Am I terrible or what!

It's been almost a month since I posted! Things have been crazy. You'd think being jobless would afford me some time to get some things done but I think I'm busier now than I was when I was employeed.

Well this past week, Michael was on vacation. It was WONDERFUL! We got to spend so much time together and we did so much that I think now he needs a vacation from his vacation. First off, on Tuesday last week I road tripped with some of my girlfriends to Paula Deen's buffet in Tunica. It was Holly's birthday and that's where she wanted to go so that's what we did. It was Dee-licious! I was so stuffed that I didn't eat until lunch the next day.

On Wednesday, I went to Dyersburg to re-drop off my job application at DHS (already had the interview and pretty sure I have the job). The lady keeps telling me that she has "a good reason" for being so persistent with me about the updated application and hopefully she will have "good news" for me soon. I think she just can't tell me officially that they want to hire me.

Thursday, Michael and I headed to Nashville to do some shopping and to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring The Rockettes. It was such a good day! The Rockettes are so much fun and we really enjoyed the show. It certainly got us into the Christmas spirit.

Friday night, we picked up both kids after school, picked up Michael's mom and headed to Memphis to go see the Starry Nights show at Shelby Farms. It was...ok. I won't make a special trip for it again with two kids because they really got tired of waiting in the car line. They were both passed out before we left the Park. Oh and we got rear-ended in the car line. Fun stuff!

Saturday we had a Chucky Cheese birthday party for Maddie..one of Livy's dear friends from Gram's daycare. Livy started at that daycare when she was 18 months and left just this past August to go to school. She misses Maddie so much! Saturday night, mom and dad took care of Livy and took her to see the Princess and the Frog while Michael and I went to our Sunday School progressive dinner Christmas party. It was alot of fun too!

Sunday, church, the Nutcracker production, church, school work, bed!!! The Nutcracker was so good and Livy watched intently as they danced. She is taking ballet right now and I'm hoping she sticks with it. I just couldn't believe how well she behaved and how interested she was!

Michael and I in front of one of the massive trees at the Opryland. We had to take pics of ourselves.

Livy with Maddie (center) and another friend

Livy and Ethan in front of the carousel at the mall before Starry Nights

Livy and Maddie BFF's

Chasing the job cause the job won't chase me

Today Michael and I are driving to Nashville so I can take a "written exam" for state employment with DHS. There is no way to study for this written exam. I have talked to one of the girls that works at DHS and took the test 7 years ago, she says it is mostly alot of math and vocabulary. I think it is just to determine if you are competent or not. Although I loathe the thought of working in that type of environment, I think the benefits outway the negatives. I got WAY too used to the flexibility of my sales job and the potential for flexible income. However, once I get into state employment it will be easier to move around to different areas if I want to in the future. My dad's retirement package was AWESOME so that's definately a plus too.

My little ballerina

Olivia is loving dance and is soooo good at it! It's really helping with her attention span and this constructive activity is really going to do her good in the long run. Did I mention she's good at it? She's either got the body of a dancer or of a runner. Haven't decided yet. She is the longest leanest one in her class. She's just naturally built that way. She has got some muscles too!!

I think she's just so cute!

I guess I need to get one of her looking like a dancer instead of a gymnast....

Welcome to the world...

First there was this......

and then there was this......

and out came.....this!!!!

And now we have.....

one very PROUD little cousin.(sorry for poor pic quality it was taken on my phone)

My sister is soooo amazing!! She was swollen to a ridiculious size and it was very painful for her to even walk at the end. She was put on bed rest I believe a week before she delivered. Her original due date was not until October 11th but they went ahead and induced on August 31st.

Emily Kate is a beautiful baby. She is now almost 3 months old and is even more beautiful with every passing day! Over the past few weeks she has started goo goo gah gahing and her eyelashes are ridiculously long and dark! She has blue eyes which I'm assuming are from my mom since Eric and Kelly both have brown eyes. She is the MOST pleasent contented baby I have ever been around and she is such a joy in our lives.

The love I have for that baby is likened to the love I have for my own daughter. Thank you Kelly and Eric for such a beautiful neice! Olivia and I love her to death.

Halloween

I think he might've thought she was gonna spit up lol

Love these two!

Just a few things...

1. I am LOVING the time I am getting to spend with my family right now. It is ridiculous how much I have been missing out on just being so stressed out over work obligations when I really needed to be focusing more on my daughter and the rest of my family. It is seriously making me reconsider my career goals.

2. Olivia is a drama queen. There..I said it. It is true! I don't think anyone will deny it. But, it just becomes more and more obvious to me as time goes on that teenage years are NOT going to be fun. Period.

3. Note to self: Everytime a child puts their head down, stops talking, and complains of a tummy ache for more than an hour...it is usually not going to end well! Yes, Michael and Ethan were getting ready to leave tonight and while Michael and I were discussing something we turned around and Ethan had jetted to the bathroom. You guessed it. Hey I have to give him much credit and high fives for making it to the toilet because that would be NO fun. I just pray he is ok and doesn't have a bug...and that if he does, it just kind of stays confined to him!!

