I have found that in being self employed, I tend to take slow times personally.  The result of this is that when I'm not working on a big important project, I feel like a failure.  It sounds worse than is and is actually rather common among those of us who type of work comes in waves or seasons.  My goal has been to either always have new projects coming up or if that is not possible, to use the downtime productively instead of wallowing in self pity.

However, right now I am in the midst of a string of one big project after another combined with an average of 2 shows a week.  The projects are business, personal and philanthropic in nature and pretty varied but I'm still feeling exhausted right now.  I understand that I can't go full throttle at all times, but am so afraid that if I loose the momentum, I won't get it back for awhile.  Being busy and working on many projects effectively gets more projects going so I'm worried it will create a slump that I can't afford to be in.

Does anyone else go though this or something similar with owning your own business?  How do you deal with the balance of full speed and rest, I would love to hear your thought!

1.  Two hours into a show on a Saturday, acting on the thought: "I should see if there's still a spot in tomorrows S Congress market" is not advisable.  You will curse loudly when the alarm goes off early Sunday morning.

2.  Crawfish are yummy.

3.  Ford was really onto something with the time saving aspects of assembly line production.

4. My designs have now been known to excite someone so much that they spill their drink all over themselves.  Awesome...

5.  Printers designed for small businesses are in fact really useful to small business owners.

6.  Sarcasm and satire are not always "gotten" until people know you better.

7.  Always trust your gut.

8.  You never know the role a stranger may play in your life when you first meet them. (we're talking fortune cookie wisdom here!)

9.  Girls nights are essential to sanity.

10.  The salsa that you buy in a bag in the produce section of the HEB is Ah-mazing!!! Aka...don't judge a book by its cover.

Since none of my younger sisters had the same hair type, I think mom missed the fluffy results and insta-volume she achieved from a simple brushing.  This is the only explanation I have for her obsession since I grew my hair long again to try and brush it out.  Perhaps it has a great deal to do with my having had short hair for years which was most of the time dyed red or blond and once a bad choice of black.  Now that its back its natural color and length from childhood, its like she gets to go back in time 30 years.  Or she really does think it looks good all fluffy...and look at how much she enjoys doing it!!! I never will understand the joy she gets from this...I want to hide my head under a hat after its all done.

Either way, my mom will be at my house this week visiting and as its been a few years since I last let her do it...I just might let her brush it out again.  Happy Mother's Day Mom, I love you!!

p.s.  the pout in the photo was a result of my being smacked on the top of the head with the brush and told to stop whining.  Ahem...that was 2 years ago...I was 33...I think it makes us both revert

So when I walked into the HEB on Tuesday afternoon and saw this...

...which was just the biggest collection of balloons that I have ever seen in one place!! I looked around and saw that two women were filling them up and this was their make shift staging area.  I couldn't help myself though!!  I walked right over and stood in the midst of all of the ribbons...and even though I was perhaps in the way, they didn't seem to mind as it was the middle of the produce section.  It made me smile thinking to myself as I gazed up at the awesome display before me that sometimes, you just can't help yourself, you just have to jump right into the staging area.

Why do I have three pens in front of me???

1. Even though computers and spreadsheets are incredibly useful, I still like making my own charts on graph paper to plan out projects.

2. Live music makes every event better.

3. Life is too short to wear boring colored shoes.

4. Black grapes are ah-mazing!

5. The older I get, the more non-fiction I read.

6. Everything IS bigger in Texas, including thunderstorms.

7.  The more you dread doing a task, the better it feels when its done (laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning).

8.  If I could I would eat only fruit (it is natures candy after all).

9.  Its incredibly motivating to be an inspiration to other designers.

10.  Any thing is possible with focus and determination.

Have you noticed that I have been trying really hard to only use my own photos on the blog?  Pinterest has done an excellent job of being the place where I post my inspiration and allowed me to focus on sharing what I'm actually seeing with you here...yay for that!  I though that when I was really busy I could just post some snaps of what I've been seeing.  However, in reviewing all of my recent photos, I realized that they are all of shows...the one above at least includes something other than my jewelry table...well something in addition to it anyway.

I am really excited abut today as I don't have to leave the house all day (the only day ever, it seems) so I plan on doing a bit of cleaning and then I have to spend the rest of the day making jewelry...ah so exciting!  Who am I kidding, its the perfect day.  Enjoy your Sunday!!

the shoes I've been rocking recently are a rainbow of colors!

Things are crazy busy in the Manic Trout studio this month, its just amazing how much is going on!! I wanted to pop in for two minutes to share that I had a very exciting day yesterday when an interview I did with Tammy Powley for About.com came out!  You may check it out here.  Thank you Tammy!!

At the Austin Social Affair on April 26th, 2012. Photo by SteveDeMentPhotography

1.  Having a display for outdoor shows that is wind resistant can make you feel god like.

2.  One mosquito can bite you 7 times in under 2 minutes.

3. When going through a stressful situation, it can be AMAZING to talk to a friend who's been through something similar.

4. When you live in Texas, you can somehow become very tan, even though you work inside all of the time.  Think outdoor shows...those tents are penetrable!

5.  Rereading a book you've read before can feel like constant deja vu.  Accept defeat and move on.

6.  Avocados are way better in Texas than they are in New York.

7.  Cupcakes make everything better.

8.  Busy breeds busy.  Similar to "it takes money to make money"

9.  Too much bee pollen (in a smoothie) is NOT a good thing.

10.  Taylor Kitch is hot.  I know I've had this deep thought before but I've been watching Friday Night Lights in my studio again and I feels it needs repeating.

Currently on my bedside table...

It's no secret that I read alot...I average a book a week.  I also buy my fiction at places like goodwill by the armload because I just can't resist a stack of books for under $20.  The only problem is that when books are $.50 - $2, you tend to sometimes grab fast and ask questions later.  This sometimes results in the following internal conversation 30 pages or so into a book..."wait, have I already read this?  I think I did...although  I don't remember the ending...or any of these details apparently as I just read 30 pages before I realized it...do I keep reading?" This time, I opted to keep going, but sometimes I toss the book on the floor with a sigh and just pick up another one from the stack.

Some days, even if they start out really well can take a toll on you.  Admittedly, I may be taking on an insane amount at the moment.  I'm loving being so busy, but in stay on top of deadlines I have been stealing some time from my allotted sleep time.  As usual, I also have cut exercise down to give me a few extra hours each week as right now working 16 hour days is necessary.  Less sleep + less exercise + a huge amount of stress and well...you get the idea.  There were tears.  I however wiped my eyes dry and pulled myself together long enough to stop at Hey Cupcake on my way back from the afternoon post office run for a Red Velvet pick me up.  In a moment of rare logical thinking, I opted to take it home with me and have a 20 minute nap before cupcake time.  Its amazing the restorative powers a quick bit of shut eye and a yummy burst of sugar (esp as I've been trying to not eat candy again) can do for your state of mind.  I feel immensely better and it gave me the energy to get back to work full speed ahead...yay!!