Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Oh, HAIIII!

And here we are, 2 1/2 weeks later.  That whole "blog every day" thing kinda flew the coop, didn't it?

Things have been busy, and kind of crappy at work.  Stressful, annoying and downright painful at times.

I finished a knitting project!  It was meant for Axel, but I think big brother is going to keep it.


I'm still doing the Project 333.  I'm about 40 days in or so.  Still going strong.  Almost out of clothes this morning since I didn't do laundry last weekend.  It was a struggle to look into my closet this morning and seriously NOT have a choice.  Oops.  Laundry is on the agenda for the night.


AJ is with his dad on Thanksgiving, and we postponed our family feast with the in-laws until Friday so AJ could come with us.  I'm hoping for a nice, quiet, relaxing holiday full of knitting, napping and Thanksgiving Day parades.  (Wishful thinking?)


Axel just turned 9 months a couple days ago.  Where does time go?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

VOTE

Today is Election Day! No matter which candidate you're voting for, I applaud you for exercising your right to vote! Democracy - the people choose!

(And I am SO looking forward to the end of the political campaign ads on TV, the junk mailers and the Facebook chatter.)

Monday, November 5, 2012

Wait, what day is it?

It didn't take long for me to fail on blog posting every day.  The weekend flew by and being at my computer (for any length of time) wasn't in the forefront of my mind.  Eh, it's easy to slack when no one is really reading.

Wearing a hand-knit today.  I love this Noro cowl, but I wish I would have cast on fewer stitches so that it would be snugger on my neck.  I've only worn it once and have kept it in a plastic baggie for almost two years, just in case I wanted to gift it.  Sadly I have no one with an uber fat neck to give it to, so I guess I need to keep thinking of ways to wear it.  I could block it, I suppose.  Make it a bit longer and then maybe double wrap it around my neck.  I need to think about this...

Project 333 is still going swimmingly.  I think I did leave the house on Saturday wearing a t-shirt that wasn't on my list.  Alas, I wore my jean jacket over it so I'm saying that it doesn't count!  And I'm sticking to it.



Halloween is over - the sprint to Thanksgiving is on.  Just a little over two weeks, according to my calendar.  And then, Christmas!  I haven't even begun decorating for fall so I'm thinking it will be skipped this year.  Too much going on and too little time.  And with itty-bitty fingers starting to get into everything, less is more with the house this year!  Still, I miss my fall leaves garland and cute little chachkies that AJ made in former years at school.  *sigh*  My boys are growing up so quick.

My two year wedding anniversary is tomorrow.  It seems like WAYYYY longer than two years.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'll take one more year!  Hubster says we can even try for a third. HA!

Happy Monday!

Friday, November 2, 2012

It's Friday and I'm not wearing jeans

This is not to say that I'm not wearing pants!  Well, uhhh, I suppose I'm NOT wearing pants...

(this is going downhill fast)

I had a meeting today at work, and like any respectable support staff I needed to dress the part.  So while my office co-monkeys workers are wearing their comfy jeans and t-shirts I'm dressed in tights and a dress. BAH!  I do look awful cute though.  I did find some frustration with my Project 333 choices today and I DID change my clothes completely after already dressed.  But that's okay.  I'm finding that I didn't mind at all that I wasn't forced to rip through my entire closet of clothes that don't fit ONLY to put on the dress that I look good in and fits great.  Why waste time?

The littlest boy is sick (again) from his 2nd dose of his flu shot.  It's kind of making me wish that I didn't insist on having it done.  I'm sure his weekend sniffles (I hope it's only the weekend this time) is much easier to handle than full-blown flu, infused with a hospital visit for dehydration, etc etc.  Still, I hate seeing my boy so miserable and I hate BEING so miserable when he is miserable.  It just makes everything miserable, you know?

I'm thinking a "lazy" weekend is in order.  After my ridiculous yarn purchase yesterday I have the urge to knit.  And since having my Quilt Magician installed on The Long-Arm Quilter That Hasn't Been Used Ever I really need to get to the sewing shop to gain some knowledge and confidence. I have GOT to start making some money on this machine.  You don't just buy a car and not drive it, right?  (This setup cost more than my car!)

Let's get this weekend party started, right?

