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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Why am I not surprised?

I have a hard time sticking with projects.  I am an instant gratification kind of person, and I want things and I want them now.  I was hoping this blog would help me to be more organized and get more done.  It's only been a week and 2 days and I don't feel more organized and I haven't gotten any more done (less, I think).  My brain knows things happen in small steps, which is why I set up my blog to do one thing at a time, but my emotions don't follow that rule.  It's Tuesday, and I haven't even started on my crafty project yet, and I have been looking forward to this one, had to keep talking myself out of starting it last week.  I need to have everything done by Friday when my mom comes into town (not so much the project, but all of my housework chores).  I am just having motivation problems and am low on energy.  I know what would help me feel better (eating healthy foods and exercise) but I just don't have the energy for them.  Somehow, typing about it helps take the edge off of the funk a little bit and I am going to go fold laundry now (3 month-old willing).  Hope you all have a fantastic week!!!  See you on Sunday (unless something bloggable comes up before then)

Sunday, March 11, 2012

First Week's Review

Ok, so we have come to the end of the first week. 

For my crafty project (still haven't come up with a good name for this because it could be a crafty project or an organizing project) I reorganized my scrapbooking ribbon.  I have known that I have an obsession with ribbon, but I actually saw it with this project.  I have spent the last 10 years trying to find a good way to organize my ribbon (ok so not every second of the 10 years, but I have been scrapbooking for 14 years and my ribbon has always annoyed me).  I love organization (if any of you follow me on Pintrest, you have probably noticed).  What I don't like about ribbon is that the spools aren't the same size.  If they were all the same size then I would be in heaven, everything would have a place and be able to stay in it's place.  I found this idea on Pintrest.  I also loved this idea because I had all the supplies already in my house, so not only did I not have to buy anything...I didn't have to leave the house to do it!!!  I gathered my ribbon, cut some cardboard, and started taping and wrapping.  I didn't think it would take me very long, and I was very gung-ho because I started it last Sunday, which if any of you remember...was the first day of my blog.  I was ready to do all my projects, do all my housework, and blog...enter 3 month-old's agenda.  Anyhoo, I started the project around 2:30ish that afternoon as soon as I laid Ayden down for one of his naps.  That day, he decided that he didn't want to take any long naps.  None of his naps were longer than 30 minutes, and if he wasn't sleeping, he wanted to be held.  SO...I didn't get to finish that project until about 10:30/11:00 that night.  But I think I love it.
Before

After!!!  :)








What I like about this new way of organizing my ribbons, is I can see everything I have at one glance.  (ps this isn't all the ribbon I have, I know I have more).  But I took all the ribbon that was spilling over one box and put it into a smaller box with room to grow. (you know what that means!!!)

All I used was an organizing box (Itso from Target) and cut my pieces of cardboard 10 1/2 x 6".  The shorter pieces of ribbon I saved for the end.  I cut the remaining 2 boards in half lengthwise and wrapped my smaller ribbon.  In the small container to the left, I had some fibers that were already wrapped on cardboard of their own so I left them.  They just don't fit in the box, and I am ok with that.

Even with seeing my obsession with ribbon right in front of my face, it will NOT stop me from looking at the ribbon at Michaels and possible purchasing a roll or two.  Especially now, because I know I can add it to my collection on cardboard!







Ok, next is my new recipe to try. 
I was wanting couscous last weekend.  I didn't just want it as a side to something, I wanted it as part of the main dish.  After cruising through many recipes, I found something that has a little bit of many things.  You can substitute the kielbasa for any kind of sausage-type food you like.  It can be beef or turkey kielbasa, chicken sausage, Italian sausage (pork or turkey), really the possibilities are limitless.

