New Year, New Jama

Wow. I haven't posted since August. A lot has happened since then:

1) I closed my brick & mortar shop. It was a difficult decision to make, but one that had to be done. I truly believe that the shop would have been successful in a larger town, but it just wasn't viable here. I had so many people tell me that my place belonged on Bardstown Road or Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, somewhere in Lexington or (my favorite) "Why aren't you in NYC?" But this is my home. I want to raise my daughter here in Lebanon, which means rethinking what I'm doing in how to make a living.

2) I moved into a larger apartment. Huzzah! My old place was literally one room with a bathroom, no kitchen. I'm now in a two bedroom apartment with a large kitchen, place for crafting and a large storage room. Amber has her own room, I have an actual bed with new mattresses (instead of the bunk bed I was sleeping in) and a backyard when it's warmer and Amber wants to play. I'm still not settled in completely (there are still things in my ex's house and in storage), but I'm getting there.

3) I had several shows over the fall, including the Woodland Arts Festival, Ky Bourbon Festival, Marion County Country Ham Days, St. James Court Art Show, Sheltowee Art Show and Heart of Ky Holiday Festival. None of the shows were gangbusters, but they helped me pay my bills and I made some good contacts through St. James and Woodland again.

4) I started dating one of my best friends. He's been there for me through my divorce, helping me move and just when I needed him. We've been friends for years, so he's used to all of my quirks and vice versa.

But, that leads me to my resolutions.

1) You know, get in shape. Isn't that just a given? But this year, I'm not focusing on a weight loss goal. I just want to get healthy. That includes losing a lot of weight (I'm tired of watching my Mii on my Wii Fit swell up), but it also includes working out, eating healthier and getting my asthma back in check.

2) Get my wholesale catalog prepared and begin taking orders. I got into Ky Crafted last year and am doing the Market in March. I'm excited and scared all at the same time. I've started working on some new designs and mocking them up.

3) Start saving up for a new vehicle. I just took over the web hosting from my mom, so I have steady income. That should actually be enough to cover my monthly bills, with my library and jewelry income being extra. My truck started dying this fall and I need to replace her. She's been a good truck, but I just replaced the starter and battery, but the air compressor went, the brakes don't sound so hot and I noticed a speaker going out. I'm an audiophile, so that's kind of a biggie :)

4) Get organized. I've started working on it already, but I need to finish it, get the rest of my filing in order and get my back storage room completed. That'll allow me to get rid of my storage building and get everything out of my ex's house.

5) Keep my etsy store up to date with at least one item a week. (I did add some new things a while back - http://thesepreciousthings.etsy.com)

6) Blog once a week.

Karate's in just a bit. Gotta get the yellow belt ready to punch!