2010 IS STARTING OUT GOOD!

When dial-up and slow speed is a persons lot, you can guess that Internet work happens at the pace allowed. As artists and homesteaders living in the depressed state of Michigan, I find I don't get to this Blog as often as I'd like. I have been working on many projects and can happily say, I have compiled our income taxes for 2009. WooHoo! Now all we have to do is buy Turbo Tax small business program and that work is DONE! It will be a first for me, I usually drag my feet and procrastinate until, in a panic I'm pulling the midnight oil to get it done by April 15th. I really don't like those kind of panics, one little bit. It is so liberating to be free of that burden.

So now what? Well, I've already started on finishing jewelry pieces from last December. They are at my buffing bench as I type. Then I will finish some felt and button flowers and little heart pins, for Valentines Day. My beading bench is full of unfinished projects as well. I could go in circles in the studio, but I know that is an unproductive approach. Staying focused is the name of the game in accomplishment. Other projects that are tugging at me is Precious Metal Clay and Polymer Resin ideas that are floating around in my head. The ideas never end.

All of these thoughts leads me to feel blessed and thankful. Yes, we live on the edge here. As artists earning a living in a depressed state, you can imagine the belt tightening we've been doing. But, we still feel blessed to be where we are, geographically, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Money is only a tool, and when you don't have one tool, you look for something else that will get the job done. That's called resourcefulness. When we are called to be resourceful we get creative.

My hope is that everyone can see a great year ahead of them. A year of promise that comes from unexpected places, and full of new opportunities and happiness coming from the small blessings in our lives. We all have them, we just need to see them when they are presented to us. So here we go folks, down the path of 2010. Put on your journey boots, grab your pack of plans, dreams and goals and lets get moving! Who knows what will evolve with hard work and some good old positive thinking. Let's turn a hardship into a lesson, and seek wisdom, understanding and a whole new approach through the difficulty.