Don't let the rich people fool you: everyone struggles with money. What to do with it, how to invest it, and if you don't have enough to pay bills and eat, what are you going to do when it comes time to go grocery shopping? The rich people want you to believe that you will only get ahead in life if you go to college like they did and get a fancy degree. The poor people who crawled their way out of debt and into a now comfortable lifestyle will tell you that you cannot get ahead unless you work hard and break your back. It is a never ending circle of advise about money that seems to just fight with each other. I, for one, am one of the people who see both sides of the fence.
There was this girl a few years back who came out on the news about how she could not pay off her debt for the degree she earned. My philosophy has always been never take out any student loans that equaled more than one year of your salary. This girl took out way more than she could afford. Then, she appealed to the media to make it known that the problem of student debt was growing to astronomical amounts. Of course, she threw in her website for donations here and there so she could get free publicity out of it and maybe some more money. I never donated because I had (still have) my debts to various places to pay off. I often asked myself why I didn't email her and ask why she didn't go to a community college first? Why did she choose a private tuition college for her degree? I know when I finally go back to school I will be attending a community college so I can pay it out of pocket for the first couple of years. There is NO EXCUSE for someone to have six figures in student loans for four years of college. My husband has upper five figures from more than four years. That is just ridiculous. Rich people say "You have to spend money to make money, so this is a worthy investment." Oh really? Someone who makes around 40 to 50 thousand a year taking out 200,000 dollars in loans? I think your math is a little wrong there.
My friend, let's call him Rob because I don't want him to kill me for telling people his story and naming him, was homeless. He walked the road every day because his parents kicked him out when he turned 18 and had no where to go in our small town. His family said they could not take him in, they could not afford to help him with anything, so he slept where he could since our small town did not have a homeless shelter at the time. Eventually, he saved up enough scrap to buy a cheap car he could at least LIVE out of while he finished school. He would still walk EVERY DAMN DAY and pick up all the scrap he could. The kids at school found out and started saving every can they could for him. Eventually he did get a job and could get an apartment, but he looked at me one day and said, "You know, I don't wish what I had to go through on anyone. I worked hard, and yes it taught me things, but it isn't right. Someone should not have to work that hard just to be able to survive a couple of months. How can people say that hard work will get you everything you want when I had to collect two thousand cans a day just to be able to eat? I can't go to school because I can't pay for it. I got this job because someone at school said something to the manager. The world isn't set up for people like me to really succeed unless they get lucky. Where is the justice in that?" He still cannot go to school because he is pretty much trying to figure out how since he is working on his rental housing business, but he still thinks that working hard is not the way to really succeed.
So what does it take to really make the money you need to live? I know my husband and I are pretty much trying to do our best till the house I bought before I was married gets sold, but what does it really take? I know that not taking out more than you can handle in loans is one of them, and not leaving work early when you need the money to live, but think about it. Can any of you come up with a really good way to truly make enough money so you don't have to constantly sit with the check book and a bottle of jack going "Where is the money going and coming from? Where is it all going?" I would like to hear it if you know anything.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The Jayne Cobb Hat Drama
A few days ago, there was a news story that blew up my Facebook wall. It basically had to do with the fact the Fox TV Network are going after the makers of the Cunningly Knit Cap that was featured in the show "Firefly" that has become a cult following the science-fiction community.
Now, as someone who recently started to make them for fun and a "flan" myself, I am pretty upset about this. I understand the wanting to make some money off something that you have some sort of ownership, but isn't this taking it a little bit too far? One of the little ladies in my community who sells the hats a cons wonders if she will be arrested and shut down if she sets up her booth this year. She creates some of the most amazing creations that are inspired by the TV shows we love, but she worries that this one little thing will jeopardize her career. Her Cease and Desist letter has not made an appearance in her mail box yet, but she, like many of the others who make such items, have edited her Etsy shop and even taken down some of her items.
I am actually more pissed off at the fact that FOX did not care about the TV show when they cancelled it. The hat was featured in an episode that did not even air on the network. They canceled the show and wrote it off. Now that items from the show are making money, they are basically just trying to squeeze people out. I mean, seriously do they not think about the fact people took the time to write the pattern, find the yarn, and spent the energy in doing these things? What is next, making it so you cannot sell handmade items because the companies who make the yarn own the rights to the yarn you bought to make the blanket/hat/pillow and they have the right to the profits from the sale of the item? Is it a copyright infringement if they use a different pattern and yarn from the one that you see on the TV? Who knows?
