Time

It's funny how time flys when you get older.  The days are passing so quickly I have no idea what day it is any more.  I think part of the problem is I've been so busy.  The busier the day the more quickly the time passes. 

A lot has happened since the last time I've posted.  The store has closed and the month of October was a complete blur.  I had only one day off since Oct. 13 and every day was completely so busy at work I had no time to breathe.  I took the first week of November off to relax and de-stress myself, but I think the work relax isn't in my vocabulary because I took Figaro and Tinkerbell to the vet to get their shots on the Monday, Tuesday was a hair cut, Wednesday I took the cats to the vet to get fixed and declawed, Thursday I took a drive to do a little shopping, Friday I finished off store stuff and picked up the cats from the vet, I think I relaxed on the Saturday and went clothes shopping on Sunday.  Then I started my new job. 

The new job is keeping me running all day long and before I know it I'm on my way home from work.  I love keeping busy and I'm no longer stressing out.  I think I prefer the role of being an assistant manager then a manager, it has a lot less stress.  I like the idea of coming home and things aren't bothering me of where do I put this or that running through my head all night long.

I had this weekend off and I really don't know what happened to it.  On Saturday I got all my sewing done, except for the hand sewing.  I got the 2 twirly skirts done for my daughters nieces for their Christmas gifts from her and then I got her apron done.  I also got a very small part of my sewing studio organized.  Today was an early eye exam, which ended up in getting my eyes dilated, then shopping while waiting to pick up my new sunglasses.  I was planning on resting when we got home since my eyes were bothering me, but I ended up putting uo most of our Christmas decorations.  I'm still trying to figure out where I put my  Mickey Mouse Christmas lights!!!

One of these days I will relax...yeah, right!!!

Today's quote: "Time goes, you say?  Ah no!
Alas, Time stays, we go."  
-   Henry Austin Dobson  

Chosing your battles

A friend once told me to choose my battles wisely when it comes to raising your children, especially a teenager.  It really did work, somethings were not worth the trouble.  That advise has worked with many things in life.  Just last week I was going to complain about the way something was being handled and when I talked to the person that I was going to complain to, things changed before I could complain and I decided it wasn't worth the battle or better yet, I didn't want to burn any bridges before I could cross them.

We all have battles that need to be fought for one thing or another, it could be a simple battle or a complicated battle, a life or death battle,   Life is a battle in itself.  Everyday we fight the battle the best we can, sometimes we win sometimes we lose.  Each day it's a different battle.  The battle to get to work or to school, the battle of the job, the battles with our children.  We choose to do these battles the best that we can.

My battles these days are feeling like unwon battles.  My little battle is trying to get Figaro and Tinkerbell to stop climbing the curtains and eating my plants.  Spraying them with water doesn't help, spraying the plants with a repellant doesn't help, punishing them doesn't help.  The other battle is the closing of the store.  I know that battle is a losing battle, but the bigger battle is finding a new location for us.  That battle I'm not giving up.

Today's quote is the following: To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e. e. cummings

Life and sleepless nights

The reason I've missed a few days has been because I was away at seminar and just got too busy to post and then getting back into the swing of things.  When I'm away from home I have trouble sleeping and then I wear myself out and end up getting sick.  I came home from seminar with a cold and now I'm battling that.

Sometimes sleepless nights can be exhausting and other times sleepless nights can be inspiring.  It's funny how when I can't sleep because I'm in a strange place or when something is on my mind can be so exhausting, but yet when I get that idea at 3 in the morning it's so inspiring.  Somedays when I wake up with these ideas I love the quietness of the house.  I woke up about 2:30 this morning and it was one of those inspiring wake ups.  I wanted to make muffins but was afraid the noise and the smell would wake up my husband, so instead Figaro and I cuddled for awhile.  I think his purr reminded me that I really did need my sleep.

Last night also could of been one of those nights that I had a lot on my mind.  I have a client dropping some things off today to embroider which always excite me and I got a phone call from a client that I did a project for that let me know how excited she was with my work.  I had made her a tank top for her bachlorette party and she was so happy that it turned out so well.  She also let me know that she was going to hand my business cards out to everyone!!  It's nice to hear feedback on my work.

These days I do have so much on my mind with my real life job as a store manager is coming to a close, maybe.  I haven't heard anything about if the new store location is go yet or not, which I know may take time.  At least I do have a job after the store closes if it doesn't reopen.  I know when one door closes another one opens.  I'm still debating if I should be applying for other jobs or not.  For a month I do have an option whether or not to stay or leave.  Before I make that final decision I want to find out if I have the chance to get a new store or not. 

Which leads me to my quote: Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep.  Fran Lebowitz

The Path

Monday when I arrived at seminar I decided to take a walk around the resort to try to clear my head,  It's so scenic here and a wonderful place to try to clear out the mind.  While I was walking a found a path and decided to take to where ever it would lead me.  I figured the worse thing that could happen is that I would get lost.  While I was walking this path I decided to just go whatever direction that felt good to me.  The path was in the woods and even though everything is already turning into fall colors, it was a wonderful  little path.  I didn't get lost, but then again Gilles does insist that I have a built in GPS system. 

While I was walking I decided that the path is like my life right now.  I'm going to follow the path and it'll lead me into the direction.  Whatever happens, happens and it'll be the best for me,

Which leads into today's quote:  Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Getting ready to leave

Today I get the grand job of getting ready to leave for my seminar for work.  I think I'd rather be spending the time in my sewing studio rearranging everything and finding room for my stash.  Working in a fabric store for the past 11 years has created a very large stash of fabric.  Of course, everything I bought had a purpose when I bought it!!  Lately my stash has increased because I wanted to get things before the store closed and most of it is for Dragonfly Myst Designs.  I still need to make that first sale, but I'm sure when I get it, my company will be successful.

My stash has worked it's way out of the sewing studio and into the spare bedroom.  I think when I get back from seminar, my stash will have to be sewn up into products and put on sale.  If I can get the sewing studio under control then I can head down to the scrapbooking studio and get that under control.

It doesn't help when you wake up in the middle of the night, thinking "Oh, I need this so I can make that.  I'm sure that this will sell."  These ideas are usually some of my best ideas.  Sometimes my mind is going in 50 different directions at one time and I want to do it all at the same time.  Just this morning I remembered some fabric I had bought that I wanted to use for something for a belly dance costume and some trim we have/had at the store.  I want to had the trim to the fabric and some coins to make a belly dance hip scarf.  So before I head out to seminar, I'm going to run to the store and get the trim I need so I can work on the belt before I leave and during my free time the next few days.

This all leads to today's quote: Creative minds are rarely tidy.

My Creative Muse

A few years ago I was in an altered book email group where we took a journal and added a few quotes to the journal and altered the journal with the quotes.  It was a great swap and quite fun.  I had developed a love for quotes many years before, but this had me looking for quotes and playing with them to make them into art.  I have learned over the years that when things get a little rough I look for quote to keep me strong.

With all the trouble I've been going though for the past year, I'm finding that I need to turn more to my creative muse to keep me strong.  Last night I found some of my favorite quotes and decided that I need to find one daily to keep in my thought for the day.  I have also decided that I need to keep that altered quote book by my side and add to it.

My biggest challenge is going to make sure I do this daily.  For the next 4 days I head out to a seminar for work and I'm in my final five weeks of having my job.

Today's quote is perhaps my favorite quote because I think it is the one that describes me to a T: 

Creativity is a drug I cannot live without. --Cecil B. DeMille