Two Week Notice

The time has come that I can no longer keep up working two jobs. Between my full time job and my part time job, I was working 12 hours a day a few days a week and every Saturday and Sunday. Even though my husband helped a lot, he works a lot of mixed hours as well and things were not getting done around the house. I didn’t have time to throughly clean the house. We rarely ate at the table anymore together, My supper sometimes included a pack of crackers during the 30 minutes I had between jobs. I am always tired,  missing church and Nick said I am getting grumpy. Two weeks ago, I formally put in my notice. June the 2nd will be my last day at the department store. I will be back to my normal routine of working 8 hours a day and off on weekends. 

But here is what’s weird.

I really enjoyed my part time job. Everyone liked me and I got along great with employees, managers and customers. Though I would go home tired, I was usually upbeat at work, Always speaking to everyone, and made sure I put on my smiling face. 

BUT once I put in my two week notice....

The enjoyment and fun seemed to stop. I felt ignored the past two weeks. There was nothing else for me there. I was given positions and hours that no one else wanted. I was miserable there for the first time in 8 months. There were days I never even saw a manager, I was no longer involved in any conversations, meetings or memos. It has felt a little weird. I started feeling like the new employee again. Was all the friendships fake? Do they even care that I’m leaving? The store manager commented to me the day after I gave him my notice and told me I was valuable and they will miss me. But will they really? 

This has made me think.

(and this is were I would like my readers to comment their thoughts).

Did I really need to put in a two week notice in a part time job?

I know it’s the right thing to do in a full time position. It is usually so the business can get a head start on hiring a replacement. 

It is a time period I could have trained a new employee.. None of this happened though they complain about not having enough help and that they are rapidly losing employees. (They have had several applicants by the way).

Soon , none of this will be my worry.  I will finally get back to normal. I will be able to eat a meal at a decent hour, take those long walks after dinner, get back to blogging regularly again and take better care of myself. 

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day today. I finally have a day off. The first day off I have had since May 9th. 

Wild Daisies I picked out of the parking lot at work yesterday. 

It’s the little things that bring me joy.  

 

Purse Strap

I am always looking for a new pocket book. I can not afford one of those fancy expensive kind so I have to make do with cheaper brands. 

I recently bought a cute Liz Claybourn purse on clearance, plus my employee discount. It’s not a high end pocket book, but in my world, it was pretty pricy before the discounts. I like the color. It’s a neutral off white color. I like it but getting tired of it. I have had it since December. 

One of the girls in the office was telling me how cute my purse was and it would be perfect for one of those fashionable purse straps. It has the clip on strap that can be removed. That got me thinking which led to shopping. Replacing the strap with some fun added colors would make me like it and give me that new feeling again. 

I found this cute strap on the internet to try. When I put it on my purse, I was excited. I loved how fun it makes my drab purse. 

My daughter bought me another one for my birthday. Now I can keep switching the straps depending on what I wear for the day. I found it to be more comfortable to wear on my shoulder and does not slip off like the original strap. 

Apparently this is the new thing with purses as you can find a lot of different colors and patterns to match your mood. I have gotten a lot of compliments on my new straps. 

You can find them on Amazon by searching “bag strap”, “Purse strap”or “Guitar purse strap”.

If you noticed in my post I used both the words “pocketbook” and “purse”.

What do you call it?

Is there a difference? 

As an Amazon Affiliate, this post includes a Marketing Link, which means I make a small percentage on the sales but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay. Opinions are my own honest reviews

Vintage Sewing Ottoman

My parents recently purchased a new home and during the moving process, they asked us kids if there were anything in the house we would like to have because they were wanting to downsize. 

The only thing I could think of was an old vintage ottoman mom always had in her sewing room all my life. For some reason I have always liked that little stool. It has a hinged padded top that opens up for storage. I always wanted to know what she kept in there. 

I never expected her to give this to me now. I was thinking I would take it if she passed away before me. As healthy as my parents are in their 80’s, they will probably out live me. I was excited when they brought it over to me. 