Thursday, November 1, 2012

I haven't washed my hair in 4 days (and other nonsense)

No, it's true.  I haven't washed my hair in four days.  This morning I was feeling all extra cool about it. HA! Take THAT, commercial poison-y shampoo! I don't need you!  Fie! FIE!  And then as I was blowing it dry this morning I realized that it felt a little greasy and now it's a little flat.

Shampoo: 1  Trisha: 0

It's November 1st, and that means it's NaBoPoMo!  I failed last year, but I'm not quitter! Let's see what I can come up with.

Despite my lack of Project 333 posts, I'm still going strong.  My clothes are starting to get redundant so I'm getting lax in taking pictures.  I did purchase a couple more tanks to replace the ruffle vest and white key-hole shirt that I hadn't worn yet.  The vest just isn't practical for winter and what I've already chosen.  The white shirt is a bit redundant with the white long-sleeved shirt I've already worn.  The tanks will give a different pop of color to my otherwise plain (black/white/brown) wardrobe.  I do still love going to my closet and having few choices and I'm not exactly bored yet, so YAY for that!

Today is the 2-year anniversary of my engagement.  I only mention it because we got married 5 days later so, you know, it's celebratory-worthy.  Not that we're celebrating or anything... I'm just sayin'.

Another LYS is going out of business.  I went to the first day of the liquidation sale this morning. My credit card bill does not show deep savings. I guess I have expensive tastes.  I need more yarn like I need a hole in the head.  Yet, I got some great stuff.  I was never really a fan of the store - the staff were never very helpful and the owner was a bit standoff-ish herself.  It had a weird vibe.  So, it's no great loss for me but I know many will be very sad to see the store go.  And it's always a bummer to see a local small business close their doors.  Especially a yarn-y business.

Well, that's it.  I'm off to be productive.  I guess.  BAH!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Is Hate-ish a word?

Even if it's not, I'm feeling a bit hate-ish right now.  Ever have one of those days where you just HAVE to get  crap off of your chest and it results in crying in your boss' office?

Uhhhh... yeah... um, me neither.

Since coming back to work mid-May after my GLORIOUS three month maternity leave I have simply not. been. happy.  I'm not happy at all to be back.  I feel disconnected from everything that is happening around me.  I'm keeping up with my increasing workload, but I don't know how.  Things are happening, initiatives are moving forward, plans are being made and I feel like I'm along for the ride.  I've lost control over the sheer amount of paper on my desk.  My Outlook inbox is a hot mess.  My to-do list consists of several Post-It Notes scattered randomly on every work (and non-work) surface of my desk.

What. In. The. World.

I kind of want to set fire to my workspace and start over.

I can't help but think that the chaos at home bleeds into my chaos at work and my brain is one big bundle of AAAUURRGGGHHHHH!  Add that to a new boss that I STILL don't get and expectations that I really don't understand yet and I'm a case of alcoholism waiting to happen.

Serenity now, right?

I really want to go knit something. With a large fishbowl glass of wine.

yeah...

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Project 333: End of week updates

 Day 5:  Jeans Day at work!  Wooooo!  Long-sleeved brown tee, blue tank (new purchase to replace the maternity pink take originally selected - seriously, what was I thinking?!), blue jeans, hand-knit socks (not included), brown mules (not pictured).

Feeling pretty good about Project 333 so far.  Didn't feel at all limited in my choices.  Easily the BEST DRESSED week in a long time, I think.  I got several compliments on the dress AND my black skirt ensemble this week.  

Day 6:  I'm not an angel, though. I did leave the house in yoga pants and slippers this weekend!  But, in my defense I was only in the car going to pick Mom up.  I didn't GO anywhere, per se.  And when I left to drive mom home I put on jeans!

Day 7:  I sure didn't leave the house (unless you count going to the garden and chasing the dogs in the neighbors yard.)  I wore sweats and a tee all day.  I wasn't feeling at all fashionable while doing laundry and scrubbing the bathroom sinks.

Day 8: Sleeveless black/white top, black jacket (easily the most worn article to date), black slacks, black heels.  Oh, and Little Kitty.
Day 9:  Printed blouse (switch-in, replaces my Uggs - I think...), blue tank, brown "cords" and brown heels.  Mom gave me this blouse this weekend I love it.  I think it will look good with jeans, too and even my black skirt.  Its a nice colorful piece that my 33 was desperately needing.