Now, as someone who recently started to make them for fun and a "flan" myself, I am pretty upset about this. I understand the wanting to make some money off something that you have some sort of ownership, but isn't this taking it a little bit too far? One of the little ladies in my community who sells the hats a cons wonders if she will be arrested and shut down if she sets up her booth this year. She creates some of the most amazing creations that are inspired by the TV shows we love, but she worries that this one little thing will jeopardize her career. Her Cease and Desist letter has not made an appearance in her mail box yet, but she, like many of the others who make such items, have edited her Etsy shop and even taken down some of her items.
I am actually more pissed off at the fact that FOX did not care about the TV show when they cancelled it. The hat was featured in an episode that did not even air on the network. They canceled the show and wrote it off. Now that items from the show are making money, they are basically just trying to squeeze people out. I mean, seriously do they not think about the fact people took the time to write the pattern, find the yarn, and spent the energy in doing these things? What is next, making it so you cannot sell handmade items because the companies who make the yarn own the rights to the yarn you bought to make the blanket/hat/pillow and they have the right to the profits from the sale of the item? Is it a copyright infringement if they use a different pattern and yarn from the one that you see on the TV? Who knows?
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Creative Punishment
I am sure that everyone has seen stories like this all over the news in the past couple of years. It is kind of hard not to miss because we are in such a plugged-in world out there. The difference in this article and some of the others we have seen is that the parents are getting bad attention for what they are doing to their child. I actually applaud this type of punishment.
Think about how the world works now for the older children. Everyone has a social media site, so they pretty much can talk to anyone they want and exchange information over the net. I saw a ten year old with an iPhone of his own the other day. My mother told me that she sees children the school she works at bring out cameras and just snap pictures all the time now without teachers punishing them. Now, remember all of this when I tell you about what a teacher of tenth graders told me.
He walks into the classroom a few minutes before the class needs to really start, so he told the kids to talk quietly among themselves while he did a couple of things that needed to get taken care of and write some math problems on the board. While doing so, he heard this conversation between two of his students, and I am just calling him Teacher for the sake of privacy:
Student 1: So, what did your mom do?
Student 2: She ground me for two weeks man.
Student 1: Aw, well guess you can't come to my house then.
Student 2: Yea, I can't, but we can still play on Xbox tonight. Mom said that I just can't leave the house. (At this point, Teacher is shocked because he remembers back in the day being grounded meant much more than just not going anywhere,and continues to write as while the kid continues to speaks more about his "punishment") She also said I have to eat dinner with the family instead of in my room (Which I was pissed off about as someone who wants the kids to NEVER eat outside of the kitchen) and I cannot talk on the phone past eleven anymore.
Student 1: She taking your phone man?
Student 2: Nah, I can still text but she said I can't talk on it.
At this point, Teacher is confused. How is this kid being punished? he thought to himself. A third student comes in at this point and hands him a note from another teacher because he was held over late. Student 3 proceeds to go over to Student 2 and HIGH FIVES the kid while saying "Dude, heard you got two weeks for getting caught smoking! Awesome! Lemme know when you are allowed out so we can hang." Teacher then becomes more furious as ALL of the students in his classroom treat the child like it is a badge of honor to get grounded, congratulating him for being so awesome and that they should totally hang out later. It took every ounce of his willpower to not lecture the children on how punishment is suppose to work, because it is really not his place. However, he was very vocal with me later on it.
"Remember when we were kids and sent to our rooms? Even though we had a TV we knew to not turn that on or we would get our asses tore up," he ranted. I could almost see him there, shaking with anger and eyes full of rage just from the tone of voice on his phone. "This kid, basically cannot leave the house, but everything else he can do. And the other kids? They are just as bad. If they get grounded, they don't care. They think it is pretty awesome to be in trouble."
"It was going on when we were kids too dude," I said.
"Yea, but the difference is that if our parents found out about it, we would get it worse than what we got," he said, which is true because several people we knew had that happen. "I have a feeling that parents just don't care anymore. They just don't want to parent. I swear when my kid gets older this will not happen."
"Well just stick to your guns bud," I laughed, knowing when we both have teenagers we might change our tune, but later on I thought about it. These parents, the ones sticking their kids with having to be humiliated as punishment are actually pioneers in a familiar territory other parents have forgotten. Back when I was a kid, all the kids in the neighborhood knew you were being punished because your mother would tell them. If you were caught even talking to them out of the window of your house, even just waving at them, you would get a worse punishment. Now, if your friends find out that you are grounded, most of the time you are congratulated by your peers and made out like a hero. Not allowed to play the Xbox? Dude, sweet punishment. Mom took your phone? Nice bro! Dad said you aren't allowed on the computer? Good going! It is like children are trying to get a worse punishment than their peers to impress them.
