Jobs

It's been quite sometime since posting...obviously because although I've been tackling projects left and right....I've had NO time for pictures and posting. I'll catch up when little man sleeps!

I've been prepping for a kids' consignment sale because I'm unloading some clothes and shoes and it made me think how cool it would be to have my own consignment business. Obviously...it would be hard, but it would be a job I loved...which got me thinking about all the jobs I've had and how they shaped my Interests. So...here's a little (well, not so little) list of my past jobs and what I learned.

Job: Roadside produce seller

Lesson: I love selling things. 

Job: Food vendor

Lesson: I love waiting on people, and I hate maggots. 

Job: Deli girl

Lesson: reaching your hand up the butt of a raw chicken is really as bad as it seems...and, I still love selling food and waiting on people. 

Job: Kmart cashier/layaway girl/key maker 

Lesson: I have the patience of a saint for dealing with crazy ass customers

Job: Associate at Gap Outlet

Lesson: ok...I love clothes and ringing up purchases for people. I hate the fitting room. 

Job: Waitress at Holiday Inn

Lesson: I learned what a penny tip was all about and what work release is (not for me of course) 

Job: Victoria's Secret

Lesson: Free bras are cool, the shit you have to put up with to get them is not. 

Job: Waitress at Cracker Barrel

Lesson: being this was my longest stint at one job (11 years although not full time) you'd think I would have learned lots...all I can say is that I can deal with almost any customer complaint after that. 

Job: tutor for America Reads

Lesson: sad, sad, sad stories are far too common In education 

Job: associate at Giant

Lesson: if you quit before you start, you'll be on a do-not-hire list for 7 years and have nightmares about it long after the 7 years is up. 

Job: Radio personality 

Lesson: I don't think it counts if you read the 5 a.m. News and no one hears it! I'm not cutout for radio.

Job: Intern for local PBS station researching 

Lesson: I'm not good at being someone's assistant especially for FREE. 

Job: intern for newspaper

Lesson: it's really embarrassing when your first article is canned...but it gets better...way, way better. 

Job: intern for another newspaper

Lesson: you can actually work at a place and never feel like you belong.

Job: entertainment reporter

Lesson: this shit is cool, for about 2 weeks. Then, it just gets to be old hat. 

Job: Food reporter

Lesson: this shit is cool for about 2 years...then it feels like Groundhog Day. 

Job: Substitute teacher 

Lesson: something new every day is cool and the places you dread going the most is where you learn the most. 

Job: Real teacher 

Lesson: I'll write a book someday 

Job: mom

Lesson: it's amazing how I can feel more pretty and loved covered in baby spit up and stickers than I do when I actually shower, wear makeup and go out on the town. True story. 

DIY Bible Verse

I drool over personalized wall decals, canvases, and signs on Pinterest. Thankfully, I have the tools, patience and knowledge to make my own.
As we rely on God so much when dealing with daily struggles both big and small, Nate and I have been wanting to put a bible verse in our kitchen to remind us daily of God's awesomeness and to never forget who controls our lives.
There are so many I love, but we went with Nate's chosen verse, Proverbs 3: 5-6.

Some other contenders were:

My verse: Jeremiah 29:11

Or

Philippians 4: 6-7
Isaiah 40: 31
Galatians 5: 22-23
Psalms 37: 4-6
Psalm 55: 22
Psalm 34: 18
Psalm 46: 1
Proverbs 4: 7
2 Corinthians 4: 8-9
Galatians 6:9
Joshua 24: 15

There are SO many methods for making these quote boards.
Here is mine:

1. I picked up a cool board at Ikea for $4. You can find these in the clearance section. They are cupboard doors from pieces of furniture. Wood is wood. I have also been collecting old cupboards that I find at Re-stor that fit my decor. You can always paint it a different color, too.

2. I chose a font from my Cricut and got to work cutting out the letters. I used mostly the same font, but made some important words larger. Some people use stickers. While this is probably easier than cutting out the letters on the Cricut, I like that I don't have to commit to the layout until I am absolutely sure I like the way it looks. Even then, in the process of adhering them to the board, letters get moved around.

 

3. I grabbed Matte Mod Podge. I soaked the board with the adhesive and placed the letters. Then added another layer of the adhesive over top. 

 

4. It's tedious work for sure. However, the result is my very own personalized bible verse made the way I want it for the cost of the board $4 plus I guess the paper and Mod Podge, which I already have on hand.  

DIY Cupcake Tin Advent

There are lots of awesome advent calendars out there...but they can cost a fortune. Last year, I started making my own. In this season of life, I like to keep it simple.
Last year, I started using the cupcake tin idea. I am sure this idea came from Pinterst. It was quite an undertaking because I had to cut out all of the circles and numbers...thankfully I saved all the covers and was able to assemble quickly this year. If you have more than one child, just get some more cupcake tins!

What you need:
Mini cupcake tin
24 pieces of miniature candies or small toys
Holiday paper
1-24 Stickers or cutouts from Cricut
24 Circles 2 inch circles (use Cricut or hole punch) 
24 Circles 2 1/2 inch circles (use Cricut or hole punch)
Glue or adhesive
Glue dots

Directions:
Cut out the numbers 1-24 (to save time you can buy stickers).
Cut out the circles. Place the numbers on each of the smaller circles and layer on top of a larger circle.
Place a piece of chocolate or small toy in each of the circles. Place a glue dot on the top and bottom the assembled circle and stick to cover the opening.

