Hitting a Wall

I am tired, sick, feeling spread too thin. No... what I really am is disappointed. I had a deadline to meet where I was relying on others... each had one small piece of the puzzle. And that fell apart. Had it all fallen into place, what I would be feeling right now is elation, not exhaustion. Funny how we are so wired into things happening around us, isn't it?

I've had an angel on my shoulder for this journey I'm on and today I will continue to be thankful for her. The rest? For the rest, I'll put on my big girl panties and continue to forge onward.

My mantra for today is that I know I'm on the right path... and things will work out. If not this moment, then I'll keep working, always keep working.

A New Journal... and so tired

I listed this seafoam journal in my etsy shop last night. I love the texture of that leather, it feels like woven fabric. And seafoam green has always been a color I liked.

I have more journals in the works, but working 50 hours a week and all the emotions has made me tired. I've also been sorting through boxes. Boxes that have been moved from home to home. Most of it is stuff that I don't need, or that can be consolidated down into just a few boxes.

I hope that your week is going well. How do you deal with exhaustion?

A time for rest

I am tired today. Was out late last night helping a friend. So today the plan is to get through work, and this evening will be mostly about rest. I have to. I'm exhausted.

I do find myself feeling guilty for that. But I honestly feel I need to get over it. The help last night was physically and mentally exhausting. And it's time to refill the well.

How do you rest, refill, recharge without feeling guilty?

Reclaiming my Life

So. I mainly marketed yesterday while I was at work. I marketed like a mad woman, but it's time that I would have been sitting there bored. I also edited a lovely rainbow photo and listed it. Today I hope to do the same... along with some journaling and reading the manual for my new camera.

Sometimes, I find, that I have to remind myself that life is good. Do you know what I mean? It's not just blatantly, in your face amazing. But life is good. Life is exactly what I make of it, and sometimes it's difficult to see through the muck of being exhausted from too many hours, or frustrated due to housework, or whatever is trying to rain on my parade at the time.

I often forget that *I* am the one in the driver's seat here. And I am the one, the only one, who chooses my reaction to those things around me. Yes, sometimes others do have the power to influence my feelings, but when it comes down to it, I am the one in control. Must. remember.

So... several t0-do's are stacking up. Simplify my life... reclaim my life... ultimately, they all go together, eh? I just need to remember what a magical ride this thing called life is.

Drained Batteries

You know how your cell phone battery stops holding a charge after a while? Like, it just seems to go dead a little faster? It's not lasting quite as long as it used to? Yep, that's me lately. I seem to need to recharge every few weeks. In a big way, in a sleep all day way. I got off 2 hours early yesterday. Came home and slept. I slept for 3 hours. Got up, watched some tv, then slept all night.

Probably all of it is stress. I seem to have a lot lately. But I know better than to let it get me down like this. Today I will be observing how I handle things. I will be watching to see how I grab onto the stress and hold on to it. And I will be making a conscious effort to not. I will also be watching to see if I avoid the toxicity of some people, or if I absorb that as well. How I feel is in my hands. But I can't make efffective changes if I am not realistic about how I currently handle it.

I hope for you... that you can see what is weighing you down and work on necessary changes. I hope that for me too.

A rewarding week, but a week of exhaustion too

I am exhausted. I've slept so much this week (well, the extra 8 hours on Wednesday), but I went to work for a full day yesterday and today I'm exhausted. I am going to relax this weekend. And sleep in. Heaven.

I'm no longer creating for nothing... creating and listing with no sales. I'm selling, I'm relisting, I'm making more. It's awesome. I can't believe all the places I've mailed my items off to! I love when I address the packages... "oooh, this one's going to Tennessee :-)". And I'm starting to see repeat customers, so that's really cool too!

I will be working on the friendship journals this weekend. Or Mother/Daughter, Brother/Sister, Sisters.... and hopefully will be debuting them next week! Along with some others, and hopefully some more photos. I have so many stored, just haven't listed them yet!

