Preparing for the gallery

Kathy, I have struggled with this for years. When your business is in your home, it's difficult to separate the two. When I'm working on bead stuff, I feel guilty that I'm not doing house stuff and vice versa.

I think a primary key in working it out is treating your bead business more like a... well... like a business! Decide how many hours a day you're willing to put in on that business and do it. I also earmark a certain amount of time per day to domestic stuff. Not much, usually, but some. Prairieson and I do a lot around the house on weekends, so I don't feel terribly compelled to bust my butt on that stuff during the week. I do pick out one icky house chore a day and make sure I get it done in addition to the regular daily chores.

Bottom line is, to make a success of anything, you have to work at it. And that takes time. You're making great strides with your business venture, and you have to keep that momentum going.

Neither Dave nor I are particularly fond of doing the domestic stuff. If that weren't bad enough, we're both also fairly content to have clutter around and niether one of us notices it much-- and that would be okay if it didn't mean that when it gets out of hand, it is a really big job to take care of it.

We don't have the money to hire an official housekeeper, but one of our friends does cleaning services and also is a guitar student of Dave's. We've been trading lessons for housework, and it works out pretty well. I have also given her several of my necklaces (okay, I would have given her those anyway, 'cause she's my friend).

I'm thinking that maybe you could find someone who loves your work and would be willing to help you out in exchange for stuff? I find it's much simpler for us to just work to our strengths and barter this way for the other stuff rather than fret about not doing the stuff we're not inclined to do, anyway.

Laura

maintaining

Hey, isn't this kind of thing what middle- and high-school students were made for? ;^) If you don't have some of your own, maybe you have friends with kids of this age. All you need is one who's conscientious, with good hand-eye coordination, free time, and a desire for extra spending money.

Even if a task is too complicated for a youngster, and you have to hire a pro, in the long run it always pays to delegate. Just think of the energy you would gain in activities you want to do if you could eliminate that guilt. And the joy you'd have in seeing your home in top shape.

Plus, you are establishing working relationships which you can count on if, at a later time, you are unable to do things yourself - because you're out of town - have an emergency to tend to - or whatever.

• TL *

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Tante Lina" :

]Hey, isn't this kind of thing what middle- and high-school students were ]made for? ;^)

boy, that's what my father thought! and if he ran out of yard work, we painted the house.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

Write up a list of "fun activities" for your brother; mow the lawn, pain the trim, etc. Seriously, those kind of guys think those activities are fun and creative, so let him have at them. Without guilt!

Tina

Well all I can say is Kathy the work will still be there when we have gone. The dust will still fall. So much better to do what we enjoy while we can. Life is too short and for some shorter still. From Shirley who is sweltering in our British heat wave. Will have to abandon this work room shortly and go and sit under the fans. Too much paper and things in here to have a fan.

In article , mkahogan writes

it.......you

I wonder if your area has anything like the Portland "Hours Exchange", where people barter their skills/time for either a one-for-one trade, or for scrip usable within the co-op labor system?

Esssentially, you trade one hour of something you do well (and do willingly) for one hour of someone else's skill/labor. You might be able to do a less formal swap of services with someone who is a good DIY-er.

Deirdre

LOL. Great minds...

Deirdre

It is in the 90's and yes it is humid. I feel as clammy as anything and we have had 11year old grandson to entertain today. This is a rare heat wave for us in UK, very rare that it gets this hot. Shirley

In article , mkahogan writes

I used to do that in the 70's. Trade skills. In one case I used to do the book-keeping for a butcher and he kept me supplied with meat. The freezer was always full and plenty fresh meat during the week.

Another one was for a fabric wholesaler. He needed help doing his wages for the factory he had, working out the income tax and National Insurance. I did that for him in return for material to make clothes with.

In both cases I got more back in value.

There is no wonder there I am the Queen of Swaps. Shirley

In article , Deirdre S. writes

Even if you do have some of your own, you will probably have to seek elsewhere for one who is willing to help....

Kaytee "Simplexities" on

I agree. Certainly when I was a teen I would have done lots of things willingly for non-family that I did grudgingly for family, even if there was money involved.

Deirdre

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Deirdre S. :

]I agree. Certainly when I was a teen I would have done lots of things ]willingly for non-family that I did grudgingly for family, even if ]there was money involved.

well, dad didn't give us a choice. and if it was "grudging", he could always make it last longer. of course, that was 40 years ago.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

That was one of the reasons my participation was grudging. Same attitude on the part of those assigning the jobs. At least if a neighbor wanted you to do a job, you could say no. And you could negotiate terms and timing.

:-P

Deirdre

One way is to budget X amounts of $$ into a maintence account and hire the work done. YOu have to decide if doing it yourself is cost effective versus the dollars you make working. Somethings it also the expertise of having it done right.

I will admit that I am going to paint the bus this fall, of course I have said this for several springs and falls. I did buy the paint already. Steve suggested hiring it but I don't trust someone else to remove and replace the caulk, etc. so I am going to tie myself to a tree and get up there and do it. Hopefully it will look fine all white, it not, I'll faux finish it to camoflouge mistakes.

Susan