Chicken & Kielbasa Couscous

Ingredients:
3 pack boneless/skinless chicken breast +season&flour
    (However you like to season your chicken, I used Tony Chachere’s Original Creole seasoning,        salt, pepper, cheyenne pepper, then tossed in flour until it was lightly coated.)
1 package of kielbasa (or sausage-type food of your choice)
1 large sweet onion
2 good size green peppers
6-8 cloves of garlic
3T butter
2 boxes of Near East Couscous (flavor of your choice)


Directions:
(cook couscous according to box directions first)
Cut kielbasa lengthwise and then slice.
 Dice chicken into bite size pieces, season, and flour.
 Dice up green pepper and onion.
 Brown kielbasa and set aside.
 Brown chicken (in same pan) and set aside.
 Sauté green pepper and onion in butter, when soft (you can easily cut it when your stirring utensil), add garlic, and stir for about a minute or so.  Be careful, you don’t want to burn the garlic...yuck!
 Add chicken and kielbasa to veggies.  You can either add couscous to the mix or put it on the plate and add chicken, kielbasa, veggies on top.
Goes great with a Greek salad!

This makes quite a bit, probably about 6 good size servings. 


And now for my experience from new motherhood.

It's nothing fancy, but what I learned (and have to remind myself everyday) is...no matter what I'm working on...fun or not...not to get upset when Ayden needs or wants attention.  Just hold him and be happy.  The other stuff can wait and it will be ok.  This kind of sounds mean that I have to tell myself this when Ayden is needing some attention, but there is something you need to understand about me.  Once I get my mind on something, I want to do it.  If it's getting the kitchen cleaned up after a meal, I need to do it so I can relax and the filth isn't staring at me and taunting me.  If it's a fun project, I just wanna sit and finish it cuz it's fun! (and to get the mess put away)  I am just used to being able to have my own agenda (around work of course, but that was predictable, considering I had a predetermined schedule).  It's weird because usually I use my ADD problem to get me out of doing/finishing things, but since I have been staying at home, I like to finish more things.  Oh well

Ok that's it, not all that grandiose, but it's fun for me.  Some people make fun of my blogginess, but that's ok.  I like it and that's all hat matters.

I smell poop...gotta go!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Stay tuned...

Thanks to those that read my blog posts.  Don't forget to leave comments!!!  I like comments!!!

I will be posting my week's accomplishments on Sundays.

Topics each week:
A crafty project
A new recipe
Something I learned or a new experience from motherhood

Now off to get my chores done so I can relax and play all afternoon!  Set the timer...

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Obsession

Ok, it's happened, I am obsessed with my new bloggy life (and it hasn't even been 24 hours).  I have my art projects planned through May 19, one per week (except for the 2 weeks that have 2).  Most of these things are going to be my version of projects I have found on Pintrest and some are my own projects I wanna get done.  I am going to find a few new recipes while I hold my just-barely sleeping baby (yes, I am one handed typing right now, I am pretty good at it...faster than most "hunt-n-peck'ers).  Once he is sleeping, I have housework to do. 

I am excited for my blog planner because it really does help with the chaos that is my brain.  You see, I have SO many projects I want to do.  I start thinking about the details of starting all of them, then get lost in my own mind and start gazing around the room as my mind wanders, then my eye catches the overflowing basket of clean laundry, just inside my bedroom door.  "I should really get that folded and put away," I think to myself.  Then I see the few things around the house that are out of their place, "I will be annoyed if I leave them out longer," my conscience says to me.  Before I know it, I have sat in front of the computer for 45 minutes thinking about all the things I NEED to do and the 5000 projects I WANT to do and get overwhelmed so I cruise through Facebook.  Needless to say, the end of the day arrives and NOTHING got done!  So instead, I sit here with my blog planner and type...not on FB, cuz that would be unproductive.  lol

Yes, I am still holding a sleeping baby...I am going to go put him down and do some "need to's" so I can play later and not feel guilty. 

Thanks for listening...I feel so much better :)

I got no recipes found tho...

Monday, March 5, 2012

HerStory (instead of His...get it)...nvm

I should have started this 3 months ago, but, I didn't have the idea until today.  I have always wanted to blog with purpose, not just blog about my every day life...I have Facebook for that.  :)  I, like many, am hooked on Pintrest and want to make everything I "like" on there.  I don't know if I understand that "pinning" and "boards" are about just yet, but for now, I just use it for ideas, (and for dreaming).  Well I have found a few things that I can actually do.  And for some reason, I want to share it. 

