Making your office space work for you

I spent a good portion of the weekend cleaning my office. I didn't plan on cleaning my office, but as you may remember from my earlier post about how one project leads to another, you can understand how it might happen. It started last week, when I had a really great writing breakthrough. I decided I needed my desk to have some clear space to work. The only problem was, I had tax stuff all stacked up ready to do my taxes. So I started by clearing my desk.

Then, Saturday, I wanted a specific writing book that I know I have. But I couldn't find it right away on my writing bookshelf. I eventually found it, and it was exactly where it was supposed to be, but for some reason, that meant I had to clean my office. So now, I am in absolute bliss because not only is my office clean, but I got to do a few decorating/decluttering things I'd been wanting to do for a while now. I have a really small office space, and a lot of stuff, so this was a great exercise in making what I have work.

Presenting...

My office!

This is the view looking in through the door.

My office is in the basement. I hate being in the basement, but hey, you appreciate having an office to begin with, right? On the green wall, you see a white thing. That is actually the window, except that it's really old and it leaks freezing cold air, so I had hubby close it up with Styrofoam he had from another project. When we can afford new windows, it'll be a real window! The lamp thing you see, that is a special bulb that gives me the effect of being in the sun. So I don't have a beautiful well-lit office. But we made it work as best as we could with we already had.

Yes, those are my bookshelves. Some of them, anyway. The sticky notes on them are to let me know which is which for my catalog project. Someday I'll have them all in the catalog. My bookcases are pieced together from things we found on sale, at garage sales, and were handed down from others.

On the floor are three file boxes- two are stacked on top of each other. My laptop sits on that stack and I use the other one as a footrest. The fileboxes are all the mementos I'm saving from the kiddos, but I needed a table and footrest, and these are the perfect height. So why not let them do double duty? My couch is covered with a sheet- that's because my dog sits with me and he's gross. I wanted this couch to stay nice.

Here's the view from my closet. I have a tiny table squeezed between the couch and bookcase. I needed something to hold my tissues, tea, etc, and this small table works perfect. It's really ugly, but it was hubby's grandma's so I love it. The table has a drawer where I can keep junk like pencils, and then the shelf underneath is all of my current study materials. The dog is sniffing by my tiny trash can, and I have a bin next to it that has my book cataloging materials.

I have a fun quote I'm thinking of hanging above the couch- or above my desk. I can't decide, so it's not up.

The reason you see my ugly stepstool is because that's where it goes. When my door is opened, the stepstool is behind the door. It's a pretty small space, so I maximize my storage.

The big brown blob on the right is a shawl I knitted. I like to call it "The Behemoth." It's blanket sized, and it was a really good lesson in why you should check gauge before knitting. I usually have it wrapped around me as I work. But, as you can see from the other blankets in the picture, I also use those sometimes. I get cold easily, so I am generally wrapped in a blanket or two or more.



My closet is under the stairs, so there's not a lot of room, but I did manage to cram in 3 bookcases, and a couple of stackable storage drawers. Most of my shelves (including the ones in the other picture) are stacked with books two or three deep. Yes, I love my books. No, I am not getting rid of them. Being surrounded by books makes me happy.

I should admit that I have not read all of them. However, I intend to. I figure, once my kids are grown, hubby is retired, I'll have nothing to do but read. And that suits me just fine.

We will also not discuss my plans for when we run out of room. Personally, I don't think my kids need their own rooms when my books need space, but that's just my opinion.

 

This is the spot that started it all- my writing bookshelf. One of my goals this year is to make better use of what I have, and I'm hoping to really get some good use out of these books!

On the other side of my writing bookshelf is my desk. There's just enough room on that wall for the desk and bookshelf. I have a desktop, but I'll be really honest, I hardly ever use it. My office chair is a really fancy, really expensive chair, and, I hate it. It's not the chair's fault. I'm short so it's too big, and I haven't found one that works any better. If I sit at my desk for too long, my arm goes numb. So I don't spend much time there and prefer working on my couch. I do have a ball I sit on sometimes, but my chiropractor says I should only do it for short periods at a time.

My desk is a v-shape, and the other end comes just to my door. Like I said, small space. But it works. The far top of my desk (cut off in the picture) has a bunch of nice mementos and gifts from my writing friends around the world.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but I have a set of file folders in a holder on my desk- THAT's all my tax stuff. I still have to work on those, and match them to my spreadsheet, but I'm hoping to do that soon, so I can get my taxes out of the way this year. I need to be a good example if I'm going to talk to others about taxes, right?

