Life is going well for now. Actually, not much has changed. But I have decided that life is going well right now, and so that is how I feel. Jordan's still working for the parking spot and looking for something better, I'm still working as a tutor and wondering what will happen when the summer comes, and Jojo is still being happy go lucky. :) But we are blessed in that we have everything we need, and even have some things that we don't need but we really really like. The budget has worked wonders for us, and we have money left over at the end of the month every time. Its a good feeling to be in control of your money.
I have been bitten hard by the quilting bug, and am currently flying through a summer quilt for our bed that will be much larger than the winter quilt that is on it right now. And not a moment too soon, for it is beginning to be uncomfortably hot here and we are sleeping under our white thin living room blankets because the quilt is simply too heavy. The summer quilt is of the "New Wave" pattern, and is based off of the "Citrus" fabric of one of my favorite designers. Its is these lovely summer shades of lemon and lime and some oranges and perhaps a brown or two. Its coming together very nicely and I'm enjoying working on it, while equally dreading the day I have to quilt it on my little machine.
The in-laws are going to come visit us in the beginning of may, and I'm looking forward to seeing them. We haven't seen any of our family in so long because work schedules simply do not allow it. However, Jordan's schedule at work was just switched back to the morning (5am-2pm) schedule instead of the evening (12noon - 10pm). This will be much much better for us, because we'll be able to eat supper together and just generally see more of each other. His boss at work really likes him, and maybe there will be an opportunity to move up into an assistant manager position soon. We shall see. He's a great worker and wouldn't mind working there as long as he didn't end up a driver for the rest of his life.
Other than that, life is good. I've finished more projects since my last post, but I won't list them here again until I can update the list more fully. The summer quilt will probably be finished being pieced (the top) this week or next week, at which point I will have to decide what I want to do for the back and then get down to the quilting. I'm also looking for patterns to make some throw pillows to match, and have a found a couple great patterns so far that I really like. Making those will be a nice break when I get tired of wrestling with the quilt during machine quilting.
One thing I forgot to mention is that we absolutely love our church! Everyone is very friendly and welcoming and GENUINE, and we've made several good friends from our small group that meets on Monday nights. Last monday we all went to Main Event and did some bowling and shuffleboard and lazer tag. We're all older (most people are older than we are, with the oldest being in their 50's or early 60's), so it was definitely a slowed game of lazer tag. But it was a lot of fun all the same. We had a great time and really enjoy being with these people.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Project List update!
Well, I got a new job. Starting next week I will be working about 30 hours a week for the 2010 census, walking around looking at living areas and deciding how many people live there. So I've been crafting like crazy this week (an unavoidable spring break from working since all my students are out of town for their spring break). I'm trying to get all my commitments done and out of the way because I don't think I'll have much time to do any crafting. So here's an update to the list. I've decided to split it into three parts: finished, in progress, and soon to be.
Finished
1. Mom's birthday present custom teacher bag
2. A new everyday purse for me!!
3. The "Happy Puppy" quilt for quiltforkids.org
4. A coupon holder for my purse
5. Baby quiltforkids.org quilt (no name yet)
6. Colorful Kitties quilt for qfk
7. Space Dreams quilt for qfk
8. Claire313's crazy Sanibel bag
In Progress
9. "New Wave" pattern quilt for qfk - pieced and ready to be quilted
10. The knitted afghan with 117 squares - 22 down so far!
11. A new quilt for our bed (started in 2009, lets finish it!)
12. Ruth's crazy Sanibel bag - 90% done
Soon to be:
