OLDER STITCHING...

I was looking through some older photos yesterday and found up some pictures of pieces I've stitched and given away. I thought I'd share (at least post if no-one's out there in cyber-land reading).

I wish I had something witty to write, but life here in Michigan is pretty routine and mundane. When I'm at work and alert I think of stories I'd like to share - some of goofy customers or people that just make you say HUH? but by the time I get home it's all gone poof!

I dropped my daughter off today. She's going to a friend's house for the weekend so she'll be gone again. This friend used to live next door to us but when her mum and dad got divorced (rather messily) the mum and daughter moved away to a town about an hour away. Rach and C don't get to see one another much anymore but although it's been a few years since they moved (probably 7 or 8) they keep in touch. Last summer I don't think they got together at all as Rach was cheerleading and it took up a lot of time and when she had free time C was busy.

I hope they have a good weekend. They are both teenagers now, not little children and hopefully they haven't changed enough that they can't be friends. They had such great times when they were little.

YES!

If I was able to do cartwheels I'd be doing them around my living room. We passed the audit!!! I did well on my parts. I received a 94% on one part and on the other 96%. I get marked for Cash Controls and Bookkeeping. I'm happy. No re-audit.

:)

PHEW - what a day!!

After a bad couple days at work I thought today would have to be better. It had to be right? It couldn't be worse. Wrong. Things were going along quite nicely when DA-DA the auditor walks in. Sigh. I am a bookkeeper (I have a fancier title, but it doesn't mean a lot) for a grocery store. It was once a small family owned chain of a few stores, but was taken over by a corporation. Now we have audits. At least once a year all the stores get audited. If you do well you usually only have one a year, if you fail (less than 90% overall) you have to have a re-audit.

Last year we did really well - the third highest in our area, something like 96%. Not so sure this year. The auditor checks EVERYTHING and I mean everything. The majority of the audit consists of cash controls and bookkeeping (my area). As my boss always says, if you pass the cash office you usually pass the rest. Sigh. What pressure. A lot of what the auditor looks at is from the previous month - I was on vacation for 1/2 of it.

There are a lot of nit-picky things that are looked at - I have xs and os depending on whether cashiers are over/short a certain amount, colour co-ordination if they are over/short on lottery, stamps, bottle returns, money orders, coupons etc. Apparently there is a method to this madness. Just when I think I have it figured out they change things - usually without telling you.

ON A GOOD NOTE - today is the only day I've been left alone at work since I got back from my hols. There is nothing like the auditor to make people stay away from you. I don't see the managers for dust when she's around. I suddenly become a leper.

Tomorrow I'll find out how well I did. The things she looked at while I was there seemed okay - she took all lane tracking, cashier audits, customer refunds, bottle slips away with her to look at.

Happy Summer Solstice!

One of my daily dilemmas (outside of work) is what's for dinner. After about 2pm it's the question my family seems to want to know the answer to. During the week it's my turn to cook. My hubby and I split up the cooking duties - he's gets Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I get the other days. When I went to work full time it was one of the conditions - heck, if I'm outside working as many hours as he is I'm not going to be doing everything at home too.

I like to cook. I used to do a lot of it when I was a SAHM. The thing I hate is trying to figure out what to cook. We're all tired of eating the same old thing over and over again.

NEW CHALLENGE - cook at least one new thing a week. I'm hoping to do more than one, but one is manageable. My DD Rach has volunteered to help me out. Today we cooked Fiesta Taco Bake (we got the recipe from BetterCrocker.com) and it turned out to be a WINNER!!! All 3 kids and hubby liked it. We're adding it to THE cookbook.

WATCHING :- True Blood. I have to DVR it as it's after my bedtime. I get up at 2.50am for my job so I have to be in bed early :) GREAT SHOW!! I'm addicted. Loved the books (started reading them way back when) and LOVE the show!

Father's Day

Happy Father's day to all the Dads (including my DH and FIL).

My Father isn't in my life - hasn't been since I was eleven and he walked out on our family never to be heard from again. For a long time it hurt and shaped my actions for a time when I was a teen. It's been years since I put all the hurt behind me and have moved on. At this point in my life I'm at peace with his absence.

We're not big into gift giving but DH did receive a video game, cake and some instant lottery tickets. He's planning on cooking steaks and baked potatoes. He's the King of the Grill. I have no idea how to get the thing started and being a vegetarian I'm not too big on cooking raw meat.