I'm still struggling with a few of my choices.  I included a black ruffle vest, but I honestly don't know that I'm going to wear it.  It was kind of a desperation inclusion - I've only ever worn it with tank tops and, well, it's FALL.  I'm not wearing any tanks right now!  I think it's a more appropriate piece for this summer so it will most likely be switched out this week.





At some point I'm looking forward to having more to talk about than my wardrobe.  But, you know... this is the most interesting thing I have going for me right now.  I guess I'll take it. :-)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Project 333: Day 4


Day 4: Green/blue sleeveless shirt (swapped out for the Uggs), black skirt, black heels and black jacket (that I wore yesterday and agonized about wearing again because OMG TWODAYSINAROW!)  Also not the best outfit to wear when it's rainy and windy and 50* outside.  But, I'm kee-yuuuuute!

I've traded a couple things out, put one of the traded items on this morning and decided that it's too big.  I will probably try it again with some pants (it just looked kinda crazy with my skirt), but it may be ousted as well.  It kind of pains me, because I JUST bought it a couple months ago and WHY am I purchasing items without trying them on?! GAH!

In other news, tomorrow is Friday. Yay!  Maybe I can come up with some different blogging material.  However, this Project 333 *is* getting me back into blogging again.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Project 333: Day 2 and 3


Tuesday, October 16:  "Khaki" pants, brown long-sleeved tee, animal print scarf (totally purchased on Monday!), brown mules.

Wednesday, October 17:  Sleeveless print dress, black jacket, black tights (not included) and black thigh-high boots.



So far so good.  I still think it's plain, plain, plain.  I've already thought of two items I want to get rid of and substitute some print shirts. (Hey, my experiment, my rules!)  I haven't worn them yet, so I figure it's still fair game to trade them out.  Plus, I can't see me wearing my gray sweater Uggs with ANY of the pants or dresses I have so I might switch those out for something as well.  But nothing that I've already worn because somehow that feels like cheating.

In other news, I completely freaked out yesterday and threw away a dozen half-burned candles.  Because seriously, WHO IN THE HELL NEEDS TWELVE HALF-BURNED CANDLES?!?!!?!? WHOOOOOOOOOOOO?  Not me, that's who!  The bad thing about this is that I have to purge while the hubby is gone?  He has 101 reasons to keep EVERYTHING!  This kind of makes me sneaky and devious, which are qualities that I don't like.  However, to save my sanity (and my marriage and the lives of the pets and humans in my house), this is what needs to be done.  My pile to donate is quickly bagged and sent to Goodwill the next day. My laundry basket full of items I'd like to consign is growing and growing.  Lets face it - those 5 sleeveless shell dresses that you wore when you were 23 are NOT gonna fit your 2 post-baby, 13 year older boobs, m'kay?

Little by little I'm decluttering my surroundings and my mind. It feels wonderful.  Hoping to have a firm grip on my brain for 2013!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Project333 - Day 1

I do believe that I need to come up with a new way to take pictures, no?

Monday, October 15:  Red cowl-neck shirt, brown "cords", brownish heels.  I also threw on my cream cardi because it's cold outside.

I know that Project 333 is supposed to make picking your clothes out easier, but I'm not going to lie... I was panic-stricken this morning.  Nothing worked. Nothing. Everything is plain.  So very plain.  I can't wear a brown pant and black sweater. All of my shirts are black or white (well, I do have a brown one thrown in for good measure.) Ack! Fie! Agony!

Right away I found three things that would not work. Not. At. All.  The two scarves I have are wrong.  They are more coat scarves, not wearing with t-shirt scarves. So, I'll be buying two NEW scarves today and donating the old ones. I haven't worn them in years and years (and years), so it's time to pass them along to someone who WILL use them.  Also, I have one tank in my 33 items, just for a pop of color.  And it's a maternity top.  Yeah, that won't do.  I'll be looking for a replacement item for that as well, and will move the tank out of the closet.

This process isn't perfect... yet.  I'm reserving this first week to be the "tweaking" week where I get everything exactly where I want it.  And I have to find a new way to photograph... using Leif's full-length mirror and my iPhone is kinda campy.

