Dear Diary

Dear Diary

Well, this week started out rather sketchy.  I woke up late yesterday having slept past my alarm. I had a skype call with my pal Emma and she woke me up and saw what I truly look like first thing in the morning.  She didn't know it but I had to pee soooo bad the whole time I talked to her but I held on! LOL!

I had such a busy day on Monday and Emma and I had set up such a good plan for me to get my routines in order.  I know that this is a good idea and it will help me in the long run even though I fight her on it all the time.  I am just so busy!  She doesn't understand it, she can't possibly know how busy I really am!  After I ended my call with her, I was supposed start my "healthy eating" yesterday, but because I didn't have anything planned and I had overslept that went right out the window.  So it was the take away for me all day.  I scrambled around and realized I had NO CLEAN CLOTHES for me or my granddaughter, luckily I had just purchased new underclothes over the weekend and we wore "reasonably clean" clothes for the day.  I gathered my stuff up and headed out to get my expired drivers license renewed.  I did make sure I had my birth certificate and ss card with me.

I get to the dmv and there is no parking it is sooo full!  I go online and check in and the wait is 2 hrs long.  So, I head over to my first stop for work to try to get something productive done for work, not only do I not have all the paperwork and reports done to finish the task we need, neither does my SHE boss!  We are a mess together!!  We spend 3 hours looking for missing files and never find them and then try to recreate what we are missing and then coming up with a new organization plan for next year!  I have missed my appointment at the dmv!  I figured I would just get it on my way back to town since it is open until 6:30 pm.  

I finally get out to my job at 2:00 pm.  I grabbed some more fast food on the way there and eat on the go.  Poor little granddaughter is just being dragged along with me on my hot mess of a day.  I'm at the office for about 3 hours before I have to leave to meet someone.  During that time, granddaughter is out in the daycare playing and has a melt down because one of the kids isn't playing fair.  She throws a temper tantrum and gets in big trouble and ends up in her room all night for being disrespectful, however, in this process I lose my temper (I know we both have this problem because the day has just been so bad).  We both calm down and leave the office and go to next phase of meeting someone for purchase, getting gas because car is on EMPTY.  

Finally after that go back to DMV and get checked back in and expedited to front of line.  I need proof of residence, like a utility bill.  HOWEVER! I actually cleaned out my purse the other day looking for a BENEDRYL because I was out (YES COMPLETELY OUT) and I was hoping to find just one on the bottom of my bag.  So, not utility bill in my purse.  So, no drivers license renewed yesterday! However, I did find out I have 184 day to renew and I am just 3 weeks past.  I will be doing it this week though!

I then left there and delivered items to both my daughter at their places so they did not need to visit mine and I finally made it home at 6:30 pm, the prescribed time to start my brand new routines!  I however did not do a single routine!  I did not cook dinner!  I did not do dishes!  I did not make lunch!  I sat my booties in that chair and nearly cried at the day I had!

I spent about 15 minutes feeling pathetic, then I got up, gathered all of the kiddos laundry and washed it all!  I even through in enough of mine that I don't smell funny today!  I still didn't do my routines, I just relaxed and watched a movie and crocheted a little.

Then this morning was a new day!  I woke up and I made a wonderful healthy breakfast!  I packed a delicious healthy lunch and I loaded the dishwasher and started it before I left for work.  Granddaughter and I both are wearing clean clothes and things are going much smoother and today has a plan! I like plans and I like positive outlooks and I like when it feels good and feels right!  I'll work on the routine thing, I'm sure they're not as stupid as they sound and they might actually be good for something.  UGH!  I just am going to hate listening to Emma gloat about this!

Job Interviewing....Again!

Well, I never thought at my age I would be out looking for a job again, but I'm doing it.  I'm on the hunt for a job again!  I had my first interview today. It either went really really well with a few bad parts.   Or it was terrible with a few shining moments.  The only really great thing I can say is that I made it thru the entire thing without using any curse words and I didn't call him dude!  I'd say it's a win!

