apples from Cookie Bag photo shoot

Hello again from the week of fleeting rain, fleeting sun here in PDX. Somehow through a miracle of divided energies, yesterday turned out to be a really successful day of testing, printing, and even spontaneous photography around the usual menu planning and in-the-car-day that Tuesdays are for us.

I absolutely love the feeling of on-the-fly printing sessions that are cropping up for me these days because they give the peace of mind to then walk away from production and focus on something else. There was a window in the morning right before naps when I was able to crank out a whole new series of prints, those kind of windows are what is fueling my shop while other, larger, blocks of time are taken up in the job hunt and investigating Portland. In the afternoon there was a break in the clouds and I was able to swoop in and set up some shots. Truly a blessing in the rain this week.

I'll be bringing in Cookie Bag and Bobby tonight, the new Robot card tomorrow, and as-yet-to-be-released items on Saturday. I also have begun a Facebook page for ouou and would love for my awesome readers to come check it out! Facebook will officially be the place where I talk about updates in the future. :D

Bobby Pin on square khaki

I have to admit this is a pretty delicate balance right now. Days like yesterday feel really wonderful, giving me a sort of extension on other, smaller projects to finish up through the week. There is always something more I feel I could be doing, you know?, and that self-inflicted tension of the ill-made plan. Mine is around nights right now: relaxing goes somewhere around 7:30 or 8 pm to 9:30 or 10, and I still have dialogue with myself each night that I'll be working on something or other from 10 pm until bedtime. Maybe once or twice a week those hours are valuable, but otherwise I'm always surprised at how tired I am, how muddy my thoughts are, how often I stay up too late thinking I'm "working" but am on idle, staring at the screen or space with homework falling out of my hand.

A break in the clouds!

I'm thinking back on just how many posts this last few months have been meditations on my uses of time. Amidst the deep and resonant life lessons coming from living with C and her babies, this subject, personally, must be one of the most crucial places for my head and heart to figure out. I look over my calender from March or February and see my struggles at stringing one day's efforts to the next. Thank goodness I no longer feel so stunned and exhausted! Both C and I are making great strides in our individual businesses, this house is creative and motivated, and it feels somewhat magical when that sort of flow starts appearing throughout your days and months. I feel hopeful that I'm learning some footing in both the discipline of keeping to a schedule, and navigating with ease the times spent stepping out of one.