My mother is a packrat. It's true. She can't help it. Some of the things she had horded throughout the years were scraps of fabric. I remember looking through them as a child and thinking how cool they were, but NONE were big enough to do anything with... Or so I thought. Now, don't ask me when these scraps migrated to my garage, but I found them recently when I was out there working, and they inspired me. I've been bored with my handbag lately, and wishing for something new. Unfortunately, I just can't justify spending money on a new bag right now, when I have a perfectly serviceable one already. Out came the sewing machine and fabric scraps. They're just as cool and colourful as I remembered them! I know that some of them came from a quiet book my mother made for me to sit in church with. Some, I suspect, are probably older than I am. Still others came from sewing projects I have done throughout the years. The result, I think, is a fun, funky, one-of-a-kind oversized handbag, and matching wallet! Love it!!! :)
You know, sometimes it just seems like nothing goes the way you've planned. It's really been like that for us lately. You may remember that I was laid off from my job in February. After several months of fruitless job search, we seemed to be doing fine financially. Everything went well for a while. We were able to keep up with our bills just fine, and as a matter of fact, with me home, we were saving money on groceries and gas. Our ultimate goal was for me to stay home and teach the kids anyway, so we decided it was time for me to do just that. I started my own business that was supposed to help me make a little money on the side just so I could contribute. Then it happened. Everything seemed to break at once. Jonathan's work has slowed down, and they've reigned in how much overtime he's allowed. Everyone's pay rate has been frozen, so the raise we were looking forward to last month didn't happen. Now they're requiring everyone to take a week long furlough before the end of the year. Now don't get me wrong, I am VERY thankful that Jonathan is still employed. I know that makes us more blessed than a significant percentage of the population right now, but this news couldn't come at a more stressful time though. It just seems like every time we get a break, something else goes wrong. I really like to try and stay positive about life. There's always something good in every situation. You may have to look pretty hard to find it, but it's always there. I'm falling short this time, though. Quite frankly, I'm so stressed I've been getting hives. No kidding.
Right now, I feel like the Little Engine That Could. I'm just not built for all this stress, but IthinkIcanIthinkIcan make it. If you feel so inclined, could you pray for our family? Specifically, that my business will pick up, and earn that extra money it was supposed to earn. Also that if I do have to go back to work outside our home, that God will bless me with an awesome job that I will ENJOY. That's a big one. I looked some earlier today, and I just couldn't bring myself to apply for any of them. Not everyone was made to sit in an office, and I am certainly not one of the people who was.
Wellllllll... In the latest what-else-is-going-to-blow-up-in-the-Martin-household news: Yesterday, Celestia went to the drier to get a pair of jeans to wear and they were STILL wet. Now, I knew that I had run the drier at least twice, if not three times. *sigh* So, I am now the proud owner of a shiny new clothesline! Truth be told, I have been seriously considering line-drying our clothes to save on electricity and be more environmentally friendly. After all, we know what a tree-hugger I am. Not to mention the fact that we have had to run that drier twice to get anything dry for the last year at least. Alas, fair clothes drier, I knew thee well. I'm actually looking FORWARD to getting my August electric bill so we can get an idea of how much energy that thing was sucking! I'm also pretty stinkin' happy that the latest breakage was something that's not a necessity! I can live with having to hang my laundry on a clothesline! :)
In other news: While I was outside hanging clothes, one of the girls decided that Floppy needed sunglasses. You can't tell from the picture, but he was pretty excited about that idea, too! :)
This past weekend, the girls had a sleepover with their friend, Mary. Has anyone ever wondered WHY it's called a sleepover when no one actually gets any sleep? ANYway... They all had a great time! We ordered pizza for dinner Friday night, and proceeded to stuff ourselves with said pizza, cookies, and ice cream. YUM! While the girls were being silly, I even managed to bake some homemade banana bread for breakfast the next day! We watched Penelope together, and then I sent the girls to bed so we could enjoy a trip to the aquarium on Saturday! It poured rain that morning, so it was absolutely packed! We've been qoing there on a fairly regular basis since Tatiana was just a baby, and I have NEVER seen it that crowded! No matter. We were in NO hurry, so it was enjoyable despite the crowds. We even managed to catch the sea turtles eating lunch! I love turtles! :) After spending the day at the aquarium, we went to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. We split 2 volcano desserts, but probably could have done with only 1 bewteen the 4 of us! HA! All in all, it was a nice girl's weekend!