People blame this on the break down of not being able to spank their kids, but it really isn't just that. With the technology that is available now, it actually is really difficult for a parent to successfully punish an older child. If you spank your child, they immediately fly to the social media sites and tell everyone that you beat them, which could get you a lovely visit from DHS if the right people read it. The kids know this, which means spanking is out. Sending your kid to bed without supper because they misbehaved means that the kids can go to school and tell the teacher that Mom and Dad didn't feed them last night, which also can get you an afternoon tea date with a social worker. When you decide that your child cannot leave their room for the night, they can just go to school and tell people their parents locked them up all night. It is almost terrifying to know that adults are more afraid of their children now because children know they can get parents arrested.
So, the simple solution to this problem is what the parents in that article are doing. You have to humiliate them. Not just take away everything that the kid likes to do, but truly humiliate them. Instead of just not letting them go to their friends on the weekend, make sure that all of his or her friends know that they are cleaning around the house if they call. Have the child do yard work and call the other parents to bring the kids by to PLAY on gaming systems while they are outside working or in their room being punished. Let all the kids know that if they talk to the child and the child answers, they will be taken home and the parents will punish them as well. Make the punishment for the child so humiliating and lasting that they will not want to do anything like what they did again.What you are doing is not breaking any laws, the kids cannot say anything to anyone because they know that everything was perfectly sound as a punishment. It does not sound fair, but you cannot play fair as a parent. No one wants to be that parent when they grow up, but you don't realize that the only way to really teach your children anything is to become something that you never thought you could be: your own parents.
Think about how the world works now for the older children. Everyone has a social media site, so they pretty much can talk to anyone they want and exchange information over the net. I saw a ten year old with an iPhone of his own the other day. My mother told me that she sees children the school she works at bring out cameras and just snap pictures all the time now without teachers punishing them. Now, remember all of this when I tell you about what a teacher of tenth graders told me.
He walks into the classroom a few minutes before the class needs to really start, so he told the kids to talk quietly among themselves while he did a couple of things that needed to get taken care of and write some math problems on the board. While doing so, he heard this conversation between two of his students, and I am just calling him Teacher for the sake of privacy:
Student 1: So, what did your mom do?
Student 2: She ground me for two weeks man.
Student 1: Aw, well guess you can't come to my house then.
Student 2: Yea, I can't, but we can still play on Xbox tonight. Mom said that I just can't leave the house. (At this point, Teacher is shocked because he remembers back in the day being grounded meant much more than just not going anywhere,and continues to write as while the kid continues to speaks more about his "punishment") She also said I have to eat dinner with the family instead of in my room (Which I was pissed off about as someone who wants the kids to NEVER eat outside of the kitchen) and I cannot talk on the phone past eleven anymore.
Student 1: She taking your phone man?
Student 2: Nah, I can still text but she said I can't talk on it.
At this point, Teacher is confused. How is this kid being punished? he thought to himself. A third student comes in at this point and hands him a note from another teacher because he was held over late. Student 3 proceeds to go over to Student 2 and HIGH FIVES the kid while saying "Dude, heard you got two weeks for getting caught smoking! Awesome! Lemme know when you are allowed out so we can hang." Teacher then becomes more furious as ALL of the students in his classroom treat the child like it is a badge of honor to get grounded, congratulating him for being so awesome and that they should totally hang out later. It took every ounce of his willpower to not lecture the children on how punishment is suppose to work, because it is really not his place. However, he was very vocal with me later on it.
"Remember when we were kids and sent to our rooms? Even though we had a TV we knew to not turn that on or we would get our asses tore up," he ranted. I could almost see him there, shaking with anger and eyes full of rage just from the tone of voice on his phone. "This kid, basically cannot leave the house, but everything else he can do. And the other kids? They are just as bad. If they get grounded, they don't care. They think it is pretty awesome to be in trouble."
"It was going on when we were kids too dude," I said.
"Yea, but the difference is that if our parents found out about it, we would get it worse than what we got," he said, which is true because several people we knew had that happen. "I have a feeling that parents just don't care anymore. They just don't want to parent. I swear when my kid gets older this will not happen."