Ugh, I just realized that my lighter thing is right there with my pretty candles, looking not so pretty. Oh well. Even when I clean things up and make them nice, it's never going to be perfect. Martha Stewart, I am not, and that's okay. My bookshelves don't match, well, actually, none of my furniture matches, and as you can see, The Dog likes to sneak in a lot of my pictures. But that's okay. You don't have to make anything perfect to make a difference.

Do you have things in your house that you can re-purpose to help you work better?

Dreading Tax Time?

In a previous life, I worked as a tax preparer and taught other tax preparers about tax law. Then, life got in the way, and Mommy duties called, so here I am. For some strange reason, I actually LIKE talking about taxes. I hear there's medication for that, but no one will tell me what it is.

For my writing friends out there who would like to learn more about how their writing impacts their taxes, I'm going to be spending some time next month teaching folks a few of my handy dandy tricks.

You can find me at these venues:

I will be teaching an online class Feb 4-March 1 for Colorado Romance Writers. You can find out more information here:
http://crw-rwa.ning.com/page/2013-onlineworkshops#february4

Second, if you're in Colorado, I'm teaching my Taxes for Writers course three times next month, so if you'd like to catch me in person, please do!

1. Colorado Romance Writers, Feb 9th, from 2pm-4pm at Anythink Library Wright Farms Branch

2. HIS Writers, February 11^th, from 7 – 9 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 9370 Sheridan Blvd

3. Words for the Journey, Feb 19th, from 9:15-11:30 a.m. at Southeast Christian Church

 

In the meantime, if you have any tax questions, feel free to ask!

 

 

Using what I have

[caption id="attachment_4275" align="alignleft" width="224"] I have over 50 varieties of tea stashed in here. It's getting harder and harder to find a place for all of my teas.[/caption]

One of my priorities lately has been to do a better job of using what I have instead of buying new. We have so much stuff! So I'm starting to take inventory of what I have and seeing how I can use it up, making room for new, or, having a fresh place for everything to go.

Tea is one of my biggest weaknesses- and biggest delights. It's also the go-to gift idea when someone who knows me wants to buy me something. Unfortunately, it also means that I have way too much tea! And I realized that I don't drink most of it! I have my few daily standbys and only rarely do I drink something else. One of my favorite teas is Ginger Peach by Republic of Tea. I drink it almost every day. When I ran out about a week ago, I thought, "oh no, I have to go buy more." Which is funny because I have about a million varieties of tea in my house.

Instead, I made a pledge to myself. No more new tea until I drink what I already have. The only exception to this is my bedtime teas, and that's because there are few nighttime teas that don't have chamomile, which I am allergic to. I've only found two teas that really work for me at night, so when I'm out of them, I can buy more. Everything else- NO NEW TEA!

I've dug into boxes of tea people sent me as gifts. Some were amazing! A few were duds. I rediscovered new favorites, and mourned when I drank the last cup. I've found a few teas that I wanted to save because they were so good, I didn't want to say goodbye. Now, they are stale, and I wish I had drank it when it was fresh. Slowly, I am working through my tea collection, drinking it up.

[caption id="attachment_4274" align="alignright" width="300"] My Tea station, where I keep my hot water boiler, teas I drink most often, sweeteners, and hot drinks for the kids.[/caption]

The only thing I don't know what to do about is the teas I don't like. I realized that I have a number of varieties sitting in my cupboard that I purchased, had a few cups, and really don't care for. Do I give them to friends, hoping they like them better? Do I throw them away? To me, that seems like a waste, because I've spent a lot of money on these teas. What would you do?

I'm finding a lot of joy in enjoying the teas that I have, saving money by not buying more tea, and feeling a sense of freedom as I clean out my cupboards.

Maybe you don't have a vast collection of tea. But is there something in your house, in your life, that you could be using up instead of hoarding?

I hope you'll consider using it up and enjoying it. Savor your tea (or whatever it is) before it gets stale.

 

My beautifully imperfect house

I admit to being one of those women who look at decorating magazines, model homes, and YES! I am addicted to Pinterest because I secretly dream of having a beautiful perfectly put together house. Nowhere in my Dream Home board will you find that stray dirty sock my Princess can't seem to pick up (and I refuse to do it for her). On a good day, my house won't be raided by the health department, but some days, you'd need hazmat team to get through it. Even when we have company, my house is always imperfect. I know women whose houses are always perfect, even with kids. But to be honest, I never quite feel comfortable in their homes. I mean, yes, I love looking at how beautiful everything is, and sure, I'd like that for myself.

Except...

