General Whittering
0 comment Wednesday, April 30, 2014 |
The cold winter is coming back (figured it would!) but I've had plenty to do inside, so no worries. More seedlings are poking their heads up, and sprog is happily watching them grow and watering them very gently without flooding. Of course he wants to put more into some pots now but he's being encouraged to wait a bit till the weather improves a little more.
I started my day rather early today as the Trade Standards weights and scales experts are coming round to have a look at my scales to be sure they're calibrated properly. Also going to give my labels a going over (I have some trepidation about this as apparently the law has changed and we now have to put our full address on labels these days, which I really don't want to do - directions to my house for just any old person is a bit EEK for me). So, I did my breadbaking around 7 or so, fed sprog early and had to fight a bit to get him dressed as he was distracted, but we got there in the end and had a dance and sing together just before he was off for school. Now, I've got some black bean-elk soup on the stove (I haven't tasted elk in years but the bison farm nearby has a herd ) and I've done a quick dust-and-polish round the lower portion of the house, started some laundry, and I'm now having a cuppa.
I haven't produced much soap lately, and I am a bit frustrated about this - however, I do have prospects for doing bath bombs and bubble bars, and I find that these seem to sell slightly better. I've been researching the formulation and I intend on getting a few more supplies to give these a go and test them out.
I am getting orders but they are very sparse at the moment - a few here, a few there, nothing really impressive. This isn't due to not having opportunity to promote the business - I was going to go to the Liberty Open Call, and was contacted by the Maverick Group as well for a telly feature. However, the stress it would have put on my body to attend (not to mention the general feeling I had that I would be biting off way more than I could chew) and I decided to skip it. I have a lot in the works at the moment and in order to keep my energy levels to do these things, I'm having to be very careful how I promote myself. I wanted to do gift boxes in town this year for the tourist season, but I decided not to - that's during summer break and my full energy at that time is dedicated to my son; I can't work till 11pm and get up at 4am for five weeks straight! Depressing as I could surely use the money, but it's just not feasible. I wanted to grow my business this year, but instead I find myself wanting to keep an even keel, produce only what I know I can do, and then concentrate on doing Christmas fairs right this time, without sapping my strength or coming across as unprofessional (as I know I need to do my stall properly for these fairs).
This is not a very money-producing choice, but I feel right now it's the right choice. I'm still working, still researching, still getting products out the door and testing the pH and checking the sites, etc. But I also still have energy to cook from scratch, to clean my house, to play with my son and do all the domestic tasks which I actually find enjoyable. I've time to sew muslin cloths to sell, and make bath bombs for special orders, and play with formulations and make pretty things to sell. And I don't feel like I'm struggling to stay awake or keep moving as I have done in the past, which is a great blessing without price or measure.
On the health front, I'm mostly recovered now from my weekend bustle, even with all the pot-lifting! I think my new resolve to try to walk more is helping in that regard; I walk several bus-stops up from my house now, I walk to the post office, and in a few months I'm even going to attempt to walk into town. It's still painful - insoles are a requirement and I'll get some today! - and I may find myself using my cane on some of these forays just to be sure I don't fall over and don't fall into my "hunch-and-hobble" posture, but I'm getting more benefit from it. Since I'll be letting the gym membership drop probably next month (I've got weights at home, and I'm walking plenty, so I don't really need it now), it's probably the best way for me to take off some of this weight and improve my health a bit. With this said, I do have an appointment this week as I am going to have more tests done; my doctor has never been 100% convinced that fibro is my true diagnosis, thinking I may actually be more on the ME side of things, but she wants to rule out other, more serious, things as well.
All in all, a rather chilled yet productive day, proving to myself that I don't actually have to be working at full steam ahead to be DOING something; a lesson I often have to relearn and digest.

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