We are now taking control.

Well, actually, we are more doing a series of random experiments on money-saving, but whatever.

First up on the experiment list is that Ketia and I are tired of going to the store and spending money on clothes that are at best close to what we wanted, at prices we really don't want to pay, when both of us are smart enough to figure out a sewing machine. I don't know anyone who draws better than K, so she is in charge of patterns.  I haven't used a sewing machine in years, and I won't try to describe the last thing I tried to make on a sewing machine, but hopefully what we manage to make this time will have more value as clothing and not resemble a gag gift.

There are other experiments coming up as well, but that is the main one for right now. 2010 is shaping up to be the year of experiments and we might even make photo diaries to go with them, depending on how things turn out. You can be sure that if we make an absolute mess of clothes we try to make ourselves, we will not be too proud to make sure that everyone we know gets to see the results. We may not say what they're supposed to be, but we'll most likely have photo evidence.  In fact, we will probably take a misguided level of pride in it, but that is because we are strange. It'll be a positive experiment if something we make in December next year looks better than something we make in the next couple of months. And if we don't spend a million dollars in fabric and buttons just figuring out how to make a friggin' shirt.

More to come.

It's all good.

I guess I should update this more often, since it took a couple of tries just for me to log in to my account :)

For the past several years, I have wondered if the sacrifices that our family has made have been an issue with our kids. Mostly, whether my husband's years as a truck driver, that made sure we had a paycheck for four years, and the crazy hours that I work, had given the kids a sense that we chose work over them. Every choice we've made job wise has been so that the kids had what they needed, on occasion what they wanted, and provided a home, food, and always love, but I was not sure how much of that got through.

Right now, I'm not wondering.

Last week, my son began quizzing me on the job requirements for North Carolina for underage workers. It's not the first time he's wondered about earning his own money so when it first came up, I didn't think too much about it, I figured he'd forget by the next XBOX tournament. But he didn't. He remembers that his sister babysat last year to earn her laptop, and there are things he wants that he is willing to get a job and work for. He already has certain companies in mind, and he knows he's looking at minimum wage and what that offers. And he still wants a job. Even after the "grades and work" conversation, he didn't back down. (Grades are not his favorite subject.)

He knows we will always make sure he is taken care of, but he also knows that the things he's interested in now don't always fit into the budget, and he is serious about earning them for himself. It's not a rebellion attitude (I'll just do it on my own!) or anything like that. More and more, I'm realizing that the sacrifices that we have made over the years did make a difference. They did understand that life takes work. I have two teenagers who know that the value of working for what you want, even though it make include some sacrifice, can't be bought by someone else. They take pride in what they earn and what they do. And they are sincere about it. That part is hard to explain, but you can tell it's there.

I listen to other people talk about their teens and just count my blessings. I don't have to install cameras, hire babysitters and the biggest problem I've had with them lately is calling me at work for an XBOX password. I'm pretty damn lucky.

Wish us luck with his job hunt.

"Soon" is a relative term.....

Things have been in a constant state of change around here lately, but I have finally remembered that "hey, I have a blog I promised to update", so for the very few of you that actually read this (hi Mom!), here we go.........

I now am working the wonderful, very strange, shift of 11pm to 7:30am, and I really wish that I could tell you all about the things that go on at work because it really is freakin' hilarious some nights, but I like my job and I would like to not get fired for writing about said job on the internet.  We'll just leave it at the fact that I haven't had to pay money to go see a comedy in a while because I work in one.  The entertainment value is off the charts some days.

The downside to working that shift is that our building is the one that all the kids want to play at during the day when I'm trying to sleep, and I'm not exactly sure how they manage to confuse it with a jungle gym but 100 elephants couldn't make the noise these kids make and that is kind of putting a damper on my sleep.  On the flip side, we've been acquiring a number of musical instruments lately, some that were family instruments that found their way to us, and some that we bought, and as my husband puts it, we have the makings of a jazz band, but given the fact that the parents have no interest in keeping their kids from using the side of my apartment for ball practice, I have quit caring about the sound of four different instruments playing four different tunes in our apartment.  Turn about is fair play.  Or something like that.

Hmmm...what else is going on?

My husband will believe me the next time I say the car sounds like its about to spew engine parts all over the freeway.

The animals are still insane.

So are the humans.

NASCAR is back and I am happy.  (Seriously, that's really all it takes to make me happy.  Although mochas help too.)

That's about it.  

Coming Soon.....

Updates.
Really.
I promise.