Holy Wow...

It's been over a week since I blogged.  I had actually forgotten that I had the blog for a little while.  The past few weeks have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, and I haven't really known what to say.  Joy has turned to frustration, which has turned back to joy, then into anxiousness, then to a little fear, then to some relief, and back to frustration and somewhere in between, big bouts of "I'm too tired to have any emotions right now." 

The main part of the rollercoaster for the past month or two has been my job.  As most of my loyal readers know, I work second shift at a hospital in the lab.  I love what I physically do.  I hate, with a passion, my hours.  I also hate the fact that I am always having to cover for some lazy bum who doesn't want to do her job (I worked 15 hours Sunday before last).  Covering for someone who is really sick or has had surgery or has had a baby...fine!  I'm happy to help those people out.  Covering for someone who is just playing the system...no!  But anyway, I've been looking for a way out, and my mom offered it to me.  She has fibromyalgia, and has trouble getting going somedays.  She is also my dad's office manager, so she needs to be at work.  So, to remedy my problems and hers, she offered me her job.  And I took it.  October 27 will be my last day at the hospital.  I'll finally have a first shift job where I can go home and cook supper for my husband.  We don't hardly ever eat a meal together because of our schedules.  We also don't get to spend too much quality time together.  I also feel like the prospects of starting a family are better now.  Especially since Mama said that if she stayed home, she could babysit.  She'll be a stay at home Grandma when the time comes.  The stress of "negotiations" with Daddy (he was afraid that he would insult me with what he could pay me, after all I have two bachelor's degrees, but that didn't really matter to me), trying to find a nice way to tell my supervisers, missing my friends here at work and the general ups and downs of all that had gotten to me.  But as of yesterday, it's official, and I'm on my way to some normalcy.  And I am very happy about that.     

As stated above, since I worked the 15 hours Sunday before last, I was practically useless on my 3 days off.  Monday I went shopping and got a pedicure, which made me happy, but I didn't do any sewing in all those 3 days, which has set me significantly behind.  I did clean out my closet, but now my bedroom is a mess. 

The reason I went shopping Monday is because I found a new love the weekend before.  Fashion Blogs.  So now I am officially on a quest to blog about my fashion and help petite women, like myself, find clothes that fit.  And if I can't find clothes that fit, I'm gonna learn to alter my clothes so that they do fit.  I am not paying $30 for a shirt and then another $20 to make it fit.  I won't pay $30 for the shirt to begin with.  I have high fashion tastes and a low budget, so I'm going to start documenting this quest.  When I have the time.  Which may be never. 

I feel like I have so much more to say, but I don't know where to start.  Maybe I'll just post some pics of some stuff I scored at Old Navy today.  I've got to get over this shopping bug, or else make more money on Etsy...

  It's Flannel!

This will have a yellow cami underneath with a sparkly silver skinny belt.

And I kind of want to do a knock off of this one, though at $15, it's more for the challenge than for the price.

Thursday To-Do July 28, 2011

It has been one wild ride of a week.  After my blog post last Tuesday, I was contacted by Four Green Fields Gallery in Summerville, SC through Etsy.  From looking at their website, I would just love to go in here, and probably will make Hubs stop there next time we're on our way to Charleston.  They try their best to use South Carolina artists.   

After email conversations back and forth with them, and a phone conversation on Saturday morning, I'm going to be doing a wholesale order of 12 wallets for them!  I'm super excited about doing the order, but as always, I've been spinning my wheels because of my work schedule.  I first had to wait on my snaps to come in, now I'm waiting on some zippers, but even if I had these things, I'd still be just sitting on them.  I've got the rest of today (til 10:30 PM), tomorrow and then two 12 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday, then I'm free for Monday and Tuesday!  That's when I'll get the wallets made and hopefully mailed out by Wednesday.  If not, they'll get out by Friday. 

The lovely ladies at Four Green Fields also asked if I could make roll up market bags and jewlery cases.  They said they've seen these products around and would like to carry them, so I'll be working up an example of each too in the near future.  I had to buy some clasps and D-rings for these. 

Buying all these supplies finally got to me though.  I decided that I had reached the point where I would pay for all of my supplies with money that I've made from my shop.  Tuesday, I spent half of what was in my Paypal account on supplies.  Luckily when this wholesale order comes through, it will be more than replenished, but I keep thinking of things that I think I need.  Until then, I'm just gonna have to wait. 

I did start using Wave Accounting online to help manage my expenses, and I think this will be a good thing.  It makes graphs and charts for me (things I know Excel can do, but I don't want to make it do it).  I like graphs and charts.  I hope that the fun doesn't wear off too quickly. 

So my To-Do List looks like this:
~Finish Zinnia Head Band for Adrina--Due Tomorrow

~Finish Brown and Pink Grayson Leigh Hat for Kim--Due Tomorrow

~Do wholesale order of wallets--Due Tuesday

~Make examples of Roll Up Market Bag and Jewelry Case--Due Friday (this is tentative, just so I'll get it done)

~Take up the Girls' skirts--Due ASAP

~Get my hair highlighted by one of my best friends--Friday @ 5:30 PM :)

~Maybe take Hubs out on a date Friday after highlights

~Finish the duffel bag that has become a major hurdle in my life.  I just don't want to finish it for some reason.--Due September 15

~Make my jacket for the mountain trip in October--Due October 27--As an aside, I bought this pattern to make a canvas jacket with a flannel lining.  I'm using black canvas to make a jacket like the yellow one on the bottom.  I've never sewed with a pattern before.  This could be interesting.

~Make a matching hat for the jacket--Due October 27

~Make the plaid peasant dress using a fabric very similar to this that I've been dreaming of--Due October 27

And there is, of course, finishing the organization of my studio.  It's coming along rather well.  I'm still not entirely proud of the outcome, but Hubs seems to like it.  I guess it looks good for my usual state of craft-fairy-threw-up-in-here-ness.  I'll get pics and post some helpful tips on organizing stuff on a budget in small spaces that may need to move.

I guess the good news is that my To-Do list is cycling pretty well.  There are only a couple of things lingering there that I need to finish.  But it's just tough when you don't have a "real" deadline.  The duffel bag, for example, doesn't have to get done.  It's for my own personal use.  I'm gonna finish that thing or die.  Whichever comes firt.