So much to do...

Still no job. No full time job outside of the home that is. I really don't know how I kept house, laundry, and cooked while I was working my 60 hour a week work week. Oh wait! I didn't!! That's right, my house was forever stressing me out and laundry stayed piled up. I'm grateful that I have time now to do alot of the things that I haven't had time for in 4 years. Like cleaning out things, keeping the dishes done all the time (I know that's so gross but if you only knew what my work used to be like you would understand), and best of all.....CRAFTING.

I love crafting. I didn't really start crafting until a few years ago. Now, I follow blogs, look at all kinds of great stuff on etsy.com and say "oohh I can make that". So, that's pretty much where my inspiration comes from. I love to paint. I have recently been painting these cutesy ornaments.

(Does anyone know how to rotate pictures?)

 They make great gifts!

Oh, and I've made hair bow holders for my neice, Livy, and this one for my new, yet to be born cousin, Lydia. This one is not the one she is receiving because I found out recently that her colors are purple. So, I have started on redoing hers in purple colors. I hang some ribbon at the bottom to hang the bows on, put a pretty bow on top and ta da..hair bow holder.

I have also been ebaying lately. I made about $30 last week. Not bad for a piddling job! I just sold some of Livy's clothes that we haven't been able to sell in the consignment sale, and a few old things of mine. Well off to the pharmacy again!! Gotta finish organizing the stock room. Love it!

My project last week

I mentioned that I was going to be working at my girlfriend Donna's pharmacy last week getting her all gussied up and decorated for Christmas. I'll tell ya it was HARD work, but it was so much fun that it didn't feel like work! I truly wish I could do this type of work for a living. Maybe some day *sigh*. She has offered me a job twice now. Why haven't I taken it you ask? Seeing as how I'm unemployed and all you would think I would jump at it! But, the money is just not there. I can't AFFORD to work for what she can pay me. I have way too much invested in my degrees to do that. Now, if this unemployment thing drags on for much longer, I will probably take it until I finish my Masters degree. But, for now I need to put my efforts into searching for a job that fits my education.

So, anyway..when you look at these pictures keep in mind that these shelves were covered in everday merchandise and everything in the store had to be moved or taken to the back stock room. My arms, legs, feet, and every other muscle in my body was KILLING me. But, it was good for me and I'm thankful she let me do it. Hope I can help her out next year too! I am personalizing ornaments too so if you want one just let me know!

Donna and I (I have to say we have TOO much fun and she is great!)

One of the displays I did with the white Christmas dishes

I so wish I had something to cover that ugly pegboard up with but I worked it ok I think

Moving all of this stuff out here is what caused me so much pain!!

Christmas tree is a work in progress. Love how the fire extinguisher is so handy :)

And Donna caught off guard..That's Andy beside her who is a pharmacy student at Union. He happens to be one of Jodi's (my best friend and Livy's "aunt") students.

I had a blast there and I love that it didn't feel like work. All the stuff in the pictures that we are selling..yeah I sold that to Donna when I worked with Ganz. It is ALL Ganz stuff. It pained me a little to be putting it out, but it's all good. Thanks Ganz.

It's beginning to look a lot like what???

I know I was totally befuzzled in JULY when I walked into Hobby Lobby and they had their Christmas out already. I mean I've heard of retail stores doing Christmas in July before but you don't get that kind of atmosphere when you walk in there. You get that "Christmas in your face" just seconds after you walk in. Didn't we just celebrate Christmas yesterday?

Anyway, I have been working at my girlfriends' pharmacy this week helping her get ready for her Open House and merchandising all of her Christmas stuff. It's getting me very much in the mood now! All the Christmas lights and pretty red and green bows...I am loving it. Open House is today!! Hoping we sell lots of stuff!

On a different note, my full time job hunt is going very slowly. I am now realizing that 4th quarter is not so great a time to look for a job. I am doing "freelance" work right now. Not only am I helping at the pharmacy but I'm doing some work for Andy at Majestic too. He has NO computer system set up for his restaurant, he does everything on paper *gasp*. So, I'm doing him a fancy excel sheet for all his food suppliers so he can compare prices. He was keeping up with it in a binder with alphabetized tabs. It worked for him but he will love this. Technology is a must have for businesses!!

I'll have pictures of the pharmacy and all my hard work soon...and I do mean hard work. My feet are killing me and my whole body is sore from bending, lifting, and going back and forth from the stock room. It's good for me though. (at least that's what Michael said before he got a nice punch in the arm)

Pictures of us last year in front of the Christmas tree. Michael is now 40 lbs lighter (and bald since his butchered hair cut thanks to me last night)

Back on the wagon...

The blogging wagon that is. I have been encouraged by my sister from Church and friend Stephanie, to start back on the blogging wagon. She has an awesome blog where she documents her children's life and plans on scrapbooking it by printing the blog into a book later! I guess I have never really thought of my life as "interesting" since it is just me and Livy..but I am starting to rethink that! I will try to update from this year, and be all caught up by the time the New Year gets here! Wish me luck!

Here's a teaser of blogs to come!! (hopefully but don't hold me to it)