WHAT WE WATCHED - DH got us hooked on Netflix and I'm the one with the most DVDs in queue. I've had MANOR HOUSE for a couple days and settled down to watch yesterday. DS (18) happened to be in the room. We watched DVD 1 & 2. OMGosh! We laughed so hard. It's not a comedy but the people on there made us laugh. If you don't know what the show is about it's a reality show (aired on PBS - it's set in England) where volunteers become part of a large manor house in the early 1900s. There is a family who becomes THE family - Lord and Lady and several people who become servants down below. The man who becomes the Lord loves it - basically he gets to do lots of nothing except lord over everyone (which he is very good at - arrogant man). The poor servants aren't so happy (they get no time off and work as much as 18 hours hard work a day). One Scullery maid lasts 2 days, the next doesn't last much longer. DS and I thought they's be there weeks with the first one - she was bawling her eyes out - and turned out to be 2 days lol.

I'm not saying I'd do much better. As my DS said there is a reason things changed. I complain about work and the pay, but compared to days gone past I have it pretty good.

Mourning times past...

I spent too much time yesterday searching for new blogs to read. A lot of them were filled with stories of kids and the long summer ahead and my heart clenched a little bit. Once upon a time that was me. I was the SAHM half looking forward to the long summer and half dreading it. We were no longer on a schedule, rushing around trying to get ready for school, volunteering at school, attending conferences and such. On the other hand we had a whole long summer to fill.

My 'kids' are now 20, 18 and 16 - my oldest will turn 21 in August! The two older ones are at uni and still live at home but they are venturing out of the nest and exploring on their own. My DD is the only one who still wants to spend any time at all with me (and it's not a lot!).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Just the fact that they are all learning to fly means I've done my job and done it fairly well. I stumbled and tripped along the way and it was definitely a financial struggle for my DH and I but a little part of me mourns the days we spent together, when things were new and bright and shiny and the long summers seem to stretch forever ahead of us.

Some older Stitching

Well....

Had an 'extra' day off work today so I thought I'd get a few things done around the house that I've been putting off.

* I cleaned off the front porch (or got a good start on it). It is actually worse than it sounds. It seems the front porch is a catch-all for junk and old shoes. We rarely use the front door so nobody goes on the porch. The front door can't actually open from the outside (don't ask me why - has never worked since we bough the house) so we always use the back. There is a bunch of stuff to be donated to the thrift shop, some stuff to be thrown away on pick-up day (monthly 'extra' trash pick up day in our city)and some stuff to keep. There is actually a dresser on the front porch (nope, not a hillbilly) which needs to go upstairs to my boys' room. Tomorrow we'll be taking care of the stuff out there and the porch will be free to be re-screened.

* Did a really good vacuuming of the living room, pulling out chairs and getting underneath everything. YIKES! That's all I'm going to say. I do vacuum at least every other day but we have a cat, a dog, two teens, two adult men and me.

* Washed the sheets and quilt off our bed. Poor quilt has just about had it. I don't know whether to wrap it up and put it away to save or use it until it falls apart. I know my MIL put a lot of love in it so I'm tempted to put it up.

* Started sorting through some stitching supplies. I came across some pieces I stitched a while ago so I'm going to post them. I also kitted up some 'freebies' and hope to get going on one.

I spent too much time watching the football - SAD that England only got a draw. How bad is that????

There is a blog on the web...

...called Pagan Blog Prompts (check out the link on the side). I'm thinking that I should visit more often and follow some of their ideas. Going home always renews me and fills me with a new sense of finding myself and being my true self. It doesn't seem to work for long most years but I'm hoping this one will be different. I turned 40 and my gift to myself should be honesty about who I am and what I believe. I think if most people who knew me really KNEW me they would be shocked or dismayed. I shouldn't care what people think of me. I'm not an impressionable kid or a young adult who needs acceptance. I should be comfortable in my own skin.

Things that make me smile...

THE ABBEY at BURY ST. EDMUNDS - this has to be one of the most peaceful places I've ever been. I feel such a sense of calm when I am there. It's a beautiful, beautiful place filled with history. I try to always go there when I am home. It relaxes me and helps me centre myself again.















BEAUTIFUL SUNSET - the view from my Mum's back window





PADDLING IN THE SEA



CHRISTCHURCH MANSION in Ipswich

Been a while...

Been away for a while.

Well my 40th birthday has come and gone and I can't say I feel any differently. I had a good day got prezzies - chocolate, True Blood Season 2 DVD, smellies and bookshop Gc and other goodies. Nice day in all. Maybe...just maybe I'll post a pic of me and my cake. Have I mentioned that I hate having my picture taken?

I'm changing the name of my blog - I have to think up a proper one, but I'm no longer chasing 40 as I've already hit it.

TODAY I AM...

watching the WORLD CUP (GO ENGLAND!). I know technically England isn't playing until tomorrow but I enjoy watching football especially the international matches.