"Well just stick to your guns bud," I laughed, knowing when we both have teenagers we might change our tune, but later on I thought about it. These parents, the ones sticking their kids with having to be humiliated as punishment are actually pioneers in a familiar territory other parents have forgotten. Back when I was a kid, all the kids in the neighborhood knew you were being punished because your mother would tell them. If you were caught even talking to them out of the window of your house, even just waving at them, you would get a worse punishment. Now, if your friends find out that you are grounded, most of the time you are congratulated by your peers and made out like a hero. Not allowed to play the Xbox? Dude, sweet punishment. Mom took your phone? Nice bro! Dad said you aren't allowed on the computer? Good going! It is like children are trying to get a worse punishment than their peers to impress them.
People blame this on the break down of not being able to spank their kids, but it really isn't just that. With the technology that is available now, it actually is really difficult for a parent to successfully punish an older child. If you spank your child, they immediately fly to the social media sites and tell everyone that you beat them, which could get you a lovely visit from DHS if the right people read it. The kids know this, which means spanking is out. Sending your kid to bed without supper because they misbehaved means that the kids can go to school and tell the teacher that Mom and Dad didn't feed them last night, which also can get you an afternoon tea date with a social worker. When you decide that your child cannot leave their room for the night, they can just go to school and tell people their parents locked them up all night. It is almost terrifying to know that adults are more afraid of their children now because children know they can get parents arrested.
So, the simple solution to this problem is what the parents in that article are doing. You have to humiliate them. Not just take away everything that the kid likes to do, but truly humiliate them. Instead of just not letting them go to their friends on the weekend, make sure that all of his or her friends know that they are cleaning around the house if they call. Have the child do yard work and call the other parents to bring the kids by to PLAY on gaming systems while they are outside working or in their room being punished. Let all the kids know that if they talk to the child and the child answers, they will be taken home and the parents will punish them as well. Make the punishment for the child so humiliating and lasting that they will not want to do anything like what they did again.What you are doing is not breaking any laws, the kids cannot say anything to anyone because they know that everything was perfectly sound as a punishment. It does not sound fair, but you cannot play fair as a parent. No one wants to be that parent when they grow up, but you don't realize that the only way to really teach your children anything is to become something that you never thought you could be: your own parents.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Possible Pregnancy Waiting Game
For those of you who have missed your periods, you know how the waiting game is played. Some of us play it differently than others, but it is still the waiting game none the less.
A portion of us miss one period and are like "Eh, it is just one. It happens to all of us." and then go on with their lives like normal. They don't worry about it, they don't think about it, and they don't even try to think they are pregnant, even if they are like clockwork.
Some of us, like me, are OCD about it. I mark my calender, I count my days, and I even map how heavy my flow is on the days I have my period. I am like a clock you could always count on my friend to show up on time with a grand old cramp filled day. My husband can even tell when I am about to start. So, when my period was over a week late, I became a little concerned.
Now, some of you are like "Oh one week isn't so bad." and honestly, I thought that too. It has happened once before, and quite frankly I would have brushed it off if I had not started to feel sick to my stomach about Thursday. It has continued most of the weekend, and I even took a pregnancy test. It was negative, and when I went to the doctor the urine test there also said negative. However, I asked him to do a blood test just to be on the safe side. None of the other normal symptoms are coming up, and it is still technically early since it is only thirteen days, but I cannot help but FEEL like I am pregnant. I mean, I am trying to not psych myself up because it would be wonderful, but the waiting game is not kind to me at all. I think it is making my stomach is worse. I will be happy either way, because even though my husband and I cannot afford to have a child at this point, it would be wonderful that we get to have one when we thought that we could not get one you know?
Here is to hoping they call me tomorrow, or the urine test my husband picked up from the drug store says positive in the morning. However, for those of you who have been pregnant out there, I want to ask a few questions:
Did you burp more than normal? I have been burping up like CRAZY and it has been relieving some of the queasy feelings in my stomach briefly.
Where there dull cramps? Some people say they have felt it, but I want more people to tell me that it is okay.
How soon was your back pain? I am heavier, so I am not sure about the whole back pain being from that or work just stressing it out
Did foods taste different? I ate a strawberry and it tasted so funny, like it had fermented.
I may just be paranoid, but I just wanted to make sure. Now, off to try and get my anxious self to relax before I fall asleep
A portion of us miss one period and are like "Eh, it is just one. It happens to all of us." and then go on with their lives like normal. They don't worry about it, they don't think about it, and they don't even try to think they are pregnant, even if they are like clockwork.
Some of us, like me, are OCD about it. I mark my calender, I count my days, and I even map how heavy my flow is on the days I have my period. I am like a clock you could always count on my friend to show up on time with a grand old cramp filled day. My husband can even tell when I am about to start. So, when my period was over a week late, I became a little concerned.
