Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Jennifer's Simple Woman's Day Book 10 Mar 2010

FOR TODAY


Outside my window...is a Spring Gray sky mixed with a bit of sunshine here and there. 

I am thinking...about being back home in the little house :)

I am thankful for...my family and friends

From the kitchen... I will soon be putting a turkey breast into the oven for dinner tonight

I am wearing...blue and white yoga pants and a blue t-shirt

I am creating...some crochet bees

I am going...grocery shopping at some point

I am reading...Learning to Live by Madisyn Taylor

I am hoping...to get a contract on our house real soon

I am hearing...Ashley playing with Liam

Around the house...it is sparkling clean with NO clutter YEA!!!

One of my favorite things...enjoying a cup of coffee early in the morning before everyone else is up

A few plans for the rest of the week: Finishing cleaning and packing, and then cleaning and packing some more!



Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Thanks to:

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Update on life! :)

OK, SOOOO this has been an insanely crazy time in my life!  I am happy to say I feel like we are finally moving on with things.  I am very sad to say I have had to go back to work!!!  Just when I finally had come to accept my place at home and feel comfortable there, I found myself in a place where I had to go back to work to make ends meet.  Talk about frustrating!  But like I have said before sometimes you have to do what you have to do.  I was having such a hard time with this until Darren reminded me that I am not putting a career in front of my children, I am doing what it takes to keep food on the table.  His new position is great but we took a huge hit to our income, we are talking like 40%!  That's major.  My kids are still my number one priority and I am trying to find other ways to make some income working from home.  This is not an invitation to send me things about your work at home opportunity, I have a plan and know what it is I want to do, I just have to come up with the details on how to do it.  And we are in a major transition right now.  I am working on getting our house sold, moving back into our other house and selling practically everything we own!  On top of all that, trying to fit a job into this and I currently have a major cold that has knocked me on my butt!  Hence, having the time to write because I am stuck in bed.  Part of my new plan does involve my blog though.  I have decided to focus on my crafts, I am thinking about using Esty although I am skeptical because there are SO many people there.  I have created my own websites before so I may just go on my own.  Also my neice and I are talking about doing some craft booths this summer as she is a crafter as well.  Or I might have her set up a table at my yard sales I will be doing all summer long.  Like I said, time to sit down and put a plan together.  So this is where I am right now.  Expect to see me blogging a little more often, and please be on the look out for my craft posts!  Hopefully you will see something you can't live without! :)

Friday, February 12, 2010

Extreme Indifference

After being MIA AGAIN! I am back!  Most of you know 2010 has been off to a not so great start.  We closed our business at the end of 2009 and are in the process of selling our home.  And sadly, I have taken a part time job.  It is so hard after being home for the past 5 years to think of myself in the workforce again.  But in tough times, you do what you must do, right?

I have found a side of me I didn't know existed though.  In some ways it makes me sad to see this side, but in reality it's probably the side where I pull my strength from.  It's a very cold side.  I have had to put my heart aside and function only with my brain and only with the part that can only see indifference.  For instance, I am selling (or tying to rather) all of my home decor.  I have some attachment to these items in a "this is a beautiful peice and it's mine" way and in a real dollar value way.  But I can't feel when I put it up for sale, I must look at it with indifference.  I find it to be the same when it comes to my house.  I cannot look at the money we are losing and I cannot look at it as losing my home, at the end of the day, it's just a house.

I know we are in a better position than most others going through this hardship and I am very grateful for that.  Yes, I am going to miss this place, but not the situation.  I am more than ready to close the chapter on this time in our lives and move on to better things. 

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Disorganized thought patterns!

I really don’t like when I have had so much going on and not enough time to sit and focus my thoughts. I have had probably 20 different subjects floating around in my brain since the last time I posted to my blog and somehow they always get pushed aside for something more important at that time.


Also, with the MA election this past Tuesday, my brain has been weighing in with a lot of political arguments. And indeed, I have been arguing and trying to get my point across without sounding stupid! I tend to get riled up easily, I have a passion for politics and a passion for my version of justice that sometimes makes me sound like I am talking out of my ass! Damn, I just might make a fine politician! Seriously kidding, I would not want that monkey on my back. Besides many people really don’t like it when you get to the point where all you can say is “Are you really that stupid?”

