Christa's Ramblings

1. I just added 'Kentucky' to the states where I've stayed one night (March) and now that I think of it, I've stayed a night in Tennessee too when I was younger. Will have to add that!
2. this one I'm SO SO SO excited for!! I'm officially working on opening my business. I've been pretty much obsessing over it since my DH gave me the go ahead on Tuesday night. My big mission this coming week is to find a location for a brick and mortar store. The one I've had my heart set on (for the past two years) needs a ton of work and it doesn't sound like the landlord is willing to deal. That was so disappointing and I did get discouraged. But, this isn't going to be easy! I'm going to have to work hard at it, which I'm not used to doing. Normally things come pretty easy to me, so if I have to work at something I usually lose interest pretty fast.

Well, have to start the day on this beautiful Sunday!

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Well, been laid off now for almost six months and I really haven't gotten much done in that time. I realized the other day that this could be the only time I'm actually getting paid without working so I really need to take advantage of it!



(slightly off topic- not sure why I haven't felt like updating my blogs. I can seriously burn up 10 hours online just checking blogs, facebook and looking up random things that pop in my head. But I haven't felt like writing at all. Another epiphany I had was I just need to make writing in my blog a habit, it's something I've always done and need to get back to)



So, I 'remembered' I had a blog last week and had to actually look over the few posts I've done to refresh my memory! I was shocked that I had actually completed a 40 list item and had been making progress on quite a few. So, for now since I'm tired I'm just going to post the ones I've touched on.

1. Lose weight and keep it off (weigh 170 or less) down 10 more pounds but no regular exercise or eating plan
2. Take at least one summer off from work and spend it with family and friends that would be this summer!
3. Own a house legal drama has been resolved, now just waiting to sign the papers, hopefully by end of summer
6. Earn my Associates Degree I start classes July 6th for my BACHELORS -not sure of major yet. Business? Marketing? Information Systems? Entrepreneurship?
8. Have a clean and clutter free home front room 1/2 emptied out, previous owner's things now 90% gone, office emptied entirely and only used essentials put back in. still ALOT to do on this one
10. Learn how to sew DONE, I've sewn Easter gifts and birthday gifts.
23. Have some sort of relationship with my family working on it! spending more time with my sisters, now need to start on relationship with dad. mom? she's just nuts and unhappy
29. Join a bowling league registered, suppossed to start next week, will cross this off when it does!
34. Once a week call/visit/mail extended family talk to my sisters on phone/email AND see them at least once a week

So I guess I haven't completely wasted my time off. I have very high expectations for myself so I expected me to have at least 10 completed :).

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I've been struggling for a long time of being a stay at home mom (lots of good for DD and family) or working full time and pursuing a career (more money for family, but is that a good thing?). I asked my DD a couple days ago if she would rather have me and DH around alot or alot of money- she answered me and DH. :) That's all kids really want, is us. At least until they become teenagers.

So I think I had an epiphany or finally a common sense thought- if I want to be a SAHM I just have to use the money we do have much more wisely. I think if I did up a comparision that both of us working full time wouldn't really be that much more money. I'll put it on the to do list and hopefully post a more interesting update and more regularly too!

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and I'm liking it! I've been fairly productive but not as much as I'd like. I decluttered, rearranged, hung her curtains and cleaned DD's room (and put plastic on all her windows). Cleaned and decluttered my bedroom- still have to vacuum and do the windows. We have awful windows and can't replace them right now so we put plastic over the windows to try to keep the cold out. I started my unemployment claim, visited my Gpa and ran some errands every day.

Today the plan was to go to the dentist, but I didn't feel like it so I didn't go. I know that's bad but I've been up since 2:30 this morning and am getting tired. I need to return things to the library, take DD her after school stuff, return a present I don't need and go to the post office to mail a few stragler Christmas cards I forgot about. I also hope to get my bedroom done too.

Eight days until Christmas, after today DD only has three days of school left. We have no Christmas decorations up, I feel so bad. I'm just not feeling it this year, not sure why. I feel pretty happy though and me and DH have been getting along so well! And DD has been doing great in school- so not sure what's going on.

I'm determined though to work on my 40 list- at least get started on some of them.

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I'm so excited! DD is going to have so much fun this year as a vampire. I think I've tainted her with the Twilight movie.

Only 56 days until Christmas!!!! I love Christmas, but this year is going to be so tight with money. I started my list a couple months ago of all the gifts I'm going to need and I came up with a whole list of gifts I'm going to make. Well, I have less than two months to go and nothing is made.