13. A birthday present for Julie (Oct)
14. A new and improved knitting project bag (I learned from my mistakes on the last one)
15. A weekender travel bag/luggage
16. A change purse to hold the change in my purse!
17. A nice warm hat for my hubby - already have the yarn and needles, just need the skill
18. Fill up the nice wedding scrap book we received as a gift that is still empty (we've been married more than a year)
19. The Apples and Pears NICU quilt for quiltsforkids
20. Scrap quilt from the dh's great grandma's fabrics!
21. Cloth Napkins for us
22. A new bag from the pattern I bought LAST YEAR
23. Tool belts for the nephews
24. Use up the UT fabric remnant I bought
25. Tea cozy for the SIL
26. Cloth Napkins for the B&SIL's family
Finished
1. Mom's birthday present custom teacher bag
2. A new everyday purse for me!!
3. The "Happy Puppy" quilt for quiltforkids.org
4. A coupon holder for my purse
5. Baby quiltforkids.org quilt (no name yet)
6. Colorful Kitties quilt for qfk
7. Space Dreams quilt for qfk
8. Claire313's crazy Sanibel bag
In Progress
9. "New Wave" pattern quilt for qfk - pieced and ready to be quilted
10. The knitted afghan with 117 squares - 22 down so far!
11. A new quilt for our bed (started in 2009, lets finish it!)
12. Ruth's crazy Sanibel bag - 90% done
Soon to be:
13. A birthday present for Julie (Oct)
14. A new and improved knitting project bag (I learned from my mistakes on the last one)
15. A weekender travel bag/luggage
16. A change purse to hold the change in my purse!
17. A nice warm hat for my hubby - already have the yarn and needles, just need the skill
18. Fill up the nice wedding scrap book we received as a gift that is still empty (we've been married more than a year)
19. The Apples and Pears NICU quilt for quiltsforkids
20. Scrap quilt from the dh's great grandma's fabrics!
21. Cloth Napkins for us
22. A new bag from the pattern I bought LAST YEAR
23. Tool belts for the nephews
24. Use up the UT fabric remnant I bought
25. Tea cozy for the SIL
26. Cloth Napkins for the B&SIL's family
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Waiting on God
So I've realized that the biggest misconception that I had about marriage was that I would no longer be waiting on God. I'm not really sure why I thought that, but I thought that the biggest waiting game was waiting to find your spouse. And I thought that once that was over, everything would just fall into place.
I've come to realize that's not true, and I think I will be spending my entire life waiting on God. Waiting to find out when Jordan will get a job that doesn't pay hourly and doesn't leave him feeling useless and like he's wasting his life at the end of the day. Waiting to find out when we'll be able to have kids, which I think is a foolish thing to do when we're just keeping our financial heads above water providing for the two of us. Waiting for when we'll find our place in this world. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Something Americans are simply not good at. Its no wonder that abstinence education fails when even adults can't bother to wait for things - and must buy that new car/house/boat/clothes/whatever NOW on credit, and then lose everything. The country is in a financial mess because newly weds are living at the same standards and in the same houses and with the same possessions NOW that their parents worked 25 years to get, all on credit. We, as Americans (and probably as human beings) can be bothered to wait for what we think we should have now. We're like spoiled children. And I am no better than the people around me. Sure, I don't have all that stuff that society says we need, and I don't have massive credit card debt that I took out to get it. But I'm tired and whiny about having to wait on a good job to come through for Jordan. I want it NOW. And I'm tired of having to wait to have kids (though I only decided that I'm ready to have kids in the past couple of weeks). I want to start NOW. I look at the people around me and in my family, and I want what they have NOW.
Well, news flash. I am not my neighbors. I am not my sister-in-law. I am Jodi. Ingram. And I will have to wait on God. Because when he is ready to bless us with these things will be the very moment that I am actually truly ready. I could take matters into my own hands and TAKE those things, but that has definitely NOT worked out in the past and has left me with scars that I don't think will ever truly heal and go away. I do not want to repeat that time of my life, especially now. And yet, the red-headed stepchild in me is screaming NOW NOW NOW.
It sucks. But that's the way life is. Life is one big waiting game, and I don't want to join the people trying to cut in line. We really are blessed exactly where we are. We have made a budget and are sticking to it - we're finally living below our very meager means. We're beginning to dig out of the student loan that I foolishly took out when I wanted my masters (NOW) and didn't stop to consider the financial repercussions. And I need to learn to be patient and wait. Our time will come. Trying to make it come faster will only make where we are right now harder. We, as Americans, need to stop looking at what other people have and enjoy what we already own.
Doesn't make it easier though.
