Friends and family, have you been reading my posts on Elizabeth Anne Designs Living? I think you will find my most recent contribution enjoyable.

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J worked on Sunday, so he had today off, which allowed us to get some work done for the business. We signed some important papers at the bank and had a long conversation over the phone with one of our vendors. We even had time to check out the new Blackberry Tour for Verizon, which I desperately want even though it wouldn’t be used solely for business. J also took a liking to the Tour and may FINALLY leave AT&T for Verizon–thank goodness! AT&T’s reception is so poor that he can barely use his cell phone in the house. How ridiculous is that?!

Of course I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m stressing a little bit over the business. What if I have no customers? I’m in the midst of planning to do some advertising and playing around with some marketing ideas, but what if I build it and they don’t come?

I’m also finding it hard to manage two blogs. The Social Life of Paper needs daily watering in order for it to blossom, which means that at times I feel like I’m neglecting Somewhere in Middle America. Call it writer’s block, call it laziness, call it exhaustion. Maybe it’s all three of those things.

If anybody has any words of wisdom to share on starting a small business or on keeping more than one blog alive and well, I’m all ears!

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It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, so I thought I’d break the silence with an exciting piece of news: I am officially a contributor to Elizabeth Anne Designs Living. EAD Living is a spin-off of the wildly popular wedding blog, Elizabeth Anne Designs, and focuses on the newlywed life, including travel, food, crafts and culture. I’ll be writing along side 18 other talented and creative ladies who are full of wonderful stories, tips and ideas. I hope that you’ll pop by EAD Living every so often to catch up with me–and don’t forget to leave your comments there, too!

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Hi, friends! I’m back from an unexplained hiatus. Did you miss me? I was in New York City to attend the National Stationery Show for work. At the show I had the opportunity to meet the designers behind some of my favorite paper lines and some of my Twitter friends in person, including @perideaudesigns, @amiatEAD, @beautifulpaper, @TrishaHay, @cydconverse and @perfect_bound! While in the city I had dinner with old friends from college and high school and spent time with my younger sister, at whose UWS apartment I stayed. All in all, it was an overwhelmingly exhausting experience that I’m truly glad to have been able to have.

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HELP! Lately I’ve become obsessed with checking my email, especially to see if anybody has left a comment on my blog. I don’t receive all that much email generally, so most of the time I’m disappointed when I open up Gmail.

Is there a recovery program for email addicts?

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A couple of days a week I work at Trocadero, a lifestyle and accessories boutique in Omaha’s Old Market. Before moving to Omaha in 2007, the owner, Alice Kim, was an editor at In Style magazine in New York City and thus has fantastic taste in shoes, handbags, jewelry and home goods. While I was an admirer of many of the brands and products she carries in her shop when I started, every day I’m there I discover a new favorite. Yesterday’s discovery was Alexis Bittar–specifically, this oxidized silver double link necklace with aquamarine, green tiger’s eye and iolite stones. I tried it on while I was wearing a white tank top and navy Banana Republic cardigan and it totally enhanced my outfit, so much so, that Alice let me wear it to a fundraising dinner that evening. Of course I had to photograph when I got home… before I reluctantly returned it to the store.

This New York Times article by Caitlin Kelly really hit home with me. In fact, I could have written the first two paragraphs.

SOMETHING had to change. Working alone at home as a freelance writer, which many people dream of, wasn’t working for me. The relentless isolation of connecting primarily with others online and by telephone was killing me.

I needed a steady, secure, part-time job, something I could leave behind at day’s end, with lots of people contact. I craved a new challenge, a chance to learn and perfect some fresh, useful skills.

I had similar reasons for wanting to work at the boutique in the Old Market. First, I needed to get out of my house a couple of hours a week, to socialize with other people. Second, I was looking forward to making a couple of extra bucks each month (freelance blogging on a semi-regular basis doesn’t equal a steady income). Finally, I was hoping to learn the nuts and bolts of running a small business.

So far, so good. I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent in the store. However, the worrier in me sometimes fears that my friends and family who work for high-profile communication agencies or fancy law firms or as medical professionals will judge me for working in retail. Then I remember that a) it shouldn’t matter what other people think and b) I’m doing what’s best for me right now. As a freelance writer, I love being able to flex my creative muscles. Working at the boutique, I get to be part of the fashion world even though I live in Omaha, and, in time, I know I’ll improve my customer relation skills and gain practical business experience.

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s a pretty good plan.

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These past couple of weeks have been quite busy. J returned home from his second deployment in the middle of the month and immediately caught the cold that I had been fighting the week prior. Then I re-caught it from him. Needless to say, we spent his first week back in Omaha doing not much more than napping and being lazy.

In the time I’ve been away I also started a part-time job at a chic lifestyle boutique in the Old Market. I’ve only worked two days, but I can tell it’s going to be a blast. The merchandise includes high-end shoes and handbags and home accessories — my favorites! It’s good to get out of the house for a couple of hours a week even though I’ve been doing a bunch of writing for Lemondrop this past month. One of my articles is actually the second-most commented post on the site right now!

By now you might be wondering if anything else has changed on my blog besides the layout and color scheme. Well, the categories have been streamlined a bit. I have a new tagline, “Playing House in the Heartland,” and I’m going to try to keep my posts centered around that theme. I might start telling more stories about my home, work and play lives rather than highlight products or other things that don’t fall into those three categories. My home life includes decorating my house, cooking (on occasion) and other activities that take place in the home. My work life includes blogging, freelance writing and now spending time at the downtown boutique. Finally, my play life includes all of my hobbies, from watching TV and going to the movies to crafting and reading.

The category “my photography” will be posts featuring my original photographs, of which I’m going to start taking more. “Military wife” will be posts dealing with deployment and the other joys of being married to an Air Force officer. I’m sure you can figure the rest out!

I’ll also be featuring more guest posts and special series, the first of which will premiere this week. If you have an idea for a series or are interested in being a guest blogger, please contact me at pj[at]somewhereinmiddleamerica[dot]com.

Oh, that’s another thing that’s changed–my email address. And I’m now accepting sponsors, so if you’d like to advertise on Somewhere in Middle America, please get in touch with me. Rates are extremely reasonable, if I do say so myself.

So that’s about everything that’s new or different on my end! How about you? Fill me in on what you’ve been up to these past couple of weeks. I’ve missed you!

xo,

PJ

On March 1st, Somewhere in Middle America will have a new URL — somewhereinmiddleamerica.com — so don’t forget to change your bookmarks! Until then I’m signing off to work on the blog’s new look and to prepare for my husband’s return from his deployment.

I leave you with one piece of news: My little sister got engaged in NYC on Friday the 13th! Congratulations, sis! I love you and V.

See you all in March!

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