Jules

I don't do "resolutions"

I used to make resolutions every year and every year I would just let myself down by letting those resolutions go by the wayside.  So I don't do resolutions anymore.  I try to look at the new year as a new beginning.  I think of the things that I have been wanting/needing to work on and I give myself this chance to start fresh and not feel guilty that I haven't started or done it yet.  I try to pace myself on what I start on because I don't want to change everything all at once and I don't want to get myself overwhelmed.

This last month of 2013 has been challenging for me in many ways.  Financially it has been almost devastating, but I have hope that 2014 will be better.  I have sought help for our financial issues and I hope to learn how to manage our finances myself this year.  Medically December was very difficult also.  I have been fighting an addiction to over the counter nasal decongestant spray.  Now this may not sound serious, but it really has been difficult.  I discovered around Thanksgiving that I was addicted (I didn't think it was a problem) and I had been for several months.  It was causing nose bleeds and when I didn't use it I would get even more congested then I have ever been in my life.  I would lose my sense of smell and taste for days and I could not sleep without the nasal spray.  I started to dilute the nasal spray with saline and wean myself off of it and I decided I was not going into the new year with this issue, so now I have not used it in 4 days and I'm doing better but I still want to use it everyday.  I was also contacted by my doctor a few weeks ago and he told me that I have type 2 diabetes. That is certainly throwing a monkey wrench into my pecan pie plans for Christmas.  My marriage is going great, but my husband was gone for most of December and was home for 3 days over Christmas and then left again.  He won't be home until sometime in February, which means he will miss our wedding anniversary on January 13th.  But I am still hopeful that 2014 will be a much better year for our family!

The one new thing I would like to try for me this year is Yoga!  I am going to start with 3 times a week and try to go for balance and focus and peace this year.  I think if I can bring a bit of that into my world, things will be better!

Looking for my track!

As I said yesterday, my train was totally derailed last week.  This week I may not be immediately back on track, but I am searching for the tracks!

I decided to start on the 31 Beginner BabySteps from the Flylady website.  I started last night and I figure if I document it here I may have a better shot of following through because I will be able to look at my progress and see when I derail again and maybe I will be able to get back on track a bit quicker if that should happen.

So last night I started babystep 1 which is shine your sink.  The idea is to start on day 1 and then keep adding something new each day until you have completed the 31 days.  So by the end of 31 days I have done day 1 31 times and it should be a habit by then.  It is retraining your brain to do the things that you should be doing everyday to keep your home in functioning order and to keep the chaos away. 

Day 1 - Shine your sink

I did this last night before I went to bed.  Now you may not think it is a big deal, but usually I don't have the sink empty, it is full of dishes that need to be washed and smelly sponges and dirty dishcloths and I don't even want to tell you some of the other things I have found in there.  So this is kinda a big deal for me!

Day 2 - Get dressed to the shoes + Day 1

I don't have a picture of me dressed to the shoes, but I did it and I even did hair and a little make up today which I never do!  First thing when I walked into work one of the teachers noticed and said I looked pretty today!  I was in a good mood all day.  I came home and relaxed for a while and then I got up and finished putting up the counter in my dye lab like I have been meaning to, then I washed a sink full of dishes and shined my sink again!

(see the clean dishes in the drainer?)  I also washed and dried a load of laundry and threw out some crap that was just laying about.  I am feeling quite proud of myself actually!  I will keep working and I will try to post daily!

Peace,

Jules

Derailed!

Well, this week has been a train wreck (pun intended)!  I had so many great plans!  I even took pictures of the before mess of my dye lab like I said I would...it is still in the before mode :-(

I worked a ton this last week and it was such a stressful week that I broke out on my forehead with 3 pimples!!!  I know, big deal right?  Well I NEVER get pimples on my forehead!  I may get one or two on my chin or next to my nose, but never on my forehead!  I mean really?  I'm 43 years old, I am not a teenager!  Oh well, at least they are starting to clear up!

I would love to tell you all the gory details of my week but for confidentiality purposes at my job I can't.  Lets just say it involves an out of control student, a selfish parent, the police and a great deal of alcohol!  I do not want to repeat this week!