I've come to realize that's not true, and I think I will be spending my entire life waiting on God. Waiting to find out when Jordan will get a job that doesn't pay hourly and doesn't leave him feeling useless and like he's wasting his life at the end of the day. Waiting to find out when we'll be able to have kids, which I think is a foolish thing to do when we're just keeping our financial heads above water providing for the two of us. Waiting for when we'll find our place in this world. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Something Americans are simply not good at. Its no wonder that abstinence education fails when even adults can't bother to wait for things - and must buy that new car/house/boat/clothes/whatever NOW on credit, and then lose everything. The country is in a financial mess because newly weds are living at the same standards and in the same houses and with the same possessions NOW that their parents worked 25 years to get, all on credit. We, as Americans (and probably as human beings) can be bothered to wait for what we think we should have now. We're like spoiled children. And I am no better than the people around me. Sure, I don't have all that stuff that society says we need, and I don't have massive credit card debt that I took out to get it. But I'm tired and whiny about having to wait on a good job to come through for Jordan. I want it NOW. And I'm tired of having to wait to have kids (though I only decided that I'm ready to have kids in the past couple of weeks). I want to start NOW. I look at the people around me and in my family, and I want what they have NOW.
Well, news flash. I am not my neighbors. I am not my sister-in-law. I am Jodi. Ingram. And I will have to wait on God. Because when he is ready to bless us with these things will be the very moment that I am actually truly ready. I could take matters into my own hands and TAKE those things, but that has definitely NOT worked out in the past and has left me with scars that I don't think will ever truly heal and go away. I do not want to repeat that time of my life, especially now. And yet, the red-headed stepchild in me is screaming NOW NOW NOW.
It sucks. But that's the way life is. Life is one big waiting game, and I don't want to join the people trying to cut in line. We really are blessed exactly where we are. We have made a budget and are sticking to it - we're finally living below our very meager means. We're beginning to dig out of the student loan that I foolishly took out when I wanted my masters (NOW) and didn't stop to consider the financial repercussions. And I need to learn to be patient and wait. Our time will come. Trying to make it come faster will only make where we are right now harder. We, as Americans, need to stop looking at what other people have and enjoy what we already own.
Doesn't make it easier though.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
More Projects Completed!!
Well life is just plugging along at the moment. Jordan and I are in a small group at church and we're all reading and discussing "The Screwtape Letters" by CS Lewis. Its been a lot of fun meeting everybody there, and we've got various little hangout plans with a bunch of them. I'm really looking forward to it every week. Everyone is real and genuine, and most people have been where Jordan and I are now (questioning, and broke lol). This past Monday we were in charge of snacks, so I busted out our Chinese cookbook and made Won-Tons and Eggrolls for everyone. I also made pigs in a blanket, chocolate chip cookies, and brought along some fruit for those who try to eat healthier. Everyone was commenting on how great it tasted, which was awesome cause it was a whole lot of work to get all that ready. I was pretty much cooking all day Monday.
I've been making good progress on my 50 projects in 2010 thing too. Here's the list I've got so far. Italics means finished, and bold means in progress:
1. Mom's birthday present custom teacher bag
2. A new everyday purse for me!!
3. The "Happy Puppy" quilt for quiltforkids.org
4. The knitted afghan with 117 squares - 11 down so far!
5. A coupon holder for my purse
6. A new quilt for our bed (started in 2009, lets finish it!)
7. A birthday present for Julie (Oct)
8. A new and improved knitting project bag (I learned from my mistakes on the last one)
9. A weekender travel bag/luggage
10. A change purse to hold the change in my purse!
11. A nice warm hat for my hubby - already have the yarn and needles, just need the skill
12. Fill up the nice wedding scrap book we received as a gift that is still empty
13. The Apples and Pears NICU quilt for quiltsforkids
14. Scrap quilt from Jordan's great grandma's fabrics
15. Baby quiltforkids.org quilt (no name yet)
16. Kitty quilt for kids quilt (no name yet)
17. Spaceman quilt for kids quilt (no name yet)
18. Claire313's crazy Sanibel bag
19. Ruth's crazy Sanibel bag
So 5 projects done of 50, I'm 10% done! But the year is more than 10% over, so I need to bust a move. All my projects are so big and time consuming though!
