Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Balancing Act in a Busy World

Here at TLC Vintage Collection, central Iowa's headquarters for Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan, the days just fly by. They are filled with decorating the shop, completing custom painted pieces, hunting out new pieces, keeping inventories up to meet demand and searching out new products to bring into the store!

Oh, did I mention that I still have insurance clients, two children, their spouses and four growing grandchildren, a house, a garden and, and, and.

Sounds familiar doesn't it? Change the details but your list goes on and on too! So it is a balancing act and sometimes it gets out of equilibrium -- not just for a day or two but for months on end. Welcome to starting a new business!

So honestly, I am trying to get the house and garden back under control -- a stolen hour or two at a time. Welcome to what I now affectionately call, The Jungle!


I was a Master Gardener up to two years ago, but they may have dropped me from the files as I haven't kept my certification up to date with classes and volunteer hours. So for two falls, the garden has been abandoned. Enter me with a machete and hubs with loads of mulch. I have some Roundup to back me up! Fortunately the garden had good bones and most of the beds are just weedy -- not dead! Can't wait to get the herbs planted! I can't wait for the humming birds to return! Meanwhile, the Jays and Cardinals are loving the leftover thistle seeds! LOL.

The house -- never mind. Those who fall in love with my shop would be amazed at the lack of theme at home, but we will get there!

And then there is the most important thing to remember -- family! Poor hubs retired from his career of 45 plus years and immediately got pressed into two 7-day weeks! Seriously! A Sunday class followed by Junk Jubilee, then a six day week with the Just For Her Expo.....But we did manage to take off last Sunday and have someone very special over for dinner and birthday cake!


Eisley turned three so everything was pink and lavender! And then there was trying to get four kids from one to eight years old to pose for a photo!


Well, close. But I just need to stop and smell the roses, errrrr bleeding hearts, maybe? And remember that all things do grow with love -- and that is the true balance we need!