On to this long holiday weekend!  I had great plans!  I should never make plans, they never happen!  I woke up Saturday at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep, I went yard sale-ing with my mom and my daughter, then I came home and fell asleep at 2pm and stayed in bed for about 18 hours.  I got some awesome stuff at the yard sales, I got a Cricut Electronic Cutter for just $30!!!  I am going to use it to make these awesome journals for my craft show coming up in November! 

 Sunday I ended up just laying around all day and reading, I have read 3 books this weekend because I am easily distracted!  I did go to my mom's on Sunday for dinner and to visit with my grandma, we had a good time, I was home by 6pm.  Today was going to be my productive day!  Derailed!  I woke up with a killer headache and it has been so bad all day that I have been nauseous and sick all day!  Finally, at 8pm, the headache is gone but my stomach is still a wreck and I am wrung out!  So today...not so productive!  I did wash a sink full of dishes, but I still have a ton left to do.  I feel like I haven't cleaned house in a month!  Of course, cleaning isn't my strong suit, so I probably haven't! 

Tomorrow is a new day, so I think I'm going to try a new start and start the Flylady plan!  I have done it before and it has helped, I do have commitment issues though.  I get distracted easily and have always lost my way.  I am really going to try to stick with it this time.  I know it will help me and make my life so much easier.  Maybe I will start tonight since the first step is to shine your sink and I have been working on my dishes a little today.  I can do this!


Peace!

Jules

Finally Friday!!!

Yay!!!  I am so excited that it's FRIDAY!!!

I have the grandbabies this evening, and I have been super busy at work today and I really want to go to the movies tonight to see the new Mortal Instruments movie...but I'm not going.  I could go see it at the 11pm showing, buuuuutttt...today I finally committed and bought cabinets and a countertop and chair for my dye lab.  I pick it up in the morning so tonight after the girls leave I have to get in there and clean out all the boxes stacked in the dye lab so I can set up the counter tomorrow and start working again.

I had found some counters a few weeks ago at RESTORE the Habitat for Humanity store here in town but Hubby said no because the dye lab was still full of boxes and we had no place to put them.  I tried to tell him that having the counters would motivate me to get it done, but he still said no.  So today I went back and found some different counters and I bought them and I only spent $53.50 on two cabinets, an old door for the countertop and a chair!  I go pick it up in the morning.  So, tonight I have no choice, I have to get the dye lab ready for my new stuff!  I'm so excited!  I will take before and after pictures and post them tomorrow!

Jules

If you start the day with a dose of crazy...

So, I went to work in my pajamas today.  I know, I know, who wouldn't love that?  But, what actually happened is my best friend/boss called me this morning at 8am (I'm usually off on Thursdays) and said the health department called and gave 30 minutes notice that they were inspecting one of the centers.  She needed to be there for that.  We both live 30 minutes a way from the center and she needed to get her son to school at 9am.  So, she asked me to meet her at the center and pick up her son and take him to school (also 30 minutes away from the center) because she didn't have time to drive my direction to drop off her son with me. So, I jump out of bed and rush to the center to help her out because I love her and she is my best friend.  I get to the center and she is the with the inspector and just finishing up, she says "oh, I can take him, we're done here, but you can see what our numbers are and stay here and work" UGH!  REALLY??  I'M IN MY PAJAMAS!!! I mean, yes, they are cute and I totally pull them off, but I didn't even bring my work with me, I left it at home in my office there!!! 

Luckily our numbers were low enough that they didn't need me to stay and help out.  We were fully staffed and bosslady was coming back later this morning to give the teachers their breaks and stuff so we were okay.  But talk about a crazy morning!!!  Sometimes it is really difficult to not have a regular office job!