Now, some of you are like "Oh one week isn't so bad." and honestly, I thought that too. It has happened once before, and quite frankly I would have brushed it off if I had not started to feel sick to my stomach about Thursday. It has continued most of the weekend, and I even took a pregnancy test. It was negative, and when I went to the doctor the urine test there also said negative. However, I asked him to do a blood test just to be on the safe side. None of the other normal symptoms are coming up, and it is still technically early since it is only thirteen days, but I cannot help but FEEL like I am pregnant. I mean, I am trying to not psych myself up because it would be wonderful, but the waiting game is not kind to me at all. I think it is making my stomach is worse. I will be happy either way, because even though my husband and I cannot afford to have a child at this point, it would be wonderful that we get to have one when we thought that we could not get one you know?
Here is to hoping they call me tomorrow, or the urine test my husband picked up from the drug store says positive in the morning. However, for those of you who have been pregnant out there, I want to ask a few questions:
Did you burp more than normal? I have been burping up like CRAZY and it has been relieving some of the queasy feelings in my stomach briefly.
Where there dull cramps? Some people say they have felt it, but I want more people to tell me that it is okay.
How soon was your back pain? I am heavier, so I am not sure about the whole back pain being from that or work just stressing it out
Did foods taste different? I ate a strawberry and it tasted so funny, like it had fermented.
I may just be paranoid, but I just wanted to make sure. Now, off to try and get my anxious self to relax before I fall asleep
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
I have been such a slacker
I have seriously been slacking in my housework and crochet projects. I told the husband that I will probably take some time off in order to get some things done at some point in the coming weeks. However, today I was actually practicing the three C's: cleaning, creativity, and coffee. Those are the three things that I deem vital in order to practice being a good little housewife, even though I am not one quite yet. I loaded the picture of the things I finished while I was being so slacky on the projects. I only finished one project a week last week. I finished this hat in support of our local college team this week.
I rather enjoyed the reactions that I got from posting this to my facebook when I finished about three of them.
Then, I made my Stitch 'N Bitch Challenge that they make something for their favorite animal in their life. Since my dogchildren would chew the little sweater off in less than two minutes, I made a little sweater/vest for the nurse I work with that has a yorkie. The pattern is from Red Hearts free pattern section and I had to modify it since I kind of messed it up in the beginning :/
It fits her furry baby just great, but I don't have any pictures of her baby in it right now to post at the moment.
Then, I decided to try something new and once again I used this wonderful lady to get my inspiration to do something wonderful. I followed the theme that I made a family of owls, so I made an owl stuffed animal.
I will be letting this little one follow me around the house and get things done. It is so cute even my husband was excited to see it, and he usually doesn't get all the excited about me showing him something I make. He laughed and held it while holding it out to our children to sniff. I am pretty sure that I am going to be making more of them since everyone on facebook wants it.
I wish I had pictures of my sewing room when it was finished, but I have things strewn all over it right now from going through my yarn and getting things organized so I can start really getting into expanding my etsy shop beyond hats. I am hoping to bake a lot tonight as well. Here is to being a good little domestic for my husband and others!
Then, I made my Stitch 'N Bitch Challenge that they make something for their favorite animal in their life. Since my dogchildren would chew the little sweater off in less than two minutes, I made a little sweater/vest for the nurse I work with that has a yorkie. The pattern is from Red Hearts free pattern section and I had to modify it since I kind of messed it up in the beginning :/
Then, I decided to try something new and once again I used this wonderful lady to get my inspiration to do something wonderful. I followed the theme that I made a family of owls, so I made an owl stuffed animal.
I wish I had pictures of my sewing room when it was finished, but I have things strewn all over it right now from going through my yarn and getting things organized so I can start really getting into expanding my etsy shop beyond hats. I am hoping to bake a lot tonight as well. Here is to being a good little domestic for my husband and others!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Why I Observe Lent
I am not a Christian. I don't pretend to be one and I don't think I can try to ever be one. There are various reasons in my life that I will not discuss why I cannot walk into a church to this day without breaking out in hives. However, there are many people on my life who are, and some of them are Catholic or Orthodox Christian. I use to watch them torture themselves this time of year when they gave up something that they truly thought they could not live without, and I thought to myself, "Hey, how hard could this be?"