Here is what I'd be missing out on:

 

Back when the Princess was back in preschool, she made one of those ghastly macaroni pictures that seems to be standard preschool curriculum. She brought it home and insisted on displaying it. On my sliding glass door. But how does a mom say no to that? I said yes. One time, I tried taking it down to wash the sliding glass door (ours is always gross- dogs, kids, and I don't have to clean it daily), and she was really hurt that I took down her picture. I promised to put it back on, and so I did.

A couple years later, in Kindergarten, the butterfly in the picture appeared. It is faux stained glass, aka tissue paper, and therefore, according to my sweet girl, must be on a window. Who can argue with that logic?

About a year ago, the macaroni project bit the dust. It kept falling off and getting damaged, so I convinced her to put it in her special picture file. Every time I tried to clean the door or thought about doing something with the butterfly, I just couldn't bear to part with it. The butterfly had become just as an important part of my decor as any fancy thing I could have found in a magazine.

Then yesterday after school, I saw her on the couch, clipboard on her lap, her hands busy with crayons. I asked what she was making, and she said it was a quilt. She worked for two hours, deep in an artistic trance. Later that evening, she called me to the sliding glass door, excited, but with trepidation in her eyes. "Look what I did." I could tell she was half afraid I wouldn't like it, worried that I might ask her to take it down, but I thought about her macaroni picture, and about the other pieces of art I'll occasionally find taped around my house.

My kids are artists. No, the art won't win any prizes or be featured in a gallery, but it's their art. And the grin she gave me when I said, "I love it," is priceless.

As long as I have kids (and hopefully someday, grandkids), I will never have a perfect house. I will do things to try to make it nicer, cleaner, and replicate some of the things I see in magazines and Pinterest. In the end, though, I accept the fact that my home has funny things like random pictures hung in places you don't usually think to hang pictures. But that's okay, because to me, it's beautiful

Accomplishment!

I would like to confess to being a knitting loser. I start a lot of great projects, but I don't always finish them. I am terrible at weaving in ends and piecing things together, and so I usually don't fully finish my projects. But tomorrow I am going out to lunch with my BFF for her birthday.

Last year, I planned on making her a really cute tea cozy, which I almost finished, except that it required an i-cord, which I found out was short for idiot cord, because any idiot could make one. Since I did not want to be the only idiot who could not make one, I did not attempt this feat. I bought her something else instead. I can't even remember what I got her.

But this year, she's wanting us to exchange more personal gifts, and I really can't think of anything to give her other than something I knitted. Then I remembered a really cute bag I learned to knit at a class taught by Karen Gress at A Knitted Peace. You can find the pattern here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spiral-drawstring-tiny-tote

My friend Allie Pleiter also blogged about her experience making this bag.

Our class ended before I could add the finishing touches, so I didn't quite finish it. But I figured it would be quick and easy to finish in time for tomorrow's lunch, and a cute gift to give my BFF. So I finished it. However, as I was digging in my knitting basket for something I needed, I found the tea cozy I was going to give her last year. And I figured... the bag was actually meant to be given to another friend, although now that it was finished, I really liked it for myself. So... Could I brave learning how to make an idiot cord so I could keep my bag?

By golly, yes!

As I finished up the lovely tea cozy, I realized that it had a lot of stinking ends to weave in. UGH! Did I mention that I'm terrible at weaving in ends? But I did it. And she's not a knitter so she won't look at it and think it's total crap. Hopefully she likes it!

Digging in my knitting basket made me aware of a few other unfinished projects. Most of them requiring just a few simple (HA!) things like weaving in ends and sewing pieces together. But as I sit back and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment of having finished two projects in one night, I think I just might have to work on those too.

Do you have any projects you've been dreading finishing? What can you do to cross them off your list? And if you're not a knitter, think about other projects weighing on you that might take just an evening to get off your plate.

 

Saying nothing when you have tons to say

I started a couple of blog posts. Didn't finish them. Didn't post them. I realized that a lot of my thoughts right now are about some negative things, things that are bothering me right now. I don't mind talking about things that are bothering me, but I think right now, my words come too much from a place of hurt. So I've chosen to say nothing.

The gist of what I was trying to say before I chose to say nothing (in a very general sense) is that I'm hurting over a couple of situations. I'm trying hard to let go, praying that God would help me find  a place of being okay with the situations, and even *gasp* forgiveness. But in the midst of that, there's a whole lot of ugly.

So today, when I'm not at place where the ugly is worth sharing, here's a pretty picture instead.

Pinterest Busters: The Meal!

