Thing 1, Thing 2, Roth IRA & 401(k)

Thing 1: Forgive me if my typing and/or spelling is atrocious...I whacked my right pinkie finger into the door jamb running for the phone a little while ago and, while I don't think it's broken, it sure hurts like the dickens! One frozen bag of peas and a good taping to the ring finger seems to have lessened the heat a bit...but it sure makes for lousy typing. Of course, I'm terribly particular so I will most likely correct any error I see even if it takes me the rest of the night. Thing 2: I was running for the phone because I am awaiting a call to confirm an interview on Monday!!! I'm very excited about this interview (thanks JB) and really hope this pans out. The woman I spoke to was VERY nice, if that was any indication. This is for a local company that does a lot of environmental clean up work with DOE...so I'm THRILLED! Just say a prayer or 2 for me and think about me at 1:30PM this coming Monday. Other than that, not much else to report. Unless you consider opening a Roth IRA with my 401(k) funds newsworthy... TTFN JMS

Dreary and unproductive day. Am I allowed one every now and then?

It's a dreary, rainy day and I've been a lazy bum today. I don't really feel well and I'm just tired. I really have been working so hard on finding a job that I forgot to rest. Sleeping, well...I've done quite a lot of sleeping; resting, on the other hand, I have not done. I limited myself to email inquiries and web searches today, rather than dressing up and hitting the pavement. I cancelled that interview at the insurance agency that I was supposed to have tomorrow. After doing some more research and speaking with my Brother-in-Law, it seems that I may have stumbled across something that wasn't all it was cracked up to be, after all. The web was crawling with folks who have had bad experiences with this particular company, either with their sales tactics or their hiring practices. I was not getting the warm-fuzzies from them and, after having a conversation with my BIL today, I decided that it would not be a bad idea to cancel that particular interview. Not only that, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was for aggressive sales training and it was all the way downtown - which really is just too far away. I got a phone call today from one of the places that I walked into off the street. A company that is here in town and is quite large. The woman I spoke to was very nice and explained 2 positions to me thoroughly and then told me that both the positions paid around $10.00/hr. I've said this before and I'll say it again: While I'm willing to take a cut, I'm not willing to cut it that far. So she kindly offered to hang on to my resume for another 6 months (I hope it does not take me that long to find a job!) and if anything comes up, she said she'd give me another call. A friend emailed me a job they found online and said, "Found something that sounded 'you'" - and so it was. I immediately applied for this particular position and I am going to keep my fingers crossed because it is nearly identical to the position I just left! And, it's here in town, which would be super-ideal. But I am also going to try really hard not to get too excited. If I do, I'll just be too let down when nothing comes of it. So I guess that's it for today. The kids are doing well. They're finishing a quickly thrown together dinner of chicken fingers and corn and peaches (not all mixed together; God forbid anything touch!) and then I think we'll pile in my bed and watch a movie. TTFN JMS

What's goin' on?

I got The Letter from the Unemployment Office today. Yay! I do get benefits. Minimal; less than 1/2 of what I was making working full-time; but benefits none-the-less. And very welcome those benefits are. It will at least pay the mortgage. I had a good interview with the temp agency this morning. The woman I spoke with was very sweet, extremely professional, very thorough and I got a much better "vibe" from her than I did from the other place. The position she wanted to discuss with me was an Executive Assistant position, but it did not offer benefits - which is a must-have; a need rather than a want. Hubby, Kiddo, Little Bit and I went canoeing this afternoon for about an hour - in the bright, hot sun. But it was lovely. I did not bring my camera for fear that it would get wet, but we saw a couple deer hanging out by the water's edge and/or in among the trees, some fish, a turtle or two, and a couple dudes in a sweet-looking motor boat out trying to drown some worms. The kids were overheated, Hubby and I were sweaty and also quite warm, so we hit Sonic for a quick bite and something cold to drink. Now the kids are in bed. Well...Little Bit is sound asleep but Kiddo is quietly coloring in an over-sized Diego coloring book in his room. Hubby is out having some quiet/alone time running errands. I've had a shower and feel human again. Oh - and about 20 minutes ago I got a phone call from an insurance company downtown (really - downtown, like more than 30 miles away) and they want to see me on Wednesday morning at 9AM to interview for....well, I'm not really sure what for. But they found my resume on Monster.com (I'm beginning to LOVE Monster.com) and thought I seemed promising. I've done some preliminary research on this company and it seems legit - so I don't think I'm walking into anything I shouldn't be. So wish me luck with that, too! The phone calls, letters, emails and benefits are starting to come in. "They" were right about it taking 2 weeks for anything to really start happening. I think all the prayers, hard work and persistence are starting to pay off. Say some more, will ya? TTFN JMS

