New Year, New Goals

Reflect on the old and create new memories:

I love playing my sax in band! I left it in the shop for three weeks to find out that it needs $650 to fix it up. Not worth it? YES! IT IS! I looked up my saxophone model number and found that it is worth at least a couple thousand, if not more. Way cool! Not that I would ever sell it. Can't afford the fix now; using a rental for three or four months.

Bible reading: stalled. I lost my Bible after Thanksgiving break and just found it last week. Will continue where I left off reading Romans. (Some of you girls now about the reading of the book of Romans. Think ALT!)

Loving my husband is a challenge I never thought I would face. To show him love and appreciation is difficult for me when I want to be cynical, which is often.

Be a good mom to a moody four year old: VERY difficult and challenging.

Be the boss at work and come home to a place that needs a boss of sorts: VERY difficult to manage. It seems I never get to take of the hat of being the one solely responsible for what seems like everyone and everything: food, money, cleaning, bedtime, laundry; and that's just at home. parents, teachers, money, time sheets, everyone's hours, irate parents, counselors on the phone, upset employees, under appreciated: that's work.

How will this year be different? Only time can tell and only God knows. Rob has been out of work for 1.4 years and our credit shows it. We are trying to make good memories for our son as well as teach him responsibility and compassion. That is no small feat. And though I hate giving in to the corporations, Target and Walmart are cheap and that's all I can afford.

Did I make it?

1. Definitely reading my Bible more, but as Nick would say, "Even faster!" But no Bible Study. I get off of work too late to make it anywhere. In January, my co-worker will be closing Wednesday nights, so maybe... :)
   
2. Going to church, on average, about every other week. That's good because we missed all summer being busy and such.
3. Loving my husband more? Off and on. This is definitely an area that I need to work on. I really don't know how to be a good wife and he doesn't know how to be a husband. We are working on living together, which seems silly because we've been married 7 years. We have been so busy with work and moving so much and parenting that we have definitely neglected our marriage from the get-go. Hope to remedy that soon...
   
4. Still sewing! Lots to do before Christmas, (less than 2 weeks!)
5. Still playing my sax, though a stupid pad fell off at practice the other night. So, new goal: get saxophone fixed during Christmas break. AND DON'T FORGET TO PRACTICE!!

Revisiting Goals

Goals:
Sew more; set up corner of living room with sewing table and stash of fabrics.
Play Saxophone; band on monday nights.

Both met!!

There is something to say about writing your goals down. I feel connected to them when I write them out in thoughtful reflection. So, new goals are in order:

Read my bible more.
Love my husband more.
Go to church and find a bible study.

Halloween Costume

Halloween costumes on order here. One for older sisters daughter and two for younger sisters daughters. I hope they like them.

One down, two more to go. It turned out a bit bigger than I thought, so will have to adjust.

Poem #2

Bath time fun
After a day in the sun
As the moon is high
I have soap in my eye

Wash and Rinse
Scrubba Bubba

Clean for bed
Towel head
Tummy fed
Books all read

Sweet dreams!

Poem #1

Oh, a surprise! I can't wait to see!

It's all planned out. What could it be?

Mommy and Daddy are on the go.

Car full of gas with me in tow.

We park in the lot; get out of the car.

Looking around; can't tell where we are.

In the building, I see what I see:

The train museum! What fun it will be!

Note: We surprised son with a trip on an electric rail car today. Fun times.

Our new place: boxes every
where!!

We took the doors from the closet and threw them away, so it's just open.




Great big kitchen space!



View from our kitchen window is Mt. Diablo! Gorgeous.

CPSIA ranting

seems that this law is scaring everyone. Not just the homemade toy industry, but the homemade clothes as well because it effects the sale of fabrics.

Reading on etsy.com, it is scary to me that so many people don't even know about this. My co-worker, who is very democratic and prides herself on being up to speed in politics, does not know what I'm talking about.

	littlethingsboutique says:
	yoursandi, I'm with you. It used to be that America was the one place where a person's individuality was celebrated, excellence was rewarded, and we were responsible to and for ourselves. It is profoundly sad to see that we (or as those *in power* would have it) now aspire to mediocrity, dumb down our kids in school so they cannot think for themselves, and the only individuality that is celebrated is that which is deemed "okay." Wow... I'm apparently ready to rant tonight...
	Posted at 10:51 pm, June 6 2009 EST

I see what this person is talking about as far as individuality. I see more and more students that can't learn in this "traditional" classroom setting we have created for our American children. More and more kids don't have ADHD. 2nd graders are not developmentally supposed to be able to sit for 3 hours without fidgeting! And let's talk about the effects of preservatives to our blood and body functions. I see right away that when I give my son sugary cereal he goes off the wall. When I give him less sugar and no preservative cereal, he is a normal four year old.