I forgot to post a Pinterest Buster on my Pinterest Busting day. Which is mostly because I forgot what day I said I'd do it, so there ya go. But hey, I'm doing it today, and I'll get back on a regular schedule next week. :) Today is a good day for Pinterest Busting because my brain needs a break from the thinking it did yesterday.

Today's Pinterest Busting exercise is all about the meals! I've been using the recipes I've saved on Pinterest as my new handy-dandy meal planning tool. I've been really uninspired lately, cooking-wise, so looking at recipes I've pinned has been helpful in that department.

Last night, I'd planned one thing for dinner, but then Cowgirl had plans with a friend who's moving, and hubby had to work, so it was just me and the Princess. (That kind of sounds like a book title- Me and the Princess.) So I went to my handy dandy food board to see what I could whip up.

The menu:

Appetizer: Hot & Skinny Spinach Dip

Main Course: Ramen Noodle Upgrade

Snack: Roasted Chickpeas

 

Hot and Skinny Spinach Dip

I'd been wanting to make the Hot & Skinny Spinach Dip for a while now, so I was excited to make this. I followed the directions almost exactly. When I say almost exactly, I mean that instead of plain Greek yogurt, I used honey vanilla because it was all I had, and the point was to NOT go to the store. I do not advise doing this. When we ate it, at times, I could taste a weird sweet flavor (the honey vanilla) that just wasn't right. Still, it was really yummy, and I will make this again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ramen Noodle Upgrade

I wanted to try this recipe because my kids LOVE Ramen noodles, but I want them to have something a little more substantial. This seemed like a nice compromise. I changed this recipe slightly because I'm trying to eat more protein, and added a chopped up grilled chicken breast when I added in the other mix-ins. We also omitted the Siracha, because my kiddo doesn't do spicy.

This recipe was pretty much a bust. Princess took one bite of it and said, "this has a peanut flavor." I said, "That's because it has peanut butter in it, isn't it yummy?" Her response, "No. It's gross. Can I have some ice cream?" She did get ice cream, but only after she finished the nasty stuff. We had to add extra soy sauce to make it palatable, and I think I would have tossed it and made something else had it not been for the chicken. The chicken part was yummy.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Chickpeas

I've been in love with this idea for a while now. I like crunchy snacks. I need to eat more healthy snacks. A marriage made in heaven, right? I made the garlic Parmesan version, but I tasted a chickpea fresh out of the oven before seasonings, and well, it was not yummy. I almost spit it out. But I added the seasonings, and tried it that way. Still not yummy, but better than plain. Princess did spit hers out, and asked for ice cream. This time, since I felt bad for her having also had to eat the nasty ramen, I gave her ice cream. I left them in a bowl on the counter, and because I can't not snack on something if it's there, even those those were nasty little things, I would take a few as I passed. The taste improves with time. I would not say that they're my favorite snack, and I probably won't eat them often, but I still might give them another try, and experiment with the flavors. The crunch is really satisfying, so if I can just find a good flavor, we might have a winner.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus! One of my yummy creations! Healthier Hot Chocolate

Since I'm working hard at being healthier, I wanted to try a healthier version of hot chocolate. When I was at the health food store during one of their Christmas sample events, one of the ladies had a machine that she used to make a version of this. Only I forgot everything she used. So here is my best approximation.

1 cup chocolate almond milk
cinnamon to taste

Mix almond milk and cinnamon in a cup. Microwave 1 minute, 30 seconds. Stir and enjoy!

I did some nutrition checking, and the powdered hot chocolate mix has the same amount of calories as the almond milk. So you're not getting a difference calorie-wise, but at least you're not getting all the junk. Also, I've done this with a different brand of almond milk (but can't remember the name), and I liked the flavor better, but this was still yummy.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What fun Pinterest experiments have you done lately?

 

The Myth of God's Favor

I recently read a prayer request from someone that made a lot of things that I've been mulling for a while come to a bit of clarity. This person said, "Please pray for God's favor in X situation, that we will achieve X." My first response, at least mentally, was to ask, "aren't you a Christian? Doesn't that mean you already have God's favor?"

It occurred to me then, that many of us, including myself, have a warped vision of what God's favor looks like. Too many of us think that success=God's favor. And sure, in some instances, maybe that's true. But does failure also mean that you're not in favor with God?

I've started to realize that God's favor being linked to any particular outcome is a myth.

A few weeks ago at church, our pastor gave a different take on Psalm 23. We all know it, and many can recite it. But he pointed out something new to me. We often think of the verses as separate occurrences. We separate verse 3, "He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake," from verse 4, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."

What if they're connected? What if GOD is the one taking you through the darkest valley?