Well, its about time for me to leave for work. God has blessed us in that I was able to pick up another student for tutoring, and I'm working with him for about 2 hours every week. Its great because the little income boost has really helped. The problem is that all this tutoring will be ending in about two months because of summer vacation, and I will need to find another job to make ends meet until it all picks back up again in the fall. At least, I'm assuming it'll all pick back up again and I'll get to keep my same students. I'm not sure what I'll do in the summer, but hopefully God will provide something. For the time being I'm trying not to worry about it.
Jordan and I were successful in sticking to our budget this month. We now have a fully stocked emergency fund and will be making a larger payment on my student loan debt than we originally anticipated. Its nice because the first couple of weeks were lean as we were waiting for my paycheck to arrive so we'd have money to buy groceries, but since then we've had everything we've needed and haven't really felt the pinch of running out of money at all. Which is because we haven't. It has really worked out well for us, and it was really encouraging. We even had some car trouble this month and a doctor's visit, but we turned out ok. That's always a nice feeling to see hard work start to pay off.
I've been making good progress on my 50 projects in 2010 thing too. Here's the list I've got so far. Italics means finished, and bold means in progress:
1. Mom's birthday present custom teacher bag
2. A new everyday purse for me!!
3. The "Happy Puppy" quilt for quiltforkids.org
4. The knitted afghan with 117 squares - 11 down so far!
5. A coupon holder for my purse
6. A new quilt for our bed (started in 2009, lets finish it!)
7. A birthday present for Julie (Oct)
8. A new and improved knitting project bag (I learned from my mistakes on the last one)
9. A weekender travel bag/luggage
10. A change purse to hold the change in my purse!
11. A nice warm hat for my hubby - already have the yarn and needles, just need the skill
12. Fill up the nice wedding scrap book we received as a gift that is still empty
13. The Apples and Pears NICU quilt for quiltsforkids
14. Scrap quilt from Jordan's great grandma's fabrics
15. Baby quiltforkids.org quilt (no name yet)
16. Kitty quilt for kids quilt (no name yet)
17. Spaceman quilt for kids quilt (no name yet)
18. Claire313's crazy Sanibel bag
19. Ruth's crazy Sanibel bag
So 5 projects done of 50, I'm 10% done! But the year is more than 10% over, so I need to bust a move. All my projects are so big and time consuming though!
Well, its about time for me to leave for work. God has blessed us in that I was able to pick up another student for tutoring, and I'm working with him for about 2 hours every week. Its great because the little income boost has really helped. The problem is that all this tutoring will be ending in about two months because of summer vacation, and I will need to find another job to make ends meet until it all picks back up again in the fall. At least, I'm assuming it'll all pick back up again and I'll get to keep my same students. I'm not sure what I'll do in the summer, but hopefully God will provide something. For the time being I'm trying not to worry about it.
Jordan and I were successful in sticking to our budget this month. We now have a fully stocked emergency fund and will be making a larger payment on my student loan debt than we originally anticipated. Its nice because the first couple of weeks were lean as we were waiting for my paycheck to arrive so we'd have money to buy groceries, but since then we've had everything we've needed and haven't really felt the pinch of running out of money at all. Which is because we haven't. It has really worked out well for us, and it was really encouraging. We even had some car trouble this month and a doctor's visit, but we turned out ok. That's always a nice feeling to see hard work start to pay off.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
50 Projects in 2010!!!
So we've been doing pretty good on my new year's resolutions so far! I've added a new one that I'm focusing on for the month of February - drinking my full 64 ounces of water every day. When I complete it for the day, I get a sticker on the calendar. I've gotten a sticker every day so far this month!
1. Etsy store - has had to be put on hold as I've been trying to get another job so that we can get out of debt faster.
2. Cook dinner at home more often - We have been doing really well on this, up until Jordan was switched back to nights. Now I have to gear myself up for cooking lunch for the two of us every day, instead of supper which seems easier as I have more time. But we haven't eaten out at a restaurant since I don't remember when, and our fast food intake is much lower too.
3. Reduce our eco footprint - our gas bill this last month was down almost $20!! And its the winter!!! I think that's pretty good.