Ahhh yes, let me get back to what I came here for. Wait, what did I come here for? See this is my problem; too much going on in my head. I suppose the majority of my hostility is due to the fact that as passionate as I am about homemaking and fulfilling my duties to my husband and children, I also have the duty to look for employment when things are not as financial stable as they need to be. And we all know how much I am against mothers in the workplace. But you also know that I am not against a woman doing what is necessary for the betterment of her family. Truth is, right now both my husband and myself are looking for work. I have mentioned before that we are on a crash course right now. But the good news is I am feeling hopeful in the face of all that is happening in this nation. I know we will rise to the top once again both as a nation and in my own personal endeavors.

So I am going to close this for now, I need to organize my thoughts a bit more, thought I was there, but my hostility is still prevailing.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Facebook Fan Page!!!

I created a facebook fan page for my blog!!!  So if anyone is interested the link is on the right --->  I will post each of my blogs to the page.  I thought it might make it easier for people to stay up to date on my happenings, if they are so inclined! :) 

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A frugal beginning

Over the past several years it seems as though we were all enjoying a very profitable time. Convenience products were popping up everywhere. I must admit, I do love a good gadget. And I have bought many! And at the time it seemed worth it for that convenience. Take for example the disposable toilet scrubbies, you know the ones with the cleanser built in; you pop it on, scrub your toilet and then pop them right into the trash, no mess, no hassle. I love these things!


But now is not a time for easy spending, almost everywhere I look life has become about being frugal and thrifty, and Green I might add. On one hand I feel as though we need to spend money to make money, on the other hand I feel like I can’t freely spend money if there is no income replacing the spent money. I think we must want better to have better. I think this stems from a couple of things. Having so many siblings I often had hand me downs, my mother often shopped (and still does) at the thrift shop. I was used to second hand items. For my husband, he grew up in a divorced household and his mother was the main provider. When he became old enough he went to work to be able to afford the nicer things that the other kids had. Indeed, the first thing my husband ever bought for me was a pair of tennis shoes! And so began our lives of mass consumerism. There is no doubt that we were doing our part to stimulate the economy!

As I said in a previous post, tough times have not only reached our doorstep, but they invited themselves in and are trying to get cozy. My patience with them is wearing thin, but they haven’t quite worn out their welcome just yet, unfortunately. In the mean time, I find myself returning to those thrifty roots. Whether I like it or not, it’s something that must be done.

Ironically, as I am writing this my mother just called me. We talked of course about the economy and the issues with my family right now. And she tells me 101 ways to fix potatoes! Mom, I love you!!! There’s nothing like talking to someone who has raised eight children and 22 grandchildren and I’ve lost count of the great-grandchildren. But my mom says to me “hey you grew up eating leftovers, you can figure out how to use them!” Yes, I am ashamed to admit the amount of food my family has wasted over the years because we refused to eat leftovers. Now I am in a position where I must learn to use leftovers.

Now where was I, I think I was talking about toilets? Yes, I went to the store to buy some scrubbies to clean the toilets; first off, I looked at the label to see where the product was made, next I looked at the price tag. Goodness, 3.50 just did not seem like that much three months ago; now it seems like a small fortune. So I dug deep and remembered when I was growing up and early in my marriage before I began to rely on so many convenience items, I used to clean the bathroom with good old Ajax, or Comet, whichever was on sale; and here was the economy sized can of Comet for 98 cents! 3.50 vs. .98, now I did need to take into account the fact that I would have to also buy a toilet scrub brush as well, but then I looked at the package and realized I could only clean my toilet 6 times with the scrubbies (and I have three toilets in my house!) and countless times with the Comet, so in the end the Comet won.

So here I am now with a can of Comet and my scrub brush ready to clean my toilet the frugal way. And it’s not near as painful as I thought it might be. Well, it’s a bit painful to my ego, but in the end, literally and figuratively, when the toilet is flushed does anyone really care how it got clean? Probably not.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010



Which Type Of Vintage Mama Are You?
Traditional Trudy June Cleaver is your hero. You like to bake from Grandma's original recipes, you wear your apron as if it were your cape and you love wearing your pearls as you vacuum. You teach your children to be polite and well mannered and you dress them as little ladies and gentlemen. You love to have people over for a traditional Sunday dinner and, of course, always have fresh lemonade in the fridge. Find out more at TheVintageMama.com
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