Thursday, September 30, 2004

Planning Ahead... It’s Kind Of Like Swimsuit Magazines!

The funny thing about deadlines in many industries is that they are SO FAR AHEAD that I often get muddled. In talking with Karen Weaver today, I suddenly realized that TONIGHT was the deadline for class proposals if I want to teach anything to shop owners in Nashville! YIKES!! It is so hard to think ahead to February when I am trying to proofread sheets and instructions for Toronto! Now I know how those models in swimsuit magazines feel when they are trying to look warm and sunny on freezing cold beaches in the middle of winter! How do fashion designers ever get inspired when they are creating styles so far ahead of time?? Do they make themselves little notes while experiencing the warmth of summer or chill of winter to bring back those feelings, sensations and ideas half a year later??

I did manage to dig out my notes and get the forms filled out... but after a whole day of working on an intense graphic layout , a night of being the only parent while Nick did the “Meet the Creature” night in Petitcodiac and trying to get Erin to help me with groceries in the hour that Bethany was at Sparks, I don’t really trust myself to get the files and codes for the Earth Dragon proofread tonight. I think I will do that first thing in the morning after my swimming lesson and see how many e-mails pile up reminding me that October 1st started at midnight!

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Just Not Enough Hours In The Day!!

Where have the last 6 days gone???

Just as I am getting set to kit everything up for the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival in 2 weeks, a major client of mine drops an assignment in my lap!! If they weren’t such a well paying client, or if shops respected Net 30 terms a bit more, then maybe I would say NO... but now it just means sandwiching things in where I don’t feel I have time!

Erin’s homework is taking much longer this year and she gets frustrated sometimes. Teaching her how to stay on task and get things out of the way first, then play, occasionally produces some major battles and extreme urges on my part to call my own mother to apologize, but it is an essential part of learning time-management skills that will last her a whole lifetime. Bethany is also learning patience. She wasn’t around last year when I helped Erin with homework because she was still at daycare. This year, she is a bit more jealous that Erin’s work takes more of my time than the hour of “Mommy Time” she gets, but I keep explaining that it will balance out in the end.

I did manage to talk a wonderful shop owner who wanted copies of ALL of our painted canvases to just take the two that I already had painted up and photos of the rest because there physically isn’t time to meet her deadline with Toronto and this graphics project filling the next 2 weeks! At least I have finally learned not to burn the WHOLE candle... just singe both ends a little!