In other news - I've been reading a lot about the minimalistic lifestyle and I'm becoming more and more intrigued with every blog post.  I can't wait to try some new (green) cleaning products, and even some personal care products.  Baking soda/tea tree oil shampoo? Sure, why not!  More on that later.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Project 333: In Progress

Yes, I'm still doing it.  I'm still very intrigued, and VERY EXCITED to finalize my list this weekend.  This is what I've got so far:

Pants/Skirts/Dresses

  1. Jeans - one pair (and they happen to be too small in the waist, but they fit great in the butt/legs so I'm keepin' 'em.  Besides, I'm on a mission to lose weight anyway.
  2. Black dress pats - Not Your Daughters Jeans.  Love 'em.  Great fit.
  3. Target clearance khakis - because I need something casual
  4. Goodwill thrifted brown "cords".  I like them and they fit well.
  5. Black above the knee flouncy skirt from Target.  I need a skirt
  6. Sweater dress my mom gave me - haven't tried it on yet so this could change.
Shirts/Sweaters/Jackets
  1. Brown long-sleeved tee
  2. White long-sleeved tee
  3. White short-sleeve keyhole tee
  4. Black short-sleeve keyhole tee
  5. Red short-sleeve cowl neck tee
  6. Black/white sleeveless print shirt
  7. Cream long-sleeve cardi
  8. Black short-sleeve cardi
  9. Black jacket
  10. Winter coat (why does this count?)
Shoes
  1. Black knee-high leather boots
  2. Black mules
  3. Brown mules
  4. Black heels
  5. Brown _________ (to be determined)
  6. Tennis shoes
  7. Winter boots
  8. Uggs
Accessories
  1. Sunglasses - silver aviators ( I wrestle with including these - I don't use my sunglasses as fashion, per se)
  2. 1 purse (to be determined)
  3. scarf (to be determined)
  4. scarf (to be determined)
  5. gloves (again, outer-wear kinda sucks)
  6. bracelet?
  7. necklace?
Exceptions (because I CAN!)
  1. Anything hand-knit/woven.  I don't have a lot, but what I do have I reserve the right to wear the hell out of.
  2. Tights.  I'm considering them underwear.  Screw you.
  3. Earrings.  I wear white gold diamond studs and white gold hoops as well as my cartilage piercings every day, rarely changing.  I'm not counting them.
  4. Wedding rings - duh.
  5. Also reserving the right to replace anything that becomes too worn to wear with a similar item from the store or a different item from my closet.  But, everything on this list seems to be in good repair, so...
So yeah, that's 31 items so far.  I feel like I should add a couple more shirts because, seriously, t-shirts anyone?

It's a great start.  I can't wait to pack up my clothes and see a newly decluttered closet.  This is going to be so good for my soul... I can FEEL IT!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Project 333 - Finally, some focus!

I'm floundering.  I recognize that my unhappiness isn't with the people in my life, but the amount of time taking AWAY from the people in my life. I'm living in a constant state of urgency and it's really starting to wear me down.  Today, it clicked. It's time for me to start living more simply.

Enter The Project 333.

33 items of clothing. 3 months.

Less time in the morning antagonizing over what to wear. Less time sorting/washing/folding laundry. Less money spent shopping for clothes that hang in my closet. More time wearing items that I LOVE and FIT ME WELL. (And with my current weight, there is very little that fits me well!)

My plan is to finalize my Project 333 list this weekend, box everything up that didn't make the cut and put it away until January 15, 2013.  Of course, I will have some exceptions. (Hand-knits, for example!)

I'm really excited to start this challenge.  I think it will be good for me and help shake the funk that's been hanging on for a while.  More to come!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Unfulfilled

I hate leaving home.

Not because I'm a hermit (though I am), and not because I have a phobia (because I don't). I hate leaving home because that's where I belong.  I should be at home, with my babies, playing with them, teaching them and spending time with them because time... *poof*... it's gone in an instant.  As AJ gets older I realize how much time I've actually missed with him and it makes me sad. I don't want the same thing to happen with Axel.

I took the day off yesterday because the baby was sick, the furnace was broken and we needed to find a place to service it and I just felt like I NEEDED to be home.  Axel was a bear most of the day, I didn't get very much done around the house, but it was the BEST day because I felt like I was where I needed to be.

I'm starting to feel like I'm going through a crazy identify crisis. On one hand I'm a working mom, helping pay the bills that I obviously helped create.  I can take care of myself and my family if need be. But I don't want this life anymore.  I want to stay home and make baby food, and knit a sweater, and grow cold-weather crops in my garden, and start using my long-arm quilter, and be able to spend a couple hours cleaning my house that's been taken over by dog fur!  GAH!