I've been thinking about that for a long time. Taking that question and seeing how that applies in my life and what I assume to be true about God. I admit that I'm not anywhere close to having an expert answer. But as I've thought about the valleys in my life, and times when I've wondered why I'm there- what am I doing wrong?

Maybe it's not me at all.

I have a laundry list of deep dreams that are unfulfilled. Some, I am learning to accept will never be fulfilled. Is it because God doesn't love me? Is it because I did something wrong? Am I paying for past sins? Because I tend to go to the negative first in my brain, of course that's what I told myself. Maybe I am not favored by God.

Then I remembered the story of Mary, and how when the angel came to her, he told her that she was favored. Most of us think, wow, isn't that wonderful? Except we forget the part that being favored by God RUINED HER LIFE. Seriously. Being unmarried and pregnant in that time was punishable by death. She had her baby in really inconvenient circumstances. She had to take her husband and baby and spend the early parts of the baby's life on the run in a foreign country. She had a few years watching her son doing really cool things. And then she got to watch him die a painful, horrific death.

And yes, we know the story ended with the resurrection, and what a glorious ending for her. But did she know it while she was hiding her son, wondering if that next knock on the door would be someone there to kill him? Did she know that when she saw him take his last breath? How did she feel at the time about being highly favored by God?

Maybe being favored by God isn't what we want after all. Maybe what we really want is for God to take a look at our laundry list of dreams, check them all off, and say, "done!"

So why don't we say that? Why don't we just admit that rather than God's favor, what we really want is to get our way? I'm not trivializing here- I know that for some people, they're asking for serious things- cures for cancer, homes to not be foreclosed on, babies to be born, peace in a war-torn country. But all those things happen, regardless of whether or not you have God's favor. We just want God to fix stuff for us. And that's okay. I have a lot of things I'd really like God to fix.

The thing I need to remember is that when God doesn't fix it for me, it doesn't mean that He doesn't love me or that I don't have His favor. How about you? Are you able to accept God's favor for what it is, or do you need reminders that His favor isn't about your success? What reminders of God's favor have helped you?

 

Back on the wagon again...

[caption id="attachment_4236" align="alignleft" width="198"] photo courtesy of: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/african_fi[/caption]

My children are in school!!!!! This is me, dancing for joy. Um, okay, it's not REALLY me. I would not look good in that outfit, and I'm way too self conscious to do that sort of thing in front of others, let alone have my picture taken. Just saying.

And maybe I am jinxing myself here, since I actually am writing this the night before. But we are going to think really positive that the kids will be back in school and I will have my beloved schedule back!

I'm feeling really discouraged about my fitness level these days. Part of it is the realization that I gained instead of lost weight last year. Part of it is that my favorite jeans are not fitting the same (in a bad way). And part of it is that I know I need to be in better shape.

I abandoned my exercise program when the tendonitis in my hip got too bad. The doctor told me NOT to work out, so I didn't. But I'm feeling better, so now I have to get back on the wagon. To be honest, I've been waiting for them to go back to school until I started again. I have some great Kettlebell workouts (I'd say the name, but the last time I said it, I got tons of spam from them. Dudes, don't spam people that already have your system!) AND, I got a really fun Wii Just Dance game that I really like. I don't like doing them in front of my kids because I look stupid and they make fun of me. Actually, I don't like doing things like that in front of anyone.

To test my resolve, I logged back in to my haven't used in forever Sparkpeople account. I wasn't as horrified by the results as I thought I'd be. My calorie count was good, even though I ate like crap today, but I didn't get enough protein. And, I got to mark that I exercised since I did the dance workout while the kids were at piano. And, I drank the right amount of water. So I'm not being TERRIBLE. But it will feel good to get back into a routine and exercise again. Not that I like exercise. I hate it. But dancing is fun, and I kind of like the kettlebell thing.

How does your routine change when your kids go back to school?

 

Not a word

A lot of my blogging friends are talking about their word for the year. I admit, I've tried it in the past. But can I be honest? I can't even remember my word a week later.  So this year, as my friends were once again talking about their words for the year, I tried thinking of a word for the year, and then I thought, what's the point if I'm not even going to remember it in two weeks?

Then I started thinking about my goals and resolutions for the year. And to be honest, I wasn't very excited about doing it. I was thinking about last year's goals, and I don't even remember where they are! I put them somewhere really important so I could find them and refer to them, and...

Here's where I've decided to come down on it all:

Yes, I do want to make positive changes in my life. But honestly, I feel like doing it just because the date has changed is a little false and arbitrary. What's different in me that makes me want to change simply because it's January 1st instead of December 31st? As the calendar rolled over, did the moon and stars suddenly come into alignment so I will succeed where I've previously failed?