Another thing I've been doing is stocking up for Christmas. All through Etsy! There's such a wide variety of items on there. In fact, I've even started buying bubble mailers for my business on there! And I have some amazing promotional items on order. I just have to show you something amazing... I have a wonderful friend now, she goes by PromoPixie on etsy... and look what she created for me!!!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24353277 I can't wait to receive it! Now if I do craft shows, I'll wear that, and I'll also have lots of other promo materials for it! All thanks to such a smart little pixie!

It's really beginning to feel like a real business now! It's evolving every single day! It's been very rewarding!

I didn't move fast enough...

Yesterday I wrote a post about moving towards relaxation. I can't help but think that I didn't move fast enough now. Yesterday, hubby went to the dr. He has the flu. Not the swine flu (they tested for that), but the flu nonetheless.

The only symptom I'm having so far is exhaustion. I can't keep my eyes open this morning. So, I'm going to rest a little bit and see if I can make it in to work. Not sure how that's going to work. Cross your fingers for me... that either I can rest and feel better or that I will actually call in to work. I feel soooooooo guilty when I do that.

An off day & a SALE for you

I always get this way, at least once during the work week. Where I'm just exhausted. Things have been a little busier at work, which is awesome. I'm now at 37 sales, which is awesome. And I'm really tired.

So, yesterday was an off day. I still discussed ideas with friends, and became inspired. But my heart just wasn't in all the marketing. And that's ok. It's ok to have an off day. And it's ok to NOT beat yourself up for just not being into it. In fact, I've learned that if you beat yourself up about it, then it flows into another whole day of being off. I don't want that :-).

Today I'll ease back into it. I'll do some marketing, do some brainstorming. Lots of ideas now, and I may not get them done til next week because I have a weekend trip planned. But you know what? I'd really love to move some stuff before my trip.

So... today I'm offering YOU 25% off your purchase in my shop. The only thing you need to do is put BLOG25 in your notes on your order. It's a great time to get those Mother's Day gifts! So please stop by and look around. I've never made an offer like this through my blog. Do let me know if you have questions!

a side note: I have free shipping, and the 25% off *does* also apply to the pendants that are already on clearance!! I will refund your paypal as soon as I see your purchase!

Ugh, it's Monday Again...

So, it's Monday again. And I feel that familiar exhaustion this morning. I slept in over the weekend, so getting up at 4am this morning was difficult.

Sleeping in... it is so heavenly any more. It was a good weekend. Yesterday we went to a friend's house and learned how to make fused glass pendants! Kevin has a shop on etsy, and actually we met on twitter. His pendants are absolutely gorgeous! When we went there, I knew absolutely nothing about how to fuse glass. But last night, I went to bed with the process swimming through my head. If only I had a kiln... Not likely to get one of those any time soon, but I would like to play with the glass some more. We'll see what the future holds.

Today I go to work. I have learned that work is what I make of it, more or less. So this week I hope to make it a peaceful, calm week. I know, I can't control others, but I can control my response. And the level to which I absorb their negativity. I have some photos at work that I can edit. And I have some listings that I can work on for my shop. So, if all else fails, I can get absorbed in that. It's a good escape.

Life is what you make of it... here's hoping I make this a wonderful week!

The Beat Goes On

I've added a few new items to my Etsy shop recently. Some new coasters and some photo trios. One of the trios can be seen here. I'll be listing a waterfall trio today, and possibly another one--not sure of the theme yet. Also, coming soon- bookmarks!

I'm taking a lot of my inventory to a show this weekend. It's a 5 day show, so most of the journals will be removed from my shop, as well as some of the pendants (depending on how many more I can get made in the meantime). So if you have your eye on a specific journal or art journal, now is the time to snag one!!

I have been exhausted recently. I have not had the energy to do the things I need to get done, let alone the things I want to do. I'm first trying some really good self-care, perhaps I'm just worn out from spring break, but if it does not get better, I will be going to the doctor.

On my to-do list though... besides making all those items for my shop... is digging out some of my writing so I can share it here. And I have a radio show thingy scheduled for next Sunday. I'll be doing a tutorial on making photo jewelry. I'll post the details soon.

So... I hope it's a wonderfully restful, yet productive day for all of you!