I'm done ranting for tonight. Thanks.

oh, wait, there is more...

	Skaldi says:
	How are you going to prove that you did it first? First to trademark it? By a raise of hands how many fashion designers have enough start-up capitol to trademark each and every pattern they have ever made? Now. By a show of hands how many mega-corporations for fashion have enough capitol to trademark each and every new pattern they find, the moment they find it?
	Posted at 11:44 pm, June 6 2009 EST - Report this post

explaination:

	raccoonsews says:
	So now some big fashion house can claim they,and they alone ,conceived the idea of an A-line skirt and anyone making an A-line skirt is infringing? OK Maybe that's simplistic ,but it wouldn't shock me to see them try. Who will be in charge of policing the world or is this only to stifle those in the US. The government is out of control...hope and change my a$$

southernbeauty says:

TheHumbleSeamstress says: Who are the idiots morons Pick the one that fits!!! degenerates who came up with this crazy thing??? They need to be VOTED OUT of OFFICE!!! But we need NAMES!!! ----------------------------------------------- We don't "necessarily" need names. Just vote out every incumbent. Then we can change the house and senate in one fell swoop. Two years after that we can change the rest of the administration. Then we'll have to try to clean up the mess that they will leave behind...CPSIA, universal healthcare, cap and trade, the food safety bill if it passes and so many other things it boggles the mind.

Let's vote them out!!! Why do we keep electing the incumbents when we don't like what they are doing. Duh!!

Pass it on, Baby

New fun blog about giving away. Pass it on, Baby. Check it out.

Goals ??

1. I do have my sewing machine with me, yet a place to set it up is hard to find.

2. I have not started sewing yet, but have fun fabric to get going with.

3. I bought a quilting book, yeah! I am not starting on a quilt, but am doing a quilted purse, which is a bit of a twist on my goal. I love to make purses and totes and have wanted to start quilting. This is a GREAT compromise.

4. New Goal: play my saxophone. Found a band that needs an alto. To the store tomorrow to purchase new reeds and MAYBE play tomorrow night if I don't chicken out!!

5. Still crazy-in-love with Jesus and trying to figure out how to show the world.

The Story of Stuff

Another video:
Check it out.
ok,after watching the first third of this, I'm crying for our planet!! and after watching the rest, I'm crying for us!! We must take action or there with be no more "Earth Day!"

This video puts together the snid-bits of information I have seen and heard; rumors of America and the waste we create. I've heard the politics aside from the environmental impact and vice versa. This puts all of the information together in a logical flow of the facts that have been changing our world.

It is not easy to live differently than the politicians want us to. Rob and I live in a community now that used to have a lot more farming. I used to come to this place and pick cherries and strawberries. Now I live in a house built on that old farmland. Have you traveled to Southern California and you wondered why Orange County is called by that name? There used to be groves and groves of orange trees!! It was beautiful. Not there anymore!

I have friends that have begun this journey of changing the way they live to not be consumed by our consumer economy. It is my turn to do MORE!! I am very excited to start riding my bike to work. I have to put about $100 into it. After taxes, I hope to be able to.

Quilting

It might not be well known, but I love to look around the internet at patterns! I have fallen in love with quilts even though I am totally chicken to try one out. I recently found this "Quilting Dad" and am inspired by his pictures and his blog.

Some day I will post pictures of my own quilts, like when I figure out how to make one and then actually make it!

BTW: I MISS MY SEWING MACHINE!!
Goal: have sewing machine set up in our new place by the end of May. I already have the perfect place for it!
After that: Make dolls and bags and balls and organizers!! and MAYBE start on a quilt!
After that: conspire with doll-pattern maker to construct easy pattern for charity, done by Christmas time.

Seminar

.
Rob and I had a great time at Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott's marriage seminar. I am just checking out their website that has over 200 little snid-bit videos to watch, some funny, some serious. We are on the lookout for a couple of their books; hoping to find them used and discounted.

I am interesting in reading these two: "Love the Life You Live" and "The Love List"

Rob might like these: "Proverbs For Couples" and "Love Talk" and "Becoming Soul Mates"