working is, well, work

I generally love my job.  I love it enough that I do not usually wish I was a SAHM instead of a working mom.  (Okay, I sometimes daydream about winning the lottery so that I can be a lady of leisure.  But apparently you have to be in it to win it.)  However, the past several work days have been a little bit more stressful than usual, and it is only going to get better worse. I feel pulled in several, usually opposite, directions and I am trying to get all my work done in a timely manner.

On top of it all, it is only my 2nd year in the position, so there is a learning curve.  I am sure that I will get faster and more efficient in what I need to get done as the years go by but for now, slow and steady seems to be my pace.  I am definitely more confident than I was last year but as new responsibilities have been added, that confidence only takes me so far.

Lest I sound like a whiny bitch...well, maybe I am a little whiny and/or bitchy tonight.  Maybe I just need to get it out of my system so that I can go back tomorrow refreshed and full of energy so I can power through whatever needs to get done.

p.s. Broadway show tunes on Pandora are an awesome way to get through a lot of paperwork!  If only I could banish them from my head now that I am trying to get ready for bed.  "Tonight, tonight..."

March madness! or I adopted a Pit Bull

I seem to get on a blogging roll and then blam!  An entire month goes by until I write again.

So we have had some big news this past month.  We adopted a dog from the local animal shelter.  She is a beautiful and sweet adult dog whose family lost their home.  She was completely depressed at the shelter but she is really coming along with us.  Her tail is wagging and she is even starting to smile sometimes.  She is particularly attached to my husband.

But there is one thing.  A fairly big thing.  We cannot leave her alone in the house.  She has broken down two crates, even when reinforced.  She then proceeded to eat a door.  Twice.  We tried leaving her in the house uncrated and she did her business inside.  Every single time she was obviously upset/ashamed/etc at what she had done.  It turns out she she extreme separation anxiety.  The shelter is having the trainer come to see us this week because our other choice was to return her.  We really do not want to do that, but obviously we have to be able to leave our house! It is lucky for her that my husband has been home.  Here she is on her first day with us.  Isn't she sweet?

I will try to be better about blogging going forward.  Again. :0)

Lent is around the corner

Lent starts this coming Wednesday.  Most of my Catholic friends grew up giving something up for Lent.  It was often something that could, in a way, be easily controlled by our parents...no ice cream, sweets, TV.  As I matured, I learned about picking something to give up that had meaning of some sort, something a little challenging.  I also learned, probably because I went to Catholic school, about doing something extra.

Fast forward to the present time and I have been contemplating what I will do for Lent this year.  I came across an article on Busted Halo that presents the why and how to decide what to do for Lent eloquently.  I know that I want this Lent to be one of spiritual growth for me.  Maybe I will go to bed earlier so that I can wake up earlier to have dedicated praying time every morning.  Maybe I will give up something like the cream in my coffee.  I really LOVE my coffee with cream in it, so every time I drink it without it, I will remember what I am doing and why.  It is definitely something for me to think about and pray about in the next few days.

What are you going to do for Lent?

ribbon barrettes...blast from the past

In my quest to find solutions to keep Lilly's hair out of her face I recalled how much I loved my ribbon barrettes as a kid.  I got to thinking that they would be the perfect answer since the addition of the ribbon to the barrette should help them stay in Lilly's hair.

I finally found the directions online at wee folk art and, after a few tries I made the 1st one!  It became easier as I practiced.  I also used slightly wider ribbon which was easier to handle.  I put beads on the ends of some the ribbins and sealed all the edges with a flame.

Lilly is so excited to wear them AND they stay in her hair without sliding out!

the first one!

For St. Patrick's Day!  Made with slightly wider ribbon.

So much for blogging every day...

This month there was some kind of campaign to encourage bloggers to blog every day.  So far I have not written one blog since the end of January.  Brilliant.  It may or may not be directly related to my new addiction to Pinterest.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day.  I don't necessarily buy into the whole chocolate and flowers hype, but this year was different.  Our anniversary was only a few weeks ago and it happened to be the same day we found out about my father-in-law's brain tumor.*  I was so surprised and felt so loved by all the thought my dear husband put into Valentine's Day this year.  We went though a very difficult period a few months back, which made celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary all that much important to us this year.

He and Lilly drove me to school and then they used the whole day to get treats for me.  They picked me up from school and I came home to chocolates, red roses and a luxurious body wash.  Lilly got flowers, too!  Then for dinner we went to one of our favorite family restaurants and had a heart-shaped pizza.  It was a wonderful day and the feelings of being loved and pampered have lingered longer than just that day.

*As far as my father-in-law goes...He has done amazingly well!  He had the tumor removed on a Wednesday at Overlook Hospital, only 15 minutes from my house, and was home at his house in the Poconos in Pennsylvania on the following Sunday.  He had his staples out a couple weeks later on Valentine's Day and he is continually exceeding the doctors' expectations.  Especially considering he is 77 years old, we are so grateful that he is doing so well.  So many people were praying for us and for him and we thank you all for those prayers!