the haps

I have been feeling so much more positive since my last post, where I revealed that I was going to attempt to be more positive.
I feel like I have more energy, now that I'm not wasting so much of it thinking about those little annoyances of life...you know, those ones that EVERY person has. 
Some time ago, I offered/suggested that I take 3 hour lunches at my vet job.  Between noon and 2, everyone is coming and going on lunch breaks, and from 2-3, there's not usually much happening.  To add to that, one of the doctors usually doesn't bother coming back after 12, b/c he's part time and hardly ever has clients booked later in the day.  But, I only did it the week I mentioned it, and then it's been too busy for me to do!  Yesterday, I found out the other kennel girl was taking 2 hour lunches, so I decided to day (where there is absolutely nothing for me to do) that I would take a long lunch.
So here I am...blogging away to kill some time. 
I am feeling good about my new plan to try to 'do everything'.  I just need to jump right in.  I mean, when I was working full time and going to school full time, I still kept the house clean, and did those necessary daily things.
Luckily, my little week long sleep-deprived tantrum about nothing getting done around the house prompted Hubby to take my car for it's yearly inspection for me.  Surprisingly, it passed...even the emissions test!  I guess whatever Midas did, worked.  I was just saying to a couple peeps at work, who both had headlights out last week, that I can't remember ever changing mine...in the 11 years I've had it!  Hubby thought I jinxed myself, but if they were dim, they were still bright enough.
This whole business with my car these past few months has me thinking about a new car.  Of course I can't afford one now, and I'd really rather not get into all the hassle until there are really no other options.  There's also the issue of the title...I have OWNED this car for 6 years...but I never got the title.  It is still filed away in Boston somewhere.  Being so emersed in this digital age, I am HOPING it is still on file and available.  I was so embarassed to have never called for them to send it, that I even tried paying for a replacement, saying I'd lost it.  But they know!  'That is still at the Boston RMV.  You'll have to call and get it from them.'  Which I never did.  Again...procrastination is my biggest fault (in my opinion).
But I'm thinking maybe another year with this Cavalier...we're just coming up on 124,000 miles on this 12 year old beauty.  I was hoping I could get at least 200K, and maybe I can, but in the event that I do need to get a new car, my sights are actually set on Chevy's new Sonic hatchback!

(source: Chevy website)

It's nothing fancy.  And that's what I love.  And hopefully, by the time I'm in need of a new ride, I'll be able to find a used one.  The new ones start at around $14,000...which is actually quite cheap, I think?  I'm still rooting for my 'Green Monster' a.k.a. 'The Stagecoach'(b/c of how it creaks like an old buckboard) to hold out for a few more years, though. 
Tomorrow is day 13 of my work week!  I work until 11 a.m. and then take my poor little Moxie to the vet for her annual exam and to see what the nasty little bump on her eye is all about.  And then...a day off.  To hopefully make some jewelry (I have a belated birthday/engagement party on Saturday and thought I might make myself a new necklace to wear), maybe break out the clarinet and/or guitar to start practicing again, clean the house, workout, and spend a little time with the guy I live with.
I hope everyone is having as positive a week as I finally am!!

No more excuses!