It is worn, discolored and stained from years of use. This stool is from the 70’s so It’s probably 50 years old. 

I took the stool in and probably moved it to a hundred different areas around the house of where I might want to place it. It ended up in my bedroom but I am not sure if I want to keep it there or not. 

I spent some time this past weekend and cleaned it up the best I could. 

It still shows some stains and markings but I do not mind as it gives it that vintage character.

It makes a great stool to sit on while I put on my shoes. I am just in love with it. Thanks Mom!

Mothers Day Corsage

To all past, present and future Mothers! I hope you have a happy Mothers Day. May your day be filled with love, happy thoughts and memories.

(Your not having deja vu, some of this is a repost but I wanted to share it again)

I remember when I was little, Mom would carefully lay out corsages for me and my sister and boutonniere's for my brothers that My Grandmother made. One by one, mom would pin our corsage to our Sunday outfit and to church we went. I hated it. I despised having to wear that big scratchy corsage that smelled like grandmaws basement! I was too young at the time to realize the reason of her making sure we all had a corsage to wear on Mother’s Day. 

The Mother’s Day corsage started in the 1800’s. Everyone wore one on Mother’s day. The corsage did not indicate that your were a mother, but rather that you are wearing something to honor your own mother. The flowers were usually made with an orchid, carnation or rose. The type of flower was not as important as the color. If your mom is living, you wore a red or pink flower. If your mom is deceased, you wore a white one. 

Sadly the tradition of the Mothers Day corsage has stopped. You will rarely see anyone wearing them anymore. I admit, I have not worn one in years. 

So, this Mothers Day, I have decided to make my own corsage to proudly wear over my heart in honor of my Mother.

I am who I am today because of her. She worked hard making sure all four of her children had everything we need. She showed us unconditional love but would also show us what a hickory stick was when we did wrong. She made sure we were in church every Sunday and raised us with Christian values that we still hold on too today. My mom is very pretty, smart, strong and always smells good. 

I made my mom laugh and cry. I have rebelled and hurt her feelings many times. I will always hold that guilt but I know she prayed and loved me through it all. That's what moms do. 

As a mom myself, I find and l learn new obstacles with my own daughter that make me think about the challenges and sacrifices my mom went through. Everyday, I am more thankful for the lessons she taught me and how much she has inspired me. Next to God, she is my foundation. 

My daughter is home this weekend to spend Mothers Day with me. Nick has to work so we plan to spend some Mother Daughter time together. We may do lunch somewhere and maybe try the new Açaí Bowl place uptown.

In the afternoon, the whole family will meet for dinner with our mom. It's going to be a mommy kind of day!!!!

If The Walls Could Talk

My family has been busy. My mom and dad decided to move from the home we grew up in. They had 30 days to move out 46 years of “stuff”. They had the house built 46 years ago. My youngest brother was just a baby when we moved in. 

With them being in their 80’s they have found it uncomfortable and sometimes a struggle to go up and down the stairs so they purchased a one level house they liked just a few miles away. They are actually closer to me now and I like that idea.

It was bitter sweet seeing them let go of my old home place. There were lots of stress and mixed emotions during the process. Due to work, I was unable to visit the old house one last time before closing. I was hoping to see it empty but maybe it’s best to remember it full of memories.

If the walls could talk it would have many more stories than I could tell...

It once housed 4 kids, 1 grandchild and several foster siblings.
It was a place where we brought our first dates and where we cried over our first breakups.

There were fights over the telephone and laughs over dinner. 

It seen a lot of spankings and groundings along with lots of love and hugs.
This is were we learned to ride a bike and parked our first car.
Our handprints are in the cement around the well.
We had tree swings, bonfires, and Tree houses that over looked a yard where many loved pets were buried and lots of bare feet run. 
Where we would spend hours running through the sprinklers on a hot summer day and sit by the fire place eating tv dinners and jiffy pop on a cold Winter evening.

The house was just too big for my parents and they really needed to downsize. Now it is time for mom and dad to settle down in their new home and we already can’t wait to start new traditions and make new memories. After all, It’s the family that makes a home, not the house.