How do I find balance?  And how do I get over the cold, hard truth that I have to leave this face five days a week to work?


Friday, June 8, 2012

Busy

He keeps me hopping, this one. There aren't enough hours in the day to work full-time and take care of my family, it seems. I've resorted to blogging from bed on my phone! But, he is worth it.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Saving Money With Cloth

Seriously, how cute is he in this Whispers cover?

Even before I got pregnant with Axel I knew that I wanted to give cloth diapers a go.  I don't know HOW I knew, or WHY I knew... no one I know has used cloth in recent years and no one told me it was a good idea. I just knew that I wanted to use them.  I spent HOURS and HOURS online, researching the best brands and the different types.  I found out that a friend of mine on Facebook used cloth, so I asked her some basic questions early on.  She gave me the link for Jillian's Drawers and suggested that I use their cloth diaper trial program.  If nothing else I'd only be out $10 to return them if I hated it.

When I got them in the mail a couple months before Axel's birth I was ecstatic.  So cute they were!  And the novelty of using them was just burning a hole in my brain.  When Axel was 2 weeks old I started cloth diapering and I haven't regretted a moment of it.

Pros:

  • Better for the environment.  Did you know that disposable diapers are the third largest consumable in landfills today, and it's estimated that they take hundreds of years to decompose?
  • Less expensive. Did you know that the average child can cost around $1600 for two years in disposables, but you can cloth diaper your baby for about $600 (or less!).  AND reuse for the next child?! WINNING!
  • Health reasons:  You know that absorbency crap in your disposables just isn't natural, right?  I mean, that's common sense. 
  • Cuteness.  Fer reals.  Cute, cute, CUTE!  Pampers has nothin' on these!


Cons: 

  • Laundry.  Oh my, the laundry.  I generally wash my diapers every other day.  Actually, it really hasn't been that big of a deal.
  • Up-front costs.  I'm not gonna lie - I've spent maybe $400 so far on cloth diapers.  It's a bit of a shock, but in the long-run I'm saving. And, everything that I've purchased that doesn't fit Axel now (newborn fitteds, pre-folds and covers) will fit our future baby!
  • Learning curve.  G-Ma still isn't so sure about these pre-folds.  It's been a while since I was in diapers!


Buying all the goodies now, while I'm working, is definitely going to work out for me when I start my SAH journey.  I'll be left to buy wipes (unless I start using the cloth ones I made...), detergent (until I figure out if there is a way to make my own, cloth-safe detergent) and cloth-safe diaper rash cream (which I'm hopeful I won't need often!)

And, of course, I'm learning as I go along!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Under Cover

That's right... I'm an undercover stay-at-home mother.  I say "under cover" because I'm not staying at home.  12 weeks and 1 day from my new baby's birth I will be returning to the workplace...

...and I hate it.

With my first son, I was ready to go back to work.  I was SOOOOOO ready!  But I always said that after I had my second child I wanted the option to stay at home.  Through a series of very unfortunate events - and also VERY fortunate events - my second son was born 10 years after my first.  New husband, new life, but the desire to be a stay-at-home mom stuck.  I've been spending the last 10 weeks enjoying the crap out of staying at home and taking care of my newborn.  Since I'm home my oldest (AJ) has been coming home on the school bus almost every day instead of being picked up by his grandparents.  I'm starting to get into a routine, and I've even managed to make a few nice dinners and pack a few lunches for my husband.  It gets easier every day, but it's all going to be different when I return to the office.

I'm thankful that I found in-home care for Axel while I'm gone.  Not only will I not have to worry about carting a newborn around in the mornings and evenings to and from daycare, but his dad will be able to see him before leaving for work and all of his baby creature comforts will be close by.  His crib, his toys, and I daresay, even his dogs!  Still, I can't help but think that the very best thing for him is to have his mommy take care of him.

Sad, sad panda.

But, UPSIDE!  My husband and I have agreed that with the next baby (hopefully to be conceived this summer) I will be able to take a year off of work so we can see if it's feasible to make it on one income.  Honestly, I can't wait.

My goal for the next year is to slip into an under cover SAHM role - really taking control of the house, organizing our lives, cutting costs and living within a budget and learning what I need to in order to make this new lifestyle work.

But before that I need to find some work clothes that fit!