The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today... December 7th

Outside my window... is snow, snow and more snow

I am thinking... that I really need to work on my homework even if I don't want to do it.

I am thankful for... my heat working.

From the kitchen... not much since I just mopped and it is wet. We just had p&j for lunch. I am making pork mole for dinner. I may make banana bread.

I am wearing... jeans and a sweater.

I am reading... a history book, a book on American Education, "Lean Mean 13" by Janet Evanovich, and the Yarn Harlot's blog.

I am hoping... that Jay will fix my leaky sink and put up the new shelf like he promised today.

I am creating... several knit dishcloths for Christmas presents.

I am hearing... Anka singing about being a super hero and spinning, and Jimmy playing cowboy.

Around the house... it is clean. I only have to fold clothes when they get out of the dryer.

One of my favorite things... knitting, new yarn and pattern books.

A few plans for the rest of the week... hopefully getting a tree, more cleaning, lots of schoolwork, and shuttling Jimmy back and forth to school.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... My princess


From The Simple Woman's Daybook

Drowning

I feel like I am drowning in school work. Every week I have at least one thousand word paper due plus several other projects. I also have to read around 150-200 pages a week for my classes. I cannot wait until the 21st when our 2 week break begins.

I am still working on my knitted gifts. I just finished a knit kitty dishcloth. I also got a bit of shopping done on Black Friday. I got Jay a TomTom for $59. Of course I had to give it to him right away. I also got myself a new sewing machine. It is Jay's gift to me. I got Bianca a huge Barbie. It is almost as big as she is. I got Jimmy a Madagascar racing game for the Wii. I have to get the kids some more things and I will be done with the shopping part of Christmas.

Here are the pictures of the kitty dishcloth. You can see my new sewing machine in the background. Also I haven't blocked the dishcloth yet so it is not square. It will be though when I am all done with it.

Progress

So project Knit Christmas is going fairly well. I am working on the Rachel's Knitting Room November dishcloth. She has some great monthly knit alongs. I think we are getting close to the end since I have decreased down to 11 stitches.



I also got one of the coffee cup dish cloths done. It is hard to see the image in the picture but it came out really cute.

Nail polish giveaway

Smoochiefrog over at Manicure Mamas is giving away a great OPI nail polish set. I am in love with the berry color. If you don't polish your nails it would make a great gift for someone who does.

Back to knitting

I have been feeling like something is missing lately. Just a vague, nagging feeling that something is not right. Then I realized I didn't have a project on my needles. It is either that or babyfever, but since Jay is not on board with one more yet I am going with the knitting.

I have decided to knit my way to Christmas. I have stocked up on a ton of cute cotton yarn, and everyone is getting a nice dishtowel/potholder and dish cloth set. I have an awesome pattern that is not too complicated but is visually interesting (Thanks to Rachel's November KAL). I will take some pictures as I go along.

If you are a family member you may be getting a sneak peek at your Christmas gift, so if you want a surprise don't read any future posts that have Christmas spoiler in the title.

I hate writing...

research papers! I hate them with a passion. I would rather fold 10,000 loads of laundry than right another research paper. I don't mind creative writing. I even like some of the shorter essays but research papers really suck. I try to be concise when I write. Why do I need to write 2500 when I can say the same thing fully documented in 1000 words? That is my mini-rant for the day.

Thankful for my children...

A girl I talk to just found out the child she is pregnant with has a birth defect that is incompatible with life. Things like this really make you stop and think about the blessings you have. I am so thankful I have two (mostly healthy) children.

It is so easy to take something for granted. I do it often. I will get upset at my kids and yell. I need to try to find more patience in my life and remember that some people are unable to have children. I have been given a gift from God.

Procrastination and whining

I have a 2500 word paper due in a few weeks. The thesis for it is due this week, the outline is due next week (in complete sentences), and I haven't even started. I have some of the research printed out, but I haven't even read it yet. I even picked a topic that interests me (health care reform) and I am passionate about, but I just can't motivate myself to work on it. I really need to get moving. I am just sick of research papers. I really hope my next English class is creative writing.

Long time no posts and swine flu

I have been really awful about keeping up with this blog. I have been keeping busy with schoolwork, cleaning, schoolwork, knitting, schoolwork, crochet, schoolwork, learning to coupon, and more schoolwork. My teachers this block are sadistic and think it is fun to have a 500-750 word paper due in both classes just about every week. I am coping, but when this block is over I will be breaking out the champagne.

School has started for Jimmy. He is loving it, but I am not loving having to be up at 7am. He is happy to see his friends again. School has been in session for 3 weeks. He had only gone 1 week. Then he brought home swine flu. First week Jimmy was sick. It wasn't too bad. He had a fever, cough, sore throat, and was bouncing off walls. Second week everyone else had it. Jay and I both had fevers for 2-3 days, cough, sore throat, and were exhausted. Bianca was coughing, had a fever and was bouncing off walls. Yeah, apparently the tired part only affects adults.

On the craft front I just finished crocheting a sunhat for Bianca. I will try to update with some pictures soon. I still need to finish the sweater I started for Jimmy in the spring. I am pulling that out next since the weather is getting cold again. Fall is officially here. I have a yard full of leaves I really need to rake up. Christmas is around the corner. I really need a ball or two of sock yarn to start some gifts. I am still hoping to get my sewing machine for my birthday and my spinning wheel for Christmas.

