ‘ready to sell’ off-white… If you came to the door color alone would indicate which spaces I’ve worked on and which I haven’t. Red, marigold, chocolate and… off-white.

That last room was the formal dining room in 1930 and is now the jewelry shop/sewing/supply room. I had thought I would put it back to a dining room when I was ready to tackle it with paint, drapes, and furniture.

Now I’m wondering if the impetus for that isn’t a ‘should’ that would be better ignored. I don’t give dinner parties.

In fact, I loathe dinner parties.

And I have two other eating spaces in the house, do I really need three? While it may seem like a trivial design decision it comes down to am I willing to put the effort into my career or into proper appearances? Which is it going to be? Do I buy a dining table or a workbench?

I’ll let you know which wins out later!

I haven’t been good about posting at all – it seems like too many things going on and no real progress to report. But sometimes life is like that. I’m working on getting back into a solid routine. I’m changing some things up and researching others. And I’m certainly doing my fair share of stimulating the economy!

So what does that really mean? Well, while I said earlier I would be doing art shows this summer, it seems it will be the summer of figuring out art shows so that I can do them next year. I’m researching the shows, figuring out how the heck I can fit display panels in my car – the math just isn’t adding up yet, and trying to make sure I actually have stuff to sell. It’s hard to wait but hurrying will only make me feel like I’m doing something.

I’m working out the overall strategy of my blogs and websites and while that means some haven’t seen a new post in months when I return it will be with a vengeance!  And I’m working out how to publish.

On the personal side I’ve been reading a lot of dog training books. It’s been absolutely amazing to me how so many people can have so many different theories about dogs and training with such conviction.  My conclusion is that American dog trainers are surprisingly rigid people and I prefer the Scandinavian methods. Who knew?  A year ago I didn’t even know there was more than one way out there.

I finally got my house lot surveyed in preparation for fencing and finally dealing with the person who keeps stealing the tulips from the front walk right when their at their peak.  And I got the moss off the roof, a uniquely Northwest problem – it was starting to bloom.

So now the challenge is finding the time to do all the things I know need doing -it’s a lot better than wondering what to do!

There’s a delightful irony in modern America – just how much we worry about our stress levels. I’m not usually too preoccupied with it except when it comes to losing sleep; I don’t function without sleep! I could actually feel the doors of opportunity beginning to open this week after a lot of work and now working with a consultant. Hard work with results always feels good.

But then come the sly thoughts about ‘now what?’ and thinking that I need to figure out how to negotiate the sale when the phantom offer in the future comes. What marketing do I need to go along with the new look? And so forth… It’s all good but it’s still stressful and my brain won’t turn off when I want it to. So a deep breath and lots of reminders that it’s all just one thing at a time, one foot in front of the other.

The best part is I now feel that my “brand” is solidifying. I know what I represent in the market place and how all those pieces fit together. That’s been holding me back for some time so having the confidence is a huge part of moving forward. I can’t wait to see where it all leads!

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