Update

Well, we moved.  Our youngest daughter up and left us...sigh..she moved out a few months after graduation and stayed gone for a long enough time (and just last week decided to move to Georgia) that we decided to downsize our house and our payments.  We stuck with a 4 bedroom house but it is considerably smaller than the last place and there is no pool here I'm sad to say, but that in itself will save us a ton of money. I still have room here for my yarn studio and my dye lab and I even have an office (I can move out of the office and let the youngest move home if she wants). I have even converted a bedroom into a dressing room.  I'm, of course, still buried in boxes, but I will get there a little at a time.

I have been working a lot more lately, and now the oldest daughter is working, so I am helping out with babysitting the grandbabies while she is working.  It is challenging, but I will do what I need to do to help them out.  I love spending time with my granddaughters.  Hubby has been traveling a lot too, I miss him.  I have to say that our relationship has gone to a whole new level now that it is just the two of us here.  We certainly enjoy our time together a lot more often now.  It's almost like we're newlyweds again!

Hopefully by the end of the year I will have the rest of my stuff unpacked, that is my goal anyway!  I'm trying to stay positive and work as steadily as I can.  I am soo not good at this kind of stuff you know.  I suck at housework and organization. Any suggestions will be gladly accepted (hint hint)!

I will try to check in here occasionally and give updates, not that anyone but me reads this, but I really need to start getting stuff outta my head and onto paper or screen, digital age and all that. LOL

Peace!

Jules

Princess Dresses and Overcoming Fears

Yesterday I was cruising Walmart with my mom and we happened upon the fabric section.  I have been purchasing fabric from there lately for sun dresses for my youngest daughter and myself.  But yesterday I found some really cute smocked fabrics that were the perfect length for my granddaughter Jayde!

The thing I love best about this fabric, is that it is just one simple seam and you are pretty much done.  I also opted to add some straps because in my mind 4 years old is too young for a strapless dress.

 First I pinned the fabric where I wanted the seam. 

 

 Then simply sew the seam straight.  This particular piece of fabric was a little less than the half yard that I wanted for the dress, so I sewed a fairly scant seam.

 

 

 And further down the dress...

 I then decided to try something I have never tried before.  I wanted to serge the seam.  My wonderful husband found an awesome deal a few years ago at a yard sale.  He got me a Brother 1034D for just $40.  It didn't have the box, but it had the instructional dvd and the guy who sold it to him said his girlfriend had never been able to figure out how to use it.  I spent an additional $75 to have it tuned up and the blades replaced TOTALLY WORTH IT!  But, even after that, I have never really attempted to use it.  My oldest daughter Mariah has always been the one to use it.  So, last night I swallowed my fear and watched a video on how to thread it and gave it a go!

After a few tweaks to make sure I wasn't going to break my thread, and another peek at a youtube video, I was ready to go! 

 I opted to keep the blade in the on position for a neater edge.  It leaves a little pile of scraps and quite a bit of dust.

I loved how neat my seams/edges ended up!  Thread color doesn't matter because they are inside.  

I then used some ribbon that I had laying around and added some straps so she could be comfortable and not worry about losing the dress.

And the final result is...she loves them!!!

 This was a simple project with great results and I learned to use my serger and not to fear it anymore!  Oh...and Jayde absolutely LOVES her dresses!

He got me!

Well, my husband finally got me!  He got me all caught up and involved in another pc game!  It has been years since he got me the first time. I spent several years deeply involved in a game called Asheron's Call.  

I loved it, it drew us closer together...I have missed it for a long time.  I have tried to go back to it but it is just not the same as it used to be.  Or maybe I am actually not the same as I used to be.  Either way it just doesn't work for me anymore.  

 

 Paul has been trying to get me to play Diablo for a long time. Used to be Diablo II and I tinkered around there for a little while, but I never really could get into it.  

I guess the geeks of the world have been waiting around for more than a decade for Diablo III to be released and this is the year.  Paul got in on the beta testing and it kept him pretty busy and out of my hair for a while, and then on May 15th they released the full version.

O! M! B!  You would think Menudo was having a reunion tour!  

He was so excited!  He came home from work on the 14th and ate dinner and went straight to bed, then he woke up at 1:30am so he could download it right at  2:00am when it was released in our time zone.  He played until he had to go to work the next morning.  Sigh...I sure do love that geek of mine!

