Feb 12-18, 2013

I have been slowly catching up on things and falling woefully behind in some others. I have a huge pile of phone calls to make (have I ever mentioned I hate the phone) and I am way behind in study for my Master's soapmaking certification. I am not sure I can catch up on that fast enough to take the test by May. :(

My list of things to do is much, much shorter, it is just that all the things left on it seem to take up oodles and oodles of time. One little line like "put new product photographs on web site" turns into an all day photo shoot with multiple trips to the store for new background fabrics, three different cameras, and every light source I can think of, including outside. So those are the things I have left, little things like "update photos" and "new products on website" and "2012 taxes" that will eat up days and days before they can be crossed off and considered finished. If I can get one thing done every two days I will be a happy camper, and maybe finished with everything by the end of April!

This is also the time of year where money just seems to fly out of the window, so many supplies to buy, shows to pay for, and yearly debts to pay (like internet and insurance). It really stresses me out because this is just before shows really start and that light at the end of the tunnel seems so far away. Every purchase is scary and overwhelming right now and I have to make sure I don't act with reckless abandon. I have to be sure I am buying only what I really need, but I also have to make sure I don't say yes to a craft show or event just because right now I am stressed and it makes me feel better to know there is a show on the calender three months from now because that means that someday I will have income rather than outgo. I find this is when I pile on shows that later on I wish I didn't decide to do, so I have to plan out my year, keep with my strategy, and trust myself that it will all work out in the end.

But for now I have to go. I have those phone calls to make, 5 of them, and if I just get them done it will feel much better!