I have a tendency to start projects and not finish them. I have a TON of projects that need to be finished and now I want to start more. I keep looking online for more gift ideas, looking on Craigslist for part time jobs, looking online for Direct selling jobs and looking on ebay for stuff that's popular to sell that I can buy at the thrift shop oh and I almost forgot looking at schools to start another degree so I can have a more marketable/profitable resume. Crazy right- I just have so many ideas going on in my head that I can't stop!! But my focus today and this weekend is to get the house finally all cleaned (kitchen and dining room to finish decluttering/cleaned) and then general pickup cleaning of rest of house. Then the other goal is to start up and finish all the unfinished projects lying around the house BEFORE I bring any new ones into the house.

just in my office I have the following projects:
1. countless things to do for work
2. drawer full of clothes to sew/mend
3. learn how to work my sewing machince for above and Xmas gifts
4. packages to mail to MIL and Direct TV
5. four garbage bags full of clothes to ebay
6. shelf of things to ebay
7. rubbermaid bin of things to file
8. make the bathroom useable (currently it's a storage closet) :)
9. finish cleaning and putting things away
10. go through bills and find out the damage/budget for rest of year
11. scrapbook projects: Mega meet book to finish, pet book to finish, work on me/DH and DD books these can wait for our next get together though
so that's it and that's only for the office (and doesn't include home improvement to dos in ofc)! just multiply this by nine rooms and a to do list and you get a good picture of my insanity.

okay, I think I'm going to start on some work stuff to get a jump start on the day. I've played enough on the internet already this morning. Seriously i know I'm addicted. ttfn

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I'm slowly realizing that's what I am- the unsuccessful perfectionist. I never considered myself a perfectionist, probably because I don't get much accomplished, but I am. The reason I don't get alot accomplished is because I know it will take so much time and energy for me to do it like I want it done -perfectly. So I just don't even start, it's a vicious cycle.



Prime example: losing weight. I always feel like I need to be following an elaborate diet and food plan that's all written out and charted for the next month. Telling me what I can and can't do to miraculously lose ALL this weight in two months. I start great then after a couple days if I skip one workout or eat one bad meal (ie not been perfect) I say forget it and go back to no exercise and eating whatever I want!

Somehow, without a written plan or to do list I found a revolutionary concept that I think can break the cycle. Baby Steps. BABY STEPS. Yes, those two stupid little easy words could completely turn my life around. I just have to keep doing the baby steps everyday all day long and I'll make some progress. I've been taking baby steps with my office. Normal me would want everything done at once to claim that 'I cleaned my office'. That would require at least a couple of hours of work to complete cause I'm still unpacking and setting up my office. What I've been doing is one part of the big job at a time and it's been working great. Yesterday I picked up all the garbage on the floor and all the dirty clothes- long story but lets just say DH was suppossed to be watching the DD and he didn't. Enough said. The office looks great compared to what it did.



Another trick I've been using is a timer. I hate HATE hate to clean. I've never been one of those people that says 'I clean the house every Saturday morning', yeah not gonna happen. The timer keeps me on track and I get to clean and play in small bursts! It's genius I tell you. Speaking of which, it just went off. Time to actually get some real work done.

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I love love love making lists!! I probably have at least 20 running lists in my office right now- some of those need to be merged and others are used once in a while, but still that's a lot of lists. Somehow I found a blog online for a 30 before 30 list and I loved her blog. That made me want to start a list since I have almost 7 more years to work on it. After writing it, I noticed I don't really have too many lofty goals but I really do want to travel alot.

1. Lose weight and keep it off (weigh 170 or less)
2. Take at least one summer off from work and spend it with family and friends
3. Own a house
4. Be debt free (mortgage being only exception)
5. Have another child(ren)
6. Earn my Associates Degree
7. Have an emergency fund of at least $5000
8. Have a clean and clutter free home
9. Become a good cook
10. Learn how to sew
11. Scrapbook and do daughter's babybook/scrapbook
12. Find a church and be an active member
13. Travel overseas (this one is left ambiguous on purpose)
14. Take a weeklong girls only vacation
15. Live below my means
16. Spend one night in at least 25 states - Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky
17. Hike the Appalachin Trail
18. Ride in a hot air balloon
19. Go to DisneyWorld twice
20. Go to Winter Carnival
21. Improve my communication skills with hubbie
22. Have a job or hobby that challenges my mind and doesn't bore me
23. Have some sort of relationship with my family
24. Have a credit score of 700 or more
25. Be a good parent: make good decisions, build her self esteem, WORK HARD AT IT
26. Learn how to multi task and not stress while doing it
27. Join MENSA
28. Run a 5K
29. Join a bowling league
30. Drive a motorcycle: 1 hour? cross country? one summer?
31. Open a business or do real estate
32. Have a wardrove I love clothes-purses-accessories
33. Vacation or live in NYC for one month
34. Once a week call/visit/mail extended family

I still have five more to add, since I have so much time I know things will come up that I'll want to put on here. For the same reason I left alot of these very general because I know the only constant is change.

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