I like my job.

It's like I have four pesky little brothers and sometimes a few pesky brotherly customers that are added in too. I am a non stop tease target. They have convinced me it is because they like me but they torment me non stop. But I can hold my own.

We are moving our store today and tomorrow. Our cute little mom and pop store. I tried to convince my boss (who is also one of the pesky brothers) to let us have a shop dog but he would never go for it. He has done such a great job on the new store and really made some cool creative things. Here are a few pictures.

I am going to have to wear a pedometer to keep track of my walking because I have so far to go just to get to the shoes!

My boss totally made this wall. It is like rough cut wood and then he stained it all different colors. It looks dang cool.

The boys did not have even ONE sentimental moment about the old store. I made one of the boys take my picture behind the desk. I have grown in width!!!!! My shoulders are wider. So disappointing. But I am still fighting.

Today Justine and I went to Target and I found a few little things from the dollar section to go into Kassidy's package. She has two left. WEIRDEST THING EVER. I have sent her a little doo dad every week since she left (practically). Usually like a candy bar for her and her companion or this time I am sending her canned dehydrated snow....just silly stuff because I worry so much if she is ever in despair, I want her to have massive love in the middle of the week. I don't try to say that all braggy. I actually find it a little obsessive and a little "much". But I just did it. I am pretty organized and it was never a burden but only a joy so I did it because of that. Anyway....the thought that she only had TWO left. It is so weird. I am HIGHLY concerned she is going to be in mourning. She will get through it but selfishly, I don't want to hurt that much with her.

Today a customer came in who works at one of the places I wanted to intern. This person wasn't overly nice to me when I told them of my career plans. They weren't mean, just not especially nice. I went back to find their shoes and I reminded myself and I vowed to always be kind to the new people or the underdog or the people who are still trying to get where maybe you are in your career. I want to never pull a power trip on them just because I am already established and not scared anymore or in a higher position. That's all.

Justine bought herself a new camera. She loves photography. She does a really good job also. She got herself SUCH a deal. And it takes beautiful pictures. And now when I look at my pictures I think how much better they could be. But whatever.

So these are my Thanksgiving Day salt and pepper shakers. I seriously get so much ridiculous joy from seeing them up there.

Creepy faceless pilgrims

Ummm..... best ever....turkey on the roaster

Someone gave me these little stoves and I was so thrilled when I realized how great they went with the Thanksgiving theme.

So Sunday I have t take them all down and put up the Christmas ones. :)

I LOVE Memes. They all crack me up. I don't know who thinks of these things.

You guys. I can even walk towards the door without at LEAST two kids asking me where I am going. It is like tiring. And it is the older kids too!

And this one. Cause it's funny.

Happy turkey day

Hi, I don't know who all will find me here but thanks for caring enough to follow along. I am kind of excited now to have a private blog because I believe that those who are taking the time to log in and all that hassle....I feel like you guys might really love me. And I need to be in a "safer" place than I was before. Not that I had any problems or anything with readers or criticism or anything like that but I really gave a lot of "myself" away through my blogging. And I loved it and the timing in my life was right for it but now I am just feeling more private and I feel like I want to be less censored and less worried about who is reading what and thinking what. I think that is why I am kind of excited for this change. I am kind of ready for all my stuff to not be out there for everyone but I never wanted to give up blogging because I love giving this to my kids in the form of the book I make for them.

So...thanks for being here still. I appreciate you still caring about me. I care about you. And I am happy to see and know who is reading by those who have asked for invites.

So...now that we are more private I feel safer to say this. I am still in therapy. I never thought it would last this long. But Corey and I have good insurance that covers it very well and honestly, I need the extra support that a therapist gives. I am not going to go into the depth of that but lets just say I do. After Kristopher I saw a girl that I really loved so much. One day, out of the blue, something happened and she was dismissed from her job. It was truly upsetting to me. Broke my heart. So I have found another girl who I really like as well. She has helped me with quite a few things and has given me the extra support I have been needing. (Although you couldn't tell by me recent weight gain. Which is a whole other post. *cry*cry*cry*)

In one of my social work classes we talked about how when you are working with clients you have to be careful and aware that there are certain situations where they could be violent towards you. And so you might not want to have a lot of things sitting around that could be used as weapons. The teacher had some HORROR stories. I don't get too freaked out because I do understand it is his job to each us and make us aware. SO when I went to see Rachel I was in her office sitting there (she had stepped out for a minute) looking at all the things "wrong" and weapony in her office. She isn't worried about it. There was this bowl that I truly thought was an ornate glass piece of artwork.