Update on Really Rotten Development

Ok - so I removed the "Really Rotten Development" post a day or so after I had posted it because, since I am, in fact, hunting for a job I can be proud of and one that will be around for a long, long time - I didn't want to run the risk of potential employers reading that post and saying, "Ah...she's too negative for us, let's not hire her." This was suggested to me by a very well-meaning and loving friend, and I took her advice. I was angry when I wrote it and probably should have waited 24 hours or some other amount of time to let the boil settle to a low simmer. That being said, I thought I'd update you on the job hunt: I have applied, either directly to a position that I have seen advertised somewhere, or by sending my resume to companies I've researched online even when I have found no "active" positions, or I've driven around the countryside (almost literally) and physically walked in to companies that look like they may need administrative assistance. I've been online A LOT and have probably applied to about 50 places in the local area. The computer is beginning to recognize me and is starting to get scared every time my fingers hit the home keys; it knows I'm going to bombard it with requests for the next couple of hours. I had one interview (thanks GW) for a place here in town that was looking for a Team Lead, but after spending just a few minutes there with the hiring manager, we both decided that it was not the right position for me. She was very sweet, this hiring manager, and we got along just fine, but we openly discussed what my skills are and she stated, "This is just below the level of what you can do. It's a good job, but it is not one I would like to put you in." Mostly phone work; incoming and outgoing calls for selling insurance. We parted with a smile and she promised to keep me in mind if any administrative positions opened up. I have another interview with a temp agency tomorrow. The woman who called me found my resume on Monster.com and said that she's got an Executive Assistant position she wants to talk to me about. So I'm headed there tomorrow at 11:30 AM. I've already taken all the online assessments they sent and filled out all the applications and skill questionnaires, so hopefully this will be a good meeting. I did meet with another temporary agency the day after I lost my job and though, again, I pre-applied online the day before my meeting and took all the online assessments they sent me, and though I felt the meeting went very well (even if there was not a specific position discussed) I have not heard one single word from them in 10 days. I did call them once about five days after to see if the woman I'd met with had heard anything or could give me any words of wisdom, but she has yet to call me back. I'm starting to wonder... So I'm trying to be as proactive about this job hunt as I possibly can, all the while remembering that God has a plan for me and, though I may not know what that plan is, He has already figured it out. It is very hard for me to remember that, ultimately, I am not in control of this; He is. I can only do so much, and, though my mantra (of sorts) has been, "God helps those who help themselves," my friend BG pointed out that I cannot do it for Him. Sigh. I am not a very patient person so all this is very hard for me. I am not good when I am unemployed. I've enjoyed spending time with my family, but my family is going to suffer if I do not find gainful employment soon. I did, however, file for unemployment. I expect to get a letter from them any day now letting me know if my claim was accepted or not, and I have to get online once a week (on Mondays, it turns out; I thought it was Sundays) to certify that I am actively seeking employment. I don't know what this will entail, but if it is just a list of places to which I have sent a resume, I'm covered. If they want names, dates, positions available and other details like that - I might have a more difficult time because I have not kept track of those. My church has been so wonderful and supportive through all this. I've gotten hugs and pats and words of encouragement from people I didn't even know knew...ya know? So I guess I just need to continue to do what I am doing, which is pounding the literal and figurative pavement, keep praying and keep letting anyone and everyone I know, know...ya know? TTFN JMS

Third Eye...Blind?