The weight loss project has stalled. I need to get better about exercising daily. I have the treadmill set up in a great spot but I need to start using it more. I have been pretty good about snacking though. I mostly stick to healthy snacks and have not been buying junk food.

My obsession with nail polish has dwindled some. Mostly because I started biting my nails again. I am trying not to though. It usually happens while reading my assignments for the week. I think I will wear gloves while I read them from now on.

I think that is all the news for now. I will try to update this more often in the future. I can't promise daily updates but I will try for at least a weekly one.

Rain, rain go away!

I am so sick of rain. It seems like it has been raining constantly this summer. We haven't had one good weekend yet. I was hoping to take the kids to the lake more this summer since we are 5 minutes away and they are old enough to enjoy it. Instead I have had to try and entertain them because all it does is rain. There is only so many times I can sing songs and play games. It also doesn't help that I have started college courses. I was planning on being able to take my laptop outside so the kids could play without bugging me but that hasn't worked either. I am so glad Jimmy will be back in preschool in a month. I am almost ready for winter.

My husband is awesome!

Jay has really been stepping up and helping out lately. This morning he let me sleep in, he went out and did a ton of yard work for my g-ma and took the kids with him, and tonight he just made dinner.

He has been making a huge effort in the last few weeks. I love this new side of him. I am starting to get spoiled. It is such a nice change. I think the talk we had really made a difference.

Shit talkers

I am glad that so many people are so bored they feel the need to make secrets about others and post nasty comments. If you have something to say to me have the balls to actually use your name and not bash me anonymously. Why bother talking shit at all? Is your life that boring that you need to remember things someone else posted about their life and try to use it against them? Thanks to the person that e-mailed me the head's up though.

Yes, I am married and I happen to have a crush on someone else. Big fucking deal. Nothing will ever come of it. I am not ashamed of it. I am human, so fucking what? I don't flirt with said person, I would never cross any lines with said person or anyone else so why are you so offended by it? I don't regret posting about it either. It was a thread about secrets and since that was the biggest one I have so I posted it. I am sure there are posters that have done worse.

One last great giveaway

If you like Vera Bradley you can win a great purse here:

http://jenkinsk08.blogspot.com/2009/07/my100th-post-giveaway.html

I know I will be entering!

Other giveaways.

Here is a great cosmetic bag giveaway:
http://www.misadventuresofanewlywed.com/2009/07/giveaway-dos.html

Check this giveaway out if you need some adorable wine glasses:
http://rachelnsimpson.blogspot.com/2009/07/preppy-giveaway.html

If you have a sweet tooth this is the giveaway for you:
http://lorinoelle.blogspot.com/2009/07/birthday-giveaways.html

If you need a new beach bag and towel go here:
http://lifewithattitude.blogspot.com/2009/07/its-my-birthday-and-ill-give-away-if-i.html

This last one is for wine lovers:
http://www.misadventuresofanewlywed.com/2009/07/let-giveaways-begin.html

So let the giveaway fun begin!

Nail essentials giveaway

If you love free stuff and manicures have I got the place for you:

http://handbagobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/07/happy-birthday-to-my-blog.html

You can enter for a chance to win lots of great manicure essentials including an OPI nail color.

Balance

I have been trying to find some balance in my life lately. I just started classes a few days ago and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I need to find a way to juggle classes, the kids, housework, time with Jay and, hopefully, a little time for me. I have written a schedule. I am hoping that if we stick to it there will be enough time in the day to get everything done. We will see how that goes though since we don't tend to be schedule people. Wish us luck!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th to all my fellow Americans! I am enjoying my last weekend of freedom before my classes start. I have a feeling my weekends are going to be pretty packed with kids, studying and paper writing from now on. I will be taking Jimmy and Bianca to the fireworks in a few hours. Hope to see some of my local readers there!

College has started!

I am officially enrolled in college. I have been in a student orientation the last 2 days and start classes on Monday. I am going to work on a degree in elementary education. I should have it about the same time Roo starts school full-time.

I am excited to be doing something that uses my brain for a change. I love my kids but it is hard to have an intelligent conversation with a 4yo and 2.5yo.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy father's day to all the fathers out there. Most importantly happy father's day to my husband. You are a truly awesome father. Your kids adore you and so do I. You make all of us feel loved and safe. You are supportive and provide for us. The kids and I love you more than you can ever imagine. I hope you have an awesome day.

All things girly

So I have never been a girly girl. Don't get me wrong. I love pink and flowers but to the outside world I am more of a tomboy. I am going to try and make a bit of a new start. I have always wished I was one of those girls with the perfect nails and hair. The ones that wear make-up everyday and just looked pulled together. The ones with entire collections of shoes and purses. Instead I am the one in track pants with my hair in a pony-tail who constantly bites her nails. The one whose shoe collection consists of a pair of sneakers, a pair of sandals and a pair of crocs. I have a few purses but none are very pretty or stylish with the exception of the berry colored one my g-ma just got me. (Thanks Gram!)

So as soon as I have a few extra dollars I am going to get some pretty nail polish, a few new pairs of shoes and a new purse (and thanks to the bargain hunters board I know just the one. In fact I may even get the giraffe and zebra print.). I am going to actually start wearing some of the make -up I own and doing my hair. Here is to the new girly me! My outside is going to start matching my inside. Wish me luck girls! Now I just need to get a handle on the nail biting.