I just ate an entire pint of Ben&Jerry's Bonnaroo ice cream.  And, it was worth every single one of those 1200 or so calories it contained.  Coffee and malt ice creams...whiskey caramel...toffee candy...utter heaven!
So, now I should get my butt downstairs to the treadmill, but I really just want to relax (again).  I have found myself thinking a lot more on my drives to work.  I keep thinking about how much time I waste each day...and how much time I spend complaining about how little time I have!
I have become a complainer, big time.  And I'm not super happy about that.  I get so frustrated when people spend all kinds of time wishing they had this or that, and never stopping to appreciate what they do have.  And that is the person I seem to be becoming.
This week has really done me in!  All of my positive attitude is asleep!  I've been getting up at 3 a.m. every day since Wednesday and the early morning hours are full of random thoughts! 
What could I possibly be thinking about at 3a.m. (other than the memory of my warm bed and soft pillow slowly getting colder as I drive to work)? 
I think about what I should do when I get out of work...which turns out to NEVER be what I actually do when I get out of work. 
I think about what to blog about.
I think about all the little side projects I have started and let fall to the wayside.  Clarinet, guitar, reading (the stack of a half dozen I've started)...CLEANING!
I think about shopping...I imagine how much fun it would be to take a day and just shop and lunch and hang out. And then I remember that I hate shopping.
I think about what to make for dinner...what to have for lunch.
And, lately I have been trying to decide if I have it in me to buckle down and really get some jewelry made to take to some of the little boutiques around here.
So, as I get closer to my day off (just 4 days to go now), I have been thinking about what to do with the day.  I am HOPING to get some work done.  I'd love to get a couple pieces working, maybe take some time to do some sketches to work from, since that seems to help once I get into the studio.
I've actually learned something about myself this week.  Even though I often complain about not having enough time to do everything, I know that I do not use my time wisely.  I COULD do everything I want to do, and work two jobs.  And I've decided that I will.
I've already been adding in home cooked meals every night.  Which, of course, calls for menu planning and the dreaded grocery shopping.  I've slowly been clearing out my basement, taking a bag or two back to the redemption center after work now and then.  Working out is also getting some time, though not as much as it used to...that is my goal next week, to put exercise back at the top of the list.  Unfortunately, I've gotten into the mindset that it's either gym or studio...I am on a mission to do both.
I want to be that girl who can do it all.  I want to be bad ass. 
From now on, I'm on a mission to stop making excuses!

Is it March, yet?

I can honestly say that, for the whole month of February (so far), I have been oblivious to what day it is.  I get up knowing which job I have to go to, but beyond that my life has been a jumble of tasks I seem to be doing on auto-pilot. 
pay bills...make dinner...eat in car...work...workout...sleep...feed dog...buy food...clean house...sleep...work...sleep...work...
I feel like a robot!!
Last month I sketched out a necklace I thought would be pretty.  It came out great!  I made it a couple weeks ago and it has been sitting on my kitchen table waiting for the finishing touches. 

And now, having just uploaded this picture and looked at it again, I realize that I put the top bit (where the chain will go through to hang it) on wrong!  Luckily, since I just attached it this morning, the glue is not dried yet...I've fixed it.  I am really happy with this one, since it came out EXACTLY as I imagined and sketched it!  It's actually small enough that I may consider making it a pair of earrings and maybe make a slightly larger version for a necklace?  We'll see.  I have had zero time for any sort of crafting this month, and I don't see much in my future, sadly.

A lot of my time is being shifted to my health and well-being, though,so it's not all bad.  I've started working out again...for the most part.  I got on the treadmill for about 30 minutes a day, most days this week.  I've just finished my first week in my plan to be healthy again.  I am planning weekly menus, doing a 'healthy' shopping trip once a week (at the end of my Sunday shifts at Trader Joe's...what a convenience it is working at a grocery store!), and cooking almost every night (or eating leftovers).  This week I'm going to start strength training again.  While I love crafting and would LOVE to have enough time to focus on it more, I think I need to take care of myself first.  My 38th birthday is just about a month away, and until I'm happy with myself (health-wise), I'm afraid I won't be able to concentrate on anything else. 
The hardest part of life is definitely finding time for all the things you want to accomplish.  My poor clarinet and Hubby's guitar are doing a great job of collecting dust.  I don't have high hope for the vegetable garden this year.  But I feel like, if I can get back into shape and be healthy and energized, then the other things I want to accomplish can be added gradually into my life.  I can have it all...I can do it all.  I'm the only one holding myself back!


Lists

I don't know if this will work, since I have never posted a video, but I'll try.
Most mornings I wake up to The Go-Go's '100 lists' song in my head!

There are always at least 100 things to do most days, and when you're under the weather for a couple days, they start to back up like Memorial Day traffic on Cape Cod (regional comparison, but you get the idea).

This particular morning I got up and started the coffee pot, muttering to myself about all the calendars I need to print out! One for my Etsy schedule, one for my workout schedule, one for my new (healthy) menus, maybe one for home improvement goals...why is there always so much to do!?

And why does it take me being sick and inside my own head for two days while I try to rest??

Oh, that reminds me...note to self: get tax stuff together for accountant.  At least the accountant has to do the hard work!

I know I'm not the only one out there making lists all the live-long day, but I hope that now you will also be transported back to the '80's and this awesome bouncy song to get you through your lists!



a (gross) little helpful hint

I apologize in advance for this post.