4. Plan to and stick to a budget - We've started the Dave Ramsey budget, and are living much more frugally than a couple of months ago. Hopefully this will pay off soon as we will be out of debt.
5. Get out of debt - well, we're working on it! It may take longer than a year, but I hope not.
And now I'm going to start a new count thing: I want to complete 50 projects in 2010!! I think I'm already off to a good start though, and it shouldn't be too difficult as long as I stick to it. I'm going to try not to include the things I'm making for Craftster swaps on here, as I want to make sure I'm making things for our home too. Here are the things I've already started/finished:
1. Mom's birthday present teacher bag
2. A new everyday purse for me!!
3. The "Happy Puppy" quilt for kids - needs batting and quilting
4. The knitted afghan with 117 squares - 4 down so far!
5. A coupon holder for my purse
6. A new quilt for our bed (started in 2009, lets finish it!)
7. A new wallet
8. A new and improved knitting project bag (I learned from my mistakes on the last one)
9. A weekender travel bag/luggage
10. A change purse to hold the change in my purse!
11. A nice warm hat for my hubby - already have the yarn and needles, just need the skill
12. Fill up the nice wedding scrap book we received as a gift that is still empty
Obviously, that list is not to 50. But I need to think of more things to add to it! I'm getting project ideas all the time, I just need to have an achievable goal so that I can watch myself working towards it! I'm excited. And it gives me drive and direction in all this free time that I have currently. But I've already learned how to sew button holes, and how to do satin stitching on a machine. Not to mention the knitting stitches I've had to learn and master. I'm excited, and hope that this will increase my crafting skills.
1. Etsy store - has had to be put on hold as I've been trying to get another job so that we can get out of debt faster.
2. Cook dinner at home more often - We have been doing really well on this, up until Jordan was switched back to nights. Now I have to gear myself up for cooking lunch for the two of us every day, instead of supper which seems easier as I have more time. But we haven't eaten out at a restaurant since I don't remember when, and our fast food intake is much lower too.
3. Reduce our eco footprint - our gas bill this last month was down almost $20!! And its the winter!!! I think that's pretty good.
4. Plan to and stick to a budget - We've started the Dave Ramsey budget, and are living much more frugally than a couple of months ago. Hopefully this will pay off soon as we will be out of debt.
5. Get out of debt - well, we're working on it! It may take longer than a year, but I hope not.
And now I'm going to start a new count thing: I want to complete 50 projects in 2010!! I think I'm already off to a good start though, and it shouldn't be too difficult as long as I stick to it. I'm going to try not to include the things I'm making for Craftster swaps on here, as I want to make sure I'm making things for our home too. Here are the things I've already started/finished:
1. Mom's birthday present teacher bag
2. A new everyday purse for me!!
3. The "Happy Puppy" quilt for kids - needs batting and quilting
4. The knitted afghan with 117 squares - 4 down so far!
5. A coupon holder for my purse
6. A new quilt for our bed (started in 2009, lets finish it!)
7. A new wallet
8. A new and improved knitting project bag (I learned from my mistakes on the last one)
9. A weekender travel bag/luggage
10. A change purse to hold the change in my purse!
11. A nice warm hat for my hubby - already have the yarn and needles, just need the skill
12. Fill up the nice wedding scrap book we received as a gift that is still empty
Obviously, that list is not to 50. But I need to think of more things to add to it! I'm getting project ideas all the time, I just need to have an achievable goal so that I can watch myself working towards it! I'm excited. And it gives me drive and direction in all this free time that I have currently. But I've already learned how to sew button holes, and how to do satin stitching on a machine. Not to mention the knitting stitches I've had to learn and master. I'm excited, and hope that this will increase my crafting skills.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
New Drive
Jordan is interviewing for a new job right now. We're hoping and praying that its not a sales job, and that it'll be salaried and the right job for him. We shall see. He forget to grab his coat and his ipod charger, so I'm going to drive out to his work later today and bring it to him.
I've found myself a new project. I'd like to start work on another quilt, but after having to pull out all the stitches I've put into the one that I started making for Jordan and I, I need a little break from that pattern. I found this website while reading on a blog: http://quiltsforkids.org/ and I signed up to receive a kit of fabric. What a great way to get out of my quilting funk and help some needy kids at the same time! I'm rather excited for it.
