My Blog

September 07

I started a new job!

Well, I started my new job last week and so far things are great. I'm working at the local store, which doesn't sound like much, but I'll be doing everything from baking to clerking. I used a deli slicer for the first time yesterday and still have all my fingers. :) It's a little different working in a small town store. You wear many hats when you're trying to keep a little place running smoothly. It would be easier, probably, if I were working in a larger store, in one department. Instead of doing whatever someone else hasn't done since the last time I was in. Which it seems that cleaning is the least favorite duty in the store. Not a bother to me, just seems no one else is willing to lift a finger to clean a lot of stuff. OK, something to keep me busy with when it's slow as heck like yesterday was. LOL I live in an economically depressed area with very few jobs available, so I feel lucky that I've got this one. Plus it's so close, I can walk to and from work and not waste any gas to get to work. People around here, used to think I was crazy for walking to the store all the time and carrying my stuff back. What, I ask is so nuts about that? I'm saving $, saving wear and tear on a car, staying fit and healthy, and I use fabric totes so no plastic bags are used in the process either. I call it eco-friendly living and budget stretching. LOL Now that gas is so expensive, I find others don't think I'm quite so odd anymore. ha ha This store job will be good for integrating into society here as well. I've lived in the same house for 4 years and most people are just starting to talk to me... a little. LOL I'm not intimidating! I just wasn't born and raised here. Really, it took one of my neighbors 4 years to say hi to me. I'm breaking them down though. Little by little. I just stay friendly and say hi even if they are pretending I don't exist. I found out that one of my son's friends from school has been asking his mother if he could come to our house for like 2 years. She's never once tried to give me a call to arrange a get together for them. I told her that he'd be more than welcome to come over to play and that my son would actually love to have him over. I've talked to him before (not his mother though, I always see him unsupervised riding his bike all over town) and think he's a good kid. We told him before to talk to his mom about coming over to play. He has, she just never bothered to follow through with talking to me. The kids all know where we live and all they would have to do is stop by sometime if she couldn't fine our phone number. Somehow, I'm afraid she's just not going to bother to be involved even if she does say he can come over. Another woman, who her kid was on the same t-ball team as my mine completely snubbed me one time. I tried to be friendly and introduce myself to her and it didn't go so well. She looked down her nose at me (sorry, I'm short) then actually turned away from me. Have you ever tried to introduce yourself (stand in the middle of a room and smile while holding your hand out as if to shake a hand in case you've never had the same experience. The foolishness of what you are doing will stand out and now, imagine all the t-ball moms are watching you.) and they actually turn away? LOL It's a little awkward. I guess around here, colorful paint on jeans = poor and unsavory, not = Hey, there's someone who may have done something interesting before coming to t-ball. Actually had someone try to give me a $50 because I wore my "work" jeans into public. Lesson learned. I change before I go into public now. For whatever reason the paint seems to scare people. Well, I wasn't so scary once I was behind the counter the other day. Ha ha She finally talked to me! LOL Felt like saying, now was that so bad? Not that I want to be friends with all the Mommies, just that I would like to not be the odd ball out all the time. It's very cliquish around here. I thought my friendly nature would eventually wear them down and they'd have to accept me as a part of the community. ;) Just when I thought it was time to give up. All of a sudden people are waving to me as they drive past. It's a good thing my husband is my best friend! :) He gets me. :) Even if no one else does.

7:03 AM GMT | Read comments(2)

August 27

A milestone- My baby girl's first day of school!

Well, my baby girl stepped onto the school bus for her first day of school this morning and I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. Her big brother promises he'll take good care of her and make sure she isn't afraid and gets to her classroom without any problems. She has an extra set of clothes, Just in case, her favorite crackers for snack, a pencil box full of pencils and crayons, brand new sneakers, and a pocket full of big girl confidence. It's like watching a little catterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly right before your eyes. I can see she's cast off her "baby" identity and fully embraced her "big girl" persona. Last night, she told me she wants to destroy her Nickname, Baby, because it no longer fits who she is. I've watched her go from a tot to an independent girl full of self confidence and a new found maturity. In some ways, it surprises me that she realizes her identity has changed so much in such a short time, but in some ways it doesn't. Only a few months ago she was sure she wasn't ready to write her name, and now, I have page after page of her name scrawled out in her budding handwriting. This morning, I truely had to face the fact that I no longer have a "baby" at home. My beautiful daughter finds casting off her baby self so much easier than I do. She tried to make me promiss not to call her "Baby" again. I can't promiss that I won't ever call her "Baby", but I did promiss to try not to do it so often. She will, after all, always be my baby girl.

8:34 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

August 26

Sunflowers in the morning

I took this picture in the morning, before the mist burned off. Thought it made a nice reference photo. :)

6:36 AM GMT | Read comments(2)

Sparky Pup is getting big and he's got personality.

"This is unfair treatment! Who's in charge?! Let me talk to the complaint department! I have Rights, you know!"

LOL

Well, the puppy is hitting that puberty stage and likes the girls. He wasn't happy about it, but he was getting a little too friendly with my Brother-In-Law's pretty beagles. It's probably about time to get him fixed, but he's such an eye catching dog... LOL Have to wonder what his pups would look like. The neighbor's female dog isn't fixed though. I think she'd eat him before she'd let him near her, but I'm not keen on finding out for sure. Neighbors can't understand why I won't let him off leash when we're outside. Ha! He'd dig up flowers, run over the kids, chase the local cats, and find every girl within a mile radius. Not to mention, he's fond of trash and doesn't consider it offensive to roll on dead worms. He just needs constant reminders at this point, to be good. For the most part, he's great. :)

6:26 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

My fat dog squashed my camera!

We took the kids and the dogs camping this weekend, which was sort of fun. More fun for them than for me. I discovered that I'm not quite as young as I used to be. LOL Just getting hard to sleep on the lumpy ground.

Unfortunately, on the way home, my dog stepped on my camera and broke the screen on it. Now I can still take pictures, I just have no idea what they look like until I load them on to my computer. That's not going to work out very well for me. I still have artwork that needs to get photographed!!!! Right now, a new camera is near the bottom of my "I need" list. Need to focus on getting the house buttoned up for winter before I go and get another camera. A new camera would be great, don't get me wrong... LOL It's just bad timing, with school starting tomorrow. I want to take pictures of my littlest's first day of school, which I will. I'm just going to have to guess about it and pray I don't accidentally cut the top of her head off in the pictures.

I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life. :) My baby is no longer a baby! Wow. I may be starting a new job soon (part time) and I'm seriously thinking about going back to school, myself. It's kind of hard, though. I've been "Mommy" for so long, it's really going to be a shock to have the kids out of the house for most of the day. They will be fine, I'm just not sure how I'm going to handle it. LOL

5:36 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

Sunrise Workshop & Gallery

Original Artwork by Kathryn M. Pinkham