So, I think I have convinced my poor 5 year old son that I actually, in fact, really and truly do have an extra eye in the back of my head. When we're driving in the car and I discipline him for something that I see him do (in the rear-view mirror, of course) he's absolutely amazed. He cannot, for the life of him, figure out how I could have possibly seen what he was doing without turning around to look at him. The concept of mirrors has not really taken hold yet. I mean, he knows what a mirror does - reflects an image of himself back at him - but he doesn't yet understand that I can see him, too. He actually asked me today, "Hey, Mom? Can I see your extra eye?" And when I looked at him funny, he said, "You know, the one at the back of your head?" I almost fell out of my chair for laughing so hard. See, I've been known to say things, while we're driving around, like, "I can't see what you're doing back there because my extra eye is covered by my ponytail today," or "I'm going to be able to see you better now that my hair is shorter in back!" One of these days, I'm just going to have to 'fess up and tell him that there really isn't an extra eye in the back of my head. But for now, I'm having entirely too much fun with this. Oh - and the reason I decided to write about this today is because we were listening to a classic rock station and the song "Crazy on You" by Heart came on. I could see Kiddo going absolutely NUTS in the back seat (through my rear-view mirror) and realized he was trying to play the air guitar! I said, "Buddy - do you want to learn to play the guitar like that?" Kiddo: "Yep. I want to be a rock star, Mom!" 'Nuff said. TTFN JMS

Wow! Three Posts in One Week?

I've got Little Bit in my bed while I type. She's gotten into the habit of getting out of bed, tip-toeing to her door, opening it as quietly as possible and then standing in the hallway waiting for someone to notice her. She does this repeatedly, every night, and it's starting to get old. I've said, "You get back to bed!" in my harshest Mommy voice possible, but that just sends her skidding toward bed in a mad rush of tears and I really hate it. So now she's hanging out in my room with me while I play on the computer waiting to watch tonight's episode of Numb3rs on CBS. I've got a lot to do this weekend, not the least of which is try to get my bedroom and the bathroom clean, but I also am down to only 4 cards on My Etsy Site and really need to buckle down to make a few more. I've also been commissioned to make a birthday card for Pearl's (almost) 1 year old nephew. And, I need to make another Heart of the Dragonfly card for MDB, who (and I'm not sure of the story here, folks) managed to lose one of the three she just bought from me! (??) And I have 2 new house warming cards to do. All those are not sell-able...just send-able. That's OK by me...but it also means I've got a lot of work ahead of me. YAY! An excuse to craft. Wait! Who needs an excuse? Anyway - I'm having trouble keeping off all that weight I lost. I need to get back to eating my yogurt or oatmeal in the mornings, my grapefruit in the afternoons and then having a sensible dinner. Also, exercise would be beneficial - but I refuse to go to a gym and the weather has just been so darn hot that it's nearly impossible to do anything outside. I HATE...repeat HATE...the heat; especially if it's humid, too. SO I guess that's about it for Friday. I think I did good this week, didn't I? I managed three posts in a 7-day period. That's more than I have done in quite a while. Have a lovely weekend. Think of me tomorrow as I'm slaving away over the house and my projects! Say a little prayer for me, will ya? TTFN JMS

The Next Great American Novel (or, what's been up with Jen)

Ah...my poor blog is suffering.

 

I know I've mentioned this before, but it's beginning to really bug me.  I mean, this blog has been a near daily part of my life for about five years now (if you can believe it).  It was the first thing I did when I came in to work each morning (before my shift started, of course) and now...?  Now, I don't know.  Do I just not "need" it anymore?  That cannot be the case because I constantly think of things that I want to blog about.  Does it just not mean as much to me anymore?  Maybe, but I'm not sure that's it either.

 

My honest opinion is that I have just been so busy I haven't had much time to take care of it the way I used to.  I work full-time and am constantly busy at the office.  When I'm home (and when I haven't been sucked into a game of Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook...ugh) I'm taking care of the kids and doing laundry and doing dishes and...and...and...  It is a never-ending cycle.  I'm down to posting to my blog maybe once or twice a week, as opposed to once or twice a day.  I feel like a bad mother who is neglecting one of her children!  Ok, Ok...so that's a bad analogy because I would never neglect my actual children and a blog is not a child...but I think you get the picture.