So, finally I said I would try it.  I really did not think I would enjoy it, in fact, I didn't want to enjoy it!  But, I like it!  I get such satisfaction out of killing all the demons and defeating the bosses.  I like doing the quests because it gives you a list at the side of the screen telling you what to do next on your quest and when you have done it, it marks it off and gives you another item on your list!  I LOVE LISTS!!!

The worst part about D3?  It is a time suck!  I should be doing other things but I'm sitting down on my computer playing a game.  I need to haul my butt outside and clean the pool so we can use it this weekend but I am chained to the computer!  I have started setting a timer so I don't lose track of time while I'm playing.  I didn't set the timer the first couple of times I played and ended up losing about 3 hours each time! 

Okay, now I really want to finish this post and go down to finish my quest, but I am going to go outside and work on the pool.  It has a ton of leaves at the bottom of the deep and I have to get them out of there so we can play!  Then as a reward for all my hard work I will go down and play for 1 HOUR and no more!!! 

Going Slowly

So, the past several times I have started blogging I have gone at it full blown.  It worked for a week, a few days...once or twice, but I just couldn't stick with it.  I would get blog block and not be able to think of anything interesting to post, or I would get busy and not post or I would decide I needed to scrub the bathrooms from top to bottom and therefore did not have time to blog (btw, I hate cleaning, so this is obviously just an excuse to avoid blogging because I'm a big fat coward).  

This time I am going slowly.  I have my blog mentors who are awesome and post daily or at least several times a week and they always have something interesting to say.  I have been trying to be awesome like them.  Well, I have decided that I need to be awesome like me!  I am going to set a weekly blogging goal to start.  I think I need that to keep from getting overwhelmed and being scared of my blog.  I know I can come up with at least one interesting thing a week that has happened.  So, that is my mini goal.  I am not going to be perfect,  I may skip a week or I may blog more than once a week, but I am going to try to be more consistent, but I will forgive myself if I am not perfect. 

I love this part!

I love it when I feel rejuvenated and just feel like making a clean start!!  My mom just bought a new house and I was over there helping her today and it was just amazing to walk into a clean house with a clean slate!  There was just a few pieces of furniture, and it just felt so fresh!  We were over there cleaning the house so she can move her household in.  

So, now I am motivated to clean out my house and get rid of all the things!  I am going to have a yard sale in June, that will give me enough time to help get mom moved, and get my youngest through her high school graduation and give me time to clean up and clean out my house!  I talked to hubby and he agreed that our possessions are a burden to us at this point.  We need to get rid of stuff.  Even if it is something that we think we may need someday.  If we need it later, we can either borrow it or re-buy it at the time of need!

So, this is me, starting over once again.  I lost my job a month ago and this past month has been pretty difficult adjusting, but I am thinking I am going to be okay.  I think I can figure out how to save money by not working. I am cutting out the unnecessary spending and just going full ahead on living frugally!  I am reading The Complete Tightwad Gazette right now, I'm sorry, did I say reading, I mean memorizing!  Some of the stuff is out of date and a lot of it isn't relevant to my situation because I don't have young children at home, but I am pulling out all the little tidbits I can find!  If anyone knows of any other books that will help me on my stay home venture please leave me a comment  and let me know which ones to check out!


I am also going to be working on building my yarn biz up some more.  I have let if fizzle out this past year and that is just not helping at all!  I just have to be strong and make lists and stick to them!  I love lists!  


I'll let you know how it goes!


Jules

 

Bad Bloggy Blogger Girl!

So...I have been neglecting my blog.  But don't worry, I berate myself about it daily.  I have even started admonishing myself in my journal at night.  I figured a small post now might just get me started again, so here's hoping.

• I'll have you know I have not been sitting around doing nothing while I have been absent...I prefer to recline on the sofa, not sit! LOL!