Didn't think so.

For me to make a change, I need something more than a list or flipping the page on a calendar. I need a deeper reason to force me to act. So as I thought about what I want to do in 2013, I realized that I'm already on the path I want to be. No, I'm not perfect, and I haven't arrived. But let's take a look at some old goals and where I am:

1. Finances. Last year, I made a goal to pay off a certain amount of debt and have a certain amount of money in savings. I don't remember what the numbers were, but I do remember looking at it in March and realizing that it was completely unrealistic and tossing it aside. That said, because I set the goal and was intentional about saving money and paying off debt, not only did I pay off our car, but I got 1/3 of the way paid down on a debt that I've had for years and couldn't make progress on. So I'm going to keep moving forward on that, and, if I stay on track, doing what I'm doing, it'll be paid off in two years. Yay me!

2. Health and fitness. UGH!! I wanted to lose the 20 pounds my doctor has been nagging me about. I gained five. Part of it was due to a hip injury that had me unable to do much of anything- I was literally told not to exercise. Not that I minded. So this year, I am being more intentional about moving more, eating better, but for now, I'm not going to focus on the number. I'm playing it like I did the finances last year- being intentional about making better choices in small ways, but not going for the gusto in a huge way.

3. Writing. Um, let's just not talk about that. At this point, I have no real goals, and I'm just putting one foot in front of the other. I'm taking some writing classes, working on some books, and we'll see where it leads. For now, I have two books almost ready to submit, and I will submit them, but that's about all I'm going to commit to.

As for other goals, I have a few things I am working on. But I'm taking the same approach and not putting into a big list or anything like that. I'm just putting one foot in front of the other and making progress in the direction of things that are important to me. I'm not sure that's something I can quantify in a word.

Do you have a word? Or are you like me, and unable to quantify it that way?

Go back to school!!!

[caption id="attachment_4222" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Dog in his spot where I work.[/caption]

Or, what my day looks like when the kids are home and I'm trying to work.

9:00 Decide I should get out of bed because I've already wasted time I should have been working.

9:05 Wish I had stayed in bed because I've been "MOM!ed" approximately 1,000 times.

9:10 Take a shower.

9:30 Eat breakfast and start work.

9:35 Yell at the kids to turn the TV down.

9:37 Get up and close the door after my dog lets himself in my office. I work with the door closed. I could write an entire blog post about WHY I can only work with the door closed, but I will spare you the horror. Suffice to say the door MUST be closed.

9:40 Get up and let the dog out of my office.

9:42 Google devices that would let the dog in and out of the office so that I don't have to keep getting up. Find nothing.

9:43 Get up and close the door because the dog has let himself back in my office.

Repeat said process until 11:53.

11:53 Get up and make myself lunch. Listen to kid whine, "but I never got any breakfast." My answer, "fine. Have breakfast." Kid, "how come I can't have lunch?" Tell the dog he should be grateful we had him fixed.

12:05 Eat lunch while throwing dinner in the crockpot, thus proving that I DO actually feed my children (in case anyone from social services is reading).

12:15 Make another cup of tea and get back to work.

12:17 Close office door because dog has finally decided to grace me with his presence.

12:19 Yell at kids to turn down TV. Threaten to take it away.

12:21 Get up and let dog out of office.

12:23 Close office door because dog has decided that he doesn't want to be with the kids anymore.

12:25 Check school website to be sure that I didn't get the go back to school date wrong since everyone else's kids went back today. Nope.

12:27 Answer the phone in hopes it's one of the kids' friends asking them to go do something. As in, leave. At the sound of start of telemarketer speech, wonder if they'll take my kids in exchange for whatever they're selling.

12:31 Get up and let dog out of office. Inform him that he can fit in a crockpot just as easily as my roast.

12:33 Close door when dog returns.

Repeat until work is done.

Here is what my schedule will look like when the kids go back to school:

8:00 Get up and get kids off to school.

8:30 Eat breakfast, exercise, and take a shower.

9:00 WORK

12:00 Have lunch, let the dog out, think about dinner (start if needed).

12:15 Back to work.

3:30 Welcome my children home, and if all is properly aligned in the universe, finish work.

 

One more day, people, I can do this for one more day...

On being a mess

I fell off the face of the blogosphere for a while. In November, I got really sick with a virus that I swear was going to do me in, and when I finally got better, I had a major work project that I lived and breathed for a couple of weeks. And then there was the holidays, and I'll just be honest- I took a well-deserved break. And I sorted through a bunch of junk in my house and got rid of it. There's nothing like a virus running rampant through your house, the holidays, and a new year to make you clean up your act.