One year, they really wanted me to stop smoking completely. I wanted to as well, even though I could not see myself doing so without absolutely having to. I was not addicted to smoking as much as I just loved the taste of my clove cigarettes. So, they asked me if for lent that I would honor their request and give them up for lent. I was like "Sure why not? 40 days? I can go forty days without them!" and made the promise that I would not smoke them. I handed over the last of the pack I had on me and began the downward spiral known as "withdrawl".
The first couple of days were fine. I wanted one, but thought "Eh, it has only been three or four days, I am good." Then, I hit that wall. Those of you who gave up something for lent know what wall I am talking about. About two weeks in, I had a really stressful day at work and wanted nothing more than to light up and inhale that sweet sweet nicotine. I cried, swore, and begged one of the girls I worked with to just give me a cigarette, any cigarette. I just wanted the feeling of calm. She refused. I eventually got over the feeling that night, and I drove home still upset at myself I threw such a fit and was a baby about it.
On the fortieth day, my friends told me they wanted me to write an essay about my experience. I wish I had it saved somewhere because it was actually in one of their church pamphlets, the title being something like "My Experience of Lent as a non-Christian" or something. It was in more depth about my personal journey and rediscovering myself a bit on the way. My blankets were done then, learning new patterns and such. I wrote a bit more. I took myself to the doctor when I realized that the smoking was helping with more underlying issues in my life and that my stomach just hurt all the time, not just from stress and smoking. My teeth are still yellow but I can fix that now if I just stopped with the coffee for a while. I actually got less winded too when I stopped the occasional smoking I use to do. I also find some sort of peace with myself when I realized that I have the power to control things that I did not think I could.
The next year, I stopped energy drinks. I was spending three hundred dollars a month on those and it was not healthy for my body or my wallet. The year after that, I tried to give up caffeine, but the girls at work put the no on that because my happy butt became a grumpy pants and they bought the caffeine for me to drink. This year, I am giving up fast food and soda. I am saying fast food meaning like Taco Bell and Burger King, I will still be eating out at other places that have healthier options. What started as a request by some friends to gain a better understanding of one of their religious observances and to gain more respect for what they do became a yearly tradition that I have been doing for about four years now. Pretty soon I will run out of things to give up entirely for Lent that I can go without all year round, but maybe the people who started Lent understood what they were doing when they created this fast. Maybe they created it because they knew that if someone gave up something that they had all year round for forty days that they could learn to go completely without it or make it so the person could learn to have what they went without in moderation once Lent was over. Perhaps they did not know people would use it to beat addictions or use it to try and kick unhealthy habits as a sole purpose, but I know that eventually there are things people do give up that are without a doubt something you cannot live without like dairy products or drinks other than water.
However, I can honestly say, without a shred of doubt, that Lent will always have a special place in this dirt-worshipping tree-hugging hippie pagan heart and no one will ever take that away from me, not because it helps me get healthy. I love it for what is stands for and says to me personally through this entire experience, and that is why I do Lent.
One year, they really wanted me to stop smoking completely. I wanted to as well, even though I could not see myself doing so without absolutely having to. I was not addicted to smoking as much as I just loved the taste of my clove cigarettes. So, they asked me if for lent that I would honor their request and give them up for lent. I was like "Sure why not? 40 days? I can go forty days without them!" and made the promise that I would not smoke them. I handed over the last of the pack I had on me and began the downward spiral known as "withdrawl".
The first couple of days were fine. I wanted one, but thought "Eh, it has only been three or four days, I am good." Then, I hit that wall. Those of you who gave up something for lent know what wall I am talking about. About two weeks in, I had a really stressful day at work and wanted nothing more than to light up and inhale that sweet sweet nicotine. I cried, swore, and begged one of the girls I worked with to just give me a cigarette, any cigarette. I just wanted the feeling of calm. She refused. I eventually got over the feeling that night, and I drove home still upset at myself I threw such a fit and was a baby about it.
On the fortieth day, my friends told me they wanted me to write an essay about my experience. I wish I had it saved somewhere because it was actually in one of their church pamphlets, the title being something like "My Experience of Lent as a non-Christian" or something. It was in more depth about my personal journey and rediscovering myself a bit on the way. My blankets were done then, learning new patterns and such. I wrote a bit more. I took myself to the doctor when I realized that the smoking was helping with more underlying issues in my life and that my stomach just hurt all the time, not just from stress and smoking. My teeth are still yellow but I can fix that now if I just stopped with the coffee for a while. I actually got less winded too when I stopped the occasional smoking I use to do. I also find some sort of peace with myself when I realized that I have the power to control things that I did not think I could.