Still no luck on the job front for me. Everything that comes across craigslist is a sales job, or a full time job that would make it so I can't tutor. I know that something will happen soon though, so I'm not going to let it get me down. Until then, I'm just trying to squeeze in as many hours of tutoring that I can. Never thought I would say that teachers don't assign enough homework. :)
I've found myself a new project. I'd like to start work on another quilt, but after having to pull out all the stitches I've put into the one that I started making for Jordan and I, I need a little break from that pattern. I found this website while reading on a blog: http://quiltsforkids.org/ and I signed up to receive a kit of fabric. What a great way to get out of my quilting funk and help some needy kids at the same time! I'm rather excited for it.
Still no luck on the job front for me. Everything that comes across craigslist is a sales job, or a full time job that would make it so I can't tutor. I know that something will happen soon though, so I'm not going to let it get me down. Until then, I'm just trying to squeeze in as many hours of tutoring that I can. Never thought I would say that teachers don't assign enough homework. :)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Looking up?
Well, Jordan's work called about 30 minutes ago and informed him that apparently the guy who he'd switched shifts with in order to do a favor had decided to go ahead and switch back and not tell Jordan. So they were calling to find out why he was not at work. Which really makes me angry in a way I can't express, as Jordan really did his co-worker (who would have been fired if Jordan hadn't agreed to switch with him) a favor, and now this co-worker decides to completely screw him over. Oh it just makes me SO MAD.
Thankfully, we've both spent the past two days applying for jobs (Jordan more so than I because I've been cleaning house as well and we've only got the one computer), and Jordan actually already had a call on one and has an interview tomorrow. Of course, he had to call and reschedule the interview when he found out what his co-worker had done, but at least they were able to make time for him earlier tomorrow so he can still do that and make it to work. Oh, I am soooo angry at this person right now. But I really hope that this job Jordan is interviewing for is the right one for him (not sales) and that it works out, so he can get out of this crummy situation.
I'm trying to find some kind of part time work too, because we realized that our current income and budget are not going to allow us to get out of debt in any timely fashion. But the job I've got (tutoring) pays sooo well, that to give it up for a 40 hour a week $8 an hour job would be pointless as they'd have about the same income. So a part-time job it is. Anything would help, honestly. And I'm applying for anything I can find.
The Etsy business is definitely going to have to go on the back burner for a while until this whole mess is cleaned up. Which stinks, but that's ok. It'll still be there waiting for me when I'm able to get back to it. Just like this house, which seems to continually get itself messy when I'm not looking. I did finally make myself a new purse the other day. I had planned on listing it online to sell it, but I like it so much I'm going to have to keep it for myself. Which I think is ok, because I never make anything for myself.
Phew. I'm still quite ticked off. I need to go scrub something.
Thankfully, we've both spent the past two days applying for jobs (Jordan more so than I because I've been cleaning house as well and we've only got the one computer), and Jordan actually already had a call on one and has an interview tomorrow. Of course, he had to call and reschedule the interview when he found out what his co-worker had done, but at least they were able to make time for him earlier tomorrow so he can still do that and make it to work. Oh, I am soooo angry at this person right now. But I really hope that this job Jordan is interviewing for is the right one for him (not sales) and that it works out, so he can get out of this crummy situation.
I'm trying to find some kind of part time work too, because we realized that our current income and budget are not going to allow us to get out of debt in any timely fashion. But the job I've got (tutoring) pays sooo well, that to give it up for a 40 hour a week $8 an hour job would be pointless as they'd have about the same income. So a part-time job it is. Anything would help, honestly. And I'm applying for anything I can find.
The Etsy business is definitely going to have to go on the back burner for a while until this whole mess is cleaned up. Which stinks, but that's ok. It'll still be there waiting for me when I'm able to get back to it. Just like this house, which seems to continually get itself messy when I'm not looking. I did finally make myself a new purse the other day. I had planned on listing it online to sell it, but I like it so much I'm going to have to keep it for myself. Which I think is ok, because I never make anything for myself.
Phew. I'm still quite ticked off. I need to go scrub something.
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