For those of you with weak stomachs, maybe this isn't for you.  If you don't have kids, this isn't for you, either, really.  It's just something someone told me once, and I'm thinking about it now because of how my cold has advanced.  Yep, I'm about to talk about sicky stuff...
Now, I can't remember who told me this, but I'm sure it WASN'T a doctor.  I believe it was one of the many mothers I work with at one of my jobs.  I'm almost certain it was one of my mangers who recently had her second baby.  At any rate, I really don't know how the conversation got started; and, I am fairly certain I came in at just the right moment to get this invaluable information.
What is it, already??  Well, she said that kids who ate their boogers had better immune systems.  And, of course, that makes sense!!  It's like your very own homemade flu vaccine!!
Anyway, I'm at the coughing up nasties stage, and that made me think of that story.

And so, Good Morning, to you!!

On a less disgusting note, I've been pinning some stuff to my Pinterest boards.  Nothing substantial yet, since I've been working and sleeping and not much else trying to avoid the state I'm in now...which, in hindsight, was a waste. 

I'm still not sure of the PURPOSE of it all, but I'm trying.

I have a couple sketches for new pendants that I'm hoping to work on over this next week.  That will be fun.

My new schedule at T.J.'s has me starting work at 4 a.m. now (instead of 4:30) so I'm out before noon all this week, so that gives me plenty of time to play around in the studio!!

Here's one that I've finished.  I get so excited when I have an idea in my head and it works out.  I get even more excited when that idea DOESN'T work out, but instead, I make it better while working on it!

I got a matching blue leather cord for this one.  Can't wait to (try) to get some good pics and get it in the shop this week.

Did everyone stay up late for the Super Bowl last night?  Out here on the East Coast, it's another crazy year with the Giants and Patriots playing again.  I wanted to watch.  I skipped the party we were invited to so that I didn't get everyone sick, but I planned to watch alone (until Hubby came home at the half).  It started at 6-ish.  I watch an Absolutely Fabulous marathon until the start, basically.  I did get to see the end of the President talking with what's-his-face from the Today Show.  I missed the kickoff, but saw the Patriots safety replay.  I saw the Elton John Pepsi commercial and then I went to bed. 

I tivoed the whole thing to catch the commercials, highlights, and Madonna's halftime show.

I'm sure there are better Super Bowl Sunday stories out there!!

Happy Monday, to all...and to all, a ...better Tuesday??

and the winner is...

David of Clearer Reflections!

He was one of only a few of you who actually took part in my giveaway this past week. He does some great stuff with iPhone apps (is that right? I'm so dumb about iThings!) and some really cool mixed media stuff.  Check out his blog and click the links to his etsy shops and other cool stuff!  I am terribly grateful for his efforts to get my name out there, as well!  Thank you so much, Dave, for all of your re-tweeting and encouraging words!  I got a few more twitter followers through you, too.

So, I got some new friends, and you will be getting a handmade quilled snowflake and a cotton bag with one of my original designs.  I really hope you like them or know someone who would like them?

I will keep this post short, too.  I have been contacted 3 times by our water department in efforts to change our 20 year old water meter.  I finally called yesterday, so they will be coming next week.  Do you know where the water meter is?  It's behind all of our junk in the basement.  Included in that 'junk' are about 3 or 4 full boards of sheetrock!  So, after work today i started cleaning the basement.  Hubby even helped take cardboard to the recycling station.  I wanted to do more, but I spent all day in bed when I got out of work yesterday, because I was feeling sick.  Can you guess what helped my sore throat?  A shot of whiskey!  My throat felt like I was swallowing gravel by the end of the day.  After a shot of whiskey, if felt so much better.  And even this morning it barely hurt at all!  (That's your hot tip for the day!)