The next year, I stopped energy drinks. I was spending three hundred dollars a month on those and it was not healthy for my body or my wallet. The year after that, I tried to give up caffeine, but the girls at work put the no on that because my happy butt became a grumpy pants and they bought the caffeine for me to drink. This year, I am giving up fast food and soda. I am saying fast food meaning like Taco Bell and Burger King, I will still be eating out at other places that have healthier options. What started as a request by some friends to gain a better understanding of one of their religious observances and to gain more respect for what they do became a yearly tradition that I have been doing for about four years now. Pretty soon I will run out of things to give up entirely for Lent that I can go without all year round, but maybe the people who started Lent understood what they were doing when they created this fast. Maybe they created it because they knew that if someone gave up something that they had all year round for forty days that they could learn to go completely without it or make it so the person could learn to have what they went without in moderation once Lent was over. Perhaps they did not know people would use it to beat addictions or use it to try and kick unhealthy habits as a sole purpose, but I know that eventually there are things people do give up that are without a doubt something you cannot live without like dairy products or drinks other than water.
However, I can honestly say, without a shred of doubt, that Lent will always have a special place in this dirt-worshipping tree-hugging hippie pagan heart and no one will ever take that away from me, not because it helps me get healthy. I love it for what is stands for and says to me personally through this entire experience, and that is why I do Lent.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
5 Valentine's Gift Ideas for The Crafty Person in Your Life
With the holiday coming up, my mother-in-law told me that she is going to get me gift cards for craft stores, and honestly that is a well appreciated gift since I eat through yarn and have a sewing machine I need to break in that I have yet to open and set out in my sewing room. However, sometimes I get a little tired of people just giving gift certificates. I know it is hard since we can make our own scarves and socks among other things. I can ever make my own jewelry and what I cannot make for myself, I usually barter the things I do make for things other crafty people do. I decided to make myself a list of things that I saw around the net and walking around town.
Old Clothing and Household Items
I know this idea sounds crazy, but hear me out on this okay? When I was younger, I walked into a friend of mine's room to find an organizer made out of back pockets of jeans. Yes, you read that correctly. She had markers, pens, crayons, notes, and other sundries of the teenage variety in it. I actually though it was adorable and she loved the fact that she could load it down without the pockets ripping like most of the other organizers out there. You can make memory quilts, get creative with fabric you have around the house hanging around, and use old college sports t-shirts that I know come out year after year to make a nice theme quilt if you cut the designs off the front of the shirt just right. There are people who buy thrift store sweaters, unravel them, and reuse the yarn to make things because they like the yarn so much. Old silverware can be painted and turned into wind chimes. Old glasses lenses can be painted and wire wrapped for ornaments or also, wind chimes. The list goes on and one. Go through your closets and start handing things out.
Quirky and Twisted Humorous Things
A friend of mine pinned the bag from this particular shop on my Facebook wall. I had a great laugh about it. My husband told me that if I can make enough money off my craft things I am more than welcome to buy the shirt and the tote. It is cute, tongue in cheek, and absolutely something I would wear around town. I will probably get this to work out in even.
If you cannot find something, you could always design something, stick it in a picture file of some sort, buy the t-shirt iron on things at Wal-Mart or the local craft store, and make your own for the lovely person you know. I am sure some of you that read my blog have the same twisted sense of humor that I do and would love something like this!
A New Habtit...I mean Hobby
I can attest to the fact that you can get burnt out doing the same thing over and over again. I usually stop crocheting when I hit about the third straight week of doing something. It gets old after a while and it is not all that fun when you have the same thing to work on over and over again.
So, walk around your local craft store. Get creative with yourself and see what you can come up with on your own. If you have to, get one of the pre-made kits that are littering the store somewhere that you see and know the person hasn't done yet. Or, pay for the class of something that you heard them talk about wanting to take, and let them know when the class is. Just double check with them on when your person has time off to take the class.
Hardware Stores are Your Friend
Crafty people do not stick just to Joann's and Michael's to get their supplies. I have been known to walk around the local hardware store and go "Hey, if I do this, get some of these, and figure out exactly how to build it correctly, I could make a killer coffee table!" when the mood strikes my fancy.
For this idea, I would take your crafty person with you unless you know what you need to buy for them. Yea, I am pretty sure that if your crafty person does not have power tools, giving them a starter set would be AWESOME as a gift idea since I know several crafty people who would like to get into the more heavy duty crafts. However, it might be a safe bet to assume that you need to have them go with you just to be on the safe side.