 

For example, last night after I got home from work, I did dishes, figured out dinner, did laundry, did more dishes, did more laundry; I was still folding laundry at nearly midnight!  I'm tired today, but I feel alright. 

 

Cleaning up Kiddo's and Little Bit's rooms has inspired me to do a deep cleaning of the entire house.  I thought my project last night was going to be the bathroom, but instead I did other things.  Still, I was productive, which is a good thing because I could just as easily (and maybe even more easily) have plunked my butt down on the sofa and done absolutely nothing.

 

I did, however, watch the series premiere of Warehouse 13 on SyFy (does anyone know why they changed it from SiFi to SyFy, btw?) which was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to watching more episodes.  I hope it isn't like Moonlight, which I also loved, that only ran one season and then got cut.  Of course, while I was watching this, I would jump up to fold laundry during the commercials and during the show I sorted out some great vintage buttons my cousin in Michigan sent to me.  (I can't wait to use some of them; they're awesome!)

 

And on top of this, I've been fielding doctor's appointments for the kids, trying to find an apartment or condo for SM so she can move here from Greenville, SC, helping out within the church where I can, and doing a million other things.  Just a typical full-time working mother with a husband, a house, and responsibilities, I suppose.

 

Sometimes I wonder, "Will it ever end?"  Sometimes I'm so tired I can barely function - but I think I may have found a solution to some of that exhaustion.  My doctor and I discussed my medications at length this last time I was there and I have now taken myself off of all my anti-depressant meds.  They didn't seem to really be doing any good.  I had also been taking a medication for ADD and that didn't really seem to help my frazzled brain any, either.  So after a good cry and a hug from my sweet doctor (who I do love; she's absolutely wonderful!) she said, "I want you to try something for me."

 

Me: "Sure.  What's up?"

 

Doc: "I have a patient who has been going through very similar issues with her emotions and in her life.  She was given a book called The Mood Cure and after reading it and beginning to follow the program, she says she feels better than she ever has in her entire life and is nearly off all her mood meds."

 

Me: "So...um...you want me to read a book?"

 

Doc: "Yep.  The Mood Cure.  I don't know the author's name, but I know you can get it at Books-a-Million, because that's where I got my copy!"

 

Me: "Tell me more about it.  How can a book help me with my moods?"

 

Doc: "Well, I haven't read it yet.  I brought it on vacation with me to read, but I wound up reading a couple trashy romance novels instead!  But my patient tells me this woman (the author) talks about four different types of mood issues: The Black Cloud, The Blahs and a couple others I can't remember right now.  Each "mood" is discussed in full and then the author (who is a doctor, herself) talks about which amino acids and supplements might alleviate some of the symptoms of those moods.  I want you to read it and see if anything hits home, OK?"

 

Me: "Um...OK."

 

So I got the book and read the introduction and the first chapter on The Black Cloud and within 10 pages I thought, "OMG!  This book, this chapter, was written about me!  This is me!  Everything this woman, the author, talks about is exactly how I feel.  Exactly.  Every single point she made felt like it was directed at me!  I'm working on chapter 2 right now, about The Blahs, but after chapter 1 I went out and got a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement (which I take once a day) and a serotonin-inducing supplement called 5-HTP, which I have been taking twice a day.  I already feel like a new person.  I'm calmer.  My slight OCD seems to have been put on the back burner.  I'm more productive.  I'm less tired during the day and I sleep better at night.  It's absolutely amazing.  I've been doing this for about a week and a half now and if it continues like this, I might be all better!

 

My doctor also took blood for lab work.  The labs came back and everything looks just fine, except I have a severe Vitamin D deficiency.  She wrote me a prescription (which I need to fill) and told me after the prescription was gone that I would need to take a certain Vitamin D supplement (she told me which one, but I don't remember right now) to maintain it.  I don't have the paperwork in front of me right now, but a normal Vitamin D level is something between 30 and 100.  Mine was 21.3.  Whatever that means.  I trust my doctor and so I will also fill this Vitamin D prescription.  Hopeful that will just be the icing on the cake, however, because this 5-HTP and multi-vitamin I'm already taking have me feeling like a brand new person.  I'm really amazed.

