New Week, Mid-Month

I've been in a consolidation phase lately. After the energy I put out into the world in August, and the very good results from it, lately I've felt dormant, like I am regrouping on an inner level.

The shift in my work life triggered some anxiety and some heavy planning in my conscious and unconscious mind. While that's been brewing away, I spent last week mostly involved with a project for my sister-in-law. She had asked for some help with her wardrobe, and last week I shopped every single day.

She called me Tuesday and by Thursday, I had a box of new clothes on their way to her. By Saturday, I had assembled an entire new casual wardrobe of 41 pieces, everything from jeans to slacks to tops to scarves to hats to jewelry and shoes. I think I overwhelmed her!!

Now she owes me $600 but she can try things out at her own pace at home and decide what she wants to keep or return for a refund. All the stores will let her bring things back.

Sadly, I couldn't do all that time in stores without buying for me and the family too. So I also spent $600, money which we in no way have. Some things were truly great deals and needed, like the discounted pillows for our family room couch, and the awesome boyfriend jeans I picked up for a fraction of their price. But I put everything on the bed and went over it and over it, and I'll be spending my "errand time" for the next two weeks returning at least $500 worth of stuff to the stores. AND NOT BUYING ANYTHING ELSE WHILE I'M THERE! (Except for the awesome Mango Anthropologie Candles that I wanted to buy at Nordstrom Rack for $5 each, but I forgot to put in my cart.) But except for those, nothing. Shopping is good, Browsing is good, Looking is good. Buying is NOT ACCEPTABLE. We don't have enough income to buy our groceries, gas and utilities until my work life comes back together.

So that's where all my attention and time has gone lately. In my subconscious, I am churning around my next work and writing projects. With my conscious mind, I have been shopping and pulling together styles, textures and colors. At Nordstrom Rack, the employee asked me if I was a personal shopper stylist and said I had a great eye for outfits. My friends tell me all the time that I should shop for my job, since I love it and they mostly hate it. I'd be open to that for sure. Maybe when I'm a bit older, that would be fun.