• Seriously, I have been busy!  I have been pinning like crazy on Pinterest ..I have been making stuff and cleaning stuff and knitting stuff and spinning stuff and I have been working and napping...and other important stuff!  I even created a new board on Pinterest of the neat stuff I have found on there and have made or tried.  I call it Pinned it...Made it . 

 

• I am also working on my triangle loom that I have been wanting for ages!  I should have it done by this weekend thanks to the constructing and measuring of the man! I am in the process of hammering in 661 nails...let me tell you, that is A LOT of nails!  I took video of it the other day because I knew I needed to blog about it and was just way to lazy to type it up so I recorded a video of it.  But I need to do a bit of editing before I can upload it.  I also have started processing a super gianormous bag of raw wool that someone has given me.  I think there is about 100 pounds of wool in it and processing it will be a lot of work, but not as much as I feared in the first place.  I am really excited about it!

• That's about all for now, I will get the video uploaded and some pictures uploaded this weekend. I am dyeing yarn this weekend so I will get some pictures and/or video of that and get it posted.  You might like to see what the process looks like from my end.  

•  Thanks for reading!

Jules

The best intentions paves a road...

Well, I have every good intention of getting stuff done over the weekend, and it just didn't happen.  I guess the planets didn't align or something, but I was never able to meet with the organizer and I just stayed busy all weekend!  I do have new lists though!  I made lists of things that I want to get done around the house for each room and I have goals.  I just need a timeline incorporated now.  Here is a little of what I want to do, I am not going to give you all of it at once because it is a lot.  I have a list will 12 different rooms and then I have a sub-list for each room.  I don't want to overwhelm you (I do that to myself enough already).  So, I will just give you a few rooms and a few lists at a time! (translation:  heeeyy, I can totally stretch this subject out to a couple of different blog installments!).

• My list (and yes my sub list):

•   Room that I want to tackle:
• Living Room
• n
• The Sub list:
• Living Room
• Clean off seating areas
• Clean off tv trays and put them away
• Place coffee table
• Clean off media center
• Put away Christmas totes (yes, everything has been taken down and is in totes in the corner)
• Clean off bookself
• 

 
**edit**  I had the dining room and kitchen here too, but then I felt too overwhelmed and had to remove them.  That is what gets me in trouble in the first place, trying to do too much at once.  

So, that is the beginning of it, I can't believe I have had the guts to show you the before picture, but hey...I warned you that I am a hoarder and I am working my way out of it!  Hopefully this will motivate me to hurry up and show you the after pictures!

Until next time...don't let gravity get you down!!!!

Jules

On to the next great yarn adventure!

Look, it's a little blanket baby!  I hope it grows up soon!

• Since I was so successful in a timely completion of my last blanket, I thought to myself "self, you should totally make another blanket, I bet you could do this one even faster, maybe shave off a whole week from you current record of 2 years and 1 week!" It just so happens that as I was diligently working on Pinterest (I've got to keep my boards full you know) I came across a beautiful blanket called the Wool Eater.  I promptly jumped to the blog it was posted on (here) and they have started themselves a little ole crochet along (CAL).  Well, I can't pass that up! I mean, it's almost like having a list of what needs to be done!  I LOVE LISTS!!!

•  So, I got started on the little thing and it is looking so cute!  However, I did start very late at night and I had to redo that blue round that I am working on twice before I finally figured out the correct way to handle it! 

• And, since I have the CAL, there is a handy dandy list telling me how much of my blanket should be done and when it should be done!  I am so excited!  I am a little behind, but since Paul is STILL out of town on his "quick 3 day job" that he left for over a week ago, I have some extra time to work on it this weekend!  I hope to be all caught up to the current date by Sunday! Yay!

• Here is the schedule, I just started it and I am already done with round 4!!

•  Of course, it will be more difficult and take longer for each round the bigger it gets, but that is okay, I am still excited!  

 WHAT'S GOING ON THIS WEEKEND?

• I have tons of other stuff to get done this weekend.  I am starting to work on the house, and I will be posting before and after pictures of each room as I complete them, even though the before pictures are completely humiliating!  I always say I am a borderline hoarder...erm...yeah, I think I crossed that line!  It looks so much worse in the pictures!! I even took pictures of my messy kitchen before it got cleaned! Ewww!  I hate cleaning.

