More of the Same but Different

Where have I been? Mostly in job limbo. For four months. I applied to return to my former career as a high school history teacher in my city school system at the beginning of May. In June I got hired by a school I was excited about. Then for two months after that the school worked hard to process me through the system's HR in the midst of a hiring freeze. I found out yesterday they were not successful.

Ah well. Thankfully I still have a boss who didn't want to see me leave and a job that I don't hate. I like where I work, but the pay is awful and barely worth the money I spend on daycare in order to go there everyday. On the other hand, the benefits are good, I've been there for four years, I like the work environment, and in this economy, the pay may not be great, but it IS pay.

So, I will continue on there and then see where things go next year.

Either way, the limbo was sort of good. I was able to examine my life and since things were so uncertain, figure out what things were important and what I wanted this year to look like (even though I'm not teaching, I do work at a college, so my brain considers 'years' to go from September to September, not January to January).

What I found is that I want this year to be more creative. I had started looking into selling things on Etsy, and did a few projects for friends which I really enjoyed back before I started the new job process. So now that I won't be focused on lesson planning and the other things that come along with teaching, I want to concentrate on creativity in all aspects of my life. Come to think of it...this sounds a lot like a post I wrote before I entered job limbo four months ago. Maybe I should have cut out the middle man and just gone with the creative life, but I think I needed all of this drama to get focused.

So anyway. Hopefully today will be the start of a new and more focused creative life for me. (Finally. I never make ANYTHING simple...) Its so easy for me to get sidetracked though (and lazy, if I'm being honest), so I am glad that I feel much 'onward and upward' than I have in the past.

We'll see. Cross your fingers and send good energy my way. :)

I've also missed my blog friends. Even though I don't know you all in person, I enjoy reading what you write (I have kept up with my google reader and Twitter, so I hadn't totally fallen off the face of the earth) and I do consider you friends of sorts. I guess that's whats sort of weird but cool about the internet. So I look forward to being back and being a more active participant. Thanks to those who are still reading this!

Cheers!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!

Enjoy your day! :)

What would Paula Deen do?

To continue with my Paula Deen posting:


Today I was supposed to go to the first birthday party of one of my friend's kids, but my own almost one year old was too sick to go (without me being officially labeled the Bad Mother Who Brings a Snotty Coughing Baby to Another Baby's Birthday Party) and my husband had to work. So I wasn't able to go and was bummed about that. I don't have too many things in my planner, and this was something that had been there for several weeks.

So...I was rattling around the house wondering what to do with myself with no money and a sick kid, when I thought:

What would Paula Deen do?!

My conclusion was that Paula Deen would make a bangin' dinner for herself. Not that an awesome dinner makes up for not going to the party that I was looking forward to, but the process of cooking was therapeutic and filled the day with something productive but creative (as opposed to say...cleaning).

So I put the kid in his exersaucer and he nommed on toast while I made apple/carrot/cranberry muffins, balsamic vinegar glazed portobello mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed green beans. The mushrooms are from Vegan with a Vengeance and from my post-preparation tasting I  can attest to the fact that...they taste AWESOME. Its all sitting in casserole dishes in the fridge, the dishes are in the dishwasher, and tonight dinner is all made!


Thanks for my inspiration on a bummer day, Paula Deen; I hope I did ya proud. :)

Best Dishes from Her Family Ta Yers

You know who I love? Paula Deen. I am a fan of the Food Network in general, but there are some people I don't watch at all and some who I watch all the time. Paula Deen is one of those that I watch all the time, but the thing that makes her different from the others is that I don't watch her for the food, because most of the stuff she makes, I never would. (I mean...you can't get too much further from aspiring vegan than Paula Deen) :) I watch her because doing so soothes me and she makes me smile.

She's on at 6pm, which is after I've gotten home, washed the bottles and lunch stuff brought home from the day, taken a shower, and am sitting on the couch playing with The Sweet Baboo. Right then, when I'm all clean and am trying to forget that I was at work all day, Paula Deen's great Southern accent (y'all) chatting about the preparation of yummy looking comfort food is just what the doctor ordered.

Although, perhaps not the cardiologist. :)

I wonder if she's on Twitter...

Lazy Sunday

I love Sundays. My husband works six days a week, so Sundays are the day when we all get to hang out together. I do all my house chores before Sunday so that on Sunday I don't have anything annoying to do. Like laundry.

Our only plan today is to go to Costco to exchange a box of diapers that are a size too small. Luckly I noticed before we opened the box, so it should be an easy exchange. Then we have an entire delicious day of NOTHING.

Sunday mornings are my favorite. I get to have a relaxed cup of coffee. Write a blog. Watch HGTV. Get caught up on my Google Reader.

Wow, I sound boring, but I'm ok with that, because boring makes me happy. :)

Progress!

Remember this?

I was able to work on it yesterday so that it looks a little better. Observe:

Better no?

I also removed the piles of leaves, so now the front "yard" is a blank slate ready for my perennial inspiration. :)

Holy Overdue Book Fees Batman!

I have recently renewed my relationship with the public libraries of my youth. My husband and I have instituted a regular read in bed time every night, and as a result I'm actually finishing books at a decent speed, and my budget can't keep up in terms of buying new books. I had kind of forgotten about libraries- when I was young I was a total library rat and whipped through piles of books from elementary school through high school, but after graduating from college and getting a job, the public library and I parted ways.

Until now.

I'm having so much fun going and getting as many books as I want- FOR FREE!- but unknown to me, my dear library system has changed a little since our relationship of old. I have always kind of sucked at getting books back on time (or doing anything on time for that matter), but in the past it didn't really matter THAT much because what would it cost...a buck or two? Not a problem.

So when my pile of books from last months trip to the library became a little overdue, I wasn't too concerned and didn't feel the necessary sense of urgency to get myself to the library to drop them off. But yesterday I had some time, so off I went. I entered the library, wandered around, chose a new pile of books to replace the ones I wanted to return. When I was finished, I took my little self and bag of readables up to the counter, smiling at the librarian and saying: "Hi, I need to check out this pile, and return this pile, and pay my fees." The librarian began doing whatever librarians do to return books, and then she turns to me and says:

"That will be $17.50."

SEVENTEEN WHAT?!

I tried not to look surprised, because I didn't want to reveal the fact that I hadn't been to the library regularly since the overdue fee was $.10, but inside I sobbed as I handed over a much cherished twenty dollar bill. And then sobbed even more when she handed me my TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS change from my TWENTY DOLLAR BILL.

Sigh.

So now the little receipt they give you that has the books you took out listed with their due dates is taped on the front of the refrigerator. Lest I pay more than the $17.50 that I've already paid for my privilege to read free books.