Anyway, Congrats, Dave.  Thank you for helping me out this week!  I'm trying to like Pinterest, still. I imagine my day off next week will be taken up by that, now that I've started to poke around. 

not really Pinterested

I did it.  I'm about to alienate myself from a lot of people out there, but that's just life, I guess.
I recently expressed my confusion concerning the popularity of Pinterest.  It seems as though everyone who blogs, tweets, or uses any other form of social media has used it, and they love it.  Finally, with a couple minutes to spare before work the other day, I checked out.  I was overwhelmed by the home page that opened up.  What was I supposed to do with that mess of images??
The next day, a co-worker (and facebook friend) posted something to facebook about something she pinned or something she and her daughter made after finding it on Pinterest.  I commented that I liked the heart-shaped crayons they made, but didn't understand the appeal of Pinterest.  Yesterday she came up to me and said, 'You don't use Pinterest!?  I'd have thought it was right up your alley!'  After a short conversation she suggested I give it another go, and recommended I try the 'DIY & Crafts' tab.
This morning, I did.  At this point I had it in my head that I would fall in love with it, and spend all day looking and pinning.  After about 10 minutes of sensory overload and a still confused voice in my head questioning the purpose of Pinterest, I hopped over to the 'About' page. 

And there I got my answer! 

 The question: why am I not in love with this thing that everyone around me is so into, and worse yet, something that my friends think is 'right up my alley'!?  What am I missing?
It hit me like a ton of bricks...I am not that person who scours the internet looking for images and 'things'.  Oh, how I would love to be, but I am not.  Obviously, as you can see by my blog, I don't tend to be image heavy.  I wish that I was, but if it's time or effort holding me back, I don't know... they just don't make it into my internet world.
It kind of made me sad, too.  I took a correspondence course in photography the year after getting booted out of university.  I was 19 and didn't know what else to do.  (And, it was all through the mail!!  The 'ooh, look what else we offer' draw was that you could use your PHONE -land line, of course, no cells back then!- to call in your test answers or speak with a professor!)
I wasn't great by the end...my 'final' was a 3-part hands-on photo session of sorts where you mailed in your photos for critique.  I still have my 'wildlife' entry: a picture of my cat sitting in a field of tall grass and little purple flowers.  As the years went on, I experimented with my camera and took some pretty cool artsy photos. I grew a lot, and took, what I believe to be some really great photos.
But, alas, I am not a digital girl.  Since giving up my film camera efforts, I have fallen out of love with photography.  Taking photos...not viewing.
Who cares?  Well, probably no one, but I think it is part of the reason I tend not to post pics...they are not good examples of my skills.  Or, the skills I once had, anyway.

So, back to Pinterest.  To me, it's just a jumbled mess of too much stuff to sort through, for a person with no patience for that sort of thing.  If I'm gonna spend hours sorting through photographs, I want to touch them...have them in my hands.  I'm old fashioned.  I want to break out of this moldy oldy rut, but I think it may be too late for that.
But, I also think I'm okay with it.
I'm certainly not saying that people who love Pinterest are just sitting around all day looking at pictures!  I know all too well about finding a site you love and spending hours, without even realizing, just lost in it all.  But, for me, Pinterest isn't that site.  For now, I'm sure someone, some other day, will convince me to try again.  Or, maybe some day I will simply have more time to sort through it all?!

Moving on...

My giveaway is turning out to be a bust, but that's okay.  I have come to realize that I don't have the time to promote and 'virtually' socialize on a scale that will really make a difference in my online presence.  Again, that's okay, it's just how it is.  Until I have more time, I will just continue to putter along as best I can.
But it's still gonna happen...the giveaway, I mean.  Here's a link to the original post, and I amended the time frame so that you may enter up through Thursday; and, the winner will be announced in a post Friday. 

Here's a quick recap of rules, if you don't want to go back in time to read them:

1. Check out my Facebook Fan Page and ‘Like’ me.  You can also access it by clicking the 'MyDearest' box at the top right side of this page.  Let me know in your comment here.
2. Follow my blog, and let me know in a comment here.
3. Do you have friends who may be interested in my shop? why not blog about this giveaway, and add a link (and let me know in a comment here)!
4. Do you tweet? ‘Follow’ me. Tweet me something…it’ll be fun!
OH, and the prize, again, will be a quilled snowflake and a cotton bag with one of my original designs (ironed on).  It's a play on this crazy late summer-like weather we are having this winter!  It's February 1st and I can go outside without a coat!!  In New England!!

Now, all of this is to (gulp!) promote my Etsy shop that I've recently re-opened with a new line of paper jewelry,and some new hardcover journals.  So, if you are so inclined, you may also want to go there, too.

Perhaps my next post will just be pictures!?