• So, come back next week and see what I've been up to, I am actually doing quite well about photographing everything so at least you have some interesting pictures to look at!!

Finally finished!

Well, I finally finished something huge!  Well, huge for me! Two years ago while on my anniversary weekend at a B&B I started an afghan.  I used the 10-stitch pattern and some awesome yarn that I got from Joannes. 

 Here is the yarn and the swatch from when I started.

The yarn by itself

This is the first part of it (notice the size with the dvd in the center for)

I then didn't touch it for a year!!!  I decided that this year I was going to finish it, the size was just until I ran out of yarn and I had 4 huge skeins!!!

I finally finished it on 1/18/12!!  The end result is 63" x 69"! (see the dvd to gauge the size of the blanket)?  That is huge!  I am using a ton of exclamation points here!!!!  It is so soft and squishy and warm!! And it is the first thing that I have made for me in a long time!  I am so glad to have finished it just in time for the cold weather we are having now. 

This is the blanket folded in half on the couch with a dvd for size gauge.

•  I am quite please with myself, so much so that I think I am going to start work on another blanket, hopefully this one won't take me 2 years to finish! LOL

Dry Erase Calendar

So, I was exploring on Pinterest and I saw this wonderful idea for a dry erase calendar.

Source: theaestheticwriter.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

• And, since my darling husband has the ability to forget anything said to him about what we should be doing and when...I thought it would be a great idea to have a calendar right where everyone could see it and could no longer use the excuse that they didn't know!  It was either that or I was going to have to start having him repeat back to me what I just told him so I know he would remember it.

• The one on Pinterest was made with paint chips, which is quite clever, but not something I have just laying about.  So, I decided to modify it a bit.  

•  I used a matted picture frame that I picked up from the thrift store for $4.98 (I really wish I had process pictures).  I then took 2 pieces of 12x12 scrapbooking paper in the design of my choice (why should anyone else get to choose, I am the one making it).  I taped the page together to make one large piece that fit in the mat that I wanted to use.  I used a pencil and traced the inside of the mat so I would know how much space I had to work with.  I then measured it off and made 2x2 squares (I did this in pencil).  I had a bit of room left at the top of the page so I used that space to write the days of the week.  I then went over the squares with a black sharpie. (curse it all that I didn't do process pictures, I am making one for my sister too, so I will add the process pics next week with hers).

• I then taped the paper in place on the back side of the mat so it wouldn't shift and I put it all back in the picture frame.  I then used black sharpie to write directly on the glass (it won't wipe off with your hand while you write, but you can erase it really easy with a Mr. Clean eraser) the month & year, numbering the days, notes on one side and grocery list on the other.  I actually wrote the days of the week on the glass too because I didn't think about putting it on the paper before I got the frame put back together.  I did make sure I put the paper as close to the glass as I could so I could make sure I was writing directly in the squares.

• After I was all done I used some of the command picture hanging strips and attached it to the side of my refrigerator where you can't miss it!

Friday the 13th is a good day for me!!!

Well, it has been 6 wonderful years with my wonderful husband!  This is the first year it has fallen on a Friday since the day we were married.  Yes, we intentionally got married on a Friday the 13th!  It was a great day and a beautiful wedding!

• It has not always been easy, and we sure have been through a lot of tough times together, but he is my rock and I know that he will always be there holding my hand through the fires!  It has only made us stronger and happier!!  

• Tonight we went out to a nice dinner and then went to the hockey game and watched the Missouri Mavericks kick the Allen Americans all over the ice!!!  We won 6 - 4!  It was a great ending to a great day!  And a great beginning to another fabulous year to come!!!

One more time!

Working on the blog again.  Actually I was starting another blog because I thought this one was consumed by the interwebs because I couldn't find it when I looked for it.  But then when I started the new one and made my first post, this one popped up on my profile.  So, here is my general post from the new on with the current ideas for my blog!!!