So here I am.

I'm taking a class on blogging that has me thinking about the direction of my blog, and you know what I came up with?? Uh, nothing.  I wrote something for the class that sums it up nicely:

Ultimately, I want people to know that I am a mess. And it's okay. 
Because you know what? They are a mess too. And that's okay too. But 
let's just be honest about it and call it what it is, and do what we can 
to move in a positive direction. Moving forward and changing and growing 
is scary. It's hard work. My hope is that by sharing my journey, other 
people will want to join me, and we can learn from each other and travel 
together. And if that sells books, that's great. And if it doesn't, 
that's great too (well, sort of. I really do want to sell some books). I 
don't have all the answers, but hopefully I have some, and if I come 
together with others, then maybe together, we can figure it out. Or at 
least get somewhere better than where we were.

So that's where I'm at. That's what I'm blogging about. I'm a mess. And if you're willing to accept that you're a mess too, then let's hang out.

Pinterest Busting the Baking Soda Stove Cleaner

I saw this one a while ago. And if any of you have glass top stoves, you know the deception of thinking that because it doesn't have all those nooks and crannies like your old stove, it'll be sooo much easier to clean. Then your kids make Ramen a few times, and you're looking at these freakish rings that you just can't get off.

Or maybe that's just at my house.

Trust me when I say that I have tried just about everything to get my stove clean. Usually it takes a magic eraser and lots of elbow grease, but we have been known to scrape it off with hubby's Dremel.

So when I saw this trick, I thought I'd try it, but I wasn't terribly hopeful.

Here's what you do:

1. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on to the stovetop.

2. Take a rag (I used a hand towel) and soak it in hot, soapy water. (The site I took it from soaked in a bowl, but why take out a bowl when you have a perfectly good sink?)

3. Wring out about half of the water and lay the rag across the stovetop.

4. Leave it on for about 15 minutes.

5. Using the rag and the paste made from the baking soda, scrub the stovetop.

And... you should have a clean stovetop.

The site I used said she did it twice. I've done it up to three times, and it never comes out perfectly clean, BUT, it is a whole lot better than anything else I've tried. The only thing that has gotten mine any cleaner is when I whine a super lot and hubby takes out his Dremel, scrapes off the mess, and it's dirty the next day. So this is much cheaper, easier, and headache free.

Not perfect, but hey, who needs perfect? I was very happy with the results. In fact, this is now my go-to stove cleaning method. I sprinkle the baking soda, throw on the towel, do my other kitchen cleanup stuff, and then I have a clean stove. Easy-Peasy. Looks better than when I did the other stuff and is less work.

Let's go to my happy place

Because I don't really have anything to say, and I'm kind of sad tonight. Nothing to do with the election, just... stuff.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't you just feel happier looking at this??

Is it over yet??

 

I've had just about enough of the ugliness. And sadly, as I see election reports coming in, I see a lot more ugly coming from people. Both the victors and the losers. I hope everyone goes to bed, gets some sleep, and returns to some semblance of decency in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God and Politics

Why don't I just put the two most controversial words out there together? It's election eve,  and everyone is getting ready for the big day. As I did with the last election, I'm struggling. Not with who to vote for. You see, last election, I did struggle with that decision. I felt that both candidates had some severe weaknesses that made them a scary choice. So I prayed about it, and here's what came of it, and what shapes my political position today.

I see so many Christians powerfully protesting in social media about what they think is the evil that will come about if the candidate opposing their pet issue wins.

The answer you have to accept is that it doesn't matter which candidate wins, what matters is what YOU do with that issue.

Let's take a lesser controversial issue, like health care. Each candidate has differing views, and many voters are polarized about how it should be handled. Or I should say, how the government should handle it. Because here's the truth about health care. If you truly believe that every American should have access to quality healthcare, then you will work toward that goal REGARDLESS of what the government chooses to do or which plan passes. How do you do that? Easy. Take care of the sick. Whether it be donating your time to volunteer at a hospital or health fair, or giving your money to a medical cause, or God forbid, paying the medical bill of someone who can't afford it, you CAN make a difference that will help others. Will it be a sweeping change to revolutionize the country? Not if only you do it. But if you did it, and encouraged others who were passionate about health care reform to do the same, and a whole bunch of people who were willing to actually live what they say they believe did it, then yes, it would absolutely make a difference.

But instead, we whine about candidate X and how candidate X isn't supporting the health care reform we want to see.

I think that if God saw us loving each other the way He commanded, none of the political issues would matter, because they wouldn't exist.