As you can see by the finished product, gluing the small numbers made a bit of a mess....so stickers would definitely be a cleaner, quicker option.

 

DIY Gallery Wall Obessesion

Ever since I started stalking Pinterest, I have been looking for ways to spruce up my 5-year-old home decor. Enter: The Gallery Wall. I love it! It's busy, random and totally out of my comfort zone. I tried to make it symettrical, but my husband says sometimes you have to be random...I like it! I did measure the spot on the wall where I wanted to put it (about 5 by 5) and used the floor to lay it out.

Of course, as we hung it, it transformed. Well, let's be truthful, I stood back and gave directions while he hung it. I am not the most adept at hammers and nails...and forget screws.

In the process, we added and deleted. And, with another baby on the way...there had to be room to add some more photos. I still want to incorporate a few more funky pieces (we were thinking old saw or shot gun...ha). I also would like to color the "S" a tan to contrast, but that won't take long. I have seen a lot of gallery walls that I love, but of course, when you make your own...it's right at home.

On Raising an Independent Daughter

I am no expert on raising children. I don't hold a fancy degree in child development and haven't penned any best-selling books. I wake up every day equipped only with my childhood experience and my daily interactions with teenagers as a high school special education teacher. I am intuitive and compassionate. I am aware and available. I am determined and dependable. Because my mother made me so, I am a huge proponent of making children independent from an early age. This may come up against great debate among many of today's parents who think I am too hard on my child.

"She's just a kid."
"Aww, help her out."
"Why don't you just give her what she wants?"

I am not afraid of what other parents think of me.

But what I do fear and what keeps me awake at night is the question: Will I raise an independent daughter?
My parents and stepparents did not give me money or fancy cars or a free ride to college, but they gave me so much more. They taught me to be independent, resourceful and hard working.

In a world that will eat you alive, I want my child to be equipped with the resources she needs to survive and thrive on her own, just like I was.

I may be hard on my kid, but my kid, my beautiful, witty and wonderful daughter, deserves a shot at independence.

In my small world, there has to be a balance of love and discipline, and this is how I will raise my independent daughter. So here are the promises I will make to her.

1. I promise to always push you to try to do it by yourself first. And I will be patient while you try. When you say you can't, I will push you harder.
2. I promise to always celebrate your successes, no matter how small they are.
3. I promise to encourage you to take risks and always learn from your mistakes.
4. I promise to give you appropriate choices and trust you to make the right ones.
5. I promise to never hover over you while you learn your own way.
6. I promise to mind my own business but be there for you when you need me.
7. I promise to teach you the way I do it and model appropriate behavior, but let you make your own path.
8. I promise to let you make your own decisions about what you wear, even if it means a too-tight princess tutu with tights and sneakers.
9. I promise to let you pick your friends and to encourage you to treat them kindly and fairly, no matter who they are.
10. I promise to laugh with you when you make silly mistakes.
11. I promise to cry with you when you make devastating mistakes.
12. I promise to always be your mother and never to stand against you.
13. I promise to love you unconditionally without judgement or bias because you deserve to grow into the girl you want to be.
14. I promise that as an independent and smart woman, you will be valued far beyond any perfect body or beautiful face you have.

15. I promise it will be hard at times not to give you exactly what you want when you want it...it doesn't mean I love you less...it means I love you more, so much more.  

Cuban sandwich from leftovers

In my house, we love sandwiches and soup. I also hate to waste food (which we are trying to do better). One constant in our house is Cuban sandwiches after pork roast for dinner. It's a great way to use leftovers for another meal. This week, it was pork and sauerkraut. A few days later, I dug out the griddle.

Cuban sandwiches:

Leftover pork (3 ounces per sandwich)

Chipped or thin sliced deli ham (3 ounces  per sandwich)

Potato rolls (1 per sandwich)

Cheese if choice (1 slice per sandwich)

Mayo

Mustard

Hamburger dill pickles

Butter

Directions: 

Spray electric griddle with Pam and heat to 300-350. Butter both outsides of potato rolls and set aside. Warm ham and pork on griddle. When the meat is warm, place the rolls (butter side down on the griddle). While the outsides are grilling: spread bottom piece of roll with mayo and mustard and top with pickles. Top with pork, ham and cheese (Swiss is traditional I believe) and flip the top. Grill additional time if needed. 

Broken clock dodges landfill

5.5 years ago we got a clock for a wedding gift. It never got hung up and when I dug it back out...it didn't work. Even a new battery didn't solve the problem. We didn't need it anyway, so i skipped getting a new clock kit. Instead, I turned it into the centerpiece for our gallery wall.

I cut out some decorative paper to fit and used my Cricut to cut out the letters and for my own personal touch I turned the fluer de lis upside down. I used mod podge matte to adhere the letters. I put the clock back exactly as it was (in case I ever need a clock again) and hung it up. Voila, broken clock avoids landfill!