 

Well, now that I've written the next Great American Novel, I'll sign off.  Also, check out My Etsy Site sometime.  I've put up a few new things since the last time I posted on my blog (I think) and I'm running a Buy-One/Get-One special on my greeting cards during the month of July!  Just make sure you ready the Shop Announcement (all those words at the top, before you get to the listed items) for more details!

 

TTFN
JMS

Jen's "Catch 'em up" post...

It's a list...and it's long...so read what interests you and ignore the rest!  My days are all confused so I don't know what day I did any of this stuff!  That's what happens when I get a long weekend!

• Happy 4th of July!
• I spent 2 days cleaning the kids rooms.  Little Bit's room took about 4 hours, Kiddo's room took an entire day.  Not even kidding.  I've been at him for about 4 months to clean his room, and no amount of threatening seemed to get through to him, so finally I just did it myself.  He whined about "losing" his toys, but though I did go through everything I found and filled one small box of stuff for my yard sale, I didn't really throw anything away.  I went through some of Little Bit's stuff, too...so they're even now.  I even went so far as to move all the furniture around so I could scrub the hardwood floors!  My next top-to-bottom project?  The bathroom.  After that, our room.  Then, the living/dining room.  I think I'll just let the kitchen rot, because by then I'm not sure I'll have anything left in me!
• We went to Dollywood one of those days.  It was the first time I'd ever been there!  Can you believe it?  I will have been here (don't fall over, now) 10 years in August and this was the first time I've been do Dollywood!  It was lots of fun.  The weather was perfect.  Sunny but not too hot and there was a lovely breeze.  We took a train ride, waited in a couple of very long lines, ate some great kettle korn (yum!), watched a string band show at the Back Porch Theater (Little Bit LOVED that) and drove some really neat little itty-bitty 50's automobiles.  Kiddo and Hubby's car was red, Little Bit's and my car was pale blue.  They had a great time!  We arrived at around 10AM and didn't leave until 4PM; it was a great day.
• Saturday - I know it was Saturday because it was the 4th - we went to a neighborhood pool party.  I wasn't going to go, and initially did not go; but hubby called me shortly after they arrived and said, "You really should think about coming."  So I went.  The kids had a great time and were absolutely exhausted by the time we left.  Little Bit fell asleep in the car (it's a 5 minute ride home) and woke up enough to let me get her out of her wet bathing suit and swim diaper and into something dry and then fell asleep again and slept for nearly 3 hours!  After she woke up, we all went over to Our Favorite Mechanic's house for a BBQ!  (I had the absolute best BBQ grilled chicken I've ever tasted!)  We did some kid-friendly fireworks (as much as fireworks can be considered kid-friendly) and later, after it started to get dark, the adults set off some adult-friendly (ha!) fireworks until one went astray and smacked into the side of Our Favorite Mechanic's house!  Mrs. Mechanic said, "OK guys, that's it.  Fireworks are over now!  Pack 'em up!"  I don't blame her.  It was 10 PM by the time we got home and tucked the kids into bed.
• I skipped church on Sunday.  (Can you believe it?  Me, skipping church?)  I spent the ENTIRE DAY cleaning Kiddo's room.  Of course, since I've already mentioned that I won't go into detail.
• Now it's Monday again.  My Favorite Receptionist (although she's really only receptionist by title - she actually does WAY more than answer phones and greet people) is sick today so I am covering the front desk.  It's OK, though, because my boss is out today, still on vacation.  He went on a cruise to Mexico! 

Oh - and one more thing!  I guess now that the cat's out of the bag I can feel free to talk about this.  (No, I'm not pregnant - get your head right!)  Many of you know that I work for Brink's Home Security.  Last year, Brink's broke off from their parent company, Brink's, Inc. to become an independent, publicly traded company, Brink's Home Security Holdings, Inc.  Part of our break off agreement was the knowledge that Brink's Home Security would have to rebrand; change our name.  As of Tuesday last week, Brink's Home Security is now Broadview Security.  It's a very exciting time for us and we hope that all of our existing Brink's Home Security customers will be just as pleased, if not more pleased, with Broadview Security.  Keep your eyes open for the commercials regarding the new name to hit the airwaves (TV and Radio) today, July 6th. 

 

TTFN
JMS