Category: Random

New Job

As you read this, I am beginning training at my new job. Gone are the days of food preparation, doing hours’ worth of dishes, and up-selling lunch items… and here are the days of clerical work, newsletter-creating, and interacting with church members. I’m going to be our church’s office manager!! I have two weeks of training beginning today. Taking on this job is intimidating but I’m excited! I’m also jumping from 28 hours a week to 40, so I don’t know how this will impact my blog. Hopefully it’ll be a positive impact–financially, I’ll be more able to tackle ambitious projects. Yes, DIY saves money, but there is some initial investing as far as tools and supplies go, and I could still manage to get some new stuff. I’ll try to focus on writing a post the evening before, then scheduling for it to post mid-morning (I’ve noticed that’s when I get the most views). I’ve done the whole writing-the-night-before thing and it seems to work nicely, in fact those posts are usually better because I’m not trying to squeeze them in before I run to work in the morning.

Just thought I’d give you a little heads-up and let you know what’s going on in my life these days!

I Predict a Problem.

You’re killing me, crafters. 

Clockwise from top left:

Country Living Valentine’s Day Crafts
Oh! Crafts Paper Punch Heart Garland
Design*Sponge July 4th Wrap Up
HandMakeMyDay Change of Address Cards
Modern Parents Messy Kids Easter Garland
Things Organized Neatly

Using paint chips to make crafts and decorations may seem like a genius move–they’re free, right? Well, they aren’t free to somebody: the paint company or the paint store. I understand grabbing a ton, actually USING them to pick out a paint color, then perhaps doing some kind of small-scale craft with the leftovers. But when I see stuff like this on the craft blog circuit, I picture people getting inspired, going over to Sherwin Williams or Home Depot, and plain clearing them out. I say this because I’ve seen pictures of stacks like an inch or more thick. As far as picking out a room color, I’m sorry, but that’s overkill, and  a really rude move in my book. I dread the day when we get charged for paint chips, or have a limit placed on the amount we can grab,  just because a bunch of crafters are abusing this “free” resource.

First World Problems

The kitchen sink is leaky. The tub needs new grout. The bathroom sink is barely a trickle. It’s hard to sleep in the hot bedroom. The floorboards in the dining room are warped. All the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen are dingy, and several of the drawers are hard to pull out and push in. The windows let the outdoor elements make their way into our bedroom. Last week I killed the biggest roach I’ve ever seen.

Yes, everyone has a gripe list about the place they live in, and being a renter it’s not easy to take the initiative to fix these things, although most if not all of them are pretty easy to wrap your mind around.

  • I was just pondering, well, some people have dirt floors in their homes or no home at all.
  • Our AC isn’t great but it’s below 85 in here and it’s 105 outside.
  • The windows may let the wind in but they keep the rain out.
  • I should be thankful to have clean running water at all (this week I had Doug test the water at work for heavy metals).
  • I should be glad I don’t have to turn on a propane tank to provide my bathroom with hot water (my host family did this in Morocco).
  • I may have killed a cockroach, but I don’t have to fear for mosquitoes or flies that transport malaria or yellow fever.
  • The drawers wouldn’t be a problem if I didn’t have any food or medicine to store in them. I’m thankful I have both.

Think about your gripe list and how it may pale in comparison to the extreme alterative, and take a moment to count your blessings.

Have a good weekend, everybody!