ABOUT ME

1. I am 41, my name is Julie or Jules it doesn't matter.
2. I have 2 daughters, 1 granddaughter, a great and tolerant husband 2 dogs and cat.
3. We live in Independence, Missouri, it is a suburb of Kansas City.
4. I work part time as an administrative assistant (they call me the den mom at work) and
5. I (attempt) to operate a yarn company from my studio at home.
6. I love to knit and spin and sit like a zombie in front of the tv.
7. I am a borderline hoarder. I say borderline because I am attempting to stop it now and I don't like to shop.
8. I have been married for 6 years tomorrow.
9. I suffer with occasional bouts of depression/apathy (I am just coming out of a 6 month one)
10. I don't keep a clean house, I let things get piled up and out of control and then I get overwhelmed and can't start anything.
11. I am the youngest of 5 kids
12. My mom and grandma moved here about a year ago and live about 5 minutes away from me and I run errands for them and help them out.
13. My husband has a job that he has to travel a lot, sometimes it gets me down.
14. I have never successfully written a blog, I always get distracted or just get writers block because I don't think I have anything interesting to say.

WHAT THIS BLOG WILL BE ABOUT

1. What is going on in my day to day life. The exciting and the boring.
2. Probably my adventures in house keeping and organizing (I am having a professional organizer come in and help me dig this mess out soon, I will probably talk about it).
3. My attempt to gain control of my financial life and get the hell out of debt
4. Me whining about numbers 2 & 3.
5. Probably there will be yarn and knitting as that is what I do a lot of.
6. Couponing! I am trying to learn to coupon (not like on tv, but just to save money)
7. Craft projects that I do, I am starting to do more and it is fun!
8. Things I have found on Pinterest (Pinterest has replaced Disney World as the happiest place on earth)
9. Things I have done with what I have found on Pinterest
10. Family - love them, hate them, love them more!
11. Health stuff - I say this because I have been trying to lose weight for 30+ years and I know I will bitch about it sooner or later!
12. Anything else that tickles my fancy or that you ask me to tell you about!

WHAT I WANT FROM YOU

1. Comments - if you are out there, and you are reading, say hi. I am convinced that I will be the only one who ever reads this, but I will be so excited if someone else does.
2. Suggestions - if you have questions for me or if you want my opinion on something or if you just want to know something from my vast pool of knowledge. Ask, suggest, input!
3. Money - give me all your money because I am so super awesome you want to pay me for my fabulous words!!
4. Humor- You see, I was joking on #3 and I want you all to know that I will use sarcasm, humor and/or ridicule to amuse myself here. If I offend you with that please let me know. I won't change it or stop doing it, but I will be more specific and include you personally when I ridicule!!!

Well, I think that's about it for now, thanks for taking a look around and I hope to see you around here again!

Jules

What's the happs?

• Sooooo...job hunting sucks! I'm just saying! Rejections, even the passive rejection of not getting any kind of acknowledgment on your resume, SUCKS! I mean it's one thing to not be qualified, or to not be the best applicant, but when you get nothing!!! It's like they are saying we didn't like the way your resume was formatted, so we are not going to even waste our time looking at it! Of course, the good thing is during this time that I have been out of work, my husband has had 3 jobs, each one better than the last! All with little or no effort. People who just know of him and have called him and offered him a job. In fact, this week his previous employer called and said what would it take to get you back even part time? So at least we have that.

• Financially we are still pretty much hosed, but I have faith that things will work out eventually! I have to believe that, if I don't it freaks me out!

• Knitting is going GREAT! I am knitting my poor fingers to the bone! I am trying to knit from my stash more, but I keep getting hat orders and have to buy yarn to make those, but I don't mind. Right now I am making 2 pairs of socks for Jayde. I am using 2 different colors of yarn and knitting 2 at a time. So far she has sock 1 and 1 of 2 pairs, but I should finish the 2nd socks today. I motivated Mariah to knit some to, so Jayde should have 4 new pairs of socks by the end of the week!!