It's all a blur....

I know, I know.....the yellow leaves of the last post have long dropped off and blown away and we are nearly dipping our frosty toes into December days. The last few weeks have been a blur of big activity around here. I have no other excuse other than to admit that my creative focus has been bound in production to fill holiday demand and scheduling out classes for all of 2009. I am thankful that I have big orders to fill and that demand for classes continues to grow. Oh so thankful.The sense of urgency that comes naturally with the changing seasons from fall to hunkered-down winter is layered with holiday cooking, days "off" in the middle of the week, unexpected visits and a break with the normal rhythm of my days. Wrapping up another year of classes collides with a weekend of driving to bring the wayward Iceman from the North for a quick week at home. All the while, there's mulling over important travel details with darling daughter as she orders cute bathing suits and prepares to maneuver through three airports to arrive on a sunny summer Australian beach a few days before Christmas. The blurry image above is my first published attempt with my new camera after attending the class to understand it's workings. I was practicing my"action panning shot without a flash"...a challenge even to those with more experience than I. Anyway, it does artfully depict the crazy scene around here, so I chose to post it. Fast, challenging and a bit of a blur!! Over the years, I have learned to adapt to the balance required with operating a home-centered business. It takes alot of juggling, compromise and multi-tasking skills. But sometimes it's just worth getting up in the dark hours before the rest of the world to get a few things done, think uninterrupted thoughts and feel that elusive creative spark that comes with quiet rewarding work. It makes it that much easier to later share an hour cuddled up with a kid who has a story to tell, a neighbor who needs a helping hand or to follow a cooking muse in the middle of the day. The days can be mighty long sometimes but the rewards are worthwhile. It's the best of all worlds and I can never say that I lead a boring, unfulfilled life !! And that, my friends, is a nice goal to shoot for.