Offer Your Help
I recently redid one of the rooms in my house to become my "craft" room. We re-purposed the old entertainment center to hold my yarn and to use the place where we put the television to hold my sewing machine that will hopefully make it up there probably sometime today. I could not have done this without my mother-in-law coming over and helping us get thing settled.
Money is a little tight for most people at the moment, so if you happen upon your crafty person and notice that they are having issues or need some help to...organize their yarn or something, offer help. Yes, you will probably get yelled at a lot while doing this, and yes, you will more than likely want to pull your hair out when you are through because you don't know why they want things they way they do and the person is making no sense, but trust me. A little help to your crafty person is worth it's weight in gold to someone who has something like yarn tangled in a mess in a box in their closet. I am guilty of that one myself. If they are stuck trying to come up with an idea, let them use you as a sounding board. Even better, work on a craft with them! You could release your inner crafty person that is bottled up and do something fun with them. They will still love you if you happen to do something wrong I promise! They will even fix it if you ask nicely!
Now that I have given you just a few ideas, go out and see what you can get or do yourself into! I would love to see what you got them or did with your crafty person, within reason of course.
Old Clothing and Household Items
I know this idea sounds crazy, but hear me out on this okay? When I was younger, I walked into a friend of mine's room to find an organizer made out of back pockets of jeans. Yes, you read that correctly. She had markers, pens, crayons, notes, and other sundries of the teenage variety in it. I actually though it was adorable and she loved the fact that she could load it down without the pockets ripping like most of the other organizers out there. You can make memory quilts, get creative with fabric you have around the house hanging around, and use old college sports t-shirts that I know come out year after year to make a nice theme quilt if you cut the designs off the front of the shirt just right. There are people who buy thrift store sweaters, unravel them, and reuse the yarn to make things because they like the yarn so much. Old silverware can be painted and turned into wind chimes. Old glasses lenses can be painted and wire wrapped for ornaments or also, wind chimes. The list goes on and one. Go through your closets and start handing things out.
Quirky and Twisted Humorous Things
If you cannot find something, you could always design something, stick it in a picture file of some sort, buy the t-shirt iron on things at Wal-Mart or the local craft store, and make your own for the lovely person you know. I am sure some of you that read my blog have the same twisted sense of humor that I do and would love something like this!
A New Habtit...I mean Hobby
I can attest to the fact that you can get burnt out doing the same thing over and over again. I usually stop crocheting when I hit about the third straight week of doing something. It gets old after a while and it is not all that fun when you have the same thing to work on over and over again.
So, walk around your local craft store. Get creative with yourself and see what you can come up with on your own. If you have to, get one of the pre-made kits that are littering the store somewhere that you see and know the person hasn't done yet. Or, pay for the class of something that you heard them talk about wanting to take, and let them know when the class is. Just double check with them on when your person has time off to take the class.
Hardware Stores are Your Friend
Crafty people do not stick just to Joann's and Michael's to get their supplies. I have been known to walk around the local hardware store and go "Hey, if I do this, get some of these, and figure out exactly how to build it correctly, I could make a killer coffee table!" when the mood strikes my fancy.
For this idea, I would take your crafty person with you unless you know what you need to buy for them. Yea, I am pretty sure that if your crafty person does not have power tools, giving them a starter set would be AWESOME as a gift idea since I know several crafty people who would like to get into the more heavy duty crafts. However, it might be a safe bet to assume that you need to have them go with you just to be on the safe side.
Offer Your Help
I recently redid one of the rooms in my house to become my "craft" room. We re-purposed the old entertainment center to hold my yarn and to use the place where we put the television to hold my sewing machine that will hopefully make it up there probably sometime today. I could not have done this without my mother-in-law coming over and helping us get thing settled.
Money is a little tight for most people at the moment, so if you happen upon your crafty person and notice that they are having issues or need some help to...organize their yarn or something, offer help. Yes, you will probably get yelled at a lot while doing this, and yes, you will more than likely want to pull your hair out when you are through because you don't know why they want things they way they do and the person is making no sense, but trust me. A little help to your crafty person is worth it's weight in gold to someone who has something like yarn tangled in a mess in a box in their closet. I am guilty of that one myself. If they are stuck trying to come up with an idea, let them use you as a sounding board. Even better, work on a craft with them! You could release your inner crafty person that is bottled up and do something fun with them. They will still love you if you happen to do something wrong I promise! They will even fix it if you ask nicely!
Now that I have given you just a few ideas, go out and see what you can get or do yourself into! I would love to see what you got them or did with your crafty person, within reason of course.
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