TGIF

Ah the joys of working at home. I am spending the morning in my flannel jammie pants at the computer. It's boring, to be sure. I need to input all the mailing list info, order info, and bookkeeping stuff from the last couple of months.

It's all data and numbers and mumbo that is necessary for the business, but stuff I hate. If I can plow through even a chunk of it, I need to do a complete inventory this afternoon of every single item of product or supply in the studio. Necessary for taxes. But a good way to get things organized and cleaned up after the mad rush. If there are any crumbs left, I may have a few things to put up on the clearance sale page. But I'm not expecting it, there's not a lot here. Just a jumble.

I met with Lauren, the events planner at Molbak's (the best nursery/garden store in the universe) yesterday. We have big plans. I'll be teaching a soapmaking class there on Feb 2nd. And if it goes great, there will be more, and possibly my soaps in the shop, and maybe a spa series of workshops down the road, and, and. We'll see. One step at a time.

But the first class is a for-sure thing. I've started working on the handouts and class description. It will be on their calendar page in a few days or so. And when we get it in print, and have a phone number for registering, I'll post all the info here immediately - and on the calendar of the web site too. But if you are so inclined to learn how to make soap the old-fashioned way, from scratch, put a little star on your own calendar for Sat, Feb 2, 2:30pm and check back next week.

Today I feel out of sorts - not in the bad mood way, just not sorted out. Like there is a mountain of bits and pieces I need to put together to make sense of what needs to be done this month. I just transferred my 2008 calendar, writing in the birthdays and such, setting up my new system for this year. But I have a pile of stuff next to it that still needs to be put into time. Fliers, notices, due dates of things that are awaiting placement in the big book of "WHAT TO DO". Without my little system I am lost. And since the first lists haven't even been started yet, I'm still wandering around in the forest a bit. I'm starting on the first few tasks of the month that have to be done first. And I have to sort out the giant mound of everything else that needs attention this month. January can be really hard, with all the planning and scheduling and rush to get spring in the hopper before February 1.

I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed and behind already, on the like the second day into the new year. I'm still a little fragile from all the overwhelm of the last few months. I know it's all doable and I've been here before. But I'm not feeling that sort of "endless time to do it all in" feeling that I usually get in January. Instead I'm already feeling the pressure of deadlines with a planned vacation coming up at the end of the month plus the class, newsletter, spring seasonals and announcements all due the following week. Better get cracking.

At least it's in my slippers, with the cats napping cozily next to me. Rough, eh? Cue the violins.