My spidey sense go off. WEAPON. I pick it up to closer analyze

it. It's plastic! What the what! When Rachel came back I asked her about it and it is made of....

Bo

Bo and Kate get SO bored. Kate does not play well by herself. And since I am so involved in other things I try to plan stuff occasionally. So I decided we would make these for Christmas gifts. The kids enjoyed them very much and they are pretty cool!

 

 

 

They enjoyed making them. So the other day my boss needed to borrow my car for a minute. His was hooked up to his huge trailer. When I went to go home that night I was like having to readjust my seat over and over to get it right. He is a giant. Then I realized he had put more than a 1/2 a tank of gas in my car. I was very low. It was so kind of him I almost cried. He is a very good boss.

I am happy because I finally read the last of my book that I felt obligated to read. (I actually do have one left but I am not counting that one. It is my traveling book) So I began a new one that I wanted to read called "Is there no place on earth for me" about a woman with schizophrenia in the 1970's and her journey in mental institutions etc. It has been very interesting so far. This morning when I woke up I laid in bed and read. The sun was just coming up and the house was warm and none of us had any obligations for the day. It was beautiful.

"You Don't Have to Be Pretty. You don't owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don't owe it to your mother, you don't owe it to your children, you don't owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked "female".
I'm not saying that you SHOULDN'T be pretty if you want to. (You don't owe UN-prettiness to feminism, in other words.) Pretty is pleasant, and fun, and satisfying, and makes people smile, often even at you. But in the hierarchy of importance, pretty stands several rungs down from happy, is way below healthy, and if done as a penance, or an obligation, can be so far away from independent that you may have to squint really hard to see it in the haze."

From....http://www.cjanekendrick.com/2012/12/hey-ever-something-i-want-you-to-know.html

hi friends!!!!!

Just giving another reminder that I am making my blog private soon. I totally don't want to. It feels like the end of an era. haha. If you want an invite leave a comment and I will invite you when I make the switch.

An update on my beautiful mom. She is on oxygen full time now. It is such a bummer but so grateful for the option.

 

This is her on Halloween posing by our poster board of Kassidy. She gets home soon!!!!! It's crazy. I have been working on this enormous like nine foot lady for the front yard for when she gets home. It is so funny and borderline creepy. See for yourself. I will give her hair soon. I didn't have any brown paper.

 

 

My Justiney girl and I took Kassidy's 1st companion out to lunch. It was such a great thing. We got to hear stories. I guess they had an upsetting experience where Kassidy had to make a crucial decision and a lot depended on her making it. She made it with confidence but then later was upset. Her companion sang her church songs that night. I was just grateful that they had each other.

 

I am breaking my back not to gain one more pound, to lose what I gained and to NOT binge. It is going okay. I have up and downs but I finally feel like I have some control back.

 

I am rocking school. For once. All A's! But I have a test based completely on memory this week and I just cannot get it done. It is so hard for me. So I may lose my A. I am hoping not to. :(

 

I am having a total love affair with my school semester. It has been so great. It has felt like non stop therapy though. And that has been hard. I am practically going through therapy to learn how to give therapy. I never thought this was the direction my life would be. I never wanted a career. But I can see the joy in it as well.

 

 The little kids just need to be kept busy! The store had these posters on sale so I got the littles each one. They colored so happily for HOURS. It was dang peaceful. And they even got to use my smelly markers. That was cool to them.

 

 

Didn't they do a great job???

 

just letting you know

hi guys....

Just taking care of some "housekeeping" in my life.

I am officially making my blog private. :( I don't want to in many ways because it is so fun to share my journey with you. I know private blogs are a pain to get into and most people don't bother so I assume that will be the case here. So If you want to still follow me let me know and I will send you an invite once I figure out how to do all of that. :)

But I officially got the internship with adult probation and parole so I feel like locking down my life better is probably a good idea.

xoxoxoxo