No matter who we vote for, if we are not loving one another and actually doing something to care for our fellow man, we're still going to have problems because we're asking someone else to do it for us, but we're not even asking it of God. We're asking a man, who is flawed, imperfect, and unable to work miracles. If you really want to see change in this country, then get out there and be that change.

Think about a political issue dear to your heart. What can you personally do to impact that situation? How can you encourage others to join you?

Pinterest Party!

I've been mulling this idea for a while, but as I've been looking at my calendar, I realized that I have almost no time to get it going unless I do it now!

Since I'm trying to find the incentive to actually DO some of the great projects I keep finding on Pinterest, I've decided it's not enough to simply post once a week about them... I'm taking it to the next level! I'm having a Pinterest Party at my house.

Some of you live too far away, but I'm hoping to take lots of pictures to spark your creativity. And, I'll be having a contest for you to pin your favorite ideas. If you are local and we know each other personally, let me know and I'll send you an invite!

 

Here are the deets!

1. Bring your favorite Pinterest food to share.

2. Bring a Pinterest craft that you made to exchange for someone else's Pinterest craft.

3. Bring copies of the recipe and craft directions for those who want to try it themselves.

4. Come and have fun!

 

 

Alpaca LOVE!!!

This is where I turn into a big fat mushy dork! I LOVE alpacas!! A couple years ago, I went with some friends to visit an alpaca farm to research a book. I was going through pictures tonight, and look what I found!!

[caption id="attachment_4183" align="aligncenter" width="225"] My sweet little girls feeding the alpacas.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_4185" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This little guy wanted to come home with me. Okay, fine. I wanted to take HIM home. [/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_4186" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This guy was so cute!! How can you NOT want an alpaca when you see him?[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_4184" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Who wouldn't be inspired by a 3 legged alpaca?[/caption]

 

I know, insanely cute. You're welcome.

Pinterest Busting the Mattress Cleaner

I've been working on my Pinterest projects, more importantly, seeing which ones work. Last week, I tackled my microwave. This week's project, in honor of being husband-free (he's on a trip), I decided to tackle cleaning my mattress.

Now you have to understand, I'm married to a stinky man. Well, I think all men stink, but my man does physical work for a living, so he comes home stinky. Plus, I let my dog sleep on the bed. Which means I have a stinky bed. I really hate having a stinky bed. So when I saw this pin to clean your mattress, I just had to try it.

Following the directions, I measured out a cup of baking soda (I put it in a plastic container since I didn't have a mason jar) and added 4 drops of lavender essential oil. I put on the lid, shook it up really good, and got to work. I tried sprinkling it with a kitchen strainer, but my holes were too big and I don't think it sprinkled very well. So I had to really watch how it sprinkled because otherwise, I got clumps of the cleaner. I noticed that a fast motion was better than slow.

Then, I let it sit while we went out to dinner and take hubby to the airport. When we came home, I went to vacuum it and realized I had a small problem. Someone lost the upholstery attachment for my vacuum. That happens a lot in my house. We have these ghosts- I don't know, someone, and no one- and they have a tendency to lose things. I had to vacuum it with my regular hose attachment and it was a real pain. So... before you start this project, make sure that you didn't have a mysterious ghost take your upholstery attachment.

When I finished, my mattress smelled great. I loved crawling in bed to clean sheets and clean mattress. The lavender smell was light and soothing. I am really sensitive to strong scents, and I didn't think it was overpowering.

I can't speak to the claim of getting rid of dust mites, but I'll take it. I'd like to think those nasty things are gone. :) One thing I will mention is that this does not take the stains out of your mattress... so if you're looking for it to take out the stains, you'll have to find another solution.

All in all, I'm really happy with the results. I'm calling it confirmed! Of course, hubby hasn't slept in the bed yet, so he might not agree, but I'm not sure I want to let him get my bed all stinky again. Hmmm... I wonder if Pinterest has any stinky husband eliminators?

Everything Book

I'm super excited about my friend Mary DeMuth's latest release, Everything. To be honest, I haven't read it yet, but my little shipping tracker says it should be here Sunday. Sunday? Wait a second... there's no mail on Sunday. The tracker lied!! I guess I don't get to read it until Monday.

But I digress.

I've always loved Mary's heart, and I think this book really hits to the core of it. At least from the quotes I've been reading. In fact, I'm really hoping to get this book soon, because the quotes are so great and I'm really eager to read it. Mary's got a great contest to win a KitchenAid mixer and it seems like a lot of fun! So join in! And if these quotes intrigue you, pick up a copy here: http://amzn.to/yxEeaz