The theme for my blog is My New Life as a Stay at Home Mom.  If anyone knows me, I have been working (for a paycheck) since I was 14 years old (that would be 15 years ago).  Before that I was at work with my mom every day (M-F) from when school started at 8am until the last kid left "after school care" around 5/5:30pm.  So pretty much, all I've known is leaving the house early and not getting home until late.  So I didn't even have afternoons to hang out after school...ever.  When I was 17, I started working for Publix and by 20 years old, I was working full time (40 hrs/wk).  When I was part time, that was the only time I knew what it was like to not be working almost every day as I only averaged 20-28 hours.  I was promoted to management with Publix when I was 23, working 50 hrs/wk.  Now, I am not saying that retail is the hardest job, I am not dumb.  But it can be trying, there is no set schedule and you are expected to work long hours and deal with "unique" people, both co-workers and customers.  You have to have a great deal of patience (as with many jobs).  This was my life for 6 years (just in management), 8 years with working at least 40.  Now I am not trying to make it sound like I am this work-a-holic, just a little blip of why this new life is SO different for me.  I have never been able to just stay home, I held the same job for 11.5 years and before that I worked at the schools I was going to at the time, so it kind of felt like I was always either working all day or at school all day.

In 18 days, it will be one year since I found out I was pregnant.  This was very much a surprise, seeing as how we were not planning it (yet).  I don't think Berkley (DH) and I are such planners that we should be institutionalized, but we plan things as to not run into unexpected situations.  I was 3 weeks 5 days pregnant when I found out so we had LOTS of time to figure out what we were going to do.  Ever since we have been together (dated for 4 years + one day, the day we got married and have been married for almost 4.5 years now), we had a busy schedule and really had to plan when we were going to see each other.  When we got married, we were both managers for Publix with not at all the same schedule.  If we had dinner together 3 nights out of the week, it was a good week.  Anyhoo...back to 2011, we decided that I was going to be a stay at home mom (well that decision didn't happen until 2012).  I have long dreamed of being a stay at home wife and if children entered that life, that would be ok.  I have wanted to be able to use that "free" time to keep a clean house, cook, craft, hobby, work from home, whatever my little heart desired.  Well now I am home 24/7, but it's because a baby came along first.  Now I am trying to figure out how to do the wifey chores, with the mommy chores, and still have a little energy to do the fun things I always wanted to do.

Ayden is 3 months old (well 14 weeks today) and I am about 10% of the way there.  "There" being the SAHM I want to be.  If you've followed me on FB, you know I can be hard on myself at times when it comes to accomplishing things I want to do (clean house, weight loss, etc).  This is because Berkley has to worry about getting enough rest to get up at all hours, or stay at work for all hours, and bring home the paycheck.  I feel that he should be rewarded with not having to worry about the other things of the house (unless it's something he wants to do or I need him to do).  Now, I have enough on my plate with just keeping the house clean and trying to cook meals (he still does a lot of the cooking because he enjoys it), but I started my own graphic design business, VJS Graphic Designs.  Now I want this business to do good, so I need to spend time on marketing it and getting my name out there.  In addition to all that (forgot to add taking care of a 3 month old to that list), I have now decided I am going to keep a blog.  What, am I crazy?  I don't know if it's because it I am insane, or if it might be a way to keep some organization of the things I want to do.  Ever since my parents showed me the movie, Julie&Julia, I have wanted to start a blog.  On Pintrest, I found a "blog planner"...yes, a planner for bloggers.  I thought it was ridiculous except for the fact that I love anything involving organization and planners.  So I downloaded it, but it wouldn't open on my Adobe, so I made my own. 

...pause to rock baby to sleep...(that was at 4:24 and now it's 4:29, and I told myself I had to start the potatoes for dinner at 4:30, so off I go, I don't want the blog to rule my life...seeing as how I was originally supposed to start the potatoes at 4, until I decided to start a blog...also, for anyone who knows me, I am the worlds best procrastinator...which doesn't help my situation)...more pausing...Ok, potatoes are on to boil.

Ok, where was I?  Oh yes!  The blog planner.  (in addition to procrastination, add ADHD to the list...lol)  If you want the blog planner, you can use the one I found on pintrest, or you can use mine.  I can email mine if you would like me to, just ask.  So TODAY begins my journey as a blogger, an organized blogger.  I am going to try to do 3 topics per week, one new meal, one new crafty project, and something from my new mommy experience.  I can't promise that it's going to be exciting, but I am going to try. 

Wish me luck!