I've been T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G

It's been several weeks since I last wrote. Between getting ready for Twig's first show on March 21st and just generally needing to T-H-I-N-K, I didn't feel quite capable of forming a meaningful post with complete sentences. I still may not be ready, but here goes...

First? The Show. Twig & Bloom, basically a figment of my imagination (and a mythical creature that took over our lives), participated as a vendor at the March 21st  Prairie Sisters' Kalispell show. It was quite an effort getting ready to transport everything up to Kalispell (4 hours away), not the least of which was having everything done to my satisfaction. (I had a mini-freak out the week before the show, but that's a different story.) Set-up took the full six hours allotted to vendors, the show lasted 6 hours, and breakdown - in the literal sense - was two hours. I'm pretty sure the math here is kind of fuzzy (2 hours to tear down 6 hours of work and repack the trailer?????), but we worked hard to put on a great first show and not embarrass ourselves. I think we did okay:

The 11 year old, Miss G.

The most amazing thing about the whole experience was that my kids - ages 8 and 11 - loved working the cash register. (And as a mama, I was pretty proud when a customer complimented them on their ability to do math without a calculator.) We learned a TON about doing a show including the fact that we need to dumb. it. down.  Somehow we need to learn how to build a great display that two people can set-up and tear down, rather than rely on a legion of helpers (Thanks Mom, Pat, and Becky!!) When all was said and done, the show was a success for this newcomer and a great experience for most --- if not all --- participants.

Now for the bad newzzz: Twig & Bloom is likely not a viable business/employment option for me at this time. I've been seriously debating opening a storefront for Twig since losing my job in December, but the show (and our checkbook) told a different story. While Twig is great fun and so very rewarding, the net income is not enough to keep my household afloat. So the bottomline? Twig will remain a weekend activity - doing shows and popups - and maybe in the future I can reconsider the notion of going full-time with my love of rescuing home decor and upcycling lost and lonely furniture.

Cooper. Talking up a storm.

Given the outcome of the show, I had to do some T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G and the final outcome of all that T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G is that now I WANT a job, rather than feeling like I NEED a job. It's a subtle difference, but such an important one. So now I'm back in the hunt for a professional, 8-5ish job. Which is terrifying when you consider how small this town is, how specialized my career has been, and what few jobs there are out there that vaguely apply to me. I have leads on a few choice (ha!) opportunities, but it's not up to me at this juncture. I have to wow people with my wit and professionalism at a time when I'm barely talking to people (Cooper is not much of a conversationalist), let alone adults. This stay-at-home stuff, while a nice respite, is NOT conducive to good interviewing. I find that I'm having a filter problem (as in no filter), a sentence problem (using big words hurts), and a what to wear problem (not yoga pants?). I'm sure something wonderful will come my way, but it's hard waiting for the next step in my career to reveal itself.

In summary, I'm going to keep Twig & Bloom as a side business and, until I'm gainfully employed, I'm going to try to enjoy this time off by hiking the local trails, working with Cooper (#thefelon), and being there at the end of each school day for my kids. Not a bad plan.

Stacey